Photo (from left to right): Hedwig's Lament THURSDAY-SATURDAY, Level 4 FRIDAY, Back To The Blues SATURDAY, Cupful of Art SUNDAY, All That Jazz FRIDAY-SATURDAY

thursday 4|3

Get Hed Here

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH CSUMB student Rebecca Rosenthal presents John Cameron Mitchell's story of an "internationally ignored" East German rock singer, Hedwig, and her search for stardom and love. Born a boy named Hansel, a botched sex-change operation leaves Hedwig with the aforementioned angry inch. Years later, her lover Tommy Gnosis leaves her, steals her songs and become a world-famous rock star. Pounding rock, and witty and sad songs ensue. [JL]

8pm tonight through Saturday. Black Box Cabaret, corner of Gen. Jim Moore Blvd., and Third St., CSUMB campus. Donation suggested. 601-3119 or 582-3597.

Drink, Drink And Be Merry

MONTEREY WINE FESTIVAL Toast the coast at the nation's oldest wine festival this weekend. The 27th annual Monterey Wine Festival includes wine tastings, cooking demonstrations by leading chefs and educational seminars with titles like, "Can California Do Italy?" and "Does Food Really Need Wine?" Of course, we all know the answer to that last one. The weekend also includes winemaker events, a live auction, more tastings and the second annual America's Best Wine Lists Awards. And did we mention wine tastings? The festival features more than 120 wineries and 800 different wines from California's wine regions, as well as wines from Washington, Oregon and Australia. Don't forget the tastings. [JL]

Events run all day, today through Sunday. Monterey Convention Center, DoubleTree Hotel, Two Portola Plaza, Monterey and Monterey Marriott, 350 Calle Principal Monterey. Ticket prices vary. 800-656-4282 or visit www.montereywine.com.

The People's Poet

PHILIP LEVINE How great is it that a poetry professor from Fresno would win the Pulitzer Prize? Phil Levine was born in Detroit, and much of his best-known poetry is about the hard-working men and women of that automotive town, but he also writes about jazz, love, the Spanish Civil War, hope, despair, and anything else that strikes his fancy (see story pg. 26). He'll be reading from his 17 published books of poetry tonight at MPC, a rare chance to enjoy the power of his simple words. He will also sell and sign copies of his books afterwards in the theater lobby. [SF]

7pm. Morgan Stock Theater, Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont, Monterey. $10. 646-4063.

friday 4|4

On Another Level

LEVEL 4 Bridging the gaps between many different forms of music is just what Level 4 does. They describe themselves as playing "a variety of musical styles that include funk, R&B, blues, hip-hop, jazz and soul," which they manage to stitch together into the intermeshed form that defines them as a group. Led by singer/bassist Gil Conrad Johnson, a Detroit native, the five-member band consists of all veteran musicians, including singer Robina Jackson, drummer Don Thomas, guitarist Bill Ireton and keyboard player Tony Marriott. All have earned their stripes playing across the country and in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now they bring their fun and lively sound to Monterey. [KF]

9pm. Sly McFly's, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey. 372-3225.

Letters Form Words

ADULT SPELLING BEE Can you spell? Did you whack out a high verbal score on your SAT? Love to read? If you are one of those nerdy types who reaches for the dictionary when you don't know what a word means instead of just asking someone you think is smart, or capitulating to ignorance, it's time to see how good you really are. Round up three friends and enter your team in the Fifth Annual Pacific Grove Library Adult Spelling Bee, or show up to test your skills against the contestants. It's a fun family event, an arena where Pacific Grove historically excels. [AS]

6pm. Chautauqua Hall, Central Avenue, Pacific Grove. $10, or $35 for a family of four. Proceeds benefit the P.G. Library. There will be prizes and a raffle. 648-5760 or www.pacificgrove.lib.ca.us

Eat and Drink

SIXTH ANNUAL CULINARY CLASSIC Americans love their food, especially the good, healthy kind. We are a recipe-swapping people. So in a great opportunity to expand your cooking horizons, check out this event and pick up a few pointers on your favorite dishes or even ones you haven't tried before. At the main event on Saturday, there will be 40 booths with samples and cooking demonstrations. It's the evolution of events dating back to the 1934 formation of a Salinas cooking group called the Entre Nous Society. [AS]

6-9pm tonight, preview dinner gala, $50, reservation required. 10am-4pm Saturday, main events. Community Center, 940 Main St., Salinas. 678-3164.

Jazz Wars

MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION The Monterey Jazz Festival is holding its 33rd annual National High School Jazz Competition, and the kids trying out are sure to be more talented than the usual mere mortals. Some of the teenagers who competed in years past have gone on to great musical careers-Joshua Redman and Benny Green among them. And some people have just gone on to be great in their own way. For those who'd like to be able to say "I saw him/her before he/she was so famous," this is an opportunity to scope out the jazz legends of the future. [KF]

7pm tonight, 9am Saturday. Monterey Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairgrounds Rd., Monterey. 373-3366.

One Night, 150 Performers

HARTNELL COLLEGE AMERICAN MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA All six of Hartnell College's performing groups will be playing along with dinner, wine and dancing in a benefit for the music programs at the college. The community chorus, college choir, jazz ensemble, college orchestra, community band, and the chamber singers will accompany each dinner course throughout the evening. Tunes will range from Broadway showstoppers to American cowboy crooning, and the night will be capped off by dancing to swing jazz. Sounds better than a Gap commercial. [BW]

6:30-10pm. Steinbeck Hall, Hartnell College Campus Center, 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas. 755-6810.

Bring Mammy, Pappy, And Bullwinkle, Too

LI'L ABNER AND DANCE KIDS BENEFIT Gus Arriola, creator of the cartoon"Gordo," Alex Anderson of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" fame, and Eldon Dedini, New Yorker cartoonist, will be chatting with the public, posing for photographs, and signing autographs to raise money for Dance Kids of Monterey. In tandem with their appearance, Dance Kids performs L'il Abner, a musical comedy based on Al Capp's comic strip. The benefit performance includes a wine reception, food, silent auction, and preferred seating. There will also be a $5 preview performance on Thursday at 7:30pm. [BW]

5:30pm tonight benefit gala, 7:30 performance; play only 2:30pm and 7:30pm Saturday, 2:30pm Sunday. Benefit gala: $35/adults, $20/children. Regular performances: $15/adults, $12/children, seniors, military. Golden Bough Playhouse, Monte Verde between Eighth and Ninth, Carmel. 622-0100.

Meow

CAT'S-PAW Veteran television and theater director Ralph Senensky presents this Unicorn Theater production of the 1986 William Mastrosimone thriller about a businessman kidnapped by terrorists and the TV reporter confronted with what will undoubtedly be the scoop of a lifetime. Media takes advantage of a political situation for its own gain…hmmm. Jack Stauffer, Erik Petersen and Dawn Flood star (see theater listings pg. 43). [SF]

8pm tonight and Saturday, 2pm Sunday. $12-$15. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Fourth at Guadalupe, Carmel. 649-0259.

saturday 4|5

Celebration of Love

THE INSTRUMENTS OF WALTER NORDSTROM As a young boy growing up in Canada, Walter Nordstrom fell in love with stringed instruments. After moving to California as a teenager, Nordstrom constructed instruments out of fruit crates while he worked as a builder and contractor in the San Francisco and Monterey areas. Thirty years later, in his fifties, Nordstrom began his second career designing and building custom guitars, violins, violas, cellos and harps, continuing that work until his death last year in Monterey. This Saturday, Tim Robinson, the Bill Hankins' Trio, and Ed Cunningham will perform classical, folk, jazz and country music in honor of Nordstrom and the instruments he created. [BW]

2-4pm. Monterey Peninsula College Music Hall, Room 101, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. $10. 663-3921.

Party in the Tibetan Style

FESTIVAL OF TIBET AND PRAYER FOR PEACE Butter sculpting and yak dancing are on the schedule of the many things taking place on this day of prayer and celebration. Tibetan Buddhist monks from Gaden Lhopa Khangsten will give astrological readings and spiritual guidance, and there will be sand mandala painting, music and chanting. As war rages in the Gulf, how about an afternoon filled with peace, love and Zen? [KF]

10am-4pm. Henry Miller Library, Highway One, Big Sur. Free. 667-2574.

Moods Of Monterey

CAA ART OPENING This month, the Carmel Art Association walls will feature the plein air and landscape oil paintings of Joseph Nordmann, Barry John Raybould and John McWilliams, as well as the latter's figure studies in oil. A solo exhibit is devoted to the works of landscape artist and new (since 2001) CAA member Fred Carvell, who will be showing his acrylic paintings inspired by the land in and around Monterey County. Both shows open tonight with a reception at the gallery. [SF]

6-8pm. Free. Carmel Art Association, Dolores between Fifth and Sixth, Carmel. 624-6176.

Brother Act

BRIEFCASE FULL OF BLUES The Blues Brothers were themselves part tribute band-also part comedy schtick and part comeback (for the great unheralded Booker T and the MGs, featuring Steve Cropper on guitar and Duck Dunn on bass). Okay-Belushi was an all-time genius and back then Ackroyd was great too-but the star of the show was the music: the late-'60s soul of Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, et al. Briefcase Full of Blues is a tribute to this great tribute band, and besides the reportedly great showmen Shawn Amato and Fred Vinson, features some of the great players from back in the day (including a couple of members of Redding's own band). Probably a hot pick whether you're reliving the '80s or the '60s or hearing this stuff for the first time. [AG]

9pm. Blue Fin Café and Billiards, 685 Cannery Row, Monterey. Cover charge. 375-7000.

Sunday 4|6

Cups Runneth Over

MONTEREY BAY METAL ARTS GUILD Carmel's Chris Winfield Gallery opens an intriguing exhibit that challenged members of the Metal Guild-professionals, teachers and art students of all levels-to create a vessel or object representing their personal interpretation of the word "cup." The results are on view at the gallery until May 1 (see story pg. 40). [SF]

3-5pm. Free. Chris Winfield Gallery, Dolores between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel. 392-1741.