Mike Brown Group

The New Pornographers
2023-11-17 20:00 UTC | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
For what purpose the popular song? Does the popular song have a purpose? Is it just a sequence of auditory gestures, desperate acts, adrift in the bigger broader silence of an unforgiving cultural landscape? In what follows, we will assume that the purpose of the popular song is to unite warring disputants and to repair the manifold puncture wounds of life, so that life is revealed, again, as less accursed than it appears. And let’s assume that we go on listening to the popular song, which in the vast majority of its iterations is a failure, because we are chronic in our need for this rehabilitation of our puncture-wounded selves. Take any fine example, take “All You Need Is Love,” by the Beatles, or “Walk Away, Renee,” by the Left Banke, or “Tears of a Clown,” by Smokey Robinson. Try listening to these songs. Almost immediately, your suppurations begin to clot.
Into this tryingly difficult history of the popular song stride The New Pornographers, into a period in which it has to be acknowledged that the medium is mostly dead, is passed, is no longer a uniting force, but, more frequently, a medium of division, one entirely controlled by the Ownership Society and made profitable according to shareholders who don’t give a fuck if your puncture wounds are healed over as long as the product ships. The New Pornographers, stunningly, do not seem to understand that the popular song is dead, is passed, and The New Pornographers, despite their complete and nearly monastic understanding of the Secret Knowledge of the popular song, will themselves into being, characterized by a uniform devotion to the great history that precedes them by only a couple of decades, and their coming into being in a somewhat unlikely place, Vancouver, not previously noted for a unvarying profusion of rock genius, is particular not only for uniformity of purpose but because they manage, in this uniformity, to bring a considerable cast of local adepts all as one into the tent. The cast of adepts is now well known, but includes at least two startlingly good songwriters, three spectacularly good singers, one of the very best drummers in all of contemporary music, an in-house filmmaker-and that is merely to scratch the surface on the question of bench strength, the shocking amount of bench strength in a band in which everyone seems to be able to produce quality audio emanations from any instrument and to sing, and in which the studio is an instrument as it is in few bands.
Their first album is great, and is power pop, power pop, and more power pop, their second album (Electric Version) refines the form and tinkers, with more studio brilliance on display, the third, viz., Twin Cinema, is an artier thing and a proggier thing, revealing a breadth of confidence, and a breadth of confidences, both senses, and a command of lyrical nuance and anthemic talents that display themselves in unusual spots, in songs that don’t begin anthemically, but which then reveal urgencies; Challengers, the fourth, has some quieter annunciations on it, seems to come from a place of adulthood, from a recognition that urgency can be in the theme, and the affirmation of the song is not in the lyric necessarily, but in the commitment, in the commitment to the sonnet-like cadences of the popular song, and the title song herein, “Challengers,” a miniature about a romantic entanglement that literally walks past the narrator, takes us far beyond the adolescences of the popular song into the adult spot where really great songwriters begin to ply their craft.
Which brings us to the ineradicable present, which is the moment when The New Pornographers have already done everything they can do, in some senses; they have had songs in films and on television, they have toured the world, they are respected and covered and well reviewed and lionized, and everyone in the band has a justifiably earned reputation for excellence and admirability, chief among them A. C. Newman, first among equals with respect to these musical bulletins, Neko Case, the singer who never met a line of lyrics that she could not in same way make indelible, and Dan Bejar, the stealth member and interpretation-resistant Mandarin troubadour.
There are no more interesting rock and roll bands, you know, there are opiate-addicted white boys who cannot play very well and who are unwilling to turn down the amplifiers so as to be heard, and there are machines and auto-tuned fembots, and there are hip hoppers with public-relations simulated gangster simulations, and there are working-class guys with a lot of tattoos who can play really, really fast. But there are no more interesting rock and roll bands, and there are no longer songs that make you want to get out of bed. Still, The New Pornographers are unable not to behave like underdogs of yearning, like a united front of yearning, and they are also unable, it seems, to resist the challenge to make a perfect album, a form so dead that it is on its seventh wave of maggotry, and so they have an eye on history, and they do love a windmill, they love to charge, and they do not know how to do otherwise now, which means that theirs is a contagious form of yearning, and if in part their longing is postmodern, which is to say that they often writes songs that are about other songs (“Crash Years,” e.g., is about “You” by George Harrison, and “Moves” is, in part, about “25 or 6 to 4,” by the beleaguered Chicago), they are not able to treat the form simply as a kind of commentary (which has caused others fatefully to go awry), but also as a surgical intervention for puncture-wounded civilians everywhere, as a joy delivery-system, and in this joy-delivery system there are new and interesting twists, for those who are curious about what the ineradicable contemporary moment sounds like, sound-wise, and the twists on this new album, have to do with strings, really, and with a sort of chamber pop orientation, lots of cello, that is, of a sort that calls to mind the amazing Sister Lovers LP by Big Star, around whose open wounds A. C. Newman has orbited in the past but more fearfully than now.
Fewer keyboard flourishes, and fewer things that sound like they necessitated a good computer programmer, and more things that sound like A. C. Newman and the rest of the band playing in a room. This is probably an illusion, this playing together, but it is an illusion with a purpose, because there are at least two songs on this album that use togetherness as the assembling cement, the epoxy of their composition. The first of these is a big rock song, “Your Hands (Together),” and as you would expect the putting of hands together also occasions a silver bullet, of the mortally inflicting variety, which is the paradoxical sort of thematic approach that we would expect from songwriters who are no longer young, and who are willing to write a couplet that answers the question “What’s love?” with the response: “What turns up in the dark.” All of this is perforation for the tearing away of the final track, “We Get Together,” in which the hook, the title, is at the very end, buried in the mix, and the whole is about familial dynamics, much in the way that “Oh, Sister,” from Bob Dylan’s Desire is about familial dynamics, which is to say not at all, and more about the injunction to “do damage” than it is about familiar unity, “I’m for damage, sweet damage,” Newman and Case sing, and the cellos come back around, with their genteel bolshevism, with a hint of the early Electric Light Orchestra, and Carl goes in and out of his falsetto as he does when he’s winding up like a violent debater, and they hold back on the drumming, which is what they do, until it’s absolutely necessary, and that is a big advantage when the drummer is this great, and then we come to the out chorus, in which Case seems to be singing “ma ma ma ma,” as if to mislead you into thinking that the song, is about familial dynamics, and Newman sings “we end up together,” and then there is guitar feedback. End credits.
What does he mean about ending up together? What would it mean for a popular song, while clearly supporting an aesthetic palette devoted to “sweet damage,” nonetheless to support the idea of ending up together? Is it, paradoxically, about the kind of romantic failure that makes for all the best popular songs? Is it a recognition that the only unifying that can come from the contemporary popular song is the kind of togetherness that recognizes the truth of human life, namely that all is apartness, and all is lonesomeness, and this even if the principle songwriter in the band is recently married, and, by all evidence, reasonably content? Yes, it’s all about the ship going down, and the rats leaping from the sinking vessel, the vessel of the popular song, and there is nothing to do but to celebrate a recognition of this rats-going-down business, and, nonetheless, to view the articulation of same as a joy and a responsibility, such that the best joy-delivery system is the song itself, so that the medium is dead and yet is being used to celebrate its death, and it’s in our mutual recognition of apartness that we are most together. (The band setting is no different, in this way, from quotidian human life. It is a triumph over the entropic energy that would drive it, the band, apart.)
This is an eschatological approach, and, indeed, some of what you are hearing on Together, by the New Pornographers, is a band of ghosts who are mining their fin de sicle imagery for all its worth, even though we are at the beginning of a century. They are from Vancouver (mostly), they still believe that they have something to say, they are adults, they don’t use drum machines, they are not emcees. What could they possibly have going for them? Everything they stand for is over, they are the last iteration, they are the bitter end, the sweet aftertaste of something intoxicating. And yet they believe in doing it, still, together. We are so much the better for it

Christmas in Color
2023-11-17 17:30 - 2024-01-01 22:00 | Expo Idaho, 5610 North Glenwood Stree, Garden City, Idaho, 83714
Come experience Christmas like never before! Drive through millions of lights perfectly synchronized to holiday music you’ll hear right through your radio. Drive by giant candy canes, snowmen, arched pathways and more. Take your time enjoying this lighting extravaganza – we won’t judge you if you join the kids with your face pressed against the window!
Hours
Monday-Sunday: 5:30pm-10pm
Closed:

Thanksgiving Day (Nov 23, 2023)
Christmas Day (Dec 25, 2023)
New Year’s Day (Jan 1, 2024)

Canyon County Christmas Show
2023-11-17 11:00 - 19:00 | Ford Idaho Center
Hours: Fri. & Sat. 11am-7pm, Sun. 11am-4pm
Admission: Adults $5, Seniors(62+) $4, Children 12 & under FREE
FREE PARKING!
Ford Idaho Center is located at:
16200 Idaho Center Boulevard, Nampa, Idaho 83687
Click for Map

A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE
FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

Winter Wonderland at Indian Creek Plaza
2023-11-17 - 2024-01-07 | Indian Creek Plaza, 120 S Kimball Ave, Caldwell, Idaho, 83605
EXPERIENCE REAL WINTER MAGIC IN CALDWELL
Every year, the city of Caldwell transforms into a real-life winter wonderland from the weekend before Thanksgiving until the first week of January.
Searching for something to do tonight, tomorrow or this weekend near Boise? Just a short 30 minutes away you’ll find festivals, concerts, farmers’ markets, cultural performances and celebrations, farm to fork dinners, fairs and rodeos in Caldwell year-round.

Canyon County Christmas Show
2023-11-17 - 2023-11-19 | Ford Idaho Center
November 17-19, 2023 • Ford Idaho Center • Nampa, Idaho
Hours: Fri. & Sat. 11am-7pm, Sun. 11am-4pm
Admission: Adults $5, Seniors(62+) $4, Children 12 & under FREE
FREE PARKING!
A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE
FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

A Fantastic Array Of Gifts • 3 Days Of Christmas Splendor
Visit With Santa • Something For Everyone On Your List!

Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse
2023-11-16 19:30 | Morrison Center, 2201 West Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, Idaho, 83725
Featuring a soundtrack that blends symphonic orchestral music with hip-hop, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Live in Concert pairs a screening of the Academy Award® winning animated film with a full orchestra, band, and turntables live on stage.
Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning composer Daniel Pemberton created a sprawling score of original music complemented by song contributions by Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Jaden Smith, and Nicki Minaj. The hip-hop-based score results in a sonic universe that is woven throughout the fabric of the film, supporting its themes of resilience and universal heroism. Broadway Sinfonietta, an NYC-based all-female orchestra comprised of BIPOC women musicians, will perform the music live with DJ Damage on turntables.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask. A superhero classic for a new generation, Miles is an Afro-Latinx teen bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway and gains mysterious powers. Joined by spider heroes from parallel universes, Miles must master his new powers to save his city from a villain who could destroy it all.

Dragonforce, Amaranthe, NanowaR of Steel , Edge of Paradise
2023-11-16 19:00 | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
The steam-roller known as AMARANTHE continues to roll on relentlessly. In 2014 many were wondering how and if they could top the previous successes of their self-titled debut album (2011) and their sophomore effort ‘The Nexus’. In October 2014, those questions were answered with ‘MASSIVE ADDICTIVE’ which instantly charted in six countries, and even reached number one on the Billboard heatseekers charts. The lead single ‘Drop Dead Cynical’ reached far wider and higher than any previous AMARANTHE single, and stayed several weeks at the top of USA’s premier rock station, Sirius XM Octane, and had massive airplay all around the world.
The perfectly executed modern metal which is ‘MASSIVE ADDICTIVE’ was once again genre-transcending, forward looking – and most importantly it was daringly innovative for AMARANTHE. The tremendous reception of the album led to an extensive world tour of over 100 shows, visiting the USA two times so far, a tour in Europe, Japan and numberless single shows – and they show no sign of slowing down any time yet.
It has just recently been revealed that AMARANTHE are working on a follow-up to 2014’s ‘MASSIVE ADDICTIVE’, to be released at an unspecified time in 2016. Nothing has been revealed about the album so far – but without any shadow of a doubt we can expect the biggest choruses and the catchiest hooks to ever roll out from the unstoppable AMARANTHE hit factory!

Boise State University Theatre Arts - A Charlie Brown Christmas
2023-11-16 - 2023-12-03 | School of the Arts, 1110 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, ID, 83725, United States
Boise State Theatre presents: A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Boise State Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing presents “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” by Charles M. Schulz, based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson, stage adaptation by Eric Schaeffer, by special arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson and directed by Adam Victor.
Join us for a festive production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” featuring Charles M. Schulz’s iconic characters. The classic animated television special comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation in which Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang discover the true meaning of Christmas. Perfect for all ages, every performance will include an arts and crafts activity before the show for families.
Original poster artwork by Erin Cunningham will be available for purchase at every performance. All proceeds from poster sales go to the Theatre Arts Scholarship fund.

Riverside Rocks Art with Kids Rock Painting Class
2023-11-15 17:30 - 19:30 | Water’s Edge Gallery at the Riverside Hotel, 2900 W. Chinden Blvd., Boise, ID, 83714, United States
ALL AGES
Family Friendly Rock Painting Class
Join us for an evening of family fun! Bring the littles, (remember to dress them in clothes you don’t mind them getting paint on) Or just bring yourself and friends! Take home a little piece of your creativity to share or keep.

Location

Water’s Edge Gallery at the Riverside Hotel
2900 W Chinden Blvd Boise, ID 83714

Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet
2023-11-14 19:00 | The Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main St., Boise, Idaho, 83702
The beloved family tradition is back: NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet! Gather your loved ones for the warm-glow-nostalgia of America’s favorite Christmas celebration. Experience the extraordinary international cast and Ukrainian Principal Artists performing at the peak of classical European Ballet. Be transported by the magic of jaw-dropping acrobatics, larger than life puppets and stunning hand-crafted sets and costumes. Don’t miss this chance to experience the wonder of NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet. Get tickets now!

Telaya Bites - Thanksgiving with Roots Zero Waste Market
2023-11-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Telaya Wine Co., 240 East 32nd Street, Garden City, ID, 83714, United States
Tuesday, November 14
Telaya Bites: Thanksgiving with Roots Zero Waste Market
Taste and pre-order all of your Thanksgiving favorites crafted by Lea at Roots Zero Waste Market

Date and time

Tuesday, November 14 · 6 – 8pm MST

Location

Telaya Wine Co.
240 East 32nd Street Garden City, ID 83714
Show map

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.
Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.

About this event

2 hours
Mobile eTicket

Join us in the tasting room to taste Lea’s Thanksgiving! You’ll have the opportunity to pre-order your Thanksgiving dinner items and pick up at Roots Zero Waste Market.
There will be one seating starting at 5:45 pm, and the event will begin at 6 pm.
Wine club members, remember to use the code at checkout to receive special pricing.
During registration, you can tell us which guests have dietary restrictions.
Please give our team at least 48 hours notice of cancellations.
Menu to come!

Please note that by submitting your ticket registration, your email will be added to our newsletter. If you do not wish to subscribe to our newsletter, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of the email.

Kids Discovery Expo
2023-11-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Expo Idaho, 5610 North Glenwood Stree, Garden City, Idaho, 83714
Kids Discovery Expo
November 11th, 2023 10AM – 4PM
Expo Idaho | 5610 Glenwood, Boise, ID 83714
The Kids Discovery Expo is a one-day event PACKED with entertainment and activities that will keep your kiddos laughing, learning and playing for hours! They’ll enjoy crafting at the interactive exhibits, jumping in the bounce houses, experiencing virtual reality, climbing a rock wall and so much more!
If you have kids ages 2-12, you won’t want to miss this autumn family fun! With over 75 exhibits you can browse and shop as the kids burn off energy, we know it’s a day everyone can enjoy. Come out to Expo Idaho this fall where adults and kids can explore, create and discover together!
Free activities include small animal petting area, jump houses, tsunami wave ride, rock climbing wall, reptiles exhibit, craft stations, STEM centers, virtual reality, and more. Paid activities include face painting and snacks for purchase.
Special Appearances from your favorite characters and live magician shows.
The small $5 per person fee gets you access to a FULL day of non-stop fun at the Kids Discovery Expo! If you have a family, be sure to get the $20 family pass which covers 2 adults and up to 4 kids. Ages 2 and under are FREE!

Veterans Day Celebration
2023-11-11 10:00 | Caldwell Veterans’ Memorial Hall, 1101 Cleveland Blvd., Caldwell, ID, 83605, United States
Veterans Day Celebration!
*
November 11, 2023 at 11am
*
Located at the Caldwell Veterans Memorial Hall
(1101 Cleveland Blvd. Caldwell, Id 83605
*
Free hors d’oeuvres, coffee and tours of the hall as well as some wonderful guest speakers.
*
Sponsored by:
The Caldwell Veterans Memorial Hall
City of Caldwell
Caldwell Elks Lodge #1448

Pleasant View Turkey Trot 5K
2023-11-11 09:00 | Pleasant View Elementary, 4600 W. Gondola Drive, Meridian, ID, 83646, United States
The 4th Annual Pleasant View Turkey Trot will be held on Saturday, November 11th, 2023 at Pleasant View Elementary. This event is open to the community! Our run has a family-friendly focus, allowing runners and walkers of all abilities to participate. After the run, enjoy music, a photo booth, and snacks from our food truck vendor.
Pleasant View Turkey Trot 5K (Course Map)
The 5K course starts and finishes at Pleasant View Elementary and loops around nearby neighborhoods. Runners will be chip-timed. All 5k runners will receive a t-shirt* and an entry into a drawing for over 60 great prizes. Kids will receive a race medal and top runners will receive trophies. The 5k race starts promptly at 9:15am.
Pleasant View Turkey Scramble 1K
Younger kids can join us for a 1K dash around the school. All 1k participants will receive a t-shirt* and kids will receive a completion medal. The 1k race starts promptly at 9am.

Veteran's Day Potato Feed
2023-11-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Lifespring Church, 174 N Star Road, Star, ID, 83669, United States
2nd Annual Veterans Day Potato Feed: SERVICE – Honoring Our Heroes
Please join us at the 2nd Annual Veterans Day Potato Feed on Friday, November 10th, 2023. This event is a tribute to the courageous men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation, and it aligns perfectly with the Department of Veterans theme for Veterans Day 2023: “Service.” In the spirit of honoring service, our event will be a special evening filled with gratitude, respect, and camaraderie. We have a fantastic lineup of activities to pay tribute to the selfless service of our veterans.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, November 10th
Location: Lifespring Church, 174 N Star Road
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Idaho Reined Cowhorse Association
2023-11-05 08:00, 2023-11-04 08:00, 2023-11-03 08:00, 2023-11-02 08:00, 2023-11-01 08:00, 2023-10-31 08:00, 2023-10-30 08:00, 2023-10-29 08:00 | Ford Idaho Center
Idaho Reined Cowhorse Association
Futurity/Derby/Horse Show
The Idaho Reined Cow Horse Futurity is the highest paying NRCHA affiliate Futurity in the nation.

Veterans Parade
2023-11-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Warhawk Air Museum, 201 Municipal Drive, Nampa, ID, 83687
Veterans Parade
Warhawk Air Museum 201 Municipal Drive , Nampa
Come see us in the Idaho Veterans Parade on November 4!

Veterans Day Parade
2023-11-04 10:00 | Downtown Boise, 700 W Jefferson St, Boise, ID, 83702
There are three ways to support the parade: (1) View the parade as a spectator; (2) Volunteer to work with the parade committee, especially on parade day; (3) Make a monetary contribution to the parade committee. The committee must pay for various services required of all special events by the City of Boise. Those services include procuring liability insurance, barrier security to ensure the safety of the parade area, portable toilets, and trash disposal. Additionally, the committee has various administrative expenses such as providing certificates to parade participants, vehicle signage, postage, and some advertising expenses.

Trunk-Or-Treat 2023
2023-10-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Salvation Army, 9492 W Emerald St, Boise, ID, 83704
Trunk-Or-Treat 2023
This family-friendly event is free to the public to attend!! Bring your family, friends, and little ghouls ??
Here are the event details: ?
• Please Pre-Register if you would like to participate in decorating the trunk.
• We ask that participating trunks decorate ** Nothing scary, gory, graphic, or satanic is allowed.
• If you are a trunk participate please fill the trunk with candy or small toys.
• Vehicles ? must check in at 4:00pm for setup and must be ready to distribute candy by 6:00 pm.
Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy some family friendly Halloween fun!
Candy donations are much appreciated!
To reserve a spot for your vehicle please register here:
For more information please contact Amanda at:
amanda.bruderer@usw.salvationarmy.org
208-383-4232

ORCHESTRA SPOOK-TACULAR
2023-10-29 18:30 - 21:30 | Morrison Center, 2201 West Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, Idaho, 83725
Date
Oct 29, 2023
Event Starts
7:30 PM
Ticket Prices
$10.00 (plus ticketing fees)
Availability
On Sale Now
Doors Open
6:30 P.M.

Monster Jam
2023-10-29 13:00 | Ford Idaho Center
Monster Jam
Ford Idaho Center Arena
Friday, October 27, 2023 7:00pm
Saturday, October 28, 2023 1:00pm & 7:00pm
Sunday, October 29, 2023 1:00pm

Boise Fall Home Show
2023-10-29 11:00 - 16:00 | Expo Idaho, 5610 North Glenwood Stree, Garden City, Idaho, 83714
Featuring 150 displays in one convenient location. Including landscaping, remodeling, professional tips, design ideas, and much more. Make your home dreams reality!
Hours
Friday: 5pm-9pm
Saturday: 11am-6pm
Sunday: 11am-4pm
Admission
Adults: $5
Seniors (62+): $4
Children 12 & under: FREE

Ballet Idaho - The Gathering Dark
2023-10-28 19:30 | Morrison Center, 2201 West Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, Idaho, 83725
This program will offer a chilling and captivating evening of dance just before Halloween. A new work by Penny Saunders will delight audiences as it weaves together movement, character, and narrative in the style of radio dramas from the 1930s and 40s. A world premiere by Dresden-based Joseph Hernandez will explore virtuosic ballet techniques imbued with a brooding atmosphere of suspense. Danielle Rowe’s haunting ensemble work, Dreamland, is rounding out the evening, created on Ballet Idaho in 2018—an evening of dance, darkness, and drama that is not to be missed.
