Cowboy Junkies coming to the Bay Area for trio of gigs

There is no voice in all of popular music that we love more than the one belonging to Cowboy Junkies singer Margo Timmins.

It’s one that conveys so many shades of emotion and mood — from quiet desperation and resigned sadness to burning passion and, on the rare Cowboy Junkies recording, unbridled joy. It comes across as fragile and oh-so-very human in one moment, then bold, big and otherworldly in the next.

And, above all else, it’s always beautiful.

It’s a voice that fans first latched onto in the late ’80s, thanks to the landmark folk-pop-country-blues outing “The Trinity Session,” which carried with it the Cowboy Junkies’ startlingly different and impactful version of the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.”

It’s a voice that has continued to speak to listeners — through the words that her brother Michael writes — on such stellar albums as 1996’s “Lay It Down,” 2007’s “At the End of Paths Taken” and, most recently, 2023’s “Such Ferocious Beauty.”

And it’s a voice that fans will get to enjoy once again as the vocalist and the rest of the brilliant Cowboy Junkies — guitarist Michael Timmins, drummer Peter Timmins and bassist Alan Anton — perform three shows in Northern California.

Details: 8 p.m. June 18 at Freight & Salvage, Berkeley; 7:30 p.m. June 19 at Uptown Theatre in Napa; 8 p.m. June 20 at Center for the Arts in Grass Valley; ($46-$77); cowboyjunkies.com.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

Itchin’ for urchins?

Lurking in spiny armor below the waves, sea urchin is a luscious and briny delicacy. And for folks who treasure the taste, what’s better than getting it straight from the source?

There will be ample opportunities to eat — and learn about — uni and California marine life at the fourth annual Mendocino Urchin Festival. It’s not just about food, though there’s that with local restaurants serving specials like uni-baked oysters and salmon with champagne-sea-urchin beurre blanc. There are coastal adventures, ocean foraging, lodging packages and a sake pairing with an uni-cooking demo, to name a few things happening in the three-day fest.

Folks can visit a real “Urchin Ranch” where the little guys are raised on land via aquaculture, sampling the difference between wild and farmed uni. There’s a “tide-pool talk” on a state beach where kids can search for hermit crabs and sea stars. And importantly, you’ll learn why it’s good to scarf urchins up, as keeping their numbers in check preserves the health of critical kelp forests.

Details: Events take place Friday through Sunday at various locations on the Mendocino County coast; some free, some ticketed; www.urchinfest.com.

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Classical picks: Mozart, Beethoven, Salonen’s swan song

The Bay Area classical scene this week brings an early Mozart opera, a masterful Beethoven symphony, and the final San Francisco Symphony performances led by departing music director Esa-Pekka Salonen.

“Ideomeneo”: It’s OK if you’ve never seen a production of “Idomeneo”; Mozart’s opera isn’t often performed, but it’s a thriller. Set during the Trojan War, the opera’s title character survives battles, shipwrecks, and more. But can he survive a fateful promise to the god Neptune? With a top-notch cast featuring tenor Matthew Polenzani in the title role, and a supporting cast featuring Daniela Mack, Ying Fang, Alek Shrader, and Elza van den Heever, expect great results. And check the company’s website for details on its upcoming Pride Concert (June 27), livestreams, pre-concert talks, and more. Details: Saturday though June 25; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $28 and up; sfopera.com.

Oakland Symphony wraps with Beethoven: Throughout his tenure as its music director, conductor Kedrick Armstrong has brought a vibrant sense of revival to the Oakland Symphony. This week at the Paramount Theater, he’ll close out the orchestra’s season with a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, one that features the Oakland Symphony Chorus and a quartet of vocal soloists led by soprano Hope Briggs. The program also includes Errollyn Wallen’s “Mighty River.” Details: 8 p.m. Friday; Paramount Theatre, Oakland; $25-$90; OaklandSymphony.org.

Salonen’s countdown: This month, Bay Area music lovers are saying their farewells to San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, now making his final appearances in his last month with the organization. Tickets are mostly sold out, but check the Symphony box office for his official farewell event: a June 14 concert featuring a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Details: Today through Saturday; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $145-$399; www.sfsymphony.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

A ‘Killer’ of a new offshoot

One horror franchise that received a terrific reboot is the bloodthirsty primordial alien series “Predator.” Director Dan Trachtenberg reinvigorated the popular series (including comics and videogames) with 2022’s indigenous-themed “Prey.” Now comes “Predator: Killer of Killers,” an animated anthology film that spans centuries in a triptych of inter-connected tales in which the scaly critter appears and then makes his deadly presence well-known.

The first — “The Shield” — is set in 841 AD and finds a fierce Viking warrior mother hoping to pass on her overwhelming obsession for revenge to her son. The second — “The Sword” — is set in 1609 feudal Japan and centers on a rivalry between two Samurai brothers (it’s my favorite). And the final one “The Bullet” starts in 1941 Florida and gives us a young World War II pilot who gets involved in a spectacular air fight that would make even Tom Cruise envious. Trachtenberg and co-director Josh Wassung (from the animation company The Third Floor) keep the action humming throughout while the screenplay from Micho Robert Rutare intriguingly weaves the three tales together for a killer final act. It certainly whets the appetite for the Nov. 7 release of live-action “Predator: Badlands.”

Details: 90 minutes; available on Hulu.

— Randy Myers, Correspondent

South Bay stage: ‘Sweet Charity’; ‘Lights Up’

Bay Area Neil Simon fans will likely find a ‘Sweet’ time at San Jose Stage through June.

“Sweet Charity,” featuring a book by the legendary playwright, as well as a score by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields (not to mention original choreography by Bob Fosse) is playing at the South Bay theater company, directed by Kenneth Kelleher and featuring Ruby Day in the iconic role as the lovable, hard-luck dance-hall hostess Charity Hope Valentine. The musical comedy with a ’60s-flavored score and storyline inspired by Federico Fellini’s “Nights of Cabiria” has had a number of storied productions and revivals since its 1966 debut, and was adapted for the big screen in 1969, starring Shirley MacLaine.Details: Through June 29; San Jose Stage, 490 S. 1st St.; $47-$66; www.thestage.org

Meanwhile, City Lights Theater in San Jose on Saturday is hosting “Lights Up,” a new-play festival featuring readings of “The Soulmate Play” by Anthony Doan, directed by Jacob Yoder-Schrock (1 p.m.) and “Helicopter Typhoon Carabao! or To Survive an Apocalypse Now,” by Amanda L. Andrei and directed by Mark Anderson Phillips (5 p.m.). There will also be a makers fair at the theater beginning at noon. Details: Event begins at noon; City Lights Theater, 529 S 2nd St., San Jose; $20; cltc.org.

— Randy McMullen, Staff