Kaleidoscope

soul/pop/r&b

In the era of Etsy (and Regretsy), the crafty work of Katherine Kesselring stands out. (Her exhibition, " American Pastime," runs through March 14 at Painted Bride.) The rural Pennsylvania (Dutch) native, currently at home in Philly, has made an aesthetic of her roots (farms, sheep) and tall tales out of their colors, fabrics and imagery. The multimedia artist shows off a deep love of symbol and a rich sense of humor, connecting local lore with that of other East Coast communities (like Baltimore, where she got her BFA in painting). But, honestly, there's no place like home.

That the new year begins in winter seems purposeful: Both invite self-assessment and the potential for renewal, all important themes in playwright Tanya Barfield's Blue Door. Arden Theatre Co.'s production (Jan. 14 to March 21), directed by Walter Dallas, features local favorite Johnnie Hobbs Jr. as a math professor whose wife has just left him. Through a sleepless night, he's visited by a series of ancestors — all played by Barrymore-nominated Kes Khemnu — sharing stories exploring his personal history and cultural identity. "It is only through memory that the soul of an ancestor is kept alive," Barfield muses. "If we forget our past, do we in some way forget ourselves?"

—Mark Cofta

I can't speak to how grizzled the young dobro plucker/brooding singer Nate Farrar truly is. But judging from the scorched-earth Delaware Delta blues and black humorous lyrics of Shell Shocked, Farrar — who plays with G. Calvin Weston at Triumph Brewing Co. in Old City tonight (Jan. 14) — has got worries. His Bukowski-meets-Waits imagery and whiskey-wonking brashness make the most fatalistic blues comes alive.