THURSDAY, MARCH 6
MAGIC
BRAD BARTON
Brad Barton might be considered a magician, but he identifies much more poetically as a “Reality Thief.” Performing under that mysterious moniker for over three decades, he combines magic, comedy and reading minds in a show that leaves audiences around the country awestruck. Of his many claims to fame, he once managed to steal Tom Waits’s watch and was invited to be a special guest performer for Prince’s final performance at the Fillmore. As much as fans celebrate the shock and awe of his mind-altering shows, they also emphasize his charming way of interacting with crowds. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $34. 510.708.7691.
FRIDAY, MARCH 7
ROCK
SKEGSS
Remember when music was fun? Skegss remembers; they’re bringing their psych/surf-rock to the East Bay this Friday. Formed in 2014, the Australian band packs a big sound for only a duo. What makes Skegss so great is their honesty. The music speaks for itself and hides no intentions: It’s fun. It’s dancy. It’s surf rock. ’Nuff said. Initially slated for UC Theatre in Berkeley, this show was recently moved to The Chapel in San Francisco, where the acoustics and ambiance better suit Skegss’ cosmic sound. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Fri, 8pm, The Chapel, 777 Valencia St., San Francisco. $42. 415.551.5157.
FRIDAY, MARCH 7
METAL
PALLBEARER
With weighty riffs and mournful melodies, Pallbearer has carved out a unique space in doom metal, blending classic Sabbath-style heaviness with progressive flourishes and heartfelt lyricism. Their 2012 debut, Sorrow and Extinction, cemented their epic, melancholic tone, and each subsequent album has iterated on that theme. Their latest album, Mind Burns Alive, presents another evolution: A melodic and muscular emotional layer with quiet, almost whispery moments combined with thumping, massive chords to build a vast soundscape of loss and longing. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 9pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $25/adv, $30/door. 510.808.7565.
SATURDAY, MARCH 8
SOUL
JASON JOSHUA
When Jason Joshua first dropped the single “Rose Gold” in 2018, it was a game-changer in soul music. Just like that, brown-eyed soul returned, straight from Miami, and La Voz De Ozo was born. His music captures a golden era of fresh clothes, crisp lowriders and hot summer nights at the club. The single—and subsequent others, along with his debut album, Alegría Y Tristeza—were released on Joshua’s label, Mango Hill Records, in 2016. On Valentine’s Day he released his latest single, “I Really Love You,” with the B-side “Realmente,” two horn-laced tracks that hit like a brick house of emotion. – MW
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $33. 510.214.8600.
SATURDAY, MARCH 8
THEATER
‘ART’
It’s nearly impossible to name a more accessible, welcoming, community-supportive theater company than Shotgun. Yasmina Reza’s Art is about three men riding an all-guy crash cart into their relationships, causing their identities to either tank in destruction or rise to raw, incredible intimacy, humanity, vulnerability and maybe even love. Directed by the multitalented Emilie Whelan, the show runs 95 unstoppable minutes with no intermission. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sat, 8 pm, Shotgun Players, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. $8-$40. 510.841.6500.
SUNDAY, MARCH 9
FILM
‘RADICAL HARMONIES’
Without the pioneering women musicians of the ’70s and ’80s, there would be no Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Bitch and Animal, Melissa Ferrick and many, many others. Learn about the early pioneers in this full-length documentary by Dee Mosbacher chronicling the Women’s Movement and its evolution. Spectacular performance footage, interviews and archival materials show the journey’s splendor, trauma, struggle and victory. A post-screening Q&A offers a memorable conversation between Boden Sandstrom, coproducer; Margie Adam, associate producer; Lisa Ginsburg, editor; and Mosbacher, director/coproducer. – LF
INFO: Sun, 1pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $10. 510.644.2020.
SUNDAY, MARCH 9
PSYCHOBILLY
KOFFIN KATS
“Psychobilly”—a high-voltage fusion of punk rock and rockabilly laced with horror, sci-fi and dark humor. Emerging in the late ’70s and gaining momentum in the ’80s, the genre is known for its frantic rhythms and rebellious, undead-meets-greaser aesthetic. Born in the bars of Detroit, the Koffin Kats have been mainstays of the psychobilly bracket since 2003, touring with Mad Sin, Nekromantix and the Meteors. Led by frontperson Vic Victor, the trio of road warriors delivers snarly anthems about the dark side of life, outlaws and outcasts, and supernatural mayhem. – SBB
INFO: Sun, 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $25. 510.526.5888.
SUNDAY, MARCH 9
JAZZ
BILL CUNLIFFE
As a treasure of the Southern California jazz scene whose Bay Area appearances are far too few, Bill Cunfille had already toured with the Buddy Rich Big Band and gigged with jazz legends like Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard before winning the 1989 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. While the triumph didn’t catapult him into jazz stardom, he’s more than lived up to his promise as an improviser, prolific composer and esteemed educator. For this performance he’s collaborating with jazz violinist and arranger Jeremy Cohen, tackling new, improvisation-laced pieces for string quartet and piano. Also in the collaboration is Quartet San Francisco, which has showcased some of the region’s finest jazz-influenced string players. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Sun, 5pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30/adv, $35/door. 510.547.8188.
TUESDAY, MARCH 11
JAZZ
DELFEAYO MARSALIS
Designed to celebrate more than a century of New Orleans carnival and street culture, Uptown Jazz Orchestra has carved out a singular niche in the Crescent City. The 10-piece band’s mandate is broader and deeper than the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, though there’s much overlap. Led by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, the second youngest musician among his four famous siblings, the touring combo features New Orleans heavyweights like trumpeter Andrew Baham, saxophonist Khari Allen Lee and drummer Jarrell Allen, who’s also an aspiring boxer. Steeped in the polyphony of traditional New Orleans jazz, UJO delivers brass-band funk, second-line struts and fiercely swinging straight-ahead jazz—party music that knows there’s more than one way to get down. – AG
INFO: Tue, 7:30pm. Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $60. 510.238.9200.
WEDNESDAY
ROCK
CRUSH OF SOULS
Anyone in the mood for an “electrical journey into the weird” is promised exactly that in Charles Rowell’s latest project, Crush of Souls. The guitarist established himself on the music scene as a member of the indie band Crocodiles and blazed an innovative trail in the years since with post-punk bands like Flowers of Evil and Issues. After a move to France, he released the debut Crush of Souls EP, Bad Trip, in 2020 to high praise in goth rock and DIY noise music circles. With a hearty synth-pop element at play, their show is a darkly danceable experience. – AM
INFO: Wed, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $12/adv, $15/door. 510.859.8709.
