THURSDAY, OCT. 23
JAZZ
BEN GOLDBERG FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
Berkeley clarinetist and composer Ben Goldberg is shoehorning a season’s worth of creative action into a three-day festival at Wyldflowr Arts. The Ben Goldberg Festival of Music opens each night with a solo set, followed by two different groups. Thursday includes Goldberg’s long-running trio Invisible Guy, and Ben Goldberg’s Glamorous Escapades playing Porch Concert Material. Friday’s program is similarly promising, featuring Things That Move, the umbrella moniker for Goldberg’s assorted collaborations with Tune-Yards bassist Nate Brenner, and Archimedes Lullaby, a sextet with Brenner, Atwal, Coleman, saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, and guitarist Andrew Conklin. The festival closes Saturday with the ensemble, Insect Life. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Thu, 6:30pm, Wyldflowr Arts, 809 37th St., Oakland. $30 ($85 for 3-day pass). 510.842.5055.
THURSDAY, OCT. 23
JAZZ
BRANDEE YOUNGER TRIO
No artist on the national jazz scene has done more to raise the visibility of the harp in the 21st century than Brandee Younger. Sought after by stars including Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Ravi Coltrane and Christian McBride, she’s also earned attention as a composer. Her tune “Hortense” was featured in the documentary, Beyoncé: Homecoming. She’s made a concerted effort to celebrate harp matriarchs Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, while forging her own encompassing sound. Recorded on Coltrane’s restored harp, her latest album, Gadabout Season, features collaborations with artists such as British saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, gospel-inspired pianist Courtney Bryan, and indie-soul pianist and vocalist Niia. – AG
INFO: Thu, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $39-$44. 510.644.2020.
THURSDAY, OCT. 23
STORYTELLING
PRETTY GOOD STORIES
Once upon a time there was a talented trio composed of Moth GrandSLAM champion David Rodriquez, Moth StorySlam winner Ruven Hannah and singer-songwriter-musician Jon Smear. The organizers of a way-cool storytelling event’s fifth iteration invited them to spread their wings with in-depth stories and intermingled original songs delivered by Smear. Audiences know the series is casual, that the stories might be comic, tragic, searingly profound. Deciding if the stories are pretty good, as advertised, or rise to greatest ever or sink to shoulda-brought-ear-plugs is up to each individual. Inarguably, nothing beats hearing tales and tunes live and with other—live—people. The End. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $10-$15. 510.654.3808.
FRIDAY, OCT. 24
R&B
JANINE
Born in New Zealand, this singer creates pop tunes that connect the gaps between R&B and soul. She digs deep within to give her fans an intimate look inside her life and thoughts. Which is truly exemplified in her latest album, Pain and Paradise. In it she sings about the death of her father, and how in dealing with the grief there is love and beauty in resiliency. Janine has headlined sold-out shows around the world, including the last time she played the Bay. This year, she’s offering a fan meet ’n’ greet that includes a signed laminate, a photo op and a special acoustic performance before the show. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Fri, 7pm, Cry Baby, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $31.36.
FRIDAY, OCT. 24
INDIE
LA LOM
In 2019, guitarist Zac Sokolow, bassist Jake Faulkner and drummer Nicholas Baker were hired as the instrumental background music for the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s lobby, rendering versions of ’50s and ’60s ballads. Then a little Mexican bolero and cumbia sonidera and Bakersfield country kinda got woven in and now, as La Lom (Los Angeles League of Musicians), the trio’s music reflects the sonic landscape of one of the world’s most multinational cities. Listen to Sokolow segue into Hawaiian guitar-esque riffs during the band’s version of Dolly Parton’s “I will Always Love You,” to get the palm-tree-studded picture. – JANIS HASHE
INFO: Fri, 8pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $35. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY, OCT. 25
METAL
GWAR
Puny humans!!!! The intergalactic overlords and masters, GWAR, return to the Bay Area and this time they’re bringing friends. For their 40th anniversary they are welcoming the return of Gor Gor the crack-addicted dinosaur, along with fellow metal and punk warriors Dwarves, Helmet and Blood Vulture. Be prepared for mayhem, slaughter and gallons upon gallons of bloodshed. Like any good bohab knows, wearing the whitest outfit possible ensures the most fun. After 40 years GWAR’s become the best at what they do—playing metal; fighting robots, monsters and aliens; and slaying anyone who gets in the way. Hail the mighty GWAR! – MW
INFO: Sat, 7pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $42.50. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY, OCT. 25
STORYTELLING
SPOOKED LIVE
Fans of KQED’s Snap Judgement wait all year for its true Halloween takes of spine-tingling encounters with the supernatural. This year, evil twin podcast Spooked joins ghostly hands with “SJ” host Glynn Washington to expound every creak and shriek live onstage at the very likely haunted Paramount Theatre. Past creepy tales have included the one about “a man who discovers that if you love someone enough, they never truly leave you.” Those who come in full scary regalia will be in the lurching to win the Spooked LIVE Best-Dressed Prize. Could it be a trip to the Other Side? – JH
INFO: Sat, 7pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $53-$91. 510.893.2300.
SUNDAY, OCT. 26
VARIOUS
ONE SONG ALL NIGHT
No need to be rich, cool, born under a certain astrological sign, or have sexy charisma to fall into the bathtub and soak during an entire show in Prince’s effervescent “Kiss.” Vocalists Hannah Mayree, Mike Blankenship, Dame Drummer, Anaís Azul, Tammy Hall, and Flex Duo: Bryan Dyer & Dave Worm nuzzle up to the mic with interpretations of the iconic song. What do a banjo, piano, drum kit or the amazingly varied vocal gymnastics of these five Bay Area musicians bring to the table? Not sure, but revel in how one inspired piece of pop music is sturdy enough to fire up like a sparkler, slink along sultry streams or bounce higher than a bunny on the moon. – LF
INFO: Sun, 7pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $34-39. 510.644.2020.
TUESDAY, OCT. 28
ALT-ROCK
HAUNTED HOUSE
Haunted House: The darkest corners of the internet throwing a rave in a crypt. The collective—Savage Ga$p, Grim Salvo, Witchouse 40k, Kamaara and Twentythree—melds horrorcore aesthetics with trap, metal and alt-rock to create something grotesque and magnetic. Their sound is cinematic and corrosive, composed of distorted basslines, haunted melodies and voices dragged through another dimension. What began as a loose coalition of underground cult favorites has grown into a full-blown creative universe. Their latest, Nightcrawler Tour, takes that world on the road, turning venues across the country into feverish, neon-lit haunts. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Tue, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $34. 510.214.8600.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29
EMO
SATURDAYS AT YOUR PLACE
Kalamazoo-based band Saturdays at Your Place nods to early 2000s Midwest emo and modern DIY—they’re messy and melodic, and they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Their new album, These Things Happen, captures what makes them special: never overwrought, never overly ironic, their angst is all lowercase. Standout track “what am I supposed to do” is the band at their best—unrestrained, cathartic frustration paired with a winning sweetness. It’s the sound of growing pains turned into singalongs. – SBB
INFO: Wed, 8pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $22. 510.524.8180.
