The first breeze of the fall season has hit campus, foxes are prowling the sidewalks and we (at least most of us) are finally through with the menial duties of midterm exams. The problem with always trying to get things over with is that the other side is rarely ever better, and the relief you craved never really repays the emptiness you felt waiting for it to happen. What will, however, unquestionably make your week better is the Arts & Entertainment section’s reliably brilliant weekly series, To Watch and Watch For! This week, we have a plentiful batch of arts, including a return from a revered hip-hop duo and an exciting underground music live show running all weekend. Check it out below.
The third installment of the Tron series, Tron: Ares, releases this Friday. Many of the early indicators were shaky, including the lack of returning actors and Jared Leto starring as the main character. However, more Tron is always something to look forward to — especially the soundtrack from industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails — which hopefully will match the masterpiece of Daft Punk’s soundtrack for Tron: Legacy.
Many of us have seen Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s viral videos filmed aboard the International Space Station, and you may be surprised to hear that he is also an author of space-based fiction as well. His new novel, Final Orbit, will be published this Tuesday. This alt-history thriller is set in the 1970s space race and turns the focus on China’s secret role in the space race.
Vaunted East Coast hip-hop duo Mobb Deep returns with its new album Infinite on Oct. 10, the first since the passing of member Prodigy in 2017. In a press statement, Havoc said: “It’s that classic Mobb energy — dark, real, unfiltered. The sound that shaped who we are but also speaks to where hip-hop is right now.” With production from long-time collaborator The Alchemist and a stacked feature list of hip-hop legends including Clipse, Nas, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah (of the Wu-Tang Clan), this new release is poised to honor Prodigy’s legacy and continue the story of Mobb Deep.
The Subscape Music Festival, dubbed as “Baltimore’s biggest DIY music festival” returns for its second year this weekend. I was first drawn in by the appearance of Deakin from the legendary experimental art-pop band Animal Collective, but listening to the artists’ introductions on Subscape’s Instagram page made me more excited for this lineup. I encourage anyone interested in the obscure and subversive or Baltimore’s bleeding-edge underground to check this out.
Thank you for reading, and check out the full list below for more!
To watch...
Tron: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning — Oct. 10
Roofman, directed by Derek Cianfrance — Oct. 10
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, directed by Mary Bronstein — Oct. 10
Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by Bill Condon — Oct. 10
Soul on Fire, directed by Sean McNamara — Oct. 10
To read...
Final Orbit, by Chris Hadfield — Oct. 7
Alchemy of Secrets, by Stephanie Garber — Oct. 7
Mate, by Ali Hazelwood — Oct. 7
Shadow Ticket, by Thomas Pynchon — Oct. 7
Venetian Vespers, by John Banville — Oct. 7
To listen...
Infinite, by Mobb Deep — Oct. 10
after the sun goes down, by Khalid — Oct. 10
Liminal, by Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe — Oct. 10
Psykotic, by OsamaSon — Oct. 10
TEN: The Story Goes On, by TWICE — Oct. 10
Live events...
Subscape FREE Music Festival — Oct. 10 through Oct. 12, 6 p.m.–12 a.m. at Metro Baltimore, Mobtown Ballroom and Ema's Corner
- This event is free.
Highest 2 Lowest (Free Screening + Special Q&A) — Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m. at SNF Parkway Theatre
- This event is free with registration.
Amaud Jamaul Johnson: Sullivan and Elder Visiting Poet — Oct. 8 from 6–7 p.m. in Gilman Hall 50
- This event is free.
Homewood After Dark: The 19th Century Lighting Revolution — Oct. 9 from 6:30–7:30 p.m. in the Homewood Museum
- This event is free with registration.
Peabody Concert Orchestra — Oct. 10 from 7:30–9 p.m at the Peggy and Yale Gordon Center For Performing Arts
- This event is free with registration.
