Island of Black & White

It's the week before Christmas—that time of year when the air is frigid, shopping malls are unbearable and Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas is You” won't leave you alone. Enter Island of Black and White to play some sunshiney tunes as an antidote to all that holiday treacle. The El Dorado Hills natives play tirelessly around town and opportunities to catch them are many, but this particular show happens to be at a bar, which is all the more reason to step away from gift-wrapping and immerse yourself in the notion that if you can't escape it all via a vacation somewhere tropical, you can at least pretend. 904 15th Street, www.islandofblackandwhite.com.