CONCERTS & GIGS
Grammy award-winning bluegrass band The Steeldrivers will take stage at The Manchester Music Hall on Sept. 2. Photo furnished
The Steeldrivers. Sept. 2. The Steeldrivers’ fifth studio album, “Bad for You,” was largely written by Tammy Rogers, whose spirited and soulful voice and fiddle playing have been a hallmark of the band’s hard-driving sound throughout its existence. It also marks the band’s debut recording with Berea native Kelvin Damrell, the singer and guitarist who joined the band in early 2018. 8 p.m. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. www.manchestermusichall.com
Expansion: The Black Angels, Allah-Lahs, Death Valley Girls and more. Sept. 10. Designed to celebrate psychedelic and experimental music and visual art, this fourth-year festival features a music lineup topped by national and local acts that include The Black Angels (Austin), Allah-Las (Los Angeles) and Death Valley Girls (Los Angeles), Sweet Country Meat Boys (Lexington) and many more. Visual artists specializing in analog liquid light, video synthesis and projection-mapped visuals will provide visuals for each band, and 21c Museum Hotel and Sora Contemporary Circus will help bring never-before-seen immersive art experiences to life. 2-11 p.m. The Burl, 475 Thompson Road. www.expansionlex.com
Husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty will perform at The Burl on Sept. 11. Photo furnished
The War and Treaty. Sept. 11. Husband-and-wife duo Tanya Blount Trotter and Michael Trotter’s music has been described by Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers, an early admirer, as “a joyful force.” Combining elements of gospel, blues and Americana with an indelible chemistry, they bring their big sound to The Burl stage. 8 p.m. The Burl, 475 Thompson Road. www.theburlky.com
311. Sept. 13. Known for their blend of rock, reggae, hip hop and funk, ’90s’ favorite 311 cites influences like The Clash, Descendents, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cypress Hill, Fishbone and Bad Brains. 8 p.m. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. www.manchestermusichall.com
Here Come the Mummies. Sept. 15. Here Come the Mummies is an eight-piece funk-rock band of 5,000-year-old Egyptian Mummies with a one-track mind. Their “terrifying funk from beyond the grave” is sure to get you into them (and possibly vice versa). 8 p.m. Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. www.manchestermusichall.com
Leo Kottke. Sept. 20. Guitarist Leo Kottke’s formidable finger-picking and bottle neck techniques on the six- and 12-string guitars along with his idiosyncratic compositional sense combines influences of folk, rock and bluegrass, as well as jazz and classical to create a style that defies definition. 7:30 p.m. Lyric Theatre, 300 E. Third St. www.troubashow.com
Musician, producer, actor and philanthropist Trombone Shorty brings the sound of The Big Easy to the Lexington Opera House on Sept. 21. Photo furnished
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. Sept. 21. Born Troy Andrews, Trombone Shorty got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at 4, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley. At 6, he was leading his own brass band, and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Since then, he’s led a storied career, performing with genre-spanning musicians all over the world. 7 p.m. Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. www.lexingtonoperahouse.com
A Blues Celebration for Tee Dee Young. Sept. 23. Lexington blues legend Tee Dee Young, who will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame later this year, is the star of this tribute and show of love. Young has been performing and playing for audiences for more than 54 years and has won numerous awards and accolades. Featured performing artists include Rachel Crowe Band and Mojo Tones. 6 p.m. Lyric Theatre, 300 E. Third St. www.lexingtonlyric.com
ART & EXHIBITS
“Aqueous,” a nationally juried exhibit of watercolor paintings, is on display at the Headley Whitney Museum through Nov. 6. (Pictured here, “The France Man” by Fealing Lin.) image furnished
“Aqueous.” On display through Nov. 6. Now entering its 45th year, this national juried watercolor exhibition presented in partnership with the Kentucky Watercolor Society features more than 70 watercolor paintings by artists around the country, including 20 from Kentucky. Gallery hours: Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Headley-Whitney Museum, 4435 Old Frankfort Pike. www.headley-whitney.org
“The Common Wealth of Kentucky Project.” On display through Oct. 10. The culmination of a year-long project where artist Kelly Brewer, writer and digital storyteller Beth Pride and advocate Jill Johnson traveled Kentucky painting and interviewing people from all walks of life is a powerful, multi-sensory experience, featuring 70 portraits, short narrative about the subjects’ lives, and the sounds of their voices linked through QR scan technology. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Tues.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.; 12-5 p.m. Sat. ArtsPlace, 161 N. Mill St. www.lexarts.org
“Art by Nature: Front Yard Friends.” On display through Sept. 24. Now in its fifth year, this program leans on the creative arts to highlight ways to improve and enhance the natural world. Local native landscapes and plants, with a particular focus on front yards, are highlighted by local artists. Gallery hours: Wed.-Sat., 12-5 p.m. Lexington Art League at the Loudoun House, 209 Castlewood Drive. www.lexingtonartleague.org
Hypergraph, an exhibit featuring the work of University of Kentucky architecture assistant professor and founder of Hypergraph Design Angus Eade, will be on display at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center Sept. 10-Nov. 5. Image furnished
“Hypergraph, Emerging Modes of Representation in Design Research.” On display Sept. 10-Nov. 5. This exhibit features the work of Angus Eade, an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Kentucky and the founder and director of Hypergraph Design, whose research trajectories coincide and extend his pursuits as a student, professor and practitioner, including building systems integration and optimization enlisting emerging materials and techniques. Gallery hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat. Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center Community Gallery (second floor), 141 Main St. www.lexingtonky.gov/about-downtown-arts-center
ETC.
Jazz on the Lawn. Sept. 4. The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation reignites its annual Jazz on the Lawn after a two-year hiatus. The concert takes place on the back lawn of the mansion, where guests are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics. Entertainment by Lee Carroll’s C The Beat, with special guests The Wallace Sisters. 5:30-7 p.m. Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate, 120 Sycamore Road. www.henryclay.org
Evening in the Garden. Sept. 8. This event benefiting Fayette Alliance and UK HealthCare Markey Cancer Center features an intimate, gourmet dinner, signature cocktails and a live auction in an elegant garden setting at Mt. Brilliant Farm. Cocktails at 6 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m. Mt. Brilliant Farm, 3865 Russell Cave Road. fayettealliance.com/polo
Lexington's annual Roots and Heritage Festival will take place Sept. 9-11. Photo furnished
Lexington Roots & Heritage Festival. Sept. 9-11. Several city blocks are blocked off along Elm Tree Lane for this annual festival celebrating cultural diversity in Lexington, featuring food vendors, live music and other entertainment. 7-11 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Elm Tree Lane www.rootsfestky.com
Christ the King Oktoberfest. Sept. 9-10. Taking place in the parking lot of Christ The King Church for over 30 years, this annual Oktoberfest features fun for all ages, with live music, kids’ games, a celebrity cake wheel, inflatables, Bingo, blackjack and more. This year’s music lineup will be headlined by Smash Mouth and The Spazmatics, with more artists to be announced. Cathedral of Christ The King, 299 Colony Blvd. 4-11 p.m. Fri.; 1-11 p.m. Sat. www.ctkoktoberfest.com
Studio Players: “It Runs in the Family.” Sept. 8-11, 15-18, 22-25. Set in a hospital, this theatrical performance contains the usual assortment of farcical nuts running in and out of doors mistaking everybody for someone else, as Dr. Mortimore tries to fend off a paternity suit, an ex-wife, a punkish son and various other lunatics so that he may, at last, deliver the “Lecture of the Year” to a hundred of the world’s leading physicians. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. Carriage House Theatre, 154 Bell Court. www.studioplayers.org
Rosa Goddard Film Series. Sept. 14, 21, 28. This annual celebration of international cinema classics and contemporary films curated and coordinated by local gift shop and bookstore SQecial Media returns. This year’s lineup includes the 1959 Japanese comedy “Good Morning” (Sept. 14), the experimental Russian film “Mirror”(Sept. 21) and the 1973 Spanish drama “The Spirit of the Beehive” (Sept. 28). More details on each film in this issue’s Fall Arts Preview. Film screenings begin at 7:15 p.m. Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St. www.kentuckytheatre.org
Chamber Music Festival of Lexington. Sept. 19-25. Now in its 15th season, the Chamber Music Festival includes three mainstage concerts featuring artist-in-residence Benny Kim at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, a laid-back-style cabaret concert at the Blue Stallion Brewing Company, and the world premiere of a composition by composer-in-residence Elizabeth Younan. More info outlined at www.chambermusiclex.org.
Smokehouse Dinner Series. Sept. 24. Black Soil KY, Daughters’ Southern and Rock House Brewing will host a fundraiser dinner to benefit local organization FoodChain. Guests will enjoy a coursed farm-to-table dinner expertly prepared by Chef Chris Cain of Daughters’ Southern with beer pairings expertly curated by Rock House Brewing. 5 p.m. Rock House Brewing, 119 Luigart Court. www.blacksoilky.com/events
Lexington author Silas House will sign and read from his new book, “Lark Ascending,” at a book launch event at Joseph-Beth on Sept. 27. File photo
“Lark Ascending” by Silas House – Book Launch Event. Sept. 27. Laurel County native Silas House may be known for his novels, but he’s also a former commentator for NPR’s “All Things Considered,” a music journalist, environmental activist and columnist whose work has appeared in Time, The Atlantic, Garden and Gun and many other publications. House will be discussing and signing his newest novel “Lark Ascending” – a story of survival and hope set in the not-too-distant future, when a young man is forced to flee the United States and seek refuge across the Atlantic. 7 p.m. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 161 Lexington Green Circle. www.josephbeth.com
The Horse’s Mouth Storytelling Night. Sept. 18. After an extended hiatus, this local storytelling night returns. Featuring six storytellers telling true (10-minute) stories about a single theme, this month’s event will follow the theme “Starting Over,” featuring stories about what happens when you finally get that do-over. For more information, email horsesmouthstorytelling@gmail.com. 7 p.m. West Sixth Brewing, 501 W. Sixth St.
Carnegie’s 30th Birthday Celebration: An Open House. Sept. 16. The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning turns 30 this year and is opening its doors to students, instructors, volunteers, writers, families and the public for a celebration of literacy and an opportunity to meet the staff and learn about the organization’s programs. Weather permitting, a portion of the event will take place outdoors; attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. 5-7 p.m. Carnegie Center, 251 W. Second St. www.carnegiecenterlex.org