PICKS: MARCH 12-19

NOT BURSTING ANYONE’S BUBBLES

 Casey Carle started in the circus ... as a clown. Not one of those scary, balloon-twisting, horn-squeezing clowns with the big fat red nose, but a professional big league circus clown, Dr. F. R. Vescence, performing physical, slapstick work. He was the first clown in Ringling Bros. history to perform with bubbles — and the first clown in a circus anywhere to put a child inside a bubble. He eventually left the three rings behind to develop his act, BubbleMania, which has gotten bigger and more elaborate over the years. The show, which pulls into the Firehouse next week, combines comedy, music and science. There are bubbles of unusual shapes, sizes including a bubble big enough to envelope a child. There are floating spheres, soap-film "serpents," bouncing bubbles, columns of bubble foam and square bubbles — even bubbles that burst into flames, although these will not be part of the Newburyport show for safety reasons. Carle performs at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 13 at the Firehouse. Tickets are $11, or $9 for students and members.

MUSIC

NO, THE OTHER JOHNNY EDWARDS: Hmmmm, I always thought it was drug thing. You know? Orange Sunshine? Acid? It was all over the place just around the time Jimi was singing about another lysergical color and meteorological phenomena. C’mon, don’t play dumb. The grandkids aren’t around. Purple Haze! So we all thought "Sunshine" was some kind of anti-drug song. Turns out it was an anti-war song. Who knew? It makes sense, though, when you think about it. I guess we weren’t paying a whole lot of attention. Anyhow, Jonathan Edwards had a huge hit with the tune back in the day and has managed to stay afloat, creatively, through, yikes, four-plus decades. These days, he’s likely to be found on the road with his longtime accompanist Stuart Schulman on bass, piano, fiddle, and vocals and Taylor Armerding, formerly of Northern Lights, on mandolin. "I’ve been doing what I do best, which is playing live in front of people," he says. "I’ve been concentrating on that and loving it." He’s back at the Firehouse next week, but you better get a move-on because tickets usually go pretty fast. The show begins at 8 p.m. March 12. Tickets are $33 for SDAH members, or $35 for regular folks. Ask and I bet they’ll tell you how to become a member. Info: 978.462.7336, or firehouse.org.

ROCKING RELIEF EFFORT: So a-what can a poor boy do, ‘cept sing in a rock and roll band? The Stones had something else in mind, something less than positive, when they sang those lyrics, but those were different times. When Carriagetown musicians get together next week, they’ll be trying to build something up, not tear it down. Amesbury Rocks for Haiti will feature performances by middle school rockers Errata, Sour Cream and The Closers, led by AHS instructor Bob Kelley, and Kangaralien, a West Newbury-based acoustic act fronted by Steve Belleville and Eric Clemenzi, headlines the show. The show starts at 7 p.m. March 12 at Amesbury Middle School Performance Center. Admission is $5, more if you’ve got it. Proceeds benefit earthquake relief efforts in Haiti by the nonprofit Partners in Development based in Ipswich. Tickets will be available at the door. Visit www.pidonline.org or http://kangaralien.com for more.

ADDRESSING THE BLUES: It’s the name of an old Rolling Stones song (from the “12 X 5” album, trivia fans) and probably the most famous address in blues, the home base of Chess Records. But 2120 South Michigan Avenue is also the name of a five-piece blues band that draws its inspiration from the Chicago studio where Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Little Walter recorded the songs that form the core of its repertoire (although they play everything from “Fever” to “Great Balls of Fire”). They’ll be checking in with Curtis Jerome Haynes on March 14 for another edition of the Sunday Soul sessions at Glenn’s Galley, 44 Merrimac St., Newburyport. The music starts at 6 p.m. There’s no cover. But we’ve learned it’s best to arrive early if you want a good seat. Info: 978.465.3811.

LOOK *AND* TOUCH: Let’s just come clean and say it: Classical concerts can be pretty boring for the kids, all that sitting around and being quiet and not even being allowed to fidget without getting dirty looks. Well, Music at Eden’s Edge makes cultural life just a little bit easier for families with the next in its family concert series, which takes place at 3 p.m. March 21 at at the historic First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport. You’ll get an interesting musical program, plus a cleverly disguised learning opportunity during intermission — a chance to get up close and personal with the musicians and their instruments. Try a string instrument, meet a flute, and talk to the performers. And after the show, food and schmooze. Performers will be Orlando Cela, flute; Maria Benotti, violin; Mark Berger, viola; Neil Fairbairn, bassoon; and Sarah Freibert, cello. Tickets are $20, $15 for students, $60 for families. Info: 978.270.4463, edensedge.org.

ELEMENTAL, MY DEAR WATSON: Earth, Wind, Fire is a groundbreaking R&B band from way back in the day, winning six Grammys and an invitation into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Earth...Wind...Fire,” on the other hand, is an evening of clarinet trios by female composers performed by a female trio. The program will include works by Vally Weigl, an Austrian Jew brought to this country after the outbreak of World War II by the Quaker Society of Friends, and Nino Rota, perhaps best known for her scores of films by Fellini. The program brings together three very different instrumentalists with perspectives that have been shaped by different experiences — Mary Towse-Beck, pianist; Karen Luttik, clarinet; Dorothy Braker, cellist. The performance, part of the nonprofit’s Women’s History Month programming, tales place at 8 p.m. March 26 at the Actors Studio of Newburyport, The Tannery, 50 Water St., Mill #1, Suite #5, Newburyport. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. Proceeds benefit the Actors Studio. Info: 978.465.1229 or newburyportacting.org. Order online at mktix.com.

THEATER

GO, GO, GO LITTLE QUEENIE: A one-woman show written and performed by Eve Caballero and directed by Kim Crow, “Queenie” looks at a quirky and loveable homeless woman, who shares her strife and redemption. The show, a New England premiere, takes place at 8 p.m. March 20 and 3 p.m. March 21 at the Actors Studio of Newburyport at the Tannery, 50 Water St., Mill #1, Suite #5. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. Info: 978.465.1229 or newburyportacting.org.

ELENA, ELEANOR: ... Eleanorum? Sounds like one of those irritating Latin declensions that ruined my life — or my grade point average, anyhow, in high school. But, no, we’re talking about Elena Dodd, who will be playing her almost-namesake Eleanor Roosevelt. Yes, she’s the same actor playing the same character as last year’s performance at the Actors Studio, but this time she’ll be talking about her life as wife, mother and First Lady. The show takes place at 8 p.m. March 27 and 3 p.m. March 28 at the Actors Studio of Newburyport at the Tannery, 50 Water St., Mill #1, Suite #5. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. Info: 978.465.1229 or newburyportacting.org.

FILM

THE NEXT GENERATION: “For the Next 7 Generations” is a documentary about the journey of 13 indigenous grandmothers traveling around the world to promote world peace and share their indigenous ways of healing. The film will be screened at the Actors Studio as part of its Women’s History Month programming. A post-screening discussion led by Carole Hart, the film’s director and producer, and Actors Studio founder Marc Clopton, who is also a shamanic practitioner, will follow. The film will be screened at 8 p.m. March 13 and 3 p.m. March 14 at the Actors Studio of Newburyport at the Tannery, 50 Water St., Mill #1, Suite #5. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. A portion of the proceeds of this screening will go to the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. Info: 978.465.1229 or newburyportacting.org. and

QUIET IN FRONT: It rude to talk during the movies, but afterwards? Yeah, that’s fine. And that’s what they do when the last of the credits blow by at The Screening Room on the first Monday of every month. It’s an informal film club. There’s no pressure. Just sit and chat — or listen. The chat is hosted by the Newburyport Film Club — the folks behind the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival. And there should be plenty to talk about April 5, when they’ll talk about “A Single Man,” which grabbed three Golden Globe nominations. It’s about a closeted gay man mourning the death of his lover. He decides that by the end of the day he will kill himself. The next 24 hours are fateful. He teaches a class, sees his neighbors and kids, chows down with his best friend. It runs April 2-15. Info: 978.462.3456 or newburyportmovies.com

THE PRINTED WORD

BOOK ‘EM, DANO: Asking book-lovers to donate books, even for a good cause, can be problematic. So many value judgments, so little time. It seems easier to let the books pile up than to decide which to banish. But, over the years, we’ve come up with a solution: Grit your teeth and get rid of the ones you’ve finished and the ones you know you’ll never read, like “Critique of Pure Reason.” Donate them to, well, let’s say the Great Old Book Sale. Then get to the sale early and buy twice as many books. Doesn’t really help you much, but it does help the Friends of the Newburyport Library, which will be accepting donations from March 27 to 12 p.m. March 31, The sale opens with Members Night on March 31, and ends with $2 Bag Day on April 3.

ONLY YOUR HAIRDRESSER KNOWS FOR SURE: Hairdressers are like bartenders. Kinda. Because people tell them stuff they would never tell anyone else because they know about the code of honor they are required to take before clipping or tipping. That’s why Richard Nocera, a hairdresser for four decades, knows so much about vaginas. Well, actually, despite the name of his new book — “Women Own All the Vaginas” — he’s offering insight into male sexuality, including the most difficult question of all: Why are men such idiots? Or, as he puts it, why do men do what they do? The book untangles our illusions about manhood, marriage, and monogamy through an exploration of the drives and desires that motivate men. He’ll be talking dirty (not really) at 3 p.m. March 20 at The Book Rack, 52 State St., Newburyport. It’s free. Info: womenownallthevaginas.com.

ETC

SPIRITED PRODUCTION: She talks to dead people, using all the tricks of the trade, like clairaudience, precognition, psychometry — sometimes even cerosocopy, hoo-doo that involves hot wax, cold water and a little booga-booga. And they talk back to her, the dead people, presumably after folks are finished chowing down. Yup, Linnea Star will be connecting to eternity, as she put it, serving as a medium for ... cue the eerie da-da-da-da Twilight Zone music, messages from the other side at 1:30, 7 and 8 p.m. March 12 at the Amesbury Playhouse, 194 Main St., Amesbury. Dinner and show ... no, wait. I’m getting something here ... dinner and show will set you back $35. Info: 978.388.9444 or amesburyplayhouse.com.

COOKING UP FUN: Now, now. No need to fight. The point of Great Chef’s Night is great chefs’ food, and there will be plenty of that — gourmet offerings served up by nearly two dozen of the area’s top chefs. But there’ll also be plenty of good music, including the Pentucket Jazz Ensemble (under the direction of David Schumacher), the Alex Prezzano Quartet and Pentucket Treble Makers and Pentucket Soul Sisters, two a cappella bands, and there’ll also be a silent auction, including a week in St. Thomas, two nights in Kennebunkport, a 17-foot boat slip, a sail for four aboard the Nautical Wave. The bash takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. March 19 at The Governor’s Academy in Byfield. Tickets are $65. Proceeds support improvements at Anna Jaques Hospital. Info: ajh.org or 978-463-1150.

WEEKENDING

Matthew Stubbs, that's him, the dude on the left, who’s playing guitar with the legendary Charlie Musselwhite Band these days, checks in with Parker Wheeler at the Blues Party sessions on March 14. There’s a reason Blues Audience magazine named him outstanding guitarist last year. Brian Templeton and Dave Maxwell will also be sitting in … Phil McGowan Trio 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays at River Merrrimac Bar and Grille, 50 Water St. ... Characterizing a sound in a few short words can be fun and challenging. Usually artists are too close to the work, and sometimes too full of themselves, to do it right, but Derek Rando does a pretty good job of it. Here’s what he has to say about his music: "an indie attempt at pop music, sometimes shaking hands with neo-folk, in a room barely bright enough to see ... coming from the mouth of a prize fighter too tired to try anymore." That description gets its metaphorical hands around it quite nicely. Just back from the Land of La, Rando, who has two albums of that stuff under his belt and is in the studio working on a third, is doing his low-key tunes thing on most Saturdays at Oregano, 16 Pleasant St., Newburyport. Next show begins at 6:30 p.m. March 13. Call 978-462-5013 ... Elsewhere, New England blues legends Roomful of Blues kick off the weekend at Tupelo Music Hall, sharing the bill with Bellvue Cadillac on March 13, but if you’re looking for something just a little off the well-traveled musical paths, you should check out Glengarry Bhoys, whose hybrid of Canadian Highland Scots and French-Canadian musical idioms has evolved into a sound that is weighty, authoritative and entertaining. They play March 17 at the Salisbury venue. It’s a school night, but what you gonna do? Tupelo’s got some pretty amazing acts coming up, everyone from Richie Havens to Todd Rundgren and Joan Osborne in the next couple of weeks. Check out the schedule at tupelohallsalisbury.com … Curtis Jerome Haynes hosts 2120 S. Michigan Avenue on March 14 during the Sunday Soul sessions at Glenn’s Galley … At the Grog, you’ve got Hot like Fire playing reggae and soca music, as well as classic favorites by Bob Marley— and, natch, that "Hot Hot Hot" song on March 12 … Old faves The Henry Welch Band play  March 13.