The Jake Five: A great big bushy beard
They're showing "Gone with the Wind" at the Babcock. Here's all you need to know about that, and other Billings events to give a damn about.
Never being hungry again at the Babcock and Art House
Heck of a week of movies lined up at the Babcock, starting with "Hot Fuzz" on Friday at 7 p.m. The second film in Edgar Wright's "Cornetto Trilogy" is an absurdist and bombastic "Bad Boys" sendup about a London cop who is sent to a sleepy village in the English countryside, only to learn that there's something sinister afoot. The movie of course stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and then an all-time assemblage of British character actors including (deep breath) Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, Olivia Coleman, Martin Freeman, Steve Coogan, Rory McCann, Stephen Merchant, Rafe Spall and more. Cate Blanchett is in this thing and she's not even credited.
How do you follow that up? How about with the literal highest grossing movie ever made? "Gone with the Wind," which turns 85 this year and is showing on Saturday at 4 p.m. Victor Fleming's four-hour epic netted 10 Oscars (including a Supporting Actress win for Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar) and made so much money that, adjusted for inflation, it's still the highest grossing movie of all time by nearly half a billion dollars.
Speaking of Ferrell, you could make it a back-to-back week by going to Art House on Thursday at 7 p.m. for a special showing of "Will and Harper," the new Josh Greenbaum documentary about Ferrell joining his longtime friend and former "SNL" head writer Harper Steele, who recently came out as transgender, on a cross-country road trip. Essential cinema, especially now.
Also at Art House you can still see "Conclave" and "Emilia Pérez," and new this week are the new Steve McQueen (not that one) movie "Blitz" and the R-rated Claymation oddity "Memoir of a Snail."
Elana Hayden and Parker Brown at Thirsty Street
Thirsty Street is turning into a pretty cool jazz club at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. The show starts out with Parker Brown, and then later on he'll be playing bass in the main attraction: Elana Hayden and the Sugar Daddies. In addition to Hayden's soaring vocals and Brown's guitar, the band includes Mike Leslie on bass, Joe Sullivan on piano, Scott Jeppesen on sax and Zach Paris on drums. And it's a free show, so no better way to kick off your weekend.
The Black Jacket Symphony presents 'Dark Side of the Moon' at the Alberta Bair Theater
Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" is one of the totemic columns on which all modern pop culture has been built, a record of expansive ideas and sounds that sold millions and millions of copies. But everyone in Pink Floyd hates each other now, so you'll never get to see it played live.
Unless you go to the Alberta Bair at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, to hear the record played in its entirety by the Black Jacket Symphony, who are not a symphony but are sort of a souped up cover band who specialize in playing iconic rock albums. They'll perform all of "Moon" and a greatest hits collection of other Floyd songs. Tickets are $34 to $49 at albertabairtheater.org .
The Brothers Comatose at the Pub Station
The Brothers Comatose, who are playing the Pub Station at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, have been standard bearers in the world of bluegrass for about 15 years now. So they, along with their opening band AJ Lee and Blue Summit, are from exactly where you'd expect: San Francisco. Tickets are $25 at thepubstation.com .
Vision Duo at the Billings Depot
As part of the Billings Symphony's Sukin Series, the neo-classical group Vision Duo are playing the Billings Depot at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14. Vision is comprised of Ariel Horowitz on violin and Britten-René Collins on marimba, an innovative combination of strings and percussion. See it for yourself by getting a ticket for $45 ($25 for students) at billingssymphony.org .
Honorable mentions
Chappell Roan is probably the biggest pop star on the planet, so of course she's playing Billings! Well sorta, kinda, not really, but a little bit? At the Pub Station at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 Club 90's is presenting "Chappell Roan Night," a DJ dance party. Tickets are $15 at thepubstation.com .
NOVA's "Festival of One Act Operas," which includes Seymour Barab's "Little Red Riding Hood""The Impresario," by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wraps up this week with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $22 at novabillings.org , and students can get in free with code "WOLF."
Kirks' Grocery's pay-what-you-can Kitchen Party is back from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday. Food by Ash Woodward of Rose Hollow Catering, and beats from DJ Dixon Moonstomper.
Shane de Leon's punk rock extravaganza Miss Massive Snowflake are playing Kirks' on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., with help from the North Dakota low-fi band The Shaky Calls. $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
There's a rock and roll triplicate at Thirsty Street on Saturday at 7 p.m., with sets from NUKE, Render Me Silent and Lethal Aid. $5 at the door.
is having their monthly dance on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Club. $5 gets you in, and there's music from Cimarron Band, a 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Proceeds will support the new Senior Citizens Center.
Have great beer while getting a great book and raising money for a great cause at the Education Foundation for Billings Public School's Book Drive and Swap at Thirsty Street from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday. You can bring a new or gently used kids book for the Reading Rocks Program, bring some books to swap with others, or just have a few beers, with $1 of each pint sold going to the foundation.
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