Looking for things to do in the Bay Area this weekend? The Do List has you covered with concerts, festivals, exhibitions, plays, performances and more.
You can listen to this week’s episode with KQED’s Gabe Meline and Sam Lefebvre above, or read about our picks below.
Michael Feinstein: I don’t wanna say it… you don’t wanna admit it… but the holidays are here. And along with it come holiday concerts. It’s my personal opinion that if you’re gonna do a holiday concert, you should go all the way into syrupy sentimentalism, and after seeing him earlier this year, I can say that Michael Feinstein is the master of it. A constantly beaming smile, between-song stories about home and mother, it’s the whole nostalgic package. There’s a reason he’s among the best in the cabaret field. Michael Feinstein’s holiday show runs Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 5-8, in the elegant confines of Feinstein’s at the Nikko Hotel in San Francisco. Details here.—GM
Angel Olsen: The other night I was at this sort of avant-drag theater performance in downtown Oakland, when one of the artists performed “Lark” by the songwriter Angel Olsen. It’s the opening song on her most recent album, All Mirrors, and it really impressed on me just how instantly classic her work is—that in the midst of these ’90s rock anthems and expected torch songs, a drag queen does a two-month old ballad by Angel Olsen. She performs Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Fox Theater. Details here.—SL
Ashara Ekandayo Gallery Closing Reception: Nia Wilson, the 18-year-old woman who was murdered at MacArthur BART station a year and a half ago, had a lot of friends, a bright future, and with her cousins, a rap group, Girlz N the Hood. This week, there’s a short video screening and multimedia performance of Nia Wilson Station, a project that examines the dangers that black women face in public spaces. It’s part of the final First Friday reception for Ashara Ekandayo Gallery, which is closing after two years with a show called Adjust Yo Eyes for This Darkness. The reception and screening is Friday, Dec. 6, from 6pm–9pm, at Ashara Ekandayo Gallery in Oakland. Details here.—GM
Local Gift Ideas: On Friday, Dec. 6, Oakland arts nonprofit Creative Growth holds their annual holiday studio sale. Creative Growth has played a critical role in promoting artwork by people with disabilities for decades, and this is a longstanding event where you can buy original works at affordable prices. It’s decorated the homes of some of my more stylish friends. Details here. On Saturday, Dec. 7, the East Bay Alternative Book & Zine Fest gets underway at Omni Commons in Oakland—the tenth annual installment of a crucial self-publishing summit. Details here. And finally, on Sunday, Dec. 8, SFMOMA presents a small press book bazaar with community partners including Colpa Press and the Black Aesthetic. This event coincides with the opening of a new exhibition, Printed Publics: Contemporary Art and Design Publishing in the Bay Area, and admission to the entire museum is free all day. Details here.—SL
Storm Large: Many people know this wonderful pop vocalist as a singer in the lounge- and classical-influenced ensemble Pink Martini. As for her own solo concerts… they can get a little raucous. Large brings her show “Holiday Ordeal” to the Hammer Theatre Center in San Jose on Saturday, Dec. 7; there’s an early show for the family, and a late show for adults that’s more risqué. Details here. And next weekend, coming full circle on this week’s picks, she’ll be at Feinstein’s in San Francisco; details here.—GM