Hardcore UFO's 

Well, it's finally here, Memorial Day weekend, which locally means the Kinetic Sculpture whatever it's called these days. The weather looks promising, and this stuff is always fun, a welcome diversion and genuinely organic article of regional fun that hasn't been digested by the tasteless acid pit of global consumerism (yet). I'm looking forward to it, all spicey and powered-up after having recently taken part in another weekend ritual for the coming warm season, inland waterside camping. I saw trout, birds of prey feeding on them and turtles galore, sunning unbothered in the defensive safety of their shells. Something clicked with me down by the waterside, and I got a brief taste of the eternal resonant bell of "well, fuck it," a tone so deep and primal to the course of being that it transcends all our senses and vibrates in a place where everything can be felt at once, as nothing at all. Peace, dear readers, is more or less what I am talking about, although we don't really have the right words for it anyway. That one word will have to sit in as a factotum holding up a lot of different load-bearing tasks of meaning for the purposes of this brief intro. Anyway, peace be with you and if it comes with some fun on the side as well, even better.

A final note, I spelled the title of this week's column in the fashion of the song it's named for, a song title which seems appropriate for the rolling sculptures coming our way. To any sharp-eyed reader out there looking for grammatical flubs, I must direct you to the band Guided by Voices and the first track from their excellent record Bee Thousand. Enjoy.

Thursday

It's the warm-up to one of the most cherished long weekends of the year, and depending on your personal calendar, this evening might even be considered a tailgating countdown to kickoff. If you are looking for some easy fun, go check out Low Class Jazz at the Basement at 8 p.m. The name really says it all, and bawdy and raucous is a pretty good aesthetic if you're winding up for some long-haul fun (free).

Friday

There are two separate local indie rock band shows tonight that are worth your time, only one of which you can choose due to both occurring at 9 p.m., and the limiting nature of the hours in our particular dimension of reality. Wild Abandon is playing a free one over at the Logger Bar if you like getting your kicks near the river. If the marshy bay is more your scene, head over to the Miniplex, where, for $5-$10 sliding scale, you can enjoy a trio of local flavors courtesy of Something Wicked, Tall Shapes and Sugar Boys. This one is louder and will run later, if those are factors in your decision-making.

Saturday

It's Kinetic kick-off day, and there are a lot of officially sanctioned diversions and pleasures to be found from now until Monday, which I will leave to the side for your discretion. One off-the-books gig I will mention is happening on the race route near the Manila Community Center at 1 p.m., where Black Plate, Ultramafic and Klod will all be making some sweet noise for those lucky enough to be in earshot on what looks to be a beautiful afternoon. Viva.

At night, you have a couple of options for dancing, depending on your personal tastes, of course. DJ Pandemonium Jones will bring the noise and funk to the Basement for $5, while the Magnificent Sanctuary Band will trade one form of Jerry-worship for another as the tribute band convenes to cover the setlists of another Garcia group — Legion of Mary — and celebrate the birthday of performing sax man Chris "Boa" Noonan." Door cover for this one is $10 and both gigs begin at 9 p.m.

Sunday

Hawaiian slack-key guitarist, wide-range singer and multi-instrumentalist Led Kaapana returns to our county to share the sounds he has made famous for most of his 75 years on the planet. I'm lucky enough to have seen him live before and will confirm he is a master of his form in every sense of the word, and very worth your time. Tonight at 7:30 p.m., you will find him at the Old Steeple, ahead of the final day of Kinetic madness, where tickets are going for $35 at the door, and $31.50 for advance tickets, well worth the accompanying peace of mind of knowing you have secured a spot in the crowd.

Monday, Memorial Day

Oakland's Sugar Candy Mountain trades in all things vintage and psychedelic, from the soul sounds of Shuggie Otis to early Krautrock and Brazilian tropicalia, with the well-tempered musical clutch of a duo tuned instinctively to the transmission of cross-genre vibes. They'll be laying and playing it out tonight at the Miniplex for an early 8 p.m. show, where a few members of local sunshine-hustlers the California Poppies will be performing under the name Los Calicos ($20, $17 advance).

Tuesday

I've been hearing talk about a new "coming weekly" thing, which, by the time you read this, will have already kicked the bugs out of its inauguration and will be ready to roll on through the arc of its lifespan. I'm talking about the Beer Pong Open Mic at the Eureka Vets Hall, which looks like the kind of fun free-for-all we dearly need to fill some voids left by the collapse of live entertainment during the peak plague years. I can't speak for its qualities yet, but if you are curious, 7 p.m. is the time, and apparently comedy is a main theme, although live music and spoken word is also allowed on the docket.

Wednesday

Chris Pureka is a singer-songwriter from Portland whose music is layered in certain country essentials (lap steel, acoustic guitar, shuffling rhythms) that offset the folkier aspects of their general approach — especially the singing — to deliver a vibe that is both rooted and ethereal. It's a nice trick, if you can pull it off, which Pureka does often and quite well on the album I listened to, 2021's The Longest Year. You can check them out tonight at an early 7 p.m. show at the Miniplex ($20, $17 advance), which will be followed up at 9 p.m. with the regular queer dance party Big Mood at 9 p.m.

Collin Yeo (he/him) never, never, ever does a thing about the weather, for the weather never ever does a thing for he.