'Tis the Season for Openings: Stuff to See, Hear and Do

Our birthday boy.

For starters, Happy Birthday, Don. Duluth's Mayor Ness turned forty this morning. The word on the street (and on Facebook) is that he will be celebrating the occasion in The Lyric Room at Porter's downtown.

He's probably aware, though you may not be, that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame is also celebrating his birthday today. Born in 1944, Page today is 69. I remember well when Led Zeppelin exploded on the scene. I had friends who practiced as a band when we were in high school. We were in Scott Homan's basement and someone said, "I have something you will want to hear." It was that first album with the bluesy Good Times, Bad Times, and the soulful rendition of Babe, I'm Gonna Leave you.

Speaking of Lyrics... Today at the Lyric Center in Virginia, MN is the opening of the January Abstractions show featuring new work by Colin Wiita, Heidi Mae Niska, Daryn Lowman and Pam Skinner.

Tonight in downtown Duluth, Pizza Luce is hosting the opening of Adam Swanson's new show titled My Wicked Secret. Don't know what he intends to share but I do know the establishment is a popular family restaurant and whatever Adam is putting on the walls will not be too wicked. He's just too nice a guy. So it must be a clever title, and I am very much looking forward to seeing his colorful new show.

Tomorrow evening is Second Friday Art Crawl, and at least a couple places you'll want to visit are these: Cracked at Washington Galleries and Polarize at the Prove. The Cracked opening is from 6-9 and Polarize from 7-11. Music starts at 8.

If you're in the Twin Cities, you'll have the good fortune of being able to attend Anne Labovitz's opening at the Burnet Gallery on Hennepin. The show is titled Layers and you'll get a chance to meet the artist, who's charisma is as compelling as her work.

Maybe you're not in the Midwest today and you happen to be stuck in crosstown traffic, mid-town Manhattan. There are a few things to catch in the Big Apple while you're there. Neil Young is at Carnegie Hall tonight and tomorrow. Yep, he's still alive an well, having released 2 albums with Crazy Horse in 2012 and kickin' it out in concert. Young won many of our hearts when Everybody Knows this Is Nowhere, his first solo album with Crazy Horse, hit the scene. I'm still listening to that one.

Meantime, life goes on. Catch a show or make something happen. Jack Frost is backing off for a spell and the weather should be downright balmy. Have a good one.