Hot Picks 10.06.22

Oct 7-8

Alternative Darlings

The fifth track and lead single of Silversun Pickups’ 2009 album Swoon, “Panic Switch,” was added late to the record, almost as an afterthought. It became the first song by an independent artist to reach number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in 11 years. They still play it, and it sounds great in an acoustic version. The original band was formed in 2002, and is still making new music and coming up with new sounds. In 2009, they received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Their sixth and most recent album, Physical Thrills, was released in August of this year. They will play a double show in Monterey. [AP]

8pm Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $30-$60. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.

Oct. 7-9

Here for a Gem Time

First held in 1990, the Big Sur Jade Festival is as much a celebration of South Coast arts and culture as it is an event dedicated to this beautiful green gemstone often associated with this part of the coast. There’s a drum circle, live music, food and many friends and neighbors to catch up with. There’s also lots and lots of jade – the festival is one of the largest lapidary shows in the world. After a couple of years off, the festival in back for its 27th year. If you’re looking for a gift for someone special (or yourself) or just want to enjoy a day out, the Jade Fest delivers. [TCL]

Noon-6pm Friday, Oct. 7; 10am-6pm Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 8-9. Pacific Valley School, 69345 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free to enter. bigsurjadefestival.com.

Oct. 7-29

Oh, the Horror!

Maybe the only thing better than 20th-century science fiction B movies is a self-aware comedy based on said movies. Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show is just such a tribute, as rowdy and rollicking as ever since the musical was first performed in 1973. (The production of a 1975 film called The Rocky Horror Picture Show helped secure its cult status.) The story, if you need a refresher: A couple caught in a storm seek refuge and find themselves at the home of a mad scientist named Dr. Frank-N-Furter who is manipulating and murdering humans and… well, the plot is less relevant than the beloved songs like “Time Warp” and “I Can Make You a Man,” and the revealing costumes, and the vibe. Because Rocky Horror is more than a story or a song – it is a cultural icon. And it plays until the weekend just before Halloween, including midnight showings, to get you in the spirit of the season, in the goofiest possible sense. [SR]

8pm Fridays and Saturdays Oct. 7-29; midnight on Saturday nights Oct. 8-29. Paper Wing Theatre, 711 Cannery Row, Suite i, Monterey. $36. 905-5684, paperwing.com.

Oct. 8-9

Super Fly

You’ve heard the slogan “Red Bull gives you wings.” Well, it’s not just a slogan. The Red Bull Air Force team actually flies through the air – without a plane. Yes, they do have aircraft, like a helicopter that can do backflips in the air. But the skydiving team soars. And if that’s not all, the California International Airshow Salinas fills the sky and ground with stunt performers, modern jet fighters like the F-35A Lightning II, historic craft including a flight of P-51 Mustangs and demonstrations. Planes land on top of cars. A jet-powered fire truck (yes, they are necessary) scorches the tarmac. Monster trucks duel it out. Aircraft and other vehicles tempt fate against the wall of fire. It’s hard to know where to look – or when to duck; the F-35 will simulate a strafing run. So Red Bull may give you wings, but the Salinas Airshow gives you a lot more. [DF]

9am-5pm Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9. Salinas Airport, 30 Mortensen Ave., Salinas. $20-$55; free/children 5 and under. 754-1983, salinasairshow.com.

Oct. 8

Diggin’ Dirt

It would require a doctorate in a scientific discipline that does not yet exist to draw a schematic of the musicians who have played for and with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. We haven’t advanced that far. Tracing the evolution of a group of SoCal hipsters that joined jugs and washboards – yes, as instruments – with a clarinet, or their progression from a jug band to folk rock, bluegrass, country rock, etc. through a few name changes is possible, but requires the investigative skills of Sherlock Holmes, and he’s fictional. But NGDB could cover a song so well, no one remembers the original artist (“Mr. Bojangles,” by take a guess). They also turned out hit originals on multiple charts and exposed a generation to the nation’s musical foundation. This is the 50th anniversary of the band’s three-LP album Will The Circle Be Unbroken, which brought what we now call roots music (thanks to the album) to a rock generation and made them love it. [DF]

8pm Saturday, Oct. 8. Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $45-$79. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.

Oct. 9

Kiwi Americana

Jackie Bristow is a New Zealand-based singer-songwriter visiting Monterey with her fifth album, Outsider. Bristow has taken many musical journeys to reach where she is now. She started in Sydney, then moved to Los Angeles, Austin and Nashville to pursue her artistic vision. Outsider finds her “standing at crossroads – of soul and country; rock ‘n’ roll,” according to an announcement about the record. With its mix of acoustic and electric guitars, pedal steel and banjo – and strings and horns – the album is a piece of well-crafted Americana. [AP] 5pm Sunday, Oct. 9. House concert at The Bakers, Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $25 (suggested). Call 235-7662 for tickets.

Oct. 11

Rocking It

The Warning is a Mexican rock band formed by the Villarreal Vélez sisters: Daniela, Paulina, and Alejandra, who will enchant you with their hard rock, post-grunge and alternative rock. The trio is on its Mayday Tour 2022 and in June released the album Error. The band was formed in 2013 when they were kids and went viral when they did a cover of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. The band was part of the 53 artists/groups Metallica selected to be part of its 30-year anniversary album called The Black Album. [CJ]

8pm Tuesday Oct. 11. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $25-45. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.

HOT PICKS by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.