Full reviews of recent concerts: nytimes.com/music.
AUGUSTANA (Wednesday) This popular California quintet is best known for its mawkish, piano-driven ballad “Boston,” which has been featured in many popular television shows. (It’s typically employed during moments of deep, brow-wrinkling catharsis.) The band’s latest LP, “Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt” (Epic), is packed with earnest, midtempo rock songs in the adult-alternative spirit of Counting Crows and the Wallflowers. With Wild Sweet Orange and David Ford. At 9 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, near the Bowery, Lower East Side, (212) 533-2111, boweryballroom.com; sold out. (Amanda Petrusich)
BISHOP ALLEN (Friday) Borrowing from the playbook of early Jonathan Richman, this Brooklyn band puts a boyish smile on spunky, angst-ridden guitar-pop, and nurses worries about the slow crawl toward the workaday adult life: “Burn, calendar, burn.” With the War On Drugs and the Silent Years. At 9 p.m., Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 North Sixth Street, Brooklyn, (718) 486-5400, musichallofwilliamsburg.com; $13 in advance, $15 at the door.
★ BLOOD ON THE WALL (Saturday) One of New York City’s most beloved local bands, the Brooklyn trio Blood on the Wall plays belligerent, lo-fi stoner-rock marked by largely unintelligible lyrics and throbbing guitar riffs. Along with the band’s steadfast embrace of feedback, the oscillating boy-girl vocals of siblings Courtney and Brad Shanks recall “Daydream Nation”-era Sonic Youth. With Abigail Warchild, Lights and Cause Co-Motion. At 8:30 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston Street, at Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, (212) 260-4700, mercuryloungenyc.com; $10 in advance; $12 at the door. (Petrusich)
★ GLENN brANCA (Thursday) This avant-garde composer and guitarist transcends mere riffing: acclaimed for his experiments with volume, drone, tuning, microtonality and harmonics, Mr. Branca, a primary player in the No Wave movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, is best known for his 100-guitar symphonies and for his 1981 masterpiece, “The Ascension” (99 Records). With the Paranoid Critical Revolution. At 8 p.m., Issue Project Room, 232 Third Street, at Third Avenue, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 330-0313, issueprojectroom.org; $10.

nytimes.com

In the lukewarm of the night appears Norman Jewison, ready to air-kiss a Kennedy.
“I was inspired by your father, and now we are all inspired by you,” says he to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The latter is standing on a staircase, the director sounds like a romantic lead and the whole thing twinkles and seems right out of a ? Norman Jewison film!
The scene unravelled last week at the celebrated Budman residence, in the quieter reaches above Eglinton. The younger Kennedy, in town then for the Green Living Show, was the man of the party. Burning almost the same fire as his dad — the ambient, cut-short hope of liberals everywhere — this RFK arrived, as he often does, in a Camelot-evoking skinny tie. Indeed, as the famous enviro-booster, known for taking on fat cats, said last year to New York mag, “I like to wear thin ties” and “I’m very happy to see that they’re finally coming into style ?”
But back to Jewison, who elicited applause that was anything but thin when he flattered the younggen Kennedy just so. In the process, he stitched together a nice bit of symmetry. As the Canadian director noted to moi that night, the elder Kennedy had been a huge supporter — a fan, in particular, of his seminal, race relations-stirring 1967 movie, In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier.
Actually, looking it up later, I learned that when the New York Film Critics gave Jewison the best picture award for that flick, the ceremony was held at Sardi’s –and there to present him with it was none other than Senator Robert Kennedy, from New York. As he presented it to the young lensman, he apparently whispered, “See, I told you the timing was right, Norman.”
Fast-forward to Toronto, 2008, when the timing was right for a party baked in nostalgia. Don’tcha just love a dinner that comes with institutional memory? Those salonistas — Michael Budman and Diane Bald — really do think of everything.

nationalpost.com

UNC-Pembroke will start today at 2 p.m. at the Belk Athletic Complex and continue until 2 p.m. Saturday. The relay supports cancer research. Call (910) 521-3406.
“OLIVER!”: The Lu Mil Vineyard in
Dublin hosts the 7 p.m. performance. The play is a production of the North Carolina Children’s Theatre and Jaenicke Productions. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Call (910) 866-5819 or visit www.lumilvineyard.com
TARHEEL FLY-FISHING FILM FESTIVAL: The March of Dimes fundraiser of fly films and fellowship will be at the
Cameo Art House Theatre. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6. Tickets are $15 at the door. Call 323-5310 or go to www.flytieathon.com.
EXHIBIT: The 19th Annual Sandhills Community College Art Students Exhibit opening and reception will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Hastings Gallery in the Katherine L. Boyd Library at Sandhills Community College in
Southern Pines. The exhibit runs through May 5.
LIVE MUSIC: National acts The Dreaming plays tonight at
Jesters Pub. Mushroom Head plays Saturday. For list of other bands, go to www.jesterspub.com.
NITRO JAM SPRING NATIONALS: The races are at the Rockingham Dragway in
Rockingham through Sunday. Showtimes are 6:30 p.m. Friday and 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. General admission is $35 today, $40 on Saturday and $35 Sunday. Junior general admission for ages 6 to 12 is $5 for all three days. A three-day pass is $85 for adults and $15 for junior admission. Go to www.ihra.com.
BLUEGRASS: Rhonda Vincent and Grammy nominee Audie Blaylock will be among performers in
Salemburg at the 6th Annual Laurel Lakes Bluegrass Festival from today through Sunday. A three-day pass is $45 at the door or $30 in advance. Daily prices range from $8 to $20. Admission is free for ages 16 and under when accompanied by an adult. Call (919) 422-8413 or go to www.jam-n-bluegrass.com.

fayobserver.com

Gissendanner to challenge in District 71
She is first Democrat to file in legislative race
Betty Gissendanner wants to make sure people have an opportunity to vote for their District 71 state legislator in November.
Gissendanner, 57, plans to announce her candidacy for the District 71 seat at an 11:45 a.m. news conference on the steps of the historic Punta Gorda Courthouse today. She will be the first, and perhaps only, Democrat in the race.
“I think more than anything else,” she said of her reasons for running, “is that we have a two-party system that has served us well” and we need to preserve it. “As we look at the system right now, it has not been very balanced.”
Gissendanner has at least two opponents — both Republicans. Dr. Christopher Constance and funeral home operator Ken Roberson, both of Punta Gorda, have announced their candidacy. All three are vying for a seat left open when Rep. Michael Grant decided to forgo another run so he could compete for Lisa Carlton’s District 23 Senate seat. Term limits will prevent Carlton from running again.
Gissendanner has lived in Charlotte County for 22 years. She recently retired after operating a State Farm insurance office for 20 of those years. She is a former registered nurse with a master’s degree in nursing and a charter member of Edgewater United Methodist Church.
Her son, William Douglas Gissendanner, is serving in the United States Air Force in Germany.
Gissendanner says her experience in the health field and as a small businesswoman give her the experience and insight to represent her constituents in Tallahassee.
“I know both sides of the health-care debate — the health-care needs of the patients and the management perspective as well. I have the level of knowledge needed to make a significant contribution to meeting the health-care needs of the people of Florida.”

sun-herald.com

Go! airlines, blamed by Aloha Airlines for its demise, said Sunday night it would increase the number of interisland flights in Hawaii from 54 to 94 a day starting Tuesday.
In a news release, go! said it would carry ticketed Aloha passengers at no charge this week, but otherwise made no mention of the airline or its planned shutdown. Go! also said it would hold one-way fares at $49 through April 7.
"In response to demand, we have significantly increased the number of flights in all markets providing high-frequency service throughout the business day. We will continue to adjust our schedule to satisfy demand and work hard to provide the highest quality, lowest cost service to the people of Hawaii," said Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and CEO of go’s parent company, Mesa Air Group of Phoenix.
In its announcement that Aloha was shutting down, CEO David Banmiller said "unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business." He was referring to go!, which began operations in June 2006 and started a fare war, first at $39 and now at $49, that undercut both Aloha and Hawaiian.
Both Aloha and Hawaiian have sued Mesa (Nasdaq: MESA) for illegally using confidential financial information about their operations to try to drive them out of business. Hawaiian won a major ruling in its case against Mesa last fall when a federal judge ordered Mesa to pay $80 million in damages.

sanantonio.bizjournals.com

HONOLULU, March 30 /PRNewswire/ — The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is saddened to learn that Aloha Airlines will shut down its interisland and transpacific passenger operations after Monday, March 31, 2008. Aloha Airlines and its generations of employees have had a long and noble history of serving Hawaii’s residents and visitors, and its many contributions to our community will be missed. Our hearts go out to the company’s employees and their family members who are affected by the closure.
According to Aloha’s announcement, on March 31, 2008, Aloha will operate its schedule with the exception of flights from Hawaii to the West Coast and flights from Orange County to Reno and Sacramento, and Oakland to Las Vegas. Aloha’s code-share partner United Airlines and other airlines are prepared to assist and accommodate passengers who have been inconvenienced. Aloha also announced that its air cargo and aviation services units will continue to operate as usual while the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeks bids from potential buyers.
Given concerns over the potential of Aloha’s closing following its March 20 bankruptcy filing, the State Legislature, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), Governor’s Tourism Liaison, HTA and the Hawaii Hotel and Lodging Association (HHLA), have been coordinating with airlines and hotels who have been hard at work on contingency plans to minimize the impact of the shut down on visitors and residents.
Hawaii’s primary interisland carriers have informed HTA that they are ready to increase their capacity to compensate for the loss of seats resulting from Aloha’s closure. This will be achieved by expanded daily schedules and the addition of aircraft. It is anticipated that transpacific carriers serving Aloha’s regional markets on the U.S. mainland will be able to absorb the void left by Aloha.
Aloha Airlines’ ticket holders with departures after March 31, can check HVCB’s Web site http://www.gohawaii.com/alohaairlines for information on how to contact other airlines serving Aloha’s markets. It is recommended that passengers get in touch with these airlines to determine seat availability and booking instructions before going to the airport. Aloha Airlines updates are also linked to HTA’s Web site http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/ and all of HVCB’s island chapters’ Web sites (Oahu Visitors Bureau, Kauai Visitors Bureau, Maui Visitors Bureau, and Big Island Visitors Bureau).

sys-con.com

“Intersections.” Works by Marin Camille Hood and Lisa Solomon. Runs through April 16. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and by appt. S.F. State University, 1650 Holloway Ave. (415) 338-2580. www.sfsustudentcenter.com/artgallery. SF
“New Exercises.” Works by Franck Andre Jamme. “Dhyana.” Contemporary tantric drawings from Rajasthan. “Form +.” Works by Todd Bura, Leonie Guyer, Prajakti Jayavant, others. Exhibitions run through May 3. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. 535 Powell St. (415) 398-7229. www.meridiangallery.org. SF
“Reverie.” Works by Mark Stock. “West Coast Abstraction.” Works by Charles Arnoldi, Edith Baumann, James Hayward, others. Reception Thurs. Exhibitions run through May 3. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. 685 Market St. (415) 541-0461. www.modernisminc.com. SF
“Mindscape.” Paintings, sculptures, photographs, more by member artists. Reception Thurs. Runs through April 5. Noon-5 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., noon-5:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 3489 Sacramento St. (415) 440-7392. www.sfwomenartists.org. SF
“All Mixed Up.” A group exhibition. Reception Fri. Runs through March 29. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. 853 Fourth St., San Rafael. (415) 460-5208. www.artisansartgallery.com. NB
“Geography.” Paintings by Devorah Jacoby. Reception Fri. Runs through March 30. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., Sat.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri. 851 Fourth St., San Rafael. (415) 454-4229. www.donnaseagergallery.com. NB
Paintings by Naomi Mindelzun. Reception Fri. Runs through March 30. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun. 143 Main St., Los Altos. (650) 941-7969. www.gallery9losaltos.com. PN

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