Mass Appeal 2 • Saturday
At this 413 Battle League event, it’s every Massachusetts man for himself — the event’s headline rap battles, Massachusetts vs. Everyone, pit Mass MCs against out-of-state rivals. As if watching these lyrical engineers fight to outwit and belittle their opponents with words wasn’t enough, DJ Live will be on the tables all night and Tox, of 80 80 Entertainment, will grace the evening with a performance. The show will be held from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. at The Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke. Tickets are $10 before; $15 at the door.
— Amanda Drane
An evening with Johnny Cash & June Carter • Sunday
Johnny Cash and June Carter may have passed away over a decade ago, but their voice doppelgängers are right here in the Valley. This Sunday, Brian Chicoine and Vicky St. Pierre of Cash Is King, a Johnny Cash tribute, will play an intimate acoustic set. All of the profits are going to U.S. military veterans. You’ll leave feeling like you did a good deed for the day all while enjoying a fun night out. Dinner is included in the ticket price: $25 each or $40 per couple. You can purchase your tickets at the American Legion where it will be held, 478 Springfield St., Feeding Hills. Dinner will be at 6 p.m., followed by the show at 7 p.m.
— Jennifer Levesque
Open Studios or Internet Cat Festival? • This weekend
I was all set to go to Eastworks Open Studios this weekend to scoop up some amazing seconds (art that’s a little off and a lot less expensive) and get my Christmas shopping started, but then I got an email about the Internet Cat Video Festival in Amherst and now I don’t know what to do. The cat vid fest features a curated collection of cat clips; from six second Vines to short films. Maybe I’ll hit both. Eastworks Open Studios, Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun., noon to 5 p.m. 116 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Internet Cat Video Festival, Fri., 10 p.m.; Sat., 1 p.m. $5.50-$9.75. Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity St., Amherst.
— Kristin Palpini
Bitter Fruits and Combat Boots • Friday-Saturday
Southern Vermont’s quiet, wooded landscape belies the creative energy fermenting there. Case in point: Sandglass Theater in Putney, which has toured music-puppet-theatre shows through dozens of countries since 1982. The company’s newest offering, a “hip-hopera” collaboration between hand puppeteer Amy Trompetter and East Harlem rap poet Not4Prophet, brings some ferocious rhymes, poems, and urban storytelling to life onstage. The show plays in the small barn theater at Sandglass for two days only, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $13-$16.
— Hunter Styles
