Adam Regan

Bare Ass in Black Rock (see Thursday)

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26

Fresh Local Art
Opened about three months ago, The Gallery at Black Rock is Bridgeport's latest outlet for evocative artwork. It's in the same vein as City Lights Gallery, DayOne Skate Shop and the now-closed Flow of Art Gallery. So, how does a new gallery keep its doors open during a time when so many established ones are closing theirs? Well, according to owner Eileen Walsh in a Connecticut Post article, the space costs less than it would have a year or two ago. "It might be a great time to invest in art," she says. Her life-long dream to own an art gallery was so strong, she started hanging local art in the Black Rock Insurance building in the spring of 2007. Then, in late '07, when the space next door opened up, she couldn't resist. "I really felt driven to add a space for emerging and contemporary artists to show their work," Walsh says on the gallery's Web site. Currently showing is the exhibit Connecticut Eye, featuring four Connecticut photographers. It showcases Kevin Robinson's colorful and dramatic images, Adam Regan's dream-like digital shots (pictured above), Bonnie Hakins' still-life line study and Annika Klein's timeless black and white urban scenes. The Gallery at Black Rock, 2861 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Thu. – Sat. 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through March 7. Free. (203) 814-6856, www.thegalleryatblackrock.com.

 
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-A-Do It!
Erica Jong, the woman who introduced the phrase zipless fuck into the American lexicon and authored the most sexually explicit book that we constantly find at massive library used sales, will be at Arcadia Coffee Company today. Since 1973's buzz-generating Fear of Flying, Jong has written a series of novels and non-fiction books showing a feministic, post-1960s view of sex. She's made a few headlines in recent years for joining the "9/11 truth" movement and claiming the Bush administration was amassing troops for a second American civil war — probably so she could be asked about something besides zipless fucking. Just Books, Arcadia Coffee Comoany, 28 Arcadia Rd., Greenwich. 7:30 p.m. Free. (203) 637-0707, www.justbooks.org.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27

The Brooklyn Buzz
Me You Us Them, the most pronoun-o-riffic band in all the Five Boroughs, is heading to Cousin Larry's today. The distortion-heavy Brooklyn trio (pictured) keeps a good balance of noise and melody and has a semi-upbeat song called Stab You. (Manic depressives take note!) Joining them for the ride up is Change the Station, another Brooklyn trio, this one operating from an intersection of punk and new wave. They released their first length album Follow the White Noise last year. Both bands have the sort of rough, pure-sounding indie flavor that seems to be stewing in Brooklyn these days. Sub Rosa Party, Cousin Larry's, 1 Elm St., Danbury. 9 p.m. $5. (203) 730-0035, www.myspace.com/subrosaparty.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28

This Isn't Natural
The Silvermine Guild is showcasing the work of NYC–based Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, known for their surrealist photographs "demonstrating the relationship between humans, technology and nature," in the words of the Guild. Examples show a man sleeping on a log floating in a river, a woman standing before a flock of birds and holding a jar on her head (pictured) and a girl widening her mouth as butterflies flutter towards her. We don't know anyone who relates to technology and nature like that, but these pictures still look awesome. Silvermine Guild Arts Center, 1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan. Tue. – Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun. 1 to 5 p.m. through March 13. Free. (203) 966-9700, www.silvermineart.org.

 
In Your Face!
Three fat, little story book characters come to life tonight at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, with the opening of the children's company production of The Three Little Pigs. Sometimes, promotional materials describe a show better than we ever could, and the Downtown Cabaret Theatre felt a need to call this a "tasty whipped cream pie of a show! In your face!" 'Nuff said. Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport. Sat. & Sun., noon and 2:30 p.m. through April 5. (203) 576-1636. www.downtowncabaret.org

SUNDAY MARCH 1

Tell Us what You Know
We can tell you Jason Vieaux is one of today's top classical guitarists. We can tell you he tackled Bach on his latest CD and played the works of Pat Metheny on the previous one. We can tell you his repertoire also includes some of the trickiest compositions of Spanish guitar masters Jorge Morel, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Joaquin Rodrigo. We can tell you he's playing at the Westport Arts Center today. We cannot tell you how to pronounce that last name. Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Ave., Westport. 4 p.m. $25. (203) 222-7070, www.westportartscenter.org

MONDAY MARCH 2

You May Have Already Heard This
Last month, trivia buffs and other people who like to seem smart couldn't stop mentioning Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day, Feb. 12, 1809. Essayist and frequent New Yorker contributor Adam Gopnik, who comes to the Westport Library today, went beyond the small factoid with Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life. With a unique voice, an acute sense of humor and a respect for the notion of brevity, Gopnik is one of the few people you can trust to make this often-repeated bit of trivia worth a slim book. Westport Public Library, 20 Jesup Rd., Westport. 7:30 p.m. Free. (203) 291-4840, www.westportlibrary.org

TUESDAY MARCH 3

A Little Number to Set the Mood
We were confused and angered to learn that Earth, Wind & Fire consists of about 80 people and not three (named Earth, Wind and Fire). We still think Molly Hatchet should be a solo artist, and the Ben Folds Five pisses us off to no end. So were relieved to learn The Bird and the Bee has only two members, singer Inara George (the bird) multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin (the bee). Keeping a vintage motif, the Los Angeles duo offers lounge rhythms and chanteuse-like vocals (bolstered by trip-hop beats). They've packed two LPs and a handful of EPs with their candy-sweet, super-soft dance-friendly sound — just the two of them. The Bird and the Bee are playing the Fairfield Theatre Company's StageOne today, and fellow offbeat LA art pop outfit Obi Best opens. Fairfield Theatre Company, StageOne, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield. 7:30 p.m. $17-$22. (203) 259-1036, www.fairfieldtheatre.org

WEDNESDAY MARCH 4

A Matter of Joyce
It took James Joyce two years to write his 1922 novel Ulysses. It takes anyone who picks it up about four years to finish it (starting, stopping and picking it up again average of eight times). And it took Irish writer/director Sean Walsh ten years to adapt it into the 2004 film Bloom. Doing what he could with the novel's stream-of-consciousness prose, focusing on the subconscious and lack of a plot fitting any of the conventions of the screenplay, Walsh propelled actors Angeline Ball, Stephen Rea and Hugh O'Conor through Joyce's vision of a Dublin society filled with unconscious desires and unacknowledged needs. Former business journalist and current Joyce scholar Jesse Meyers, who has often made the Greenwich Library his home base, will be at the Avon tonight to help guide you through the film — and you'll need him. Avon Theatre Film Center, 272 Bedford St., Stamford. 7 p.m. $10; $7 for students and seniors. (203) 967-3660, www.avontheatre.org