THURSDAY
HIP-HOP
BIGXTHAPLUG
At only 26, BigXthaPlug has already lived a couple of lifetimes. Growing up on the streets of Texas, he remembers being four or five and sitting on his mother’s knee as she shot at a would-be house burglar. He later became a high school football star and attended college on a football scholarship. However, the streets kept calling, and by the time he was 18, he was serving time for aggravated robbery. While incarcerated he began writing lyrics, and after finishing a second stint last year he dropped his debut album, Amar. Today, BigXthaPlug is touring on the release of his second album, Take Care. — MAT WEIR
INFO: Thu, 8pm, New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $25. 510.227.8177.
FRIDAY
METAL
EXODUS
Exodus: a thrash-metal tidal wave pummeling the Bay Area and beyond since 1979. Formed in Richmond, the group went from playing rock covers at local backyard birthday parties to releasing one of the most influential thrash-metal albums of all time, their ’85 debut, Bonded By Blood. With riffs sharp enough to cut steel and aggressive rhythms quaking mosh pits for four decades, Exodus has earned their place as rare thrash royalty outside the Big Four. And they can still mix groove with pure chaos. From Gary Holt’s fiery solos to Zetro Souza’s venomous vocals, Exodus delivers ferocity. — SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 7pm, UC Theater, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $38. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY
FOLK
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR & LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III
With 49 albums and countless original songs recorded or performed by top-tier musicians, including Taylor’s brother and Wainwright’s son, these two singer-songwriters could carpet every street in downtown Berkeley with sheet music. Livingston Taylor and Loudon Wainwright III have penned decades of top hits and Grammy-nominated or -winning tunes, and the split-bill presentation is a rare opportunity to attend a songwriting master class without the paperwork. Sway, swoon and seek salvation in their vocal river of sound and ponder this sweet truth: Music passed from one generation to the next and live performances preserved in memories—they never end. — LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, 7pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $30-$59. 510.644.2020.
SATURDAY
SKA
SLACKERS
What do you get when you mix holidays and horns? While some may see visions of angels clutching delicate medieval trumpets, those in the East Bay would be wise to think along the lines of ska, soul, reggae—or all three combined! That’s what’s on offer at the upcoming Slackers show in Berkeley, and it’s guaranteed to be a good time. Going strong for 33 years, the NYC-based band has enjoyed a remarkable comeback with its 2022 album, Don’t Let the Sunlight Fool Ya, which became a surprise Billboard chart-topper. Singer Vic Ruggiero’s world-weary voice just gets better and better. — ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Sat, 7pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $41. 510.214.8600.
SUNDAY
FOLK
WILDCHOIR
Oakland-based Wildchoir is more than just a group of vocalists; they’re musical activists bringing the community together through love, passion and positive change. Despite playing at popular festivals like Lightning in a Bottle, sharing the stage with progressives like Bernie Sanders and artists such as Rising Appalachia, and recording a Grammy Award-winning album with jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, Wildchoir only recorded their solo debut EP last year. Love Anyway is sprinkled with beautiful harmonies ranging from gospel to folk. This Sunday, they are set to play a night as big as their group, which boasts an impressive 12 people, and fellow Bay Area artist Jenn Johns joins them. — MW
INFO: Sun, 6:30pm, Crybaby, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $32-$48.
SUNDAY
ACOUSTIC
DONNA MISSAL
Donna Missal’s Acoustic Tour is bringing her ethereal, slow-burning ballads and smoky anthems to intimate, seated venues, churches and theaters across the country, leaning into the late-night-confessional vibes of her music. Donna’s velvet voice gives each song a rich emotional core: aching, soaring and genuine. That passion and yearning extend into the album Revel, her first independent record, incorporating driving, trip-hoppy dance beats that only accentuate her passionate, dynamic, goosebump-inducing vocals. — SBB
INFO: Sun, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $29. 14-8600.
MONDAY
R&B
ROBERT GLASPER
Robert Glasper has a major influence on the Bay Area music scene as the curator and guiding spirit of the Blue Note Jazz Festival, a star-laden event that leans much more heavily on the pianist’s R&B and hip-hop proclivities than his jazz roots. While he’s won five Grammies in various R&B categories, the Houston-raised player, producer, composer and arranger keeps at least five fingers in the straight-ahead world. For his four-night, eight-show run at Yoshi’s, Glasper will cover a lot of territory with bassist Burniss Travis, a fellow Houstonian, and rising drummer Justin Tyson, a gospel-steeped player who’s worked extensively with Esperanza Spalding. Jahi Lake, a.k.a. DJ Jahi Sundance, a master at sculpting kinetic soundscapes, rounds out Glasper’s combo. — ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Mon, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $59-$99. 510.238.9200.
TUESDAY
SKA
THE TOASTERS
Third Wave ska reached its mainstream peak in ’97 with bands like Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Save Ferris. One of the first U.S. bands to carve out an American version of ska music was New York’s the Toasters in the early ’80s. He took influence from the bouncy British 2 Tone bands like the Specials, Madness and the Selecter but blended in some pop, hip-hop and rock ’n’ roll elements. The Toasters helped create a scene in New York and their founder, Bucket, eventually started Moon Ska Records, a label that defined U.S. ska. Even as culture shifted away from ska in the aughts, the Toasters never slowed down. Chances are, they never will. — AARON CARNES
INFO: Tue,8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $16/adv, $20/door. 510.526.5888.
WEDNESDAY
POP
N8NOFACE
N8NOFACE shies away from nothing. In a style he describes as “damaged pop,” the Tucson synth-punk musician takes a hard look at some of the scariest parts of life. His songs cover everything from narcos to abusive relationships, and he’s especially fond of shining a light on “people too concerned with surviving in America to give a fuck who the president is.” His distinctive dark humor takes center stage in his music videos; for a little intro to N8’s world, the uninitiated should check out 2022’s “On My Side,” a total bop involving a bunny, a bone saw and a lot of blood. — AM
INFO: Wed, 9pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $20. 510.859.8709.
WEDNESDAY
JAZZ
BENJAMIN CLEMENTINE
London singer-songwriter Benjamin Clementine has been widely hailed as one of the definitive voices of his generation. Since catapulting to fame at the age of 26 in 2015 with his debut album, At Least For Now, which won the Mercury Prize, Clementine has emerged as a polymathic talent as an actor, poet, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with an often captivating tenor that continues to reveal new textures and emotional frequencies with each new project. His imposing 6-foot-4-inch frame and monochromatic wardrobe, which tends toward black or dark shades, add to the drama of his performances. Beavan Waller, a theatrically inclined singer/songwriter from Texas, plays an opening set. — AG
INFO: Wed, 8pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $35. 510.356.4000.
