Weekend Picks: Love Garden songwriters; Bill Murray art; weird walking tours; demolition derby; Blackbird Revue

We don’t have a festival in our Weekend Picks this time around, but we do have a fair. That’s sort of like a festival, right? Add in some Final Friday hijinks and a few great music opportunities and you’ve got all the makings for a nice little late-summer weekend in LFK.

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Danny Pound and David Swenson in-store performance, 7 p.m. Thursday at Love Garden

Love Garden has played host to some LOUD rock shows recently but this evening brings a chance to kick back in your favorite record store and think about your feelings while more introspective songwriters play you some acoustic tunes.

Headlining this evening is longtime-LFK musician Danny Pound joined by his former Danny Pound Band collaborator David Swenson (making a return trip to LFK for this show before jetting off overseas). Solo sets from Spencer Mackenzie Brown and Alex Chanay (of Maybe Not) kick off the evening.

Visit the Facebook event page for more details plus approximate set times, and check out a nice LJWorld feature article on Pound and Swenson’s long history together.

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“Kill Bill… Murray” art opening, 5-9 p.m. Friday at Art Emergency (721 E. Ninth St. in Warehouse Arts District)

One of our primary critiques of the Lawrence arts scene is that it’s sadly lacking in paintings of Bill Murray. That will (finally) change on Friday as local artist Leo Hayden unveils what we think may be his masterpieces: a series of paintings that insert Mr. Murray and his characters into the context of other popular films.

The painting above, titled “Dance, You Son of a Bitch,” offers a good example as Steve Zissou meets Jaws.

But what IS the origin of an art show devoted entirely to painting Mr. Murray into blockbuster movie scenes? We asked Leo to explain. His reply: “I think a lot of artists spend a lot of time trying to be deep, and not enough time trying to be good. And that just leads to deep st. Oh, and Bill Murray once stiffed my roommate for some cheese sticks he ordered. So ‘Kill Bill Murray’ was always our inside joke.”

More details and a few sneak previews of other paintings can be found on the Facebook event page.

Pro tip: While you’re in the area, stop by the new Lawrence Community Photo Studio and [look at photos while listening to the Sugar Britches and head over to Lawrence Creates Makerspace for the monthly Lawrence Art Party featuring tunes from the Heebie Jeebies.]

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Card Table’s Cheap ‘n’ Dirty Storytime Tours of Lawrence, 6-9 p.m. Friday, tours depart from Wonder Fair every half hour or so

Ever wanted to spend 20-30 minutes in the company of local actors and comedians as they lead you through downtown LFK on themed-tours such as “Places That Used to Be Cooler Back When I Was in My 20s” or “Ancient Ghosts of the New Lawrence Public Library?”

For us, it’s a dream come true. Stop by Wonder Fair on Final Friday and learn and laugh a lot for the cost of $3. Our most anticipated tour is called “All the Benches Rob Schulte Has Cried On,” although we’re told that this particular tour may be delayed until a future installment of this continuing tour series (presumably because the sensitive barista is still trying to remember each and every bench he’s shed a tear upon).

Visit the Facebook event page for more details on this unusual and ambitious collaboration between Card Table Theatre and Wonder Fair.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2015/jul/25/294699/

Demolition Derby at Douglas County Fair, 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Fairgrounds rodeo arena

Looking for a cultural event that feels far, FAR removed from Final Friday and all that highfalutin’ art? Head out to the Douglas County Fairgrounds Friday night for the wildly-popular (often sold out) Demolition Derby. Make sure to pick a favorite car and don’t be surprised if you find yourself hollering along with the masses for pure mayhem and destruction. Perhaps those guys from the recent wedged-truck incident near Johnny’s will join the fray?

This year’s Derby features a new attraction between rounds: a Power Wheels Derby for kids. No registration is required for this event that allows kids to bring their battery-operated “ride on” vehicles and ram into each other… just like grownups!

Do you prefer to see other kinds of vehicles besides cars getting smashed? Return to the Fairgrounds for the Mowbashers event on Saturday. That’s right: riding lawnmowers.

Find more info on these events along with a full Fair schedule via LJ-World.

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BlackBird Revue, 9 p.m. Saturday at Bottleneck

Acclaimed Kansas City Americana/folk outfit The Blackbird Revue swoops in for a landing at the Bottleneck tonight as part of a solid QUADRUPLE bill of folky/twangy acts.

Expect some sweet harmonies from the husband/wife duo of Blackbird. And what else should you expect on this jam-packed bill? Local troubadours Carswell and Hope will turn up the volume with their Irish rock leanings, KC songstress Mikal Shapiro will bring a classical and psych-influenced vibe, and Spencer Mackenzie Brown (you may remember him from such shows as Thursday at Love Garden) will do his indie-folk thing, perhaps with his band for this one.

Find more details via the Facebook event page.

Tweet us @LarryvilleLife and tune in next week as we offer our thoughts on a bittersweet farewell concert from one of LFK’s best-loved bands.