Best Museum Concerts and Music Events, August 15-22
Roomful of Teeth
Friday, August 26, 8 p.m.
MASS MoCA
1040 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA
$15
Website
Williams College's Brad Wells and his a pan-stylistic a cappella vocal octet will bring their unique sound to the MASS MoCA, and you can expect a wild ride. Blending Tuvan and Inuit throat singing, yodeling, belting, Mbuti Pygmy, Sardinian, Bulgarian and Korean styles, among others, the group will perform their "sonic exploration" with composer in-residence Merrill Garbus, who has captivated the indie music world with her current project, tUnE-YarDs, which marries a coarse folk ingenuity with pop and R&B. Watch Roomful of Teeth's videos here for a taste of what's in store.
Elaine and Jerome Rosenfeld Concerts in the Courtyard: The Parkington Sisters
Wednesday, August 24, 7:30 p.m.
Museum of Fine Arts
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA
$30 ($24 for members, seniors and students)
Website
As part of this year's Elaine and Jerome Rosenfeld Concerts in the Courtyard series, the Parkington Sisters will perform their folk-tinged harmonies to the Calderwood Courtyard at the MFA. It might just be the perfect place to hear these Cape Cod-raised sisters' (Lydia, Rose, Nora, Sarah and Ariel Parkington) unique music. Watch the video for their ethereal "Deerheart" here.
DJs on the Harbor: JD Samson
Friday, August 26, 7:30 p.m.
Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA
$15 ($10 for members, students, seniors)
Website
In conjunction with the exhibition The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl (on view through September 5), the ICA has brought some of the country's best DJs to the the Boston Harbor for some music and dancing. JD Samson, of the feminist electro-punk band Le Tigre and performance art collective MEN (watch their video for "Off Our Backs" here), will be taking to the turntables (and laptop) this Friday, so get some comfy dancing shoes ready.
Harborwalk Sounds: Mark Whitfield Jr. Quartet
Thursday, September 8, 6 p.m.
Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA
Free admission
Website
Harborwalk Sounds, a free series of concerts featuring rising stars in jazz, world, and Latin from the Berklee College of Music students, is bringing the the jazz stylings of Brooklyn-born drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. to the harbor. Whitfield has worked with such jazz greats as Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, Hal Crook, Ralph Peterson, Darren Barrett, and Dave Santoro, but he takes the spotlight on this night, a perfect introduction to this talented Berklee alum.