Shonen Knife, Murder For Girls, and Garter Shake at Spirit; ‘Disney’s Aladdin’ Continues at the Benedum (Tues., 9/4/18)

1) When Kurt Cobain’s journals were published in 2002, many fans noted his top 50 albums. Unsurprising were albums such as The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa. You can hear The Pixies’ influence in Nirvana’s music. But Cobain also included Burning Farm by Shonen Knife, an all-female, Japanese, pop-punk trio. What were they doing on Cobain’s list? Well, listen to a song like “On a Plain,” and beneath all that grunge, you can hear some pop. No wonder Cobain not only admired Shonen Knife but also asked the band to open for Nirvana in 1991, which it did. Shonen Knife formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981, and its latest release is 2018’s Alive! In Osaka. For its current tour, original artwork will be available at each stop, including Spirit. Murder for Girls, hot off the release of their sophomore LP, 2017’s All the Pretty Stars, open. Garter Shake also opens. Doors open 8 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. (CM)

2) Disney animated movies provoke a range of opinions, but can we all agree they have some great songs? “Colors of the Wind,” from Pocahontas, is hard to beat, while Aladdin makes the list with “(You Ain’t Never Had a) Friend Like Me.” Sung by the late Robin Williams in the film, it’s a Cab Calloway-style strut-my-stuff song about all the cool things the lamp genie can do. The stage musical that’s adapted from the movie turns “Friend Like Me” into a major, rock-the-house production number. You can catch it, along with the show’s other tunes and antics, because the touring company of Disney’s Aladdin is visiting Benedum Center. They’re in town for a long run: 23 performances over 18 days. Hesitate not, however, for a long run bespeaks popularity. You might need a genie to get tickets if you wait. 7:30 p.m. Continues through September 9. 237 7^thSt., Cultural District. (MV)

Talk about synchronicity: These dancers are def in synch, in ‘Disney’s Aladdin.’

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