The varied artwork isn't the only thing that fills the FRESH ART FESTIVAL in the 700 block of St. Joseph Street in the Warehouse Arts District. This weekend's festival combines all the many visual mediums, from print and glass to jewelry and sculpture, but also spans, primarily, the Southeast region. In fact, this third annual arts celebration, sponsored by the Arts Council of New Orleans, selected works from 85 artists from more than 20 states. One of the more impressive works comes from out West: Aurora, Colo., artist Bill Starke's bronze sculpture The Seeker (pictured). The regional spirit of the Festival even reaches its judges: Kenneth Trapp, the curator-in-charge at the Renwick Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Musem in Washington, D.C., will award $2,500 in prize money in the categories Best of Show and three Awards of Excellence. As an indication of the festival's sudden impact on the arts scene, ArtFair Scrapbook (considered the guide to art festivals) rated last year's Festival No. 67 out of 600 fine arts and crafts festivals in the nation -- in only its second year. Not too shabby. Artist demonstrations will be offered by Mark Derby, Patricia Hulen, Bruce Odell and Studio Inferno. To keep the kids' attention, hands-on activities will be provided. Proceeds from the event fund the Arts Council of New Orleans' programs, including the recently established Louisiana ArtWorks. The Fresh Art Festival is free and open to the public, while tickets to Friday's 7 p.m. preview party are $50 for non-members, $25 members. The festival also runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 523-1465; to see the artists' work, visit www.artscouncilofneworleans.org. -- David Lee Simmons

Jane Monheit 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St.,529-BLUE Jane Monheit plays In the Sun on Wednesday at House of Blues. Alongside Norah Jones and Diana Krall, Jane Monheit is helping spearhead a renaissance of sorts for jazz vocals. Like Krall and Jones, Monheit happens to be gorgeous, but also has the talent to match her looks. The warm voice of the twentysomething Monheit has turned heads in contemporary jazz ever since she took first runner-up honors in the 1998 Thelonious Monk competition. Since then she's worked with esteemed collaborators such as Kenny Barron, Hank Crawford and David "Fathead" Newman, as well as legendary producer Joel Dorn, known for his work with legends like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jimmy Scott and Charles Mingus. Dorn produced Monheit's new CD, In the Sun, which features her warm and fluid voice on tracks like Judy Collins' "Since You Asked" and the Brazilian beauty "Once I Walked in the Sun," featuring vocals and piano work from composer Ivan Lins. Last year she joined Krall, Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson on New Orleanian Terence Blanchard's tribute to Jimmy McHugh, Let¹s Get Lost. Monheit unabashedly admits Ella Fitzgerald is her biggest influence, and it shows beautifully. Tickets $20. -- Scott Jordan

Punk Rock/Heavy Metal Karaoke 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 Shim Sham Club, 615 Toulouse St.,299-0666 Ever wonder what it's like to be Ozzy when he's not at home cursing? The Shim Sham Club's new regular Wednesday night Punk Rock and Heavy Metal Karaoke will give you a taste. That is, if you're bold enough to front a band of local experts. Singer/actor Flynn De Marco -- best known for his glam-rock title role in last summer's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- hosts the event as a British punk rocker; a live backing band features members of the Angry Inch and Supagroup. The signup sheet is packed with scorchers by everyone from the Ramones and the Clash to Motörhead and Motley Crüe. (Feel free to add a few umlauts to your own name.) The band will also take requests to learn for the following week, so they'll be a virtual punk-metal jukebox by the new year. The event comes complete with a one-dollar Pabst special to dissolve your inhibitions, so put on your black eyeliner and get on stage. No cover. -- Cristina Diettinger

Improvisational Arts Council Acid Test 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 Blue Nile, 532 Frenchmen St., 948-2583 If listening to creative music is an exercise in tolerance, then the Improvisational Arts Council is the ultimate antidote to artistic conformity. Concentrating on the visceral nature of improvisation, the local quintet's Thursday evening "Acid Tests" provide musical litmus tests for seasoned listeners and newbies alike. With creative music kingpins Jimbo Walsh (bass) and Janna Saslaw (flute) at the helm, the band also features guitarist Mark Fowler and frequent sit-ins by local luminaries like Sheik Rasheed and Kidd Jordan. Drawing on the spirits of legendary groundbreaking artists like Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Sonny Sharrock and John Coltrane, the stylistically defiant, improvisational repertoire ranges from chamber music to free jazz and whacked-out funk. Past Acid Test themes include musical commentary on the creation myth and other socio-political issues. This week's show will concentrate on promoting peaceful energy in response to the current world conflict. Acid Tests will run every Thursday evening throughout this fall. No cover. -- Diettinger

Tchaikovsky's Other Concerto Orpheum Theatre, 129 University Place, 523-6530 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17; 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 To recreate works by composers from centuries past, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is bringing to town some great young talents. The rising stars come in the form of guest conductor Stefan Sanderling, a German prodigy now firmly ensconced in professional circles both in Europe and America, and Robert Henry, a 28-year-old who in 2001 won the New Orleans International Piano Competition. Sanderling's composing career began as one of Germany's youngest chief conductors in 1990, and by age 25 he had conducted many of Europe's leading companies. Henry, who has appeared on National Public Radio, won three other international piano competitions in the 2001-2002 season. Together, the two will guide the LPO through a program of Weber's "Overture Oberon," Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 2" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 4." Tickets range from $11 to $52 and are available through the LPO at 523-6530 or www.lpomusic.com. -- Frank Etheridge

Michel Camilo 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 Loyola University, Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall, 6363 St. Charles Ave., 865-3037 A few years ago, I was sitting next to Henry Butler when we heard a piano set by Michel Camilo at Jazz Fest. While listening to live music, Henry often appears very solemn, and in general he's not easily impressed by what he hears. But that day, he was grinning widely and loving it. Jazz pianist Michel Camilo's music is high-energy bliss, sounding like a modern-day Erroll Garner. He hails from the Dominican Republic, land of the merengue, and has been on our national scene for around 20 years. Camilo's technique is staggering, and like other top-flight jazzmen of today (Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett), he's been involved in classical projects during the last few years, in addition to jazz. His acceptance into the jazz mainstream might have opened the door for talents like Danilo Perez and Eliane Elias. Opening for Camilo is New Orleans' ever-so-suave vocalist Philip Manuel, in the latest concert in the Jazz and Heritage Foundation's Jazz Journey series, which pairs national and local artists. This is a terrific double-bill; go, and prepare to grin. No cover. -- Tom McDermott

Picasso at the Lapin Agile 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 18-19; through Nov. 2 Skyfire Theatre, 332 N. New Hampshire St., Covington, (985) 875-7577 Few places conjure up images of thought-provoking dialogue like the cafes and salons of Paris. Working to capture this creative and cultural energy in a contrived but captivating setting is Steve Martin's comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile. The story centers on the random crossing of paths for Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein. Set at a Parisian bar in 1904, the two luminaries of art and science, respectively, wax philosophical on topics ranging from women to their respective disciplines to the meaning of life. A cast of bar regulars and visitors chime in as well, rounding out viewpoints and observations that only a barroom can offer. Deborah Bettelli makes her directing debut with a cast that includes Shawn Patterson as Picasso, Skyfire veteran Scott DeVore as Einstein and Ladson Deyne as the bartender. Tickets are $18 adults, $15 students and seniors. For more info, visit www.skyfire.tv. -- Etheridge

Rabadash Records' 20th anniversary party 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 Mid City Lanes' Bowl Me Under, 4133 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3133 The plummeting fortunes of the record industry have contributed to the demise of local indies like Black Top in recent years, which makes Rabadash Records' 20th year in business even more of a noteworthy accomplishment. Label owner and local musician John Autin has achieved this milestone by modestly making quality records with local artists, without big-budget expenditures. Among the notable albums in the Rabadash catalog are works by the late New Orleans pianist Al Broussard, the debut albums of Anders Osborne and Theresa Andersson, and solo efforts by the subdudes' John Magnie. Most of the label's present and past artists will be on hand for this celebration, including Andersson, Magnie, Rockin' Jake, and a house band featuring Lenny McDaniel and Big Daddy-O. The bash also marks another milestone for pianist Autin; after two-plus decades of being a sideman and guiding other artists, he's celebrating the release of his debut CD, Piano Face. $10 cover. -- Jordan

Doug Martsch 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS It's always interesting when a critically favored front man puts his band on hiatus to indulge himself with a solo project. In the case of indie rock band Built to Spill leader Doug Martsch, the outcome is a stylistic surprise. Rotating Built to Spill band members for years to keep the blood fresh, Martsch is known for his progressive outlook. This time, he's shocked us all with a giant backward step. On his solo album, Now You Know, released last month, Martsch shows his affinity for the blues element in rock 'n' roll with all sorts of slide guitar techniques. Always adding his own twists to rock cliches, Martsch continues the tradition here with original songs inspired by the work of slide heroes like Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and George Harrison. Former Dinosaur Jr. bassist and indie rock fixture Mike Johnson opens. Ian Waters is also on the bill. Tickets $13. -- Diettinger

Ula the Pain Proof Rubber Girl 7 p.m. to midnight Friday-Sunday, Oct. 25-27 House of Shock, 4951 River Road, Jefferson, 734-7462 Over the past 10 Halloweens, Phil Anselmo has created bona fide horror at the House of Shock, delivering its thrills with equal doses of fright and freakiness. This weekend, freaking flows to center stage with the arrival of Ula the Pain Proof Rubber Girl, who will perform for three days and nights at the shock shop. Ula's sexy, sadistic contortions first made a splash in the 1994 Alice in Chains video for "No Excuses." Since then, she has appeared along a unique circuit that includes stops at Lollapalooza, Sally Jesse Raphael's television show, and halftime of New York Knicks basketball games. Ula's stunts include solo trapeze, bed of nails (and machetes!), contortion, putting out cigars with her mouth and the "Western Bullwhip" (we don't know either; go and find out for yourself). House of Shock admission $12. For more info on Ula, visit www.painproofrubbergirls.com; more on House of Shock is available at www.houseofshock.com. -- Etheridge

(Re) Introducing New Orleans African American Artists Through October Barrister's Gallery, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 525-2767 Is art elitist? Only for the rich and glitzy? No, of course not -- many of the most famous artists of yore would have qualified for food stamps today. But perceptions can be intimidating, which is why open shows such as Barrister's current expo of 58 African-American artists can be so valuable. Open to any and all in the African-American community, it's not just a chance for otherwise unknown artists to gain the experience of being shown in a real gallery setting; it's also a rare look at the creative forces now at work in the community. While art buffs have for years admired the often dazzling works of local African-American artists such as John Scott, Jeffrey Cook, Walter Payton, Kimberly Dummons and Clifton Webb, this show reflects a far more populist vision: an opportunity for new beginnings without preconditions. Art, after all, is for everyone. -- D. Eric Bookhardt