THURSDAY
RAP
I.M
For anyone not paying attention, K-pop, a.k.a. Korean Pop, is an international success. By mixing pop and hip-hop with girl groups and boy bands, K-pop has become a favorite genre for Gen Z. At the head of the genre are bands like BTS, BLACKPINK and Monsta X—whose lead rapper, I.M, has branched off into a solo career. His 2021 debut EP, Duality, hit several international charts, including iTunes, Billboard and Amazon, surpassing top artists such as Ariana Grande, Adele and Coldplay. This Thursday, expect plenty of dance moves and screaming fans falling for I.M’s smooth ’n’ sexy voice that steals hearts with every verse. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Thu, 8pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $66.50. 510.356.4000.
THURSDAY
POP
MIDGE URE
With hits like “Vienna” and “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes,” Scottish songwriter Midge Ure pioneered the synth-pop sound of the ’80s as the frontperson of Ultravox. He went on to do so much more, narrating radio shows for the BBC, working with charities like Save the Children and Band Aid, and continually recording. Having recently celebrated his 70th birthday, he’s finding as much joy in music as ever. He says, “I performed live before I was ever allowed anywhere near a recording studio, and as much as I love spending time writing and recording, live music remains my first love.” – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $29-$59. 510.238.9200.
FRIDAY
NOISE
WOLF EYES
Nate Young’s Wolf Eyes oozed out of Detroit in the mid-’90s with a reputation for strange and disquieting soundscapes, and for the past two decades the noise-music combo pivoted on his combustible partnership with John Olson. The duo headlines a triple bill consisting of Italian-born, Portland-based composer and tuneful multimedia artist Trigger Object (Veronica “Vern” Avola) and Death Sentence: Panda!—a reconstituted trio featuring Kim West, Paul Costuros and Chris Dixon on an array of unusual instruments playing songs inspired by traditional Chinese and Korean folk music, ragtime, punk and New Orleans processionals. Needless to say, feathers will be ruffled. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $20. 510.859.8709.
FRIDAY
INDIE
CHRISTIAN FRANCISCO
Christian Francisco’s band describes itself as “Bay Area power-pop twee-gaze.” The band creates sweetness-inflected indie rock that harkens back to a simpler time. Their latest album, Good Boy!, is an ode to good dogs, especially Francisco’s 14-year-old Pomeranian, Koopa. It’s pure frolic-core, with the good vibes of a summer camp song and the brightness of 8-bit video game music. The band will perform alongside hyperpop acts, such as emotegi and Eichlers, as well as Salt Lake City-based touring bands Head Portals and Jimi Dead. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 7pm, Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $15. 510.524.8180.
SATURDAY
PUNK
DI
Before the gatekeepers and “no fun” police move in to tell people what is or isn’t cool, subcultures have a window of opportunity. Take Fullerton’s DI. Now a pillar in the punk scene, they took the look and attitude of hardcore and combined it with SoCal’s surf and skate style for hard, melodic music that was almost unheard of in 1981. And while they never gained the commercial success of fellow punks like Social Distortion—a band for which DI singer Casey Royer once played drums—there is no denying their influence on the explosion of ’90s punk. Joining these legends are the Seagulls, Elegant Trash and WXYZ, who’ll be celebrating Linda XYZ’s 75th birthday. What’s more punk than that? – MW
INFO: Sat, 8:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $20/adv, $25/door. 510.526.5888.
SATURDAY
FESTIVAL
EVERYBODY EATS
It’s a good thing this outdoor festival at Radium Runway is a six-hour affair. With cuisine from crown-worthy local vendors, food trucks and chefs, there’s time to chow down and take a 30-minute respite to watch local fashion before diving back into the food bowl. Check out the roster of eight local bands and build an appetite for Muz Knuckles BBQ and West Coast Chopped Cheese. Don’t forget sweets like Sweet Pipers, Pineapple Whips, Isle of Cookies and Drae’s Lemonade. Pack your best dancing shoes and fly fearlessly into the third annual celebration of food, fashion, family fun and great tunes on Alameda Island. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, Noon, Radium Runway, 2151 Ferry Point, Alameda. $28.52.
SATURDAY
JAZZ
ERIK JEKABSON QUINTET & KENNY WASHINGTON
Kenny Washington, an Oakland singer as phenomenal as he is self-effacing, is a soul-powered New Orleans native with a bone-deep feel for Crescent City grooves and cadences. Berkeley-reared trumpeter Erik Jekabson spent some formative years in New Orleans playing funk and jazz in the late ’90s—contributing to Galactic’s first album in the process—and he keeps his Gulf Coast connection fresh with a talent-packed quintet. Built on the buoyantly grooving rhythm section tandem of bassist Ron Belcher and drummer Deszon Claiborne, the group also features ace pianist Rob Reich and reed expert Rob Barics, who possesses a deep command of New Orleans idioms. – AG
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $39-$45. 510.708.9691.
SUNDAY
ROOTS
LINDA TILLERY
Even if there’s no cake, we’re going. Tillery’s 76th birthday party rocks into high gear with the seminal musician backed by a solid ensemble of 14 East Bay jazz, blues, soul, rock and roots all-stars. Tillery’s decades include leading the psychedelic soul group the Loading Zone, acting as a session musician and vocalist for Santana, Boz Scaggs, Huey Lewis and Turtle Island Quartet, and founding Grammy-nominated the Cultural Heritage Choir. Her dedication to preserving African-American roots music has been unwavering, omnipresent and noteworthy. If funk, soul, groove, swing, sass, growl, laughter and love could be bottled, the label would read, “A Taste of Tillery: Sweeter Than Cake.” – LF
INFO: Sun, 7pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $54. 510.644.2020.
TUESDAY
PUNK
HEZ
Panamanian quartet Hez has been shaking the hardcore punk scene with a pissed-off, chaotic sound and disintegrating breakdowns. Their album, Panamaniacs, is a fierce follow-up to 2021’s Guerra Interior, blending gritty, reverbed vocals with glitchy guitar effects. The album takes unrelenting aim at corrupt cops, phonies and the drudgery of work, with vitriolic anthems like “No Quiero Trabajar” that discharge an all-too-relatable rage at having to work for a living. – SBB
INFO: Tue, 7:30pm, Stay Gold Deli, 2635 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $10. 510.350.8729.
WEDNESDAY
RAP
FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN
Prolific mumble-rapper Future teamed up with frequent collaborator Metro Boomin for the We Trust You tour. In the past year, the hip-hop legends released a pair of albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, that combine Metro Boomin’s dark production style with Future’s trap expertise. They’ve hopped into the greatest beef since Tupac and Biggie, releasing “Like That” with Kendrick Lamar, who directly responds to Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter,” rapping, “Fuck sneak dissin’/‘First Person Shooter’/I hope they came with three switches.” Talk about a showstopper. – AM
INFO: Wed, 8pm, Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. $70-$293. 510.569.2121.
