Tonight is the opening party at the Henry Art Gallery for Make Your Own Life: Artists In & Out of Cologne, and what you need to know is as follows:

1. The Rodney Graham Band will be playing, from 8-11 pm! If you do not know Canadian artist and musician Rodney Graham, then it is time. Here he is now.

2. There is also something called The Book of Lists, and Factums with the artist Brent Watanabe, who recently created “the weeping illusion of a creepy puppy” at SOIL, according to Charles Mudede.

3. If the museum lets you wander in and out of the galleries, there’s some great stuff to see. Albert Oehlen’s ugly painting overlooking Merlin Carpenter’s Make Your Own Life, a series of maddening shopping bags on the floor. More on this show later, but for now, do not miss the opening!

(Oehlen)

AND there’s a “listening event and panel discussion” on Saturday at 2 at the Henry that I’m not going to miss, with Rodney Graham and the Music Appreciation Society of Vancouver, B.C. Kathy Slade and Brady Cranfield of the society and special guests Rich Jensen and Mike McGonigal are going to “trade opinions on choice picks from popular music and art.” Myself, I happen to love choice picks.