THURSDAY, APRIL 3
COMEDY
AZIZ ANSARI
Oct. 13th might be six months away, but that doesn’t mean people can’t “treat yo’ self.” The award-winning comedian, actor, writer and director is known for his role as Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation and as Dev Shah on his hit Netflix show, Master of None. However, he’s also appeared in several hit movies and pop-culture shows like Bob’s Burgers, The Venture Bros. and Ice Age: Continental Drift. His stand-up touches on everything from being raised Muslim in South Carolina in the ’80s and ’90s to current topics and situations everyone can relate to. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Thu, 7pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $86–$186. 510.893.2300.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3
JAZZ
EMMET COHEN TRIO
Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is forging modern jazz with virtuosity, swing and entrepreneurial vision. A prodigy who began studying Suzuki piano at three, Cohen has become known for his fluid technique, connection to tradition and Live From Emmet’s Place, a livestream concert series. Birthed during Covid lockdowns, the wildly popular series—now 128 volumes deep—is filmed in Cohen’s living room, broadcasting the energy of Harlem rent parties to millions worldwide. Whether headlining at The Freight or streaming from his apartment, Cohen’s music is a crisp bridge between tradition and innovation. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $49/adv, $54/door. 510.644.2020.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
PUNK
GING NANG BOYZ
Japanese lo-fi punk band Ging Nang Boyz is on their first-ever American tour, led by the passionate and unpredictable Kazunobu Mineta. The idiosyncratic band rocketed to the top of the Japanese punk scene in 2003 after releasing two debut albums on the same day; they then released two more albums on the same day in 2014. Band members have come and gone, but Mineta’s uninhibited, wailing vocals are the throughline in cult-favorite tracks like “I Don’t Wanna Die” and “Boys on the Run,” making every performance feel like an urgent, raunchy confession. – SBB
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, 924 Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $20. 510.524.8180.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
POP
MYLES SMITH
In 2022, English singer/songwriter Myles Smith began posting himself singing covers online, and one resonated: his version of the Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather went viral, leading him to a major-label deal and a roller-coaster initiation into stardom. With his dulcet tones and folk-pop leanings, Smith completed his breakthrough in 2024 by releasing his debut EP, You Promised a Lifetime. The singer is known to wear his heart on his sleeve, taking on vulnerable and introspective themes in hit singles like “Stargazing” and “Solo.” He thinks of his shows as group therapy for his loyal fans. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $56–$177. 510.302.2250.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
ROCK
DESTROY BOYS
Sacramento punk-rock outfit Destroy Boys has been going strong for almost a decade. Founding members Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba have honed the craft of writing frenzied hardcore tracks throughout four ferocious albums. August 2024’s Funeral Soundtrack No. 4 is their latest offering, deploying horror motifs to throw a sonic funeral for old relationships and oppressive identities. Featuring collaborations with Marisa Dabice of Mannequin Pussy and Kat Moss of Scowl, the album darkly captivates from start to finish. The creepy organ part that kicks off on the first track, “Bad Guy,” is especially inspired. – AM
INFO: Fri, 8pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $40. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
THEATER
HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES
In 2007, a historian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum received a photo album of teenage girls recruited to work as switchboard, telephone and radio operators at Auschwitz. One showed a young woman holding an empty plate and shedding faux tears while an SS officer held a plate of blueberries. The photo album’s owner had written here there are blueberries. Nearby, thousands of Jewish people were being killed. The gripping play explores the nature of inhumanity, injustice, misdirected patriotism and manipulative propaganda. Arriving with prescient timing and displaying an urgent, chilling and profound warning, Moisés Kaufman’s 14-year project, developed and co-authored with Amanda Gronich, involved concentration camp survivors. History tells a horrid story and, fortunately, this production preserves it. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. $61–$97. 510.647.2949.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
THEATER
OVERLOOKED LATINAS
Among the overlooked Latinas in this hit comedy production are movie stars like Ramon Novarro, Dolores Del Río, Lupe Vélez and Rosaura Revueltas. Trust the sturdy creative team of solo performer Tina D’Elia and director Mary Guzmán to thrust queer storytelling, history and culture into rampaging humor and chaos. D’Elia plays the entire cast of LGBTQ+ characters, including the two lead roles: Angel, a Puerto Rican-Italian dyke hoping to pitch a pilot show to a television network and Angel’s queer Latina buddy, Carla. Events take a hairpin curve, and while addressing serious topics related to incarceration, deportation, racism and queer-phobia, the show never loses sight of the healing power of laughter. – LF
INFO: Sat, 5pm, Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. $25–$100. 510.282.3055.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
JAZZ
JOEY ALEXANDER
At 21, pianist Joey Alexander is already a well-traveled veteran who’s performed at many of the world’s great jazz venues and festivals. The Indonesian-born prodigy, famously introduced to American audiences in 2014 when Wynton Marsalis invited him to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center, has survived his early promise and emerged as a virtuoso with a point of view. Focusing on composing original tunes for his powerhouse trio, he’s developed a lithe, slinky group sound full of quicksilver accelerations and surprising dynamic shifts. His latest album, 2023’s Continuance, is also his most satisfying, suggesting that Alexander still has plenty of room to grow. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $49–$89. 510.238.9200.
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
JAZZ
QADIM ENSEMBLE
Qadim Ensemble is ideally situated to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month. The ensemble brings together a fascinating cast of artists who, by upbringing or personal quest, have immersed themselves in an overlapping array of traditions from a region repeatedly remade by the rise and fall of empires. Featuring Eliyahu Sills on flutes and reeds, Syria-reared Druze percussionist Faisal Zedan, Iranian percussionist Nariman Assadi, Iranian multi-instrumentalist Sirvan Manhoobi, dancer Miriam Peretz and vocalist Rachel Valfer, Qadim plays music both deeply rooted in traditional forms and fully alive to the context and moment of its creation. Many of the pieces were gathered by Valfer, who spent years collecting songs directly from the source around the Middle East. – AG
INFO: Sun, 7:30pm, Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. $29/adv, $35/door. 510.525.5099.
MONDAY, APRIL 7
ROCK
SWAMI JOHN REIS
John Reis is a man of many names: Swami, Slasher and Speedo are just a few. But for those who haven’t been sanctified in the sound of Swami John Reis, they might know him from some of his other projects like Pitchfork, Rocket from the Crypt, the Sultans, Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu. With credentials like that, it’s easy to say that Reis has been at the forefront of cool, creating underground music that influences the mainstream scene. This tour will be extra fun for fans as he dropped his fourth solo album, Time To Let You Down, under the Swami name. – MW
INFO: Mon, 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $23/adv, $28/door. 510.526.5888.
