Thursday (1/11/06): If the first week of school has you feeling a little crazed, try de-stressing at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum with something a little more creative than beer and Bon Bons. Check out the performance piece “Still Life With Mic” by renowned musicians and artists Todd Reynolds and Luke DuBois. The 8 p.m. performance features live interactive video art and electrified violins. Tickets are just $13 for students and more information is available at http://www.iridianarts.com.

Friday (1/12/06): Rock, reggae and hip hop come together at SOhO on State Street tonight, as self-proclaimed purveyors of “danceable, skankable” music The Upbeat takes the stage. Klockwyze and D.J. K.I.D.Z. will also be performing and the show starts at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are just $10, but sorry kids, this one’s 21 and over only.

Saturday (1/13/06): According to their Myspace page, Springtime is Wartime sounds like “the balls of a gorilla and the heart of a dove.” Curious about what exactly that sounds like? Check out the indie rockers at Brad’s Wood Shop at 520 E. Haley St. The $2 show starts at 9 p.m. and will also feature Automatic: Automatic, Oso and So Simple DJs.

Sunday (1/14/06): Tap into your inner nerd and check out the Warrior Princess herself in concert at The Roxy tonight. At $65 a pop, tickets to see Lucy Lawless sing her leather-clad heart out are on the pricey side, but the 7 p.m. show is being produced by the folks behind all those fabulous Star Trek conventions so expect to get in some good geek-watching along with the concert.

Monday (1/15/06): Today is your second-to-last chance to check out the Curator’s Choice exhibit, “The American Dynamo,” at the Sullivan Goss Gallery. This exhibit features paintings by artists such as Anders Aldrin, Dorothy Sklar, Richard Haines, Emil Kosa Jr. and Dan Lutz that capture various facets of American art. For more information about the exhibit, which closes on Jan. 17, is available at www.sullivangoss.com.

Tuesday (1/16/06): “Quincea-era” won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and now it’s screening right here at UCSB. Check out this incredible film about a girl’s coming of age and dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, sexual tension, racial conflicts and family issues amid the gentrification of L.A.’s Echo Park at Campbell Hall tonight. The show starts at 7:30 and tickets for students are just $5 thanks to the folks at Arts & Lectures.

Wednesday (1/17/06): Soulful rockers Sicker Than Others take the stage at Velvet Jones tonight. The show starts at 9 p.m. and also features Love Me Destroyer, Her Candane and I Am The Ocean. More information is available at http://www.velvet-jones.com/calendar.asp.

– compiled by Mollie Vandor