9pm PopHe’s not your garden-variety DJ. When...

9pm Pop

He’s not your garden-variety DJ. When Paul D. Miller isn’t making records or playing clubs as his alter ego, DJ Spooky (That Subliminal Kid), he’s busy as a conceptual artist and erudite writer about the contemporary art scene. In fact, Miller views the music he makes as DJ Spooky as sonic sculptures rather than conventional songs. He’s touring with his new album, “Optometry,” and will stop tonight at the Knitting Factory Hollywood.

DJ Spooky, Knitting Factory Hollywood, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 9 p.m. $15. (323) 463-0204.

6pm Event

Can a prickly irritant be culled from the kitchen cabinet? Is that succulent deadly? Or will the dried leaves of that innocent bloom stop a heartbeat? Consult author Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mysteries for a complete education on deadly arboreals or join Stephanie Georgieff, herbalist, for Murder in the Garden. Georgieff will show and tell how the Cadfael character solved medieval mysteries by noting the herbs found near each victim. Mystery lovers will ride a tram to investigate suspicious locations, pursue clues and set the stage for the final act on the terrace of the Peacock Cafe. The tram tour and talk end with dinner on the terrace.

Murder in the Garden, Tour and Taste Thursdays, the Arboretum of Los Angeles County, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, 6 p.m. $40, includes dinner. Sold out. (626) 821-4624 or (626) 821-4623 for reservations.

8pm Theater

A domineering matriarch sets tragedy in motion when she decrees that she and her daughters must seclude themselves in mourning for eight years after the death of her second husband in “The House of Bernarda Alba.” Chay Yew’s new adaptation of the Federico Garcia Lorca classic is directed by Lisa Peterson and stars Chita Rivera.

“The House of Bernarda Alba,” Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A., 8 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays to Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Ends Sept. 1. $30 to $44. (213) 628-2772.

5pm Jazz

Another rising star in the seemingly sudden profusion of excellent female jazz singers, Rene Marie swings through Southern California with stops today at MOCA and Friday at the Athenaeum in La Jolla. Marie, 44, returned to her music career after more than a 20-year break to raise a family. Although she has released only two CDs, critics, including The Times’ Don Heckman, are raving about her talent, imagination and sheer presence.

Rene Marie, MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., downtown L.A., 5 p.m. Free. (213) 621-2766. Also Friday, 7:30 p.m., at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla, $17 to $19. (858) 454-5872.