Every age of rock & roll is represented in New Haven this week, with four 1950s rockabilly legends being impersonated at the Shubert, a College Street Music Hall coupling of 30-something guitar legends who’ve been playing since they were kids, young heavy metal and alt-rock acts at Three Sheets, BAR, and elsewhere, plus the mid-teen-and-younger Foresters at Cafe Nine. This week also marks the beginning of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Again, fun for all ages, including Taylor Mac’s homage to music of the 1990s.
Monday, June 8
What Jenny Said
The distinctive Laundry Day (alt-folk-rockers from New Haven) and The Foresters (a bunch of brothers from Bethany) rock Cafe Nine (250 State St.) at 8 p.m. $5.
Tuesday, June 9
Sheet Metal
Two heavy combos from Washington state — Mos Generator and Wounded Giant — plus Connecticut’s own Bedroom Rehab Corporation make noise at Three Sheets (372 Elm St.) at 9 p.m.
Wednesday, June 10
Copper Ring
Ringo Deathstarr (not to be confused with frequent New Haven visitors Gringo Starr), Armstrong Leigh, and Copper Blue are all at BAR for a free alt-rock show (with folky asides) starting at 9 p.m. 254 Crown St.
Thursday, June 11
Conscience and Cameras
Youth Rights Media consists of local teens who make documentaries on a range of compelling socially relevant topics. The group will screen some of their recent work, including a new short doc on “food insecurity and the school lunch program,” 6 p.m. at Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St.). (203) 432‑0600.
Rockabilly Musical
Million Dollar Quartet is a rock & roll history revue, a stage musical set on the magical night when Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley got together and jammed for hours at Sun Studios in Memphis. The latest national tour of the long-running Broadway and Off-Broadway hit is at the Shubert through June 14, with performances Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Friday, June 12
Read Already
The kick-off party for the Summer Reading Club at the Fair Haven branch of the New Haven Public Library is 6 p.m., with a theme of “heroes.” Kids when a free book when they sign up. (203) 946‑6796.
Arts & Ideas Starts
Today is the official start of the 20th annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas, which consumes much of downtown for the next two weeks. The gala festival kick-off party is tonight, with the grand opening of the Sinatra: An American Icon gallery exhibit at 5:30 p.m., the first performance of the world premiere of Taylor Mac’s show The 1990s at 8 p.m. and a ‘90s-themed dance party at 9:45 p.m. Tickets are $115 for just the Mac show and dance party, $195 for those plus the Sinatra exhibit and a 6:30 p.m. cocktail party. (203) 498‑3704.
Triage Synergy
Jazz bassist Noah Jarrett and his Triage Quartet are at Firehouse 12 for two sets, at 8:30 ($20) and 10 p.m. ($15). $5 Crown St.
Saturday, June 13
Arts & Ideas Day Two
Highlights of the first full day of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas includes the return of the city-planning playscape Box City, a 3 p.m. talk by New Yorker cartoonist and bestselling memoirist Roz Chast, a 3 p.m. talk by John Sayles and Maggie Renzi (following a 12:30 p.m. screening of City of Hope and prior to a 4 p.m. screening of Sunshine State), the first performance of the environmental “processional performance” Cry You One 2 p.m. at Maltby Lakes on Derby Avenue … and, on New Haven Green, the Swedish circus duo Magmanus at 1 and 5:30 p.m., Music Haven’s String Quartet Truck at 6:30 p.m., and ‘60s pop icon Darlene Love at 7 p.m.
Monuments to the Monument Man
New Haven Museum is augmenting its exhibit on Dean Keller, New Haven’s Monument Man, with a walking tour to see places where work by the local muralist and portrait painter is permanently on view. Laura Macalauso leads the tour, which is held in conjunction with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Meet 1 p.m. at the museum, 114 Whitney Ave. (203) 562‑4183.
Everything’s Architypal
There’s a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. today for the new exhibit of “Architypal Paintings” by Dana Naumann at the main (Ives) New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St. (203) 387‑4933.
Frank Bookhttp://nhfpl.org
The Arts & Ideas festival is rife with tributes to Frank Sinatra, who was born 100 years ago this year. At 1 p.m. there’s a discussion of Tony Consiglio’s book Sinatra and Me: The Very Good Years, which the Sally’s Pizza family member and longtime Sinatra confidante co-authored with Franz Douskey, in the Community Program Room of the main (Ives) New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St. (203) 946‑7450.
Sunday, June 14
Arts & Ideas Day 3
It’s Family Day on New Haven Green, all day, thanks to the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, with everything from Box City and activity booths from local museums to a sing-along concert with the great Dan Zanes. For grown-ups, there’s another Q&A with filmmaker John Sayles at 4 p.m. and a culinary talk on “Ocean to Farm: A World-Class Chef’s Celebration of Sustainable Seafood,” also at 4 p.m. Then there are family-friendly Green concerts by Dan Zanes (with Moona Luna) at 7 p.m. and the hip Mexican band Pistolera at 8 p.m. Plus much more.
Hallelujah!
The choirs of Bethesda Lutheran Church in New Haven and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Manchester, plus members of Yale Voxtet, combine to sing Handel’s Messiah 4 p.m. at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 450 Whitney Ave. (203) 787-2346.
