Rob Kapilow

MUSIC CAN sometimes seem like a mystery—a fountain of notes that sounds wonderful but defies analysis. That's where Rob Kapilow comes to the rescue. With wit and enthusiasm, Kapilow knows how to, in the words of sports announcers, "break down" a piece of classical music and make it comprehensible, give it context. This enlightening process doesn't take the joy out of the music—it's not like unscrewing all the nuts and bolts and then leaving them lying scattered about. Instead, Kapilow enhances the experience.

For this edition of his popular "What Makes It Great?" series, Kapilow shows how Beethoven crafted the marvelous effects of his Piano Sonata no. 23, known as the Appassionata. To help out, Kapilow has enlisted the aid of Russian pianist Vassily Primakov, who will play illustrative passages. For the finale, Primakov will perform the work as a whole to demonstrate how every note fits together.

Michael S. Gant

What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow and Vassily Primakov, a Stanford Lively Arts Presentation, takes place Sunday (Feb. 25) at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford. Tickets are $15-$34. (650.725.ARTS)

I'm an Actor: But I never act. Who am I?

Palo Alto Philharmonic

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Lee Actor introduces his brand-new Symphony no. 2 at a concert by the Palo Alto Philharmonic. The roster for evening also features Aaron Copland's whimsical An Outdoor Overture, Alan Hovhaness' Symphony no. 2, with many mystical strains, and, in a detour of sorts, Gershwin's An American in Paris.

Al Roberts

Palo Alto Philharmonic performs on Saturday (Feb. 24) at 8pm at Cubberley Theatre, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Tickets are $7-$16. Visit www.paphil.org for more information.

Hammered time: When there's no shit left to kick, the Shitkickers just plain kick it.

The Shitkickers

THE SHITKICKERS are back, and you all know that means loads of booze and rampant uncivilized behavior—but hell, that's why we love 'em. These urban hillbillies always throw down a rocking hootenanny, spitting out banjo licks and singing about drunken infidelity while shotgunning a can of Hamms. While Shitkickers shows are always a full-tilt, loud and raucous, this turn at the Blank—with Old Bull and Axton Kincaid—should be one for the dive bar record books. Just throw another heapin' pile o' praise onto their ever-growing urban cow-punk legend.

Ryan Osterbeck

The Shitkickers play on Saturday (Feb. 24) at 9pm at the Blank Club, 44 S. Almaden Ave, San Jose. Tickets are $10. (408.292.5265)

Uber lounge: It's what comes after 'ultra.'

Vivid

THE GENERAL RULE of thumb in the nightclub business seems to be that you've got three years to make your mark before the club masses get bored and a change of format is in order. In that spirit, Studio 8 was just redesigned as Vivid and is opening this weekend. Vivid will pretty much employ Studio 8's tried and true formula of using celebrity guests to bolster the exclusive image of the club, with beats provided by commercial house, hip-hop and dance club DJs in a setting that is now even more upscale than its previous incarnation. The interior of Vivid has taken the private VIP area phenomenon to another level, literally. The mezzanine has gone full VIP while the downstairs is now flanked by private cabana-style booths, and both are available (by reservation) for some serious ultralounging, complete with bottle service and personal cocktail waitstaff catering to every need of the pay-to-play set. The grand opening features guest DJ Beej and Playboy model Lauren Anderson. Celeb MC and swank festivities continue through the weekend with more DJs manning the decks on Saturday, and host duties falling to Cecille Gahr from Beauty and the Geek.

Ryan Osterbeck

Vivid grand opening is on Friday (Feb. 23) at 8 S. First St, San Jose. (408.279.4444)

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