A maritime painting by Baltimore-based artist and children’s book author and illustrator, Patrick O’Brien. (Photo courtesy of www.patrickobrienstudio.com)

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• We’ll meet singer Soloman Howard, who joins us to talk about what it takes to harness the power of one of the deepest voices you’re ever likely to hear.
• We’ll visit the studio of Patrick O’Brien, the author and illustrator of nine books for children, a painter of maritime art, and a firm believer in the power of imagination. (Patrick O’Brien will be speaking and signing copies of Mutiny on the Bounty at The Children’s Bookstore on Tuesday, March 6th, from 2:30 to 4 pm. He’s also on the web at: www.patrickobrienstudio.com)
• We’ll hear a reading from fiction writer Lalita Noronha. When she’s not teaching science classes, this doctor of microbiology spends her time writing stories about life in her native country of India. (You can find Dr. Noronha’s book of short stories, “Where Monsoons Cry,” at her website: www.lalitanoronha.com)
• And we’ll talk with co-writer of the HBO series The Wire, Ed Burns, about his vision for turning life around in Baltimore’s most neglected neighborhoods, one block at a time. He’s been collaborating with two young architects, Pavlina Ilieva and Kuo Pao Lian, on a project that seeks to turn back alleys into permanent communal safe-zones. (You can read more about this innovative partnership in the March issue of The Urbanite Magazine, online at: www.urbanitebaltimore.com)

It’s unusual to find a cover band whose fan-base rivals that of other acts, but Baltimore’s Egg Babies Orchestra has attracted an enthusiastic following. Their appearances are rare—they only play gigs when one of their members is celebrating a birthday. You can catch them tonight (02.03.07) at the Ottobar, where they’ll be toasting the occasion the same way they always do, by reinterpreting everything from The Cure to Randy Newman. They share the bill this evening with Roddy Walston and the Business, and The Milwaukees. The show starts at 10.

www.theottobar.com

On last week’s program, we mentioned an exhibition of Lisa Shifren’s black and white photographs of Holocaust survivors. It turns out the exhibit’s opening reception got snowed out last weekend, but you’ll still have a chance to see the photos and meet some of the survivors who participated in the project. The new reception for Grace. Dignity. Humility. Compassion. takes place this Wednesday, March 7th from 4-6 P.M. at Load of Fun Studios in Baltimore, and the exhibition closes the following day.

www.loadoffun.net

And this coming Thursday (02.08.067), you might want to head over to the G-Spot Audiovisual Playground in Hampden for what promises to be an evening of mellow yet thrilling indie music. Headlining the show is Baltimore’s own Beach House, who’s debut album popped up on several music critics’ “best of” lists last year. They’ll be joined by San Francisco’s Papercuts and the local trio Noble Lake. The doors open at 8.

www.gspotavp.com