5 Things To Do This Weekend, Feb. 15-17: Hearts and stars

1. Whether you’re singing songs of love or reveling in singledom, this Valentine’s Day weekend has lots of options for both solo and duo fliers. At Nocturnem Drafthaus you can hear the mighty Jacob Augustine (pictured) on Friday, followed by the melodic duo the London Boys on Saturday; meanwhile, at Paddy Murphy’s there’s funk ensemble Big Time on Friday and the intense acoustic firestorm of Travis Cyr and the String of Calamity on Saturday. There’s Bizzy Gruntry at the Big Easy on Friday, Roots, Rhythm and Dub also on Friday at Woodman’s in Orono and Him & Her on Saturday at Ipanema. The monthly contradance is set for Friday at 8 p.m. at the UU Church on Park Street in Bangor, and in Brewer, Friday night brings improv comedy troupe the Focus Group, and Sunday brings the Main Street R&B Revue to the Next Generation Theater.

2. When Particles Collide’s annual Anti-Valentine’s Day Prom is set for Empire in Portland on Friday, featuring WPC, Kurt Baker (pictured), Naked on Rollerskates and DJ Andy Mead; on Saturday, there’s Hutch Heelan, Johnny Cremains and Valerie Orth. Also on Friday is the Be In Love musical event, featuring Portland musicians from the Be In Love music video, set for the Big Easy, where on Saturday night Line of Force will play. Geno’s Rock Club hosts Paranoid Social Club, Pecan Sandies and Pubcrawlers on Friday, and then improv comedy and DJs on Saturday. Port City Music Hall is an amazing place to be this weekend for Americana music; there’s the Dunwells and Darlingside on Saturday, and the excellent Punch Brothers with Anais Mitchell on Sunday. Finally, out at the Oak and the Ax in Biddeford, you can hear Old Abram Brown, Christopher Paul Stelling and Lisa/Liza on Friday, and Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons, Billy Wylder and Old Soul on Saturday.

3. Music for a good cause is set for the Grand Theatre in Ellsworth on Saturday, with the To Warm a Winter’s Night showcase, set for 7:30 p.m. and featuring The Crown Vics, Bobbi Lane, Trish Mason Band, Mac Lir and Evensong; the $15 admission benefits the Washington-Hancock Community Agency’s heating fund. Also in Hancock County is Vermont rock band Gang of Thieves at 8 p.m. Saturday at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, and at Chummies in Ellsworth this weekend there’s River Bottom Funk on Friday and Trisha Mason’s rescheduled record release party on Saturday.

4. The University of Maine unveils its spring musical, and it’s none other than “Spring Awakening,” the racy, widely acclaimed new musical that’s already a favorite among young actors and singers; performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Hauck Auditorium on the UMaine campus. Penobscot Theatre’s final weekend of “The Sugar Bean Sisters” runs through Sunday, with performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Finally, in Portland there’s another weekend of “Greater Tuna” at Portland Stage, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Portland Stage also hosts the Studio Rep performance series, a series of original, local, edgy plays, which started on Thursday with “Big Mouth Thunder Thighs” at 8 p.m. Friday, and continues Friday 8 p.m. with Lorem Ipsum’s “If We Were Birds” and Saturday with Horn and Ivory’s “For the Lulz” at 8 p.m. The Studio Rep series continues each weekend through March 9.

5. Saturday is looking to be a big, bright, sunny day, so what better day to celebrate Great Maine Outdoor Weekend? Though there’s actually events Friday through Monday (it’s President’s Day, after all) in towns all over the state, ranging from cross country skiing and snowshoeing to dog racing, ice fishing and snowman building. A full listing of fun outdoor events can be found at greatmaineoutdoorweekend.com.

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.