Chris Thile and the How to Grow a Band

When Nickel Creek released their self-titled debut disc in 2000, they risked being written off as a novelty: a young trio playing acoustic “newgrass,” a genre usually reserved for wizened old porch-sitters. But the fresh faces belied a deep talent, and they’ve gone on to be recognized as one of the finest and most successful acts in the field. Their most recent disc, 2005’s Why Should the Fire Die?, was their very best; too bad, as they announced last summer that they would cease performing together indefinitely at the end of their current tour.

That brings us to this Saturday’s show, in which mandolinist Chris Thile brings his How to Grow a Band to the Egg for a performance of music from his decidedly more pop-slanted How to Grow a Woman From the Ground. It’s actually Thile’s fifth solo release; his first came in 1994, at the tender age of 13. (Aww.)

Chris Thile and the How to Grow a Band, and guest Sometymes Why?, will perform this Saturday (Feb. 10) at the Egg (Empire State Plaza, Albany). Tickets for the 7:30 PM show are $22. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at 473-1845.

Warhola Becomes Warhol

Every artist starts out young and hungry, but few are granted the karmic luxury of becoming as iconic as Andy Warhol. With Warhola Becomes Warhol, the Williams College Museum of Art gives the public a look into the artist’s early days as a commercial artist, before those bananas and soup cans made him one of the most recognizable names in pop art.

Opening simultaneously is Kota Ezawa: Re-Animating History.

Warhola Becomes Warhol opens this Saturday (Feb. 10) at the Williams College Museum of Art (Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.). The exhibit will remain on display until June 10. A reception and pop-art dialogue will take place on Feb. 27, and several gallery talks are scheduled through the exhibit’s run. For more information, call (413) 597-2429 or visit www.wcma.org.

Tere O’ Connor Dance

They’re always trying something new over at eMPAC; on Saturday, they will present their first live dance presentation when Tere O’ Connor Dance performs Frozen Mommy. (It’s at a new location for eMPAC, too: the WMHT Studio in Rensselaer Tech Park.)

Frozen Mommy is a “darkly humorous” work of word and dance. Narrative-free, Frozen Mommy is performed on a bare stage, as the dancers “lead the viewer on an elliptical journey . . . imitating the magpie strategy of human thought processes. . . .” The O’Connor company is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, so we’ll assume it’s journey worth taking.

EMPAC will present the Tere O’ Connor Dance performance of Frozen Mommy on Saturday (Feb. 10) at 8 PM at the WMHT Studio (Rensselaer Tech Park, Troy). Admission is $15 general, $5 for seniors and students, and free with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ID. For reservations and information, call 276-3921.