THURSDAY
POP
SUZANIMAL
Singer, songwriter and bassist Suzanne Galal proves it’s never too late to become a rock star. The Bay Area native, a scientist and pharmacy professor by day, did not pick up a bass—now central to her groovy style—until she was 30. When her psychedelic pop debut EP, Body, came out in 2018, KQED described it as “subtle, evocative and precise” and praised the songwriting as “a study in maintaining a balance between minimalism and shimmering layers.” September 2022’s Passing is an exciting follow-up, displaying Galal’s ability to infuse her music with her interest in the human brain. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany. $15. 510.526.5888.
FRIDAY
ELECTRONIC
DRAAG ME
Electronic synth-pop duo Draag Me consists of Zack Schwartz and Corey Wichlin, from the acclaimed psych-outfit Spirit of the Beehive. The twosome plays a mesmerizing, disorienting mix of Detroit techno, metal guitar, bass riffs, overlaid disco, rap snippets, R&B grooves and existential lyrics. The music’s a perfect mirror to current times: episodic anxiety, angst and confusion interrupted by darting incisions of reality and soothing, hypnotizing synthesized excursions that allow a moment of exhalation before once again spinning off into a new direction. Fascinating journey guaranteed. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: 9pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $15-$20. 510.808.7565.
HIP-HOP
RUBY IBARRA
Bay Area-based Filipino American rapper and spoken word artist Ruby Ibarra has accomplished a lot, including serving as songwriter and soundtrack artist for Seasons One and Two of FOX’s The Cleaning Lady and creating the title track for the Emmy Award-winning docufilm, A Thousand Cuts. Her new single, “Switch,” is showcased in the NBA 2K24 video game and McDonald’s social media campaign. Appearing with Ian Santillano, Ouida and Vince A, the concert delivers a message: Carve your own path, embrace your cultural heritage, stand strong and sing your truth. This fearless foursome is bracing, bold and blazing with musical talent. – LF
INFO: 8 pm, New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave. (at 18th St.), Oakland. $35. 510.227.8177.
ELECTRONIC
KR3TURE
Although he’s been playing music for over 30 years—longtime locals will remember him in Audiafauna—Kr3ture has been a solo project for just shy of nine years. Right out of the gate, he was an instant Bay Area favorite. His dance parties combine mellow beats with live instrumentation, creating a sound that pulls at his listeners’ heartstrings. For the first half hour of this show, he will join Troy Dayton to build a “potent group coherence through a series of embodiment and connection practices that will help us feel a more salient connection to ourselves, each other and the magic of existence.” Oh yeah, it’s gonna get real. After that, KR3TURE will throw down his tracks to keep the good vibes going. – MAT WEIR
INFO: 8pm, Albany Veterans Memorial Building, 1325 Portland Ave., Albany. $33-$40. 415.377.6239.
SATURDAY
ROCK
PRINCESS
SNL veteran Maya Rudolph is one half of a Prince cover band. Yes, that’s correct: Rudolph and her longtime friend, Gretchen Lieberum, love the late artist known as Prince so much that they tour as Princess. The pair recently had their television debut on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, but have been dreaming about and refining this collaboration since meeting in college at UC Santa Cruz back in the day. In 2016, they even performed with the Revolution, Prince’s former backing band. They promise, “Don’t worry. We won’t hurt U. We only want U 2 have some fun.” – AM
INFO: 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $45. 510.302.2250.
PUNK
YEAR OF THE FISTMAS
The holidays are here again, meaning it’s time to get fisted. Yes, it’s the annual Year of the Fistmas show! For six years, Oakland punks Year of the Fist have thrown the holiday benefit show with an assembly of like-minded musicians. On Saturday, Kamala Parks will host the founding band with local legends Omnigone, Smokers and Chris Shearer as they tear through the night. This year’s charity is Bike East Bay, a nonprofit promoting bicycles as alternative, healthy and environmentally friendly forms of transportation since 1972. – MW
INFO: 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $12/adv, $15/door. 510.526.5888.
PUNK
ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a unique punk cover band that put their crazy spin on every genre they can get their hands on. Name it, and the Gimmes have probably punkified it—country, Motown, the Beach Boys—as well as show tunes like “I Will Always Love You” and Japanese folk music. The band’s five core members hail from Lagwagon, the Swinging Utters and NOFX, with a crew of substitutes borrowed from the swath of iconic punk rock groups, including the Ramones. They’re a mad experimental punk laboratory, and it’s scientifically impossible not to be delighted by a thrashy punk revamp of “Santa Baby.” – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: 8pm, The UC Theater, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $28.50. 510.356.4000.
MONDAY
JAZZ
MIKE STERN
Guitarist Mike Stern has never been easy to peg. He’s inextricably tied to the jazz fusion movement since his ’70s stint with drummer Billy Cobham and his high-profile role in bands led by legend Miles Davis during the ’80s. And he can shred with the best of them. His deep feeling for the blues and love of West African lyricism allows him to deliver a scorching phrase shimmering with blue-flame beauty. Stern should have no shortage of inspiration in the company of equally formidable players, including drum great Dennis Chambers, saxophonist Bob Franceschini, former Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and Stern’s wife, the brilliant German-born guitarist Leni Stern. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 8pm Monday, 8pm & 10pm Tuesday, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $32-$74. 510.238.9200.
TUESDAY
PUNK
MUTOID MAN
Brooklyn trio Mutoid Man, known for their collision of basement punk energy, metal theatricality and virtuosic prog rock riffs, swept the metal scene in 2013 with their debut EP Helium Head, followed by two full albums in four years, and openings for Mastodon and Danzig. Now, after a six-year hiatus, Mutoid Man is back, and they’ve been cooking up Mutants, a tight, exuberant album serving up a new batch of wildly technical and unrestrained metal bangers that’ll keep you on your toes with clever and eccentric genre twists. – SB
INFO: 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $26/adv, $30/door. 510.214.8600.
