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Cowboys and Indians in the new New World. On exhibit at The Red Door through dec. 21st. Urban Guide Listings to plan your week by The Red Door Buildings are the bodies for our bodies. Just as our flesh and bones protect our organs and brains, a building shelters us, keeps us all together. The buildings we inhabit and admire say much about who we are, what we do, and who it is we are trying to attract. These buildings that make up our cities, when viewed together, make up our urban identity -- a landscape of who we are and who we are tying to be. The Red Door gallery presents Experimental Architecture and the Cultivated Landscape, a stellar selection of artwork from Bay Area and internationally recognized artists confronting the bodies of architecture. The show is a diverse collection of art looking at the bodybuilding of current and conceptual architecture. Artists like David Hinman and Shana Maurizi consider how the use of space can be manipulated and changed to reflect the lives we lead today and would like to lead in the future. Stop by the Red Door and put your body into some new bodies. Opening reception Thurs/6, 6-9pm. Gallery open Sat-Sun and by appointment through Fri/21. The Red Door, 4001 San Leandro St. #33, Oakl. (AL) On the front lines (l-r): Osé Nielsen, Aaron Goldberg, Dan Clark, Chris Jay, Owen Bucey, and Mike Rini. Army of Freshmen The Army of Freshmen is invading Berkeley this Thursday. But leave your oozies at home, because the six boys that make up this keyboardheavy power-pop band are harmless. They tour in a vehicle they lovingly refer to as the "cheese van" and respond to every email they receive from their fans. The Army of Freshmen has been described as "Weezer on Speed" and "The Hippos minus the Horns." It all started when a teenager from New Jersey drove west with only a minivan and a dream. A year later Chris Jay, vocals, had a few friends, 500 songs written, and ... an army was born. Now they have a battalion of followers, especially in their home base, Ventura, California. The band toured east and back prior to any help from a label, manager, or booking agent. They had a Warped Tour date in 2000 with Weezer, Green Day, and MXPX, and headlined the Extreme Moto Music Madness Tour. With some help from Blue Hand Records, Army of Freshmen recently released their first full-length album, self-titled. This promises to be a sweaty and fun-loving show that may inspire regular correspondence with the Army. If six musical men isn't enough incentive, it's ladies night at the Stork. Thurs/6, 9pm. Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph, Oakl. $6. 444.6174. (SB) The Christmas Revels The Winter Solstice is almost here. The days are getting shorter as the nights start cutting into the light. The Christmas Revels offer an annual celebration of this cycle, this year in the glorious tradition of the Celtic bards. The show features Celtic music, dance, and storytelling, combining ritual and song in this magical performance. The Christmas Revels emphasize that this is not a religious pageant, but rather a lively effort to regain the ancient sense of ritual, tradition, and community. This is an all-inclusive seasonal celebration that encourages audience participation. The Revels were founded in 1971 by John and Carol Langstaff to provide a unique opportunity for communal celebration. Since its beginnings in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the show has grown into a national, year-round organization, providing performances in nine cities across the country. Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, the California Revels artistic director, points out that we unknowingly celebrate the Solstice with the lights we hang on our homes in the winter season. This is an ancient ritual for "calling back the light" that predates Christmas by centuries. This holiday season, the Revels encourage you to embrace and celebrate the Solstice with an evening of Celtic song and dance. Fri/7-Sun/19. Fri, 8pm; Sat-Sun, 1 and 5pm. Scottish Rite Theater, 1547 Lakeside, Oakl. $15-30.893.YULE(9853). (SB) "Hey Klezmeh!" It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Klezmer Experience Oy vey, the San Francisco Klezmer Experience and Davka are in town to celebrate Hanukkah with a unique concert. Watch out, because these Jewish concerts can get out of hand. Security is going to be on high alert as fans rock out to Yiddish folk songs fused with modern jazz. The diversity of sounds will surely keep the menorah ablaze. Klezmer is on the cutting edge with an all-star line up of versatile and accomplished musicians. The experience will also include readings of 20th century Yiddish poets Moishe-Leyb Halpern and Avraham Sutzkever. The Davka band assimilates a variety of sounds that melt down to simply titillating Jewish music. Davka's work is self-described as "neo-Jewish-roots-fusion-; Middle-Eastern Ashkenazi jazz; avant-retro-hybrd-postmodern-art-musik; fiddler-on-too-much-Turkish-coffee." With that many hyphens expect the evening to have a multifarious sound. I don't know about you, but I'm going to get my tickets in advance because this Hanukkah party is going to rock! Tues/11, 8pm. Julia Morgan Theater. 2640 College, Berk. $18. 415.454.5238. (GS) Picks by Susan Batchelder (SB), Aimee Le Duc (AL), and Gabriel Serpa (GS). [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]