FRIDAY
HIP-HOP
G-EAZY
G-Eazy’s album, Freak Show, was a summer release but feels much more suited to the fall; it has a goth-circus, Halloween-style darkness, combining introspective lyrics about mental health and personal demons with edgy, cinematic production. The hedonistic track “Femme Fatale” stands out, bringing the blend of West Coast hip-hop and contemporary pop that G-Eazy is known for, with a hyphy beat and playful energy. After kicking off his world tour in Berkeley, he’s circling back to the Bay Area to perform in Oakland before heading to Europe early next year. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $78-$156. 510.302.2250.
FRIDAY
ECLECTIC
TUCK & PATTI
With over four decades and 13 albums under their belts, the award-decorated vocal and guitar duo need no surnames. Since bursting onto the music scene with their phenomenal 1988 Tears of Joy, they’ve represented music royalty while continuing to grow and display a mastery of improvisation. Longtime fans might be tempted to sing along as Tuck & Patti scat and strum, but few will because missing even one vocal note or guitar riff would be like giving away the family jewels. Instead, sit back, sip a drink and soak up the duo’s jazz, rock, pop, blues, folk, world and classical music vibes. For the truly surname-curious, Tuck Andress and Patti Cathcart have been married for 42 years. – LOU FANCHER
INFO: Fri, 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $39/adv, $44/door, $30/online. 510.644.2020.
FRIDAY
HARDCORE
BETTER LOVERS
When Every Time I Die broke up in 2022, it surprised the underground metal scene. But from their ashes rose hardcore supergroup Better Lovers, featuring three members from ETID plus Greg Puciato (ex-the Dillinger Escape Plan) and Will Putney (Fit For An Autopsy). Despite being only a year-and-a-half old the prolific Better Lovers have already released seven singles; one EP, 2023’s God Made Me An Animal; and a full-length, 2024’s Highly Irresponsible, which goes beyond straight hardcore by combining very loose elements of metal and melodic post-hardcore. Heavy hitters Cloakroom, Spy and Full of Hell are on a bill that’s already not to be missed. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Fri, 7pm, UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $35. 510.356.4000.
SATURDAY
BLUEGRASS
LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS
Laurie Lewis is local royalty to anyone familiar with the Bay Area folk and bluegrass scene. For 50 years, the talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has delighted fans with her down-home playing. Beyond the Bay, she’s recognized as one of the major players in the newgrass movement, using traditional instruments to play original tunes. Lewis has been featured multiple times at the Grand Ole Opry and has played alongside such names as Linda Ronstadt, Holly Near and the late Ralph Stanley. The Right Hands—Brandon Godman on fiddle, George Guthrie on banjo and Hasee Ciaccio on standup bass—join Lewis onstage, playing traditional favorites and tunes off her new album, Trees. – MW
INFO: 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $39/adv, $44/door, $20/online. 510.644.2020.
SATURDAY
DANCE
PILOBOLUS
The dance company Pilobolus invites audiences to embark upon a journey with their retrospective “re:CREATION” tour, where the melding of human bodies into remarkable living, breathing, moving sculptures is at its most excellent and exuberant. The trip is intermittently fantastical, mythical, highly theatrical, comical or otherworldly, yet in all moments, the stories are deeply human, earthly and straightforward. The themes and narratives of the ingenuous works address reciprocal caregiving, finding community and experiencing separation and loss. At the heart of it all is pure artistry, asking only that “Piloboland” remains—as it has been throughout its over 50-year history—a safe, shared space where the beauty of the human body illuminates hearts and minds. – LF
INFO: Sat, 2pm and 8pm; Sun, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. $31-$106. 510.642.9988.
SATURDAY
JAZZ
PETER SMITH TRIO
Peter Smith leads a hard-bop piano trio that swings in the funky blues tradition of Horace Silver and Art Blakey. He’s also a prolific composer, arranger and songwriter who’s worked as a music director for numerous TV shows, with compositions appearing in several, including The Mindy Project, CSI, Bones, BoJack Horseman and Young Sheldon. Smith also played minor roles in dozens of shows and films. Looking to bring together the various threads of his career, he’s written a screenplay about pianist Bill Evans’ brief but epochal tenure in the Miles Davis Sextet, a project currently making the rounds in Hollywood. The redoubtable Bay Area rhythm section tandem of drummer Lorca Hart and bassist Gary Brown complete the trio. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Sat, 4pm, Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $30. 510.708.9691.
SUNDAY
JAZZ
RUSSIAN TELEGRAPH
Almost anything is possible when clarinetist/vocalist Beth Custer and singer/guitarist David James come together. The Bay Area legends are co-leaders of Russian Telegraph, named for neighboring hills in San Francisco. With the addition of keyboardist Jordan Glasgow, trumpeter Chris Grady, bassist Keith McArthur and drummer John Hanes, the band represents a myriad of genres—chief among them funk. Still, there are undeniable punk, blues and jazz influences, too. Custer also brings the world fusion sounds of her celebrated band, Trance Mission. As the SF Examiner says, “If an Olympics decathlon is ever staged for musicians, put your money on Beth Custer for the gold.” – ADDIE MAHMASSANI
INFO: Sun, 4:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $15. 510.526.5888.
SUNDAY
PUNK
MUGSLUG
Mugslug is a self-described group of angry lesbians and girly boys from France, now based in the Bay. With ample cymbal crashing and riotous guitars, the trio has been cutting a slimy post-punk rock trail of “sluggery” through Northern California this year. Inspired by iconic acts like Fugazi, the Melvins and the Jesus Lizard, they released their first album, Smiles Behind the Masks, in 2021, with their recent When People Eat People as a strong follow-up. Guitarist and vocalist Fred Charp commands the stage with astonishing screaming prowess and excellent guitarwork, while bassist Cyril Cohin and drummer Bastien Amy provide unyielding backup. – AM
INFO: Sun, 5:30pm, Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $10. 510.524.8180.
MONDAY
JAZZ
MINDI ABAIR
Mindi Abair is no stranger to festive holiday season celebrations. The saxophonist and vocalist became a fixture on cross-country tours with guitarist Peter White in 2003 with a popular package that ran for over 15 years with trumpeter Rick Braun. Her first solo holiday album, I Can’t Wait For Christmas, was released two decades ago, and the hit title track firmly ensconced her R&B-inflected smooth-jazz sound into the Xmas pop songbook. For this year’s tour, saxophonist Marcus Anderson (Prince and the New Power Generation) joins, along with Brian Culbertson, Dave Koz and vocalist Lindsey Webster, who scored chart-topping smooth jazz Billboard singles with 2015’s “Fool Me Once” and 2021’s “Where Do You Want to Go.” – AG
INFO: Mon, 8pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $42. 510.238.9200.
TUESDAY
NOISE
FEEFAWFUM
Math rock is punk’s cerebral cousin, full of intricate guitar riffs, unconventional time signatures and post-hardcore energy. Oakland-based Feefawfum, fronted by drummer and vocalist Farley Miller, goes full-on with the mathiness without giving up on narrative complexity. Their latest album, 100, is a concept piece inspired by Miller’s tussles with a predatory healthcare industry while living with type 1 diabetes. The album is eclectic and chaotic, offering novel rhythms, unexpected sounds and compelling lyrics. – SBB
INFO: Tue, 8pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $10/adv, $12/door. 510.859.8709.
