Top 10 things to do in Orlando this week: Nov. 20-26

J.D. Wilkes and the Dirt Daubers

Thursday, Nov. 21

with the Mud Flappers

8 p.m.

Will's Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave.

willspub.org

$8-$10

Kentucky Colonel J.D. Wilkes is infamous for his wild intensity as the hillbilly Iggy in front of – and behind – Southern gothic punk band the Legendary Shack Shakers. But beneath their carnival insanity was always his deep, studious passion for the Southern mythos in all its beautiful, colorful madness (also evidenced in his other work in art, film and illustrated writing). Initially, his current band – J.D. Wilkes and the Dirt Daubers – seemed to showcase the American roots with more straightforward traditionalist purity. But before you file them in the boutique niche of old-time revivalism, it looks like Wilkes’ old habits are starting to creep back in. Their recently released third album, Wild Moon, is plugged in, cranked up and produced by punk icon Cheetah Chrome (the Dead Boys, Rocket From the Tombs). Greased up in rock & roll and the blues, it’s more kin to the Black Keys than yer great-grampappy’s music. Live, that can only mean great things. – Bao Le-Huu

Functionally Literate

Friday, Nov. 22

with Jacinto Lucas Pires, Terri Witek and Caroline Walker

6 p.m. happy hour, 8 p.m. reading

The Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S. Magnolia Ave.

functionallyliterate.org

free

The latest installment of this roughly quarterly reading series has some Portuguese flavor – not just from the Brazilian Bem Bom food truck that will be parked in the alley next to the Gallery at Avalon Island. Novelist Jacinto Lucas Pires visits from Lisbon on his way to the Miami Book Fair; neophyte novelist Caroline Walker is the fall 2013 Kerouac House writer-in-residence; and poet/Stetson professor Terri Witek links the two, being an American writer who collaborates regularly with Brazilian visual artist Cyriaco Lopes and runs a workshop at the annual Disquiet International Literary Program in Lisbon. Disquiet is where Functionally Literate co-organizer Jared Silvia met Pires, and oddly enough, Witek; after suggesting Pires swing through Orlando on his way to Miami, Silvia invited Witek as well because “she has an interesting ‘bridging’ perspective on Portugal and the U.S.” Silvia adds, “Our goal at this point is just to keep bringing authors here to see the great place Orlando truly is, and to share all the exciting authors we’ve collectively run into during our travels with the highly intelligent, very receptive Orlando audience.” Considering the crowds Functionally Literate regularly attracts, seems they’re onto something. – Jessica Bryce Young

Janelle Monáe

Friday, Nov. 22

8 p.m.

Hard Rock Live, 6050 Universal Blvd.

407-351-5483

hardrock.com

$27.50-$45

It’s easy to assume that, with her latest album, Janelle Monáe has become less adventurous, less experimental and, well, less interesting. Everything around the promotional cycle for The Electric Lady – the ubiquitous television performances, the CoverGirl and Target commercials – has had a whiff of chart-striving people-pleasing. Even the singles that have been pushed have been a far cry from the weirdo geek-funk of her previous work. But that’s sort of the point. Monáe is simply continuing the story she began telling on her first EP, a story that expanded into glorious futuro-Technicolor on The ArchAndroid. The fame-seeking and the pop posturing ... it’s part of the plot. It’s a fantastic cake-and-eat-it-too trick by Monáe (and one that, it should be noted, does not extend completely through The Electric Lady, which is chock-full of her patented idiosyncracies), and it’s also one that does not diminish in the slightest this woman’s ability to set a stage on fire with her explosive live presence. – Jason Ferguson

Southern Pinball Festival

Friday-Sunday, Nov. 22-24

3 p.m-midnight Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday

Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal, 7800 Universal Blvd.

southernpinballfestival.net

$20-$70

Whether you’re a beginning pinball pupil just getting a feel for the flippers or a full-fledged wizard whose skills evoke the classic Who song, this fest has something for everybody. The third annual (and three-day) Southern Pinball Festival, held at the Crowne Plaza Universal, features an assortment of classic and modern machines, while offering both open free play and an International Flipper Pinball Association-sanctioned tournament throughout the weekend. Tournament winners can look forward to up to $2,000 in prize money and points in the World Pinball Player Rankings, so if you’re in it to win it, be sure and check out the event website for tourney rules and registration info. And if you’re the type who wants to share your old-school games from home, feel free; anyone who brings in a game receives one free weekend pass to the festival. – James Austin

Kevin McDonald

Saturday, Nov. 23

9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

SAK Comedy Lab, 29 S. Orange Ave.

407-648-0001

sak.com

$12-$15

In a world where we increasingly click “confirm” on Facebook events we somehow never make it to, we have no problem committing to a full weekend of opportunities to see the king of empty promises, Kevin McDonald, because the Kids in the Hall comedian may not remember to return your videos, but he offers guaranteed laughs. He performs twice with the SAK professional ensemble, first an improv show at 9:30 p.m., then a stand-up show at 11:30 p.m. in combination with an improvised set with the SAK cast. So pick your poison (either way you’ll probably be girl-drink drunk on the hilarity) or splurge for both shows. And for any aspiring or active comedians interested in comedy lessons from McDonald, he’ll host a two-day workshop on sketch writing for $285. Find more details on the SAK site. – Ashley Belanger

Exit Stage

Saturday, Nov. 23

7 p.m.

The Orange Studio, 1121 N. Mills Ave.

407-443-6101

rickjonesprojects.com

$5

Artist Rick Jones' final Orlando art show before moving to New York.

Winter Park Harvest Festival

Saturday, Nov. 23

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Central Park West Meadow, 150 W. New York Ave., Winter Park

321-236-3316

facebook.com/wpharvest

free

The past few weeks, we have been so caught up in the hype over the grand opening of the new East End Market in Audubon Park that we almost forgot about the other big, local foodie event that’s now practically upon us: the Winter Park Harvest Festival, brought to you by the same folks who made East End Market happen. Since its inception in 2010, this fest celebrating local food and the people who help get it to your table has been something to look forward to. In addition to a producers-only farmers market, where you can pick up fresh meats and produce grown in our area, the festival has a local-music stage, a mobile community garden, workshops, cooking demos and seminars so you can not only consume locally grown products, you can create some on your own as well. – Erin Sullivan

Florida Blue Florida Classic

Saturday, Nov. 23

2 p.m.

Florida Citrus Bowl, 1610 W. Church St.

floridaclassic.org

$15

Just as the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs meet up each year in Jacksonville for the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” so too does the deep-rooted college football tradition of the Florida Classic continue at the Florida Citrus Bowl this weekend. The annual matchup between these two HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) pits a struggling Florida A&M Rattlers team against the top-MEAC-ranked Bethune-Cookman Wildcats for a season finale showdown. While the game day experience might have been marred a few years back with the death of FAMU drum major Robert Champion (attendance dropped significantly last year), fans should be out in full force this weekend to watch a halftime performance by the FAMU Marching 100, who return after being under suspension. No doubt they’ll also flock to the Amway Center Friday night for the loud-and-proud Battle of the Bands contest ­– not to mention, this game brings along its own rowdy outdoor tailgating parties. – Aimee Vitek

David Dondero

Sunday, Nov. 24

with Goodrich & the Die Tryin's, Zap Dragon and the Attack, Sterling Schroeder & the Chosen Ones

8 p.m.

Will's Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave.

willspub.org

$5

For years, nomadic singer-songwriter David Dondero flirted with the idea of giving up his hardscrabble musical life. On 2010 album #Zero with a Bullet, he sings, “I need to get away/ I don’t trust a goddamned thing that I say/ I really need to get away from me.” The title track of his new album, This Guitar, puts it most bluntly, however: “This guitar fucking ruined my life/ Lost me jobs and lost me wives/ I swear I’m gonna strangle its skinny neck/ For turning my sweet life into a wreck.” – Nick McGregor

Johnny Marr

Monday, Nov. 25

with Alamar

7 p.m.

The Beacham, 46 N. Orange Ave.

407-246-1419

thebeacham.com

$27.50-$35

How soon is now, because it’s been a long wait since Johnny Marr’s Orlando date was announced, and we’ve been waiting. The former Smiths guitarist is touring on his solo release from this year, The Messenger, which, he explained to Pitchfork, was deliberately written to appeal to his old fans. So perk up your ears for a more beasty incarnation of his pop song-crafting and give new single “Upstarts” a spin if you have yet to. Glancing at his recent setlists, his live show is similarly catering to folks still tightly clutching their copies of Meat Is Murder, because it seems you’re sure to hear hit songs like “How Soon Is Now?” as well as singles and B-sides like “Panic” and “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want.” Sorry for the potential spoilers; looks like bigmouth strikes again. – Ashley Belanger