Whassup: Pretty Sounds Edition

via mrjsmusicroom.com

Park Slope people: summer has reared its sweaty head, with the first of many Celebrate Brooklyn shows already announced. It's officially time to lament the pastiness of your winter skin and prepare to turn it a beautiful bronze and/or lobster red at outdoor concerts. In anticipation, FiPS brings you a music-heavy events listing. Train your ears for the festivals in the comfort of a dark bar with Whassup: Pretty Sounds Edition:

* Wed. April 4 - April 7 and 10: Being Shakespeare, BAM: Shakespeare's a culture industry like the Beatles, but in both cases there's a good reason people are always interested: it's quality stuff. Here, BAM treats one of its favorite subjects (see the recent, awesome turn by Kevin Spacey in Richard III)) with this investigation of Shakespeare by actor Simon Callow (Amadeus, Shakespeare in Love). Opened yesterday, $25-100.

* Thursday, April 5: Thursdays @ 7, BK Museum: Another Brooklyn cultural institution, the museum, opens a new series today: "Thursdays @ 7," with free events, and open hours until 10pm. Tonight, there's a free lecture on bohemian Greenwich Village at 7 and a free gallery tour at 6. Fridays and Saturdays are for seeing shitty bands and happy hours. Get some culture on Thursday. 6pm, FREE.

* Thursday, April 5: Daniel Wayne, Union Hall: Hey, did y'all know you can catch a singer songwriter in Brooklyn? Ok, that's not news. But Daniel Wayne has distinguished himself in the genre -- see the critics' praise on the Union Hall page. Come see what all those BK coffee shop singers aspire to. 8pm, $10.

* Thurdsday, April 5: CasHank Hootenanny Jamboree, Freddy's: Another critics' pick, for best NYC hootenanny (there is such a category, apparently, at least for the Village Voice), this one led by Park Slope's own country music grand marshall, Alex Battles. It's all old country, primarily Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. Everyone is encouraged (drunkenly) to sing along and/or play along if you brought your guitar/banjo/ukelele/whatever. Hence the cardinal rule: four chords or fewer, so everyone can play. 8pm, FREE. 

* Thurdsday, April 5: Grand Lake Island, The Rock Shop: A revolving collection of musicians, Grand Lake Island is "lushly instrumented." I don't even know what that means, but I like it. Tonight the line-up includes Robin Bacior, The Go Round and my fave Park Slope Chanteuse, Your Friend Kimi. 8pm, $8.

* Friday, April 6: Screaming Females, Bell House: My friend, and rockin-girl-band officianado, recommends the "badass shows" of the Females, who played the last Siren Fest and opened for Ted Leo on tour, adding "Marissa Paternoster is a hyped-up singer guitarist on crack...She shreds. Let's put it that way. Howls and shreds." Good enough for me. 8pm Doors, $12 DOS.

* Tuesday, April 10: Dirty Earth Day Event, DUMBO Etsy Labs: Etsy is hosting a crafty "Hands-On: Dirt" in anticipation of the one day a year we all (ok, just the elementary students) pretend to care about the fact that we're destroying our home planet. Learn about composting, urban gardening, and other crunchy, Brooklyn hipsterisms. It's a good occasion to wear your John Deer hat un-ironically. 5-8pm, FREE.

* Tuesday, April 10: Kraftwerk Covered, Feat. Kim Gordon: In "Krautwerk 1-8 Condensed," a bevy of talented soundmakers cover the werks of Kraft. If nothing else, it's a chance to see the legendary Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth do her thang, German style. $12.50-15, 7:30 Doors.

* Thursday, April 12: Indie-Pop Fest, Bell House: As of this writing, there are still tickets avail for the last night of chickfactor 2012, an East Coast indie-pop fest running for four nights at Bell House. Nod your head to the catchy twee-ness. 8pm, $25.