This weekend on a shoestring

Thursday, Feb. 14

• From the university’s website, “Brevard College’s Wind Ensemble will present an exciting program of new music for concert band at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13 in the College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts. The concert is free and open to the public. The College ensemble will be joined by guest student conductors from BC’s Music Department, as well as the Brevard High School Wind Ensemble. Together, the musicians will present a unique and entertaining program of new band music that connects performers with cutting-edge composers through sound and social media. … Featuring musical styles that range from Gregorian chant to modern electronic music, the compositions provide bands with new performance options that expand the more traditional band music repertoire. The performance will include works by Bob Margolis, Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass, Jonathan Newman and North Carolina composer Steven Bryant. Several of the featured composers will address the audience directly through Internet during the performance. Other selections on the program include a setting of J.S. Bach’s chorale tune “My Jesus, O What Anguish” and Mozart’s opera overture “Il Re Pastore (The Shepherd King).” Dr. Miller Asbill, who leads the Brevard College Wind Ensemble, will present a pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. He will discuss the pieces to be performed as well as how social media can open a new world of musical learning and appreciation for students.” Info: 884-8211 or Asbillmm@brevard.edu.

• “Mechanical Eye Microcinema (MEM) will host a screening of short films about love and heartbreak on Feb. 14 at the BeBe Theater,” according to a press release. “The film program is a mix of handmade, animated, collage, cut-paper animation, live action and even a glitched video game. We’ll be showing a mix of video and 16mm prints! Come prepared for beauty, humor, cuteness, romance, strange and a little bit of sad.” 20 Commerce St. 8 p.m. $5; no one turned away.

Friday, Feb. 15

• Enjoy a beautiful morning stroll and contribute to local conservation efforts at the Great Backyard Bird Count, which will document bird diversity at Lake James State Park, 6883 N.C. Highway 126, Nebo. The group meets at the Paddy’s Creek Area office breezeway. Be prepared to hike. 9 p.m. Free. Info: 584-7728. 

• From an Xpress review last year, “On one hand, The Anam Cara Theatre Company‘s third installment of Naked Girls Reading was exactly what one would expect: naked women reading from an unadorned stage. But within the first five minutes it was clear that the production’s entertainment value had little to do with nudity, beyond the novelty of witnessing three performers casually disrobe and take their seats. The concept began three years ago in Chicago, and performances have been hosted by local companies across the country. … All and all, the night was playful, fun and laid back from start to finish, and the performers were relaxed, charismatic and engaging throughout. Of course nudity was always a part of the performance, and it was always supposed to be. But by the end of the night, it was an afterthought and something that seemed completely reasonable, proof that the performance’s mission had been fulfilled.” Catch the series’ 10th installment, “The Best of the Best,” this weekend at Toy Boat Community Arts Space, 101 Fairview Road. 18 and over. 8 p.m. Dance party to follow. $10 in advance.

• Looking for a little variety in your entertainment? Apothecary, 39 Market St., presents Late Night Show Asheville Tonight!, a variety show with comedy, music and more. 9 p.m. $5.

Saturday, Feb. 16

• Looking to beef up your record collection? Searching for that hard-to-find first edition? The Asheville Music Collectors Show will feature music dealers from across the Southeast offering vintage LPs, 45s and CDs at Sheraton Four Points, 22 Woodfin St. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $2. Info: http://avl.mx/pr.

• Enjoy watching others suffer … for a good cause? The Polar Bear Plunge, to benefit Meals on Wheels, will feature costumes and outdoor swimming at The Asheville Racquet Club, 200 Racquet Club Road. Free to attend/$5 chili lunch.

• ”RiddleFest 2013, sponsored by the Traditional Voices Group in association with the North Carolina Humanities Council, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Burnsville Town Center,” according to a website for the event. “This year the afternoon seminar and evening concert is devoted to an exploration of the use of story and song in southern Appalachia to transmit family values and community history. ‘This Mountain Life in Story and Song’ is both seminar and concert. Featured presenters and performers are singer/storyteller Michael Reno Harrell and singer Laura Boosinger. The 2013 RiddleFest kicks off with an afternoon seminar that focuses on creating and telling a story. Presenters are Harrell and Boosinger. The seminar is held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Burnsville Town Center. This event is free and open to the public. Following the seminar, an evening concert features performances by renowned singer/storyteller Michael Reno Harrell, singer Laura Boosinger and the RiddleFest Revue. The concert is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m in the Burnsville Town Center.” 6 S. Main St. $10 for evening performance.

• From the indie rock outfit’s Facebook page, “Modern Man was born in a Columbia Heights row house in Washington, D.C. in the year 2010. Modern Man emerged fully clothed with guitars for hands and drum sticks for feet. Though unsightly and temperamental from an early age, Modern Man excelled at making lots of noise.” The band plays The Odditorium, 1045 Haywood Road, with Cement Stars and Knives and Daggers. 9 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 17

• Enjoy an afternoon of historical theater as the Asheville Storytelling Circle presents “An Afternoon with the Lincolns” in UNCA’s Reuter Center. Free. Info: olliasheville.com or 251-6140.