FRI 8/13
Very superstitious, wash your face and hands/Rid me of the problem, do all that you can/Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin’ strong/You don’t wanna save me, sad is my song. This Friday the 13th, keep yourself in a daydream deep into the night — and then on through the morning — by attending Superstition, a cavalcade of DJs, visuals, and even a little live music at the Noodle Factory. The most special-est specialist this evening will be Ooah of the Terpsichore Group and Los Angeles Breakbeat Association, flying north from La-La Land to spin breakbeat. The rest of the jocks represent San Francisco, including Ripple and Maebyn LaFey, two DJs from the SubScience Collective. Ripple spins nu-skool breaks, 2-step, and glitch house at Sidetracked and Sub-lounge. SubScience cofounder LaFey, another Sub-lounge resident, will spin techno. Other West Bay selectas include Ikarus (Infinite Kaos), Neptune (Spiritual Technology), the Noodle Factory’s own Gobi, PhillipB (SleazePop), Trinity (TWP), and Eve (Get Freaky). Live hip-hop and funk will be provided by West Oakland’s 3Way, visuals by Ramdogus, and there will be a free barbecue at dusk and free water and fruit all party long. A $5 donation will be requested at the door. 1255 26th St. (at Union), West Oakland. — Stefanie Kalem
Maebyn LaFey Credits: Al Cameron Eddie Gale
Fortunate
Lucky folks at Ego Park
SAT 8/14
Spend the day after Friday the 13th thanking your lucky stars you live in the East Bay, where you can spend your evening checking out cool art while listening to some well-honed acoustic music. Starting at 8 p.m. tonight, Kevin Slagle’s Ego Park Gallery hosts Mandrake, a trio who spins a stripped-down update on Fairport Convention-style folk, with classical guitar, accordion, double bass, and a singer whose voice conveniently resembles Richard Thompson’s. Hélène Renaut, frontwoman for lush folk popsters Beam, will work the bugs out of her Jacques Brel- and Neil Young-inspired songs prior to embarking on a solo tour of points East. Kicking things off will be recent Texas exile Paul Panamarenko, a screen-printing country-rock crooner whose art features guns and trucks, so his music may very well too. All ages, $3-$5 sliding scale. 492 23rd St., Oakland. — Stefanie Kalem 8/15
F-Words Forward
Once again, Ghetto Flowers Boutique presents a parade of local style and substance. For Film Food Folks & Fashion 2 , the consignment shop, designer collective, and community empowerment org brings the four “Fs” to Eastside Alliance (2587 International Blvd., Oakland). There will be a showing of Fela in Concert, fashion by designers of color, catering by Oshun’s Kitchen, live hip-hop by Bicasso, dance by Traci Bartlow, vendors, etc. 7-10 p.m., free before 8 p.m., $5 donation after. Info: 510-532-8559. —Stefanie Kalem
SAT 8/14
Eddie’s Brand-New Bag
Spacey funk in an Irish bar?
Contemporary audiences raised on beats won’t sit still for the Cecil Taylor-style free playing that trumpeter Eddie Gale used to purvey, so on his new CD, Afro-Fire, the Brooklyn-born, Oakland-based Gale and his quartet take “Route 95” and “Welcome to Silicon Valley” to a neo-Donald Byrd groove thang, heavy on the synth and reverb. It works. Saturday night at the Starry Plough, Gale joins Black Beauty label mates Mushroom (psycho-delic, man) for an evening of shoegazing with occasional bursts of New York fire. The Scott Amendola Trio and Gris Gris supply some heat of their own on the full bill. All that for $5? Dig it. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. Info: 415-841-2082. — Kelly Vance
