Who’s Where? East Bay: Places to hear live music in Oakland, Berkley and Alameda for Aug. 26-27, 2011

You’re a music fan in the East Bay. All you need to know is who you can see play this weekend and where to see them. Who’s Where? is your weekly concert listing offering everything you want with nothing you don’t. For locations to all these venues, see the handy-dandy map at the bottom of the page. Got a venue/gig you don’t see listed here? Drop a line to bill [at] billchapin.net.

This is a good week to kick this thing off because there’s a lot going on in the East Bay this Friday and Saturday. The biggest name is R&B scion Natalie Cole, who is doing a doubleheader on Saturday at Yoshi’s (as well as a third show on Sunday night). In its current incarnation as a blog for Paste Magazine, Crawdaddy is bringing one of San Francisco’s most promising and noteworthy rock bands—The Stone Foxes, fresh off a triumphant set at Outside Lands—to The Starry Plough’s intimate space. Birdmonster, a San Francisco indie rock group that captured my attention long before I moved here, is nesting at the Stork Club. Beyond that, there are all sorts of intriguing oddities, ranging from traditional Zimbabwean thumb-piano ensembles to improvisational electronica hiding out among the listings.

For now, this feature will focus exclusively on live (non-DJ) music in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda on Fridays and Saturdays, but if this little experiment proves useful and/or popular, I’ll see about expanding.

Friday, Aug. 26, 2011

• 57th Street Gallery, 5701 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Howard Wiley (SF jazz saxophonist), doors at 7:30 p.m., music at 8:45 and 10 p.m., $15 admission plus $5 for dinner. [tickets]
• 924 Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley: MC Lars, The Atom Age, The Mighty Regis, The Lucky Eejits, Dun Bin Had, I.V. and Kung Pow (rap, punk, celtic-punk, pop-punk, ska), 5 p.m., $10, all ages. [details]
• Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley: Messenjah Selah and Reggae Angels (reggae), doors at 9 p.m., music at 9:30 p.m., $12 in advance and students, $15 day of show. [tickets]
• Cafe Van Kleef, 1621 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Michael Marcus (New York jazz clarinetist and ensemble), 8 p.m., cover charge of some sort.
• Disco Volante, 347 14th St., Oakland: Sans Pablo (big band funk), 9:30 p.m., $5.
• Eagles Hall, 2305 Alameda Ave., Alameda: Mark St. Mary (Louisiana blues, zydeco), 8:30 p.m. dance lesson, 9 p.m. dancing, $15.
• Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Oakland: Glitter Wizard, Owl, Winter Ox, Warm Blood (glam rock, post-punk), 8:30 p.m., $5. [details]
• Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley: Rhonda Benin (dance music, jazz, blues), doors at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m., $20.50 in advance, $22.50 at the door. [tickets]

• High Street Station, 1303 High St., Alameda: Trivalve and Eric Jennings (experimental, instrumental surf rock), 7:30 p.m., $10.
• Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., Berkeley: The East Bay Contingent (jazz, funk, rock), 8 p.m., $10. [tickets]
• Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley: Kat 010 Trio (improvisational electronica, dub jazz, funk), 5 p.m., free; Perry Smith Trio and cvDUB (jazz, folk, reggae), 8 p.m., free.
• Mama Buzz Cafe, 2318 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Shop Talk, Summer Camp Casanova, Spiriits (experimental rock), 7 p.m., donations accepted.
• The New Parish, 579 18th St., Oakland: Sergent Garcia and Rupa & The April Fishes (hip hop, salsa, world music), doors at 8 p.m., music at 9 p.m., $25 in advance, $30 at the door. [tickets]
• Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley: Shock G and DJ Fuze of Digital Underground (hip hop), 9 p.m., $12 in advance, $17 at the door. [tickets]
• The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley: Truth & Salvage Co. and The Real Nasty (Americana, southern rock), doors at 8:30 p.m., music at 9:30 p.m, $10.
• Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Birdmonster, Boy in the Bubble, Evan Bailey, Build Us Airplanes (indie rock, ), 9 p.m., $5. [details]
• Subterranean Arthouse, 2179 Bancroft Way, Berkeley: Alexis Harte with Knee Jerk and the Reactions and Professor Burns and the Lilac Field (indie folk, Americana), 8:30 p.m., $10.
• The Uptown, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Man/Miracle, B. Hamilton, Chairs Missing and Kapowski (alternative, indie, folk-pop), 9 p.m., $5.
• Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland: Avance (13-piece salsa ensemble), $20 for 8 p.m. show, $10 for 10 p.m. show. [tickets]

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011

• 57th Street Gallery, 5701 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: The Yancie Taylor Jazztet (SF jazz vibes player and ensemble), doors at 7:30 p.m., music at 8:45 and 10 p.m., $15 admission plus $5 for dinner. [tickets]
• 924 Gilman, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley: La Banda Skalavera, Left Alone, Nino Zombi, Jokes For Feelings, Them Rude Boyz, The TomorrowMen, Day Labor and Chum (ska, punk, hardcore, surf rock), 5 p.m., $10, all ages. [details]
• Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley: Mbira dzeMuninga and Chinyakare Ensemble (traditional Zimbabwean music), doors at 8:30 p.m., music at 9 p.m., $12 in advance and students, $15 day of show. [tickets]
• Cafe Van Kleef, 1621 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Annie Sampson (blues, R&B), 8 p.m., cover charge of some sort.
• Disco Volante, 347 14th St., Oakland: MJ’s Brass Boppers (New Orleans-style brass band from SF), 9 p.m., $5.
• Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley: KALW 70th Anniversary Concert featuring Wake the Dead, George Brooks & Kai Eckhardt’s Tangential Experience and Flatt & Scruggs Tribute Band (celtic, bluegrass, jam, jazz fusion), doors at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m., $25.50 in advance, $30.50 at the door. [tickets]
• High Street Station, 1303 High St., Alameda: The Hopeful Romantics with Beth Whitney (Americana, folk-pop), 7 p.m., $10. [details]

• Jazzschool, 2087 Addison St., Berkeley: The Dick Hindman Trio (traditional jazz piano trio), 8 p.m., $15. [tickets]
• Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley: Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble (jazz), 5 p.m., free; Adam Theis & The Jazz Mafia All-Stars (jazz, funk, hip hop), 8 p.m., free.
• Mama Buzz Cafe, 2318 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Spacehunter, Lips, Chris Alarie (experimental, lo-fi), 7 p.m., donations accepted.
• The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley: O’Possum Family Singers (acoustic, folk), 5 p.m., free; The Stone Foxes, Dead Rock West and Fred Torphy (roots rock), doors at 8:30 p.m., music at 9:30 p.m., $15.
• Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: Cop Sound, Bigelow’s Treehouse, Spidermeow, Emily Zisman (rock, experimental rock, singer-songwriter), 9 p.m., $5.
• Subterranean Arthouse, 2179 Bancroft Way, Berkeley: Lila Nelson and Maya Dorn (singer-songwriter), 8 p.m., $10.
• The Uptown, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland: High On Fire, Black Cobra and Embers (metal), 8 p.m., $20. [tickets]
• Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland: Natalie Cole (R&B), 8 and 10 p.m., $75. [tickets]

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