In all power to the people (1.27)

The Stone Center’s featured exhibit, RADICALS IN BLACK AND BROWN: PALANTE, PEOPLE’S POWER AND COMMON CAUSE IN THE BLACK PANTHERS AND THE YOUNG LORDS ORGANIZATION, examines the correlation between the Black Panther Party, a political organization that fought for civil rights for African-Americans, and the Young Lords Association, an organization that mimicked strategies of the BPP in an effort to achieve civil rights for Puerto Ricans in the 1960s. JOHANNA FERNANDEZ, a professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, will moderate the opening symposium which features seven panelists including KATHLEEN CLEAVER, former wife of Panther icon Eldridge Cleaver and herself an original Black Panther. The opening reception and roundtable discussion take place Saturday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. in the SONJA HAYNES STONE CENTER FOR BLACK CULTURE AND HISTORY at UNC-Chapel Hill. The exhibit of photographs, posters, flyers and much more runs through March 2. For more information, call 962-9001 or visit www.ibiblio.org/shscbch. Iesha BrownIn rock lessons (1.28)

When I think of major record labels, I think of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, an instrumental, post-rock, Canadian art music collective: “We are all trapped in the belly of this horrible machine/ and the machine is bleeding to death,” says a monotonous voice by way of welcome to the band’s finest hour, F#A# (Infinity). Indeed, the majors are in need of a blood clot, and their systemic hemorrhage isn’t going to help good bands (like yours, maybe? I have no idea) get famous anytime soon. That said, if any sort of fame is your goal, take good counsel fast. Start Sunday, Jan. 28 at BERKELEY CAFÉ in Raleigh with MURPHY TO MANTEO’S ON THE RECORD: BREAKING YOUR BAND conference. As the managers that helped Hootie & The Blowfish to mid-’90s success, RUSTY HARMON and MARK ZENOW are familiar with the big time, even if it’s taken a different shape since their days of hand-holding. They’ll dole out the tips. Bring your publicity photo and demo: At seminar’s end, Harmon and Zenow will select a band from the crowd to analyze for possible marketing and label strategies. Maybe it will be your band. Sure, maybe you’ll walk away with a little embarrassment, conviction or direction. But if you’re worried about either result, you should probably go back to university. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. For more info, call 859-5333 or visit www.mtmfirm.com. Grayson CurrinIn virtuosos (1.25)

People know CHRIS THILE best for his role as the vivacious mandolin player in Nickel Creek, the popular California bluegrass trio he co-founded as a teenager. But Thile was signed to Sugar Hill long before Nickel Creek, andnow that the band is on hiatushe continues to chase his solo and collaborative muse. He’s had a string of moderately successful solo albums and collaborations in the past decade, most notably a duo album with Mike Marshall and a too-clean cover of The White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.” This Thursday, Jan. 25, he should shine with the aegis of double bass player EDGAR MEYER, whose efforts both as a composer and performer earned him a MacArthur genius grant in 2002. Meyer was also the first bassist to win the coveted Avery Fisher prize, and he’s worked with people from Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell to Elton John and Garth Brooks. Tickets are $25 for the 8 p.m. show in DUKE UNIVERSITY’S PAGE AUDITORIUM. Call 684-4444 or visit tickets.duke.edu. Grayson CurrinIn dancing with rose stems (1.25 ~ 1.28)

Tango, for most people, means a stern couple wearing heavy black eyeliner and carrying roses between their teeth as they clench fists and slice through the air with one arm each extended. The upcoming FESTIVAL DE TANGOPHILIA is your chance to find out what tango is really about. The nationally and internationally known festival will take place Jan. 25-28 at the TRIANGLE DANCE STUDIO in Durham and focuses on using the elements of tango to improvise and create new ways of dancing. It draws people from all over the world to learn more about tango in the surprisingly thriving Triangle tanguero community. For the inexperienced, there will be two FREE WORKSHOPS that teach the basics of tango and are open to the public. The workshops will be held Thursday, Jan. 25 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 26 from 12-1:30 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 27 from 8:30 p.m.-3 a.m. there will be a group dinner and social dance at CAFÉ PARIZADE in Durham, which is also open to the public. The all-you-can-eat family style dinner costs $40, and then you are free to dance or just watch if you prefer. There are also 22 workshops for experienced tangueros, as well as an ART OF DJING panel/ exchange. There will be seven milongas (a tango social dance) in all, two guided practices, and more. Early registration is encouraged. For more information, visit www.tangophilia.com/festival2007, or call either 361-5145 or 423-7681. Megan SteinIn secret histories (1.25)

An ethnic insurgent group takes an ancient chapel in a remote village by siege and holds its inhabitants hostage to protest their living conditions. Tragically, nearly 10 years after Burning Coal Theater gave PENTECOST its regional premiere, David Edgar’s script still bears the curse of topicality. The twist in this multilevel text? A fresco in the chapel that could rewrite several hundred years of art historyand a historian hostage who’ll do nearly anything to save it. Director Jerome Davis reiterates the suspenseful original production starting Thursday at PROGRESS ENERGY CENTER’S KENNEDY THEATER in Raleigh. Tickets are available at burningcoal.org or 834-4001. Byron Woods