OK, so Moby Dick isn’t technically about a fish, but it is a book that set a high bar for aquatic storytelling. Enter Fish Tales, a performance series which began in Santa Cruz in 2016 and has staged storytelling events ever since. People with a story to share—be that scientists, poets, comedians, or philosophers—can participate by relaying a five- to eight-minute story involving fish, rivers, or the open sea. (As of today, the series is still accepting pitches.) If you’re looking for inspiration, the Triangle is home to fiction writer Daniel Wallace, whose novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions is also, like Herman Melville’s tome, a standard bearer of the genre. —Sarah Edwards
In 1981, Paul Westerberg, Bob Stinson, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars released their first album as The Replacements. Six more albums followed as the band grew, disbanded, and eventually reunited before parting ways in 2015. On Saturday, local artists will breathe new life into The Replacements’ biggest hits—performing them at a cover concert benefiting the North Carolina ACLU.
With a lineup including members of the Chapel Hill-based groups Superchunk and Mayfair USA, the Raleigh band Los Picaros, and multiple other local rockstars, The Pour House will be packed with musical talent. Advance tickets are on sale now; the event starts at seven, and one ticket costs just under $20. —Daneen Khan
William Alberti used to be a lawyer. But for the past 15 years, he’s switched his attention toward art. His vibrant work captures every little detail of the plants he’s inspired by, from the delicate curls of a day lily’s petals to the sharp corners of a tulip poplar’s leaves.
Alberti’s work—ranging from watercolor on calf-skin vellum to acrylic paint on plexiglass—is currently on display at the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s DeBerry Gallery. You can meet Alberti at the gallery’s free reception on Saturday, but his pieces will remain up until June 26. (My advice: After you immerse yourself in the art, take advantage of the beautiful weather to explore the garden’s diverse plant life firsthand.) —Daneen Khan
Have you ever yearned for a class trip to the Scholastic Book Fair, despite being old enough to worry about tax returns and figuring out what’s for dinner night after night? We may not have been able to enjoy a beer while browsing Captain Underpants and The Rainbow Fish, but Chapel Hill bookstore Flyleaf is hosting a summery, queer book fair for adults at Dingo Dog Taproom—Carrboro’s brewery that supports rescue dogs—for anyone wanting a little warmth and nostalgia as Durham enters pride month. Pick up a good (gay) read for vacation, or just mingle. —Eva Flowe
If things have felt a little apocalyptic lately, you’re not alone. Duke professor John Jeffries Martin, author of A Beautiful Ending: The Apocalyptic Imagination and the Making of the Modern World, has an applicable field of scholarship to meet the moment, and at this event—part of a metal-meets-academia series put on by the Durham County Library—the award-winning historian will give a talk followed by music from Durham band Doomsday Profit.
If you want a preview of Doomsday Profit’s sludge metal, the band just released a single, “Spirits,” from its forthcoming self-titled album. As band frontman Bryan Reed wrote in an email to the INDY, “I’m not sure how many other libraries are bringing metal to the masses, but it definitely feels like something that would only happen here.” We have to agree. —Sarah Edwards
To comment on this story, email [email protected].