Playwright/rapper Baba Brinkman tops week’s entertainment options

Some will remember Baba Brinkman from his standout performances at the Rogue Festival.

For those who don’t: Brinkman is an award-winning fringe festival performer from New York, a playwright and rapper who pioneered a genre of literary hip-hop with rap-style interpretations of “The Canterbury Tales,” “Beowulf” and “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” He’s performed six months off-Broadway, a week of sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House and an opening gig for theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

That’s not as strange as it might sound. Brinkman is all about science. He earned a National Center for Science Education “Friend of Darwin Award” for his “Rap Guide to Evolution.” It was an album and a one-man show.

Brinkman is in town for two performances of his latest work, “Rap Guide to Climate Chaos.” You can see the show Sunday, Sept. 25, at Mia Cuppa Caffè in Fresno’s Tower District, or Monday, Sept. 26 when he performs for the departments of biology and Earth and environmental sciences at Fresno State.

Details: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Mia Cuppa Caffè, 620 E Olive Ave. Tickets are $10. 559-499-1844, www.bababrinkman.com and 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, Peters Education Center, Fresno State. 559-278-2001, @FresnoBiology on Facebook

Here are some other noteworthy events for the week.

Strummer’s gets Suicidal

The event: Thrash metal funk pioneers Suicidal Tendencies play a sure-to-sell-out show at Strummer’s on its World Gone Mad tour.

The draw: Suicidal Tendencies go way back. The band, fronted by vocalist “psycho” Mike Muir and known for its gangster aesthetic, was on MTV in the early ’80s with its debut single “Institutionalized.” It gained mainstream success – and a major record deal – in the mid ’90s with its mix of hardcore punk, metal and funk music. Bassist Robert Trujillo would go on to play for Metallica. The band has released a dozen albums including “World Gone Mad,” which is out next week.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Strummer’s, 833 E Fern Ave., $30. All ages. 559-485-5356, www.strummersclub.com

Hall of Fame blues

The event: Blues Music Hall of Famer Charlie Musselwhite performs at Fulton 55.

The draw: Rumor has it that Charlie Musselwhite was the inspiration for Elwood Blues, the harmonica-playing brother portrayed by Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers. Musselwhite started his career in Chicago in the 1960s alongside the likes of Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf and went on to perform and/or record with an eclectic list of musicians ranging from Mick Jagger and INXS to Tom Waits, Blind Boys of Alabama and Ben Harper.

The 71-year-old was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010.

Details: 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Fulton 55, 875 Divisadero Street, $20-$50. 559-412-7400, www.fulton55.com

The return of Pecha Kucha

The event: Creative Fresno brings its once popular Pecha Kucha night back to Fulton 55.

The draw: The down-and-dirty slide-show presentation that was big among the creative community for a while is back.

Pecha Kucha – Japanese for “the sound of conversation” – started in Tokyo in 2003 as an easy and accessible (meaning not boring) way to connect designers, architects, photographers and artistic types. Presenters get just six minutes and 40 seconds to run through 20 slides.

Fresno held its first Pecha Kucha night in 2009.

This will be the 22nd installment of the event in town and feature several local presenters (including yours truly) talking on the theme of “space.”

Creative Fresno will host a new installment of Pecha Kucha every two months.

Details: 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Fulton 55, 875 Divisadero Street, $8, $4 for Creative Fresno Members. 559-412-7400, www.fulton55.com, www.creativefresno.com

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 7:53 AM with the headline "Playwright/rapper Baba Brinkman tops week’s entertainment options."