THU 7/9
FOLK
STELLA PRINCE
She might be barely able to legally drink, but the L.A.-via-Nashville folk singer Stella Prince is an old soul. Maybe it comes from being born in Woodstock, New York, but this Gen Z singer/songwriter carries a traditional, ’60s folk tradition reinvented for modern sensibilities. Just check out her versions of “Close to You” or “For What It’s Worth” and it’s clear that Prince knows what she’s doing and shows great taste while doing it. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $22. 510.214.8600.
FRI 7/10
PUNK
SCHLONG
I don’t know if we’re ever going to get that elusive, mythological Operation Ivy reunion, guys. Yes, even despite the rumor mill regurgitating it every couple of years. However, we do have several next-best things, one of them being the mighty—heh—Schlong. Formed by Dave and Pat Mello after the disbanding of their other post-Op Ivy ska band, Downfall, Schlong has been an on-again, off-again project over the past four decades. And guess what? They’re on again! In fact, this is the first time in seven years—that’s PRE-COVID!—that Schlong has played together, and what better place to see them than at the epicenter of underground Bay Area punk? – MW
INFO: Fri, 7pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $15/adv, $20/door. 510.524.8180.
FRI 7/10
ART
‘O SAY CAN YOU SEE … THE SOUL OF OUR NATION’
At age 250, the country is again at a crossroads. A new art exhibition at Rhythmix Cultural Works, opening July 10, celebrates a possible future “worthy of our hopes and dreams.” Featuring work from Bay Area artists who have created pieces imagining a positive path forward, the show is co-curated by Citizen Joy, a national coalition of artists, arts organizations and educators from all disciplines, with the goal of pulling people away from doom-scrolling and motivating them to help protect and restore democracy. And maybe smile while doing so. The show continues through Aug. 29. – JANIS HASHE
INFO: Fri, 6pm, Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. Free. 510.865.5060.
SAT 7/11
COMEDY
NICK LUTSKO
Nick Lutsko built a cult following by turning internet absurdity into catchy songs—“Spirit Halloween Theme Song”—and strange mash-ups—“Kanye West as a Tame Impala.” Behind the viral chaos is a sharp songwriter. The Chattanooga musician’s surreal universe is populated by haunted stores, basement conspiracies and kooky recurring characters, delivered with theatrical commitment and power-pop hooks that have no business being this memorable. Backed by the $100K Band, Lutsko’s quirky style blooms into a full-fledged rock spectacle. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Sat, 9pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $30. 510.214.8600.
SAT 7/11
THEATER
‘INTO THE WOODS’
Two full casts of theater kids will get their moment in the foliage in this production of a Stephen Sondheim classic. The “Wish Cast” and “Moment Class” alternate in performances of the musical, which tells the story of a baker cursed by a witch, who must dare to enter the woods and try to lift the curse, along the way encountering Rapunzel; Cinderella; Jack, and the beanstalk; Little Red Riding Hood; and other fairytale denizens. Sondheim songs are famously vocally challenging, including “Last Midnight” from this show, so good for these casts being given the chance to tackle them. Sing out, Louise! Runs until July 19. – JH
INFO: Sat, 1pm & 7pm, Berkeley Playhouse at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. $36. 510.845.8542.
SAT 7/11
FILM
‘MUTINY AT PORT CHICAGO’
In 1944, Black sailors were ordered to resume loading hazardous munitions after the deadliest home-front disaster of World War II occurred at East Bay’s Port Chicago. The explosion had killed 320 men and injured hundreds, most of them African Americans. White soldiers were granted leave. The 258 Black soldiers were ordered to return to work under the unchanged, unsafe conditions. The Navy charged 50 of the rebellion’s leaders with mutiny. In recognition of Port Chicago Remembrance Day, OMCA screens Mutiny at Port Chicago: Black Resistance and Redemption, a historic drama documentary produced by actor Morgan Freeman. The event includes a conversation with Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Antwanisha Williamson and Cynthia Adams, moderated by Dayvee Sutton. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, 1pm, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. $10. 510.318.8400.
SUN 7/12
THEATER
PAMELA GAYE WALKER’S ‘LITTLE BIG MOUTH’
Actor, writer and director Pamela Gaye has appeared everywhere. On stages across the country; in local shows at Aurora Theatre, TheatreWorks and Magic; in films alongside Peter Fonda, Randy Quaid and Rita Moreno; on national television shows; and as the voice of characters in Pixar’s The Incredibles. At the Marsh, Little BIG Mouth is all about personal storytelling. In her one-woman show, Gaye is an actress clamoring for major league attention. Her mentors are unconventional: a six-year-old girl and Georgia O’Keeffe. The energy is dynamic, the humor buoyant, the depth overflowing. And honestly, don’t most folks secretly hope to be BIG in a world that constantly reminds them of their smallness? Goes until Aug. 2. – LF
INFO: Sun, 5pm, The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. $25-100. 415.641.0235.
SUN 7/12
JAZZ
CHARLES CHEN QUARTET
By day Charles Chen is a Silicon Valley software engineer and entrepreneur. By night he’s one of the most persuasively swinging pianists on the Bay Area jazz scene who can often be found at one of the regular swing dance gatherings around the region. He’s celebrating the release of his third album, The Long Way Home, a hybrid session that showcases both the playing of 98-year-old bassist Bill Crow and 91-year-old drummer Steve Little, and Chen’s interviews with the nonagenarian masters. He’s playing the Sound Room with Paris-reared, New York-based guitarist Félix Lemerle, who plays on the new album, and the expert Bay Area rhythm section tandem of bassist Nico Martinez and drummer Brian Fishler. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Sun, 5pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30-$35. 510.547.8188.
SUN 7/12
JAZZ
PURPLECAT’S HARMONIC EXPLORATION
Berkeley High Jazz is the gift that keeps on giving. Among the brightest lights in the constellation of recent graduates are drummer Ellie Martens, a.k.a. Purplecat, who’s home from jazz studies in New York at the New School, and violinist/vocalist Tanvi Kumar, who combines deep training in Carnatic vocals with exceptional skills as a jazz improviser. They’re joined by San Francisco-reared New York pianist Zack Shubert and El Cerrito-raised bassist Isaac Coyle, whose career has taken off since he graduated from Berklee in 2023. He’s mostly gigging around the Bay Area, but a few years ago he toured the country as a part of drum-star Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy-winning New Standards band. – AG
INFO: Sun, 7pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $15-$20. 510.654.3808.
TUE 7/14
HIP-HOP
GHAIS GUEVARA
Ghais Guevara is fresh off the release of acclaimed new album Goyard & The Kayfabe Reveal, an ambitious rap opera that builds on the fictional universe of his previous record, folding together revolutionary politics, personal memory, philosophy and frenetic production. His music ricochets between political commentary, industrial abrasion and jazzy side-roads. In Oakland he’ll be joined by another artist tearing up the rulebook: Minneapolis-based rapper student 1, who brings his own playful unpredictability and curiosity. – SBB
INFO: Tue, 8pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $12-$15. 510.808.7565.
