Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, March 29 

Dance: Want to feel what it’s like to be submerged underwater without, you know, actually being submerged under water? The Aquatexture dance show this weekend at the Yards (50-52 Public Market) will give you a pretty good sense of that oceanic feeling. The Quadratic Trio will perform a musical composition with a four-channel quadraphonic sound system that recreates the sounds of the ocean, and one dance company will perform an accompanying dance inspired by submarine movement. The Aquatexture plays at 8:30 p.m. tonight, and at 4 and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 30. Tickets are $15 at the door, or $10 in advance through attheyards.com.

Music: You all know them: Rochester's own Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, the psychedelic roots reggae quintet, but soon, it will be knocked down to being a quartet, when keyboardist Aaron Lipp leaves the band. Catch Lipp’s last performance with the Giant Panda squad when the band headlines at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.), with Turkuaz and Los Sinseminos opening. Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door, and $16 for unders. Doors open at 8 p.m., music starts at 9. Go to waterstreetmusic.com for tickets and more shows.

Film: “Waiting” might not sound like an exciting theme for a film festival. But when that waiting is followed by action, well, there you have something exciting. You’ll witness both parts of this process in the second and final day of the Waiting/Action film series, hosted by students in the University of Rochester’s Visual and Cultural Studies graduate program. Starting at 6:30 p.m., there will be screenings of five rarely-seen short films from across the world, all in 16mm prints: “The Life of Juanita Castro,” “Rear Window,” “The Deadman,” “Shinjuku Station,” and “Ah, Liberty!” The screenings will be held in Hoyt Auditorium on UR’s River Campus (252 Elmwood Ave.), and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit humanities.lib.rochester.edu/onfilm.

Music: 2 Chainz has worked his way up in the hip-hop world through his collaborations with Drake and Nicki Minaj, and with his own mix tapes and albums, including last year’s debut LP “Based on a T.R.U. Story.” Now he’s embarked on his first headline national tour, which brings him to the Main Street Armory (900 E. Main St.). Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9. Tickets are $40-60, and must be purchased at the door. Go to rochestermainstreetarmory.com for more info and shows.

Comedy: Bryan Ball, a founding member of the local comedy troupe 3 Guys Walk Into a Bar, is getting married next month. But you don’t need to be a guest of honor at the wedding to enjoy in the fun of The Showcase for Brian Ball, a comedic roast presented by 3 Guys Walk Into a Bar at Boulder (100 Alexander St.). The roast, which runs from 8 to 10:30 p.m., will feature nearly a dozen fellow comedians giving Ball a proper send-off, including Mikey Heller, Katie Wood, and Vinnie Paulino. Tickets are $5 at the door, with all proceeds going to Ball and his bride-to-be. (Good deal for them, huh?) Go to bouldercoffeeco.com for more info and events at other Boulder locations.

Music: First Friday is the time for art; Last Friday, meanwhile, is the time for jazz. The music and cultural legacy of John Coltrane will be honored at “…from the Coltrane Songbook,” this month’s event in the Last Friday Jazz Heritage Series at the Baobab Cultural Center (728 University Ave.). Starting at 7 p.m., Carl Atkins, a music professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (and ace saxophonist), will lead his band Culture Clash through a set of Coltrane classics, including “Giant Steps,” “Blue Trane,” and “My Favorite Things.” After the concert, Atkins will lead a question and answer session about Coltrane’s works and historical significance. Tickets are $10 at the door. Visit thebaobab.com for more info and events.

Literary: Did you read Luis Alberto Urrea’s novel “Into the Beautiful North,” this year’s selection for Writers and Books’ If All of Rochester Read the Same Book… program? No? Damn. Well, those who did can catch Urrea’s last two appearances of his three-day visit to Rochester. Urrea will stop by Monroe Community College (1000 E. Henrietta Rd.) from noon to 1:30 p.m. for a reading and signing, and then head to Valley Manor (1570 East Ave.) for another reading and signing from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Both events are free. Visit wab.org for more information.

Music: Do you have dreams of outer space? DIGDUGDIY is back with a whole new groove, and a pressing need to know. In fact, this group would descend the deepest moon crater to find out. Headlining this foray out is The Archaeologist, who, while still leaning in a distinctly mid-tempo electronic direction, has gone all Daft Punk on us in his latest release. In a DIY spirit, this can be purchased on cassette inside a Walkman. Bobby Fischer will be there to enthrall us with some smooth, occasionally electro-tinged rap. Rounding out the evening will be DJMK and Ramblin’ E Moore with his guitar getting a little folky. As always, the pinball machine will be in the corner waiting to eat quarters. DIGDUGDIY Space Camp party takes place tonight, 10 p.m. at Skylark Lounge, 40 S. Union St. $3. 18+. 270-8106, theskylarklounge.com.

Music: I’ve been digging Hank & Cupcakes for a couple of years now. The married musical couple — Hank (bass) and Cupcakes (vocals, drums) — used to shake butts on the Israeli music scene prior to moving to Cuba and eventually Brooklyn. With a publishing deal from BMG Germany and fans all across the globe, something tells me that these two are destined for world domination. Hank suspends reality with effects that make the duo sound more like a trio or quartet. Cupcakes bangs on the drums and sings like a bird. The pair’s shows are an edgy, high-energy experience honed by tons of gigs that will leave you wanting for more. With KOPPS, Buckets, and Well Worn Boot. Hank & Cupcakes perform tonight, 9 p.m., at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. $10-$12. 454-2966, bugjar.com. .

Music: Commercial success can be kind of a back-handed compliment. Texas punk outfit Rank and File remains an underground go-to on a lot of people’s desert-island picks. And as a solo artist, one of its founders, Texas troubadour Alejandro Escovedo, has evaded true commercial glory, perhaps because he’s too pure. (After he heard that George W. Bush had his song “Castanets” on his iPod, Escovedo reportedly refused to play it live.) His last time through Rochester resulted in a magical show with some Texas-style get-up-and-go and an achingly beautiful breakdown where the band traveled acoustically to the middle of the room to play. Without Alejandro Escovedo there would be no Whiskeytown. Come see what I mean. Alejandro Escovedo and the Sensative Boys play tonight,, 7 p.m. at Water Street Music Hall, 204 N. Water St. $18-$20. waterstreetmusic.com.

Music: Fresh from a tour Down Under as a jet-set, masked, guitar-slingin’ luchador in Los Straitjackets, Rochester native Gregory Townson returns to what has made every endeavor he tackles — from The Essentials to The Hi-Risers — so goddamn sweet: the man and his songs. That’s not to dismiss the fleet-fingered fret frenzy Townson unleashes on his guitar. I mean, the cat can really spank the plank even when it’s just him and his trusty Tele. But the humor and honesty and classic pop hooks in his tunes are unmatched. Call it nouveau classic, call it rock ’n’ roll, call your friends and tell ’em Greg Townson is back in town. Gregory Townson plays tonight, 6-9 p.m. at Abilene Bar & Lounge, 153 Liberty Pole Way. Free. abilenebarandlounge.com.