Sunnyvale gets unplugged Feb. 7-8 with a concert at the Sunnyvale Community Center Theatre featuring a cappella groups Hookslide and the Razzcals. Hookslide is an all-male quartet that performs a cappella renditions of everything from the songs of Otis Redding, KC and the Sunshine Band and Aerosmith to the "Hokey Pokey," all in original arrangements and complete with "percussion" provided by human beatbox and bass singer Jon Pilat. Hookslide also performs original works that have funk and R&B influences. Many of these original songs are featured on the group's first full-length album, Original Spin, which was released in 2002.

The all-female group the Razzcals have a more traditional barbershop sound, but don't expect to hear a conventional repertoire from them. In addition to barbershop favorites like "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," the quartet performs jazz standards and some contemporary and Top 40 tunes—their 2000 debut CD, rrrrRazzcals, even featured a Beach Boys medley. The Razzcals recently placed fourth in an international a cappella competition.

The groups perform in the latest installment of the city of Sunnyvale's Evening of Cultural Arts Series, which continues March 14-15 with Japanese drumming by San Jose Taiko and concludes with April 4-5 appearances by singer/performer Holly Near.

Hookslide and the Razzcals perform Feb. 7-8 at 8 p.m. at the Sunnyvale Community Center Theatre, 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale. Tickets are $30. For more information, call 408.733.6611.

A tug at the heartstrings

Real romantics can get a week's head start on Valentine's Day at a concert of fado music, presented Feb. 7-8 at Le Petit Trianon in downtown San Jose. Fado is a traditional Portuguese music style featuring a vocalist and guitarist. Typical fado themes can include destiny and love—although the latter is often of the unrequited variety.

Accordingly, fado music consists of melancholy ballads intended expressly to tug on those heartstrings. The concert will feature two performers who are fado luminaries in Portugal: singer Ana Moura, who has performed throughout Europe, and guitarist Jorge Fernando, who spent six years playing guitar for Am‡lia Rodrigues, a legendary fado singer. Fernando is also a singer, composer and producer.

Jorge Fernando and Ana Moura perform Feb. 7-8 at 7:30 p.m. at Le Petit Trianon Theater, 72 N. Fifth St., San Jose. Tickets are $30. For more information, call 510.207.2387 or 510.589.0484.

Getting that swing

Jitterbugging into town Feb. 18-23 is Swing, a Broadway tribute to the Big Band era and to the swing revival of late. American Musical Theatre of San Jose presents this celebration of '30s and '40s music and dance, which includes such swing-era favorites as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Harlem Nocturne," "It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Sing, Sing, Sing!" Although it is largely a musical revue, Swing also features several original numbers that showcase the Latin, hip-hop, country and other influences on the nouveau swing sound of the '90s and beyond.

'Swing,' presented by American Musical Theatre of San Jose, runs Feb. 18-23 at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose. Tickets are $40-$65. For more information, call 888.455.SHOW.