Friday Feb. 27

MUSIC | The Walkmen

Fresh on the heels of their excellent second album Bows and Arrows, New York’s The Walkmen are ready to wow the good folks of Cambridge with their hauntingly ethereal rock. Mellow rockers The National open. The Autumn Rhythm also perform. Tickets $14. 18+. 9 p.m. The Middle East Downstairs. (SLS)

READING | Jean M. Humez and Kate Clifford Larson

Jean M. Humez and Kate Clifford Larson will be discussing their new books: Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories and Bound for the Promised Land Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero. These two biographies of Harriet Tubman finally allow us to see the human being behind the self-liberated Underground Railroad American heroine. Larson has spent years researching the life and times of Harriet Tubman. Humez is Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Free. 3 p.m. Harvard Book Store. (EBO)

MULTIMEDIA | The Royal Jelly Collective

In a show entitled “ELECTROVIDEOMOVE,” the Royal Jelly Collective presents an evening of multimedia performance featuring the music of Vers, Scrap.edx, Codec and DJ Phat_mk3, the film of Produkt and Rat, the dancing of Nicole Bindler, Joe Burgio and Teresa Czepiel and special guest Crank Sturgeon. 7 p.m. $7 donation. The Zeitgeist Gallery, 1351 Cambridge St. Inman Square, Cambridge. (SLS)

Saturday, Feb. 28

FESTIVAL | Cultural Rhythms

Every February, the Cultural Rhythms cultural show and food festival celebrates Harvard’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity by showcasing the talents of over 20 student organizations. The students and faculty of the Harvard Foundation nominate an outstanding American artist as Cultural Artist of the Year to serve as emcee of the cultural show. Honored cultured artists in the past years have included Phylicia Rashad, Andy Garcia, Graham Greene, Jimmy Smits, Debbie Allen, Ruben Blades, Danny Aiello, Denzel Washington and Halle Berry. Each year over 1,000 students attend this day-long celebration. Performance: $12 student 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sanders Theatre. Food Festival: 5-7 Science Center; tickets available on site. (RCS)

MUSIC | Isengard Duo OutDoors

The Harvard Outing Club presents a fundraising concert celebrating the outdoors with music for people of all ages. The proceeds earned from this light, refreshing music will finance the club’s expeditions in the coming semester. The Isengard Duo (Andrew Wang, Vn and Jessica Kinloch, Pn) will perform classics such as Gershwin’s “Summertime,” Vivaldi’s “Winter,” and Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata. 8 p.m $7 regular, $5 students, Lowell Lecture Hall. (RCS)

MUSIC | Second Annual Dudley House Ethno Concert

PhD candidates in the Harvard ethnomusicology program will be performing a concert featuring Irish, Indian, Swedish and other music from around the world. Free and open to the public. Reception to follow. 8 p.m. Dudley House. (EBO)

DANCE | The Moving Laboratory

The Moving Laboratory perform their annual choreographer’s showcase. The show includes new dance works by Deborah Butler, Malinda Allen and Joy Madden. Tickets $16. 8 p.m. The Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington. (SLS)

MUSIC | The Casualties

Hardcore punk band the Casualties stir up mayhem at Avalon. Sharing the stage and their ear-splitting hardcore sound are A Global Threat and the Briggs. Tickets $10, $12 day of show. 18+ 9 p.m. Avalon, 13 Lansdowne St., Boston. (SLS)

MUSIC | The Slip

Playing together since the first day of high school, members of The Slip have successfully been accepted as quality musicians in both the “jam band” community and the contemporary jazz community. The Slip has released 6 albums and tours 150 days throughout the year. This Saturday they team up with Leslie Halpert and Nathan Moore. Tickets $12, $15 day of show. 18+. 10 p.m. The Middle East Upstairs. (AG)

MUSIC | Steve Kimrock Band

Led by self-taught guitar virtuoso, the Steve Kimrock band is known for their creative improvisation. Their music fuses jazz and rock in the jam band tradition of Phish and The Grateful Dead. Tickets $25. +18. 10 p.m. The Middle East Downstairs. (AG)

Sunday, Feb. 29

MUSIC | Orpheus and Dance NESE

The New England String Ensemble performs an impressive array of pieces. Celebrate the allure of dance, the colors of flute, harp, percussion, piano and strings and the young award-winning stars of the future on Harvard’s campus. Concerto Competition Winners for both flute and strings will perform St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29. The world Premiere of “The Creation according to Orpheus” (2002) will be performed as well as Dvorak’s Waltz Op. 54, Piazzolla’s Four for Tango, and Skalkottas’ Five Greek Dances. A behind the scenes talk will begin at 2 p.m. Show starts at 3 p.m. $30 regular, $22 students, $10 seniors - general admission seating; $37 Premium seating in front center mezzanine. Sanders Theater. (RCS)

DANCE | The Mystical Arts of Tibet

Having performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, “The Mystical Arts of Tibet” tour displays the famed singers and dancers of Drepung Loseling Monastery. The tour is backed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself as a way of promoting world peace through the performance of sacred art. Tickets $28 adult; $24 student, senior or member. 2 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (SLS)

Tuesday, March 2

LECTURE | Norton lectures: Manet’s Le bain and the death of the historic landscape As part of an ongoing series entitled “Bathers, Bodies, Beauty: The Visceral Eye,” art historian Linda Nochlin, the Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Modern Art at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, will speak on the death of the historic landscape. She specializes in the art of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the work of Gustave Courbet and the Impressionists, as well as the representation of women and the work of women artists. Her book Woman as Sex Object: Studies in Erotic Art, 1730-1970, published in 1972, introduced a feminist perspective to the field of art history and criticism. Free and open to the public. 4 p.m. Sanders Theatre. (RCS)

READING | Charles Rowan Beye

Distinguished Professor of Classics, Emeritus at the City University of New York, Charles Rowan Beye will discuss his new book Odysseus: A Life. This is the first book to chronicle Homer’s epic fictional hero’s life from start to finish and is described as “a witty, unusual and fascinating biography of Odysseus.” Free. 6 p.m. Harvard Book Store. (EBO)

READING | Sarah Duant

Sarah Duant will be discussing her novel Birth of Venus. This historical fiction combines sacrifice and betrayal during Florence’s captivity under Savonarola to create a fascinating and intriguing story. Amanda Foreman has described Birth of Venus as “a tour de force”. 7 p.m. Wordsworth Books, Cambridge. (EBO)

Wednesday, March 3

MUSIC| Alaska!

Although a fairly new band on the Indie-Progressive Rock scene, Alaska! includes veterans from Folk Implosion, Sebadoh and Red Aunts. They have been compared to bands such as Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists. Their energetic debut album, “Emotions,” was released about a year ago. Tickets $8. 18+. 10p.m. The Middle East Upstairs. (AG)

READING | Robert Rotberg

Author of The Origin and Prevention of Major Wars, and State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror, Robert Rotberg talks about his new book When States Fail: Causes and Consequences. This book comprises fourteen previously unpublished essays, which examine how and why states decay and what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future. 12.30 p.m. Room L150. First Floor, Littauer Building. (EBO)

Thursday, March 4

FESTIVAL | Ghungroo

The Harvard South Asian Association comes together once a year to put on a cultural celebration including comedy song and dance. Among the dances displayed are Bhangra ( Punjabi folk dance) and Rass ( Gujarati folk dance). This performance will mark the 15th anniversary of the Ghungroo cultural show at Harvard. With performances open to the Boston community, all four shows each year go on for sold out crowds. Tickets $10 student (with ID). 7:30 p.m. Agassiz Theatre. (RCS)

MUSIC | Engine Down

The labels of hardcore and emo don’t give justice to Engine Down. Breaking through the boundaries of the rock genre, they haven’t been afraid to be innovative. They incorporate instruments like the cello, piano, and the vibraphone into their rock. Engine Down will join fellow partners in punk The Jealous Sound and Moments of Grace. Tickets $10. 18+. 9 p.m. The Middle East Downstairs. (AG)