The Impossible Shapes

Intelligent guitar pop is alive and well in the hands of Indiana’s The Impossible Shapes. The fanciful four-piece would make Donovan proud with titles like “Lovers Living Up Hill” and “What the Winter Does.” The wide umbrella of activity outside the Shapes stretches to each member’s participation in bands such as Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co, The Coke Dares, John Wilkes Booze, NormanOak and Horns of Happiness (all collected under the Secretly Canadian label). The Impossible Shapes join Drakkar Sauna and Ottowas at 10 p.m. Saturday at The Jackpot Saloon, 943 Mass.

Pit Er Pat

Pit er Pat is an adventurous three-piece act from Chicago’s cult of Thrill Jockey Records. Most easily compared to Blonde Redhead, the band creates a constant propelling of rhythm and melody steeped in innumerable inï uences and emotions and sewn together with inventive drumming, tinkling Wurlitzer piano lines and a lead vocalist who sounds like she came straight off the Japanese geisha circuit. The group joins Jonathan Nagel at 9 p.m. Sunday at The Jackpot Saloon, 943 Mass.

Black Diamond

The world of female tribute bands isn’t just covering The Go-Go’s or The Bangles. They’re paying homage to their favorite male rock bands as well. There’s a female Ozzy in Mistress of Reality and an all-gal AC/DC act called Helles Belles. But one of the more interesting entries into this sub-genre is Black Diamond, a Kiss salute named after one of the fire-breathing, makeup-donning quartet’s heaviest tunes. Where else can audiences see a guitarist shoot rockets from a Les Paul … and cleavage? Kiss Fest, featuring Black Diamond and Hooligan Scream, kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Grand Emporium, 3823 Main St., Kansas City, Mo.

‘Sunday Best’

Lawrence resident N. Barry Carver, a former Hollywood script writer, started penning short stories after surviving a legal battle with a movie studio he claimed stole portions of one of his scripts. After a brief hiatus from writing, he put together a story that his colleagues seemed to like. So he wrote another. And another. Eventually he had 52 that he pared down to 40-something for “Sunday Best,” his new book of essays. He’ll give readings and sign copies at 2 p.m. today at Borders, 700 N.H.; 2 p.m. Saturday at Hastings, 1900 W. 23rd St.; and 8 p.m. Sunday at The Cup, 4000 W. Sixth St.

‘Arrangements’

We dare you not to snicker. In Constance Ehrlich’s painting “European Vacation,” the Pillsbury Dough Boy, the Jolly Green Giant and a pudgy-bottomed Troll Doll gather in a museum around an armless classical sculpture – of a very muscular woman. The slightly subversive and utterly humorous work is part of “Arrangements,” an exhibition of still life paintings opening next week at the Lawrence Arts Center. Ehrlich curated the show, which also features Laura Carriker, Robert Zerwekh, Paula Hauser Leffel, Robert Brawley, Margie Kuhn, John Kuhn and Terri Juarez. The show runs Wednesday through July 15.