THURSDAY
ROCK
RIDGEWAY
SoCal shoegazers Ridgeway head north this week. The band’s third LP, Wall of Stars, came out in 2023 and marked a turn toward ’90s-inspired alt-pop. Bright guitars and catchy riffs weave in and out of spacious sections, providing room for all the melancholic vibes one might feel like indulging in. The band’s strength is as much in its dreamy lyrics as its atmospheric sound. On the song “You Got High,” they sing, “There’s something I know that you’re missing/Something I know and you’ll figure it out/All the time in the world/To slow down.” – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Thu, 8pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $15/adv, $18/door. 510.808.7565.
THURSDAY
PUNK
STATE CHAMPS
Too old to TikTok, too young to be a part of the early aughts pop-punk revival, Albany’s State Champs seem to be doing just fine for themselves. Since 2015, the quartet has carved out a unique niche in the pop-punk world. Their debut album, Around The World And Back, was rated one of Alternative Press’ “10 Essential Records of 2015.” Since then, the band has continued to build a solid following with their pop-punk ethos. This tour is celebratory for the band, as their self-titled fifth album dropped on Nov. 8. Expect new tunes when they headline with tourmates Knuckle Puck, Meet Me At The Altar and Daisy Grenade. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Thu, 7pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $45. 510.356.4000.
FRIDAY
FOLK
CRYS MATTHEWS
For anyone who cries for the days when music had meaning and preached the power of the people, look no further than Crys Matthews. The Nashville singer, songwriter and social justice activist has been heralded as “the next Woody Guthrie.” Although she began her career in 2010, her 2017 NewSong Music win at the Lincoln Center launched her name among folk enthusiasts. In 2021, she won the International Folk Music Awards Song of the Year for her tune “Changemakers,” leading NPR to call her a “rising folk music star.” On Friday, she’ll be joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Julian Taylor. – MW
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. $26. 510.525.5099.
FRIDAY
SKA
MAD CADDIES
Formed in Santa Barbara in 1995, the Mad Caddies genre-hop like a jukebox on shuffle, mixing ska, punk, reggae and even Dixieland jazz for a sound as unpredictable as it is danceable. Across eight full-length studio albums, one live album and two EPs, they’ve dabbled in polka, cowpunk and sea shanties. Arrows Room 117, their first new album in 10 years, is bluesy and contemplative. But throughout the Caddies’ evolutions, here’s what can be counted on: party-like performance, a punk heart, sing-along choruses, an audience full of happy fans and a whole lotta horn. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $38. 510.214.8600.
FRIDAY
COMEDY
EDDIE IZZARD
What’s cool about Izzard’s unpredictable retro tour is that it’s an abbreviated version of his hectic, ziggy, intellectual life and thoughts. There are the expected laughs, accents and impersonations, but also sheer-edged satire, surreal streams of consciousness generated by an astute observer of everything surrounding him, and thought-worthy “that’s outrageous” comments on everything from Noah’s ark to cake baking. Sign up for the hilarity, soak up the depth, put your hands together and cheer. Anyone able to see the seriously funny in today’s madcap, red- or blue-capped world deserves a prize, or at least people’s butts in the seats at downtown Oakland’s marvelous venue. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $59-$207. 510.893.2300.
SATURDAY
THEATER
‘THIRTY-SIX’
Written by Leah Nanako Winkler and directed by Michelle Talgarow, Thirty-six is based on The New York Times article, “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.” If you don’t even know the questions—let alone the answers you seek—how will you ever score love? How will you recognize your soulmate or the evening’s best entertainment? The feisty folks at Shotgun might suggest bringing a date to the show to find out! The content is seriously thought-provoking and makes a person wonder about question 37 and why it didn’t make the cut. That remains a mystery, but selecting your next date will no longer be difficult. – LF
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. $8-$40. 510.841.6500.
SATURDAY
GARAGE
SEX ORGANS
On their first U.S. tour, the Sex Organs are exactly what they sound like: Playfully R-rated with all the subtlety of an eggplant emoji. Based between the Netherlands and Switzerland, the duo Jackie and Bone perform in costume as massive, anthropomorphic genitalia—he with a giant cyclops eye, she with a, um, mouthful of sharp teeth. It’s all delightfully outrageous, and their crude, gritty, lo-fi garage-punk is catchy and infectious, with simple guitar riffs and yelly lyrics that are the perfect vehicle for theatrical innuendo and playful raunchiness. – SBB
INFO: Sat, 5pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $11. 510.859.8709.
SUNDAY
ALTERNATIVE
PUMA BLUE
Jacob Allen, a.k.a. Puma Blue, is a London-bred, jazz-infused songwriter who croons like the best of them. He gained a following with a string of introspective lo-fi EPs—2017’s Swum Baby and 2018’s Blood Loss—born and recorded in his bedroom, which he followed up with a full-length debut meditating on his experiences with insomnia, 2021’s In Praise Of Shadows. On the other side of the pandemic, Allen has enjoyed the deep camaraderie of recording with friends to create his latest album, Holy Waters. Often compared to Jeff Buckley, James Blake and Bon Iver, Puma Blue is an artist who understands that less is more. – AM
INFO: Sun, 8pm, New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $37. 510.227.8177.
SUNDAY
JAZZ
LARRY FULLER TRIO
Larry Fuller has strangely glided beneath wider recognition for decades despite a sterling body of work and an enviable resume. The Ohio native first gained national notice during a six-year stint as accompanist and music director for the great Seattle jazz vocalist Ernestine Anderson. Since an eight-year stint with dependably swinging guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli, he’s been leading his own trios, and the group he brings to the Piedmont Piano Company is a top-of-the-heap New York unit featuring bassist Lorin Cohen and drummer Carmen Intorre Jr., who’s best known for his extensive work with the late guitar genius Pat Martino. From bop and stride to swing and blues, Fuller plays with indefatigable wit, energy and improvisational panache. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Sun, 5pm, Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. $25. 510.547.8188.
WEDNESDAY
JAZZ
HELEN GILLET
Born in Leuven to French-speaking parents, raised in Singapore, Belgium, Illinois and Wisconsin, and based for the past two decades in New Orleans, Helen Gillet delivers lapidary-like live solo performances created with acoustic cello, looped electronics, vocals, a vintage electronic trumpet and sundry objects at hand. Her music references her peripatetic upbringing and her love of the Crescent City’s rhythmic bounty—affection clearly reciprocated, as evidenced by numerous awards and a stint as a featured artist at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. For this rare East Bay performance, Gillet’s joined for an evening of solo sets and duos by Berkeley drum explorer Scott Amendola, a maestro of groove who has long incorporated electronics into his arsenal. – AG
INFO: Wed, 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $20-$25. 510.526.5888.
