Wed 10/01 9:00 PM The Knockout [3223 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94110]
Inner Ear Brigade, Grex, YaM

Three blistering Bay Area bands converge at the Knockout for an evening of fire, brimstone, and strangeness. Featuring Inner Ear Brigade (mighty prog ensemble), Grex (Oakland experimental/art rock trio), and YaM (SF avant fusion).

Inner Ear Brigade: Bill Wolter (gtr), Madeline Tasquin (voice), Joshua Marshall (sax), Stephen Wright (bass), Evelyn Davis (keys), Tim Rowe (drums)

Grex: Karl Evangelista (gtr, voice), Rei Scampavia (keys, voice), Robert Lopez (dms)

YaM: Alex Yeung (gtr), Adam McClure (dms)  More...

Thu 10/02 7:00 PM Shapeshifters Cinema [567 5th St. Oakland]
Do-Over Music Series @ Shapeshifters Cinema

7pm: Chris Brown's "RhythmiChrome"
8pm: Improvised music and film with Chris Brown, Isabelle Waldner Kalb, Danishta Rivero, Sadie Greyduck, Jordan Glenn and films screened and manipulated by the Shapeshifters hosts  More...

Thu 10/02 7:00 PM Yerba Buena Center for the Arts [701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103]
Space Time Solutions (Mike Morasky, Steel Pole Bathtub, Valve Games) and Kal Spelletich (Seemen, Survival Research Laboratories) We have produced a sound score to a series of videos of the San Francisco landscape using custom sound machines and sound processing. We are reflecting on the noise machines conceived and constructed in 1913 by the Italian futurist artist Luigi Russolo (1913), John Cage, Einstürzende Neubauten, Eno, Stravinsky, Penderecki, Stars of the Lid, John Adams, Terry Riley.  More...

Thu 10/02 7:30 PM CCRMA [660 Lomita Dr. Stanford]
Streaming and in-person:Click for stream  
CCRMA presents a live performance by Qiujiang Levi Lu.

Phantom Orbit harnesses two custom-built motion-capturing wearables to sculpt sound in real time. As gestures carve through space, sonic fragments are flung across the speaker dome. Rooted in feedback, the work uses hyper-directional microphone signals and a choreography of spiritual movements to conjure an experientially unique field. Lu navigates this kinetic soundscape as conductor of an ever-changing, dialectical performance with ritualistic improvisations. The program will also include an opening work featuring an augmented trombone and trumpet, as well as a closing piece for a feedback-driven laptop instrument.  More...

Fri 10/03 6:00 PM Bird & Beckett Books and Records [653 Chenery St. SF]
Harold Carr with Bruce Ackley, Andrew Voigt, Flavia Cervino-Wood and Derek Coombs  More...

Fri 10/03 7:00 PM Medicine for Nightmares [3036 24th St SF]
Other Dimensions in Sound; Lucien Balmer  More...

Sat 10/04 5:00 PM Indexical [Tannery Arts Center 1050 River St. #119 Santa Cruz]
Whitney Johnson - FIAT  More...

Sun 10/05 2:00 PM The Tiger Garage [a private studio in south Berkeley, near Ashby BART]
The Birthdays Concert by Three Trapped Tigers Recorder Duo (David Barnett & Tom Bickley, recorders and electronics): medieval, trecento, and new music, including selections from Alvin Curran's "Music for Every Occasion," Tom Bickley's "Hibernian Cities/Hebridean islands," and Pete Rose's "Medieval Nights."  More...

Sun 10/05 7:15 PM West Oakland Sound Series [2201 Poplar Street Dresher Ensemble Studio Oakland]
SFSOUNDGROUP presents a concert honoring recently departed composers. The first half features works by the Russian composer SOFIA GUBAIDULINA (1931 – 2025), known for her spiritual and dramatic works. The second half includes a circular breathing wind duo by the pioneering minimalist composer TOM JOHNSON (1939–2024), and a work for improvisers and tape by the celebrated composer and conductor PETER EÖTVÖS (1944–2024). The evening also includes "Instruments II" by MORTON FELDMAN, a prime example of his evolving -- and often overlooked -- output from the 1970's. Rounding out the program with a living composer, sfSound's own MONICA SCOTT presents a recent composition for cello and piano.  More...

Sun 10/05 7:30 PM Temescal Arts Center [511 48th Street Oakland]
Doors That Only Open in Silence (open participation, non-hierarchical workshop in free improvisation)

Monthly series of improvisation research at Temescal Arts Center. Bring your instrument or come to listen. Movement and other disciplines encouraged. No advance notice needed — just show up.  More...

Tue 10/07 7:30 PM Temescal Arts Center [511 48th Street Oakland]
Improvisation Workshop hosted by Lewis Jordan: Inviting musicians, poets, dancers, to a non-hierarchical setting to improvise together. Improvisation is the key.  More...

Fri 10/10 7:00 PM Medicine for Nightmares [3036 24th St SF]
Other Dimensions in Sound
+
Eye-Full Films Present

Films by David Michalak - The Secret Opera, Regenbogen +others
Steve Mobia - Nudge and Arthur Ganson - Machines (shorts)

opening set
Bruce Ackley - winds, Kjell Nordeson - percussion  More...

Fri 10/10 7:30 PM Center for New Music [55 Taylor St SF]
Come celebrate the new HARJOalone release by composer/guitarist Brent Miller! Special merch will be available. Complete your collection! There will be a set by HARJOalone followed by Harjo (the trio version). Immerse yourself in the sound. MAXIMUM VOLUME.  More...

Fri 10/10 7:30 PM CCRMA [660 Lomita Dr. Stanford]
Streaming and in-person:Click for stream  
CCRMA presents Transitions 2025 | Concert 1

CCRMA celebrates the start of the 2025 season with its annual Transitions: two evenings of outdoor, under-the-stars concerts showcasing music from the CCRMA community and beyond. Feast your ears on immersive 3D sounds played on our multichannel system (24.8 speakers!) in the Courtyard outside the Knoll. Each evening’s program will be different and will feature live performances, fixed media electronic music, and audiovisual works.  More...

Sat 10/11 12:00 PM Center for New Music [55 Taylor St SF]
Click to make donation  
G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E||N|O|I|S|E||P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S

Gourmet pancakes and exceptional sounds from California’s best featuring Andrew Wayne (Sac), Michael Gendreau, Fluorescent Grey, David Leikam, Doom Legs, plus more!?  More...

Sat 10/11 12:00 PM Center for New Music [55 Taylor St SF]
G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E||N|O|I|S|E||P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S

Gourmet pancakes and exceptional sounds from California's best plus movies by Fluorescent Grey!  More...

Sat 10/11 7:00 PM Medicine for Nightmares [3036 24th St SF]
Rituals of Sound

Step into a living ritual where music, poetry, and performance weave together to create a ritual soundscape. Drawing on the textures of dreams, the symbolism of myth, and the improvisational currents of Indian ragas and jazz music, this performance invites the audience into a liminal space of listening and being. Sound becomes a threshold—at once ancient and emergent—guiding participants beyond the ordinary and into a realm of inspiration, transformation, and deep encounter. It is an evening of story-telling, reflection, music, movement and poetry.  More...

Sat 10/11 7:30 PM CCRMA [660 Lomita Dr. Stanford]
Streaming and in-person:Click for stream  
CCRMA presents Transitions 2025 | Concert 2 | Special Guest: Molto Ohm

CCRMA celebrates the start of the 2025 season with its annual Transitions: two evenings of outdoor, under-the-stars concerts showcasing music from the CCRMA community and beyond. Feast your ears on immersive 3D sounds played on our multichannel system (24.8 speakers!) in the Courtyard outside the Knoll. Each evening’s program will be different and will feature live performances, fixed media electronic music, and audiovisual works.  More...

Sat 10/11 8:00 PM Indexical [Tannery Arts Center 1050 River St. #119 Santa Cruz]
Maria Chavez + La Macacoa  More...

Sat 10/11 8:00 PM Zellerbach Hall [UC Berkeley Berkeley]
Kronos Quartet will perform new and recent works by an international cohort of strikingly original women composers, including world premieres by Dai Wei and Victoria Shen; plus a special presentation of Beyond the Golden Gate, featuring Wu Man, pipa, in conversation with David Lei.  More...

Thu 10/16 7:00 PM Brava Theatre [2781 24th Street SF]
A panoply of composers will assemble for the 29th Other Minds Festival in San Francisco, an international annual showcase for composers held at the Brava Theater Thursday–Sunday, October 16–19, 2025. Join us for multi-generational musical connections, multimedia masterpieces, and contrasting takes on the fusion of gamelan and American musical traditions.  More...

Thu 10/16 7:30 PM Wyldflowr Arts [Oakland]
Kai Eckhardt  More...

Fri 10/17 7:00 PM Medicine for Nightmares [3036 24th St SF]
Other Dimensions in Sound; Divya Vyas  More...

Fri 10/17 8:30 PM Bird & Beckett Books and Records [653 Chenery St. SF]
Will Bernard / Beth Custer Duo  More...

Sat 10/18 7:30 PM Weill Hall [GREEN MUSIC CENTER | SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY | 1801 EAST COTATI AVENUE, ROHNERT PARK, CA]
Join the Kronos Quartet as they connect iconic Nonesuch records like El Sinaloense from Nuevo, Terry Riley’s Cadenza on the Night Plain, for the 40th anniversary of Nonesuch, with new works from Charlton Singleton, Peni Candra Rini, Aleksandra Vrebalov, and recent arrangements from Kronos cellist and composer, Paul Wiancko.  More...

Sat 10/18 8:00 PM Indexical [Tannery Arts Center 1050 River St. #119 Santa Cruz]
Eric Wong + Anna Friz  More...

Sun 10/19 12:00 PM War Memorial Veterans Building [401 Van Ness Ave San Francisco]
SF Music Day

Tickets/Info  More...

Sun 10/19 2:00 PM Presidio Theatre Performing Arts [99 Moraga Avenue San Francisco]
Facing the Moon: Songs of the Diaspora

Genny Lim turns her gaze to the full moon at Mid-Autumn Festival. Voices of mothers and daughters, across continents and generations, anchor this multimedia performance with new music by Chinese-diaspora composers Theresa Wong, Vivian Fung and Meilina Tsui. Del Sol String Quartet  More...

Sun 10/19 4:00 PM Noe Valley Ministry [1021 Sanchez St San Francisco]
Friction Quartet Presents: Giant Tiny Steps

Tickets  More...

Sun 10/19 7:15 PM West Oakland Sound Series [2201 Poplar Street Dresher Ensemble Studio Oakland]
EUDIMORPHODON (Dan Plonsey + Matthew Welch)
PHIL STONE (Davis)
MELTYKISS (NYC)  More...

Thu 10/23 6:00 PM Wyldflowr Arts [809 37th St West Oakland]
Ben Goldberg 3-Day Residency

Tickets  More...

Fri 10/24 6:00 PM Wyldflowr Arts [Oakland]
Ben Goldberg 3-Day Residency

Tickets  More...

Fri 10/24 7:00 PM Medicine for Nightmares [3036 24th St SF]
Other Dimensions in Sound; Angel and Identity Crisis.  More...

Fri 10/24 8:00 PM Indexical [Tannery Arts Center 1050 River St. #119 Santa Cruz]
Matthew Ryals + CHARI  More...

Sat 10/25 1:30 PM Indexical [Tannery Arts Center 1050 River St. #119 Santa Cruz]
Workshop: Cultivating an Improvisational Practice as an Electronic Musician  More...

Sat 10/25 6:00 PM Wyldflowr Arts [Oakland]
Ben Goldberg 3-Day Residency

Tickets  More...

Sat 10/25 8:00 PM Center for New Music [55 Taylor St SF]
JG Thirlwell presents Silver Mantis, a 50 minute electro-acoustic presentation, performed with software and sampling, theremin and prepared piano. It is an immersive multi channel composition which allows for an elastic performance.  More...

Wed 10/29 8:00 PM Ivy Room [860 San Pablo Ave Albany]
Scott Amendola's Floating Parade @ The Ivy Room! Nate Brenner, Mark Clifford, Robert Lopez, Ryan Schaeffer!  More...

Thu 10/30 7:30 PM Wyldflowr Arts [Oakland]
ROOTSTOCK ARTS presents:

Kjell Nordeson, solo percussion
+
duo B. vs. Liberty Ellman
Lisa Mezzacappa, bass
Jason Levis, drums
Liberty Ellman, guitar  More...

Fri 10/31 7:00 PM Medicine for Nightmares [3036 24th St SF]
Other Dimensions in Sound; The Spooky ooky Edition  More...

Fri 10/31 8:00 PM Herbst Theatre [401 Van Ness Ave SF]
Kronos Quartet and Timo Andres | PIANO

SPOOKY  More...

Fri 10/31 8:30 PM Bird & Beckett Books and Records [653 Chenery St. SF]
Winston Tong + Dreambounders (Andre Custodio + Lx Rudis)  More...

Sun 11/02 7:30 PM Temescal Arts Center [511 48th Street Oakland]
Doors That Only Open in Silence (open participation, non-hierarchical workshop in free improvisation)

Monthly series of improvisation research at Temescal Arts Center. Bring your instrument or come to listen. Movement and other disciplines encouraged. No advance notice needed — just show up.  More...

Wed 11/05 7:00 PM Dresher Ensemble Studio [2201 Poplar St Oakland]
Queen Bee Records Micro-Fest #3: DAY ONE

Two nights of freewheeling improvised music and creative jazz from some of the scene's most adventurous and exciting ensembles. Celebrating three new recordings out this fall on Berkeley's Queen Bee Records — the 7th, 8th and 9th! — in a series of 12 releases coming this year.

Wednesday Nov 5
*in collaboration with the West Oakland Sound Series*
oakland reductionist orchestra
with special guest sets by
Kristin Miltner (computer)
Roco Córdova (voice, electronics) + Theresa Wong (cello, voice)  More...

Fri 11/07 8:00 PM Indexical [Tannery Arts Center 1050 River St. #119 Santa Cruz]
Jon Mueller + Voicehandler  More...

Sat 11/08 12:00 PM Center for New Music [55 Taylor St SF]
G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E||N|O|I|S|E||P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S

25 years of sculpting soundscapes that dissolve the boundaries of auditory perception – a gourmet banquet for the complex discriminating ear. Compositions caramelized dissonance glazed in universal abyss harmonics, each experimental trajectory fizz-candied into razor-sharp shards of destabilized toil boil. The deliciousness of working with these experimental sounds manifests as reality itself phases into criminally perfect audio ventures, creating exhilarating new senses… all served with the huge boon of refined vegan gourmet pancakes – because what better accompaniment to top-notch sonic experimentation than flapstacks frosting the hydraulic moil point impact of ear-sledge??  More...

Sat 11/08 8:00 PM The Back Room [1984 Bonita Ave Berkeley]
Sarah Wilson's Incandescence Album Release Party  More...

Sat 11/08 8:00 PM Formerland & Scream [5428 San Pablo, Oakland]
Night show Brutal Sound FX minifist:

Soiled Doilies (L.A.)
Anti Matter
Cruel Work
Wilderman  More...