The Week Ahead: Bay Area Concerts 12/28 - 1/3
This week's concert preview is being brought to you by Kevin Meenan of Epicsauce, providing detailed concert listings for the Bay Area every week. Follow them on Twitter.
An absolutely packed week of shows with Portland's gem Church at Hemlock and the ladies of San Francisco's Grass Widow at The Knockout Tuesday, sludge legends The Melvins at Great American Music Hall Saturday and bubblegum garage pop act Hunx & His Punx at Hemlock Sunday.
New Year's Eve is, by its nature, a night of difficult choices -- and with the previously profiled Maus Haus alongside Battlehooch at Hemlock, local dance-friendly favorites Boyz IV Men at the Five Points Art House, and Oakland's synth-pop veterans The Lovemakers performing their last show ever at the Ghost Town Gallery, it's even moreso. While you really can't go wrong with any of the above, we highly recommend Popscene's New Year's Eve party at Rickshaw Stop with Portland's Glass Candy. Armed with an assortment of analog synths and drum machines, the duo pumps out extremely catchy and danceable hits that stand as the best of the decade's disco revival. Their performance at Coachella last April was one of the most talked about shows of the weekend, and a real personal highlight -- this one is a guaranteed good time.
Monday, December 28th
Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, Ashwin Batish @ Independent $23
Railroad Earth, Hot Buttered Rum @ Fillmore $25
Tuesday, December 29th
Church, Winnie Byrd @ Hemlock $6
Grass Widow, Sopors, Rank/Xerox @ The Knockout
Alaric, Atriarch, Blessure Grave @ Elbo Room $7
NOBUNNY, Uzi Rash @ Pissed Off Pete's
Wednesday, December 30th
X, The Heavenly States @ Slims $31
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Steve Soto and The Twisted Hearts @ Cafe Du Nord $25
Disastroid, My Revolver, The Attack Plan @ Bottom of the Hill $8
Marc & the Casuals, Tommy Guerrero, Ron Silva & the Monarchs @ Hemlock
Zongo Junction, Hot Pocket @ Elbo Room $6
Everything Must Go!, The White Barons, Jesse Morris & the Man Cougars, Unko Atama @ Annie's Social Club $8
Further (Phil Lesh and Bob Weir) @ Bill Graham (Sold Out)
Thursday, December 31st
Maus Haus, Battlehooch @ Hemlock $10
Glass Candy, Desire @ Rickshaw Stop $45
Boyz IV Men, 1..2..3..knife!, DJ Summer Camp @ Five Points Arts House
Sic Alps, Wounded Lion, The Baths, Matt Jaffe @ Amnesia $12
Lovemakers @ Ghost Town Gallery $15
Les Claypool @ Fillmore $59.50
X, Dave Gleason & The Golden Cadillacs, The Heavenly States @ Slims $50
The Morning Benders, Pop Miniature Tigers, A B & The Sea @ Bottom of the Hill $20
The Roots, Orgone, DJ Harry D @ Warfield $72.00-$95.00
Brett Dennen, ALO, SambaDa @ Fox Theater $39.50 - $49.50
Ozomatli, Bassnectar, Ghostland Observatory, The Glitch Mob + More @ Concourse Exhibition Center $75 - $135
Audrye Sessions, Hottub, The Soft White Sixties, Manatee @ Uptown $12
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Steve Soto and The Twisted Hearts @ Cafe Du Nord $65
Stanton Warriors, Syd Gris, Melyss, Dex Stakker @ Mighty $20 - $50
Afrika Bambaataa, Zion I, Eric Sharp, Enki, Haylow, Beatsme @ Club 6 $25
Further (Phil Lesh and Bob Weir) @ Bill Graham (Sold Out)
Friday, January 1st
The Pine Box Boys, Los Duggans @ Elbo Room $10
Saturday, January 2nd
Melvins @ Great American Music Hall $21
Beats Antique, Lynx & Janover, Evan Fraser @ Independent (Sold Out)
Ash Reiter, The Blank Tapes, Mist and Mast @ Starry Plough $8
Little Bridges, The Dry Spells, White Lighter @ Uptown (Free)
Sunday, January 3rd
Hunx & His Punx, Brilliant Colors @ Hemlock $6
Beats Antique, Lynx & Janover, Evan Fraser @ Independent $15