Wednesday, March 22
Go C-A-R-D-S!
It may be the No Interest Tournament everywhere else, but Louisville should draw another nice crowd tonight for its quarterfinal NIT game tonight against Missouri State, an angry team that got unfairly snubbed by the NCAA selection committee. A win sends the Cards back to Madison Square Garden, where they're 0-2 this season, for the semis. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased through TicketMaster (502-361-3100, www.ticketmaster.com or at various TM outlets, including statewide Kroger stores). U of L students can buy tickets for $5 through U of L ticket office locations. Game time is 9 p.m. —Cary Stemle
Wednesday, March 22 & Saturday, March 25
‘Zizek’ documentary
At the University of Louisville’s Floyd Theater (as part of the excellent “Season of Dissent” film series they have been running for the last few years) comes a documentary about a totally strange and important genius, Slavoj Zizek, a current superstar among observers of “outsider” pop culture. A mystic, seer, oracle, anti-politician and (above all) philosopher, the Slovenian Zizek might be most aptly described as a hybrid of Bernard-Henri Levy, Gilbert Gottfried and Brother Theodore. Noam Chomsky and Jackie Gleason, perhaps. Mixing the ideas and theories of thinkers like Karl Marx and Jacques Lacan (with maybe a touch of Groucho Marx) alongside a healthy contempt for consumer culture, Zizek is a post-modern intellectual (who once ran for president of Slovenia) with few peers. Truthfully, there is no description that will suffice. Director Astra Taylor’s film is itself perhaps the only acceptable explanation of the phenomenon that is Zizek. —Paul Kopasz
Floyd Theater
2100 S. Floyd St.
852-0320
Free; 4 and 7:30 p.m. (March 22), 7:30 p.m. (March 25)
Friday, March 24
Ju Percussion Group
You might take the musicians out of Taiwan, but you can never take the Taiwan out of the musicians. Ju Percussion Group has excelled at collaborations with other musical traditions since 1993, but the heart of their music lies in performing original Taiwanese compositions. Expect to hear traditional Western percussion instruments as well as the Chinese gong-drum. An infusion of Chinese and Taiwanese folk tunes and children’s songs keep things interesting. This might be the deepest immersion into Asian culture you’ve made so far, but getting started is the important part. The New York Times called this troupe “spectacular.” You can judge for yourself Friday night. —Matt Mattingly
Brown Theatre
315 W. Broadway
584-7777
$17.50-$27.50; 8 p.m.
March 24-26
Louisville Orchestra’s ode to joy
Because the Louisville Orchestra has escaped bankruptcy, this weekend will not be the last chance to see the 71-member ensemble perform classical works. (The orchestra’s schedule, even when bankruptcy seemed imminent, still included the April 1 performance with Kool & the Gang, with Bob Bernhardt conducting.) Befittingly, the program of this installment of the Hilliard Lyons Classics Series will present powerful works with LO Artistic Adviser Raymond Leppard conducting Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9,” which includes part of “Ode to Joy,” and Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria.” Both grand musical works evoke intense emotion with choral portions that surge with energy. Chorus master Kent Hatteberg will direct the U of L Collegiate Chorale in both pieces, along with soprano Nicole Cabell, mezzo-soprano Anita Krause, tenor Thomas Studebaker and bass Burak Bilgili singing on “Symphony No. 9” and Cabell on “Gloria.” The Sunday concert, part of the Brown-Forman Sundays at 3 Series, will feature highlights from both works. —Elizabeth Kramer
Brown Theatre
315 W. Broadway
584-7777
$17.50-$27.50; 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 25
Elementary step competition
Not only is inner-city elementary school McFerran Preparatory Academy educating students on the basis of educational excellence in math, science, English and arts in the classroom, but on integrity, teamwork and self-discipline outside of the classroom in after-school organizations and programs. One program that is edifying this mission is the school’s step team. Although funds for costumes and equipment are low, the team won’t back down. McFerran Preparatory Academy will host a community step show Saturday afternoon. They’re seeking donations of merchandise or gift certificates for the winning team. But more importantly, they want an audience. Throw on your tennis shoes and be prepared to learn the base, tone and slap of the bodily drum by these young, artistic and intelligent students. —Tytianna Wells
McFerran Preparatory Academy
1900 S. Seventh St.
485-8297
Donations accepted; 12-4 p.m.
Ballet’s ‘An Evening at the Races’
Lots of racing; no horse smells. Yes, it’s the Louisville Ballet’s “An Evening at the Races” fund-raiser — a night of video horse races, handicapping and wagering, silent auctions and mint juleps. Here’s how it works: Attendees get to handicap and bet on videotaped horse races, and their “winning tickets” earn virtual cash toward good in the silent auction. Each time someone cashes a ticket, the Korbel Champagne Parade begins — meaning a parade of servers bearing a silver champagne bucket, bottle of Korbel and 10 glasses arrive on the scene so you can celebrate your winnings with your entire table. The evening kicks off with cocktails, followed by dinner, then the racing and silent auction. Sorry, no infield.
In other fund-raising news, the Ballet is currently raffling a chance to win a 2006 Harley-Davidson FXDI Dyna Super Glide. Tickets are $20, and only 2,500 will be sold. The drawing will be held Wednesday, May 31. Contact the Ballet for details. —Kevin Gibson
Jockey Club, Churchill Downs
700 Central Ave.
583-3150
www.louisvilleballet.org
$250 (single); 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 25
Last Saturday at Keswick
Two months ago began the “Last Saturday” show series at the Keswick Democratic Club, a monthly showcase for local and non-local music of several kinds. Its purpose isn’t much more than to have a regular all-ages show meant to mix bands that perhaps normally wouldn’t share the stage, in itself a righteous cause.
The first show was on the heavier side, and the second a little weirder. This one’s got the pop, with The Merediths and Second Story Man (it’s their CD release show for Red Glows Brighter, a seven-song newbie), Nakatomi Plaza, Metal Hearts and Louisville’s Go Static. Goodness. —Stephen George
Keswick Democratic Club
1127 Logan St.
637-9639
www.lastsaturday.net
$5 adv./$7 door; 6 p.m.
All ages
Tuesday, March 28
Garrison Starr
In another lifetime, I knew nothing but love slips out near the end of Garrison Starr’s new CD The Sound of You and Me. But in our current lifetime, Starr frequents the moments when she realizes that heartache is the lens through which she’ll see every relationship. The new album — Starr’s fourth — is more energetic than ever, with the modern folk-pop regularly engaging its rock gears. On “Big Enough,” strings and drums both swirl before power chords are unleashed. If you want to present something like that, you’d better have a full band along — and that’s just what we’re getting on Starr’s latest visit to town. She’s part of a bargain-priced bill with Deadstring Brothers and Strays Don’t Sleep at Headliners. If you want a preview, head to the Highlands and catch previews from Deadstring Brothers (6 p.m.) and Starr (6:30 p.m.) at ear X-tacy. —T.E. Lyons
Headliners
1386 Lexington Road
584-8088
www.headlinerslouisville.com
$5; 8 p.m.
Through April 1
Devyn Baron’s ‘New Growth’
Glassblower Devyn Baron’s latest work has the blush of spring all over it. Not serene, newly formed shoots, but the more slightly creepy quality of spores and other young plant life. Actually, Baron, one of the resident artists at Flame Run, will not even fess up to say they’re plants. “The pieces are a bit ambiguous,” she says. “I like to leave it to the viewer to draw her own conclusions about this work: Is it plant, animal or some form in between?” This is an exhibit botanists and fans of science fiction will love. —Jo Anne Triplett
Flame Run Hotshop and Gallery
828 E. Market St.
584-5353
www.flamerun.com
Free; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sat.
Joe McGee’s mixed media work
Art historians, take note: Joe McGee’s new works are subtitled “Pictorial Meditations on Verrocchio’s Equestrian Statue of Colleoni.” As an undergraduate student at U of L, he took art history under Dr. Dario Covi (didn’t we all). That’s where he first learned about the horse as depicted by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and he has been drawing, painting and sculpting variations of the classical image ever since.
It looks like he paid attention in class. This show centers on his interpretation of the equestrian sculpture by Renaissance artist Andrea del Verrocchio. An essay by Covi, author of the book “Andrea del Verrocchio: Life and Work,” is included in the exhibit. —Jo Anne Triplett
Chase Gallery
416 W. Jefferson
566-2002
www.louisvillevisualart.org
Free; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
