Utilizing both rock and free-music idioms into the orchestration, Never Enough Hope takes shape in the form of a 20-piece ensemble featuring scores of saxophones, vibraphones, and violins, mingling with guitar, bass, trumpets, and dual drum kits.

Dr. Nate Lewis’ talk will look at the challenge of capturing solar energy and storing it as an affordable transportation fuel - all on a scale necessary to reduce global warming. Overcoming this challenge will require developing new materials that can use abundant and inexpensive elements rather than costly and rare materials. Please join us to learn more about the promise of new materials in thedevelopment of carbon-free alternatives to fossil fuel.

Centered around the delicate voice and guitar playing of songwriter Andy Cabic, Vetiver is a surreal and psychedelic take on indie folk. This is Vetiver’s first performance in the East Bay and the release date of their newest album, Thing Of The Past

Could Do Was Sing, is due out May 13th, is a sort of folk/indie/acoustic band with shades of the yelping loosey-goosey exuberance of The Arcade Fire. Port O’Brien plays a free set at 5pm at Rasputin Music in Berkeley on telegraph

This Austin-based “post girl-band girl-band” of four gals and two guys specializes in addictive ’60s Motown-style pop. Sporting matching outfits and clever lyrics, the Carrots make the sound of the The Ronettes and the Supremes relevant all over again.

Good Vibrations is proud to present Simone de Corday, as she signs and reads excerpts from her new book, “9 ½ Years Behind the Green Door: A Mitchell Brothers Stripper Remembers her Lover Artie Mitchell, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and the Killing that Rocked San Francisco”.

In San Francisco in the 1980s, The Mitchell Brothers’ O’Farrell Theater had a mystique of romance and energy, sparked by its iconic patrons and radical owners. Corday divulges her first hand experiences at the place Hunter S. Thompson referred to as “the Carnegie Hall of public sex,” conveying its magnetism and revealing its backroom secrets. Corday captures that moment in time: one of grit and appetite, uninhibited sex and frustrated love, revolution and aspiration. Visit http://www.greendoorbook.com for a sneak peak.

Good Vibrations Women Like Me program is proud to present Dr. Carol Queen, PhD, sex educator, activist, and author.  Join us and learn valuable tools to achieve effective sexual communication with your partner.     

Figaro: San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley interviews Theatre de la Jeune Lune company members Dominque Serrand and Steven Epp.

Every season, Berkeley Rep hosts Page to Stage, a series of free discussions with eminent theatre artists, designed to give audiences additional insight into the plays and playwrights produced at Berkeley Rep. Past programs have featured theatre luminaries such as David Edgar, Sarah Jones, Tony Kushner, Delroy Lindo, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, Charles Mee, Rita Moreno, Salman Rushdie and the Chicano performance trio Culture Clash. The discussion series is sponsored by Peet’s Coffee and Tea.

Each talk starts at 7PM; doors open at 6:45PM for general-admission seating. No tickets are necessary for these free events, but seating is limited. At every event Peet’s offers a free coffee tasting for the audience before and after each lecture. Donors who have given $250 or more to Berkeley Rep enjoy an exclusive post-talk reception with each guest. For more information, call 510.647.2949.

From 11am to 5pm, enjoy free admission to the UC Berkeley Art Museum galleries, public programs. Aftrwards you can attend a free 5:30p Pacific Film Archive screening, the first Thursday of the month. (more…)

The free 5th annual Berkeley World Music Festival is a cultural program that offers over two dozen continuous musical performances throughout the Telegraph Avenue district, in cafes, street corners, and in People’s Park, plus a craft bazaar at People’s Park. Bands include Dengue Fever (Cambodian Pop/Psychedelic Rock), Sila and the AfroFunk Experience (Africa’s James Brown),  SambaDá (Brazilian Samba Afro Funk) plus Pakistani, Didjeridu Fusion,Cajun Dance Music, Ukrainian & Eastern European, Rebetika (Old Time Greek Blues) and more.

The Berkeley World Music Festival presents Cambodian-American psychedelic rock band Dengue Fever live at Amoeba Berkeley. Dengue Fever blends the rhythms of 60s Cambodian pop - heavily influenced by American surf, rock and early psychedelic garage bands - with their own eclectic mix of American and international styles.

A three-time Emmy Award-winner for his production design on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and the recipient of the 2000 Chrysler Award for Design Excellence, artist Gary Panter has drawn inspiration from diverse arenas over the past four decades. Closely associated with the underground comics and music scenes on both coasts, he is responsible for designing many record covers for Frank Zappa, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Residents. Plus, he is a musician too. Gary will be performing live and signing copies of his new book.