On the Town

Three more hours and it’s officially the weekend. Looking for something to do? Check out a couple of the Chronicle’s picks:

Tonight: German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht said, “Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.” But when viewing much of the art on display in Northern Colorado’s plethora of galleries, one might suspect that art is neither mirror nor hammer but decoration. Or as Summit Studios’ Darren Mahuron puts it, art “just purchased to match the dining room drapes.”

Mahuron, along with Portland ceramic artist Erin Mortensen and local painter Jaquelynn Woodley, hopes to change that. Today the trio opens The Gallery Underground, 109 Linden St. (below Beau Jo’s Pizza) in Fort Collins, which, according to the gallery’s MySpace page, “will feature contemporary artists that don’t feel at home in other venues in Fort Collins.”

This “safe place for artists to take risks” is exactly what Fort Collins needs: a permanent home for engaging art. Along with the founder’s work, the opening will feature paintings by Rachel Hererra and Amanda Marie and music from Sara Boyd and Alana Rolfe. The event starts at 7 p.m. and will offer food and wine. — Josh Johnson

Sunday: Bluegrass and rap have a lot in common. Too often the lyrics are about women, drugs, poverty and partying, offering bland variations on tired old themes.

But when the genres are done right and the music adds punch, all questions of originality can be dismissed. Old Crow Medicine Show, for a bluegrass band, does it right.

While the lyrics present familiar situations of a gal who “makes true love more like misery” or a guy who is just trying to “drink the corn liquor and let the cocaine be,” the free-for-all music is more than enough to complement the clichés. The quintet plays fast and loose, sure to make bodies move, whether it be a full-scale hoedown or a two-step around the room.

The group plays at 8 p.m. at the Aggie Theatre, 204 S. College Ave. in Fort Collins. Tickets are seventeen dollars plus service charges. Visit aggietheater.com or call 482-8307. — Brian Park