WED 16
Here come the tall ships. Would-be sailors, nautical enthusiasts, and genuine old salts, now hear this: The Tall Ships Tour is docked at Oakland’s Jack London Square. Through April 23, the public is invited to visit the Hawaiian Chieftain, a 103-foot replica of a 1790s-era Northern European trading ship. Scheduled shipboard events include dockside tours of the vessel conducted by its costumed crew, a Sunday brunch sail, weekday educational voyages for youngsters, and adventure sail training. After April 23, the ship becomes part of the Pacific Sail Expo, also at Jack London Square. Reservations are needed for the brunch and sail training: 1-800-200-5239. Log onto www.hawaiianchieftain.com — Kelly Vance
THU 17
On her latest full-length, Red=Luck, Patty Larkin plays electric and acoustic guitars (slide, twelve-string, baritone, and six-string), bouzouki, accordion, lap steel, and piano, adding new tone and texture to the sensual, narrative folk that has made her a hit on the national circuit. Larkin got her start in the early ’90s in Christine Lavin’s revolving-door musical revue, 4 Bitchin’ Babes, but left that group to pursue solo success shortly after the release of their debut album. Her guitar playing is often held up to par with Bonnie Raitt’s, but it’s her songwriting perspective that’s made her a favorite in her native New England. Billboard called Red=Luck, her tenth disc, “a paradigm of literate, compelling songwriting.” She starts a two-night stand this evening at the Freight & Salvage (1111 Addison St., Berkeley). Tickets cost $18.50 in advance, $19.50 at the door. Call 510-548-1761 for complete details. — Stefanie Kalem
FRI 18
“Watching these films is the equivalent of drinking ten cups of coffee.” That’s a marketing director speaking, but he does have a point about the Elements of Adrenaline Film Festival. The latest in a line of popular thrilleroo documentary shorts packages aimed at the “extreme” sports and outdoor market checks into 145 Dwinelle Hall at UC Berkeley this evening (doors 7:30 p.m., $4) with a full load of armchair adventure reels. Outta Africa goes on a kayak trip through the aforementioned continent. In Burning Time, a pair of Olympians backcountry ski from British Columbia to Alaska. And 24 shows the exploits of those nutty base-jumpers. All three are directed by filmmaker and kayaker Scott Lindgren. Promotional prizes will be awarded by the sponsors, Outside magazine and Honda. — Kelly Vance
SAT 19
Some people are just good at what they do. LA’s Evren is really good in the studio. He’s worked in Capitol Records’ mastering department since 1995, sanding down the rough spots and putting extra shine on recordings by everyone from Mariah Carey to Cursive, George Clinton to the Dixie Cups. And his studio experience has informed his songwriting chops, as well — he knows just when the keyboard flourishes need to come in, and exactly how many tracks of his vocals are enough. This expertise, plus his elegant slide-work, act as ribbons and bows on his undergrad-literate, Beatles-meets-Elvis Costello style of pop-rock. Evren plays at the Stork Club (2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland) with Pete Finestone (Bad Religion) on drums. Sammy Shakes and Ill-Gotten Gains open. The show starts at 9-ish, cover is $5, and the Stork is always 21 and up. Call 510-444-6174 for more information. — Stefanie Kalem
SUN 20
Sometimes you just have to take a dive in order to make sense of events. That seems to be the formula for Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, the Japan-born, Ho Chi Minh City-based experimental filmmaker whose Memorial Project Vietnam is now ensconced in the Berkeley Art Museum as part of the MATRIX series. The exhibition consists of two films. The first, Memorial Project, Nha Trang, Vietnam — Towards the Complex: For the Courageous, the Curious, and the Cowards (2001) shows a staged underwater race by cyclo (pedicab) drivers. Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s most recent work, Happy New Year: Memorial Project Vietnam II, is similarly inundated: a traditional New Year’s dragon and a “Fate Machine” that releases balls to the surface of the water are the stars of the show. Both tread heavily on the metaphorical, to say the least, and both feature “hypnotic soundtracks.” The two films are projected as DVDs in the gallery, and run through June 29 at BAM, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu — Kelly Vance
MON 21
Painter Anthony Holdsworth specializes in depicting downtown Oakland. In fact, his colorfully mellow landscapes make it look like the nicest place on earth. The Alameda County Law Library admired Holdsworth’s paintings so much it commissioned two large murals more than five years ago, and they’ve just been mounted in the media center of the library (125 12th St., Oakland) for all to see — two 121/2-foot-by-40-inch Oakland scenes, one of Lake Merritt and the other showing the corner of 9th and Washington streets, complete with the neighborhood’s 19th-century architecture. The murals are open daily to the public. For more info: 510-208-4832 or visit www.libraryart.org — Kelly Vance
TUE 22
Hayward-born author Nik C. Colyer was a badass in his youth — a motorcycle-fixin’, gun-totin’, fist-swingin’ miscreant. But after his first marriage ended he entered therapy; returned to school; and began drawing, sculpting, writing, making jewelry, and reading voraciously in his new home outside Nevada City. In his first published novel, 2001’s Channeling Biker Bob: Heart of a Warrior, Colyer wrote of a somewhat opposite shift, of the transition of a wimp to a man through the direction of a Harley-riding spirit guide named Biker Bob. And in the recently released sequel, Lover’s Embrace, a hard-nosed cop gets help from Bob, as well. Colyer reads, discusses, and signs copies of Lover’s Embrace tonight at 7:30 at Barnes & Noble (2352 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley). 510-644-0861. — Stefanie Kalem
