Top picks
THURS 3-3
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE It's tempting to dismiss all psychedelic rock as an outlet for Grace Slick and other individuals who think a crown of daisies constitutes fashionable headgear. But there are rare times when this trippy music holds up in daily life, and not just on mushroom- picking expeditions. Such is the case with Six Organs of Admittance. Six Organs singer-songwriter Ben Chasny ??allmusic has chasny ??SmmSuzanne -- I've changed these according to allmusic spellings. I'll send a note to Chris to doublecheck. sjs is often lumped in the same sentence as fellow neo-folk groovies such as Devendra Banhart ??allmusic has ??Banhart ?? smm and Joanna Newsom, ??joanna newsom /allmusic??Smm and his flowing songs are equally loopy. A show appropriate for both hippies and hipsters, Six Organs of Admittance performs at the Zeitgeist Gallery tonight at 9:30. Doors open at 9:30. ??doors same time as show??Smm Suggested donation is $8. Zeitgeist Gallery, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 617-876-6060.
FRI 3-4
DON BYRON AND PAUL AUSTER Jazz clarinets and poetry may not be your idea of a swinging Friday night, and if that's the case, we understand that your local Blockbluster has several copies of ''Little Nicky'' ready for rental. For those in possession of a slightly more open mind, poet/author/director Paul Auster teams with jazz types Don Byron and Evan Ziporyn cq/mm for a show called ''Words and Music and other Sonic Collaborations.'' The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. Kresge Auditorium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 48 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-253-9800.
SAT 3-5
ALL AJA AT ALL ASIA Obsession tends to be the fuel for a lot of great art and literature. In fact, it's our obsession with Jesse Metcalfe that makes this column so ..... well, never mind. Photographer John Nikolai also understands a thing or two about obsession. The Cambridge-based shutterbug became infatuated with a punk-rock vixen named Aja (pronounced ''Asia'') who worked in his neighborhood hardware store. Only in Cambridge, folks. This weekend, Nikolai's photos of Aja go on display at All Asia, with a reception featuring music by Live Sex Act. These beautiful shots recall Hollywood glamour, but with a kick of whiskey. The reception runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Live Sex Act performs at 5 p.m. Free. All Asia Cafe, 334 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-497-1544.
SAT 3-5
WIZARD PEOPLE: DEAR READER We happen to be one of six people in the entire country who have absolutely no interest in the Harry Potter franchise. Nothing against J..K. Rowling, but we try to restrict our intake of children's literature to an annual reading of ''The Sissy Duckling.'' However, Austin, Texas-based comedian Brad Neely has reimagined Harry and his Hogwarts friends as a raunchy batch of cognac-soaked brats, which does hold our interest. Neely is at the Coolidge Corner Theatre at midnight performing his decidedly adult take on ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.'' Just how adult does this get? Well, let's just say that Quidditch has never been more homoerotic. Tickets are $9. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2500.
MON 3-7
A SOLDIER'S PLAY It's not often we have an opportunity to rub shoulders with an honest-to-goodness Tinseltown thespian here in the wilds of Boston, especially on a Monday night, unless you count the multiple Ben Affleck sightings at Taco Bell in Walpole. There's no Affleck, but this week you can see actor Anthony Mackie, whom savvier readers will recognize from his recent turn in ''Million Dollar Baby.'' He's at the Shubert Theatre performing in a reading of ''A Soldier's Play,'' an intense look at a racially charged military murder during World War II. The reading begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and include a chat with playwright Charles Fuller and the cast. Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston. 800-447-7400.
WEDS 3-9
INTERPOL Back in the day (and in this context, ''the day'' refers to a time when folks were brave enough to wear acid-washed jeans in public), a hair band was a heavy metal outfit that sported permed locks as big as New Jersey. Perhaps it's time for a new definition, and Interpol is perhaps the perfect example of the new breed of hair band. A hair band of this decade tends to be a foppish ensemble of hipsters who sport full, unwashed manes and snug trousers. They also attempt to replicate the darker sounds of the 1980s, particularly bands such as New Order and the Cure. To see what this definition looks like in the flesh, head to the Orpheum at 7:30 p.m. and be prepared to spend between $25 and $30 for a ticket. Orpheum, 1 Hamilton Place, Boston. 617-931-2000.
