A Friday afternoon concert is just the thing to psych you up for a weekend of jamming out and rocking on. Complete this motivational sonic ritual with The Appleseed Collective, which plays VSA North Fourth Art Center (4904 Fourth Street NW) on Friday, March 14, at 12:30pm. Part of an essential concert series aimed at bringing musical experience to the developmentally disabled artists who work and create at N4th, this recital is an excellent opportunity to catch Americana folk ensemble The Appleseed Collective.

The quintet plays a form of American music that has roots in Dixieland, bluegrass and European folk traditions, but remains original and postmodern in its execution; the Collective is thoroughly listenable and full of melodic, rhythmic surprises. Tight chops and the group's youthful, hip performative style make this free, all-ages gig a shouldn't-miss. With merely 60 seats available, reserve your spot today at Amp Concerts website at bit.ly/applesamp. After the show, don’t forget to check out the amazing work of N4th artists and staff. N4th Theater • Fri Mar 14 • 12:30pm • FREE • View on Alibi calendar

We see the intersection between human and machine getting airtime everywhere in pop culture these days, from Her’s husky-voiced operating system to “Almost Human,” the futuristic police procedural in which cop is partnered with android. But dancer and choreographer Cathy Weis has been delving into themes of humanity, technology and physicality for decades in a way that can still startle an audience jaded by ever-present CGI special effects. Live video feeds, monitors, projections, and camera dollies insert the inescapably electronic into dance’s ephemeral physical reality. Figures are repeated, amplified and shown from odd perspectives. But this is no grim exercise in theory—Weis’ brand of genius includes a sense of humor, like in one past show when the artist’s head kibitzed from a b&w television passed to the stage by the audience. Weis, who previously visited the North Fourth Art Center (4904 Fourth Street NW) in 2006, returns to Albuquerque this weekend for An Evening Back at North Fourth with N4th’s Buen Viaje Dance Company. Tickets are $8 for students and seniors, $10 for everyone else. Call 344-4542 or visit vsartsnm.org soon, because there are just two performances: tomorrow, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at 8pm. N4th Theater • Fri Mar 7 • 8-9pm • $8-$10 • View on Alibi calendar