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This week, get spiritual with actor and author Rainn Wilson at Kepler’s Books, celebrate 420 a day early at The Guild with rapper Tech N9ne and support arts education with a benefit concert at Community School of Music and Arts. Plus, hear new music from Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics.
Rainn Wilson
What do the TV shows “Kung Fu” and “Star Trek” and the character Dwight Schrute of “The Office” have in common? They’ve all found a unique interpretation in the mind of Rainn Wilson. The actor and author is best known for playing Dwight, the socially awkward beet-farming salesman of “The Office,” but he has for many years also promoted projects focusing on positivity and mental health, beginning with his website and YouTube channel SoulPancake. That work also led to a 2010 bestselling book of the same name. Last year, Wilson penned “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution,” a book exploring the spiritual elements of life as a way to grapple with the array of interconnected challenges our world faces every day, from inequality to climate change. Wilson finds spiritual inspiration in a variety of places — including “Kung Fu” and “Star Trek” and in religious and scientific sources alike. For healing, he urges embracing our common humanity as a path forward in these troubled times. Kepler’s Books presents Wilson in discussion with journalist Angie Coiro.
April 24, 7 p.m., at San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware St., San Mateo, $10-$55, keplers.org.
Tech N9ne
With his signature warp-speed “chopper” style, rapper Tech N9ne doesn’t waste a single second in making his point — which kind of tracks with his career. In under two decades, he co-founded the independent hip-hop label Strange Music, snagged three gold records and sold over 2 million albums. That’s not to mention an expansive discography packed with collaborations. He’s worked with a wide variety of artists, including the remaining members of The Doors, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Eminem, Boyz II Men — even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a guest appearance on his 2021 album “Asin9ne.” His most recent album, “Bliss,” was released last summer. Tech N9ne gets the buzz going ahead of time for a certain unofficial holiday, dropping by The Guild for a 420 show a day early, but as the tour tagline says, “it’s 420 all week.” With special guests !Mayday! and Kung Fu Vampire.
April 19, 8 p.m. at The Guild, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, $66-$202. guildtheatre.com.
Bing Star – The Spatialized Audissey
Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) continues its 50th anniversary celebrations with “Bing Star – The Spatialized Audissey,” two concerts featuring works by students, faculty, staff and alumni taking place April 19 and 20 at Bing Studio and also livestreamed. Each program features a different lineup of composers/performers. Also on April 20, CCRMA presents a free concert of Luigi Nono’s “La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura” featuring violinist Marco Fusi and Patricia Alessandrini performing the electronics. The duo will perform their own homage to Nono as part of the program.
Bing Star – The Spatialized Audissey takes place April 19 and 20, 7:30 p.m., at Bing Studio, Stanford, free and open to the public. The ” nostalgica utopica futura” concert takes place April 20, 4:30 p.m., at Bing Studio, Stanford, free. For information about either event, visit ccrma.stanford.edu/live.
Arts4All Benefit
Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) hosts its first faculty showcase, highlighting the talents of the musicians who teach classes for all ages at the school. The program features CSMA faculty performing a variety of works, including selections from Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” choral preludes by J.S. Bach, “Agua y Vinho” by Egberto Gismonti, “Nahualismo” by Mendoza de Baratta and “Seance,” a percussion duet by composer Casey Cangelosi. The concert will raise funds to support CSMA’s financial aid and scholarship programs. Making it even sweeter, concert-goers can enjoy a reception with a champagne and dessert bar.
April 20, 7:30 p.m., at Community School of Music and Arts, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, $60 adults and $30 students. arts4all.org.