What to do in Philly this week (Mar. 13-19): Billie Eilish, St. Patrick’s Day, a cake fest and more

This week’s events calendar is a bit subject to change. A lot is up in the air: There have been a string of major cancellations in the wake of the coronavirus, including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which was supposed to take place this Sunday. Others canceled or postponed: Billie Eilish, Adam Sandler, Dan + Shay, BalletX among others.

— thingstodo@inquirer.com

Join the Museum of the American Revolution for an after-hours St. Patrick’s Day celebration filled with live Irish music, Irish-inspired food and drink specials, and a 30-minute theatrical performance with an Irish soldier. This also marks the final chance to see the special exhibition Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier. Closing Tuesday, the exhibit features objects from Ireland’s 18th-century revolutionary history and war for independence. — Grace Dickinson

5 p.m. Tuesday, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd St., $10 (free for members), amrevmuseum.org

An exhibition of 15 paintings, along with some watercolors, looks into the Postimpressionist master’s fascination with geology. This has been relatively unexplored territory for art historians, and after its Princeton premiere, the show will travel to London’s Royal Academy of Arts. — Thomas Hine

Through June 14, Princeton University Art Museum, Elm Dr., Princeton, N.J., free, 609-258-3788, artmuseum.princeton.edu

Calling all sweet tooths, this annual cake competition invites you to dive into two dozen samples from pastry chefs across the region. This year’s theme is “Mythical, Magical Beasts, and Creatures,” so expect plenty of creative designs to admire, too. The event benefits Variety – The Children’s Charity, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of children and young adults with disabilities. — Grace Dickinson

6 p.m. Sunday, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 12th and Market Sts., $40 in advance, $50 at the door, varietyphila.org

Cleopatra built alliances with warlords of the Roman empire. Neferusobek was the first woman to definitively take the title of King. Nefertiti brought together a fractured Egypt. What can we learn from these remarkable Egyptian leaders? Dive into the topic of female power with professor of Egyptology Kara Cooney during a special National Geographic speaker series at the Kimmel Center. Cooney will shine the spotlight on women often neglected in history books and explore how they worked both with and against a patriarchal society. — G.D.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., $24.50-$99, kimmelcenter.org

Sudan Archives is the nom de music of Brittney Parks, the Cincinnati-born, Los Angeles-based violinist and singer who is in the vanguard of musicians like Solange and FKA Twigs, who are pushing R&B in arty, experimental directions. Parks made her mark on a pair of EPs in 2017 and 2018, but really hit her stride with last year’s impressive full-length debut, Athena. Cartel Madras, consisting of Canadian sister rappers Priya and Bhagya Ramash, is the opening act. — Dan DeLuca

8 p.m. Friday, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $15-$18, 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com

A double bill of two stalwart Philly rock bands, each reformed with renewed commitment and accumulated wisdom. Poppy, who got back together in 2017 after years apart, are a family band. The rugged, hard-rocking trio is fronted by guitarist Kate Campbell, with husband Brian Campbell on bass and brother Craig Heim on drums. Their rugged new LP, Snakes of New Jersey, recorded with Brian McTear and released on Ardmore’s Sister Raygun records, is their first since 2000. Foxycontin is the hard-hitting trio fronted by Rich Kaufmann, formerly of the punky Electric Love Muffin and the countrified Rolling Hayseeds. Fourteen years ago, the band released one song, but its late breaking debut is due in May. — D.D.

8 p.m. Friday, Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., $8, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com

It seems sort of quaint now that the Dead Kennedys’ ability to make money from their music was once threatened by the impropriety of their name, among other provocations. Indeed, the band was once criminally charged with distributing harmful material to minors (because of a vulgar album cover, which singer Jello Biafra debated with Tipper Gore on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986). Nevertheless, the Dead Kennedys remain, and remain rockin', immortalized by their hardcore punk hits like “Holiday in Cambodia,” “California Über Alles,” and other unprintable titles. Though Biafra is long gone from the band, original members East Bay Ray and Klaus Fluoride remain, alongside longtime drummer D.H. Peligro and relative newcomer Ron Greer. — Jesse Bernstein

8 p.m., Friday, Theatre of Living Arts, 334 South St., Philadelphia, $41-$47, 215-922-1011, tlaphilly.com

Chris Masterson and his wife, Eleanor Whitmore, are Dukes —that is, they are members of Steve Earle’s backing band of that name. Their fourth album as the Mastersons, the new No Time for Love Songs, was produced by Shooter Jennings with the kind of exquisite touch he brought to Tanya Tucker’s great comeback album last year. It’s a set of sparkling folk-rock highlighted by the duo’s luminous harmonies and their songs about navigating the personal and the political in a fraught time. With Bonnie Whitmore. — Nick Cristiano

8 p.m. Friday, the Locks at Sona, 4417 Main St., Manayunk, $14-$18, 833-333-0330, thelocksmusic.com

Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but with band members now scattered around the globe, Yumi Zouma specializes in breezy, bright dance-rock, built on a base of dream pop and disco. Vocalist and keyboard player Christie Simpson (the sole remaining Christchurch resident) sings in a breathy, slightly disaffected voice that’s restrained and nuanced; it’s a lovely contrast to the clean, New Order-like guitars on tracks like “Mirror to the Fire” from the brand-new Truth or Consequences, the quartet’s third album. The band gathers at Boot & Saddle for an intimate, sold-out show Saturday, with L.A. synth-pop duo Magdalena Bay opening. — S.K.

8:30 p.m. Friday, Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., sold out, 267-639-4528, bootandsaddlephilly.com

Don’t let the math scare you away. Yes, the Baltimore quartet Horse Lords construct their compositions on algorithmic principles and densely interlocking polyrhythms, but all that complexity is in service of an ecstatic sound that grabs for the jugular even more than it challenges the cerebrum. You wouldn’t be wrong to call its repeating, evolving patterns minimalist, but that hardly captures its pulse-pounding excitement; the word “drone” gets tossed around a lot, but there’s a rush of activity swirling around in that hypnotic maelstrom. The band’s dissection of avant-jazz, African rhythms, Krautrock and other eclectic influences may be scientific, but definitely of the mad variety. Philly improvisers Ooloi open.

8 p.m., Friday, Pageant: Soloveev, 607 Bainbridge St, $8-$15, firemuseumpresents.com

Roxborough-native Dave Hause, is an old-school punk rocker with a newly found Springsteen-ish lean. The rough and tumble guitarist with a sandy voice and shady lyrics has produced two earnest epics in the last five years — Bury Me in Philly and last year’s Kick. He may have moved to California, but his Philly-based brother Timothy is still part of the Hause rock business. Timothy Hause is an equally smart songwriter, contributing songs (such as “The Ditch”) to Dave’s albums, and playing with his touring band The Mermaid, for nights such as this homecoming gig at Union Transfer. — A.D. Amorosi

8:30 p.m. Saturday, Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., $18, 215-232-2100, utphilly.com