The Paper Chase

Dallas native John Congleton knows desperation. He also knows paranoia, anxiety, tension and stress. Just listen to the band he leads: The Paper Chase. The quartet’s “God Bless Your Black Heart” might be the most desperate record you’ll hear in this year of desperate records: tight knots of spider-webbed guitar lines tangled up with off-kilter piano parts and seasick string charts, buoyed by a pummeling rhythm section. The band joins Davan 10 p.m. Monday at The Replay Lounge.

For more information, log on to www.lawrence.com.

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes has been called “one of the funniest stand up comics” by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America. Her abrasive delivery has sent her career in many different areas, from trying out odd jobs on Comedy Central’s “Wanda Does It” to tormenting Larry David on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Now she’s back on the road doing stand-up, which finds her performing 8 p.m. Thursday at The Uptown Theater.

For more information, log on to www.lawrence.com.

Vanessa Carlton

The lone amusing scene in the comedy “White Girls” involves two black detectives in full latex disguise trying to pretend they’re pasty female college snobs by singing along with their peers’ favorite song: “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. While the piano-driven pop tune is not without its girly elements, it also showcased what a solid singer-songwriter Carlton is. Now the former ballet prodigy is back with a new album, “Harmonium,” and a fresh batch of songs in case “White Chicks 2” ever gets made. Carlton appears 6 p.m. Tuesday at The Uptown Theater.

For more information, log on to www.lawrence.com.

Bonnie Rideout

Three-time U.S. Scottish fiddle champion Bonnie Rideout has been called one of America’s most influential fiddlers of the 20th century. Rideout and a troupe of Celtic musicians from North America and Scotland will blend various traditional sounds during their performance of “A Scottish Christmas.” The show, which features carols, wassail tunes and traditional Highland music and dance, comes to the Lied Center at 7:30 p.m. today.

For more information, log on to www.lawrence.com.

Holiday open house

Lawrence woodturner David Hamby will be on hand during a Holiday Open House at Diane’s Artisan Gallery. Hamby, a Hutchinson native and Kansas University graduate, works as an engineer by day. But in his spare time he creates fountain pens using a lathe and materials such as domestic and exotic woods, acrylics, resins — even antlers. Hamby will bring photographs to explain how he transforms these materials into writing utensils. The open house runs from noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday; Hamby will be there from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.