TURN IT UP
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, DIANA KRALL POSITIONED HERSELF AS A THRILLING NEW VOICE SINGING AGELESS STANDARDS. THESE DAYS, SHE’S STILL RAIDING THAT SONGBOOK. “TURN UP THE QUIET” FINDS HER TAKING ON MUSIC BY IRVING BERLIN AND COLE PORTER.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday • Where: Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington, Sugar Land • Details: $59.50-$99.50, 281-207-6278, smartfinancialcentre.com. Andrew Dansby
1. Jump the tracks
Thomas O’Keefe points out that he was one of only three people in the room for every single gig by Whiskeytown, the volatile North Carolina country-rock band. The others were fiddler Caitlin Cary and the band’s songwriter, singer and problem child Ryan Adams. Adams would go on to great acclaim on his own, but his mercurial days in Whiskeytown are the stuff of legend. As the band’s road manager, O’Keefe had a particularly good view of a band that teetered between genius and disaster. He’s written about those years in the new book “Waiting to Derail: Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown, Alt Country’s Brilliant Wreck.” He’ll read from the book and sign copies. When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday Where: Cactus Music, 2110 Portsmouth
Details: free; cactusmusictx.com Andrew Dansby
2. Black brilliance
The Fade to Black Fest is a burgeoning event that could grow to be an important annual celebration of black voices in American theater. Like an indie film festival, this independently run theater festival draws submissions from black playwrights across the U.S. and performs the best work. It’s a great showcase of diverse talent that’s needed in Houston, now as much as ever.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday Where: MATCH, 3400 Main Details: $25; 713-522-2723; fadetoblackfest.com Wei-Huan Chen
3. Feathers fly
Because no ballet is more iconic than “Swan Lake,” choreographers rarely mess with Marius Petipa’s most famous variations. But they often reimagine elements of the story, and Stanton Welch adds a glimpse of Odette as a pre-Raphaelite maiden from John William Waterhouse’s romantic 1888 painting “The Lady of Shalott.” Delicate company principal Yuriko Kajiya leads the cast for three shows, with Chun Wai Chan as her Siegfried. Two guest ballerinas fly in: San Francisco’s Frances Chung, partnered by Connor Walsh; and the Joffrey’s Victoria Jaiani, with Jared Mathews. Houston up-and-comer Mónica Gómez also takes a spin in the coveted Odette/Odile role, with Charles-Louis Yoshiyama.
When: 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Thursday and June 29; 2 p.m. Sunday and July 1
Where: Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana Details: $25-$200; 713-2272787, houstonballet.org Molly Glentzer
4. Clowning around
Nate Bargatze grew up in Tennessee, the son of a clown-turned-magician, so comedy really seemed an inevitable vocation. His delivery is wonderfully laid-back as he riffs on drinking, parenthood and, occasionally, clowns.
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. June 29, 7 and 9:30 p.m. June 30, 7:30 p.m. July 1
Where: The Improv, 7620 Interstate 10 W.
Details: $20-$30, free on Thursdays; 713-333-8800, improvhouston.com Andrew Dansby
5. Slow roll
The Houston SLAB Holiday returns this year, a celebration of the city’s bright, spinning swangas car culture. Paul Wall is back as host for the event, which also includes Slim Thug and Doughbeezy among its invited guests. But the real stars of the show are the cars. When: Noon Saturday Where: 8th Wonder Brewery, 2202 Dallas
Details: free; 8thwonder.com Andrew Dansby
6. Digital reality
Furniture by the Dutch artist and visionary Joris Laarman looks like something that might have grown organically on some futuristic planet. Engineers, programmers and craftspeople from Laarman’s lab in Amsterdam collaborate to create his groundbreaking designs, which challenge the boundaries of art, science and technology. “Joris Laarman Lab: Design in the Digital Age” surveys major bodies of work from projects Laarman created as a student to recent 3-D printing innovations. When: Opens 12:15 p.m. Sunday; on view through Sept. 24 Where: Beck Building, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 5601 Main Details: $7.50-$15, free on Thursdays; 713-639-7300, mfah.org Molly Glentzer