THURSDAY, MAY 15
ELECTRONIC
STEREO MC’S
In 1992, the world received a chart-topping existentialist philosophy packaged with a dance beat: “You must be blind/if you can’t see/the gaping hole called reality,” Stereo MC’s sang in their breakout hit, “Connected.” Formed in the mid-’80s, the U.K. duo channeled their shared love of early hip-hop, funk and electronic music into a DIY empire over the next few years, pressing their own vinyl and co-founding their own label, Gee Street Records. They went on to win two Brit Awards, tour the globe and remix for the likes of U2 and Madonna. They haven’t stopped, and have recently brought the vibes to the Afro House scene. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Thu, 8pm, The New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $30. 510.227.8177.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
JAZZ
CYRUS NABIPOOR QUARTET
Portland trumpeter/composer Cyrus Nabipoor brings a top-notch West Coast combo to the Sound Room as part of a run of Bay Area gigs focusing on his sinuous, well-aerated original pieces. Formerly based in New Orleans, where he connected with most of his bandmates, he’s a savvy improviser and bandleader with a big, imposing sound that leaves plenty of space for his collaborators. He’s joined by San Mateo-raised Portland guitarist Jack Radsliff, well-traveled Los Angeles bassist Robin Sherman and Oakland drummer Shawn Myers, a player with a big-picture concept of African diaspora rhythms gleaned from studying in Ghana, New Orleans and Oberlin (with percussion great Jamey Haddad). – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Thu, 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $29. 510.708.9691.
FRIDAY, MAY 16
FOLK
LILY HENLEY AND DUNCAN WICKEL
Language is an amazing thing. There are so many subtle nuances between different dialects. So, when Lily Henley decided to make a Sephardic Jewish folk album, she sang it in Ladino, a 500-year-old language with less than 100,000 speakers alive today. Ladino blends Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish and Arabic to form a language that crosses borders and time. This Friday, she is joined by world-class musician and award-winning bow instrumentalist, Duncan Wickel. Not confined to a single instrument, Wickel plays the fiddle, cello, guitar and bagpipes. The two create multi-cultural music that highlights the best of humanity. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Fri, 8pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $20/adv, $25/door. 510.654.3808.
FRIDAY, MAY 16
EXPERIMENTAL
GUMBY’S JUNK
Oakland’s underground music scene has long been a fertile ground for sonic experimentation, and art rock band Gumby’s Junk is a prime specimen. Art rock softens the boundaries between music and conceptual art, thriving on the tension between the avant-garde and the accessible. Gumby’s Junk leans into that chaos, and their sound is a coherent mishmash: a bricolage of post-punk rhythm, spooky harmonies and lyrics that veer between deadpan and existential. Favoring texture over polish, Gumby’s Junk doesn’t just reflect the noise they’re surrounded by—they repurpose it, turning the scraps into something colorful and alive. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $12/adv, 15/door. 510.808.7565.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
PUNK
7SECONDS
Formed in 1980, 7Seconds is probably the most famous act to come out of Reno, Nevada. They’re also the first punk band to refer to themselves as a “hardcore” band, creating a label for a genre that continues—nay, thrives—today. If that first wasn’t enough, they were one of the earliest bands (along with Minor Threat) to embrace and talk about a straight edge lifestyle, abstaining from alcohol and drugs. Over the years, 7Seconds has gone through a plethora of lineup changes, but the core of the band has always been brothers Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth along with Bobby Adams. – MW
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $25adv/$30door. 510.524.8180.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
JAZZ
BILL FRISELL
Back in 1999 when guitarist Bill Frisell released Good Dog, Happy Man, it seemed both logical and surprising to find him delving into such loose and limber territory, playing unhurried jams with laconic funkiness and sweet, countrified melodies. Now it stands as a transitional project that marks one step on his journey, integrating roots idioms into his post-bop framework. Returning to The Freight, Frisell only brings one player featured on the record, steel guitar/Dobro maestro Greg Leisz, whose presence indicates he’ll be exploring similar terrain. But the rhythm section tandem of bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen suggests this flight might encounter some turbulence. – AG
INFO: Sat, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $54. 510.644.2020.
SUNDAY, MAY 18
GARAGE
THE LOVED ONES
Oakland’s mod-blues revivalists, The Loved Ones have stepped back into the spotlight after a decade-long hiatus from performing, bringing with them the wisdom of experience and the spark of a fresh start. Influenced by ’60s R&B and Chicago blues, the Bay Area quartet developed a cult following for their boisterous, soulful rock blend and ability to twirl through a whole spate of other genres. Now, they’ve got European tour dates and a new LP in the works. If one missed ’em in ’95, catch ’em in 2025. – SBB
INFO: Sun, 7pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $25. 510.859.8709.
SUNDAY, MAY 18
INDIE
NELLIE MCKAY
Since 2004, when Nellie McKay splashed into the music scene with her debut album, Get Away From Me, the studio recording has sold more than 100,000 copies. The cabaret, cavalier and generally slippery voice and sly lyrics mesh into pop/jazz/rock/reggae permutations. Jumping into the Bay Area with Gee Whiz: The Get Away From Me Demos, the show releases the new album’s 18 rare tracks that were recorded in 2002 and sold by McKay as a series of handmade CD-Rs. The demo collection has been re-ordered, remastered and includes three bonus songs. Are there still jerks and jailers and politicians veering into jingoism? Sure ’nuf, which is why her songs continue to beat the drum of pointed protest. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Sun, 7:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $27. 510.526.5888.
TUESDAY, MAY 20
FILM
PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
Every third Tuesday of the month, La Pena’s Immigrant Voices Film Series navigates the perilous waters and landscapes of immigrant stories. Directed and produced by Mabel Valdiviezo, Prodigal Daughter chronicles the filmmaker’s return to her family in Peru after 16 years of silence. Bravely facing the tremors of her childhood and the greater terrors of being an undocumented immigrant in the United States, her prodigal return investigates identity, family heritage, clashing definitions of “other” in her native land and in America. Following the 90-minute film, a discussion will be held with Valdiviezo and a representative from Street Level Health Project. – LF
INFO: Tue, 7:30pm, La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $10-25. 510.849.2568.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
HIP-HOP
DAVE BLUNTS
Dave Blunts is a rapper on the rise. The Utah-born phenom gained widespread attention in late 2024 when he shared videos of himself performing while using an oxygen tank, which he sometimes relies on for health challenges associated with his asthma and his nearly 600-pound weight. His song, “The Cup,” went viral on TikTok, garnering praise from Lil Yachty, Snoop Dogg and Kanye. In a series of revealing documentaries, Blunts has let his fans in on his whirlwind year, showing them behind-the-scenes events from the hospital rooms, where he battles heart failure, mixed with music festivals, where he hopes to surf “the right crowd” someday. – AM
INFO: Wed, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $32. 510.214.8600.
