‘Go Crazy’ with alt-rock icon

Bob Mould, a first-tier alt-rock pioneer, is out on the road supporting the newly released “Here We Go Crazy.”

It’s Mould’s 15th solo album and first full-length studio effort since 2020’s “Blue Hearts.” The 11-track set was partially recorded and fully mixed at Oakland’s own Tiny Telephone recording studio. The singer-songwriter-guitarist was backed on the set by drummer Jon Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy.

“On the surface, this is a group of straightforward guitar-pop songs. I’m refining my primary sound and style through simplicity, brevity and clarity,” Mould says in a news release. “Under the hood, there’s a number of contrasting themes. Control and chaos, hypervigilance and helplessness, uncertainly and unconditional love.”

The first single from the album is the striking “When Your Heart Is Broken.”

Fans will likely get the chance to experience “When Your Heart Is Broken” and other new album cuts — as well as hopefully some material from Mould’s days with Husker Du and Sugar — when the alt-rock icon performs at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco on Saturday.

Details: Showtime is 8 p.m.; tickets are $44; livenation.com.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

Paging all book lovers

Some people like to read books; others prefer to play with them. The transformation of reading material into beautiful, sometimes bizarre objects is the subject of a fascinating exhibition at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, “Book Becoming Art.”

Running until April 27, the show presents about 40 handmade books from contemporary artists who are working in the Japanese aesthetic. (Many are actually from Japan.) There’s Yohei Nishimura, who subjects his materials to extreme heat to reveal hidden qualities. Here he offers a version of “Webster’s Third New International Dictionary” that looks like it’s arrived from the fires of hell. Veronika Schäpers infuses her books with the essence of Japanese street food; Kyoko Matsunaga paints over photos in white pigment to give a sense of awe and rebirth; and Hiroko Fukumoto turned a paperback book into a living mushroom farm.

Presiding over the exhibit (literally) is Maki Aizawa’s free-form “book” made from pieces of mulberry paper, stitched by 35 women in her hometown in the wake a devastating earthquake and tsunami. You might not be able to read it in the traditional sense, but it speaks volumes about the human condition.

Details: Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; 551 Broadway, Sonoma; $10 general admission (free on Wednesday); svma.org.

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Classical picks: Silkroad Ensemble, Bach, ‘Prayer for Peace’

This weekend brings music that focuses on vocal arts, beginning with a program by the celebrated Silkroad Ensemble. Programs by American Bach and New Century Chamber Orchestra also have timely works on the calendar.

“Uplifted Voices”: Founded by artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, the Silkroad Ensemble focuses on cultural collaboration and equity through music. The group’s latest program, “Uplifted Voices,” comes to Livermore to perform works featuring its beautifully blended signature sound.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday; Bankhead Theater, Livermore; $25-$90; livermorearts.org.

Sublime Bach: Under conductor Jeffrey Thomas, American Bach Soloists present their 36th season finale concerts. Three works by the group’s namesake are on the program, including the sacred cantata “Gottes Zeit die allerbest Zeit.” Vocal soloists include Elijah McCormack, Kyle Tingzon, Steven Soph, and David McFerrin.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday at St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere; 7 p.m. Saturday at St. Marks Episcopal, Berkeley; and 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Marks Church, San Francisco; $44-$110; americanbach.org.

“A Prayer for Peace”: Also this weekend, New Century Chamber Orchestra gives the West Coast premiere of this new concerto grosso for string orchestra co-commissioned with A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra. Works by Richard Strauss and Adolphus Hailstork complete the program.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday at First Congregational Church, Berkeley; 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Marks Lutheran Church, San Francisco; and 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Stephens Church, Belvedere; $35-$80, ncco.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

A fun Whitehouse whodunit

Quirky, bird-loving detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) snoops all over the Oval Office and its residence trying to sleuth out who slew White House chief usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito) in Netflix’s diverting comedy-mystery series from Shondaland.

More amusing than downright funny, creator Paul William Davies’ whodunit assembles a massive cast of suspects, all of whom have leaky alibis and possible motives for slaying Wynter during a state dinner that was attended by numerous guests, Australian dignitaries and even pop singer Kylie Minogue (generating good laughs). Each episode focuses, for the most part, on a particular suspect — a fiery executive chef (Mary Wiseman), a boozin’ White House butler (Edwina Findley) and more. And Cupp’s investigation extends to the first family — the president (Paul Fitzgerald), his shifty hubby (Barrett Foa), his crackpot mom (Jane Curtin) and his unhinged brother (Jason Lee).

All recount their whereabouts and suspicions about others to Cordelia and FBI special agent Edwin Park (Randall Park). Those interrogations are intermixed with a governmental hearing (featuring Al Franken as a Washington state senator) because of another mystery yet to solve.

Shonda Rhimes revisits the fictional grounds of the White House (her “Scandal” series was set there and in D.C.) and it’s a welcome return. “The Residence” never achieves the same frothy fun that Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series so effortlessly does except for its last Christie-perfect episode, but it’s still quite a bit of fun.

Details: Available now on Netflix.

— Randy Myers, Correspondent

Stream these: From Vietnam to end of the world

Here are films available to stream this week and beyond.

Vietnam views: The Criterion Channel is adding a batch of Vietnam War films around the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Filmmaker Tony Bui (“Three Seasons”) curated a slate that goes beyond the obvious to give multiple perspectives on the war, including both famous Hollywood entries like “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket,” but also Vietnamese films like “The Little Girl of Hanoi” and “When the Tenth Month Comes.” Documentaries like “The Fog of War” and “Hearts and Minds” will also be available to watch.

Details: The slate is now available on Criterion.

“Y2k”: “Snow White” star Rachel Zegler leads the horror comedy “Y2K,” which kind of came and went from theaters without much notice in December. It received mixed reviews, with supporters praising its go-for-broke energy and willingness to find humor in desperation. The A24 movie was directed by Kyle Mooney, of “Saturday Night Live.”

Details: Available on Max beginning Friday.

An Anderson classic: With a new Wes Anderson movie on the horizon — “The Phoenician Scheme” — Hulu has several of his older films streaming this week, including “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” (perfect for continued Gene Hackman appreciation), “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and “The Darjeeling Limited.”

Details: Available now on Hulu.

— Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press