Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend

Lost in the Trees: If you don’t like them, I don’t like you. (Image courtesy of Anti & Epitaph Records)

Music
Lost in the Trees, Poor Moon
It doesn’t get much more personal than this: North Carolina-based Lost in the Trees’ frontman, Ari Picker, wrote the band’s latest release, A Church to Fit Our Needs, for his mother, who passed away in 2008 from suicide. At times haunting, intensely layered, and vulnerable, the album is a work of beauty — and seeing the group perform live is not to be missed.
$16?$20, Friday, April 13, 7:30 p.m., Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 800-440-6975, mfa.org.

The Touré-Raichel Collective
It’s pretty great that we live in a city where there are multiple must-see shows almost every week. Case in point? You must head to Somerville to catch Vieux Farka Touré and Idan Raichel play tracks from their late-March release, The Tel Aviv Session. Touré is a Malian guitar virtuoso (his father was the legendary Ali Farka Touré), while Raichel is an Israeli global pop phenom in his own right. After a happenstance meeting in an airport in Europe, the pair became friends, and a year and a half ago recorded the album together, which, mind you, was entirely improv — meaning a live performance will be nothing short of spellbinding.
$28, Sunday, April 15, 7 p.m., Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, 617-876-4275, worldmusic.org.

Beer
Nerax
The New England Real Ale Exhibition kicked off yesterday, but it’s not too late to get in on some real ale — that is, cask-conditioned ales from both regional (Cisco Brewers, Hill Farmstead) and U.K. (Adnam’s, Fuller’s) brewers. But what is real ale, you ask? According to the NERAX website, “Flavor and texture is what real ale is all about. Lovers of cask-conditioned beers enjoy the broader range of flavors that result from the clear, naturally carbonated ale served at cellar temperatures. There is less gassiness, less head on the beer, more beer in a glass!” Organized by the cask-conditioned Ale Support Campaign (CASC), expect lots of bitters, porters, stouts, ESBs, golden and pale ales, and IPAs as well as a few ciders, darks, and reds.
$15, through Saturday, times vary, Somerville American Legion Hall Post 388, 163 Glen St., Somerville, 617-623-9490, nerax.org.

Word Nerds
Lounge Lit: Readings With a Twist
Listen to local authors like William Giraldi and Marianne Leone read 10-minute excerpts from their own books — with the assistance of a few professional actors and readers. WBUR‘s Adam Ragusea will host, and the ticket price includes beer, wine, and apps. Proceeds benefit the Boston Book Festival, which I can totally get behind, because whether they’re digital or print, reading books will always be awesome.
$20 in advance, $25 at the door, Thursday, April 19, 6 – 8 p.m., Think Tank, One Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617-500-3031, bostonbookfest.org.

Photography
Looking Back: The Waterworks through the Lens of Steve Rosenthal
Steve Rosenthal has been photographing architecture since the ’60s, so it comes as no surprise that his keen eye for lines, shape, and light make for thoughtful images of any engineered space. This exhibit, which marks the Waterworks Museum’s first anniversary, features images from 1995 that document the building during a time of transition, when it wasn’t clear whether or not the historical Chestnut Hill pumping station would be preserved. “These photographs capture the grandeur of the Museum’s remarkable turn-of-the-century machinery in a way that allows you to envision the original working conditions,” said Executive Director Beryl Rosenthal in a press release.
Free, runs through July 1, Overlook Gallery, Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St., Boston, 617-277-0065, waterworksmuseum.org.