THURSDAY, OCT. 22

Shocktoberfest 16: Thrillpeddlers, the wild and wacky troupe known for Grand Guignol horror theater, presents “Curse of the Cobra,” its 16th annual seasonal extravaganza of terror and titillation. [8 p.m., Hypnodrome, 575 10th St., S.F.]

DIIV: Fronted by Zachary Cole Smith, the New York indie rock band has an eclectic sound inspired from the likes of Krautrock, C86 bands and Nirvana. [8 p.m., Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., S.F.]

Benjamin Clementine: The London-based singer, composer, pianist and poet has been compared to Nina Simone and Rufus Wainwright. [8 p.m., Bimbo’s, 1025 Columbus Ave., S.F.]

Bobby Slayton: The veteran performer, known as “The Pitbull of Comedy,” kicks off a three-day standup gig; Robert Duchaine and Stephen Furey open. [8 p.m., Punch Line, 444 Battery St., S.F.]

Promoting art and culture: Representatives of Harvard University’s Sustain Arts project introduce a website for art organizations that addresses questions such as “Who creates art and culture in my community? Who participates? And how is it all funded?” [10:30 a.m. to noon, Foundation Center
312 Sutter St., S.F.; register at grantspace.org/course-offerings/training-calendar/san-francisco/]

Kristin Schreier Lyseggen: The Bay Area author talks about her evocative new book, “The Women of San Quentin: Soul Murder of Transgender Women in Male Prisons.” [7:30 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]

Saeeda Hafiz: The San Francisco nutrition and yoga educator talks about her book, “The Healing: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Yoga.” [7 p.m., Bookshop West Portal, 80 W. Portal Ave., S.F.}

Elvis Costello: Dan Stone of Radio Silence interviews the rocker, who has covered his life and five-decade career in the new memoir “Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink.” [7:30 p.m., Nourse, 275 Hayes St., S.F.]

FRIDAY, OCT. 23
Your Story Was This: The immersive production brings together Liss Fain’s choreography, Jane Hirshfield’s poetry, Matthew Antaky’s installation and Dan Wool’s commissioned score. [8 p.m., ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., S.F.]

Karen MacNeil: The author of “The Wine Bible,” called “America’s missionary of the vine.” appears to promote the new edition of the comprehensive guide.
[6:30 p.m., Omnivore Books, 3885 Cesar Chavez St., S.F.]

The Royal Concept: The Swedish alternative pop quartet incorporates new wave synths and electronic elements into its sound. [9:30 p.m., Neck of the Woods, 406 Clement St., S.F.]

Charles Busch: The drag legend returns to the Bay Area with two performances only of an all-new show, “That Girl/That Boy.” [8 p.m., Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., S.F.]

COOP: The play and party space for kids and adults, as seen on TV’s “Shark Tank,” celebrates its opening in The City. [Noon, 303 Linden Ave., South S.F.]

David Schein and Bob Ernst: The actors and writers, founding members of the Iowa Theater Lab and the Blake Street Hawkeyes in Berkeley, reunite for an evening of duet performances. [8 p.m., EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy St., S.F.]

Cypress String Quartet: The acclaimed ensemble plays two Beethoven works in an encore intimate East Bay “salon series” presentation. [8 p.m., Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts, 1537 Euclid Ave., Berkeley]