Because of air quality concerns, please check for late cancellations this weekend. For example, Friday and Saturday performances at the Freight & Salvage have been canceled and the Friday night Cal Performances production of ‘Pixel’ by Compagnie Käfig is canceled.
KODALINE Here’s a description you don’t often read of contemporary bands: “Kodaline are a genuinely lovely band.” The genuinely lovely Kodaline are performing at the UC Theatre on Friday night, in its Politics of Living national tour. Band leader Steve Garrigan describes the group’s latest work: “We focused in on the narratives that really meant something to us, and the melodies that carried those stories. It kind of turned into an album about friends, family and relationships that have touched our lives, good or bad. It is the story of us, snapshots from our life, in a band of brothers.” Friday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave.
MARTY O’REILLY AND THE OLD SOUL ORCHESTRA The blurb for Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra makes some lofty claims: “The live performance is at the core of this project: the band enters a trance and the music is born again as something new every night. They go from raw gospel blues to cinematic epics, from heavy driving grooves to delicately arranged folk songs. They leave the stage out of breath, the ground littered with broken strings and bow hairs. It’s hard to describe, impossible to categorize.” You can decide for yourself on Saturday night at Cornerstone. Saturday, Nov. 17, 8:30 p.m., Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave.
COMMUNITY QUILT The Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the UC Berkeley campus is currently showing Face to Face: Looking at Objects That Look at You (through Dec. 9), which shows how different crafting cultures around the world depict human faces. A Sunday workshop guided by artist Shirin Towfiq ties into Face to Face. At the community quilt workshop, you can decorate your own quilt patches with drawings and personal messages for a bigger communal quilt that will address issues of identity and double consciousness. Participation in the drop-in workshop is free with museum admission. Sunday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hearst Museum, 102 Kroeber Hall.
VIRTUAL REALITY DAY Over 60 cities around the globe are participating in the second annual Virtual Reality Day on Saturday. In Berkeley, a free, family-friendly event will show off the East Bay’s local virtual reality independent developer community as well as enterprise VR offerings. Organized by Quirkeley and VR@Berkeley, visitors to the VR open house at NextSpace in downtown Berkeley will be able to try experiences on Oculus Rift, HTV Vive, Gear VR and augmented reality “light-wear” Magic Leap. Saturday, Nov. 18, 12-4 p.m., NextSpace, 2081 Center St.
RAMANA VIEIRA Did you know there was a Fado resurgence? Northern California’s Ramana Vieira, a first-generation daughter of Madeiran parents, weaves together the Portuguese Fado tradition (think Amália Rodrigues) with American influences from jazz and the great American songbook. Vieira will be singing and playing the piano at The Back Room on Friday evening. Friday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave.
Don’t miss these other events covered on Berkeleyside:
Lively ‘Tartuffe’ by Molière now at Cal’s theater department
‘Dimensionism: Modern Art in the Age of Einstein’ at BAMPFA is a scholarly, eye-catching show
Treasures from Mali with Orchestra Gold; Ben Goldberg’s Archimedes Lullaby
Big Screen Berkeley: ‘El Angel’
