MUSIC
RJD2
Tonight, 7:30 p.m., $25 at the door
Freeborn Hall
You haven’t really experienced hip-hop until you’ve heard the work of RJD2. The DJ’s completely instrumental tracks sample eclectic beats, sounds, instruments and electronic effects to create songs that are ridiculously dance-worthy and fascinating to listen to. He will be joined by opening acts DJ El Conductor and Santa Cruz’s Eliquate. See interview in today’s MUSE.
Sacramento Electronic Music Festival
Tonight – Saturday, 8 p.m., $7 per night or $15 for three-day pass
The Townhouse Lounge, 1517 21st St., Sacramento
It’s time for Sacramento’s annual festival celebrating the best in electronic music. Local artists will perform, along with headliners such as Canada’s Bonjay, San Francisco’s Tycho, and Los Angeles’s Dadelus. If you haven’t been getting your electro-fix in Davis, make the pilgrimage to Sacramento for the area’s biggest electronic event of the year.
Geographer, Lord Huron, A B and the Sea
Saturday, 8 p.m., $10
Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, 129 E St.
Three groups, three different sounds, all for 10 bucks. San Francisco’s Geographer tends more to electronic sounds, while folk artist Lord Huron is influenced by Trinidadian calypso music and Sophia’s regulars A B and the Sea capture the laid-back pop vibe of California.
Social Distortion
Tuesday, 6 p.m., $33 at the door
Freeborn Hall
Punk-rock band Social Distortion, which hails from Fullerton, Calif., will turn that volume knob all the way to 11 on Tuesday night with an Entertainment Council-sponsored show at Freeborn Hall. Lucero and Chuck Ragan will also perform.
AT THE MOVIES
25th Hour
Tonight, 7 p.m., $5
Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater
Spike Lee directs Edward Norton as a drug dealer in the last hours before his seven-year jail sentence begins in this critically-acclaimed film from 2002. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard provides the musical score and will be performing at the Mondavi Center on April 1. The film will be preceded by a talk by Mondavi Center executive director Don Roth, in which discussion and questions are welcome.
THEATER/MONDAVI
Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt: Night
Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., $17.50
Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater
Dinerstein, a classical pianist, and Merritt, a singer-songwriter, will perform together in this intimate concert featuring music of a wide range of styles, from pop to classical. The concert charts the course of the friendship, as they found each other despite vastly different upbringings through their shared love of music.
MOMIX: Botanica
Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m., $12.50
Mondavi Center, Jackson Hall
Get ready to be amazed as the dancer-illusionists of MOMIX present the fantastical Botanica. Watch as dancers transform themselves into creatures of the natural world through puppetry, effects, costumes movement, multimedia and more.
Mark Morris Dance Group
Wednesday, 8 p.m., $12.50
Mondavi Center, Jackson Hall
Sometimes called the “Mozart of modern dance,” choreographer Mark Morris brings a fresh yet classically grounded approach to modern styles. He is also unique for his use of live musicians during performance, which makes for an exciting live experience. On the program are two pieces that debuted at Lincoln Center in 2009 as well as a piece called Grand Duo, featuring – what else? – a piano/violin duet.
Vijay Iyer: Historicity Trio
Wednesday – Saturday, Feb. 5, 8 p.m., $18.50
Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater
Wednesday marks the first of five performances next week by jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and his trio. Iyer interprets works by legendary composers, pop artists and more in ways you’d never think of. Especially intriguing is his tendency to use the piano as part of the percussion, which makes for an ear-opening listening experience.
ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
