THURSDAY
JAZZ
LARRY VUCKOVICH’S ALL-STARS
After a brilliant duo concert at Piedmont Piano Company last week on his 88th birthday, Vuckovich, the dean of Bay Area jazz pianists, continues the celebration with a rocking two-tenor lineup featuring Steve Heckman and Craig Handy. Handy hit the New York scene hard in the mid-’80s, landing plum gigs with the Mingus Big Band, which he went on to lead. Puerto Rican percussionist/vocalist Héctor Lugo joins the excellent rhythm section with bassist Buca Necak and drummer Jeff Minnieweather; and appearances by the pianist’s clave-loving alter ego, El Vucko. With suave soul jazz-crooner Nicolas Bearde as a special guest, the program also offers Vuckovich as an expert vocal accompanist. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $34. 510.238.9200.
FRIDAY
COMEDY
LUENELL
Born in Arkansas and raised in Oakland, comedian Luenell has a down-home heart with a mean-street mug. For over three decades, the “Original Bad Girl of Comedy” has kept audiences doubled over in laughter with her no-holds-barred humor and infectious smile. Locals might recognize her from the early ’90s Oakland show, Soul Beat TV, where she appeared regularly. She got her international big break in 2006 as one of the few hired actors in the mockumentary hit, Borat. Since then, Luenell has gone on to perform in a plethora of movies and television shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Hotel Transylvania and Dolemite Is My Name, and has a current residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $48-$176. 510.893.2300.
FRIDAY
EDM
THE JUICE
Ask any tech bro; getting into something from the ground up is hard. Nothing is guaranteed, but when something does pay off, the chance to say one was there from the start is unlike any other. That’s why checking out “The Juice” this Friday at Thee Stork Club is imperative. Not an average dance party, The Juice combines disco, house, Latin and more for a blended night of music and passion. Squeezing out the first night are Bay Area locals the Grouch, DJ Patrick and DJ Sangsih, as well as New Yorker IBM Doily for a mixed night sure to bring the heat and set the bar for future events. – MW
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $9. 510.859.8709.
FRIDAY
JAZZ
VIENNA TENG
Vienna Teng is a storyteller at the crossroads of music and purpose, weaving songs that span indie-pop, chamber-folk and jazz-inflected ballads. After a decade-long hiatus from recording, she returns with We’ve Got You, a two-song EP that forms an unusual diptych: one an indie-pop track that uplifts leaders of change, the other a chamber-folk ode to unseen caregivers. Playing them simultaneously forms a harmonious love letter to collective action. As always, Teng’s music blends into her activism, a creative commitment that has built a devoted and inspired global audience. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $54. 510.644.2020.
SATURDAY
JAZZ
KEY ELEMENTS
Pianist Patricia Thumas has been at the center of Bay Area Latin music for four decades, including a stint in legendary Cuban conguero Francisco Aguabella’s band. She’s the leader of Key Elements, an all-women Latin jazz combo that includes Sue “Suki” Kaye on congas, percussion and coro; Sylvia Sherman on bass and coro; and Joyce Baker on drums and coro. Robin Nzingah Smith, a Latin music expert known for her work in excellent bands like Azúcar con Aché and Liquid Girlfriend, holds down the front line on woodwinds, flute and shekere. With Thumas’ originals thrown into the mix, the quintet delivers a deep repertoire of Latin jazz standards by foundational masters Tito Puente, Chucho Valdés, Cal Tjader and Mongo Santamaría. – AG
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $20/adv, $25/door. 510.654.3808.
SATURDAY
BLUES
STEVE LUCKY & THE RHUMBA BUMS
Bottle the energy of Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums featuring Miss Carmen Getit, and it could rocket people into space. But don’t think of leaving the planet before joining the swing dance lesson at 8pm and showing off those new skills during the concert. With Lucky dancing across the piano keys and Getit striding out with blistering guitar chops and a voice that needs no amps, merriment and movement are on order. The band lays down vintage jazz, blues, R&B originals and cover tunes. And everyone knows what Ashkenaz is for: Dancing to live music until everyone’s toes tingle. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, 8:30pm, Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. $21/adv, $25/door. 510.525.5099.
SATURDAY
PUNK
PLAN 9
Cover bands don’t usually become international sensations, but Plan 9 isn’t an average tribute. They launched in Oakland in 1997 to pay homage to the late ’70s horror punk legends the Misfits. Little did they know they’d still be going nearly 30 years later as a beloved death-rock band that counts original Misfits bassist Jerry Only as one of their fans. In 2004, they released their debut collection of originals, 8 Hits From Hell, with Only featured on a song or two. If that doesn’t indicate the zenith of tribute-band prowess, what does? – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Sat, 9pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $20/adv, $25/door. 510.526.5888.
TUESDAY
ROCK
PRIMUS
Primus is just so lovably weird. The rock band was born in El Sobrante in 1984 with bassist Les Claypool at the helm. Their major label debut, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, gave the world the hit “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” which marries Claypool’s zany storytelling with his genre-defying bass-playing to create a song somehow belonging in both a rural honky-tonk and an urban mosh pit. The hard-hitting merge of metal, funk, punk and country the band churns out has carried them through many gloriously experimental decades, including an album covering the 1971 Willy Wonka film score called Primus & the Chocolate Factory. – AM
INFO: Tue, 9pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $110-$276. 510.302.2250.
TUESDAY
BLUES
TOMMY CASTRO
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers deliver a blues experience that’s equal parts roadhouse grit and Memphis swagger. Anchored by Castro’s commanding vocals and searing guitar, the band brings horn-driven grooves, swampy funk and stripped-down rock into an electrifying mix that’s kept audiences hooked since 1994. With 16 albums on the books and another on the way in 2025, Castro’s live shows are a well-practiced, high-octane celebration of the blues tradition. This New Year’s Eve, award-winning multi-instrumentalist Deanna Bogart and her sultry sax, keys and vocals join in on the festivities. – SBB
INFO: Tue, 9pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $84/adv, $89/door. 510.644.2020.
TUESDAY
ROCK
MUSTACHE HARBOR
Climb aboard “Yacht Rock Forever!: A Rockin’ New Year’s Celebration” and travel back to the past with a song list including “Ride Like The Wind,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Come Sail Away,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Big Shot.” No one will get lost, because the band is on solid ground with a fluid retro mix that washes away end-of-year worries and pushes aside new-year anxieties. Glide, ride, zip, zoom and depart the rough and turbulent shores of 2024 with the glorious sound of song. Then, cruise with the smooth vibes of the cool folks of Mustache Harbor into New Year’s Day 2025. Let’s hope no one requires life preservers, but if so, these tunes will serve just fine. – LF
INFO: Tue, 10pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $40. 510.214.8600.
