Lots of leading ladies in the music mix this week. These shows boast a punk legend/folk songstress, a female vocalist who inhabits the soul of animals, a girl-fronted ’60s Wall-of-Sound meets modern indie pop act (with a punch) – and yes, maybe even an underground famous dude or two.
There’s also the epic Rap Fest featuring Das Racist, and the Trash Art Bash, which pretty much sounds like the best mashup of all time: trash art, underground music, pizza. I wish I could include a reunited Hot Snakes at Bottom of the Hill, as that’s the show I’m most pumped for, but it sold out months ago, so it just seems cruel to suggest. Good luck with that one. And then there’s…well, you’ll just have to check out the rest. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:
Radiation City
The sprightly Portland, Oreg.-based quintet will be playing cool ’60s girl group inspired jams off last year’s The Hands That Take You and recently released indie pop dream EP, Cool Nightmare.
With Sea of Bees (see the print edition for the Pick on Sea of Bees)
Weds/28, 8 p.m., $10
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8itwSlFx4
Penelope Houston
Avengers singer and longtime solo lyricist in her own right, Penelope Houston returns this week to celebrate the release of seventh studio album, On Market Street, packed with lilting folk gems, and “tales of revenge and forgiveness, of love both sanctified and illicit.”
With Prairiedog, Carletta Sue Kay
Thurs/29, 8:30 p.m., $12
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
www.cafedunord.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDek4vu2gg8
SF Rap Fest Featuring Das Racist
No doubt about it, this is going to be a good one, a veritable who’s who of wordy Bay Area and beyond hip-hop. Obviously out-of-towners Das Racist will be there to shake things up, but also On the Rise alums Main Attrakionz, along with Friendzone, and Antwon & Shadow Runners, among others.
Fri/30, 9 p.m., $20
103 Harriet, SF
dasracistsf.eventbrite.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXmo0zsG3q0
Odessa Chen
In an attempt to inhabit the spirit of different wild animals, Odessa Chen recorded her third album, Archives of the Natural World, in a remote cabin in Oregon’s National Forrest – what better way to get in touch with the mysteries of coexistence? The show is a benefit for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).
With Christopher Smith
Sat/31, 7 p.m., $10-$20
First Unitarian
1187 Franklin, SF
www.odessachen.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTDEDyuSjF4
Trash Art Bash
Recycled, repurposed, and scavanged art by the likes of Winston Smith (Dead Kennedy’s collage artist) and more, along with live ukelele music by the gonzo Pineapple Princess, the Skirts, and Mad Mama Lopez, plus trashy rock’n’roll DJs. Get it: all trash, all night. And it’s at a pizza parlor-cum-dive bar.
Sat/31, 7-11 p.m., free
King Kong Bar @ Escape from NY Pizza
333 Bush, SF
Facebook:Trash Art Bash
Chain & the Gang
With a muffled scream here, a tambourine shake there, and a buzzing chainsaw guitar slicing through it all, Chain & the Gang is a testament to Ian Svenonius’s continuity, and his ongoing ability to scrap genres, culling the best bits of the past — Southern blues, working man shuffles, post-punk, and mod — for his own future perfect.
With Neonates, the Smell
Sun/1, 9 p.m., $9-$12
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zx1FjfOMAA