THURSDAY, NOV. 13
COMEDY
MATT BRAUNGER
Matt Braunger’s comedy lives somewhere between absurd storytelling and painfully accurate self-awareness. A Portland native with roots in Chicago improv, he’s built a career on laughing at what’s going wrong. You’ve seen him everywhere—MADtv, Agent Carter, Upload, Disjointed—but it’s on stage where his ability to comfortably skewer himself and his midlife disasters take off. Now on his “Party Girl (Dad)” tour, Braunger proves that growing up is overrated and getting old is really funny. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $29. 510.214.8600.
FRIDAY, NOV. 14
JAZZ
CLAUDIA VILLELA & VITOR GONÇALVES
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, vocalist, pianist, percussionist and composer Claudia Villela has lived in the Santa Cruz area for some four decades, and she’s played an essential role in making the Bay Area a hotbed of Brazilian jazz. Whether singing her originals or gems from the Brazilian songbook, she’s an enthralling vocalist and an improviser of the highest order. She shines in duo settings, and she’s performed and recorded a good deal with Vitor Gonçalves, a New York-based pianist, accordionist and composer who also hails from Rio. Aside from his work with Villela, he’s been most visible in the Bay Area as a steady collaborator with Israeli reed star Anat Cohen. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 5:30pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $35-$40. 510.547.8188.
FRIDAY, NOV. 14
THEATER
‘MOTHER OF EXILES’
Once again, Berkeley Rep stages a world premiere theatrical piece confronting an issue the country is grappling with. Mother of Exiles follows one family’s century-and-a-half odyssey, beginning in 1898 on Angel Island, as a pregnant woman faces deportation. One hundred years later, her great-great-grandson accidentally conjures her spirit, and the story continues through 2063, as descendants must face an ocean journey to find sanctuary. Jessica Huang’s “multigenerational triptych” was developed in the Rep’s The Ground Floor, its Center for the Creation and Development of New Work, and combines high drama with moments of very human humor. Performances go through Dec. 21. – JANIS HASHE
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. $33-$81. 510.649.2949.
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
HIP-HOP
RAEKWON & MOBB DEEP
Three of New York’s sharpest narrators of grit and glory are reuniting. Raekwon, the Wu-Tang wordsmith who turned street tales into modern mythology, joins Mobb Deep—hip-hop duo Prodigy and Havoc—whose ice-cold beats and bulletproof bars made Queensbridge a legend. Thirty years on, their influence still rumbles through every basement studio and boom-bap loop. Their 30th Anniversary Tour is a trip to the golden age of rap, and a testament to the irrepressible influence of stories told right. – SBB
INFO: Sat, 8pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $38. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
THEATER
‘SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE’
The musical tells a fictional story of the creation by Georges Seurat of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” the artist’s most famous painting. Painted in pointillist style, millions of tiny dots and horizontal brushstrokes are transformed by the human eye into harmonious colors and forms depicting people, dogs and other bounding animals of all persuasions. Along with the idealistic, hazy landscape, there is a reverence for turning tasks and disciplines into things of tremendous beauty. Underneath all of the art-making is the company’s usual flair with stories involving matters of the heart and legacies left behind. Performances go until Dec. 30. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Shotgun Players, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. $8-$40. 510.841.6500.
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
BLUEGRASS
THE CALIFORNIA BLUEGRASS REUNION
Featuring a heavyweight roster of artists who’ve led their own bands at the Freight over the years, the California Bluegrass Reunion is an annual celebration of California’s rich bluegrass tradition that includes Bill Evans (banjo), John Reischman (mandolin), Jim Nunally (guitar), Chad Manning (fiddle), Sharon Gilchrist (bass) and Mike Witcher (dobro). They’ve all played together in various combinations and situations, and this year the aggregation pays tribute to California songwriters who’ve helped define the Golden State’s acoustic music scene since the 1970s, including Kate Wolf, Herb Pedersen, Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick, Tony Rice and David Grisman. – AG
INFO: Sun, 7pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $44-$49. 510.644.2020.
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
FOLK
STEPH STRINGS
Listening to young Aussie singer/songwriter/guitarist Steph Strings’ breakout EP LION evokes memories of ’60s folk rock—yet her sometimes-ferocious, sometimes-tender fingerstyle playing is all her own. Blues and Celtic notes resonate in her tunes, and her lyrics, sung with her pure, intense voice, often reference nature, as in the title cut from her 2024 EP Cradle Mountain: “I rode my horse to Cradle Mountain / We barely made a scene / Trudging through, wasting nothing / Hiding beneath the leaves.” She is making her first-ever U.S. tour, after selling out shows in Oz, the U.K., Europe and Canada. Catch her now. Hear her roar. – JH
INFO: Sun, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $28. 510.214.8600.
MONDAY, NOV. 17
HIP-HOP
LITTLE SIMZ
Few artists in the music world right now possess the artistry Little Simz does. With her smooth delivery, witty lyrics and original beats, Little Simz rides the lines between artist, poet and
rapper. Born to Nigerian parents in London, she not only draws inspiration from hip-hop but also from jazz artists like John Coltrane, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. Each of her albums evolves upon the last, as she’s determined to push the boundaries of her craft. There’s a reason why she’s beloved by fans and critics alike and has performed around the world with artists like Nas, Coldplay and Lauryn Hill. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Mon, 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $56-$156. 510.302.2250.
TUESDAY, NOV. 18
HIP-HOP
BURNA BOY
Started from the bottom, now he’s here! Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu in Nigeria, has taken the world by storm with his original take on Afrobeats that earned him a Grammy in 2021. Yet it’s not just his beats but his lyrics that win sway with fans, as he doesn’t write anything down. Instead, when he’s in the studio, he plays the beats and melodies and lets the words flow through him. By combining reggae, dancehall, reggaeton, hip-hop and R&B, Burna Boy earned himself the title of “Nigerian cultural giant” by Rolling Stone, along with making the publication’s “Best 200 Singers Of All Time” list. – MW
INFO: Tue, 8:30pm, Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. $66-$292. 510.569.2121.
TUESDAY, NOV. 18
INDIE
CAROLINE ROSE
Overloaded with things to love—top of the list is Year of the Slug, Rose’s newest album—catch an indie artist at the top of their game. Along with dreamy landscapes of shoegaze come bursts of high-potency rockabilly and punk rock that slaps into the overdrive of psychobilly. A person might toss out their music due to all the fancy jargon critics use to describe it, but hold up. Underneath it all is a solid musician with a singular vision that includes recording albums in GarageBand from a phone and touring exclusively to independent venues to avoid any money feeding the beasts of big corporations and recording labels. – LF
INFO: Tue, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $25. 510.859.8709.
