LarryvilleLife’s Picks: Nerd Nite 43; Parquet Courts; Franks at Frank’s; plays at Percolator; Andrea Gibson poetry

This week’s diverse mix of picks contains everything from circus performances to sausage-themed soirees to spoken-word poetry. Soak it up.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2015/nov/06/298923/

Nerd Nite 43: Body Movin’, 8 p.m. Wednesday at Maceli’s

Sometimes we just have an inkling that a particular Nerd Nite will be epic, and this is one of those occasions.

In addition to intriguing talks on such subjects as “Historical European Martial Arts (title: “Kicking Ass, Medieval Style”), the Facebook event page also promises “circus performances” throughout the night between presentations, courtesy of LFK’s Last Carnival circus school. Yes, Lawrence has a circus school, in case you didn’t know.

The other talks on this body-themed evening include weightlifting and “the intrinsic code of aerial silks body wraps.” We’re hoping for demonstrations and show-and-tell, and we have a feeling that the Nerds will crank up Olivia Newton John’s “Let’s Get Physical” at least once in the evening (probably more than once).

See you there.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2015/nov/07/298972/

Parquet Courts, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Bottleneck

So you’re telling us that the wonderfully wordy Brooklyn indie-band Parquet Courts have decided to stretch a bunch of songs out to jam-band length on a new live album recorded at Jack White’s Third Man Records studio? Well… why not? After all, Pitchfork’s 7.5 review assures us it all makes sense:

“Parquet Courts’ sarcastic verbosity can’t fully conceal their latent desire to lock into a groove, zone out, and coast on that perfect sound forever. And in terms of appealing to jam-band enthusiasts — well, what demographic can better relate to a song like “Stoned and Starving”?”

KC rockers Lazy and Houston’s Young Mammals round out this solid mid-week bill. The Facebook event page is here.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2015/nov/07/298970/

Franks at Franks, 7 p.m. Friday at Frank’s North Star

Some pairings just seem fated. Can you imagine a world where jelly DIDN’T end up in the loving embrace of peanut butter? Such is the case with Friday’s collaboration between one of Lawrence’s best-loved bars and one of Lawrence’s best new restaurants.

Yes, the sausage-slingers of Leeway Franks will ply their trade north of the river at this shindig at Frank’s North Star. Two of the event’s three bands (MAW and Sugar Britches) are made up solely of ladies, so there’s much more to the evening than just a sausage-fest. (Expect some similar jokes from the ever-raunchy Britches throughout the evening).

The Facebook event page is here, and we think every person named Frank in town should attend, because a bar full of Franks eating franks at Frank’s would be so awesome!

Odd coincidence: If you stop by the Replay on the night before this event, you can sample the bar’s new wieners from Cosmic Dogs while listening to a [musical showcase from Wiener Records featuring our pals from Schwervon! and other cool bands. Sadly, no one thought to market this event in any kind of clever way].

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2015/nov/07/298971/

‘Single Shots and Sunday School’ one-act plays, 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (also 8:30 p.m. Nov. 20) at the Percolator

It’s a good weekend for theater in Lawrence. KU University Theatre opens Ibsen’s classic “A Doll’s House” and EMU Theatre returns from hiding (or at least we haven’t noticed them lately) with this intriguing series of one-acts at the Percolator.

The Facebook event page bills the event as “the stories of people, one character at a time, as written by some of our best area playwrights.” These include off-Broadway playwright Catherine Trieschmann and LFK rapscallion Will Averill.

Our research indicates that one of the plays deals with William Quantrill and another consists of William Burroughs’ wife recounting the story of her life leading up to her husband shooting her in the head in Mexico City. This may not sound like a lighthearted affair, but we suspect that many of the plays are actually chock-full of dark humor.

The Facebook event page is here.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2015/nov/08/299023/

Poetry of Andrea Gibson, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Sunday at Bottleneck

It’s a major Sunday for poetry fans. One can attend the Taproom Poetry Series at 5 p.m. then head over to the Bottleneck to experience the acclaimed spoken-word poet Andrea Gibson, the first winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam.

The Facebook event page has a nice mix of bio and blurbs, informing potential guests that “Gibson has headlined prestigious performance venues coast to coast with powerful readings on war, class, gender, bullying, white privilege, sexuality, love and spirituality.”

Gibson is touring in support of her new collection, “Pansy.” Find more details at her official website here.

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