THU 9/3
FILM
‘JAWBREAKER: THE ANTI-CIMEX DOCUMENTARY’
Few bands did more to define the sound of Scandinavian hardcore than Sweden’s Anti Cimex. Formed in 1981, the band took the furious pulse of British hardcore and Discharge’s D-beat and pushed it toward something even faster, harsher and more apocalyptic, helping lay the groundwork for kängpunk. The documentary, Jawbreaker, traces that legacy from raw recordings made in a chicken coop to worldwide performance, using archival footage and interviews with the band’s members. After the screening, DJs Cybernate Scabies and Nixter keep the night going with kängpunk and D-beat, with distros from Prank Records and Shadowplay Records. — Sonya Bennett-Brandt
INFO: Thu, 7pm, Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. $10. 510.808.7565.
FRI 9/4
R&B
BETTYE LAVETTE
The 21st century emergence of Bettye LaVette is one of the more heartening stories in contemporary soul music. A teenager on the mid-1960s Detroit scene who seemed ready for the national spotlight, she never seemed to get a real break. Despite a series of minor R&B hits her career remained in low gear for decades until her fierce interpretive prowess became unavoidable with A Woman Like Me, which earned the 2004 W. C. Handy Award for “Comeback Blues Album of the Year.” At 80, LaVette is a national treasure with precious few peers. Her two-night run at the Freight presents her in a stripped-down duo setting with ace pianist Etienne Stadwijk. — Andrew Gilbert
INFO: Fri, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $49-$54 510.644.2020.
FRI 9/4
JAZZ
VINCENT DING
Jazz vocalist Vincent Ding is young, but he loves the classic sounds of Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Having recorded his first album, Incredible Voices From Above, during the pandemic using tracks contributed by musicians working in their home studios, the Bay Area native has already honed his chops as a bandleader as well. The Back Room helps him celebrate his new album, Close To You, which features Kenny Washington, Peter Washington, Ben Patterson and Bob Sheppard, with a stellar quartet of locals, including Charles Chen on piano, Tim Lin on saxophone, Brian Fishler on drums and Nico Martinez on bass. Ding’s got the world on a string. — Janis Hashe
INFO: Fri, 8pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $15-$20. 510.654.3808.
SAT 9/5
JAZZ
THE JAZZ MAFIA PLAY CANNONBALL ADDERLEY
With his searing, blues-steeped tone and greasy virtuosity, Cannonball Adderley was one of the hippest alto saxophonists to gain notoriety in the years after bebop patriarch Charlie Parker’s death in 1955. His solo career didn’t take off until an epochal stint with Miles Davis, when his 1959 live record, The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, came out on Riverside. Despite the music’s rapid evolution, he continued to lead one of jazz’s most popular combos until his death at 46 in 1975. This sextet edition of the Jazz Mafia with powerhouse trumpeter Mike Olmos, altoist John Palowich and trombonist Adam Theis is ideally equipped to reimagine Cannonball’s hits. — AG
INFO: Sat, 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $35. 510.708.9691.
SAT 9/5
SHOEGAZE
‘MYBLOODYSHOEGAZE FEST’
MyBloodyShoegaze Fest brings underground acts to 924 Gilman for a night of fuzz, feedback and hazy guitar atmospherics. Sacramento’s Quinkana leans into high-energy, melancholy indie rock, pairing heavy grunge with waves of distorted guitar and buried, expressive vocals. Bay Area four-piece Luna Ivy occupies the murky space between shoegaze, grunge and indie post-punk. The Central Valley’s Dilute_Calico98 adds a darker strain, combining dream-pop textures and ’90s/2000s alternative rock. Together with opener Solstice, the bill showcases the full range of contemporary shoegaze. — SBB
INFO: Sat, 7pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $12-$15. 510.525.9926
SAT 9/5
COMEDY
KAL MCRAVEN
What happens when the sheltered, homeschooled kid has unrestricted internet access? The answer is shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans. Since 2021 McRaven has ruled the sketch comedy streams via TikTok and YouTube. Now, they are ready to take the world by storm. Get ready for a night of cringe, brain rot and musical numbers. No wonder McRaven decided to call it the Internet Kid tour, these Gen Zers are perpetually plugged in so the olds don’t have to be. — Mat Weir
INFO: Sat, 7pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $43-$129. 510.214-8600.
SUN 9/6
COUNTRY
MR. CINDY & THE SECRET EMCHY SOCIETY
Say the words out loud: honky tonk, folk-rock, subversive punk, Mr Cindy, Secret Emchy. Sure, it’s a mashup mouthful, and even more fun than vocalizing is listening to the creative crooners behind it all. Jump over to the Ivy Room with one of the country’s top queer country bands, the Secret Emchy Society, led by Cindy Emch, best known as Mr Cindy. The Oakland-based band is rumored to have “dynamic swagger” and “shit-kickery.” We’re betting that singer-songwriter Ashleigh Flynn and her boisterous, all-female band, the Riveters, can shred the crowd with soulful country ballads and bounce those same folks into orbits of ecstasy with songs of rising above or, at the least, celebratory sinking. — Lou Fancher
INFO: Sun, 3pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $18. 510.526-5888.
MON 9/7
JAZZ
AIMEE NOLTE
She’s a familiar face on YouTube and Instagram with her “Aimee Nolte Music” channel, where the pianist, vocalist, composer and educator shares her expansive knowledge with the world in videos such as “You Have More Musical Talent Than You Think.” But this is a chance to experience that knowledge live in concert with her band, as she blends jazz with influences from singer/songwriters, folk and pop. Known for improvising and spontaneity, she’s done a quieter, stripped-down take on the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” in her “Rubber Soul Reimagined” tour, so musical surprises are likely in store during the evening. — JH
INFO: Mon, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $30-$59. 510.238.9200.
WED 9/9
POP
SLAYYYTER
Love her or hate her, Slayyyter doesn’t care either way. She’s already on a fast trajectory to the top of the pops. On the scene for the last seven years, she’s built her career around infectious grooves and give-no-&%$#s lyrics about partying, drugs and being a sex-positive woman in the modern world. And why shouldn’t she? The 29-year-old is at the top of her game and continues to ascend the charts of success. Over the years she’s opened for Tove Lo, Ke$ha and Charli XCX but this week she is headlining in support of her new album, Worst Girl In America, which came out in March. — MW
INFO: Wed, 8pm, The Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $181. 510.302-2250.
WED 9/9
ROCK
LIZ PHAIR & SLEATER-KINNEY
If the Greek had a roof, this show would blow it off. With icons of fantastic femme music and power—Phair, Sleater-Kinney and Soccer Mommy—the air will sizzle, regardless of temperature. No, they don’t have to scream and shout to express their courage, chaos, confusion, celebration and constant drive, but they might. With voices assured, the lyrics tell stories laced with strength and fringed with awareness of life’s fragility and human vulnerability. Solid bands are to be expected; exceptional instrumentalists bring that extra underline that never detracts from the shine of the star. Watch the glow, hear the glory, celebrate the cosmos of rock. — LF
INFO: Wed, 6pm, Greek Theatre, 2001 Gayley Rd., Berkeley. $78-234. 510.871.9225.
