Chris Whitley
@ The 400 Bar

Chris Whitley’s not exactly a spring chicken (43 years young at last count) but he sounds downright ancient on his latest recordings, the self-released War Crime Blues and Weed. If the album titles didn’t give it away already, these releases showcase Whitley in weathered old blues man mode, live solo recordings with funky hammer ons and nifty slides supporting Whitley’s haunted howl. Covers of Lou Reed and the Clash stand alongside Whitley’s own tunes and he somehow manages to transform Joe Strummer’s amphetamine-fueled faux reggae work (“The Call Up”) into a surprisingly effective slowed down elegy. Now that’s what I call chops. Whitley fans should note that this pair of new releases is only available at his live shows or through his website, so if you want the goods you best get to steppin’. With Teitur. 9 p.m. $12. 21+. 400 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-332-2903. (Nathan Dean)

Richard Buckner
@ The Turf Club

Richard Buckner, the Duracell Bunny of restless and inventive folk singers, remains a man on the move: leaving homes, marriages, and any other trappings of stability behind as he continues on his solitary creative path. Recently relocated to Austin, TX (after living a brief time in the Canadian countryside), Buckner has reportedly been working on some interesting “psychedelic”-influenced tunes with a crop of collaborators down south. The results will be unleashed this fall on Merge Records, but should be getting an early showcase tonight. A mercurial talent with a singular voice (equal parts sweetly mellow twang and spooky braying Appalachian), Buckner remains one of the few songwriters to take his tunes to truly literary heights. When the William Faulkner of folk-rock closes his eyes and channels his dark visions on stage, the feeling of witnessing something special is irrefutable—that’s what the hair standing up on the back of your neck is trying to tell you. With the Ashtray Hearts and Faux Jean (Solo). 9 p.m. $10. 21+. The Corner of University and Snelling Avenues, St. Paul. 651-647-0486. (Rob van Alstyne)

Say Hi To Your Mom
@ The 7th St. Entry

There appears to be a contest going on the last two years or so for the best enigmatic band name intelligible only to hip college kids. At least a couple of times a month, I stumble across an act with a great name that automatically makes me want to know more about it. Say Hi To Your Mom is such a name, and, fortunately, the band backs it up with hip, straightforward pop-rock. Lead singer Eric Elbogen’s quirky delivery and timing has the sort of eccentric flair that simply can’t be faked, no matter how cheeky his band name might be. With Hockey Night, Nymore and Jar. 9 p.m. $5. 21+. 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388. (Louis Lenzmeier)

Women’s History Month Events
@ MAPPS Coffee

Continuing an annual tradition, Speak Out Sisters kicks off a series of cultural events for Women’s History Month. The first event is hosted by Janis Lane-Ewart, (producer of KFAI’s “Collective Eye,” featuring multitalented women, including spoken word artists Iris and Soliloquy, folksinger Barb Ryman, theatrical wonder Sonya Parks and more. This series’ events are permeated with women’s creativity as a force for liberation, multiracial justice and peacemaking. 8 p.m. $6 (all money to the artists). MAPPS Coffee & Tea, 1808 Riverside Ave., Mpls. 612-872-1723. (Lydia Howell)

Sicilian Nights
@ Sears Building

Once upon a time you used to be a kid, right? And you got off taking all kinds of imaginary journeys with wild and fabulous concepts like strange creatures and wonderful characters. Until somebody told you there ain’t any Santy Claus, which probably set off the erosion of innocence and the onset of life in the real world. Well, here’s a chance to revisit that youthful spirit and revitalize your imagination. With fairy tales for grown-ups. I said for grown-ups, complete with potty-mouth talk and adult situations, so don’t bring along any kids. Frank Theatre premiers “Sicilian Nights,” populated by hags, fairies, ogresses and princesses wrestling with curses to tell stories that question how these elements play into contemporary life. It’s an epic looking at issues of gender and power, examining how we use stories to control our lives—and hopefully teaching us about the world in which we live. Mar. 4 – Apr. 4. Collection One: “The Haunted Princess” alternates with Collection Two: “Clever Valentina and The Tale of Tales” Thu. – Sat. Both collections are presented Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. Sears Building, Lake St. & 10th Ave. S., Mpls. 612-724-3760. (Dwight Hobbes)

Romantica
@ The Turf Club

As if anyone needed further proof that the Twin Cities boasts a gloriously incestuous and close-knit music scene, here comes Romantica. Led by singer/guitarist Ben Kyle (whose brother Robin fronts beloved local poppers Valet), the folk-pop trio managed to snare a veritable “who’s who” of the Twin Cities music scene to chip in on their debut effort, It’s Your Weakness That I Want (those so inclined can scour the liner notes to discern the specific contributions of Darren Jackson, Erick Applewick and Jessy Greene). Released on up and comer Twin Cities label 2024 records, who will also be unleashing new platters from Valet and the Plastic Constellations later this year, the 11-track album is an airy, let’s-get-ready-for-spring kind of platter. A readily accessible and light listen it’s easy to envision Romantica as the Wallflowers for the new millennium, but they throw in enough cutting lyrics (“What a perfect situation/ Space is our inebriation”) and interesting musical twists to stay just left of staid adult contemporary. A promising debut from a group that seems destined to find a large audience. With Valet (surprise!) and Kid Dakota. 9 p.m. $4. 21+. The Corner of University and Snelling Avenues, St. Paul. 651-647-0486. (Nathan Dean)

Far Away
@ Pillsbury House

Pillsbury House Theatre, one of the Twin Cities’ more impressive community venues, opens its 2004 season with the work of Caryl Churchill, the first woman to become writer in residence at London’s Royal Court Theatre, which produced her play “Owners, Top Girls and Serious Money.” Noel Raymond directs the area premiere of Churchill’s drama “Far Away,” billed as a “tale of a world where the comforts of home clash with the horrors of war” and “an imaginative and theatrical contemplation of our increasing intolerance of inhumanity.” The London Times says of this author, “More than any other writer Churchill has transformed the theater into what it needs to be: a gymnasium that exercises the imagination, shakes up the moral sense, stretches the spirit.” When the show played Off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop, The NY Times exclaimed, “The entire production lasts for less than an hour. Yet no one is likely to leave it feeling underfed. Each carefully chosen detail seems to vibrate with unsettled depths. And each summons anxieties both primal and mercilessly particular to the times in which we live.” Sounds like a night well spent at the theater. March 5 - April 3, Wed. – Sat. 7:30 p.m. $15. Pillsbury House, 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls. 612-825-0459. (Hobbes)

The Get Up Kids
@ The Triple Rock Social Club

Sometimes, it pays not to change. For all the lip service fans and critics pay to constant reinvention and evolution, the truth is that certain bands do certain things very well and shouldn’t be punished for choosing to continue doing them. Some eight odd years ago Kansas musical prodigies the Get Up Kids singlehandedly helped jumpstart a musical movement of passionate kids with percolated melodies that eventually got out of hand and morphed into really gross music (See: Thursday, Good Charlotte, whatever other ‘pop-punk/emo’ hybrids are convincing 15-year-olds to dye their hair and get punk as fuck). They, understandably, attempted to distance themselves from the whole “godfathers of emo” tag by getting “adult” on their 2002 album, On A Wire, an attempt at R.E.M.–ification by Out of Time producer Scott Litt that by all accounts came up a bit short of it’s goal. Now the boys are back with Guilt Show, which leaves a little room for the experimental but generally returns to the battle plan that got TGUK attention in the first place—bringing the rock. TGUK, I love you, don’t go changing on me again now, ya hear? With Recover, Rocky Votolato. 5 p.m. $15. All Ages. 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399. (Nathan Dean)

Lit Six
@ aND Gallery

It’s beginning to look like Sam Osterhout, Adam Webster and cronies have revived the bohemian concept to create something of a monster. The Lit Six reading series, having solidly taken hold at 400 Bar on Minneapolis’ West Bank, will cross the river to The aND Gallery. A little background for you: The Lit Six Project is a collection of area writers and readers who blend satire, theater and stand-up comedy in a laid-back ambiance that includes wetting one’s proverbial whistle while indulging the intellect. As Osterhout puts it, “We’re populists. Some people don’t feel part of the ‘literary community’ and consequently don’t make any efforts to go to readings. I think we do a pretty good job of bringing our readings to them by performing at neighborhood bookstores, art galleries and bars. We make a point of ensuring that anyone present at a Lit Six show can fit in. Well, so long as they don’t mind seeing a bunch of idiots tell stories, that is.” Coincides with the art exhibit “Pretty Vacant.” 8 p.m. Free. aND Gallery, 526 Selby Avenue, St. Paul. 651-22-1346. (Hobbes)

24 Hours of Women’s History
on KFAI Radio

Listen up! Women take over the airwaves! Hear women of diverse communities bring their perspectives to poetry, work and family, healthcare, war, sexuality, religion—and all sorts of issues where women’s voices remain unheard. Discover the mighty musical power of women from rock to jazz, soul to folk. As Corporate Radio becomes an increasingly centralized sound-a-like, women are relegated to a kind of “audio jiggle” by Howard Stern School shock jocks. KFAI is a refreshing antidote. Mon. Mar. 8, 6 a.m. to Tue. Mar. 9, 6 a.m. KFAI Radio 90.3 FM Minneapolis; 106.7 FM St. Paul. Complete schedule at http://www.kfai.org (Howell)

Legendary Duluth roots music sage Charlie Parr, who’s been known to induce raves from the likes of Low’s Alan Sparhawk and to lay down some nifty accoutrements on Haley Bonar records when he’s not busy writing and performing his own tunes, is back with a new live CD, King Earl. Tracks like “Worried Blues” and “Possessed by the Devil” make it pretty clear where Parr’s head was at when this show was recorded in January at Fatty Pants Rehearsal Space in Duluth. A gripping and dark listen, Parr performs like a man who’s lived the blues for real and sings with a raw rattle that can only come from living in a place as damned and chilly as Duluth. 9 p.m. 21+. Call for more info. 315 14th Ave. SE, Mpls. 612-331-9800. (Nathan Dean)