THURSDAY, JAN. 15
MUSIC
GIULIA
Folk- and indie-rock melt into one expression in the music of Bay Area-based Giulia. Like a pendulum, the swing of their voice is transfixing, the lyrics seem to kiss into the air. Whether it’s about loss, longing, love or desire—featured on their newest album, Fish out of Water, every song is a caress. Joining Giulia is non-binary artist Asha Wells, whose music carries an atmospheric, haunting sound and delivers edgy vestiges sourced from jazz, classical music and musical theater. The triple bill has queer and trans singer-songwriter Adrian Matias Bell bringing the Nightjars project. A little trippy, and a little more upbeat. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $15. 510.526.5888.
FRIDAY, JAN. 16
HIP-HOP
ILLOGIC
Illogic writes like he’s arguing with himself on the page. Coming out of Columbus, Ohio, his early records pair tightly wound internal rhymes with lines that second-guess success, faith and motive—hip-hop as a space for thinking out loud. Long respected as a writer’s rapper, Illogic’s work feels quietly radical in its refusal to chase trends. His delivery stays measured, almost conversational, so the tension lives in the writing, not theatrics. Across decades of releases, Illogic’s work tracks a mind revising its own beliefs without sanding down the contradictions. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 7pm, Elbo Room, 311 Broadway, Oakland. $10. 510.350.8116.
FRIDAY, JAN. 16
JAZZ
ADAM MOEZINIA FOLK ELEMENT TRIO
Steeped in jazz, guitarist Adam Moezinia has gradually expanded his stylistic palette, creating a cosmopolitan repertoire that embraces folk influences from South Africa and Appalachia to West Africa and the Caribbean. The L.A. native has earned widespread respect on the New York jazz scene working with heavyweights such as Cécile McLorin Salvant, Freddy Cole, George Coleman and Bobby Watson, but he’s carved out a distinctive musical identity with his Folk Element Trio. It’s a melodically expansive concept that’s been in circulation since the Jimmy Giuffre 3 in the 1950s, but Moezinia has tailored it to the contours of his far-ranging curiosity. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $29. 510.708.9691.
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
AMERICANA
FLYOVER STATES
Flyover States is built around voices first. The Portland trio—Aaron Elliott, Steven Patton and Jessica Rose Patton—writes close, intricate and carefully interwoven modern folk songs, more choir-like than lead-and-backup. Their music builds around tightly arranged, three-part harmonies that move in parallel and counterpoint, drifting in and out of dissonance and swapping lead lines. In their latest, PNW Music Award-winning album, True North, the band traces marriage, parenthood, old wounds resurfacing and the quiet recalibration that follows. At the Back Room, they’ll be joined by Bay Area musicians Steve Gibson on guitar and Jeremy Steinkoler on percussion. – SBB
INFO: Sat, 7pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $25. 510.381.1997.
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
THEATER
MARGA GOMEZ: ‘SPANISH STEW’
Born in Harlem, Marga Gomez has become a Bay Area theatrical treasure, cutting her dramatic teeth with iconic companies Lilith and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. For years now, she’s created solo shows that depict life’s comedy and conflict. The most recent, Spanish Stew, set in 1976, tells the tale of young Marga fleeing New York for San Francisco after being outed by her mother, then taking a restaurant job where she recreates a family stew recipe. In doing so, she finds a way to blend her birth and chosen families. ¡Buen provecho! Performances go until Feb. 22. – JANIS HASHE
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. $25-100. 415.282.3055.
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
THEATER
IN THE NAME OF LOVE
This annual presentation from Living Jazz is a hands-up winner. A spectacular celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision and legacy, this year’s concert highlights the music of Sly & the Family Stone. The 22nd anniversary occasion is not just about great music, it’s about community. Featured are some of the Bay Area’s most notable artists and groups: Martin Luther McCoy, Silk E, August Lee Stevens, Black London, Awesöme Orchestra Collective and the original Sly & the Family Stone bassist Rustee Allen—all led by the marvelous music director Kev Choice. Putting the shine on the next generation of musicians, the Living Jazz RootED Choir appears with leader Bryan Dyer and Oaktown Jazz Workshops. – LF
INFO: Sat, 6pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $30-100. 510.893.2300.
SUNDAY, JAN. 18
POST-HARDCORE
BLACK EYES
This Sunday, the Bay gets its first Black Eyes show in over two decades. Formed in 2001, this art-punk quintet pushed the envelope of post-punk and arthouse music with their 2003 self-titled debut, with elements of hardcore, punk, indie-rock and funk. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the band decided to do a reunion show in 2023 and liked it so much they quickly began practicing and writing new music. The result was last October’s Hostile Design EP, which continued the band’s tradition of doing whatever the f@#% they want, with elements of post-punk, noise and even a Beastie Boys-esque track. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Sun, 7pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $20adv/$25door. 510.524.8180.
SUNDAY, JAN. 18
POST-PUNK
HAUNT ME
The past decade has seen a growth in the goth scene with darkwave bands like Urban Heat, Twin Tribes and Provoker. Enter Haunt Me. This trio from San Antonio, Texas, formed in 2021 under the lead of Darius Davila. They perfectly capture the sound that filled the goth clubs of the late ’80s and ’90s: dark, romantic, forlorn and as dancey as Halloween skeletons. Last year, they dropped their second LP, Watch You Bleed on—when else—Valentine’s Day and caught the eye of fans and critics alike. For fans of the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Interpol, it’s easy to see why Haunt Me has grown so popular in such a short time. – MW
INFO: Sun, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $28. 510.214.8600.
TUESDAY, JAN. 20
AFROBEAT
ANTIBALAS
At the turn of the century, after the death of Afrobeat patriarch Fela Kuti, a group of Brooklyn musicians coalesced around saxophonist Martín Perna, bassist and Daptone producer Gabriel Roth, and Nigerian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Duke Amayo. Building on Kuti’s polyrhythmic funk, their group, Antibalas, incorporated Afro-Cuban beats and other influences circulating around the borough. Antibalas has become North America’s premiere Afrobeat-and-beyond ensemble. From Broadway, where they were the house band for the Bill T. Jones-choreographed production Fela!, to Angelique Kidjo’s album reimagining Talking Heads’ Remain in Light from a West African perspective, Antibalas met every creative challenge. Shows on Tuesday and Wednesday. – AG
INFO: Tue, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $49-$84. 510.238.9200.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21
THEATER
‘TINA’
The phrase “force of nature” is much overused, but the late Tina Turner was its physical incarnation. Anna Mae Bullock, raised in a shack in Brownsville, Tennessee, rose by pure will and talent to become one of the most recognized and beloved entertainers of her time, triumphing over a famously abusive musical partnership and marriage to explode as her Grammy-winning self. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall explores this journey, accompanied by a soundtrack studded with songs that continue to keep on rollin.’ A package including preshow dinner at the Lakeview Club inside the HJK Center is available. Also plays Thursday, Jan. 22. – JH
INFO: Wed, 7:30pm, Henry J. Kaiser Cultural Center, 10 10th St., Oakland. $92-$216. 510.629.2381.
