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Meow! Urban Guide Listings to plan your week by CatFive Enter the sounds (samples) of the band CatFive with their recently debuted album, Kataphonics. These ibook musicians will be performing at iMusicast Studios with Voltronic and the Concepts. As laptop junkies, they fill their computers and lungs with whatever they can find, keeping themselves and crowds on a high. The performance works out by feeding off of each member's samples and loops stored on their hard drives. On stage the responsibilities break down like this: Balanceman brings the beats; Darkat's controls the keyboards and turntables; Dr. Oliver flips the samples; and Tweak-Tech is the analog and digital master. The most important element of CatFive is that they are keeping dance floors moving in the Bay Area. Get out to see what this is all about because CatFive is making noise with more than their laptops. Sat/16, 8:30 pm. iMusicast Studios, 5429 Telegraph, Berk. $8. 601.1024. (GS) Scarlot Harlot delivers sage advice. The Sex Indie-stry Show Some people like to operate under the illusion that V-day is about love, chocolate, teddy bears, and various other mushy stuff, but true believers forego all the elusive trappings of amore and cut right to the dirty, sexy quick. You can go any number of places this Thursday for string quartets, Italian tenors, or molten chocolate cake carefully plated with a raspberry coulis but the die-hard will be celebrating Valentine's Day in true fashion at the Stork Club. In a benefit for C.O.Y.O.T.E. ("Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics"), the sex workers' rights and advocacy group started by Margo St. James, five bands bump and grind in that indie style you love so well. Hosting the evening will be bawdy slam poet Jamie Kennedy and sex worker-activist Scarlot Harlot, bringing sex-saturated bands like the Preteens, Bitesize, Good For You, Shmoogie, and the Clarendon Hills. Thurs/14, 9pm. Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph, Oakl. $6. 444.6174. (DB) Matchmaker, creamy matchmaker. Victoria's Lounge The shell of the old Willowbrook Creamery on San Pablo Avenue now nurtures the lives and creativity of a budding community of over 30 Oakland artists. The new life within the handsome red brick castle has undoubtedly revitalized the surrounding neighborhood. The Creamery also stands poised to help define Oakland's art community. Victoria's Lounge this Friday is the first of monthly shows hosted by the Gallery at the Creamery to benefit the rehabilitation of the historic building, built in 1932. A donation includes membership to the magical community, attended parking, a cornucopia of tasty food treats, and the soothing comfort of hot, spiced wine. Of course, the Gallery will be providing entertainment to delight the imagination and appeal to the senses. The fashion of Eugenia Borkowski and VL visionary Inge Halliday will mingle amongst the guests while performance art will be strewn throughout the evening. Creamery co-founder Halliday also arranged the appropriately crimson décor. Formally funky attire requested for the soulful styling of Oakland's 11th Commandment, led by queen diva Tambora. The Gallery will be highlighting figurative black and white prints by several local artists and life-size figurative sculpture by Halliday's counterpart and husband, Marco Cochrane. Jeremy Lewis will be expressing his culinary visions. Festivities begin at 8pm, music at 9:30. Fri/15, 8pm. The Creamery, 2515 San Pablo, Oakl. 834.3317. (JPS) Bay Area Arts Collective Catch a rare night of Berkeley hip hop at Ashkenaz this week. The Bay Area Arts Collective has been throwing stellar parties for quite a few years now, as well as being one of the first hip-hop acts to perform at 924 Gilman. In the past the BAAC parties have been the talk around town hip-hop faithfuls. The evening's line up proves that the party will be worth the money -- Nameless and Faceless are the feature performance. Warming up the stage will be Public Service Announcement and Inspector Double Negative, Cat-5 and LoKee. And of course the DJs Riddim, Joe Quixx, and Poizen cannot be forgotten as they thread the party together with turntable skills. Show a little love this weekend and check out this party that will make noise. Sat/15, 9:30pm. Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo, Berk. $11. 525.5054. (GS) Picks by Davina Baum (DB), John Paul Sekulich (JPS), and Gabriel Serpa (GS). [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]