THU 6/25
PUNK
RX BANDITS
Seeing ska become cool again has been one of the best things about the 21st century. Especially for those of us who had to live through the early 2000s, fighting their friends about the music’s awesomeness, despite it falling out of fashion. Yet through it all, certain third wave bands were able to somehow remain without completely getting rid of the ska in their sound. Rx Bandits are one of those bands. Despite not having a dedicated horn section anymore—although in the last 10 years or so they have been known to bust out the horns at live shows—their last album, 2014’s Gemini, Her Majesty, has ska-like elements intertwined throughout the alt-prog-rock-meets-pop-punk sound. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $49. 510.356.4000.
THU 6/25
ZYDECO
THE BACK DIMPLES
If a person doesn’t love the Back Dimples—a Cajun/Zydeco band based in Oakland—they haven’t heard them … yet. This is a stellar chance to rectify that deficit. Trip out onto the dance floor at Ashkenaz and let the blues/jazz/R&B/ska music ooze into bodily form. No need to be an expert mover: A beginner-friendly dance lesson begins 30 minutes before their show and puts even the shyest dancers in the comfort zone. Once equipped to spin, stomp and tiptoe with confidence, partner up with the all-ages crowd. The only things left are enjoying the five-member band’s considerable talents and discovering the eternal joy in moving to music. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. $15-25. 510.525.5099.
FRI 6/26
AMERICANA
RUTHIE FOSTER
By the time Ruthie Foster won a Grammy in 2025 for Best Contemporary Blues Album with Mileage, she had already proved she was determined to go her own way. The Gause, Texas, native’s path took her through a stint in the Navy, to turning down a major record deal and finally to finding a home at legendary Sun Records. Today, she’s recognized as a captivating singer/songwriter who blends blues, folk and gospel in her own very personal, heartfelt style. “Now you understand just why my head’s not bowed / I don’t shout or jump about or have to talk real loud / But when you see me passing, it oughta make you proud,” she sings, in “Phenomenal Woman.” Amen. – JANIS HASHE
INFO: Fri, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $44-$49. 510.644.2020.
FRI 6/26
JAZZ
HANNAH MAYER, NATHAN NAKADEGAWA-LEE & GUS HURTEAU
One of the pleasures of summer in the Bay Area is the profusion of gigs by young jazz musicians returning home from New York City. This collective trio brings together three stellar East Bay natives rapidly earning renown in the Big Apple. Pianist Hannah Mayer has been studying and performing with celebrated Brazilian guitarist/composer Toninho Horta for the past year. Nathan Nakadegawa-Lee, a poised and thoughtful tenor saxophonist with a beautiful tone, came out of Oakland Tech and studied with a bevy of top players at the New School. And multi-instrumentalist Gus Hurteau is an expert improviser and accompanist who’s also introduced the vibes into metal rock. Expect the unexpected. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 6:30pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $20-$25. 510.547.8188.
FRI 6/26
FILM
‘FANTASIA’
Fantasia has had an interesting history since it premiered in 1940. The original was 124 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission. Presented in four-track stereo sound (Fantasound), Leopold Stokowski conducted eight well-known pieces of classical music, creating an unforgettable serious-soundtrack-meets-cartoon dynamic. Multiple iterations had folks fiddling with the music and audiences gravitating to stories about filming mishaps and the meanings embedded in characters and plot lines. The Paramount pre-screening activities include an organ concert on the theater’s original Mighty Wurlitzer Opus 2164, classic cartoons and trailers, and a mysterious Dec-O-Win game with prize giveaway. Regardless of age, it’s a swell opportunity to be a kid once more. – LF
INFO: Fri, 7pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $12. 510.893.2300.
SAT 6/27
JAZZ
MIKAILO KASHA QUARTET
Growing up in Mountain View, bassist Mikailo Kasha was a standout player in the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars and he’s more than lived up to his promise. Now based in Miami, he’s forged a national network of colleagues and is known for putting together top-notch ensembles. This quartet features Houston vibraphonist Jalen Baker, who’s toured and recorded with trumpet star Jeremy Pelt; rising Miami pianist Tal Cohen, known for his work with Cuban drum-great Ignacio Berroa; and Los Angeles drummer Anthony Fung, a first-call accompanist on the Southland scene. Equally fluent on electric and standup bass, Kasha knows how to put together a wide-ranging program that tells an overarching story. – AG
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $30. 510.708.9691.
SAT 6/27
R&B
DON TOLIVER
Don Toliver’s Octane Tour pushes his sound into overdrive, a neon-haloed sprint through trap, R&B and psychedelic pop. Emerging from Houston and the Cactus Jack ecosystem, Toliver stacks reverb on elastic melodies and hooks that feel both weightless and sticky. It’s a kinetic palette. Tracks like “Body” and “ATM” are synth-slicked set pieces where falsetto slips into haze and back again. They embody Octane’s world as combustion and motion: potent backing beats retooled as fuel for a perpetual forward drive. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. $180-$688. 510.569.2121.
SAT 6/27
METAL
KONTUSION
Time to get those stretches in, stock up on ibuprofen and make peace with the devil because death metal is coming to town! Consisting of the main core of Mark Bronzino (Mammoth Grinder/ex-Iron Reagan) and Chris Moore (Coke Bust/Repulsion), Kontusion is a newer band with an old-school feel which, simply put, f!@#$%& rules! In 2022, they released their debut, self-titled EP and recently dropped their first full-length, Insatiable Lust For Death, just last year. While heavily steeped in death metal, they also incorporate elements of black metal into the mix for extra evil. Because why not? – MW
INFO: Sat, 9pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $20. 510.859.8709.
SUN 6/28
HIP-HOP
SLUM VILLAGE
Slum Village helped define the sound of Detroit hip-hop long before the city became a shorthand for forward-thinking beats. Formed in the early ’90s by childhood friends T3, Baatin and J Dilla, the group fused jazz-inflected grooves and off-kilter lyricism into a style that reshaped underground rap, favoring head-nodding subtlety over bombast. More than three decades later, T3 and producer-rapper Young RJ carry that legacy forward. 2024 release F.U.N. pairs the group’s signature warmth with contemporary collaborators like Larry June and Cordae as Slum Village extends Detroit’s musical lineage. – SBB
INFO: Sun, 7pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $49-$89. 510.238.9200.
WED 7/1
AMERICANA
JIM CAMPILONGO TRIO
Settle down into one of the Back Room’s couches for an evening of instrumental roots rock/jazz/funk/country swing with noted guitarist Jim Campilongo, as he jams with master drummer Scott Amendola and iconoclast bassist Mat Muntz. Just the title of one of Campilongo’s compositions, “I’m Helen Keller And You’re A Waffle Iron,” should provide a clue to what to expect from time with him and his associates. Vintage Guitar magazine called the piece “dirge-like funk that sounds at times like nothing should fit together, but it does.” It’s apparently true that Campilongo used S&H green stamps to buy his first guitar, but it’s been a long, creative journey to the Telecaster he plays now. – JH
INFO: Wed, 7:30pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $30. 510.654.3808.
