Do yourself a favor and check out one (or all) of these
Japanther & The Coup at Submission, April 23
Japanther is an unhinged noise rock band hailing from the East Coast who spare no iota of imagination when it comes to their live shows. Despite remaining on the underground, they've earned stripes for performing with synchronized swimmers, on top of the Williamsburg Bridge, in the backs of moving vehicles, amongst other odd shenanigans. The Coup is an old-school Oakland rap group known for their funky backing beats and super political lyrics. Together at scrappy Mission venue Submission? We almost can't imagine what havoc they'll wreak together. A mere $10 will get you into the action.
Neon Indian at Fillmore, April 24
Now that the chillwave craze has finally crested, Neon Indian's moved onto bigger and better things. While the band's first album Psychic Chasms was an excellent excuse to light one up and stretch the old noggin out in a haze of nostalgia, its second LP Era Extraña upped the ante by cranking up the speed of things (get ready to dance) and layering even more bloops and bleeps into its trippy, drippy melodies. In the flesh, this band doesn't get by on twiddling knobs. A fully formed live band accompanies leader Alan Palomo on tour, and they supply some excellent grooves to let your hair down to.
Cypress Hill at Warfield, April 27
In an effort to stretch your 4/20 holiday as far as it will go, hit up Cypress Hill's show this week. Yeah, we kinda can't believe they're still around, but these rap veterans still know how to throw a good party. Remember "Insane in the Brain," "(Rock) Superstar," and "How I Could Just Kill a Man"? After years of hearing them on the radio and on record, go all in and see them done live. You know you wanna.
Opeth & Mastodon at Fox Theatre, April 27
It's not often metal heroes get to shake down a gorgeous theater like the Fox. Repping for this side of the pond is Mastodon, who've helped shape modern metal in the 21st century by forging prog, classic rock riffage, mind-bendingly surreal lyrics and a hefty dose of sludge together over the course of five super ambitious records–the latest of which, The Hunter, reached number ten on the Billboard top 200 chart. Finnish metal gods Opeth will match Mastodon's proggier tendencies, but we're looking forward to catching the mysterious and elusive opener Ghost, who dress like dead popes onstage and play slick metal that almost sounds like a more dangerous version of Blue Oyster Cult.
Three 6 Mafia at Mezzanine, April 28
Hip hop shows are always guaranteed to be a hell of a time (dancing, contact highs, an excuse to wear your flashiest clothes, etc.), so you can bet these kings of Southern rap will deliver on that. In between swigs of purple drank, DJ Paul, Juicy J, and Lord Infamous will throw down on Mezzanine's stage to remind all of us how and why they won that Academy Award, and of course to shower us with tracks from their insanely-long-time-coming new disc Laws of Power. Oakland's excellent Main Attraktionz open the show.
