Fri., Feb. 9 -- Leni Stern (otherweirdly beautiful guitar and voice), Brahim Fribgane (shaking, baking percussion and oud) and Edwin Livingston (droning/pulsing bass) were resonant last night at Café Metropol, of course. Made us feel something ancient and indefinable.
Sat., Feb. 10 -- Kenny Barron at LACMA West Penthouse (5905 Wilshire Blvd., 4pm, $45), presented by Da Camera Society (www.dacamera.org). Da Camera’s blurb from Jazz Weekly uses the word elegant for both the pianist and the Art Deco venue, and for once I won’t whine. Barron is both a technician and a communicator -- knows where to put the notes so you can hear ‘em.
Sun., Feb. 11 -- Julie Christensen, a songbird who really nails a lyric without being some kind of scoobydoo throwback, plays a free show with her ace band (Joe Woodard on edgy guitar) at an opening for some excellent art by Mick Reinman and Malone Mills at Frank Pictures Gallery in Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, cocktails 6:30pm, concert 7:30.
Sun., Feb. 11 -- One of the few young torques who’s twisting guitar in new directions, Tom McNalley is among the performers setting off sculpture by Deborah Fisher at Dangerous Curve, 1020 E. Fourth Pl., downtown, www.dangerouscurve.org, 4pm.
Sun., Feb. 11 -- Jeanette Lindsay’s documentary Leimert Park: The Story of a Village in South Central, featuring Kamau Daáood, Billy Higgins and Horace Tapscott, screens at the Pan African Film Festival, AMC Magic Johnson Theaters, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 11:15am, with a Q&A to follow.
Mon., Feb 12 -- Man, they have some bad lyrics, but Metal Church fucking rock in the ‘80s melodic manner. If you’re trading Washington band cards, I’ll give you three Queensryches for one of these guys. At the Whisky.
Tues., Feb 13 -- Obviously you need more about the Gospel of Judas. (Got your Judas coffee mug?) Investigate Dr. Marvin Meyer; the Chapman U. prof literally wrote the book on the recently published Gnostic text and spews serious insights. Presented by Jerry Berman and the California Museum of Ancient Art at Wilshire Blvd. Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., 7:30pm, $15.