The Weekender, Jan. 19-21: Don’t eat the Tide Pod-flavored snow

If you all haven’t been hospitalized after eating a Tide Pod (seriously, don’t do it), or aren’t giving your cat a bath, or deciding which Renaissance painting you look 47 percent similar to, well then, you’ll need something to do this weekend! In Bangor on Friday night, there’s the monthly Bangor Contradance at 8 p.m. at the UU Church, featuring Velocipede and caller John McIntire; later that night, take your pick from Maine rockers King Kyote and Joel Thetford at the Bangor Arts Exchange or the Skeleton Crew at the Sea Dog. On Saturday, there’s a mini-marathon of “The Twilight Zone” starting at 8 p.m. at the Bangor Arts Exchange, the ever-charming duo Him & Her play at the Sea Dog, the Alterboys are at Paddy Murphy’s, Adam Babcock is at Nocturnem, and Toned Out is at the Downunder Club at Seasons.

Photo courtesy Weakened Friends Facebook

Down in Portland, on Friday night there’s a fantastic local rock show with Weakened Friends, the Worst, Crunch Coat and Crystal Canyons at Port City Music Hall. There are two cover bands around town that night as well, including the Rolling Stones tribute act Satisfaction at Aura, and Phish tribute band Pardon Me Doug at Portland House of Music. Elsewhere, Butterchild and Akela Moon are at Empire, Duke Robilliard is at One Longfellow Square, and Green Jello, Gwell-O, Ascent to Power and Willzyx are at Geno’s Rock Club. On Saturday, The Devil Makes Three, the Huntress and Holder of Hands, and Roebuck are at the State Theatre, rapper Ja Rule is at Aura. More locally speaking, Andrew Baille, Beards and Bootstrap Cannonball are at Portland House of Music, and there’s two punk rock shows around town, including Tsunami of Sound, the Gamma Goochies and the Tarantula Brothers at Bayside Bowl, and the Keeper Club, No Good, Gant and Random Ideas at Geno’s.

On the coast this weekend, there are several great shows to check out. Moving east to west, there’s Maine’s own the Ghost of Paul Revere on Friday night at the Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor, while on Saturday, there’s a rock n’ roll dance party with the Crown Vics at the Farmhouse Inn in Blue Hill; the VOXX vocal ensemble is at the Crosby Center in Belfast; the Nikki Hunt Band plays at Thresher’s Brewing in Searsmont, the Karmaceuticals are at the Myrtle Street Tavern in Rockland, and Hurry Down Sunshine is at Rock City Coffee, also in Rockland.

What’s good on TV this weekend? Well, my homegirls Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda star in season four of “Grace and Frankie,” which premieres on Friday on Netflix; that’s also the night of the season two premiere of the charming anthology series “High Maintenance” on HBO. In cinemas, the only place north of Portland that you can see “The Post” is at Spotlight Cinemas in Orono. Elsewhere, “Phantom Thread,” “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Shape of Water” are all at Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville; “The Shape of Water” is also at the Strand Theatre in Rockland. At Reel Pizza Cinerama in Bar Harbor, there’s both “Darkest Hour” and “The Disaster Artist,” and at the Colonial Theatre in Belfast, there’s “Darkest Hour,” “The Shape of Water” and, for just Friday and Saturday, “The Florida Project.” And don’t forget — “IT” is now available to rent and on-demand, so if you missed it in theaters, now’s your chance.

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.