Tim’s Picks: 5 choice ideas for your weekend
Tim’s Picks: 5 choice ideas for your weekend
Records spin at The Spot. Lafayette Master Chorale with Bach. LaLa Gallery’s return. Lafayette Chamber Music Society’s take on jazz. Country at People’s. Five choice ideas for your Lafayette week
Today’s edition is sponsored by Tippecanoe County Historical Association, presenting its Taste of the Paste dinner series. Each Taste of the Past dinner features an accompanying educational program. Full menus available at the link! Tickets are $60 per person, per dinner, with a limit of six tickets per person, per dinner. Due to the event’s nature, we cannot accommodate substitutions. Please be aware that foods will be cooked in a kitchen where allergens may be present. Thank you for understanding! For questions, call our office at (765) 476-8411 ext. 1 or email us at Director@tippecanoehistory.org.
And now, your friend and mine …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
Spot Patio Friday (SPF), 5 p.m. Friday, May 3, The Spot Tavern, 409 S. Fourth St., Lafayette — In 2023, the convergence of long-awaited good weather, Cinco de Mayo and the last weekend before Purdue University commencement caused one of the hottest nights of that year in terms of party people getting their collective freaky-deekiness on at the first Spot Patio Friday. Local and regional DJs provided the soundtrack on The Spot’s patio while Snuggs Pizza dished out pies aplenty. There was even a line wrapped around the block to get in. It was one of the more memorable nights of the year for dance fans. This weekend, SPF 2024 launches with turntable talent in the form of Nico Miguel, Tico Barber, Zernack and SPF curator Kyle Robert Paquin. Closing out the night will be Ritmos Calientes, a return engagement of sorts as Esteban Garcia Bravo and Nandi Marocco will spin infectious South American rhythms from their native Colombia and beyond until close. Get ready to sweat again. $5.
LaLa Gallery grand opening, 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 3, Bindery Artist Studios, 511 Ferry St., Lafayette — After years on Main Street, Lafayette artist Angela Vinson will resurrect her LaLa Gallery back into the brick-and-mortar element with a grand opening Friday. Vinson found a new home to work within Bindery Artist Studios, first as a studio and now as the new location of Lala Gallery. Expect to see Vinson’s latest works as well as other artists’. You’ll find pottery, planters, beeswax candles, leather bags and wallets, upcycled apparel, plants, kitchen and bath items and more. LaLa’s regular hours will follow events like gallery walks and the downtown Lafayette Farmers Market.
“300 in Leipzig: Bach’s St. John Passion,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, Saturday, St. Mary Cathedral, 1207 Columbia St., Lafayette — The hits continue for the Lafayette Master Chorale. All season, the best singers in town have given audiences powerful, impressive works. October’s “Considering Matthew Shepherd” was an unforgettable experience in the local arts scene. This weekend, the Chorale will present Bach’s oldest surviving oratorio, “St. John’s Passion.” The 1724 piece is full of dramatic choruses, resonant arias and compelling narrative. “The enormity of this performance cannot be underestimated,” said artistic director Michael Bennett. “The chorale's achievement in preparing this extremely challenging music is inspirational to me. The vocal demands, German language and emotional storyline require great concentration and skill.” This event will draw soloists from across the country, backed by an orchestra of area musicians. The concert experience will be enhanced by St. Mary’s gorgeous nave and acoustics. $22 in advance, $25 at the door, $10 for students, and free for children under 18 with adult purchase. Tickets.
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“Jazz Concert,” 4 p.m. Sunday, May 5, St. John’s Episcopal Church, 600 Ferry St., Lafayette — The Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society will wrap up its season with something a little different. A quintet of local classical musicians will try their hands at jazz tunes for a unique, closing program for 2023-24. The Chamber Music Society should be commended for its quality and quantity this season — seven concerts, musicians from near and far, and selections varied and played expertly. $15, $5 for college students, free for children kindergarten-12th grade. Tickets.
Jeff Shepherd with Matt Woods, 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, People’s Brewing Company, 2006 N. Ninth St., Lafayette — Real country music returns to town when Nashville singer-songwriter Jeff Shepherd headlines People’s Brewing. A former Hoosier, Shepherd relocated to Music City and has found a band, regular gigging and much acclaim for his music, including his new album “Something Blue.” This gig will be on the solo tip but in any format, Shepherd’s songs like “Black Widow” resonate and give listeners witness into how the young country musician does it the right way — country roots, excellent musicianship and lyrics that tell stories like the 100 years of country artists before him. Opening will be another familiar face/sound: Matt Woods, another young country artist well-familiar with Lafayette audiences, will open. Woods is on tour in support of his own new record, “Natural Disasters.” $10. Tickets.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
BONUS CUT, ICYMI: This weekend also has “Entropics,” the final production on campus from Rick Thomas, a Purdue Theatre professor wrapping up a legendary career in theater, sound and design. Tim Brouk went inside the preparations for this profile of Thomas from a Wednesday edition of Based in Lafayette.
Thanks, again, to sponsor Tippecanoe County Historical Association, presenting its Taste of the Paste dinner series. For details, here’s your link.
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