Eight Gigs: Dave Nachmanoff

Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza laid the groundwork for modern conceptions of the self and the universe. On Spinoza’s Dream, Dave Nachmanoff—who boasts a Ph.D. in philosophy—references history’s greatest philosophers through accessibly scholarly folk-rock tunes. At the Davis-based artist’s local record-release show, Nachmanoff will perform solo on acoustic guitar and piano. On the record, though, he was joined by a star-studded cast: Nachmanoff recruited Scotland’s influential singer-songwriter Al Stewart, plus his band from his breakthrough 1976 record Year of the Cat. A dream, indeed. 2130 L Street, www.davenach.com.