David Wax Museum. Tuesday, 8 p.m. at Delilah’s. Americana is often accused of unoriginality and predictability, but Boston’s David Wax Museum mix it up by adding Mexican folk and indie rock to the familiar, classic tones of American folk music. The young band has been receiving rave reviews, earning accolades as Boston’s Americana Act of the Year, a feature in Paste Magazine and even an illustration in The New Yorker. Its performance at South by Southwest was named one of the Top Ten Performances by Time Magazine, perhaps due to their border-crossing sensibilities and a solid grasp of narrative and melody. With many outlets proclaiming them the “next big thing” in indie, you don’t want to miss them up close and personal at Delilah’s.
Student Artwork Monday through Friday, at Hartel and Tjaden Gallery. It’s a good week for student artwork. After browsing the lovely, new Milstein Hall, make your way to Hartel Gallery in Sibley, where you’ll see the work of architects Jeremy Burke ’11, Mike Lee ’11, Kirk Finkel ’11 and Eric Bernstein ’11. The four, who plan to leave together for Berlin to start their own design firm, have centered the work of the exibit around the idea of a “spherical book,” which would figurately roll right off the shelf. Next door, check out the work of artists Nellie Prestine Lowery ’12 and Sarah Sanders ’12. Lowery’s work highlights the lives of individuals on the fringes of society. Sanders’ work comprises a collection of short films about ridiculous celebrity personalities.
Great Lake Swimmers Saturday, 9 p.m. at Delilah’s. Ah, Canadians and indie rock. From Broken Social Scene to Arcade Fire, those darn Canucks sure have a way with earnest and creative songcraft, and Great Lake Swimmers don’t disappoint. Having found success with their iTunes-topping album Lost Channels, Great Lake Swimmers’ Iron and Wine-meets-Avett Brothers serves them well, coming across as meditative and reflective. With big names such as Leslie Feist, Robert Plant and even cancer-beating superhuman Lance Armstrong championing their delightful take on acoustic balladry, their performance at Delilah’s could be your trump card against any Canadian music snobs you happen to come across.
Rocky Horror Show The cult classic reinterpreted on stage by the actors at the Hangar Theater. Playing Tuesday through Saturday, various times.
A Useful Life The Ithaca premier of the Uruguayan film, which kicks off Cornell Cinema’s global lens series for the semester. In the film, Uruguayan director Federico Veiroj tells the story of a declining theater in Montevideo, owned by a man forced to reconcile with the decline of his passion: the cinema. Playing Thursday and Saturday nights, 7:30 p.m.
Vertigo Hitchcock’s old, weird classic that captures the more perverse side of San Francisco in the 1950s.
Live Music at Stella’s. Head to Stella’s for a flight of whiskey on Thursday night, where you will enjoy the latest crop of local music talent. Genre to be determined.