THURSDAY, SEPT. 25
INDIE
BIG THIEF
The indie-folk trio makes a splashdown with a new album, Double Infinity. As daylight disappears in the outdoor venue, Big Thief’s catalog of warm, metaphysical, spirit-stimulating songs shines. Vocalist-guitarist Adrianne Lenker is luminous, guitarist Buck Meek rolls out a rich melodic tapestry and drummer James Krivchenia rides his role like a humble hero—ever-present and strong, but never egocentric. Is there a better way to spend an evening than with people, not to mention award-winning artists with five heralded studio albums, who work in harmony and speak words of healing, acceptance, accessibility and hope without skirting the horrors of our human reality? Nope. Joined by L.A. singer/songwriter Steven van Betten. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Thu, 7pm, Greek Theatre, 2001 Gayley Rd., Berkeley. $80. 510.871.9225.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
INDIE
CLEM SNIDE
Clem Snide, the shapeshifting vessel for songwriter Eef Barzelay, has lived many lives since emerging from Boston as a three-piece in the early ’90s. In the 2010s, Barzelay weathered bankruptcy, the loss of his home and the near-collapse of the band itself. What followed was an unlikely rebirth: the 2020 album Forever Just Beyond, a record that wrestles with faith and despair in spare, spacious arrangements. Last year’s Oh Smokey deepens the palette into something slower and more intimate. Named after a satirical William S. Burroughs character, Clem Snide has always blurred humor and heartbreak, but the latest chapter feels especially hard-won. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $25. 510.526.5888.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
INSTRUMENTAL
ANGOISSE MAGAZINE
Angoisse Magazine makes instrumental music that feels like it slips in and out of the wrong century. Formed in a Belleville apartment through free-form recording sessions, the Paris-based trio—Aurelien Fradagrada, Marius Atherton and Danny Kendrick—splice crooked grooves, fractured samples and offbeat rhythms into songs that hover between rock and ambient. Their performances move like collages, with textures that peel back to reveal strange images underneath: chase scenes, daydreams, broken transmissions. It’s music that suggests cinema without ever having to land on a single story. – SBB
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $12-$15. 510.859.8709.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
BLUES
CORKY SIEGEL & ERNIE WATTS
Harmonica ace, pianist and songwriter Corky Siegel came up on Chicago’s blues scene in the mid-1960s, part of a wave of white teenagers besotted with the visceral sound of Southside Black blues masters. In recent years, Siegel has performed widely with his Chamber Blues group featuring a string quartet, but when he wants to cut loose, he rejoins forces with tenor saxophone great Ernie Watts. Possessing one of the most immediately recognizable sounds in jazz, Watts is a studio maestro who’s played on hundreds of albums and film scores. On this two-night engagement with Siegel, the 79-year-old Watts draws on his R&B roots while leaning into the lush lyricism that makes his lines so potently memorable. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $40. 510.654.3808.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27
ELECTRONIC
DISCLOSURE
Nine-time Grammy-nominated, and barely in their 30s. That would all be beyond some people’s wildest dreams, but for Disclosure, it’s just another day. Formed by brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence, Disclosure started releasing music in 2010, but it took three years for them to drop their debut album, Settle. That album brought them huge commercial success and gave them the opportunity to play career-changing festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Sasquatch! In 2023, they released their latest, Alchemy, which Pitchfork called “fresher and more fun than the brothers have sounded in ages.” – MAT WEIR
INFO: Sat, 7pm, Greek Theatre, 2001 Gayley Rd., Berkeley. $149. 510.871.9225.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27
POST-HARDCORE
MILITARIE GUN
Militarie Gun started as a solo project for singer Ian Shelton in 2020. As soon as the lockdowns were lifted, he got a band together and started playing the tracks live. From house shows to warehouses, small venues to medium-sized, Militarie Gun has built their reputation and audience on their own terms and no one else’s. Although they have four EPs under their belt, they only have one album—Life Under the Gun. But they are ready to release their second album on Oct. 17. Those lucky enough to attend this show, which was moved from the New Parish to Brick & Mortar, will get to hear the tracks before anyone else. – MW
INFO: Sat, 10:30pm, Brick & Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission St., San Francisco. $29. 415.817.1479.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 28
CLASSICAL
DANIIL TRIFONOV
As Daniil Trifonov’s long, agile fingers fly over the keyboard, they seem to persuade the notes to come into being, to emanate from the piano before he has finished touching the keys. Russian-born Trifonov, now an ancient 34, was a piano prodigy, performing his first solo concert at age 7. He’s gone on to become a Grammy-winning artist and is considered one of the finest concert pianists in the world—if not the finest. His Zellerbach Hall recital will feature Schumann’s “Piano Sonata No.1 in F-sharp minor,” as well as works by Prokofiev, Myaskovsky and Taneyev. Prepare to be mesmerized. – JANIS HASHE
INFO: Sun, 3pm, Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall #4800, Berkeley. $48-$135. 510.642.9988.
MONDAY, SEPT. 29
POP
LAUFEY
Currently touring in support of her third album, A Matter of Time, Laufey stands in sharp contrast to the many young female singers whose voices sound like children’s. Laufey can embrace poignant themes, as in the August-issued single and video, “Snow White.” The Icelandic/Chinese singer looks in a mirror as she lifts the corner of one eye, sadly mocking the enduring white-and-blonde female beauty ideal. Yet her idols, alongside Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker, also include Taylor Swift, whom she salutes for the ability to bring the world together. Hear the jazzy, handclap side of Laufey in “Lover Girl.” She’s no flash in the pan. – JH
INFO: Mon, 7:30pm, Oakland Arena, 7000 S. Coliseum Way, Oakland. $84-477. 510.569.2121.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 30
DESERT-BLUES
TARWA N-TINIRI
Following in the sandy footsteps of Tinariwen, the Moroccan desert rockers Tarwa N-Tiniri hail from the southeastern city of Ouarzazate, gateway to the Sahara. Since coming together in 2012, the five friends and self-taught musicians have sought to celebrate hard-pressed Amazigh (Berber) culture. Their galloping music evokes the vast, sunblasted landscape that has sustained the traditionally nomadic people for countless centuries. While steeped in traditional Amazigh and North African scales and melodies, they draw on a potent palette of blues, jazz, reggae, rock and the West African-derived Gnaoua grooves brought by the intra-African slave trade. Themes of love, friendship, cultural pride and the desire for peace pervade Tarwa N-Tiniri’s incantatory songs. – AG
INFO: Tue, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $34-$39. 510.644.2020.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1
FILM
16th ANNUAL FIST UP FILM FESTIVAL
Honoring ancestors and celebrating voices and vision coming from the next generation is the focus of the five-day event. From the Oakland A’s to Filipino history to Harry Belafonte’s last 12 years of life; from the exploitive use of rap in the criminal justice system to funk music’s role in culture writ large, feature-length and short films provide stimulating cinema. Even better, these films are ideal for watching in a community, where conversations before and after offer chances to connect, confront, confide and come to understand and appreciate each other’s perspectives. Admission is free with suggested donations, meaning no one needs to be left out. Goes until Oct. 5. – LF
INFO: Wed, 7pm, La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $0-25. 510.849.2568.
