Let’s see, this week we’ve got a Caribou woman who just got back from half a year playing jazz clubs in Hong Kong, a college night at the museum, two sit-up-and-take-notice CD-release shows, and a Girls Rock! festival.

I took great pleasure in flipping the calendar to February, and usually at this time of year, I quote the Dar Williams song named for the current month. This year, I’m diversifying and will leave you with this rather gloomy pearl and a promise of better days — and quotations — ahead.

“February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.” – Shirley Jackson, “Raising Demons”

After having just spent several months as the house act at the Intercontinental Oriental Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong, Caribou native Tess Collins is bringing her jazz, pop and R&B to the Old Port for one night only at Pearl Lounge tonight. Check her out at www.myspace.com/collinst22. She does right by “What a Wonderful World,” and “Cinnamon Road” ain’t too shabby either. Collins is just 23 years old, but her bio on MySpace makes for a fascinating read.

Tess Collins. 7 to 11 tonight. Pearl Lounge, 444 Fore St., Portland. Ages 21 and older. No cover. 210-6555; www.pearloldport.com.

While you may not have fun with the likes of Attila the Hun and Teddy Roosevelt, you also don’t need to be Ben Stiller to enjoy a night at the museum. It does, however, help to have a college ID, because that will grant you free access to the after-hours roaming of exhibits and live sets from local acts Phantom Buffalo and Theodore Treehouse.

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Art and music go together like a horse and carriage, and I think this College Night idea is a terrific one. It’s A-OK to crash if you aren’t of the college persuasion — you’ll just have to plunk down a fiver, and you’re in.

College Night with Phantom Buffalo and Theodore Treehouse. 7 tonight. Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland. All ages. Free with valid university ID; others $5.

Two huge CD releases take place tomorrow night at Port City Music Hall. Space Versus Speed (facebook.com/spaceversusspeed) and The Lucid (www.thelucidmusic.com) both have new albums out, and they’re calling this celebratory evening “Kidnapped by Europeans.” The groups have also invited Boston band Foxtrot to join the party. This show more than qualifies as a hot ticket. Congrats to both bands.

Space Versus Speed and The Lucid with Foxtrot. 8 p.m. Friday. Port City Music Hall, 504 Congress St., Portland. Ages 18 and older. $10 in advance; $12 day of show; $20 VIP. Tickets at portcitymusichall.com or 899-4990.

The Maine Academy of Modern Music presents its third annual Girls Rock! music festival Saturday at Space Gallery. Girls Rock! is a big part of MAMM’s 2010-11 concert series that runs from September to May. Its goal is to give students from Greater Portland performance opportunities in real venues.

Girls Rock! will showcase the bands The Oxymorons, Longstory and Lady and the Gents, whose members are girls from Portland, Cumberland, Falmouth and Winthrop. Also performing will be local artists Amanda Gervasi and The Curious Girl. Profits from the night will be put toward MAMM program scholarships.

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FYI: MAMM is a nonprofit organization devoted to creating positive life experiences for youths through innovative and inclusive music education programs that promote resiliency, creativity and self-expression.

Maine Academy of Modern Music’s third annual Girls Rock! Doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday. Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. All ages. $5 students; $8 adults. Tickets at www. brownpapertickets.com and Bull Moose locations.

Aimsel Ponti is a Portland freelance writer. Contact her at:

aimselponti@yahoo.com

 


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