THURSDAY, MAY 1
COMEDY
‘THE MOMMIES: THE LAST TRIMESTER’
If your mom never made you laugh, don’t worry; these mommies will. Marilyn Kentz and Caryl Kristensen met in Petaluma back in the late ’80s. They were neighbors and ratcheted their suburban lives into a comedy act, which attracted the attention of NBC network bigwigs. The show became a television series that ran for two seasons. The duo then morphed into talk show territory on ABC and enjoyed a one-year run. At the Marsh, “The Last Trimester” has them swinging into a nostalgic—and often hilarious—look-see into the jungles of Hollywood and stories of survival. Turns out, the world of moms and the wilds of the entertainment biz have a lot in common. The show runs until July 24. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Thu, 7pm, The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. $30-100. 415.282.3055.
FRIDAY, MAY 2
COMEDY
NICO CARNEY
When done right, comedy is subversive. It attacks the current status quo, gets under the audience’s skin and makes people question the world around them. And right now, there aren’t too many more subversive things in this country than trans people just existing. For Nico Carney, relaying their experience as a trans man not only acts as a show of representation but also as an act to bridge barriers and connect gaps between communities. It’s something Carney has had to experience his whole life, growing up in the anything-but-liberal area of Savannah, Georgia. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $33. 510.214.8600.
FRIDAY, MAY 2
JAZZ
KARINA DENIKÉ & THE COTTONTAILS
One of the Bay Area’s vocal treasures, Karina Deniké embodies versatility. Equally commanding crooning sultry standards like a film-noir femme fatale or shredding a song fronting a punk band, she’s recorded for major labels, contributed to Hollywood soundtracks and toured with Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval. When not performing with the Bluebelles, Red Room Orchestra, or Marc and the Casuals, Deniké can be found with the Cottontails, a band featuring pianist Michael McIntosh, guitarist Vic Wong, bassist Joe Kyle Jr., reed expert Tom Griesser on saxophone/clarinet and Randy Odell on percussion. Steeped in jazz, Deniké and her comrades deliver pop standards from the ’20s-’50s clad in an array of snazzy swing and R&B idioms. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $29. 510.708.9691.
FRIDAY, MAY 2
THEATER
‘IRONBOUND’
The dark humor of playwright Martyna Majok’s 2014 play, directed by Emilie Whelan, is perfect for a time when personal safety is imperiled. Especially for people like Darja, the protagonist, whose life as a hard-working Polish immigrant in a beaten-down New Jersey town never lives up to her dreams. Seeking safety, love and identity, the play’s span stretches over 30 years. Heartbreaking and tender, the story does not soften the pain as much as make it ring with authenticity. Featuring OTP Associate Artistic Director Lisa Ramirez in the lead role, she and other members of the four-person cast are well-supported by OTP’s rigorous attention to production elements. Runs until May 18. – LF
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Oakland Theater Project, 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $35-$60. 510.646.1126.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
ELECTRONIC
THE HALLUCI NATION
For 18 years, the Canadian group the Halluci Nation, formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, has mixed electronic, hip-hop and reggae with First Nations’ traditional music. Labeled as “powwow-step,” their music elevates the traditions of their ancestors for a 21st-century audience, giving life to the present with breath from the past. Along with having their music featured in television shows like Rutherford Falls and movies such as Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, the Halluci Nation also use their platform to stand up to power and speak truth to injustice. Most recently in 2024, they collaborated with poet/musician/activist Saul Williams and NARCY to release the pro-Palestinian anthem, “Voices Through Rubble.” – MW
INFO: Sat, 7pm, Crybaby, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $25.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
GARAGE ROCK
FLAMIN’ GROOVIES
Formed in 1965, San Francisco’s Flamin’ Groovies sidestepped the city’s psychedelic current for something rawer. Theirs is a blend of British Invasion grit and proto-punk energy, and their cult-favorite 1976 album, Shake Some Action, brought jangly power-pop precision years before it was trendy, influencing generations of punk and garage-rock revivalists. The band’s lineup has shuffled over the years, but the Groovies keep their sound sharp and defiant, carving a stubborn legacy as sonic godfathers to the rebels who came after. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $25-$30. 510.859.8709.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
BLUES
ROBERT CRAY BAND
Once upon a time, Robert Cray was the hope of the blues, a charismatic young guitarist and soul-powered singer embraced by veteran masters like John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Buddy Guy as the rightful heir to the tradition. He’s lived up to that immense promise, blazing a brilliant trail as a blues ambassador, performing around the world and expanding the repertoire with a book of sturdy, well-crafted originals. The five-time Grammy winner wears his crown lightly, but he’s a go-for-broke performer whose combination of toughness and tenderness embodies the blues aesthetic. Anchored by bassist Richard Cousins, Cray’s group is lean and mean, with Dover Weinberg on keys and drummer Les Falconer, also a terrific singer. – AG
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $89-$129. 510.238.9200.
SUNDAY, MAY 4
ROCK
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR
Instrumental chamber rock, political protest and a whole lot of mystique come together in the world of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, a Canadian band that started in the early ’90s. The enigmatic group is known for its fiercely anticapitalist ethos, which extends to its operation as a large collective. Their web presence is shadowy at best, and they have only released two official band photos in a quarter century—both are blurry. Seeing them live is the best way to engage; they bring remarkable film projections to each show. Recently, their work has reflected on the death toll in Palestine. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Sun, 7pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $62-$84. 510.302.2250.
SUNDAY, MAY 4
DANCE
ANGEL ISLAND PROJECT
Oakland Ballet Company translates some of history’s most harrowing events into dance. This spring, the company takes on the story of Angel Island Immigration Station, the West Coast’s primary point of entry for Asian immigrants between 1910-1940. Thousands of detainees were held there in prison-like conditions. Decades later, composer Huang Ruo used poetry they carved into the walls as inspiration for an 80-minute oratorio, which seven Asian American Pacific Islander artists have now choreographed. Known as “the Ellis Island of the West,” Angel Island still resonates with those seeking opportunity against all odds. – AM
INFO: Sun, 3pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $43-$86. 510.893.2300.
MONDAY, MAY 5
FOLK
MARIEE SIOU
Mariee Siou’s music occupies a distinct space in contemporary folk: minimalist, symbolically dense, and informed by both personal lineage and broader cultural histories. With a focus on themes like intergenerational trauma and ecological loss, Siou’s songwriting engages deeply with Indigenous storytelling. Her lyrics resist linear narrative, favoring evocative imagery and poetic mysticism that invites listeners to find their own meanings. Her distinctive, delicate finger-picking is intimate and spare, creating spacious, meditative arrangements. – SBB
INFO: Mon, 7:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $25. 510.526.5888.
