L@TE: Friday Nights @ BAM/PFA

Ken Ueno and Joan Jeanrenaud
April 2, 7:30 p.m.

Composer and vocalist Ken Ueno, who recently joined the UC Berkeley music faculty, brings his trio ONDA to the gallery for a set of improvised music featuring extended vocal techniques (Ueno), violin (Hillary Zipper), and percussion (Tim Feeney). ONDA brings together the trio’s research into extending the timbral possibilities of their respective instruments to create a kind of ritual music of an imaginary tribe of the future. After ONDA’s set, Ueno will improvise for the first time with composer/cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, who will then perform a solo set, including pieces from her CD Strange Toys as well as a soon-to-be-released recording. The works all use amplified cello along with looping, beats, and electronics. Jeanrenaud will be joined on some selections by PC Munoz on electronic beats and drums.

Brooklyn Is Burning in Berkeley
April 9, 7:30 p.m.

Brooklyn Is Burning is a dynamic event showcasing video and performance. Curated by New York-based duo Sarvia Jasso and Andres Bedoya, the ongoing series takes gender bending to new heights, featuring the work of emerging artists interested in expanding the boundaries of sex, sexuality, the body, and whatever exists in between. Past efforts have featured the work of painter Matt Greene, London performance artist The O, and the psychedelic visions of Brazilian collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus. With previous site-specific events in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, BIB now comes to BAM/PFA for its first museum outing, enlisting numerous local artists and performers for a unique one-night-only event.

Skank Bloc Bologna Number Four: Allan deSouza and The Beast in Space; Fools in Print with the Voices of Joan LaBarbara, Paul Rooney, and More
April 16, 7:30 p.m.

Skank Bloc Bologna Number Four in the house! The Beast in Space—a 1980s Euro-sleaze space saga, recently unearthed in the basement of a condemned Bologna porn cinema—is packed with intergalactic discos, cardboard aliens, and ridiculous special effects. Local artist Allan deSouza offers up clips and wry observations from Beast . . . in a mash-up-style lecture. The presentation of the voice issue of Fools in Print—a Scottish artist-run press edited by Lucy Keany—includes Rabbit Hole/Acid House by singer and composer Joan La Barbara; a dub reggae, Lancastrian post-punk narration by Paul Rooney; and Ask for It from Jordan Baseman, recorded in a football club in Sheffield, U.K.

Each event preceded at 6 p.m. by one of our favorite KALX DJs spinning in the lobby, where wine and beer are available for purchase.

General admission to the BAM galleries is just $5 after 5 p.m. Show your ticket for a same-day PFA screening or gallery visit and get in free. Admission is always free for BAM/PFA members and UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff.