Calendar 6.17 - 6.24

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WED 6.17

Author Jay Wexler has been a professor in the Boston University School of Law for eight years, served as a law clerk for Ruth Bader Ginsberg and was an attorney advisor for the US Department of Justice. But he's funny. Wexler embarked on a six-month road trip, hitting up Amish farms, Santeria shindigs and the US Senate in search of the birthplaces of controversial Supreme Court decisions. Holy Hullabaloos: A Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars documents the journey, but some of the best stuff (ahem, hand-painted oil portrait of Justice Samuel Alito with a green bunny on his shoulder) can only be found on the book's website, holyhullabaloos.com. [Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline. 617.566.6660. 7pm/free. brooklinebooksmith.com]

THU 6.18

Shot Abroad features the work of John Martino, who's making the leap from local cafés to galleryland (specifically, Brookline Arts Center). The center is displaying a selection of his black-and-white photos from his trip across Asia and Europe. As someone who often can't afford a voyage across the Mass. Ave. bridge, I'd recommend living vicariously through this guy's photos any day. [Through Wed 7.17.09. 86 Monmouth St., Brookline. 617.566.5715. Artist's reception, 6pm-8pm/free. brooklineartscenter.com]

Mrs. Somebody Somebody, Tracy Winn's debut collection of short stories, tells the intertwining stories of mill workers in Lowell, Mass., in 1947. Winn's descriptions of Lowell make it easy to imagine it as the gritty mill town it once was, but it's her piercing narration that really catches you off guard . Anyone who writes so convincingly and matter of factly, "the splash it made was strangely satisfying," about a baby falling out of a window into a canal, is worth stopping into Porter Square Books for. [25 White St., Porter Sq., Cambridge. 617.491.2220. 7pm/free. portersquarebooks.com]

Who the fuck is Major Lazer? In the new music business, they've kept the leak lid tight on this one, having only released one single song to the world. However, we know that super producers Diplo and Switch are behind it, so Major Lazer could be an old, hardened fruitcake and this show will still blow your mind. Not to mention the others appearing at the House of Blues tonight: Matt and Kim, Steve Porter, Red Foxxx and A-Trak. It's only 10 bucks, ergo: You're shit out of luck. [15 Landsdowne St., Boston. 888.693.2583. 10pm/21+/$10. houseofblues.com]

FRI 6.19

Any gaping mouths in the film's audience will more likely come from awe, not yawning, during the Museum of Fine Arts' screening of The Big Sleep. The movie's actually a scandalous film noir starring a sad-faced Humphrey Bogart as Raymond Chandler's perennial, hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe. It also features Hollywood's other favorite scene stealers: sex, drugs and murder. Marlowe's hired to keep an eye on a young, rebellious girl and ends up falling in love with her older sister (a gruff and gorgeous Lauren Bacall), who initially hates him. Murders ensue in the thickening plot, with a screenplay written by William fucking Faulkner. [465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 617.267.9300. 7:30pm/$10, $8 students. mfa.org]

"Incredibly exciting," "Incredibly talented," "A truly memorable performer," "A raw, beautiful whirlwind," "Something very special," "A sort of modern court magician," "Truly impressive and beautiful and awe inspiring," "One of the most talented musicians in indie rock." By golly, people sure will love seeing Andrew Bird perform at the Bank of America Pavilion tonight. [290 Northern Ave., Boston. 617.728.1600. 7:30pm/all ages/$20-$30. bankofamericapavilion.com]

Family-friendly bestiality flick The Tale of Despereaux is being shown on the Charles. Originally a 2003 fantasy book of the same name, The Tale of Despereaux follows the mishaps of a mouse, Despereaux, and his friendship with a human princess. Great opportunity to woo some hot tail, who will surely grow as fond of you as the princess is of a mouse. Free Friday Flicks are just getting started, showing each Friday night throughout the summer. [Hatch Shell, The Esplanade, east end of Storrow Dr., Boston. 617.787.7200. Sundown/free. wbz.com]

SAT 6.20

Just because Barack Obama has assumed office doesn't mean the struggle has ended. Far from it. Fortunately, Jason Bennett and the Resistance have not hung up their political banners. Lifting the mantle of his former band, Suspect Device, on his back and wearing his devotion to St. Joe Strummer on his sleeve tat, he tours incessantly, like Johnny Appleseed—who, as it turns out, was probably spreading the love of hard cider, not apples. Join them in their crusade at the Middle East Upstairs tonight and, when the revolution comes, Mr. Bennett, we got your back. [472 Mass. Ave., Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.931.2000. 1pm/all ages/$10. mideastclub.com]

99 is the number of people killed during the Great Northeastern Blizzard of 1978. It left 3,500 cars buried and abandoned in the middle of roads. It forced 10,000 people to move into emergency shelters. It was estimated to have injured 4 percent of the faculty and staff at Brown University. It buried 10-year-old Peter Gosselin of Uxbridge, who was not found until after the snow melted, just outside his front door. It also inspired Cropduster to write "Blizzard of Doom," a long, droney rock tune, which is probably on the playlist at O'Briens tonight. Animal Hospital and American Cloud Songs are also on the bill, so get there early, though not to avoid the snow. We hope. [3 Harvard Ave., Allston. 617.782.6245. 9pm/21+/$8. obrienspubboston.com]

Master manipulator; skilled negotiator. Same thing, right? Just depends on how you spin it, which is the essence of diplomacy, really. Flex your spinning skills at Boston Massacre's third annual Championship Diplomacy Tournament. In the political board game from the '50s, players strategize and form alliances to take over as many European power centers in a WWII-era setting as they can. And if any of your friends are Diplomacy tourney virgins, you and your guest get dibs on a free board game. If only one game were to last longer than six hours ... (See what we did there?) [Through Sun 6.21.09. Pandemonium Books, 4 Pleasant St., Cambridge. 617.547.3721. Sat 6.20.09, 9am and 3pm; Sun 6.21.09, 9am. $25 tournament entry, $10 individual games. pandemoniumbooks.com]

SUN 6.21

Miss Liz McGrath of Miss Derringer is a little darling doll of a pop star. Her porcelain look belies her band's sound, however, which can rip and roar like any good punk-o-billy act worth its weight in snot. The SoCal outfit is so well liked, even, they're playing Harpers Ferry on a tour promoting an album that doesn't even come out until they're almost home. Winter Hill (Whitey much?) seems to be their shot at pop-stardom, but with the artful and adorable McGarth in front of the camera, we'll bet the bank. [158 Brighton Ave., Allston. 617.254.9743. 8pm/18+/$10. harpersferryboston.com]

New entertainment business model alert! The NYC fashionistas at Nylon Magazine have gone and started their own record label, with their flagship signing, Patrick Wolf, taking the stage at the Middle East Downstairs tonight. Which got us thinking, who would we sign at Weekly Dig Records? How about a children's cover band called The Pixie Stix, the legendary techno/house harmonica player HyperHarp and the hottest mumbling rap artists ever: MC Menino. Investors—call us. [472 Mass. Ave., Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.931.2000. 7pm/18+/$12. mideastclub.com]

If John Dillinger could make gutsy prison escapes, then you can sneak out for this one. In 1973, director John Milius churned out Dillinger, a B-movie crime drama that portrayed the gangster/bank robber as a complicated guy, upholding his folk hero image. Packed with violence, newsreel and original footage, and tough guy swagger, this is not to be missed by anyone, but especially by those who like to put their Johnny Depp vehicles into historical context. [Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 617.876.6837. Noon, 4:45pm, 9:30pm /$7.50, $9.50 for 9:30pm showing. brattlefilm.org]

MON 6.22

When we turn to writing about things we barely remember, like Candlebox at the Paradise, we have to turn to the internet to jog our memory. We hate acknowledging this, but after about 30 click-throughs of cover songs and cellphone vids, we finally went to Wikipedia and found this gem: "Several songs from the self-titled debut album were and still are popular choices among exotic dancers at gentlemen's clubs." [967 Comm. Ave., Boston. 617.562.8800. 8pm/18+/$20. thedise.com]

TUE 6.23

As a direct descendant of Elizabeths Proctor and Howe, both accused witches in 1690s Salem, local historian and fiction writer Katherine Howe has done her fair share of digging into her family's history. Her newest fiction venture, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, weaves the backstory of the witch trials in with the tale of a young grad student's discovery of her own family's ties to the tragic era. [1256 Mass. Ave., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 617.661.1515. 7pm/free. harvard.com]

Pop-punk hyphy freakout music began with Matt and Kim and has snowballed into a country-wide sensation of sweaty loft shows, mass slam-dancing and incredible posi energy. Team Robespierre is one of the forerunners of all that hullabaloo, so you might want to tell your kids you saw them back in the day, lest you reveal yourself as the apathetic fuddy duddy you actually were. Really though, their shows are such a fun vortex that you literally have to TRY to have a bad time at the Middle East Upstairs tonight. [472 Mass. Ave., Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.931.2000. 8pm/18+/$9. mideastclub.com]

WED 6.24

There is no way possible Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, aka Femi Kuti, could surpass the legend of his daddy (Fela had 27 wives, just saying) so the son has gone his own way, a more poppy, world-oriented way that takes in numerous styles under its Afro-beat hull. Playing the Paradise tonight, he even crept into Grand Theft Auto IV as the voice of "International Funk 99," the radio station of choice for my GTA-obsessed friend. I guess Nigerian funk is the music of choice for blowing police helicopters out of the sky with a bazooka. [967 Comm. Ave., Boston. 617.562.8800. 7pm/18+/$25. thedise.com]