Freebie of the week: Why do some types of music have the power to make us jiggle our booties while others provoke tears or send us into a deep reverie? The Lawrence Hall of Science has engaged University of California, Berkeley neuroscientist (and musician!) David Quiroga to explain in a 75-minute “Music and the Brain” lecture and Q&A session starting at 11 a.m. Saturday in the LHS 3-D Theater at 1 Centennial Drive in Berkeley. Afterward, attendees are invited to meet Quiroga at a 12:30 p.m. “Making Music: Math and Science Out Loud” demonstration featuring activities and music-making tools that further expound on the scientific principles behind melody, harmony, rhythms and beats. To register for the free program, go to lawrencehallofscience.org/events/music-and-the-brain/.
Another freebie: Oakland’s Rockridge District is always a fun place to stroll and nosh, but on Saturday it’ll be bursting with fun free stuff to see, hear and do. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Rockridge Rock-N-Stroll unfolds along College Avenue, between Alcatraz Avenue and Broadway. The event features 23 live musical acts and DJs, including Filipino folk artist Aireene Espiritu, reggae artist Jr Dreads, punk/new wave band Krudwerk, Bay Area singer-songwriter Fleeting Trance, singer Allegra Bandy’s trio, and many more. There also will be kids’ activities ranging from storytelling to face-painting and arts and crafts; artists displaying and selling their works; all manner of pop-vendors; and— our tails are wagging—a pup promenade and photo booth. There also will be a sumptuous supply of delicious stuff to eat and drink. The best way to access the fun is via BART (jump off at the Rockridge Station, of course), though there will also be bike racks on hand for two-wheeler enthusiasts. More information is at rockridgedistrict.com.
Strings attached: Growing up as a musically inclined singer and instrumentalist in Oakland, Aneesa Strings took in many a show at the famed Yoshi’s nightclub in Jack London Square. On Friday, the bassist, vocalist and composer will be there again, this time as the headliner. Strings’ musical development is full of Bay Area chapters: She participated in Oakland Jazz Workshop and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars. She played at Skyline High School in Oakland and UC Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program. Soon after graduating from University of Southern California, she released her first album, “A Shift in Paradigm” (featuring the single “Simpin”) in collaboration with the SFJAZZ Center’s Rebeca Mauleón. After earning a master’s degree at Michigan State University, Strings played in the Bay Area and toured with jazz vocalist Jose James and later in the Kandace Springs Trio. Both tours stopped at SFJAZZ, as did her 2023 tour with her own band. Along the way, Strings upped her musical profile as many emerging stars do, by posting videos online of her takes on a wide variety of songs, from jazz to R&B to hip-hop. The resulting attention led to high-profile gigs such as an appearance in the recent Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival. On Friday, she performs two shows at Yoshi’s at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., leading a trio with two background vocalists. Tickets are $36-$69; go to yoshis.com.
Here we go again: We’re all encouraged to sing out at the top of our lungs starting at 10 a.m. Saturday as the Valley Concert Chorale, in partnership with Vine Cinema and Alehouse in Livermore, brings the 2008 blockbuster movie “Mamma Mia!” to the theater screen. All Dancing Queens and their entourages are invited to belt out the 23 ABBA songs (“Take a Chance on Me,” “Fernando,” “The Winner Takes It All,” etc.), as Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth and a more than slightly off-key Pierce Brosnan bust a few moves and do the same on screen. The doors open at 9:30 a.m. at 1722 First St., so get there early for a good seat. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for seniors, and $5 for the grades K through 12 set. Find them at valleyconcertchorale.org.
Heat is on at Frost: Stanford Live’s Frost Amphitheater concert series jumps into action this week with an iconic duo that emerged as a head-turning bit of musical synergy 17 years ago. We’re talking about rock singer Robert Plant and bluegrass star Alison Krauss, whose 2007 breakthrough recording “Raising Sand” served up what AllMusic described as “one of the most effortless-sounding pairings in modern popular music” and won six Grammy Awards. The duo released a follow up album, “Raise the Roof,” in 2021, a similarly rich and wide-ranging collection with tunes by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, the Everly Brothers, the indie rock/Americana band Calexico and others, along with an original track. Plant and Krauss’ tour supporting “Raise the Roof” comes to Frost Amphitheatre at Stanford at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $79-$283 at live.stanford.edu or www.plantkrauss.com. Also heading to the Frost in the near future are Lauren Daigle, the contemporary Christian singer with a one-in-a-million voice, best known for her massive crossover hit “You Say” on Aug. 29, and the East-Bay-born rock-and-roll legend John Fogerty, who’ll deliver a career-spanning show (with opener George Thorogood) on Aug. 31. More information on those shows is at live.stanford.edu.
The post Best Bets: ‘Music and the Brain,’ Rockridge Rock-N-Stroll, ‘Mamma Mia!’ singalong, Aneesa Strings, Plant & Krauss appeared first on Local News Matters.