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Faces on Film at T.T. the Bear's Place

Olga Bell

THURSDAY, APRIL 30
What is it about frigid weather that inspires musicians to create highly textured, irresistibly weird, and tempestuous yet soothing compositions? While countless artists have been compared to Bjork, there are few we’ve heard who come closer to the ethereal and engrossing appeal of the Icelandic pixie’s thumping soundscapes as Olga Bell. The young Moscow-born, Alaska-raised pianist and vocalist was trained in a conservatory, but she seems to have taken her most valuable lessons from the DJs who keep people in Berlin and Ibizaup and dancing all night. A head-turner at some high-profile South by Southwest showcases, she drifts into T.T. the Bear’s Place (10 Brookline Street, Cambridge, 617.492.2327) with North Carolina ambient-folk mavens Bowerbirds. Tickets ($10) are available at the box office, at www.ticketweb.com, or by calling 866.468.7619.

Thursday, January 15 & 22: Ditch Thursdays

The holiday season is over, which means no vacation days for a while. This sad reality, along with the fact that the sun feels like it sets at around 2 p.m. this time of year, can put you in a total funk. But forget those plans you had to crawl into bed and watch reruns all night. Instead, trade your robe for some party clothes and head to Ditch Thursdays at Revolution Rock Bar (200 High Street, Boston, 617.261.4200). DJ Rick Rude begins spinning Top 40 upstairs at 9 p.m., while DJ Hectik pays homage to ’90s hiphop and R&B downstairs. The weekly event is 21plus, with a $15 cover charge.

Sunday, December 28: Marissa Nadler

 

Marissa Nadler sings her dark, mysterious lyrics in a hazy soprano that would appeal as much to a Medieval sailor navigating the ocean by moonlight as to the cabaret­goers of Belle Époque Paris. The local guitar­ picking chanteuse, who regularly draws crowds on the West Coast, in the UK, and in Western Europe, plays dreamy, melancholy, gothic-­kissed tunes that bring form to the most elusive of yearnings. She reminds us of Elliot Smith, if Elliot Smith sang about Virginia Wolfe and made Edgar Allen Poe references. Nadler makes her holiday homecoming tonight at T.T. the Bear’s (10 Brookline Street, Cambridge, 617.492.2327) with Akron/Family. Tickets are $10. Get them at www.ticketweb.com or 866.468.7619. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, September 10: The Wombats

Dance Craze at T.T. the Bear’s