• Downtown at Arnold's tonight (Friday), catch influential cult hero Paleface, a man who has been on the cutting edge of contemporary music's continual fascination with traditional Folk music and an influence on some of the more adventurous musicians who seek to translate that vintage spirit into their own voice. Over the past 20-plus years, the singer/songwriter has been an Anti Folk torchbearer and an Indie Folk mentor, first learning songwriting and lo-fi recordings from underground legend Daniel Johnston in the late ’80s. From there he went on to teach a few tricks to roommate Beck (pre-fame), help the so-called "Freak Folk" scene grow freakier and folkier and collaborate frequently with pals The Avett Brothers. Whether directly or indirectly, if you dig today's "Indie Folk" — or any brand of slanted or subversive Americana — you've likely heard the results of Paleface's unique influence. Click here to read more.Paleface's show tonight at Arnold's is free and — icing on the cake — great local Folk Pop group Shiny and the Spoon opens the show at 9 p.m. The gig will also be the first one for which Arnold's has commissioned a special concert poster. Crafted by talented local artist Keith Neltner (who has done commissioned poster art for Alice in Chains, Modest Mouse, Hank Williams III, The Avett Brothers, Cake, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and many others), the prints (pictured above) are available for $25 while they last (only 50 were pressed). Here's Paleface's video for his ode to NYC, fittingly titled "New York, New York." UPDATE: Arnold's just announced this afternoon that Paleface has cancelled due to illness. A rescheduled date is in the works. Shiny and the Spoon is still performing. • After the best summer series yet, the final MidPoint Indie Summer concert on Fountain Square goes down tonight at 7 p.m. And the every-Friday series is going out with a bang, featuring a flawless triple bill of local acts. Things get started with superb modern Soul translators The Guitars, who will be followed by the duo R. Ring, featuring Dayton, Ky.'s Mike Montgomery (longtime local engineer ad musician, currently with Ampline) and Dayton, Ohio's Kelley Deal (The Breeders). R. Ring spoke with CityBeat's Brian Baker about the project in this week's paper. Read it online here. Headlining tonight's Fountain Square concert is Wussy, the now-veteran four-piece that is gearing up for some huge happenings on the horizon, including tour dates with The Afghan Whigs and Heartless Bastards and a trip to the U.K. by co-frontpeople/singer/guitarists Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver (playing as a duo) for several shows in support of the band's first U.K. release, Buckeye, a retrospective that came out to glowing reviews this summer. Read more about Wussy's many goings on here. Here's the skate video by Kristian Svitak that R. Ring helped re-soundtrack. After DEVO's record label removed the video because it used the group's song "Mr. DNA," Svitak got together to record a new version with Deal and Montgomery. The song in the re-edited video was so popular, R. Ring released it as a limited edition single and local label Phratry Records released it digitally. (Click here to get your own copy.) • Popular local Gypsy Jazz favorites and Django Reinhardt devotees The Faux Frenchmen celebrate the group's 10th anniversary tonight with a show at downtown's Blue Wisp Jazz Club. A decade ago this fall, the band (which features esteemed local musicians George Cunningham, Brian Lovely, Paul Patterson and Don Aren) made its debut, starting an every-Monday residency at former Clifton restaurant Tink's. Over the years, the band has only gotten more popular, drawing attention from outside of Cincinnati and performing numerous road dates (this fall they return for their sixth appearance at the annual Jazz at Chautauqua Festival in New York).  The band's anniversary show begins at 8:30 p.m. and admission is $10. Here's a clip from the Frenchmen performing on another anniversary — Reinhardt's birthday (taken from one of their annual appearances on WNKU in honor of Django).• The performers for the weekly "Friday Flow" concerts at Washington Park are always a bit of a surprise because the lineups have been announced within only a week or two of the performances. It's also a surprise because the featured act is usually something pleasantly unexpected. Dayton Funk greats Lakeside ("Fantastic Voyage") popped up one week and Neo Soul star Dwele launched the series this summer. Tonight's free Friday Flow concert is another cool, unanticipated treat. Just announced earlier this week, the show will feature R&B singer Chrisette Michele, a Hip Hop hook-singer extraordinaire (with Jay-Z, Nas, The Game and others) who has also had a successful career on her own, releasing a handful of acclaimed, charting albums for Def Jam. The other headliner is Rob Base, a Hip Hop artist most know from his 1988 hit with DJ E-Z Rock, "It Takes Two." Because of the volleyball tournament in Washington Park tonight, gates for the concert won't open until 7:30 p.m. Another change from the usual Friday Flow flow (also due to volleyball) — no food, drinks or coolers will be permitted (this weekend only). Extra food vendors will be on hand to feed the masses. Click here for even more live music events going on tonight in Greater Cincy.

Raise money for the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati while chasing a pack of stone-cold foxes? You can be a part of the fun at tonight’s Fox and Hound 5K at Sawyer Point. The race combines fundraising, running, walking and flirting for participants of all athletic abilities. Here’s the deal: The "hounds" (fellas) will chase the "foxes" (ladies), who get a five-minute head start for the race. Pairs of men and women can also compete to become top foxes and hounds. For those who haven’t yet registered, it’s $45 for the race, after-party admission, a T-shirt and chip timing (if available). Registration opens at 6 p.m.; the race starts at 7. Stick around post-race for an after-party at the park's Cincinnatus Sculpture.The Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation (CUMHF) presents a celebration for the limited-edition digital EP/art package of Come Play The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams tonight at the CUMHF's (as well as CityBeat's) HQ, 811 Race St. The EP is $20; admission is a $5 donation to the foundation for non-members (or free to those who buy the EP). Guests will also get to see a video of the "Guitar Army" that performed at the 60th anniversary of the "Train Kept A-Rollin'" recording, last summer on Fountain Square. Doors open at 7 p.m. Over at Washington Park, The Chris Comer Trio performs as part of the weekly Jazz in the Park series. Music runs 7-9 p.m. While you’re there, peep the sand volleyball court being set up for tomorrow's AVP Cincinnati Open kick-off. Volleyball players fresh off the boat from London’s Summer Olympics will play 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Find tickets here. As September approaches and summer winds down, two additional free, weekly events come to an end tonight. It’s Commonly Jazz welcomes the Mike Wade Septet featuring Steve Wilson to Eden Park Seasongood Pavilion. The free concert runs 6-8 p.m. Salsa on the Square goes out with a bang tonight with music from Tropicoso (the group behind Latin Monday Nights at The Mad Frog). Learn to dance from Salsa pros or watch the fun while enjoying a cold beer. If you haven’t shown off your dance skills yet, strut your stuff on Fountain Square from 7-10 p.m. Looking for a spot to grab dinner or drinks? We suggest Lavomatic, the recently made-over café in The Gateway Quarter. Check out this week’s review here.

Screech is going to be at Boogie Nights. The ‘90s TV geek-turned-porn star Dustin Diamond will make an appearance at Hollywood Casino’s night club Friday. Cover is $10 cover, but admission is free if you dress like Kelly Kapowski, Lisa Turtle, Jessie Spano or any of your favorite Saved By the Bell characters. Doors open at 9 p.m. Get ready to dance like you’re so excited… The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON, real thing) hosts an international symposium this weekend at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. If you have seen an unexplainable object in the sky, are interested in the idea of intelligent extraterrestrial life or just love a good conspiracy theory, here’s an opportunity to share your stories and learn more about UFOs. Speakers include a nuclear physicist, an abduction researcher, an aerospace engineer and many others in the field. Additionally, researchers at MUFON will announce a major discovery, presenting credible evidence for UFOs. Register here and see what it’s all about, Friday-Sunday in Covington (Spoiler Alert: ticket prices are kinda steep). Remember Wiedemann beer? George Widemann founded the company in 1870 with a brewery on Columbia Street in Newport, Ky., making the Bohemian-style beer synonymous with Northern Kentucky. The brewery closed in 1983, but the brand has recently been reclaimed and the new owners are debuting Wiedemann’s Special Lager Friday night. Swing by Pompilio’s, another Newport landmark, at 5 p.m. for a celebration and the inaugural keg-tapping at 5:30 p.m. Washington Park hasn’t even been open for a month and already it’s become a city hub, bringing tons of Cincinnatians and visitors together. On Friday, four of the city’s prominent performance organizations will also come together for a concert and show unlike any we’ve seen in the park thus far. The performance will include Cincinnati Ballet dancers, the Cincinnati Pops, Cincinnati Opera soloists and the May Festival Chorus, with conductor John Morris Russell. Bring lawn chairs and blankets and get comfy on the Civic Lawn. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Hamilton County Park District has teamed up with edible Ohio Valley Magazine to present the first Ohio Valley Greenmarket, a weekend-long festival celebrating local eats and agriculture and healthy, sustainable food practices. Special events include a pig roast Friday at Winton Woods; a workshop and lecture on green floral design Saturday; and Sunday’s big greenmarket at Glenwood Gardens, featuring a farmers market, cooking and gardening demos, speakers and activities for kids. “Back to School” might have been out of your vocabulary for a few years, but there are local kids whose summers are coming to an end and they are still in need of adequate supplies. So, once again, PROJECTMILL presents Back to School_MF this Saturday. In addition to fun art installations and dance music, MFers are asked to bring donations for area students. Think standard school supplies like pencils, notebooks, markers, crayons, backpacks, and other goodies you couldn’t go without when you were in school. Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers optional. The free dance party is 10 p.m.-1:45 a.m. at Northside Tavern. Ongoing events this weekend include: the World’s Longest Yard Sale 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily through Sunday at MainStrasse Village; Glier’s Goettafest at Newport on the Levee every day through Sunday; more recommended arts, theater and event picks here. And be sure to stop by the square tonight for the MidPoint Indie Summer Series with Bear Hands, Lightning Love and Fort Lead, 7-11 p.m.!

If the city smells especially savory, you must be catching the aroma of Cincy's unofficial favorite food as Glier’s Goettafest takes over Newport on the Levee. Tonight through Sunday, folks can grub on goetta nachos, corn dogs, reubens, sushi, chili and more (plus plenty of swine-free options). Expect festival staples like rides, games, children’s vendors, live music and — of course — a goetta coney contest. This is Cincinnati, after all. Tonight’s festivities run 5-11 p.m. with live music starting at 6. Admission is free and food runs $1-$6 per item. All who work in a digital field or just enjoy talking shop with techies are invited to AIGA Cincinnati’s Web/Tech Drinkup tonight at Nicholson’s. Every first Thursday, all who enjoy web design, development, technology, digital marketing and social media are welcome to grab drinks and network with industry professionals. Enjoy appetizers and first drinks on the house (thanks to AIGA, Creatives on Call, and ChoreMonster) beginning at 5 p.m. Tonight, Northside non-profit Dramakinetics hosts a trivia night to raise money for the organization’s performing arts classes for children and young adults. Swing by Northside Tavern between 6-9 p.m. for trivia throwdowns, drinks, raffles and more fun stuff. Ten bucks gets you a spot on a four-person trivia team, a door prize ticket and free food. It’s day one of the World’s Longest Yard Sale, which stretches 690 miles from just north of Addison, Mich. to Gadsden, Ala. Rummage and haggle your way along US 127 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily through Sunday. MainStrasse Village is the go-to spot for locals to find vintage goods, antique furniture and killer deals at this gigantic, 25th annual sale. Don’t forget about free weekly events downtown like Salsa on the Square and Jazz in the Park. It's also a really good TV night, jussayin'.

Whenever I hear about laser night at planetariums, I immediately think of Freaks and Geeks. Lindsay and the crew would go to Laser Dome and hang out/make out under squiggly beams set to Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. You can pretend it’s 1980, too, as Drake Planetarium presents Laser Beatles, 8-9 p.m. Making out optional. Mystery novelist and New York Times-bestselling author Alex Kava will discuss and sign her latest book, Fireproof, tonight at Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Rookwood Commons). Like her past mysteries, Kava’s latest follows FBI special agent Maggie O’Dell, this time as she investigates and tracks down a dangerous arsonist. The event begins at 7 p.m. The Clermont County Fair continues tonight with a petting zoo, carnival rides, deep-fried comfort food and live music. Tonight’s lineup features a pie auction and demolition derby. Yes, please! Chic.lits (“fashionable friends of fine art, fine reading and the Mercantile Library) present a screening of the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice tonight at the Merc. Doors open at 6:30 for the 7 p.m. showing and admission is $5 (free for members). Salsa on the Square takes over downtown from 7-10 p.m. tonight. Come for the live tunes from Son del Caribe, stay for the free dance lessons — expert Salsa dancers are always on hand to give tips and show you the basics. Over in Washington Park, it’s Jazz night. Enjoy a free concert by The Chris Comber Quintet, 7-9 p.m.Update: Live After Five at The Banks has been postponed due to heat and possible storms. The event will be rescheduled in August.

Those lucky enough to snag a ticket to Cincinnati Opera’s sold-out run of Maria de Beunos Aires get to see a rare performance, which opens tonight. Cincinnati Opera and concert:nova team up for the first time to present the story of an a woman in Argentina who becomes the embodiment of Tango. If you didn’t get tickets in time, check out our preview to learn the backstory of this CO production. Reggae Wednesday continues on Fountain Square from 7-10 p.m. The Ark Band, a Columbus-based St. Lucian reggae group, performs tonight. Looking for a fun spot to grab dinner or drinks tonight? Mosey on down to Django Western Tacos, Northside’s newest watering hole. Taco options range from chicken to beef tongue to squash and peppers and can be ordered premade or DIY assembly. Django also offers larger traditional Southwest dishes and tasty cocktails. Peep our profile for more tasty morsels. Django Western Tacos is open until midnight tonight. Bandstand Bluegrass is just one of the new weekly free music nights at Washington Park. Each Wednesday, a new band takes the stage — check out The Comet Bluegrass Allstars tonight, 7-9 p.m. Over on the Civic Lawn of Washington Park, Cincinnati Sports Kickball League takes over. Last week’s game rained out, so this is your first chance to check out the ballers in action. Games are each Wednesday from 6 p.m. ‘til dusk. If you want to do your after-work drinking outdoors with a local cover band and thousands of others at Yeatman’s Cove, tonight it your last chance to do so! Party in the Park wraps up tonight with Naked Karate Girls from 5-10 p.m. Enjoy half-priced drinks until 6:30 p.m. American entertainer, dubbed “the man who owned Broadway,” George M. Cohan is the focus of Cincinnati Landmark Production’s latest show. George M!, onstage at Showboat Majestic, features good choreography and showtune classics like “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Tickets to tonight’s 8 p.m. performance are $17-$18. Read our full review here.

Kickball either conjures memories of intense schoolyard fun or ultimate gym class embarrassment. If you prefer the former, you’ll be happy to know Cincinnati Sports Kickball League is taking the game out of the playground and onto Washington Park’s Civic Lawn! Co-ed adult teams will compete each Wednesday, 6-9 p.m. through Sept. 19. If you haven’t signed up with a team or you’re more of a cheerleader, watch the fun from one of many surrounding benches. Or mosey over to the bandstand to check out free Wednesday Bluegrass concerts. The Tillers perform tonight at 7 p.m. If you’re still upset you couldn’t make it to San Diego’s epic Comic-Con this year, share your woes with other local lovers of SciFi, fantasy TV shows and literature, comics and more at Cincinnati Geek Club. The informal group meets at Roxx Electrocafe from 6-9 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month. All nerds welcome! Find more geeky-chic events and meetups from Pandora Promotions here. The Warren County Fair kicked off Tuesday in Lebanon, and tonight’s activities include a garden tractor pull at 6 p.m. Get your fill of corn dogs and funnel cakes, Ferris wheels and farm animals through Saturday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Tickets are $8 (kids 12 and younger get free admission). Yehaw! The Newport Secret Six perform on Fountain Square as part of Reggae Wednesdays. Grab a snack or an icy beverage and relax to some island jams from 7-10 p.m. The free, weekly concert continues every Wednesday through Aug. 29. The World Choir Games have come to an end, but Cincinnati continues to welcome talented artists from around the globe with this week’s World Piano Competition. More than 200 pianists compete through Saturday to be named champion musicians. Tonight’s quarterfinals begin at 6 p.m. at the Aronoff Center. Tickets are $12 through Friday; admission to Saturday’s artist finals are $17.