Viewers meet Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) as she gets ready in her mother’s home for what she calls a “business meeting.” Her mother teases her, saying, “I thought this wasn’t a date?” To Robinson, it wasn’t — until she met the ever-so-charming Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers). Obama and Robinson visit countless places on their date, such as an Afro-Culture museum exhibit, a church meeting and a theater to see the film “Do the Right Thing.”

Composer Marc Mellits, a former resident of Ithaca, returns to perform with his ensemble at the Hockett Family Recital Hall.

This album jumps right into its harsh sound with title track “Bad Vibrations.” While old fans will recognize the dark, emo sound and possible nostalgic themes of early 2000s punk, other listeners will skip over this song. Under lead singer Jeremy McKinnon’s screaming vocals, a loud guitar riff follows an overdone beat, producing nothing more than a blaring tune.

This album exemplifies a complete return to the band’s traditional form as they it comes back to their its folk roots. “Star Wars” was more of an psych-indie rock album, while this album is shaped with softer midwestern tones. Tracks like “Common Sense” invoke a hypnotic beat and sense of confusion, while others, like “Nope,” have a more cool and collected rock tone.

DeGraw presents a sound similar to his previous song, “I Don’t Want To Be,” in his new song, “You Make My Heart Sing Louder,” from his new album. The singer-songwriter captivates his fans by returning to his original sound for this steady, medium-tempo piece. Another new song from the album that takes fans back to his 2003 sound is “Kite Like Girl.” This upbeat, instrumental song encompasses DeGraw’s classic sound but has a pop twist.

Originally penned as a novella in 18th-century France, “Candide” has stood the test of time again and again. Now, the theatrical version will be performed in Ithaca with Ithaca College students, alumni and staff at center stage.

The Distinguished Visiting Writer Workshop is a one-credit course at the college that allows students to attend readings by three distinguished authors: one poet, one nonfiction writer, which will be Kiese Laymon and one fiction writer, which will be Dana Spiotta. Students also get the opportunity to study under and conference individually with one writer in the area of their choosing. For example, students interested in poetry will submit poem samples and conference with Limón. Each author also teaches two 90-minute classes throughout the semester that all students attend regardless of their concentration. Limón is the author of four books of poetry, including “Bright Dead Things,” which was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in Poetry, a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and one of the Top Ten Poetry Books of the Year, according to The New York Times. Her work explores issues of identity, relationships and language from both personal and worldly perspectives.

Several bands have emerged from Ithaca College, made up entirely of students. Though the

The Kitchen Theatre in downtown Ithaca is hosting “Hand to God,” a show that breaks social boundaries through raunchy and hilarious puppet characters. This is the first production of “Hand to God” in the Ithaca area since the show debuted off-Broadway in 2011.

All artists experiment with their sound, and The Head and the Heart is no exception. Though many fans might be disillusioned by the band’s newfound dance-pop sound, the album is well-produced and full of catchy songs. The 13-track LP contains some gems, and despite some breaches in originality, it is energetic and easy to listen to.

Ocean’s 45-minute film gives viewers more than expected. With a combination of mesmerizing lyrics and several look-alikes, he presents himself as prodigal and self-aware. Under the limelight, it’s difficult for artists to remain down-to-earth.

A vile monster. A lovable band of children. A grand conspiracy. A soundtrack worthy of John Carpenter. This is Netflix’s “Stranger Things”: the ’80s homage that still dominates conversation nearly two months after its release.