MORE TO DO
More to do: Music, comedy and other fun things
THURSDAY
• “Manje Manje,” or Eat Food in Haitian Creole, is a program of Haitian music by acclaimed artist Michael Brun, BBQ food by Bon Gout BBQ and original works of art by Haitian artists. It begins at 6 p.m. at North Park Lodge, North Park Drive, in Pine. It is sponsored by Haiti Friends, a reforestation project lead by Pittsburgh native Edward Rawson. $25; haitifriends.org.
• The Minks, a psychedelic blues band from Nashville, play The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, Millvale, with Murder For Girls and Dumplings. The evening will include a live recording for Murder for Girls’ new video. 8 p.m. $8 advance; $10 door; ticketmaster.com.
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
• Greensburg Civic Theatre opens its 68th season with the Frank Wildhorn musical
“Jekyll and Hyde,” to star Vince Tresco of Plum in the dual roles. At Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road, Greensburg, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday. $13-$18; www.gctheatre.org. Established in 1951, GCT is in residency since 1969 at Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, which marks the 50th anniversary of its dedication on Oct. 25 with an open house from 5-7 p.m.
FRIDAY
• The Pittsburgh Print Group opens “Witness,” an exhibition featuring works by Casey Connelly, Katie Kaplan, Adam Linn, Joe Lupo and Laura Zurowski, at Gallery One/ Collective Works, 4106 Howley St., Bloomfield. The free reception is 7 to 9 p.m. “The exhibit recounts their certainties, questions, identities, surroundings, and histories, providing documentation and narratives that are both deeply personal and inherently shared among all of us.” There’s an artist talk with Katie Kaplan and Adam Linn at 1 p.m. Saturday on “Anthropomorphism and Esotericism Through a Queer Lens.”
• Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon, who just released “The Preacher, The Politician or The Pimp” on Alligator Records, performs at Moondog’s, Blawnox. Blues Music Magazine says, “Cannon has all the fire and spontaneity of the Chicago legends.” 8:30 p.m. $15 advance; $17 door; moondogs.us.
• Green River, who lay claim to being the original Seattle grunge band, lasted four years, after which Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament went on form Pearl Jam and Mark Arm and Steve Turner created Mudhoney. Being a little more in the edgier Stooges vein, Mudhoney made three albums for Reprise but never had the breakthrough success of their peers and ended up going back to Sup Pop. Three decades later, Mudhoney is still pretty ferocious, as heard on 10th album “Digital Garbage.” “My sense of humor is dark, and these are dark times,” Arm said of the album. “I suppose it’s only getting darker.” Mudhoney plays Mr. Smalls, Millvale, with Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds and The Gotobeds. 7:30 p.m. $20; ticketweb.com.
• One of the early UK punk bands, Stiff Little Fingers hit the burgeoning scene in 1977 right along with The Clash, Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks. The lone original member, Jake Burns, will lead SLF through a set list that spans classics like “Suspect Device” and “Wasted Life” right up to the latest album “No Going Back.” “You have to strike a balance,” Burns said announcing the tour. “The difficulty with a band like ourselves is to try not make it sound like a cabaret band. Obviously, it’d be very easy to go, ‘Hey, here’s another old one you may remember.’ A lot of the old songs the audience greet like old friends. I suppose it’s the same as any band that’s been around for any length of time.” Jergel’s, Marshall. 8 p.m. $30 advance; $33 door; ticketfly.com.
• A favorite among pop-punk fans for good reason, The Wonder Years, led by emotional frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell, returns to Mr. Smalls, Millvale, for the third annual Halloween Extravaganza with Homesafe. 7 p.m. $22-$25; ticketweb.com.
• Turkuaz, the kaleidoscopic nine-piece groove band from Brooklyn — blending funk,
rock, R&B and psychedelia —-- will lead the dance party at the Rex Theater, touring behind latest album “Life in The City.” With Andy Frasco & the U.N. 9 p.m. $20; eventbrite.com.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
• Point Park’s Conservatory Theatre Company presents the Pittsburgh debut of “Good
Grief” by the actor, playwright and Point Park grad Ngozi Anyanwu and directed by City Theatre’s Reginald L. Douglas. The play explores what it means to be African in America by mining Anyanwu’s own experience growing up Nigerian in the middle-class suburbs of eastern Pennsylvania. Rauh Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, 350 Forbes Ave., Downtown. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Through Oct. 27. $25 ($17 seniors; $13 students). www.pittsburghplayhouse.com/tickets.
• The Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts Christmas Festival features more than 230 booths with regional artists and craftspeople, music by Shelly McCombie, Santa and more. Washington County Fairgrounds, Washington. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. $6; $1 kids 6-12 www.familyfestivals.com.
• Dov Davidoff, who appears on HBO’s “Crashing” and NBC’s “Shades of Blue,” performs at the Pittsburgh Improv at the Waterfront. He’s done a comedy special for Comedy Central and Showtime and recently had a memoir published by St. Martin’s Press entitled “Road Dog.” Times are 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday; and 7 p.m. Sunday. $20; improv.com/pittsburgh.
SATURDAY
• A pipa virtuoso visits Pittsburgh for a concert titled “Yangjin and Friends.” Yangjin is a master of the pipa, a four-stringed traditional Chinese instrument, and a regular guest of the Silk Road Ensemble, the cross-cultural musical organization founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Local composer Federico Garcia-De Castro will conduct the ensemble, which also includes trumpet, guitar, cello, piano, harp and more. It begins at 7 p.m. at Bellefield Hall, 512 S Bellefield Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10; aliamusicapittsburgh.org.
• Kevin Gates, the singer-rapper from Louisiana who came to fame via Lil Wayne’s Young Money management wing in 2012, plays a sold-out show at Stage AE, North Shore, touring behind sophomore album “I’m Him.” Pitchfork wrote, “Seventeen songs with no guest features should be a recipe for exhaustion, yet there’s hardly a trace of fat on ‘I’m Him.’ The draw remains, as always, hearing one of rap’s most well-rounded personalities be his unabashed self …” With YK Osiris, Rod Wave, SDoT Fresh. Doors at 7 p.m.
• The Millvale Music Harvest Festival takes over the Millvale Riverfront Park with the strong Pittsburgh lineup of Dan Bubien & The Delta Struts (5 p.m.), Chet Vincent & Biirwatcher (6 p.m.), Smokey Bellows (7 p.m.), Keystone Vibe (8 p.m.) and Weird Paul (9 p.m.). There will be art vendors, food trucks, pumpkins, beer and more.
• Brooklyn-based dance-punk band !!! (or
Chk Chk Chk), working in the vein of LCD Soundsystem, brings its hypnotic and unstoppable beats to the Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall, Lawrenceville, at 8 p.m. with Charlotte Fade. 8 p.m. $15; roxianlive.com.
• Indonesian piano prodigy Joey Alexander performs at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, North Side. The 16-year-old from Bali came to the United States in 2014 and topped the charts with “My Favorite Things,” “Countdown” and “Eclipse,” while becoming the youngest jazz artist to be nominated for a Grammy. 8:30 p.m. $57; mcgjazz.org.
SUNDAY
• ROVA Saxophone Quartet, the legendary San Francisco progressive jazz ensemble (Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Larry Ochs, Jon Raskin) marked 40 years of genre-bending innovation last year. It plays First Unitarian Church, Shadyside, at 7:30 p.m. Ben Opie and Josh Wulff are special guests. $20 advance; $25 door; brownpapertickets.com.