THU 7/23
FOLK
DAKHABRAKHA
Ukrainian avant-folk quartet DakhaBrakha create haunting polyphonic vocal harmonies while accompanying themselves on cellos, hurdy gurdy, piano and sundry percussion implements. Multi-instrumentalists Olena Tsybulska, Iryna Kovalenko and Nina Garenetska, who were all active in Kyiv’s experimental theater scene, founded the band in 2004 and were quickly joined by Marko Halanevych on vocals, tabla, didgeridoo, accordion and trombone. The fact that the three women often perform in towering black fur hats and white wedding dresses cribbed from a production of Shakespeare’s Richard III amplifies the music’s decidedly otherworldly feel. – Andrew Gilbert
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Siesta Valley Bowl, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. $63-$94. 925.258.8637.
THU 7/23
DANCE
AILEYCAMP FINAL SHOWCASE
When nearly 70 kids leap, spin, lift and strut their stuff in the show concluding the annual free, six-week summer AileyCamp, effervescence is everywhere. There is no greater evidence of East Bay youth’s vitality than what a sell-out crowd witnesses on that evening in Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. Young performers selected from Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond school districts are trained by professional artists in ballet, jazz, modern and African dance. Field trips and other personal development activities chart a course for the young doers-of-dance to become future leaders and influencers. The audience, packed with friends, family and anyone lucky enough to score a ticket, is no less energetic. – Lou Fancher
INFO: Thu, 7pm, Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, #4800, Berkeley. Free. 510.642.9988.
FRI 7/24
COMEDY
IFY NWADIWE
Um, actually, Ify Nwadiwe seems incapable of sticking to just one medium. He’s a stand-up comic, actor, improviser, TV writer, video game writer and the quick-witted host of Dropout’s Um, Actually, where encyclopedic knowledge of video games, anime, sci-fi and other nerdish fare becomes a competitive sport. While punching up scripts for Twisted Metal and Borderlands 4, or riffing on camera and live onstage, Nwadiwe mixes sharp improvisation, pop-culture obsession and easygoing delivery that invites all into the deepest realms of geek reference. – Sonya Bennett-Brandt
INFO: Fri, 7pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $28. 510.214.8600.
FRI 7/24
INDIE
MARYANNE MUGLIA
Arizona composer, arranger, pianist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Maryanne Muglia can dissect and rebuild harmonies into unexpected shapes, crafting arrangements haunted by an unusual dissonance. Her debut album, Try Hard, blends indie-folk and jazz with pop clarity. Every phrase and texture feels carefully weighed and deployed, yet the songs never calcify into academic exercise. Muglia’s fleet-footed vocals weave through rich harmonic detail, lingering on uncertainty without a rush toward resolution. – SBB
INFO: Fri, 9pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $17. 510.808.7565
SAT 7/25
THEATER
A THOUSAND MOTHERS COLLECTING THE BONES
Two mothers, Phoenix Song and Monique Miyake, lost their 17-year-old son to suicide. In this performance piece, combining theater, poetry, storytelling and music, they share how they used their art forms to journey through their profound grief. They invite anyone who has experienced loss to navigate the journey with them. From the piece: “When the heart breaks into a million pieces, the only thing left to do is let the light shine through.” There will be a post-show talkback, along with an exhibition of Miyake’s art prints. Ten percent of sales will be donated to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit suicide prevention organization for young LGBTQ+ people. – Janis Hashe
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $25-$35. 510.848.2568.
SAT 7/25
HIP- HOP
KOOL KEITH
Kool Keith first gained people’s attention as part of the Ultramagnetic MCs, who released funk-infused beats and melodies. But in 1995 he dropped Dr. Octagonecologyst under the name Dr. Octagon and broke the brains of fans and critics alike. With Dan the Automator producing and DJ Qbert scratching, the album kept the funk beats but infused it with sexual, horror and surrealist themes and can be used as a marker in time as a major change in the genre. Now he plays The Freight as part of their “Hip Hop As Folk” series, showing the connections between the genre and roots music. – Mat Weir
INFO: Sat, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $44-$49. 510.644.2020.
SAT 7/25
JAZZ
DICK WHITTINGTON’S 90th BIRTHDAY
Dick Whittington began his career on the 1950s L.A. scene, landing several plum gigs like leading a band at the Lighthouse featuring saxophonist Charles Lloyd, trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Billy Higgins. Relocating to Berkeley, he found steady work during the post-Beatles jazz lull, teaching kindergarten, which helped ignite the jazz-steeped public-school curriculum. He went on to create the Maybeck Recital Hall series, which turned into an internationally acclaimed series of solo piano albums for Concord Jazz in the 1980s and ’90s. Celebrating his 90th birthday, Whittington is joined by the veteran tandem of bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Akira Tana, with special guests Peck Allmond on trumpet, tenor sax and flute; and Jeff Cressman on trombone. – AG
INFO: Sat, 5:30pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30-$35. 510.547.8188.
SUN 7/26
POST-PUNK
60 JUNO
The world is a cold, weird and unforgiving place. Maybe that’s why post-punk is having such a resurgence right now with bands like 60 juno. Hailing from Merced (!!!), 60 juno is the solo project of Jericho Tejeda that started as a bedroom project and blossomed into a full-fledged band. While he creates and records the sounds for his online material, the live version features Daniel González on guitar, Justin Suárez on drums and Marcus Felix on bass. Tejeda manages to capture that magical, dreamy sound of a Martin Hannett production that leaves one nostalgic for long drives, smoking cigarettes on a cloudy day and the beauty of a broken heart. – MW
INFO: Sun, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $28. 510.214-8600.
TUE 7/28
LITERARY
SAMIN NOSRAT
The James Beard Award-winning author links up with KQED’s Forum host Alexis Madrigal for a chit-chat about cooking, curiosity, culture and the joys of community. Sure, the two will speak of boiling, baking, roasting and lessons learned in the kitchen that inform Nosrat’s best-selling cookbooks, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and Good Things. When it comes to Nosrat, it’s fair to say that behind every great dish is not just a motherlode of insight, experience and instinct, but a generosity of spirit. Come to the conversation to feed your soul, then visit one of the East Bay’s great restaurants or head home and whip up a feast to feed your tummy. – LF
INFO: Tue, 7pm, Henry J Kaiser Center of the Arts, 10 10th St., Oakland. $45-$78. 510.629.2381.
WED 7/29
AMERICANA
PETE BERNHARD
Pete Bernhard’s band, the Devil Makes Three, may hail from Santa Cruz, but surf rock it is not. Born in a small Vermont town, Bernhard was drawn early on to traditional fingerpicking blues alongside early folk music and then, a bit later, the disruption of punk. The band’s been making its own genre for more than 20 years, including the well-reviewed 2025 album, Spirits. In an interview with radio show The String, Bernhard revealed he was working through the loss of his mother, brother and best childhood friend. This solo show will feature Bernhard using his influences—Doc Watson, the Reverend Gary Davis, Nick Drake, Robert Johnson and Townes Van Zandt—to continue that journey. – JH
INFO: Wed, 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $22. 510.526.5888.
