Calendar
Thursday, Feb. 20
After suffering through roommates retelling every damn skit on his new Comedy Central hit, tonight is finally the night to check out the man himself. “Half Baked” star Dave Chappelle will bust guts all over the Arlington Theatre at 7:30 with tickets starting at $23.50. Call 963-4408 for more info. Just when you thought turntables and mixers were the revolutionary gadgets of the day, people are now creating music with a few mouse clicks. UCSB Music Dept. presents “Virtual Soundscapes,” compositions written for instruments that are played through something called a creatophone spatializer. Come check out this pluriphonic sound projection system tonight at 8 in Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall for free! Call 893-4586 for info.
Friday, Feb. 21
Add a few dashes of spice to your usual ballet performance and expect it to raise a few millibars on the thermostat. Tonight at 8, Ballet Hispanico will heat up Campbell Hall with their vibrant ballet, contemporary, jazz and ethnic fusion. Tickets start at $16 to see this group that’s been around since the ’70s. For info call 893-3535. Grab some earplugs and tissues… tonight is the absolute last and final show to be held at the The Living Room’s current location, 430C S. Fairview Ave. The emo/rock bands, Further Seems Forever, Elliot, Holden and others will bow out this Goleta showspace in hopes of it finding a new location in the next few weeks. Pay your respects while getting down with your bad self and visit www.ticketweb.com for tickets. For more info on helping to save The Living Room, contact Ted Coe at ted.coe@kcsb.org.
Saturday, Feb. 22
Finally! Angela, of “My So-Called Life” isn’t the only one who gets to have Jared Leto strum songs for her. Starting at 7 tonight, Leto’s band, 30 Seconds to Mars, will play alongside Chevelle and Pulse Ultra at the Ventura Theater. With Chevelle’s rock sounds and emotion-driven lyrics, and 30 Seconds’ mix of synthesized and hard-core rock, the show is sure to tear it up, though Artsweek can’t promise Leto will play “Red.” Tickets are a mere $13 for these hot up-and-coming bands. Call 639-3965 for info. For a more local show tonight, the local fusion septet (that’s seven musicians, FYI), the Mad Caddies will be playing at Bar Absinthe. This soft-core, punk rock band, which blends reggae and Dixieland jazz influences, will start their all-ages performance at 5:30, with another 21+show starting at 10:30. Call 965-5057 for info.
Sunday, Feb. 23/Monday, Feb. 24
Get up, stand up… so you can party all night at the Tribute to Bob Marley tonight at 10. Sunday will be a night of music and celebration at the Coach House with Groundation performing three hours of Marley’s legendary tunes. Tickets are $12 for this all ages event. Call 965-0789 for info. “Theater of the Mind” sounds like it should involve telepathy, but hey, Artsweek is still stoked to see “Speaking of Stories,” the award-winning presentation of classic literature at the Lobero Theatre. Starting at 7:30 on Monday night, authors like Fannie Flagg and George Blackman will read their own work and that of legends like Maya Angelou. Tickets start at $13. Call 963-0761 for info.
Tuesday, Feb. 25
Paragliding aerobatics, Norwegian kite skiers and double leg-amputees mountain climbing… oh my! These are just a slice of the outdoor-themed films ready to captivate audiences at the Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival showing in Campbell Hall both Monday night and tonight. Each night has different screenings, each starting at 7:30. Tickets cost $10. Call 893-3535 for info. Chrissie Hynde might just be one of the most bad-ass rock femme rockers to hit the stage in the last 30 years and tonight she and her band, the Pretenders, will remind everyone exactly why, as they perform at the Arlington Theatre. Show starts at 8 with tickets starting at $34.50. For info call 963-4408
Wednesday, Feb. 26
Betty and Wilma knew how to roll rocks, but Queens of the Stone Age know how to rock and roll. They’ll be playing the Ventura Theater tonight at 7:30. They bear an uncanny resemblance to Pink Floyd adding a modern alternative twist, so it’s no wonder they’re referred to as “reincarnated stoner rock.” Tickets cost $17.50. For info call 639-3965. Okay, so the Taurus is in the shop and you’re still yearning for local sonic satisfaction? Well, tonight is the night to hop the bus downtown to see the band with the wild idea of combining Celtic music with rock. Calling themselves Seven Nations, this band boasts a bagpipe, fiddle and guitar, and will be breaking the categorical boundaries of Celtic music at Bar Absinthe. For more info on this 21+ event, call 965-5057.
