The Fyrplace Gallery (131 N. M St., Lake Worth) continues its traditional conceit of inserting a y for every i as it presents its latest event: Author Spotlyght. In this first evening of the new series, held from 8 to 10 p.m., participants take a close look at the work of Martha Moffett. The Alabama native, who wound up in Florida as chief research librarian for the National Enquirer (You mean they do research?), has also contributed works to a variety of literary genres. At tonight's event, the Moffett works on tap include a ten-minute play, a comedic monologue, short stories, memoir selections, and a piece on Laura Riding's Florida Cracker House. Future authors slated to appear include Charles Scheitler on December 11 and Melody Samuelson on February 12. Suggested donation is $2. Call 561-585-2772.
FRI 10/10
If you like your Irish performances served with a side of tradition, see Tuesday's entry. But those who dig their Irish music with a heaping helping of rock and a pint of Guinness to wash the whole thing down should check out the Young Dubliners at 7 p.m. at Club Ovation's Viper Room (3637 S. Federal Hwy., Boynton Beach). This group, rumor has it, excels at live performances, playing Celtic rock fast and loose, with plenty of room for improvisation by any of the five band members. The band's sole live effort, 1998's Alive Alive O, lends credence to the alleged mastery of live performance, but the Young Dubliners have undergone several lineup changes since that album, so you'll just have to hit the show to see if the band's still got the chops. Tickets cost $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Call 561-740-7076.
SAT 10/11
We don't need to tell you what day it is, do we? Yes, yes. In cultureless places outside of Northern Illinois and South Florida, this is Saturday. But in the better regions, it's NLCS Day, Game 4. The National League Championship Series comes to Florida at 8 p.m. Friday and continues today at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Of course, there won't be a Sunday game after we sweep the Cubbies! Woo hoo! All games are at Pro Player Stadium (2269 Dan Marino Blvd., Miami). Tickets cost... yeah, tickets. Right. Naturally, there are no tickets left at the box office. On eBay, tickets are running from $300 to $1,500. Good luck.
SUN 10/11
As incestuous South Florida band relations go, the Bikes are near the top. Its members have been in the infamous Holy Terrors, the Ex-Cretins, and the Human Beings. Rick Ambrose (vocals, guitar), Dan Hosker (guitar, bass), Robin Roslund (violin, mandolin, guitar), and Paul Voulte (drums) morphed out of the psychedelic Ant Lunch Musick collective, which also featured the Baby Robots. It's hard to say what kind of music the Bikes play, but there's a violin in there somewhere and maybe even a slide whistle, and they mix in a bit of robust eccentricity. Perhaps we could nominate the Bikes as The Most Fun Band to Comfortably Get Drunk To. And this all works out perfectly because the Bikes perform at Dada (52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach), which serves alcohol. Don't you love it when a plan comes together? Show starts at 10 p.m. Call 561-330-3232.
MON 10/13
You've seen them, the fashionable kids decked out in sweater vests, corduroys, and a slightly bored look of mistrust. They walk the streets of NYC everyday. Some of them are artists, some "freelance," some are professional students. The Walkmen, which formed three years ago with ex-members of doomed "It" band Jonathan Fire*eater and the Recoys, may look like Interpol's smartly dressed little brothers, but the music makes up for it. Their debut full-length album, Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, is one of those records that creates an atmosphere with a simple chord progression. With songs like "The Blizzard of '96" and "We've Been Had," the Walkmen blow the bangs off your forehead with a blustery lo-fi wind. Singer Hamilton Leithauser's Bono-like falsettos aren't even annoying when layered over dreamy piano lines, heart-attack drums, sugar-drenched melodies and even... sleigh bells! Check out the Walkmen at I/O, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. Show starts at 9 p.m. and costs $10. Call 305-358-8007.
TUE 10/14
Sure, Michael Flatley's no longer in the troupe, but that hasn't stopped Riverdance from capitalizing on the fame it enjoyed while Flatley was the company's head prancer... er, dancer. The show returns to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach), with performances at 8 p.m. tonight through Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. The traveling dance show, based loosely on Celtic dance, is in its eighth year, having premiered at Dublin's Point Theatre in February 1995. Even with the loss of Flatley, whose hubris led him to attempt his own show sans Riverdancers, the performance is an impressive one if you're the type to get impressed by lots of loud stomping and quick leg work. Tickets cost $35 to $75. Call 561-832-7469.
WED 10/15
In The Secret Lives of Married Men, author David Leddick interviews more than 40 gay men who are married to women or have been married to women. These men's lives may have turned out differently, but their stories are pretty much all the same. They had a secret attraction to other males as teenagers, social pressures perhaps led them to the altar, years of guilt followed, and most marriages ended in divorce. Leddick, who has a photography book out called Male Nude Now and who recently relaunched his theater career as a cabaret performer, discusses the issues facing a gay man in the domestic sphere: fear, isolation, religion, and the ignorance and repressed sexuality that our society is so famous for. Leddick reveals his secrets at 7 p.m. at the Broward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-357-7464.
