The Church

The prospect of a psychedelic renaissance cropping up in the mid-’80s is still pretty weird to think about. That decade was many things, but “deep” it was not. These days, it’s become a matter of course for bands to draw on music from that period, but only the most innovative space rockers and shoegazers look past the New Wavers and post-punks to bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and the Jesus and Mary Chain. This, in turn, has given many of those original bands license to come back, but seminal neo-psychedelic band the Church never needed anyone’s permission because they never really went away.

After more than 25 years and almost as many albums, the Australian quartet is touring in support of two 2009 releases, Coffee Hounds EP and Untitled #23. Why 23? Well, numerology (and that Jim Carrey movie) has it that all incidents and events are somehow derived from it. And the album? Duly heady.

Opening is former Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin, who’s touring on the heels of the album Spent Bullets with his band Bolts of Melody.

The Church play the Egg (Empire Plaza, Albany) on Friday (July 10) at 8 PM. Tickets are $28. Call 473-1845 for more info.

Degas & Music

Everyone knows Edgar Degas as a painter of dancers. He also, however, was fascinated by the world of music and musicians, and created a body of work with musical themes. Oddly enough, however, no one thought to present an exhibit based on this theme.

Until now. The Hyde Collection, with Degas scholars and guest curators Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendell, will present Degas & Music beginning Sunday (July 12).

The paintings and drawings in the show will reflect Degas’ love of and interest in music, including “portraits of musician friends, dramatic images of cabaret singers, and stunning scenes of the music-filled world of the ballet.”

After all, you can’t separate music from dance.

Pictured is Dancer on the Stage (1877-80), from the collection of the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, Mass. Other museums that have loaned works for this show include the Art Institute of Chicago, Baltimore Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Musée d’Orsay, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Gallery of Art; combined with items from the Hyde’s own collection, the exhibit will feature 30 “rich and varied” works by Degas.

The Hyde has partnered with many local arts organizations (and summer visitors, like the Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC) to present events related to the Degas & Music exhibit, throughout the summer and fall.

Degas & Music opens Sunday (July 12) and runs through Oct. 18 at The Hyde Collection (161 Warren St., Glens Falls). There will be numerous activities associated with the exhibit over the coming months; visit hydecollection.org for details. For more info, call 792-1761.