THURSDAY
LATIN
JENNY AND THE MEXICATS
For a band that defies all molds, look no further than the Spanish-English fusion of Jenny and the Mexicats (formerly Pachucos y la Princesa). Melding Jenny Ball’s jazz trumpet with flamenco, cumbia and folk, the group creates a high-energy, undeniably fun atmosphere wherever they go. Their spirit has been one of adventure since their start in 2008 when Jenny agreed to move to Madrid upon bass player Icho’s invitation. Since then, they have lived by the following description, a mission statement of sorts: “Jenny and the Mexicats is a musical journey that shows that there are no borders when it comes to music.” – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
Info: 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $26/adv, $30/door. 510.214.8600.
LITERATURE
THE UNOFFICIAL TED LASSO COOKBOOK
California authors Aki Berry and Meg Chano reveal the culinary secrets of the Lassoverse, riffing off of the Emmy Award-winning TV show, Ted Lasso. Memorize their collection of 50 recipes and assorted Lasso quips to be the hit of any party. There are “Be the Goldfish Trail Mix” and “Rebecca Welton’s Boss Bitch Cocktail” for starters, followed by “Mexican Ponche,” “BBQ Pulled Pork,” the requisite “Biscuits With the Boss” and other stuff to stuff yourself full. To seal the deal, serve the “BELIEVE Cupcake Sheet” and “Diamond Dogs’ Highballs.” Stoke the fire with Ted quotes that are nothing like TED Talks—unless protesting how tea tastes like dirty brown water becomes the latest craze. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: 7pm, Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda. Free. 510.522.2226.
FRIDAY
COMEDY
MARY LYNN RAJSKUB
Fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will already know Mary Lynn Rajskub as the recurring character, Gail the Snail. She also plays Chloe on the Fox drama, 24. Though these two roles may be her most memorable, the actor, comedian and writer has toured with Fred Armisen, performed stand-up around the world, and appeared in countless films and television shows, including Gilmore Girls, Little Miss Sunshine, Legally Blonde 2, Night School and Grey’s Anatomy. Like the best comedians, Rajskub has a knack for translating difficulty into hilarity, taking on touchy topics like motherhood, the pandemic and sexuality. She also performs on Saturday. – AM
Info: 7pm & 9:15pm, Alameda Comedy Club, 2431 Central Ave., Alameda. $25. 510.318.1538.
COMEDY
GABRIEL IGLESIAS
He’s not fat; he’s FLUFFY. Of course, the man in question is the uproarious comedian, Gabriel Iglesias. Since his brief 2006 stint on the hit competition show, Last Comic Standing, Iglesias has become a household name in the comedy world. One year later, he released his DVD—remember those?—Hot and Fluffy, which sent his star on an unstoppable trajectory. Since then, he’s appeared on comedy shows like Family Guy, Key & Peele and Modern Family, as well as some unexpectedly serious dramas such as Narcos and Hell’s Kitchen (OK, maybe that one’s kinda funny). – MAT WEIR
INFO: 8pm, Oakland Arena, 7000 S. Coliseum Way, Oakland. $51.98-$124.98. 510.569.2121.
COMEDY
“THIS IS IMPORTANT” LIVE
Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson and Kyle Newacheck, co-creators and stars of Workaholics, have taken their podcast, “This is Important,” on the road. They offer their audience the pleasure of watching the effortless camaraderie and unfiltered dumbness of true friends who don’t care about impressing each other. Their freestyle conversations drift through everything and nothing: current events, stories from filming, random things they saw that day and all the other topics you might expect from stoner buddies, like farts, weed, bizarre sex acts and a million inside jokes they encourage their audience to share. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: 8pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $43-$73. 510.465.6400.
SATURDAY
JAZZ
NORMAN BROWN
Known as a supremely fluid player with a warm, appealing sound, guitarist Norman Brown has been a smooth-jazz standard-bearer for some three decades. He’s collaborated with many of the genre’s leading figures, including Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright and Rick Braun—but Brown doesn’t need anyone else’s star power to hold the stage. Whether he’s getting low-down and gritty or calm and lyrical, he has charisma to spare. He also plays at Yoshi’s on Sunday. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7:30 & 9:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $49-$94. 510.238.9200.
SUNDAY
PUNK
PUBLIC SERPENTS
Leave Grandma, Pastor Paul and the youngest kiddos at home. It’s a night for punk combat, brutal ska rhythms and adventurous indie licks. Public Serpents play crack rocksteady, a genre coined by lead singer Skwert’s previous group, Choking Victim. It’s like a more intense version of ska punk that’s melded with death metal. They’re joined by two exciting SF bands, punkers Surprise Privilege and indie-ska band Sad Snack. No need to wrap your head around this bundle of genres; it’ll just get blown off anyway. Behind all the shaking and shit-showing are solid performers with no fear and plenty of that good stuff. – LF
INFO: 7:30pm, Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $10. 510.525.9926.
FUNK ROCK
THE LAMONTS
To call The Lamonts just a funk band would be a gross underestimate. Hailing from Lahaina, Hawaii, this five-piece group combines punk, hip hop, funk and whatever else they feel like for truly one-of-a-kind songs. Using live instrumentation with DJ scratching and samples, The Lamonts are the next logical evolution of a sound pioneered by the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rage Against the Machine and the like. Their songs are a high-energy call for movement, whether it’s dancing, moshing or plain ol’ buggin’ out. In 2019 they were named “Maui’s Best Band” by Maui Times readers and last year they were featured on the NBA2k video game soundtrack. Even after this year’s devastating Maui fires in which most of the members lost their homes, The Lamonts won’t hold back on delivering their positive message to the people. – MW
INFO: 8pm, Elbo Room, 311 Broadway, Oakland. $10adv/$15door. 350-8116.
SKA
RODDY RADIATION AND HIS SKABILLY REBELS
Roddy Radiation, best known as a member of the British ska-revival band the Specials, has drawn on ska’s legacy of evolution and fusion to develop a hybrid of hybrids. The Skabilly Rebels, formed in 2003, blend the rhythms and bounce of ska with the bluesy twang and hard edge of rockabilly. Each song combines and contrasts those flavors in different combinations, sometimes leaning into ska breeziness, sometimes into boogie-woogie harmony and sometimes into more riffy rock territory. – SB
INFO: 6pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $18/adv, $23/door. 510.526.5888.
WEDNESDAY
FOLK
RACHEL GARLIN
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and with it comes a cornucopia of sweet and savory dishes and reunions with loved ones. The latter is exactly what Bay Area folk singer Rachel Garlin will bring to Berkeley’s “Friendsgiving at the Freight” show. Fresh off the heels of her latest album, The Ballad of Madelyne & Theresa, a narrative that tells the story of two women in love in the ’40s, Garlin will perform some new tracks and plenty of her favorites from her discography. But it wouldn’t be Friendsgiving without the friends, so joining her are old bandmates like Lisa Zeiler, Shelley Doty and other special guests. – MW
INFO: 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $20/adv, $25/door. 510.644.2020.
