by Alex Melnick
Arts & Life Editor
It’s Easter, y’all! I honestly have no idea what to do on Easter! (So, I’ll be leaving town to go to New Orleans to present at a conference on Popular Culture.) Here are all the events I wish I was going to this weekend:
April 3rd
The Project Africa Benefit Concert
Where: The Russell C. Davis Planetarium
When: 7 p.m.
How Much: $10 General Admission/$25 VIP Tickets
Why: Because going to the concert helps the women of color music group Project Africa go to Ghana this summer for the biennial Pan-African Arts & Culture Festival!
Project Africa is a non-profit headed by R&B/soul musician Rahuka (who is also performing and debuting a music video at the concert). Project Africs wants to bring musicians to Ghana to perform a free concert to promote global connections and a reconnection to black African-American roots. This benefit will also feature performances from musicans Red Planet, Love, Silas, Kerry Thomas, and J. Skyy. This should be a really fun soul and R&B concert, and it’s for a great cause! (Also, there’s the bonus feel of knowing you’re donating to an African-oriented charity that doesn’t play into the “white savior” narrative for once.)
“Cemetary Lane” Burlesque Show (Adams Family Burlesque Show!!!)
Where: Duling Hall
When: Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m.
How Much: $15
Why: Because we all, regardless of sexuality, have an attraction to Morticia & Gomez Adams, and every little girl idolized Wednesday Adams as a child… right? (I still want to be her, it’s fine.)
Jackson’s local burlesque troupe Black Hat Burlesque is going to put on a spoopy sexy night you can’t forget. I’ve seen the photos of the Adams Family costumes and… I can’t forget either. But in a good way. The troupe has been really active lately, and only received rave reviews. There’s no better way to celebrate Good Friday than to see Wednesday Adams shake what her spooky mama gave her, and see what they’re talking about when they say “they’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky they’re altogether ooky, the Adams Family…”
April 4th
Magnolia Roller Vixens Home Season Opener
Where: Jackson Convention Center
When: Doors open at 6 p.m./ Show starts at 7 p.m.
How Much: $12 in advance & $15 at the door/ $5 for children
Why: What Would Jesus Do? If Jesus was here today, he would go see some badass women play roller derby. I’m 100 percent sure of this.
The Magnolia Roller Vixens Roller Derby Team are back in action and kicking off the derby season by taking on the Chattanooga Roller Girls! Our local team is the only roller derby team in its league to have a junior team, and is absolutely worthy of your support and consideration. Their motto is “by the players, for the players,” and the members are totally unpaid for all the buttkicking they do. Celebrate Easter by watching women like Ishee Ruthless, Err’n Geaux Brawl and Kat A. Tonic kick some derby ass.
ReAwaken Who You Are: Sound Healing Concert
Where: Joyflow Yoga Studio, Ridgeland
When: 7 p.m.
How Much: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Why: You need to cleanse yourself of the bad vibes your family brings you, or at least cleanse your soul of all chocolate candy you’ve consumed earlier today. The largest quartz didigeridoo in the world will also be there, so that might be reason enough.
As far as my research tells me, there are people in this world who believe that “singing bowls” can cure them of ailments. (Shut up, not those kind of bowls.) At the very least, this should be an amazing anthropological experience. Carnegie Hall didjeridoo artist Paradiso and singing bowl musician Rasamayi will be at Joyflow Yoga Studios this weekend to sonically heal you by playing beautiful eerie music that they describe as “doorways to multidimensional journeys,” according to the Jackson Free Press website. I will say that I was incredibly stressed, and I listened to their music and immediately started stress weeping, so I think there is definitely something to this sonic healing business.
Honey Island Swamp Band w/ Mississippi Rail Company
Where: Duling Hall
When: 9 p.m.
How Much: $10 in advance/$15 at the door, plus an additional $3 for patrons under 21
Why: Bayou Folk is best folk.
Honey Island Swamp Band, formed by New Orleans natives in California in the aftermath of 
Katerina, is a really excellent swampy folky band that sounds like the members can absolutely beat the entire student body at drinking. I respect that, and I respect them, and so I really recommend people going out to see them. Mississippi Rail Company is a similar blues band in vibe, and both are incredibly technically proficient bands.