Social Eyes: Week of July 4

NOLA JOY

"Drink, dance, eat, celebrate music and thrive!" could be the manifesto behind Les Blank's get-happy 1978 documentary, Always for Pleasure. When zigging through Mardi Gras and zagging along Saint Patrick's Day street parties in New Orleans, it's clear pleasure is paramount and permanently embedded in the city's spirit. Live music by Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint and Kid Thomas Valentine add to the vibe. Two intriguing shorter films precede and follow the main feature, and all include conversations with Maureen Gosling, Chris Simon, John Santos and Harrod Blank. – LOU FANCHER

INFO: Thu, 4pm, BAMPFA, 2155 Center St., Berkeley. $14. 510.642.0808.

Start the fireworks early and get loud. Behind the kabuki masks, Daikaiju band members sweat out the good stuff—punk, metal and progressive rock—amped up by furious lighting, otherworldly costumes and staying true to the Japanese meaning of their name; "Giant strange beast," for the translation curious. The anonymous musicians use pseudonyms and communicate with hand signals. Occasionally, they set fire to their instruments at the end of a gig. Joined by Party Force and Isaac Rother & the Phantoms, the "July 4th Spectacular" includes wood-fired pizza from Gabba Gabba Pizza, drink specials and Independence Day treats of undisclosed nature. This party's adults-only, so leave the kiddies with grandma and grandpa. – LF

INFO: Thu, 5pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $15/adv, $18/door. 510.526.5888.

DAMIEN ESCOBAR

Since establishing himself as a solo act in 2012 after earning national renown in Nuttin' But Stringz with his brother, violinist Damien Escobar has carved out a singular career delivering a kinetic blend of jazz, pop, hip-hop, R&B and classical music. Celebrating the release of his album Gemini, he's returning to Yoshi's for a two-night, four-show run as part of his Victory Lap tour after selling out four shows there last November. Hailing from Jamaica, Queens, Escobar trained at Juilliard and is a commanding performer who sees music as a force for inspiring people to explore their full potential. One needn't take the plunge to appreciate he's leading by example. – ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $60. 510.238.9200.

KARRIN ALLYSON & KENNY WASHINGTON

Widely hailed as one of the world's most gifted male jazz vocalists, Oakland's Kenny Washington is a regular at the Sound Room. But he's never played a Bay Area gig like his two-night stand with five-time Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson—a gamine NYC song stylist with an expansive repertoire ranging across the American and Brazilian songbooks, with a generous helping of reimagined rock and pop songs. Over the years, they've sat in on each other's gigs, but this encounter marks their first time sharing a bill. It's a rare opportunity to experience two vocal masters responding to each other in the moment, swinging with abandon and seeing where the music takes them. – AG

INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $42.50-$50. 510.708.9691.

MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN

Mosswood Meltdown is back, and they're bringing a fun lineup that shows how weird, wild and queer punk rock is these days. Wifey, Pansy Division, Trap Girl and Hot Laundry are playing, along with the always incredible B-52s and the Mummies. And the infamous John Waters will host. Definitely some other interesting lineup choices, too, like hip-hop/bounce icon Big Freedia and electro hip-hop pioneer Egyptian Lover. Whatever acts you catch, don't miss the Peaches Christ drag contest. The two-day event—formerly known as Burger Boogaloo—will be the most compressed weekend fun in the East Bay this summer. – AARON CARNES

INFO: Sat, 11:30am, Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster St., Oakland. $99-$399. 510.597.5038.

SAM GRISMAN PROJECT

The Grateful Dead is the band that launched a thousand tribute bands, and with good reason: Its musical family tree is larger than the biggest redwoods in California. On Saturday, one of those bands, the Sam Grisman Project, celebrates the music Sam's father, David Grisman, made with Jerry Garcia in the early '90s. A storied mandolin player, Grisman played on "Friend of the Devil" and several other Dead tunes in their heyday. Decades later, the duo began writing together in the very house Sam was growing up in. He's keeping those songs—which he calls "some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded"—alive. – ADDIE MAHMASSANI

INFO: Sat, 8pm, Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $40/adv, $45/door. 510.644.2020.

BLIND GIRLS

The secret to life is to never stop learning stuff, like the difference between screamo, an aggressive form of emo, and skramz, the first wave of screamo differentiating from later commercial bands like Thrice and Finch. With this in mind, Australia's Blind Girls are most definitely in the skramz category with their chaotic melodies, technical playing and lead singer Sharni Brouwer's blood-curdling screams. This five-piece experiment in sound and fury deals out aural abuse perfect for moshing, stage diving and goblin-ing out in general. Their latest album, An Exit Exists, digitally drops days before the show, so it will be one of the first times anyone's heard the songs live. Use that to absolutely destroy the pit. – MAT WEIR

INFO: Sun, 6:30pm, 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. $15. 510.524.8180.

HIP-HOP

MISSY ELLIOTT

Missy Elliott has dominated the hip-hop and R&B charts for three decades with her hits and videos. So it's shocking that the Supa Dupa Fly artist has never headlined a solo tour until now. Elliott will stand with fellow '90s and aughts hit makers Ciara and Busta Rhymes—with special guest Timbaland—as she works it, throws her thing down, flips it and reverses it. It's undoubtedly easier to get her freak on since she's somehow reversed the aging process. She's collaborated on multiple tracks with all three tourmates, so it's a safe bet that the First Lady of Hip-Hop will throw it back to those years of hits. A giant blow-up suit may or may not be included. – MW

INFO: Tue, 7pm, Oakland Arena, 7000 S. Coliseum Way, Oakland. $80-$440. 510.569.2121.

GHOST-NOTE

The musicians of the funk-jazz hip-hop ensemble Ghost-Note are masters of the extended jam; their live performances explode with elite musicianship and improvisational interludes. Built around Snarky Puppy's percussion duo Robert "Sput" Searight and Nate Werth, the group plucks players from some of the world's most famous acts, including Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Toto and Justin Timberlake. The group is on tour to celebrate their third studio album, Mustard n'Onions. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT

INFO: Tue, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $31/adv, $36/door. 510.214.8600.

Where does one begin describing Beck? The indie icon has blurred genres from the start, never making the same album twice and winning eight Grammys. He wowed critics and fans alike with the eclectic mixture of blues, rap, country and jazz on Odelay in 1996 and has just kept going with melody-driven feats of songwriting. While he can rock a synth-pop jam, as evidenced by 2019's Hyperspace, the sonic shapeshifter seems to be moving toward folk with his most recent single, "Thinking About You." He's also experimenting with orchestral concerts, playing this coming show with the Berkeley Symphony. – AM

INFO: Wed, 7pm, Greek Theatre, 2001 Gayley Rd., Berkeley. $64-$395. 510.871.9225.