October Art Events

Photography

Seniors Rule

Aging doesn’t always enjoy the most positive of associations, but the Senior Community Centers is working to change that. On October 11, the non-profit organization will unveil Notes to Our Sons and Daughters, an exhibit highlighting the beauty and wisdom of our local seniors through dramatic black-and-white portraits. Escondido photographer Philipp Scholz Ritterman captured 30 personalities, including Bill Walton and Marion Ross.

// Erin Fitzpatrick

HEAR THIS: Pinback’s Information Retrieved

The only bad thing about Pinback’s new record (out October 16 on Temporary Residence Ltd.) is that we had to wait five years for it. But man, was it worth the wait. From the first notes of the first single, “Proceed to Memory”—the recognizably hypnotic rocking-chair staccato of Zach Smith’s bass; the low, slow burn of Rob Crow’s gentle vox—it’s clear Information Retrieved is unmistakably a Pinback record, yet throughout the album’s 10 tracks, familiarity rarely bleeds into been-there boredom. The mood ranges from minor-key introspective to big and anthemic to slightly funky, with soaring melodies and lockstep rhythms melding with lilting piano and samples of some faraway radio broadcast. On one standout track, “Diminished,” the lyrics ask, “Should it be so hard to have a nice day?” With this album on repeat, that just got a little easier. pinback.com

// Maya Kroth

Actor Phil Johnson

Theater

Mistakes Were Made

It’s about time live theater started taking itself less seriously again. Cygnet’s Mistakes Were Made, a 90-minute comedy, follows a B-list movie producer who gets tangled up in making a film about the French Revolution. Catch this West Coast premiere at the Old Town Stage through October 21. 4040 Twiggs Street, cygnettheatre.com

Symphony

Amadeus, Amadeus!

Conductor Jung-Ho Pak is changing the way you listen to classical music. When his Orchestra Nova performs Mozart this month, audience members will get more than just music, as images and clips from the Academy Award-winning film Amadeus play simultaneously. (Remember Tom Hulce, circa 1984?) Also look for behind-the-scenes reels and interviews with the filmmakers. Amadeus in Concert, October 20–22, various locations, orchestranova.org