October 1-7, 2003

3 FRI • MUSIC Mood Elevator CD Release Celebration — The Mood Elevator’s latest album, Married Alive, has been floating around the office for a couple days now, and, well … it is missing. Fans of the Mood Elevator know all about the squeal-level joy induced by 2000’s Listen Up! Record No. 2 offers 11 more songs that are a) still sweet and dripping with harmonies but b) smeared just so slightly; the addition of a few fuzzed-out ’70s guitar riffs is just enough to confuse the giddiness with carnality. The Mood Elevator (a rearrangement of the five members of Brendan Benson and the Wellfed Boys, in case you didn’t know) earns its rosy name with grin-fest stage shows and pop songs galore. Now … if I could just get my damn CD back. Celebrate the release of the CD (which includes a bonus video track for the song “Beginner’s Luck”) at the Magic Bag (22920 Woodward, Ferndale) with Pas/Cal and Shipwreck Union. Call 248-544-3030.

3 FRI • ISSUES & LEARNING “Rock ’n’ Roll Revolution: Revisiting the ’60’s” — OK, so maybe we are a little sick of the constant revisiting of the hippie generation … the peace movement, which has all been exploited ad nauseam through television and Hollywood. But if we can see past the flowery (literally) exterior of it all, there are lessons to be learned from an era that spawned the civil rights movement, women’s lib and the Beatles. This monthlong film and discussion series includes titles as well known as Easy Rider and Joe as well as less known documentaries. Friday’s film is about President Lyndon Johnson. At the Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor). Call 734-327-4560 for schedules, lineups and related events. Ends Oct. 30.

4 SAT • ART Yumiko Kayukawa — “The young women in Yumiko’s paintings are mysterious and elusive, using images of both innocence and fetishes in a sexy, subtle way …” says pop artist Yumiko Kayukawa’s manager, Gabriela Pedroza. By combining contemporary fashions and traditional Japanese motifs, Kayukawa covers a great deal of ground, from commercial to fine art to comic motifs. And folks stateside are eatin’ it up. In fact, CPOP (4160 Woodward, Detroit) requests that patrons call ahead to put their names on a waiting list. At the CPOP Gallery. Call 313-833-9901.

7 TUE • MUSIC Fra Fra Sound — Some of the world’s finest clothing designers have said that in order for personal style to be truly original, the wearer has to mix his or her aesthetic influences. It seems fair that the same can be said for music. While Fra Fra Sound started off as revivalist outfit celebrating Surinamese roots music, they have over the years added layers of jazz, rock, Afropop and other influences (including a dash of psychedelia) to win an international audience. If this Amsterdam-based bunch has surrendered its initial focus, however, it’s kept the celebratory thang going strong. At 8:30 p.m. at the SerenGeti Ballroom (2757 Grand River, Detroit). Call 313-963-8099.

Ongoing • FUN FOR ALL “Brain: The World Inside Your Head” — Not to get too cerebral, but when was the last time you pondered the goings-on of that brain of yours? Seriously. How much do you really know about your gray matter which is making sense of this sentence about your gray matter? The Detroit Science Center’s new exhibit delivers the latest neurological news via hands-on displays, video and virtual reality games, and optical illusions. This exhibit has also been designed to cultivate dialogue about brain-based diseases and disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. At the Detroit Science Center (5020 John R, Detroit). Call 313-577-8400 for further information. Runs until Jan. 4, 2004.