Tim’s Picks: A Record (Store Day) Performance
Tim’s Picks: A Record (Store Day) Performance
Take your Picks: LSO’s B-Side with Purdue Soli. Record Store Day in big way on West Lafayette streets. Battle of the Bands at Purdue. A Drag Show sendoff at Rat Pak Venue. And more
Support for Based in Lafayette comes today from Purdue Convocations, presenting French-Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy with pianist Inon Barnatan on the Steinway D. Led by conductor Jonathan Cohen, the evening’s performance marks a return to Purdue for the pianist and chamber orchestra and will feature works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, C.P.E. Bach and Shostakovich. Wednesday, April 26, at Loeb Playhouse. Buy tickets here.
And now, your weekly dose of five choice ideas for the weekend and beyond in Lafayette/West Lafayette, via your man …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
Lafayette Symphony Orchestra’s B-Side with Purdue Soli, 7:30 tonight, April 20, Rat Pak Venue, 102 N. Third St., Lafayette — Young violinist Josh Facello combined his dual music passions for performing at Purdue University and with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra to create Purdue Soli, a Purdue student organization that strives to get Purdue classical musicians involved with other concerts off-campus to Lafayette and beyond. Tonight, Facello will be joined by other Boilermaker string musicians as he and the LSO created an informal night of string quartet classics. $15. Tickets.
Purdue Battle of the Bands and Carnival Night, 8 p.m. Friday, April 21, Purdue Engineering Mall — One of my favorite events of the year is the Purdue Battle of the Bands. This longstanding free event started in the 1990s and continues to this day. Over the decades, there have been music trends galore represented (Oh, the many Dave Matthews Band wannabes of the ‘00s), but the event remains as a gateway into Grand Prix weekend. In the ‘00s and ‘10s, I was lucky to be a judge for most of them, and I loved it because every year was different — location, weather, talent level. One year, it was held in the snow! But besides being a showcase to Greater Lafayette’s horrible spring weather, the lineups are always interesting. There have been some heavy hitters over the years that made it in due to a younger member grinding for that degree, as well as bands that were never heard from again. Some bands aren’t quite ready, while others could tour tomorrow if they had the resources and time away from their rigorous Purdue classes. Between acts, carnival games and treats will be set up to help celebrate another fine year at Purdue.
Record Store Day concert with The Lawn Darts, The Lunar Diamonds and Free Hat, 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Chauncey Plaza, 200 block of Chauncey Avenue, between West Lafayette Public Library and West Lafayette City Hall — Music fans’ Christmas is finally here, and West Lafayette is once again making a big deal about it. In conjunction with Purdue University Student Concert Committee, a free outdoor Record Store Day bash will feature live music and records for sale. While the shop will be buzzing all afternoon just blocks away, Von’s Records will be onsite — a cool touch to go along with beer from People’s Brewing Company and grub from Tacos Mexico food truck. Check out Purdue’s own The Lunar Diamonds, who are among the burgeoning house show scene in West Lafayette.
Purduettes Spring Spectacular, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — Another academic year is ending over at Purdue, which means a flurry of activity before finals week and commencement. And live music fans reap the benefits. Along with the aforementioned battle of the bands, Purdue performing ensembles of all kinds will be showcasing their talents one last time before summer. The Purduettes will revisit downtown Lafayette for its Spring Spectacular concert. It’ll be expert level show choir awesomeness on one of the area’s most historic stages. $20, $10 for students.
Veronica’s Benefit Show, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Rat Pak Venue, 102 N. Third St., Lafayette — Help a local drag queen make it to the next level. This show will benefit Veronica Fox as she embarks on her Miss Gay Indiana aspirations. The first rounds of the statewide pageant start in May, and Veronica will slay after getting support from her Greater Lafayette fans this weekend. Joining her on-stage will be fellow queens from The Fox’s Den — Vicki St. James, Anitta Schwanz, CeeCee Ross and Michelle Blain. $10, $15 for ages 18-20. Tickets.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Thanks, again, for support today from Purdue Convocations.
And thanks to The Arts Federation. Get your tickets for Tap for TAF and support the arts, one beer at a time. Tickets are available at https://theartsfederation.org/taptix/.
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