It’s time for the weekend!
Looking for things to do in the Bay Area? Listen to KQED Arts’ Gabe Meline and Nastia Voynovskaya discuss their critic’s picks for this weekend at the audio link above, and read about each event below.
Gray Area Festival: There’s a lot to love about this year’s festival exploring the intersection of art and technology. But the star attraction is the ISM Hexadome, an immersive Buckminster Fuller-like dome of music and visuals, with pieces by Thom Yorke, Holly Herndon, Suzanne Ciani, Ben Frost and more. It runs Thursday–Sunday, July 25–28, at the Gray Area Theater and Pier 70. Details here.
‘Dead Nuts: A Search for the Ultimate Machined Object’: What is the ultimate machined object? Something so accurate in its design, so aesthetically pleasing and functional that it rises to the top? This fun, satisfying exhibit includes simple items like the ball bearing alongside highly complicated feats of engineering, like airplane engines and analog microprocessors. It opens Saturday, July 27, at the Museum of Craft and Design. Details here.
KMEL Summer Jam 2019: The Oracle Arena’s been quiet since the Warriors left, but it’s about to get loud again with this annual party featuring rap stars YG, Lil Baby, City Girls and more. But by far the main attraction is Megan Thee Stallion, a sex-positive rising star whose talent and dynamism are poised to outlast the current “hot girl summer” meme she inspired. That’s Sunday, July 28, at the Oracle Arena. Details here.
‘The Neverending Story’: Our cheap North Bay date this week is this 1980s fantasy classic, presented in a Petaluma theater that’s over 100 years old. When it comes to reliving the adventures of Atreyu and Falkor, you can’t go wrong for just $8. It screens Friday, Aug. 2, at the Mystic Theatre. Details here.
Kelly Stoltz: You might recognize Kelly Stoltz from working behind the counter at the Market Street record store Grooves, where hundreds of musical influences regularly seep into his ears. While his music itself is a pleasing blend of the familiar and the new, we’re also recommending this show for the beautiful outdoor setting in a redwood grove. Stoltz performs, with Magic in the Other opening, on Thursday, Aug. 1, at the UC Botanical Garden. Details here.