THURSDAY
METAL
THE BODY
The Body, an experimental metal two-piece formed in 2004 by duo Chip King and Lee Buford, released their self-titled debut album the same year. Six years later, they released their second album, All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood. Over the years, they’ve collaborated on albums with other like-minded groups such as Thou, Full of Hell and OAA—who dropped an album with them in 2022 called Enemy of Love. Their droning sound combines elements of ethereal tones and dark emotions for tracks just as delicate as they are heavy, ushering in a metal sonority for fans of doom, sludge … and Björk. – MAT WEIR
INFO: 6:30pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $15/adv, $20/door. 510.524.8180.
THURSDAY
ALT-ROCK
NOAHFINNCE
British singer-songwriter Noahfinnce, a.k.a Noah Adams, brings a fresh, punchy energy to alt-rock and pop punk, creating “angry trans punk” that builds on the My Chemical Romance, Green Day and Fall Out Boy sounds he loved as a kid. His album Growing Up On The Internet just dropped, and in it Noahfinnce processes the joys and traumas of a very online childhood and young adulthood. “It’s not a natural/normal human experience to develop as a person in front of hundreds of thousands of eyes,” he wrote in his album announcement, “but thinking back, I’d never change a thing.” – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: 7pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $23/adv, $26/door. 510.214.8600.
FRIDAY
REGGAE
ALBOROSIE
Attention, Oakland: The Italian Reggae Ambassador is coming to town. Sicilian-born Alberto D’Ascola adopted the stage name Alborosie after moving to Jamaica in 2001, where he cut his teeth in the competitive world of Rastafarians trying to make it. His 2006 debut, Soul Pirate, challenged those skeptical of a white European’s place in reggae and won many over, mostly because of his hits “Rastafari Anthem” and “Kingston Town.” Where does a dual citizen of Italy and Jamaica go from there? For Alborosie, the answer lies in a steady stream of dub albums and an endless commitment to the resurgent Kingston music scene. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: 9pm, The New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30. 510.227.8177.
FRIDAY
JAZZ
SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS
As one of the most popular bands associated with the retro-swing movement of the ’90s, the Squirrel Nut Zippers have long since surpassed the confines of that dance-driven moment. The group has waxed and waned over the years, and whenever it resurfaces, it seems even more deeply rooted in early 20th-century popular American music. The group’s latest album, Jazz From The Back O’ Town, celebrates New Orleans during the turn of the century when it was a wide-open town. Still led by cofounder Jimbo Mathus on guitar, banjo and vocals, the raucous eight-piece group delivers a damn good time, featuring the ebullient lead vocals of Cella Blue, formerly of Austin’s White Ghost Shivers. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 10pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $59. 510.238.9200.
FRIDAY
FESTIVAL
FRONT PORCH PRESENTS
Front Porch Open Mic is saddling up with Town Hall with a series of performances called Front Porch Presents. A half-dozen tried-and-true local musicians, including guests Lonesome Eddie and the Saddle Sores, will provide two hours of melodic frolics. The Town Hall Theatre has an incredible history. It was built in 1914 with labor donated by the community, and it hosts grand balls, community meetings, church services, movies, basketball and live performances. People seeking an extra dose of happiness should arrive early to enjoy discounted libations and lobby musicians Thick As Thieves. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: 7pm, Town Hall Theatre, 535 School St., Lafayette. $15 – $20. 510.283.1557.
SATURDAY
BENEFIT
TESS AND THE DETAILS
Advance ticket holders can catch a bonus cinematic flick, Minnesota Mean, which explores professional roller derby women as they compete and create community in a hardscrabble industry. After that, jump in the pop-punk-rock rink for a ride with the San Francisco-based band Tess and the Details, whose album Runaway is sure to be the band’s main jam. This show benefitting the Supernovas Roller Derby is a double-header, so no need to slow down when Moon Sick takes over and powers the crowd with their signature, unstoppable momentum. Leave exhausted—or ready to roll for the next adventure. – LF
INFO: 8:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $20 – $25. 510.526.5888.
SATURDAY
ROCK
SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM
Experimental. Brazen. Artistic. Oakland’s musical art collective known as Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has never been shy about pushing the envelope. Taking their name from a group of Futurists and Dadaists who opened a museum in 1916—the exact day when the band would have their first show 83 years later—the collective builds musical stories using lyrics and movements to tell their tales. Apropos of their idiosyncratic shows, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum also builds instruments to create the sounds they hear in their heads and aren’t afraid to bust out a puppet or two to get the song’s meaning across. – MW
INFO: 8pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $27.50. 510.356.4000.
TUESDAY
WORLD
OUMOU SANGARE
Oumou Sangare has created a sonic fusion like no other, merging traditional Malian music with rock, pop and blues to create songs with attitude and high danceability. A fierce advocate for the well-being of her childhood community in the Wassoulou region of Mali, she combines her global superstardom with various developmental business ventures throughout Africa, including hotels, agriculture, pisciculture and car manufacturing. Her latest album, Timbuktu, is slated for release at the end of April, so now is the time to catch this busy woman on the cusp of yet another career milestone. – AM
INFO: 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $60/adv, $65/door. 510.644.2020.
TUESDAY
CLASSICAL
JOZEF ORLINSKI
Polish countertenor Jakub Jozef Orlinski is returning to the Bay Area after his radiant debut as Orpheus at the San Francisco Opera in 2022, where his powerful falsetto and skilled breakdancing brought both luminous artistry and nimble physicality to the role. Now, he’s accompanied by the prize-winning orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro for an evening of rarely performed masterpieces from the 16th and 17th centuries that showcase Orlinski’s extraordinary vocal range and emotional depth. Works by Monteverdi, Caccini, Frescobaldi, Cavalli, Strozzi and others will be highlighted. – SBB
INFO: 7:30pm, UC Berkeley, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. $35 – $106. 510.642.9988.