THE LAST EVENING OF SONG

“Whine & Dine: Songs of Food and/or Kvetching”

Saturday, October 1 8:00pm

$17 door / $15 advance

Hosted by the ever-congenial Merle Kessler & intrepid musical director Joshua Brody, we present, what might prove to be, the final Evening of Song. 25 singers each choose a song to perform on the given theme “songs about food and/or kvetching.“

Since 1987, comic Merle Kessler (of Ian Shoales & Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater fame) and musician Joshua Raoul Brody (of Tango No. 9, the big band Orchestra Nostalgico, and accompanist for Mr. Lucky, Johnny Lonely, Robin Williams, The Residents, Rick & Ruby) have been inviting a few dozen of their closest friends to each sing a song they've always wanted to sing, but have never had the opportunity. The resulting show, called An Evening Of Song, is an embarassment -- some might call it a humiliation, of riches, ranging from old chestnuts to new originals, jazzy instrumentals to a cappella Bulgarian folk songs, sublime ballads to ridiculous novelties, all accompanied by Brody's stalwart Experimental Love Orchestra.

The result is a little bit Prairie Home Companion, a little American Idol, a little Gong Show, and a whole lot of something you've never heard before!

SF Live Arts presents our Women in Music series with

DIANA GAMEROS Trio

MEGAN & BRANDON KEELY

Saturday, September 10 8:00pm

$25 door / $20 advance

Originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Diana Gameros is a singer, guitarist and composer. Gameros creates authentic, inspiring music that reflects the 21st century experiences of an indie artist at the borderlands between cultures, languages, and genres. Now living In the Bay Area, Diana has played with many local favorites, including the Oakland East Bay Symphony and has opened concerts for Bebel Gilberto, Latin Grammy winners La Santa Cecilia and many others. Last month she performed for four nights at the SF Jazz Festival and was featured in both SF Chronicle Datebook and KQED Arts’ “Women to Watch" articles. In 2013 Diana released her first album Eterno Retorno, a soulful retrospective of her journey as an immigrant. In October of 2014 she received the Emerging Leader Award from the Chicana/Latina Foundation for her work in music and her support to social justice movements. Diana is currently working on writing music for her second album which will be produced by Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade.
On this night, Diana will be accompanied by Patrick Wolff (tenor sax/clarinet) and Thomas Edler (upright bass). Diana's Website

With the release of her new album, Ready or Not, MEGAN KEELY is again breaking new ground with songs celebrating life and strength. Her songwriting first caught the attention of producer T Bone Burnett, who selected Megan's song, Rules (co-written with her brother Brandon) for inclusion on The Hunger Games Soundtrack Companion Album. "Megan Keely is a stunning young woman with a voice that will break your heart and heal it all in one sitting." - Annie Bacon -The Folk Opera

An Evening of Portuguese Fado--

RAMANA VIEIRA & Ensemble

with special guests FATIMA SANTOS & JOSE IGLESIAS

Friday, July 1 8:00pm

$22 door / $18 advance

East Coast duo Fátima Santos and José Luis Iglésias join West Coast vocalist Ramana Vieira for an evening of fado-inspired music. Fado, the most widely recognized music of Portugal, is a passionate, soul-stirring genre with soaring vocals and dramatic tales of love, loss and redemption.

“No one in the United States is doing more to breathe new life into Fado,” -SF Chronicle

Described as a “rising star in World music,” Ramana Vieira is a contemporary singer of traditional Portuguese Fado. On her latest album, Fado da Vida, Vieira continues to infuse this centuries-old style with a uniquely modern sensibility and instrumentation. Recognized by the New York Times as being at the forefront of a Fado resurgence, Vieira expands the basic configuration of 12-string guitar and vocals into performances that include cello, violin, bass, accordion, and drums. She’s shared the stage with Grammy-nominated Fadista Mariza, and performed for the Grammy’s 50th Awards Special, MusiCares Benefit, honoring Aretha Franklin.

A native of Albergaria-A-Velha in northern Portugal, Fátima Santos was attracted by the operatic vocal technique used by Coimbra Fado singers, and inspired by great composers such as José Afonso, Luiz Goes, and Fernando Rolim. Performing many types of Portuguese vocal music, she is one of the leading exponents of the Coimbra Fado style. Fátima won the International Portuguese Music Awards “Song the Year” award in 2014.
Born in Coimbra, Portugal, and a master of the Portuguese Guitar, José Luis Iglésias has worked with such notable Fado composers and performers as Fausto, Vitorino, Pedro Barroso, and Teresa Silva Carvalho. Upon coming to the US, Mr. Iglésias studied music at Rutgers University and later joined the faculty at Caldwell University. Committed to the musical education of youth, Mr. Iglésias has founded a number of music schools on the East Coast and also enjoys a career as a composer, arranger and artistic director.
Performing with Ramana, Fatima & Julio will be Ela Polak on violin, Patrick Fahey on mandolin, Alberto Ramirez on Bass and Steve Nelson on percussion.

ShadowLight Production's performance of:

WAYANG BALI: An Evening of Balinese Shadow Play

Saturday, June 25 8:00pm

$25 door / $20 advance

Performed by Artistic Director and Shadow Master Larry Reed.
Featuring live Wayang Gender musical accompaniment by Carla Fabrizio, Paul Miller, Pete Steele and Sarah Willner (members of Gamelan Sekar Jaya)

The award winning, internationally acclaimed Shadow Master, Larry Reed, presents a great event for all ages. Featuring a stunning array of intricate, handmade shadow puppet figures silhouetted on a backlit screen, the ancient stories blend religious mythology alongside historical events with humorous improvisation. The combination of shadow puppets, live music and the sense of humor and fun in the stories themselves make this an evening you don’t want to miss. As an added bonus, Larry invites the audience to come to the side of the stage and watch how he and his ensemble manipulate the shadow puppets and create the magic, and to observe the Gamelan ensemble and their ancient instruments.

About:
Wayang Bali, the Balinese shadow play, is one of the most exciting undiscovered events of world theater. Until recently, language barriers have kept its drama and humor hidden from the world at large. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry and the Gamelan musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling.

ShadowLight Productions is one of the very few professional shadow theatre companies in the world honoring ancient shadow theatre traditions while innovating through the use of contemporary technologies and interdisciplinary approaches. With each project, we aspire to create work as a tool for cultural diplomacy.

MISNER & SMITH
JEFFREY HALFORD & the Healers

(acoustic)

Saturday, April 9 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

Misner & Smith's combination of vocal blend, lyrical potency, and diverse songwriting make this duo one of the most unique and loved Bay Area bands on the scene today. With two singers who could easily lead a band on their own, the duo produces a sound that is one voice. This isn't just harmony singing. This is vocal art. The award-winning original songs range from folk to rock to Americana to bluegrass, but essentially are something all their own, defined by the stories that each song tells. Misner & Smith create an extraordinarily full sound for only two people, and tour extensively both in the U.S. and overseas. As both musicians and actors, they are seasoned live performers, having recently celebrated over a decade of making music together; a decade that has produced four albums, including their most recent release, Seven Hour Storm. Their tight vocal harmonies and energetic live show will linger with you for a long time to come.

For this special show they will be joined by their regular trio partner and multi-instrumentalist, Josh Yenne, on pedal steel, electric and acoustic guitar. He has toured with Mazzy Star, The Easy Leaves, and local favorites The Mother Hips and Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers.
www.misnerandsmith.com

Mixing poignant, reflective pieces with intense, powerful tunes and occasional topical numbers, Jeffrey Halford “plays visceral guitar with slinky abandon and writes rootsy swampy blues songs that sting and soothe equally.” With eight albums to his credit, he has written a wide mix of songs whose subjects range from North Beach and the San Joaquin Valley to such historic characters as Ambrose Bierce, Crazy Horse and baseball legend Satchel Paige.
Merging blues, country, soul and Americana his songs draw people in with their compelling stories. Tonight he will feature his acoustic band. www.jeffreyhalford.com

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT

plus Vikki Lee & Russ "The Muleskinner" Whitehead

Saturday, March 19 8:00pm

$25 door / $22 advance

“Ramblin’ Jack Elliott has been a towering influence on a generation of folk and rock musicians, most notably Bob Dylan.” –The Boston Globe

We are honored to host Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, one of the legendary foundations of American folk music. In the tradition of roving troubadours Jack has carried the seeds and pollens of story and song for decades from one place to another, from one generation to the next. In 1950, he met Woody Guthrie, moved in with the Guthrie family and traveled with Woody to California and Florida, from the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters. Along the way he learned the blues first-hand from Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Jesse Fuller and Champion Jack Dupree. The three-time Grammy winner (in both Folk & Traditional Blues categories) is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts award and was honored with a special dinner at the White House.

A character based on Jack (Al Cody) was featured in the Coen Brothers movie, Finding Llewyn Davis. Vikki Lee & Russ “The Muleskinner” Whitehead will open the evening.

BOX SET

Saturday, March 12 8:00pm

$25 door / $22 advance

Described by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls as “a cross between The Grateful Dead and the Smothers Brothers” Box Set (Jim Brunberg and Jeff Pehrson) has been entertaining audiences with powerful songs, brought to life by inspired guitar interplay and incredible vocal harmonies that warm the senses. Always a favorite of our music series (going back over 20 years) their award-winning songs feature flowing melodies and catchy hooks, highlighting witty lyrics written about timely subjects ranging from politics to relationships to everything in between.

They have released 12 albums of original music and their upcoming lucky thirteenth is an actual box set! Presenting their own, contemporary genre of folk music, they have expanded their sound with the addition of Ben Landsverk, who plays Mandolin, Viola and stand up Bass. The versitle musicians have also been busy persuing other endevours the last few years with Jeff as the lead singer of Bob Weir and Phil Lesh’s band Furthur and Jim owning and operating two major Portland venues, Mississippi Studios and Revolution Hall, plus producing the nationally syndicated radio show LiveWire. We’re happy to have this reunion with one of our all-time favorite bands.

A special CD release celebration:

MANRING, KASSIN & JOHN R.
TODD BOSTON

Saturday, February 13 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

With amazing chops, quiet soul, diverse compositions, and a somewhat twisted sense of humor, this trio, hailed as “the world's most sophisticated jam-band,” features three top virtuosos on their respective instruments.
Separately, Michael Manring, Larry Kassin, and John R. Burr have extensive, multi-faceted careers as musicians. Together they play provocative, complex compositions - music that tears down stylistic walls and refuses to be compartmentalized - echoes of jazz, rock, folk, avant-garde, and world music - something completely new: extemporaneous-jazz-chamber-fusion-music for this century. Tonight they celebrate the release of Kassin’s new cd, Travels With Dad.

Hailed as “a master of the fretless bass without rival” by Guitar Club magazine, Michael Manring is known for his innovative approach to the bass and adventurous solo concerts. He has appeared on approximately 200 recordings, and toured throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has received Grammy and Bammie nominations, the Berklee School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, two Gold Records, and the Bassist of the Year award from the readers of Bass Player magazine.

“Kassin exhibits an awareness of tonal possibilities in the tradition of Roland Kirk, an authoritativeness that sometimes recalls Hubert Laws and the freedom of expression of Paul Horn.”–Neil Tesser, Chicago Sun-Times
Flutist and SF Live Arts founder, Larry Kassin’s wide-ranging performance style has led to appearances with Bobby McFerrin, Jessica Williams, The SF Klezmer Experience, Sonia, Kristin Hoffmann, Kwaku Dadey, Tom Darter, John Santos and Claudia Gomez, plus two CD releases with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzerek and Beat poet Michael McClure. “Manzarek and McClure are brilliantly abetted by Larry Kassin throughout the album.” –Kevin Ring, Beat Scene

John R. Burr (piano). After years of touring with such artists as Maria Muldaur, The Alison Brown Quartet, Paul McCandless, Michael Manring, and Kathy Kallick , and recognition including a feature spot on Windham Hill's Piano Sampler II, Burr has received much critical acclaim for his recent solo album, Piedmont Avenue. John R. is that rare pianist who combines jazz technique with a genuine love for folk music. The Philadelphia Weekly said, "Pianist extraordinaire John R. Burr has the most sparkling style since former Allman Brother-turned-Rolling Stone hired hand Chuck Leavell."

TODD BOSTON is a guitarist/multi instrumentalist who defies what is possible for one musician. He produces an organic and mesmerizing sound marrying his love of music, nature and technology. Todd fuses advanced finger style guitar techniques, wood flute, percussion and instruments of the world together with live looping and computer technology. He has toured worldwide, his albums have received numerous nominations and awards and he has been a part of many Grammy nominated albums. His album Touched by the Sun produced with Grammy winner Will Ackerman was chosen Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2012 ZMR Music Awards and charted #1 on the World/New Age listening charts. www.ToddBoston.com
"Todd Boston is almost impossibly talented. He's a brilliant guitarist and it seems there's nothing under the sun he can't make a beautiful noise with." ~ Will Ackerman (Grammy winner, founder Windham Hill Records)

Both artists celebrate the release of their new CDs:

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN

MEGAN KEELY

Saturday, January 23 8:00pm

$22 door / $18 advance

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN is a fierce slide guitar player, and a song poet from Oregon. He's known for his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon, as well as his clear, powerful voice. His music moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll. It's a range that ties him to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne. He has appeared at festivals from British Columbia to Australia, including Merlefest, Telluride Blues Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly, Bumbershoot and Blues to Bop in Switzerland and has toured with Boz Scaggs, Etta James & Lucinda Williams.

"David Jacobs-Strain sings and plays slide-driven country blues with a passion and authority that few artists of any age can muster. But besides firing off compelling covers of traditional tunes his original songs have served to update and evolve the idiom." -Guitar Player
Tonight he celebrates the release of his new, live cd (much of it recorded at our venue) with harmonica virtuoso BOB BEACH.
David Jacobs-Strain

2015

Winter Solstice concert for Light & Peace:

KRISTIN HOFFMANN

with flutist Larry Kassin

and the One Heart Choir, directed by Claire Victor

Saturday, December 19 8:00pm

$22 door / $18 advance

On Sat, Dec 19 at 8PM, we close out our concert year with a special Winter Solstice Concert for Light and Peace featuring the amazing voice and songs of Bella Gaia’s vocalist, Kristin Hoffmann, accompanied by flutist Larry Kassin and The One Heart Choir, directed by Claire Victor. Tickets are $18 in advance and $22 at the door.

With a gorgeous, soaring voice that “makes her audience look inward and go to places they would not normally go” Kristin Hoffmann combines illuminating, spiritual songwriting with an incredible voice and musicality that “will captivate your heart and draw you into a musical journey” –Infinite Shift

“Hoffmann is a talented singer with a great voice whose work marries Stevie Nicks with Fiona Apple.” –Village Voice
The ethereal renaissance pop songstress and Juilliard trained multi-instrumentalist has built a prolific and varied career that includes major label releases. Her music has been heard on hit TV shows like Dawson’s Creek, The Young and the Restless and Palmetto Pointe and she has shared stages with The Wallflowers, Feist, Brandi Carlile and many other musical luminaries.

Kristin’s music goes well beyond entertainment, featuring elements of spirituality, healing & growth, whether inward (personal) or environmental. It is with that in mind that she has been a spokesperson for ocean conservation, performing her Song for the Ocean on stages around the world. In 2011 she became the singer for Bella Gaia, a multimedia immersive theater experience created in conjunction with NASA, performing in Europe, Japan and South America. With her seemingly unlimited and varied vocal range and musical tastes, her soulful, bluesy side comes out in memorable versions of songs such as Sam Cooke’s “Change Is Gonna Come” and Joni Mitchell tunes such as Blue and River.

Recent work includes a symphonic piece written for her by the Italian composer Marco Missinato called Unfolding Secrets: A Symphony of the Heart. She was also selected by Gandi’s BE Magazine as “artist for peace.”
Tonight she teams up with The One Heart Choir and flutist Larry Kassin to present a holiday/solstice concert like no other. Prepared to be dazzled & transported.

Folk music legends:

KIM & REGGIE HARRIS
JAMES LEE STANLEY

Saturday, November 14 8:00pm

$23 door / $20 advance

Only Bay Area Concert!

“ Kim and Reggie Harris inspire a sense of joy and exhilaration that lifts the soul.. and makes you come alive!” -Philadelphia Daily News
Consummate musicians and storytellers, Kim & Reggie Harris combine traditional African-American spirituals and freedom songs with original folk.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Kim and Reggie’s early exposure to the diversity of musical styles and genres was nurtured in the schools and churches of their
youth, from gospel and classical, to jazz and pop.
As a result of their CDs “Steal Away” and “Get On Board” and materials developed in their work with the Kennedy Center, Kim and Reggie have earned wide acclaim
for their contributions to the resources and knowledge based on the Underground Railroad and the modern civil rights movement.
Their 30 year career of road and stage experience including appearances and interactions with performers such as Pete Seeger, Ysaye Barnwell, Jay Leno, Tom Paxton, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Harry Belafonte and many others, has led them to produce music that both entertains and inspires.

James Lee Stanley has released 23 solo CD’s, the most recent being The Apocaloptimist (2015); as well CD collaborations with a range of artists from Tom Paxton, Pamala Stanley and Michael Smith to John Batdorf and Cliff Eberhardt.

He wrote the Top Five hit Coming Out of Hiding, and other hits such as I Don’t Want To Talk About It; Plenty of Reason; All I Ever Wanted and Make It Tonight; scored the Emmy Award Winning CATHY Specials for CBS-TV, the Cable Ace Award Winning Tom Parks HBO Special, and the Award Winning Tom Parks Diabetes Documentary. He has produced CD’s for Mike Pinder (of the Moody Blues) Nicolette Larson, Peter Tork, and many others.

James Lee has shared the stage with everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Robin Williams, Dionne Warwick to Steven Wright, Art Garfunkel to Robin Trower; sometimes spending as much as 300 days a year on the road.

He also spent five and a half years on the TV Show, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, as various aliens including the singing Klingon!

Kim & Reggie Harris and James Lee Stanley were the headliners for our critically acclaimed tribute to Phil Ochs in 2013.

The Best of SPIDER SALOFF Concert

Saturday, October 10 8:00pm

$23 door / $20 advance

“Slyly sophisticated, easily accessible, Saloff stands as a kind of ideal.”
-Chicago Tribune

"She is a dynamic, a powerhouse of passion!" -San Francisco Examiner

Beloved, Chicago-based vocalist Spider Saloff, returns for a rare appearance in San Francisco!
A lively evening of music and comedic wit, Spider’s concert includes a collection of jazz classics, American Songbook, including the works of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and George Gershwin, plus Saloff’s original material, some of which is from her award winning musical The Roar of the Butterfly.
Spider will be accompanied by acclaimed pianist and Bay Area favorite, Ken Muir. The presentation will include her own personal twist in making the classic songbook have a contemporary feel, as well as stories about where the music came from and the composers. It will be an energized evening of pure entertainment.

The 29th Anniversary edition of:

AN EVENING OF SONG!

Saturday, September 19 8:00pm

$17 door / $14 advance

Since 1987, comic Merle Kessler and musician Joshua Raoul Brody have
been inviting a few dozen of their closest friends to each sing a song they've
always wanted to sing, but have never had the opportunity. The resulting show,
called An Evening Of Song, is an embarassment -- some might call it a
humiliation -- of riches, ranging from old chestnuts to new originals, jazzy
instrumentals to a cappella Bulgarian folk songs, sublime ballads to ridiculous
novelties, all accompanied by Brody's stalwart Experimental Love Orchestra.

Most of the shows have themes (this one's is Getting From Here To There: Songs of Transportation) Most of the singers ignore it, leaving genial host Kessler to try gamely to find a way to fit the song in. The singers run a huge gamut from seasoned professional to up and coming neophytes, with most falling somewhere in the middle. The result is a little bit Prairie Home Companion, a little American Idol, a little Gong Show, and a whole lot of
something you've never heard before.
===========================================================
Merle Kessler may be best known for his alter ego, fast talking social critic
Ian Shoales of NPR fame, which he created while in the Duck's Breath
Mystery Theater comedy group. He is also a seasoned author with three
books and several plays under his belt; he currently writes for the radio
shows Bluesmobile and Philosophy Talk.

Joshua Raoul Brody is the go-to musician for most Bay Area improv groups,
as well as Tango No. 9, the big band Orchestra Nostalgico, and singers like
Mr. Lucky. He has accompanied Robin Williams, The Residents, Rick & Ruby, and many other acts that begin with the letter R.

Two great bands - One great night!

HOUSTON JONES

SUSIE GLAZE & THE HI LONESOME BAND

Saturday, September 12 8:00pm

$24 door / $20 advance

High octane Americana meets newgrass Americana folk fusion
Free Houston Jones "Calico Heart" CDs to all paid attendees while supplies last.

Houston Jones invites you into a world of musical virtuosity and storytelling ranging from the myths of ancient Greece to the red dirt back roads of Waskom Texas. The acoustic heart of the band beats with the passion of five lifetimes lived in a musical landscape of revival tents to Irish pubs, New Orleans to the Great Plains to Motown, a church in Cape Cod to a punk club in Berkeley. Houston Jones is a high octane Americana quintet. Formed in 2001, the band performs a strong repertoire that ranges from bluegrass and folk to blues and gospel. “A confluence of sublime talent” – San Francisco Chronicle
https://youtu.be/yfLPcUd3Cm0

Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band has been likened to the classic British bands Pentangle and Fairport Convention blending classic folk music with rough-edged stories of tragedy and fate, all with orchestral arrangements sounding like chamber music gone folk! This is a lush newgrass Americana folk fusion quintet presenting gorgeous eclectic blends of mountain folk and exciting new grassy and Celtic-inspired originals, all with the remarkable voice of Susie Glaze. “…one of the finest and most original Americana groups in California (or in the country for that matter).” - No Depression
https://youtu.be/dHsOPYhe7HI

The lilting balladry, deft songwriting and gentle thrilling songs of:

QUILES AND CLOUD

KELLY MCFARLING

Saturday, June 13 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

Modern troubadours with a timeless blend that beckons to be heard, Quiles & Cloud perform graceful and honest music that reflects upon the vast landscape of existence with heart and humble sensitivity. Poetry and emotion are carried soft as feathers on a wind-like current of acoustic sound. When Quiles & Cloud take the stage, there is no mistaking the dual nature of music as it exists balanced between sound and silence. Each breath is every bit as meaningful as the notes they fall between. Much credit for this is due to the synergetic relationship between the group's core members; Maria Quiles (voice and guitar), Rory Cloud (voice and guitar) and Oscar Westesson (upright bass) making up the key elements that support this rich tapestry of song and storytelling. It's in the way they listen to one another, swaying and resting together with an ease only found in the best of circumstances and mutual regard. -An experience worth discovering in our acoustically ideal venue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGIfR1E5dak

Kelly McFarling originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia, where she hung out in church choirs and baseball stadiums, and somewhere along the way picked up clawhammer and traditional banjo. Nowadays she calls San Francisco home. Like McFarling herself, her music occupies a place between places. She pays homage to her southern roots using her signature banjo playing, while giving new life to old sounds. With her band (Jonathan Kirchner, bass; Andrew Laubacher, drums & Tim Marcus, pedal steel and guitars), she explores territory outside her clear influences of folk, old-time, bluegrass and country, creating a sound equally at home by a fireside or at a large festival. She weaves wistful, carefully-observed vignettes full of remembrance and loss. McFarling's stories are yours and her music stays with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufk5I8h3rMQ

Co-presented with Ricebo.

THE LADY CROONERS

MERRYGOLD

Saturday, May 30 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

Two very California ensembles take the same basic ingredients--bluegrass, folk, swing jazz and a pinch of classic country--and come up with sounds that are completely distinct, yet utterly compatible. Come experience two bands at the forefront of the emerging California acoustic music scene.

Recently hailed as “local folk heroes,” THE LADY CROONERS formed in 2010 as a collaboration of siblings, Nadia and Joseph Krilanovich. “As with many sibling groups, harmony vocals are at the fore and the arrangements, and their overall approach to their musical craft, draws comparison to Gillian Welch, Emily Barker and the Civil Wars.” Songwriting was a natural fit for the duo, him with a guitar, her with a love of storytelling. Adding little sister Megan, bassist Jason Braatz, lead-guitarist Kevin Conness, and producer/engineer John Smart on percussion/mandolin launched The Lady Crooners into their signature raucous, sophisticated, down-home act. Harnessed by Nadia’s honest voice and a perfect complement of sibling harmonies, the 2013 release of catchy new single, SWEETHEART, says it all. The Lady Crooners are here to share their authentic, darn good music with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdExJWEQq8

MerryGold, the surprise hit of last year's SF Free Folk Festival, is poised for even more exciting times in 2015. After recording their latest album “Hangtown” at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios in late 2014, the band also completed their first international tour, including 23 shows in Germany.
MerryGold began as the songwriting duo of Jillian Secor (guitar, vocals) and Alex Stephens (guitar, mandolin, vocals). MerryGold’s 6-piece lineup currently includes fiddle, bass, banjo, and accordion as well. Based in the small northern California town of Placerville, themes of the Gold Country are abundant in their music. Their whiskey-soaked folk/bluegrass songs take listeners back to simpler times and portray a rawness that embodies the pioneer spirit of the Wild West. While traditional folk and bluegrass elements are apparent in their music, MerryGold incorporates a wide variety of influences to create their own sound.
In 2012, MerryGold won the Race to TRI Studios contest. The studio - owned and operated by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead - selected MerryGold as top-10 finalists out of over 500 entries. The public then voted MerryGold and their song “Sweet Lilly” as the winner. In December of 2012, the band recorded audio and video at TRI Studios:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbLCPPgDExg

Co-presented with Ricebo

DIRTY CELLO

THE LITTLEST BIRDS

Saturday, May 16 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

Dirty Cello...cello like you’ve never heard before.
Starting with a bang and never stopping, Dirty Cello features the virtuosic cello stylings of Rebecca Roudman, one of the San Francisco bay area's most exciting cross-over cellists. Dirty Cello takes you on a wild tour of up tempo music featuring down home blues, Eastern- European dance music, a bit of bluegrass, and some classic rock.
With a truly unique voice, Dirty Cello presents a high energy performance of everything a cello can do. Having wowed audiences in numerous tours throughout the U.S., plus acting as cultural ambassadors to China and working the European festival circuit, Dirty Cello has a unique voice that’s resonated around the world.

The Littlest Birds are a dynamic cello and banjo duo presenting a unique, warm, and dynamic style of Americana music that has been thrilling audiences across the United States, Canada, and most recently a two three week tour in Europe with Joe Craven and Cafe Musique. They’ve performed at such renown festivals as the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in B.C., and the Oregon Country Fair, as well as regional festivals such as the San Francisco Free Folk Festival, Beartrap Summer Festival in Casper WY, Live Oak in Santa Barbara, CA, the C.B.A.’s Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, Pickamania in Silver City NM, and the Millpond Music Festival in Bishop, CA. Since 2010 they’ve released three albums, and their last album “Live and Lucky” was hailed by Gideon Thomas of No Depression Roots Music Magazine as "a wonderful record -- full of life, love, and ideas, and a band who love what they do and give that love to audiences, whether live or on record.”
Co-presented with RiceBo.

At the Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez in San Francisco:

After 4 years we return to our original venue for a special performance!

ShadowLight Productions presents:

Wayang Bali: Balinese Shadow Play

Saturday, April 11 8:00pm

$25 door / $20 advance

Performed by Artistic Director and Shadow Master Larry Reed
Featuring ShadowLight Gamelan Gender Wayang: Carla Fabrizio, Paul Miller & Sarah Willner.

Wayang Bali, the Balinese shadow play, is one of the most exciting undiscovered events of world theater. Until recently, language barriers have kept its drama and humor hidden from the world at large. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry and the Gamelan musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling adding contemporary humor & references to the traditional stories.

ShadowLight Productions is one of the very few professional shadow theatre companies in the world honoring ancient shadow theatre traditions while innovating through the use of contemporary technologies and interdisciplinary approaches. Founded in 1972 by Larry Reed, the company’s mission is to expose the general public to shadow theatre in a wide range of forms including, but not limited to, live performances, film, and other media. In addition to the entertainment value, their work serves as a tool for cultural diplomacy. www.shadowlight.org

At St. Cyprian's, 2097 Turk (near Masonic) in San Francisco:

RAINBOW GIRLS

DGIIN

Saturday, March 21 8:00pm

Special Admission Price-All tickets $10!

"They play every show balls-out. Their sound refuses categorization.” –Jana Macklin, Santa Barbara Sentinel

Rainbow Girls is a group of female musicians who have molded a truly original sound that is influenced by roots in folk, Americana, gypsy, funk, soul, punk-bluegrass and rock. In addition to their soaring harmonies, these multi-instrumentalists switch back and forth among acoustic and electric guitar, accordion, harmonica, banjolele, mandolin, bass, cello, keys, ukelele, kazoo, djembe, drum kit and many other instruments.

Born in an underground open mic night a few years ago, they started out performing in the Santa Barbara/SoCal area before a European tour of clubs & street performances. Since their return, they have evolved into an electric stomp-folk band complete with drums, bass, and a slew of original music. In May 2013 they released their debut album, “The Sound of Light,” making fans of audiences throughout the UK and the rest of Europe, as well as the US. Since the end of their 2014 tour dates, they have been holed up in their new home north of San Francisco recording their newest album, which they will preview at tonight’s concert.

Dgiin (pronounced GIN) is known as a band with a unique style encompassing various cultures and influences and songs sung mainly in French.

Front man, Gabe Pirard, strums and picks the guitar in a seriously French-Roma-Flamenco style with a twist. Singing in French, Gabe is joined on stage by members of Dgiin: Jomial Jones, Magali Sancartier, Jimmy Inciardi, Chris LeDief, Nick Hasty and Zach Morris on bass, violin, saxaphone, guitar, flute and drums.

The Flamenco-Django-esque band, also winner of the North Bay Music Awards on numerous occasions, puts on one memorable show accessible to all types of tastes and ages. Their energetic performance is not to be missed!

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Live, in concert CD recording!

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN with Bob Beach
plus Chris Ayer

Saturday, February 7 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

SF Live Arts at Cyprian’s is proud to present the superb blues-roots vocalist/guitarist DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN with harmonica virtuoso BOB BEACH recording a live, in concert CD.

David Jacobs-Strain is a fierce slide guitar player, and a song poet from Oregon. He’s known for his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon, as well as his clear, powerful voice. His music moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll. It’s a range that ties him to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne. He has appeared at festivals from British Columbia to Australia, including Merlefest, Telluride Blues Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly, Bumbershoot and Blues to Bop in Switzerland and has toured with Boz Scaggs, Etta James & Lucinda Williams.

“David Jacobs-Strain sings and plays slide-driven country blues with a passion and authority that few artists of any age can muster. But besides firing off compelling covers of traditional tunes… his original songs have served to update and evolve the idiom.” -Guitar Player
DavidJacobs-Strain

Opening the show & also performing with David & Bob is vocalist/guitarist Chris Ayer

PATCHY SANDERS

MISNER & SMITH

Saturday, January 31 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

Hailing from Ashland, Oregon, Patchy Sanders is a six piece “family band” of multi-instrumentalists, whose sound has been described as noir-grass, neo-folk, neo-Americana, or simply Alternative. Influenced by the broader folk revival of the last 70+ years, the band’s three distinct songwriters draw upon diverse influences to bring forth a new, yet familiar sound. “Great musicianship, harmonies, and feel… A really warm vibe that makes wherever you are standing, feel like the center of a Gypsy Caravan." –Mason Jennings
With their new release, “Seven Hour Storm”, Misner & Smith have created an album of vivid, poetic songwriting, filled with some of the finest harmony singing around. Both actors & musicians, Sam Misner & Megan Smith met while doing the show “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” and most recently starred in a production of “The Grapes of Wrath.” Their love of folk, roots and Americana creates a contemporary, yet timeless quality in their songs. Each song is a story, a journey, a place, a time, an experience. There is nothing general in the songwriting, nothing vague. The imagery is sharp, and the lyrics plumb the depths of emotions with an ease and honesty that is personal and at the same time universal.

A Duo of Award-Winning Duos with

MELODY WALKER & JACOB GROOPMAN

MOLLY TUTTLE & JOHN MAILANDER

Saturday, January 24 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

The nucleus of Front Country, the award-winning young alt bluegrass band, Melody & Jacob truly shine as a duo. With Melody’s thunderous-but-heartbreaking voice plus great harmonies and Jacob’s Grisman-like mandolin, their award-winning original songs exhibit great clarity & depth while their eclectic covers, ranging from Blondie to The Band are true crowd-pleasers. Young rising stars Molly Tuttle and John Mailander have combined amazing instrumental virtuosity with Molly’s expressive voice to capture features in Bluegrass Now, Flatpicking Guitar and Acoustic Guitar Magazines plus two million you tube viewers! Both graduates of Berklee College of Music in Boston, they play many different instruments and styles, while respecting their bluegrass, folk and contemporary influences. Molly’s blazing flatpicking is reminiscent of James Nash and other guitar slingers. In recent years she has been awarded the Hazel Dickens Memorial Scholarship award from the Foundation for Bluegrass Music in Nashville, Best Female Vocalist and Best Guitar Player by the Northern California Bluegrass Society, music and composition Merit Scholarships to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and 1st place in the prestigious Merlefest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Competition.

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT

Saturday, January 10 8:00pm

$25 door / $22 advance

2014

ShadowLight Productions presents

WAYANG BALI: BALINESE SHADOW PLAY

Saturday, November 22 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

Performed by Artistic Director and Shadow Master Larry Reed
Featuring ShadowLight Gamelan Gender Wayang: Carla Fabrizio, Lisa Gold, Paul Miller& Sarah Willner (members of Gamelan Sekar Jaya)

Wayang Bali, the Balinese shadow play, is one of the most exciting undiscovered events of world theater. Until recently, language barriers have kept its drama and humor hidden from the world at large. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry and the Gamelan musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling adding contemporary humor & references to the traditional stories.

ShadowLight Productions is one of the very few professional shadow theatre companies in the world honoring ancient shadow theatre traditions while innovating through the use of contemporary technologies and interdisciplinary approaches. Founded in 1972 by Larry Reed, the company’s mission is to expose the general public to shadow theatre in a wide range of forms including, but not limited to, live performances, film, and other media. In addition to the entertainment value, their work serves as a tool for cultural diplomacy. Shadowlight

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN

with Bob Beach

Saturday, October 18 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

SF Live Arts at Cyprian’s is proud to present the superb blues-roots vocalist/guitarist DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN with harmonica virtuoso BOB BEACH at St. Cyprian’s.

David Jacobs-Strain is a fierce slide guitar player, and a song poet from Oregon. He’s known for his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon, as well as his clear, powerful voice. His music moves from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swings back to swampy rock and roll. It’s a range that ties him to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne. He has appeared at festivals from British Columbia to Australia, including Merlefest, Telluride Blues Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly, Bumbershoot and Blues to Bop in Switzerland and has toured with Boz Scaggs, Etta James & Lucinda Williams.

DavidJacobs-Strain

HOUSTON JONES

SUSIE GLAZE & THE HiLONESOME BAND

Friday, August 8 8:00pm

$22 door / $20 advance

Houston Jones invites you into a world of musical virtuosity and storytelling ranging from the myths of ancient Greece to the red dirt back roads of Waskom Texas. The acoustic heart of the band beats with the passion of five lifetimes lived in a musical landscape of revival tents to Irish pubs, New Orleans to the Great Plains to Motown, a church in Cape Cod to a punk club in Berkeley. A San Francisco based high-octane Americana band that performs an original repertoire that ranges from bluegrass and folk to blues and gospel, Billboard.com praised their “Wonderful original tunes;” Dirty Linen said “No one delivers the goods quite like Houston Jones… Houston Jones remains one of the West Coast’s most talented and entertaining bands.”

This “confluence of sublime talent" -(SF Chronicle) features Travis Jones (lead vocals, guitar), who began performing as a child accompanying his mother on gospel tours in the South; bassist Joshua Zucker, who has worked with The Rowan Brothers, Peter Rowan, Caren Armstrong, David Gans, Randy Clark, David Phillips, Garrin Benfield and countless others.

Glenn Houston (lead guitars) the founding lead guitarist of the Waybacks, was voted Best Guitarist by the Northern California Bluegrass Society.
Peter Tucker (drums), who (along with Kee) was in the original rhythm section of the Waybacks, has performed and recorded with wide array of Americana musicians, including Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, the Beau Brummels, Warren Zevon and Skunk Baxter.

Henry Salvia (keyboards, accordion) has been featured with the Johnny Nocturne Band, Bo Diddley, Rickie Lee Jones and Big Jay McNeeley. www.houstonjones.com

Susie Glaze and the HiLonesome Band are a lush newgrass Americana folk fusion quintet presenting gorgeous eclectic blends of mountain folk and exciting new grassy and Celtic-inspired originals. Featuring the remarkable voice of Susie Glaze, their debut CD "Blue Eyed Darlin” won the Just Plain Folks Music Award for Best Roots Album. Presenting rough-edged stories of tragedy and fate, their sound has been described as “chamber music gone folk!” With Steve Rankin on mandolin, Rob Carlson on guitar and dobro, Fred Sanders on bass and Mark Indictor on fiddle and showcasing the songwriting of lead guitarist Carlson, the band has appeared at many premier venues and festivals on the West Coast, including Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage, McCabe's Guitar Shop, The Broad Stage and the Hollywood Bowl. A feature article was published in August 2013 in No Depression titled “Unsung Heroes of Americana Music – Jean Ritchie and Susie Glaze.” Susie’s dramatic version of Ritchie’s “West Virginia Mine Disaster” was featured on a tribute album “Dear Jean,” which also featured new recordings of Ritchie songs by Kathy Mattea, Judy Collins, Janis Ian and Pete Seeger. www.susieglaze.com

The 28th Anniversary edition of:

AN EVENING OF SONG!

Saturday, July 26 7:30pm

$17 door / $14 advance

Merle Kessler may be best known for his alter ego, fast talking social critic
Ian Shoales of NPR fame, which he created while in the Duck's Breath
Mystery Theater comedy group. He is also a seasoned author with three
books and several plays under his belt; he currently writes for the radio
shows Bluesmobile and Philosophy Talk.

Joshua Raoul Brody, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his arrival in San
Francisco this summer, is the go-to musician for most Bay Area improv groups, as well as Tango No. 9, the big band Orchestra Nostalgico, and singers like Mr. Lucky. He has accompanied Robin Williams, The Residents, Rick & Ruby, and many other acts that begin with the letter R.

Award-Winning Americana, Folk & Traditional Bluegrass from Boston and The Bay Area

MOLLY TUTTLE TRIO & BILL EVANS

Saturday, July 5 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

A great double bill as award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Molly Tuttle leads her trio in their San Francisco debut, performing together in concert with SF Bay Area bluegrass banjo legend Bill Evans. Both artists have appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, in addition to festivals all over the US. Bill has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony.

With nearly two million viewers on YouTube and features in Bluegrass Now, Flatpicking Guitar and Acoustic Guitar magazines, Molly Tuttle is a rising star in the acoustic music scene. A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and award winning songwriter with a distinctive voice, Molly recently was awarded Best Female Vocalist and Best Guitar Player by the Northern California Bluegrass Society, and won 1st place in the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at Merlefest. Molly has been performing on stage since she was 11 and recorded her first album at age 13. With a unique blend of sensational songwriting and amazing instrumental ability The Molly Tuttle Trio (with John Mailander and Brittany Karlson) creates an honest and soulful mix of original and traditional music, with a deep respect for the past, while also looking toward the future of acoustic music. This tight-knit trio formed after meeting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. www.mollytuttle.net

As a world-renowned performer, teacher, writer, scholar and composer, Bill Evans brings a deep knowledge, intense virtuosity and contagious passion to all things banjo, in a career that spans over thirty-five years.
In The Banjo in America, Bill presents the music from his three chart topping CDs and takes the listener on a musical adventure, following the banjo from its West African roots to the New World, performing musical examples from the 1700’s to the present day on vintage instruments. From an 18th century African dance tune to the music of the Civil War, and from early 20th century ragtime to folk and bluegrass banjo styles to Bill’s own incredible original music, The Banjo in America illuminates as well as entertains, exposing audiences to over 250 years of banjo music. He has toured with acoustic luminaries David Grisman, Peter Rowan, John Reischman, and Tony Trischka, among many others. www.billevansbanjo.com

A Special CD Release Concert with:

DOUG BLUMER & THE BOHEMIAN HIGHWAY

THE SORENTINOS

Saturday, June 28 8:00pm

$16 door / $14 advance

Fronted by veteran Americana singer/songwriter Doug Blumer (hailed as “the Honky-Tonk Sinatra”) The Bohemian Highway takes you on a musical journey through Love, Life, Laughter… all things worth singing about. With their lush harmonies, thrilling songs and first-class musicianship, their sound invokes an original, 70s style Americana, with shades of The Eagles, The Beatles and Jackson Browne.

The Sorentinos are a four piece California rock band. They have been pleasing and baffling audiences for more than 25 years with their brand of west coast rock that takes heavy doses of English pop/rock , American garage , blues and country music along with a bit of singer songwriter folk thrown in to make their own special kind of noise. They have released 20 CDs on The Major Label and have opened shows for artists such as Bob Dylan, Buck Owens, John Lee Hooker, Jeff Beck, Dwight Yoakam, Peter Frampton, Chris Issak, Chicago, Creedence, Peter Green, Lucinda Williams, Blues Traveler, The Yardbirds, The Spencer Davis Band, The Radiators, and many more.

Danny Sorentino’s music has been heard on many radio stations in the UK, as well as the US and has been used in many TV shows and movies. Their Americana/rock sound and original compositions harken back to the best of Tom Petty and John Hiatt.

Fans of great, original-Americana should not miss this evening!

We present at STUDIO 55 in San Rafael:

Comedian WILL DURST in his hit show

BOOMERAGING! FROM LSD TO OMG

Saturday, June 21 8:00pm

$22 door / $18 advance

“Quite possibly the best political comedian working in the country today”–NY Times

The man the Oregonian called “the thinking man’s comic,” Will Durst, is proud to announce his first one- man show since the acclaimed “Elect to Laugh,” ran for 41 weeks in San Francisco in 2012. “BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG”, is an uproarious tribute to the joys, achievements, frustrations, and looming doom of the Baby Boom Generation. In this rollicking 85 minute heartfelt monologue, Durst encourages his chronologically gifted brethren to refuse to grow old in the face of gravity no matter how many times they forget their online banking security question. Does anyone really have a favorite non- cruciferous vegetable? It’s a celebration of the maturation of the Boomer Nation culminating in an extra, added special treat- the Meaning of Life.

Ably assisted by his genial wit and trusty overhead projector, Durst explores the Boomer revolutions, evolutions and still vibrant role in today’s youth obsessed society (which we invented, for crum’s sake). He shamelessly strokes the egos and pats the hands of the Love Generation through segments entitled Racing From The Shadow Of A Mushroom Cloud. The Blinking VCR. Still Doing Drugs, Only Now There’s a Co- Pay. The Brightsides of Extreme Adulthood & Hope I Die Before I… Ooops, Too Late. It’s funny. It’s smart. And uplifting, even.

Jean Schiffman of the San Francisco Examiner says of “BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG”, “Durst’s good-natured, acerbic monologue is so funny that… I found myself on the verge of uncontrollable, hysterical laughter. His observations are hilarious.”

Special Note: Due to the graphic nature and startlingly archaic technology, children under the age of 40 will not be admitted unless accompanied by a guardian or if they bring a note. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Acknowledged by peers and press alike as one of the premier political satirists in the country, Will Durst has patched together an incomparable comedy quilt of a career, weaving together columns, books, radio and television commentaries, acting, voice-overs and stand- up into a riotous patchwork of outraged and outrageous common sense. The New York Times calls him, "quite possibly the best political comedian working in the country today." He’s the author of 3 books, told jokes in 14 countries and racked up 800+ television appearances. Despite blistering reproach he continues to slather ketchup on hot dogs.

1455 East Francisco in San Rafael www.Studio55marin.com (415)453-3161

Electric bass summit with:

MANRING, KASSIN & JOHN R

OON

Saturday, June 7 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

Bass avatar Michael Manring, flute master Larry Kassin & piano great John R. Burr plus Oon (innovative bassoon virtuoso Paul Hanson & bass phenom Ariane Cap.)

1455 East Francisco in San Rafael www.Studio55marin.com (415)453-3161

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Life Is A Carnival:

A Tribute to THE BAND on their 45th Anniversary featuring:

JOHNNY HARPER & CARNIVAL

Saturday, May 10 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

In April of 1969, The Band – the great Canadian-American rock group whose ground-breaking recordings defined the “Americana” genre – made their first concert appearances in a legendary 3-night stand at San Francisco’s Winterland. This spring marks the 45th anniversary of those historic shows, which will be commemorated in this concert devoted to The Band’s music, performed by the veteran East Bay band, Johnny Harper & Carnival.

According to Harper, “This show is really the first time a group has seriously performed The Band’s music in California, or any place west of Woodstock, since The Last Waltz (The Band’s famous farewell performance in 1976).” Although The Band’s music sounds loose and folksy, it is actually very complex and challenging to play, with its unusual harmonies and rhythms, and the interplay of three overlapping lead singers. Harper, who is committed to keeping The Band’s music alive in live performance, is a well known Bay Area guitarist, singer, songwriter, band leader, and record producer. The concert will cover the full history of The Band’s music, from their debut album, Music From Big Pink to later masterpieces like “Acadian Driftwood,” “Life Is A Carnival,” and “Ophelia.”

Harper’s veteran four-piece group – guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums, with all four members singing – will add horns and fiddle on this special show, to capture the instrumental textures of The Band’s recordings. Famous hits like “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” will be included in the program, but so will more obscure material, including one well-loved classic which The Band themselves never performed live! Help celebrate a musical milestone with this unique and amazing show!

The California Bluegrass Association presents
A Bluegrass Spring Jubilee featuring

LAURIE LEWIS & KATHY KALLICK

performing the music of Vern & Ray

WINDY HILL

Saturday, April 26 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

We welcome the California Bluegrass Association’s Bluegrass Spring Jubilee concert featuring Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick with an all star band, performing the music of Vern Williams and Ray Park (who introduced Bluegrass to Northern California). Yes, two California bluegrass legends will play the songs of two other California bluegrass legends. Joining Laurie and Kathy are Tom Rozum on mandolin, Patrick Sauber on banjo, and Sharon Gilchrist on bass.

Opening the show is Windy Hill, one of the hottest, most dynamic young bluegrass bands the Bay Area has seen in many years. Ryan Breen (banjo), Thomas Wille (guitar), Kyle McCabe (bass), and Alex Sharps (fiddle) play the kind of straight-up classic bluegrass that satisfies the souls of the toughest traditionalists, as well as energizing new fans and inspiring them to learn more about the music. The concert will be preceded by a bluegrass jam downstairs in the church at 5PM and goes until 7:30PM.

Lush vocals, original songs, vintage stories

NELL ROBINSON TRIO w/Scott Nygaard & Victoria Blythe

Wendy Burch Steel & Redwood

Saturday, March 15 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

“Like a modern-day Patsy Cline, on par with Emmylou.” ~ San Francisco Bay Guardian

We can hardly wait for this refreshing new artist to come to Saint Cyprian’s this March. Nell has her feet firmly planted in roots, Americana, folk and bluegrass that has a vintage country tinge and a modern bent. She’s hip, funny and engaging and will lift your spirits with stories from her Southern roots in LA (Lower Alabama). For this show Nell is bringing her virtuoso trio featuring Scott Nygaard on guitar and Victoria Blythe on violin and viola. A live show you won’t forget! Watch for Nell's live show filmed for PBS this Fall. nellrobinsonmusic.com

Having been likened to early Emmylou Harris and Victoria Williams, A Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor commented, "People aren't going to believe what they just heard..." in response to Nell Robinson's music. She was chosen by PASTE magazine, Top 12 Bands from Alabama in 2013.

Wendy Burch Steel has been nominated two years in a row for best female vocalist by Northern California Bluegrass Society. Wendy's original and cover material is a subtly textured and patterned blend of the most unique, haunting and sweet aspects of Americana, folk, blues, country and gospel music. Her lyrics and vocals transport the listener to a place of the heart and soul addressing the human conditions facing us all; love, joy, loss, deep grief, happiness and fanciful dreams. Her band, Redwood, involves some of the best known bluegrass names in California: Butch Waller and Glenn Dauphin of High Country, Markie Sanders on bass. www.WendyBurchSteel.com

A special 10-year anniversary celebration with

MISNER & SMITH

MAURICE TANI & 77 EL DEORA

SOUND OF SIRENS

Saturday, March 8 7:30pm

$18 door / $15 advance

What a long, strange trip it's been! Misner & Smith co-headlining with Maurice Tani & 77 El Deora, are both celebrating their ten-year anniversaries this March with a big show in San Francisco. Opening for both artists is a new band, Sound of Sirens.

MISNER & SMITH
It has indeed been 10 years since Sam Misner and Megan Smith first walked into the studios at KVMR radio station in Nevada City to promote a little show called "Woody Guthrie's American Song". Everything changed that day, and many miles, and four albums later, they have a lot to celebrate!

Misner & Smith are featured on the new Roots Channel. This new website showcases live performances from Seattle's state-of-the-art listening room at Empty Sea Studios. To quote a recent & great review for Seven Hour Storm from the music blog, Independent Clauses: “A beautiful, romantic, charming album - this is earnest, honest, unpretentious music, and it’s just lovely.”

Joining Misner & Smith onstage will be their good friend, Josh Yenne (The Easy Leaves, Mazzy Star), playing pedal steel and electric guitar!

MAURICE TANI
This year also marks 10 years that supercalifornographic singer-songwriter has been working under, around and through his 77 El Deora band/brand. That decade has seen a lot of evolution from the scrappy, "Oblique Americana" band that took the stage at San Francisco's Make Out Room in 2004 to the critically-acclaimed, intimate, acoustic performances he is known for today.

Read music critic Robert Sproul's 2013 "blown away" review "Are you listening? We're taking calls" on Maurice Tani in No Depression, The Roots Music Authority:"Maurice Tani writes songs that I would call "Hillbilly Noir" that sound at once familiar, ethereal and beautiful." - No Depression

Opening: SOUND OF SIRENS
Like the mythical sea maidens of old, newly formed band Sound of Sirens is mesmerizing audiences with scintillating vocal harmonies and intricate instrumental arrangements. They incorporate traditional music, original compositions and modern hits. Sound of Sirens is Susan Nielsen and Kristina Ziese on vocals; Ken Frankel on guitar, banjo, and mandolin; Glenn Carter on guitar; and Scott Underwood on bass.

It feels fitting to be celebrating this musical marker in the city that both Misner & Smith and Maurice Tani have called home for so many years.

WILL DURST

presents BOOMERAGING: FROM LSD TO OMG

Saturday, February 15 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

“Quite possibly the best political comedian working in the country today”–NY Times

MONICA PASQUAL

SPARK & WHISPER

Saturday, February 1 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

You do not listen to Monica Pasqual's songs lightly. They stir you, they stab you, they create images of Spain and pain and joy and mountains and the Mediterranean and most importantly, of the contours of the human heart. Pasqual is best known as the soaring voice, crystal clear piano and modulated accordion in the band Blame Sally but her career stretches far beyond Blame Sally in both time and range. She has had a prolific career making music and scoring films since the mid-90s, blending her background in classical piano with her precisely controlled voice and sharply defined words. Of mixed American and Spanish heritage, she can mesmerize you in both languages. She knows how to craft lyrics that can simultaneously break your heart and sink permanently into your mind.

Her songs take you on an adventure though a musical Mediterranean landscape of memories, lost childhood and sun splashed, fading villages. They are often drawn from and evoke the cobblestone lanes and yellow plaster walls of her family's village in the Mediterranean island of Majorca. Some call her solo music acoustic international folk while others call it dreamy pop. Some call it the soundtrack of a life consciously lived.
She has won 6 Independent Music Awards and 6 Emmy Awards.

Monica will be joined by members of "The Handsome Brunettes", Josh McClain on Cello, Pam Delgado on percussion, Rob Strom on bass and vocals and Velvy Appleton on Guitar.

Modern Folk. Original Voices. True Stories.

Spark & Whisper is an indie-folk band led by singer/songwriters & multi-instrumentalists Velvy Appleton and Anita Sandwina. Based in Northern California, S&W delves into the into the rich territory of the modern American experience— our daily encounters and travails with technology, tradition, love, money, and the natural world.

“Spark & Whisper has created an infective original sound based on pitch-perfect vocal harmonies and dynamic acoustic grooves that soothe and move the mind and body.” -The Pacific Sun

"Spark & Whisper is now a serious force in modern folk."-- Paul Liberatore, Marin IJ

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN

REV RABIA

Saturday, January 18 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

Based in Portland, Oregon reknown young blues singer-songwriter David Jacobs-Strain’s gritty style echoes the impassioned intensity of Fred McDowell or Mance Lipscomb, but he's equally capable of nuanced dexterity and finesse. His searing blues guitar lights a fire under his contemporary indy-flavored originals. Those drawn to the roots-based Americana of Lucinda Williams and Railroad Earth will find themselves in friendly territory. Come and witness how one man and his guitar can whip up the presence and fervor of a large-scale blues ensemble. www.davidjacobs-strain.com
Guitar Player magazine:“David Jacobs-Strain sings and plays slide-driven country blues with a passion and authority that few artists of any age can muster."

The earthy, soulful and entirely authentic country blues singer, guitarist Rev Rabia has been playing her fluent and expressive style of country blues for over 2 decades. Along the way, she has toured Europe with Sonny Rhodes, been a featured performer at the San Francisco Blues Festival, accompanied Robert Lowery and opened for Ry Cooder. www.revrabia.com

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT

Saturday, January 4 8:00pm

$25 door / $22 advance

The legendary troubadour, two-time Grammy winner and direct link to Woody Guthrie and the first generation of American folk music, returns to start our concert year. A character based on Jack (Al Cody) is featured in the new Coen Brothers movie, Finding Llewyn Davis and is played by Adam Driver. The movie portrays the early 60s, pre-Dylan folk scene in Greenwich Village. Jack is one of the last members of that circle still actively performing and we’re proud to have him, once again, kicking off our concert year. Vikki Lee will open the evening.

2013

A Winter Solstice Concert with

FOUR SHILLINGS SHORT & BROCELIANDE

Saturday, December 21 7:30pm

$15 door / $12 advance

Two of the Bay Area’s most celebrated Celtic groups explore Medieval & Renaissance music taking you on “a musical journey through time and across seas.”

ALASDAIR FRASER & NATALIE HAAS

Friday, December 6 8:00pm

$22 door / $19 advance

Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame inductee Alasdair Fraser has been hailed as “one of the greatest carriers of the Scottish fiddle music tradition, a fiddler whose warmly expressive playing, mastery of his instrument and deep understanding of his native music as a venerable and continually evolving art is an inspiration to generations of musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.” Virtuoso cellist Natalie Haas Natalie is in the vanguard of young cellists who are redefining the role of that instrument in traditional music. Together their cutting-edge musical explorations pierce the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music.

"The Memory of All That"

Celebrating 115 years of George Gershwin, featuring SPIDER SALOFF

Saturday, November 30 8:00pm

$23 door / $20 advance

"The Memory of All That" is one of the rare, officially sanctioned acts of the Gershwin Centennial.

As a guest vocalist, Ms. SALOFF has performed with symphony orchestras across the country. She had the honor of performing the American Premiere of "So This Is Love", a newly discovered song by the great Billy Strayhorn. Saloff received a special citation for her musical contributions from NARAS (the presenter of the Grammy Awards) and has recorded and performed with jazz luminaries as the late great Les Paul, and current stars, Michael Feinstein, Mark Murphy and Dick Hyman.

"Rarely have I heard so many musical ideas from one set of pipes with the talent and self assurance to carry them off. Her jazz phrasing is flawless." -Back Stage Magazine

Anne & Pete Sibley and The T Sisters

The harmonies are gorgeous, the original songs are spellbinding, and the talent is overwhelming. We are pleased to announce the return of 2 of our favorite ensembles.

Saturday, November 23 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

ANNE & PETE SIBLEY

For those who doubt that folk music still has anything left to say in these jaded, trying times, I present Exhibit A: the music of Anne and Pete Sibley. You might enter their show weary and beaten down, but you'll leave with your spirit a little lifted, transported by musical alchemy you can scarcely believe exists any more. Their harmonies are sweet and oh, so pleasing. Their original songs are profound beacons of heavenly light illuminating the soul's dark places.

THE T SISTERS

Sibling vocal magic from Rachel, Erica, and Chloe Tietjen. Barely more than a rumor 3 years ago, the Sisters have built up a growing rabid following of T Sister fanatics. It's hard to hear them and not want to tell all your friends. At times they sound homespun, Down From the Mountainish. At other times, they have a swanky, urbane Roches vibe. Broadway, singer songwriter, jazz, the influences and reference points abound. What's certain is that it's all delivered with charm, energy, and often slightly eccentric sense of fun.

PHIL OCHS SONG NIGHT

A Musical Tribute and Celebration of the Life and Songs of Phil Ochs; featuring Sonny Ochs, Kim & Reggie Harris, Carolyn Hester, James Lee Stanley and Aileen Vance.

Saturday, November 16 8:00pm

$20 door / $17 advance

An American protest singer and songwriter, known for his "sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful lyrics and distinctive voice", Phil Ochs wrote some of the best known songs of his generation, including "I Ain't Marchin Anymore", "There But For Fortune", "Love Me, I'm a Liberal", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Power and the Glory", and "When I'm Gone". Still relevant and powerful today!

Phil Ochs was a tour-de-force, performing at political rallies, anti-war demonstrations, civil rights rallies, organized labor events, colleges, universities, New York's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall, and the 1963 and 1964 Newport Folk Festivals.

He wrote hundreds of songs, produced eight albums, and toured all over the United States, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. He helped form the Yippies along with Abbie Hoffman, Paul Krasner, and Jerry Rubin.
His major influences were Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Gibson, Merle Haggard and Buddy Holly.

Join us in this very special evening as we celebrate the life and creative brilliance that was Phil Ochs; a spokesperson for his generation whose relevant songs continue to be sung today.

TINY TELEVISION

KELLY McFARLING BAND

Saturday, October 19 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

TINY TELEVISION

Jeremy D’Antonio and Tiny Television are an SF-based roots /country outfit that is seriously in touch with their soul side, while also serving up a steady Americana stomp. They play with the passion and confidence of a band that's been touring for dozens of years instead of a mere handful. Two things set them apart from the legion of folksy Americana bands littering California's entertainment byways at the moment. First is D'Antonio's expressive "Johnny Cash meets Levon Helm" singing voice. Second, except for the occasional cover, they do all their own songs that are so full of confidence and experience, that you'll swear that someone named Merle or Hank or Willie must have written them.

KELLY McFARLING BAND

Kelly McFarling's sound is effortless, melodic, and full of subtle shifts of emotion. It is generous and wide-open like the wide-open vistas she sings about. She starts with a restless pulse, a driving rhythm. She threads it with wistful melodies full of longing. Her lyrics evoke both a child's wonder of discovery and a determined romantic's refusal to accept the defeat of lost dreams. Born in Atlanta, she now calls San Francisco home. Over the past few years she has honed a unique spare passionate brand of songwriter craft fueled both by her distinctive, commanding vocals and rhythmic soulful banjo.

LEGENDS OF THE CELTIC HARP

with Patrick Ball, Lisa Lynne & Aryeh Frankfurter

Saturday, October 12 8:00pm

$17 door / $14 advance

Three of the world's premier Celtic harpers take you on a joyous, dramatic musical journey deep into the myths, legends and history of the Celtic Harp. You will experience breathtaking music, humor and folklore on Irish harps, Swedish Nyckelharpa and much more...

"A richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful performance."

Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world and a captivating spoken word artist.

Lisa Lynne is a multi-instrumentalist and performer who has gained worldwide recognition for her original music featuring Celtic Harp.

Aryeh Frankfurter is a renowned Celtic harper and world traveling multi-instrumentalist who specializes in intricate Swedish folk and Celtic Music.

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN & Rev Rabia - CANCELLED! WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 2014.

Saturday, September 28 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

Based in Portland, Oregon reknown young blues singer-songwriter David Jacobs-Strain’s gritty style echoes the impassioned intensity of Fred McDowell or Mance Lipscomb, but he's equally capable of nuanced dexterity and finesse. His searing blues guitar lights a fire under his contemporary indy-flavored originals. Those drawn to the roots-based Americana of Lucinda Williams and Railroad Earth will find themselves in friendly territory. Come and witness how one man and his guitar can whip up the presence and fervor of a large-scale blues ensemble.
Guitar Player magazine:“David Jacobs-Strain sings and plays slide-driven country blues with a passion and authority that few artists of any age can muster."

AN EVENING of SONG

Saturday, August 10 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

A special evening, hosted by Merle "Ian Shoales" Kessler, features 30 different performers each presenting a different "tribute" song. Backed by The Experimental Love Orchestra (lead by the inimitable Joshua Raoul Brody) performers will provide an evening of surprises with a huge range of music. There's definitely something for every musical taste at this concert.

The KLEZ-X

Saturday, August 3 8:00pm

$17 door / $14 advance

“This extraordinary group has absolutely captivated my imagination, knocked my socks off – what more can I say?” –Michael Tilson Thomas

A rare Bay Area appearance by soulful violinist/composer Daniel Hoffman (he lives in Israel now) prompted us to put together this great concert with his Klezmer/world/jazz/middle-eastern ensemble. This virtuoso band will tear the roof off our venue with its infectious, celebratory rhythms and hot improvisations. Featuring an all-star roster of musicians, the Klez-X mines the rich depths of klezmer, Yiddish folk and art song, and modern jazz to create a brilliantly original sound. The evening will feature new compositions, reinterpretations of traditional pieces, improvisations, effervescent vocal work, and modernist settings of 20th century Yiddish literature.

Farewell concert-

MANRING KASSIN DARTER

plus Kevin Barnard

Friday, July 26 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

"Bach meets Monk meets Varese meets Zappa? MKD tosses colossal musical ideas back and forth as if genres and styles didn’t exist." –Ernie Rideout, Keyboard Magazine

One of the most innovatively, telepathic-improv ensembles plays what could be one of its last concerts as pianist Tom Darter moves to the Great Northwest (Washington state). Their unique blend of Brazilian, jazz, rock, impressionist, funk, “Bartok-jazz”, tango, calypso, 12-tone compositions, bent ragtime and Balinese gamelan, along with their bass, flute & piano format, has been described as "chamber music for the new millennium" or "the world's most sophisticated jam-band." -depending on your point of view.

Michael Manring has been hailed as "a master of the fretless bass without rival “by Guitar Club Magazine while flutist Larry Kassin was singled out for his "brilliantly abetting" the late, great keyboardist Ray Manzarek on their recordings with poet Michael McClure. This could be a last chance to hear their virtuoso extemporaneous "jazz chamber fusion music" & witness their tearing down of musical walls. “Mind-boggling musicianship. Complex, provocative compositions. Darter, Manring and Kassin are all-around awesome!” –Greg Rule, Keyboard Magazine Guitarist/composer (& local favorite) Kevin Barnard will open.

BHI BHIMAN

with special guests MEKLIT & QUINN

Saturday, May 18 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

San Francisco artist, Bhi Bhiman, has had an exciting year. His debut record, BHIMAN, received rave reviews from The New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine and NPR. Bhiman has recently recorded an album of covers which includes his unique take on songs like ACDC's Highway to Hell. Bhi will celebrate the release of the album, aptly titled Substitute Preacher, at St. Cyprian's Church in San Francisco. He will be joined by his band plus many special guests.

"The best performance of the evening was Bhi Bhiman's solo acoustic take on 'When Doves Cry,' his vocals giving off a haunted air that left the crowd speechless." -Rolling Stone

"This is joyous sensory overload." -Time Magazine

Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero's music and life are inextricably linked to the rich cultural tapestry of her background. A catchy crossroads of Chicago blues and New Orleans soul and gospel, singer/guitarist Quinn DeVeaux has been packing dance floors in the Bay Area and beyond for years. Now, for the first time, these two artists join forces. This magnetic duo lend an all-new gloss to MGMT, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Talking Heads, Lou Reed and Arcade Fire. "Meklit & Quinn" was released by Porto Franco Records, last September, to national critical acclaim.

THE TRESPASSERS

ADRIAN BUCKAROOGIRL

Saturday, May 4 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

From the foothills of Yosemite National Park, The Trespassers have been playing original stringband music together for six and a half years. The most logical way to categorize their music is bluegrass meets Americana, but their influence stems from many genres; rock, blues, gypsy jazz, country, old-time, and pure love of the mountains,...that\'s not really a genre of music, but it comes across in their music so well.

The band is; Ben Goger (guitar, mandolin), Andy Roberts (banjo, guitar), Sarah Cupery Ottley (fiddle), Benny Lee Friedrich (upright bass), and all the members share vocal duties.

Horsetrainer Adrian writes and sings cowboy music. With her pure, gorgeous, hi-lonesome voice and poignant lyrics, she sings and writes about things that matter the most to her in life; buckin’ horses, desert country, good cowboys, the elements and other experiences. She’ll be celebrating the release of her new album, Buckaroogirl, produced, by Tom Russell.

Fado meets Tango with:

RAMANA VIEIRA

TANGO No.9

Saturday, April 27 8:00pm

$18 door / $15 advance

Ramana Vieira sings fado, often referred to as Portuguese blues or torch songs. An American counterpart to the dazzling parade of Portuguese fadistas who have reinvigorated a tradition that was already moribund years before fado queen Amalia Rodrigues’ death in 1999, Ramana Vieira has become a leading force in spreading awareness of fado in the United States, building on the international buzz generated by stars like Misia, Dulce Pontes, Cristina Branco, Ana Moura and Mariza. Unlike most traditional fadistas, she sometimes fuses it with Latin Jazz and world music influences. She sings in both English & Portuguese.

Quoting a recent New York Times article “Amália Rodrigues is in my DNA, but so is Kate Bush, and I started out in a new-wave band,” Ms. Vieira said before a recent performance in New York. “My purpose is to open up the fado and keep exploring it. My group doesn’t have a traditional fado configuration, so we’ve had to evolve.” March 27, the New York Times When Emmy Award-winning composer Chris Hedge was commissioned to design an interactive musical installation for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, he and Vieira created a track of her singing fado that was projected on a huge outdoor screen and remixed live every night throughout the games.

Tango No. 9, is San Francisco's premier chamber ensemble, passionately devoted to all facets of tango music. This concert will feature recent additions to Tango No.9's repertoire in all its phases – a trademark mix of traditional dance music, the tango nuevo of Astor Piazzolla, and more recent compositions that extend tango conventions into the 21st century.
The group will also preview material it is preparing for its fifth recording, whose working title is The Vocal Album. Tango No. 9 is: Catharine Clune – violin, Greg Stephens – trombone, Joshua Raoul Brody – piano, Zoltan diBartolo – vocals.

THE ACCORDION BABES REVIEW

Saturday, April 13 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

The multi-talented, multi-instrumental Accordion Babes (featured on this year's Accordion Babes calendar) perform live, in concert. Each performer plays several instruments (don't worry, it won't be 12 accordions for the whole evening) and sings. This will be the last stop on their West Coast Tour! The band features Renee de la Prade on accordion and guitar, Joan Wilson Rueter on accordion and fiddle, Skyler Fell on accordion, Diana Strong on accordion, Amber Lee Baker on accordion and glockenspiel and the odd man out, Michael Messer on drums.

MAURICE TANI & 77 EL DEORA

THE T-SISTERS

Wry-to-Romantic American Songwriter Comes to St. Cyprian's

Saturday, April 6 8:00pm

$16 door / $14 advance

Americana artist Maurice Tani and his band 77 El Deora featuring guest vocalist Pam Brandon come to St Cyprian's to perform their unique and sophisticated take on American music. The Bay Area-based 6-piece, altcountry/Americana outfit, formed in 2004, will be making their fourth appearance at SF LIVE ARTS' long running concert series.

Tani & 77 El Deora represent the best in Americana: smart without making a fuss about it. The lyrics are worldly but universal. The musical ideas hit home. The playing is as good as you’re going to hear this side of Austin. Above all, the band covers a lot of ground, from wistful ballads to hard driving honky-tonk rock, from personal meditations to satirical cultural observations, from electrified twang to down-home acoustic. Once in a while, they even find new shades of meaning in some cover you thought had been long since played out. This band is different. This band is special.
“All in all, possibly the best indie ‘Americana’ band to come from the Bay Area . . . ever . . . period.” - Paul Olguin

OPENING: THE T SISTERS
The T Sisters are a genuine sister singing group based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Their unique yet classic sound invites a range of likenesses: from soulful 60’s girl groups to the sirens from the Coen Brothers’ film Oh Brother Where Art Thou and the Andrews Sisters.
With their coveted blend, they have lent backing vocals to some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians: local bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Robin Flower & Libby McLaren, Hot Buttered Rum, Melody Walker, Wendy Burch Steel, Eliza Gilkyson, American Nomad, The California Honeydrops and many more. They are currently beginning their first full-length album under the production of their friend and mentor Laurie Lewis.

Special reunion concert -

TRANCE MISSION

Stephen Kent - didgeridoo, percussion, cello-sintir

Beth Custer - b flat, alto, bass clarinets, percussion

Peter Valsamis - drums, percussion, electronics

Friday, March 22 8:00pm

$17 door / $15 advance

This dynamic trio gives urban tribalism a whole new soundtrack.
Founded in 1991 by Kent and Custer, Trance Mission, the widely acclaimed "4th World" quartet out of the Bay Area, performed extensively up and down the West Coast and on several successful European tours during the 1990's. Together they created four seminal recordings which were released on San Francisco's City of Tribes label, the first three of which, "Trance Mission", "Meanwhile" and "Head Light" included John Loose on drums and Kenneth Newby on Indonesian winds & percussion and atmospheric electronics. The fourth CD, 'A Day Out of Time' featured Kent & Custer with Peter Valsamis on drums and Electronics and Eda Maxym on vocals.

This concert, the first reunion of these 3 musicians for over a decade, will revisit trio versions of classic TM works from that era and unleash some new compositions.
Don't miss an extraordinary evening of gorgeous melodies, scintillating rhythms, and ecstatic drones, with occasional droll interludes.

Beth Custer Stephen Kent

Something completely different -

An Evening with BOB KANN

Saturday, February 23 7:30pm

$12 door / $10 advance

Laugh your heads off as Madison, Wisconsin funny man Bob Kann presents stupendous storytelling, jolting juggling, mesmerizing magic, and much more for all ages. Drawing material from thirty years of experience performing the "comic arts" as a family entertainer, Bob presents a participatory variety entertainment extravaganza guaranteed to tickle your funny bones and spark your imagination. Bob usually can be found reading his favorite book on levitation. He simply can't put it down!

Learn more about Bob on his website.

We celebrate The SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival with 3 special concerts!

Sin to Salvation with:

THE MOUNTAIN MEN

Misisipi Mike's SOUTHERN COMFORTS

FRET NOT GOSPEL

Saturday, February 16 8:00pm

$16 door / $14 advance

From an old-time mountain string band (Mountain Men) to spiritual, old-time mountain gospel (Fret Not), to Americana in-between (Southern Comforts), we journey from Sin to Salvation with three rollicking, hard-driving, boot-stomping bands.

Old-Time north and south of the border:

THE STAIRWELL SISTERS

CASCADA DE FLORES

Friday, February 15 8:00pm

$18 door / $16 advance

Our favorite show of the past two years comes back to be part of the SFBOT. Two of the Bay Area's best-loved ensembles play separately and together, highlighting the surprising similarities and differences between old time music north & south of the Rio Grande. An evening with either of these bands is not to be missed. Having them both together is a rare treat!

3x2 - Three Dynamic Duos with:

ANN & PETE SIBLEY, MISNER & SMITH, MELODY WALKER & JACOB GROOPMAN

Saturday, February 9 8:00pm

$15 door / $12 advance

Ann & Pete Sibley - winners of the "Great American Duet Sing Off" on National Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion.

Misner & Smith - lilting, strikingly in-sync harmonies, charming, personable stage presence, deftly written, engaging story song originals from well-loved local favorites.

Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman - sensational young duo taking the Bay Area by storm with their AmeriCali sound.

Harmonies that thrill. Original songs that amaze. Three duos poised to deliver a night of incomparable songs. Guaranteed to be an SFBOT experience like no other, this evening's SF Live Arts/Cyprian's presentation is specially designed for those who prefer their Americana easy on the ears and thrilling for the soul.

Celebrate Django Reinhardt's birthday with:

GAUCHO

KALLY PRICE & the Old Blues & Jazz Band

CRAIG VENTRESCO

Saturday, January 26 8:00pm

$12 door / $10 advance

Gaucho recently celebrated their first decade at the forefront of the Bay Area gypsy jazz scene. Knowing a good thing when they hear it, SF Weekly readers voted them number one jazz band in the Bay Area . Though still steeped in the Django Reinhardt songbook, composer Dave Ricketts now adds New Orleans flavored rhythms to stylish originals.

Gaucho on YouTube

Kally Price possesses a rich, emotive old time jazz voice. A mainstay of the SF retro blues and jazz band scene, she first made a name for herself with the North Carolina band, The Lazybirds. Lately she fronts The Old Blues and Jazz Band, a 5 piece band comprised of some of the Bay Area's best old time players. Dynamic and full of soulful energy, her voice transports one to rare, exotic musical climes rarely encountered these days. Kally Price on YouTube

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT plus Vicki Lee & Russ "The Muleskinner" Whitehead

Saturday, January 12 8:00pm

$22 door / $20 advance

"Ramblin' Jack has been a towering influence on a generation of folk and rock musicians, most notably Bob Dylan" - Boston Globe

One of the last direct links to the great folk traditions of this country, Jack is one of the legendary foundations of American folk music. He travelled with Woody Gutherie in the 1950s "from the redwood forests to the gulfstream waters" learning the blues along the way from Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry, so it's fitting that his second recent Grammy award was in the Traditional Blues category. He received the National Medal of Arts award and was honored with a special dinner at the White House. Recently the award-winning film "The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack" introduced a new generation to his timeless music and yarns. We are honored to have this national treasure start our concert year.

2012

Shadowlight Productions presents:

An evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater with live gamelan accompaniment

Saturday, October 20 8:00pm

$15 door / $13 advance

The award-winning, internationally acclaimed ShadowLight Theatre directed by Larry Reed, presents a great event for all ages. Featuring a stunning array of intricate, handmade shadow puppet figures silhouetted on a backlit screen, the ancient stories blend religious mythology, historical events and humorous improvisation. This special performance will feature Gamelan Orchestra accompaniment directed by Gamelan Sekar Jaya's Master Artist in Residence, and one of Bali's most internationally recognized modern composers, I Made Subandi.

Audience members are encouraged to come up to the side of the stage & see the exotic Balinese instruments and how the shadow puppets work during the performance.

The combination of shadow puppets, live music and the sense of humor and fun in the stories themselves make this an evening no one should miss.

FRANK FAIRFIELD, Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, The Get Happy String Band

Saturday, October 13 7:30pm

$15 door / $12.50 advance

This eclectic, old-time, ragtime, stringband & trad-jazz show features the banjo, fiddle and eerily, haunting voice of Frank Fairfield, who mines the beauty of old time music and was hailed as “a one man folk revival” by NPR. His many fans include Ry Cooder, and Greil Marcus.

The hard -driving Ragtime Duo of Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod will knock your socks off, with their fast, virtuoso ragtime guitar and charming vocals; while The Get Happy Stringband unearths the beautiful harmonies and melodies of songs from the 20's & 30's.

SF LIVE ARTS AT CYPRIAN'S PRESENTS AN ECLECTIC ROOTS, VARIETY SHOW, SURE TO DELIGHT ALL MUSIC LOVERS!

The Shook Twins, The Country Mourns, and The Dirt Floor Band

Saturday, September 29 7:30pm

$12 door / $10 advance

THE SHOOK TWINS - new folk pop darlings of the Pacific Northwest

THE SHOOK TWINS Laurie and Katelyn are twin sisters from Idaho who reside currently in Portland and have been tearing it up lately on the Pacific Northwest music circuit. Their music is contemporary folk permeated with world music rhythms, singer-songwritery depth, literary aspirations, and pop playfulness. Their sound is witty, soulful, mischievous, and swinging all at the same time; and their stage show is a fast-paced juggling act of banjos, guitars, mandolins, a giant golden egg, djembe, altered vocal effects, beat boxing, and looping. They're able to mix traditional folk elements, such as passionate sibling harmonizing, with modern gadgetry and experimentation in seamless fashion thanks to their onstage exuberance, charm and rock-solid talent. The Shook Twins

THE COUNTRY MOURNS - Misisipi Mike's exciting new Americana duo

THE COUNTRY MOURNS are Misisipi Mike Wolf and Jody Richardson. They play all original songs in a variety of Americana styles. Both Jody and Mike write and sing for the duo, with Jody handling the fiddle duties and Mike on the guitar. Misisipi Mike is a mainstay in the Bay Area Americana music scene, as the leader of Misisipi Rider, the Midnight Gamblers and countless other cherished local acts. Misisipi Mike Wolf was voted "Best Singer/Songwriter' of 2011 on the San Francisco Bay Guardian readers poll, and his songs have been featured on hit TV shows like "True Blood" (HBO), "Justified" (FX) and "Big Love" (Showtime). ),Jody Richardson is a talented youngster who fiddles and sings with old school charm and conviction way beyond her years. Facebook: The Country Mourns

THE DIRT FLOOR BAND - 5-piece spirited gypsy bluegrass from Mendocino

THE DIRT FLOOR BAND are 5 fellows from Mendocino who make a high-spirited brand of California gypsy bluegrass that appeals to dyed-in-the-wool Bill Monroe-loving traditionalists as well as dance-happy scene makers. On the surface the songs seem like up tempo hard-charging celebrations of everything carefree. Lyrically the songs aren't afraid to tackle a wide-range of emotions and the sides of the human condition. Dirt Floor Band songs aim to move you outside and in! The Dirt Floor Band

An Evening of Song

Saturday, July 28 7:30pm

$13 advance / $15 door

Joshua Raoul Brody & Merle (Ian Shoales) Kessler host 25 singers, each performing their favorite song, which may (or may not) have a summer theme. They will be backed by the amazingly versitile Experimental Love Orchestra. Come join the song fest!

Gospel Night with Men of Endurance and Fret Not

Saturday, July 14 8:00pm

$13 advance / $15 door

With four powerful voices (led by Pastor Kenny Mason) and backed by a dynamic, rhythm section, Men of Endurance captures the blues and soul sound that influenced artists such as Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Little Milton and many others. Performing at blues and gospel festivals all over the west, they received the 2004 Gospel Singing Award from the Bay Area Blues Society.
Led by Lori Arthur's intense and fiery singing, Fret Not plays old-time, boot-stomping roots gospel with songs from the traditions of America's white and black rural churches; backed by fiddle, bass, guitar and banjo.

A REAL DEVINE FOLK BLUES REVIVAL:

Devine's Jug Band, Dustbowl Revival & Ragtime Skedaddlers

Saturday, May 12 7:30pm

$16 advance / $18 door

SF's Best Jug Band meets LA's finest folk blues orchestra plus the best ragtime stringband around!

Pete Devine's Jug Band

Don't let these youngsters fool you. They've been playing real-deal, nitty gritty, pre-war jazz, blues, ragtime, and jug band music together and in various combinations for well over a decade. Suddenly there is a proliferation of bands from coast to coast playing the ol' Memphis Jug Band songs. Playing them with the authority and conviction of the originals is another matter. The songs they play date to the turn of the century. Devine's Jug band plays them with such precision and affection that something wholly new and magical is revealed about them. www.myspace.com/devinesjugband

Dustbowl Revival
Dustbowl Revival is high impact, 10-piece, happy collision of bluegrass, ragtime and New Orleans gypsy folk jive, playing outstanding originals and uniquely arranged classics with vintage finesse and contemporary gusto. Despite the diversity of influences, this rather large collection of vintage clothes wearing, Venice Beach jazzbos has forged a tight cohesive sound framed in a singular vision. In their songs you hear a solid unmistakable affection for horn driven swinging good time jazz. Yet the approach is fresh and oddly modern sounding. It’s like hearing Fats Waller's band jam with the Black Keys. They’re proof positive that boot-stomping good time songs played by talented music lovers will never go out of style. www.dustbowlrevival.com

Ragtime Skedaddlers
Ragtime is America’s first original popular music. Known for its entrancing syncopated rhythms, it was all the rage from the late 1890s up to World War I, a period that also saw a surge of interest in banjo, mandolin, and guitar ensembles. Cakewalks, rags, "Indian intermezzos", and Latin dances were all arranged for string instruments. The Ragtime Skedaddlers revive the joyous sounds of a ragtime string band consisting of two mandolins and guitar. Their new CD, Mandolins at the Cake Walk, includes the first modern recordings of many early arrangements. www.myspace.com/ragtimeskedaddlers

Music, poetry, electronics & performance art meet in a special CD release concert with:

Jon Raskin & Carla Harryman (with their 7-piece ensemble)

Pamela Z

Saturday, April 21 8:00pm

$16 advance / $18 door

Composer and improviser (ROVA) Jon Raskin and cross-genre poet Carla Harryman celebrate the release of “Open Box” (on John Zorn’s Tzadik label) using Harryman’s texts as scores for musical interpretation and voice. Animating the connections between music and language, the performance will feature an all-star ensemble with Aurora Josephson, Ava Mendoza, Gino Robair, John Shuirba and Roahm Sheikhani.
One of the giants of SF’s music/performance art scene, the always amazing Pamela Z, will open the evening.

An evening of election-year comedy & music with:

Will Durst & Roy Zimmerman

Friday, March 9 8:00pm

$16 advance / $18 door

"Live from the Starving Ear"

San Francisco’s chief political punster teams up with the Bay Area’s top musical satirist to recreate and update an evening at the seminal San Francisco nightclub, the hungry i, in a hilarious evening of biting, political satire & more. Check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufkD_QyY_MY

SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival

Americana Angels with:

Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack, Evie Ladin Band, Blushin' Roulettes

Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack

Saturday, February 18, 7:30pm

$16 advance / $18 door

She has a voice like a "soulful howl from the mountains" (California Bluegrass Association), and “comes by her mountain-music sensibility with true authenticity, with original songs deeply rooted in her family's frontier experience" (FestivalPreview.com). A descendant of Cornish miners who sang in the mines, Rita Hosking grew up with a deep regard for folk music and the power of voice. And her delivery is simply intense. Rita’s latest record, Come Sunrise, was selected Best Country Album in the 2010 Independent Music Awards and 3rd Coast Music Magazine named her Female Artist of the Year for 2009.

Evie Ladin is a natural entertainer with “a gift for infusing folk practices with contemporary verve.” -SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE A Banjo player, step-dancer, singer, songwriter and square-dance caller with a lifetime of experience in traditional American cultural arts, Evie Ladin grew up in a trad folk scene up and down the Eastern Seaboard of the US, and tours the world, with her solo project Evie Ladin Band, with The Stairwell Sisters, (an all-gal old-time teardown) and Keith Terry & Crosspulse, performing rhythm-based multi-cultural music & dance works.

Hailing from the Mendocino coast, The Blushin' Roulettes deliver old-time tunes with a modern twist deeply rooted in a feminine perspective. Songwriter/guitarist Angela Rose belts her sweet and sultry tunes of damsels in their bliss and distress in a warbling vibrato often compared to Iris Dement and Dolly Parton. Presented with Restless Whim Productions

A kid's show special with:

Gayle Schmitt & the Toodala Ramblers

Saturday, February 18 2:00pm

$6 kids / $9 adults

Come dance, sing, and tap your toes with Gayle Schmitt and her bluegrass pickin’ Ramblers as they present a fun-filled performance of bluegrass, mountain, and folk music for kids. With fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and bass they’ll set your feet a-stompin’ for a barn dance in the City!
Kentucky-born Gayle Schmitt has released two Parent’s Choice Award-winning CDs featuring bluegrass and old-time songs for kids.
Gayle and the Ramblers play high energy, fun arrangements of traditional tunes along with unforgettable originals for a toe tappin', sing-a-long experience that'll be hard to forget.
Children must be accompanied by an adult

Duo Night with:

Nell Robinson & Jim Nunnally, Misner & Smith, Jeanie & Chuck Poling

Nell Robinson Jim Nunnally

Friday, February 17, 7:30pm

$16 advance / $18 door

Join three diverse duos for some very fine singing, sweet harmonies, and hot pickin'.

Just back from a triumphant tour back East, finishing at the Kennedy Center in DC, Nell Robinson (Red Level, the Henriettas) has taken the local bluegrass scene by storm with her distinctive vocals and sunny stage charisma. Nell teams up this evening with world-class picker and singer, Jim Nunally (David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, John Reischman and the Jaybirds) to put a new face on some old-time music.

Sam Misner and Megan Smith began their musical collaboration after working together as actors on a production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song. Balancing their careers as actors and musicians, the two have found the art of storytelling to be one of the common threads running through both forms. Crafting original songs rich in meaning and texture, the duo’s sound is centered around unique vocal harmonies and evocative lyrics, and in 2007, their song “Madeline (Paradise Cracked)” won the West Coast Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year competition.

Jeanie & Chuck Poling play bluegrass, honky-tonk, and more. Featuring Jeanie’s beautiful and powerful vocals and Chuck’s fine guitar work and inexhaustible supply of stage patter, this duo’s mission is first and foremost to give folks a show. They’ve been entertaining Bay Area audiences for over a decade as a duo and with their band – Jeanie and Chuck’s Country Roundup.

Foghorn Stringband, Jeff Kazor & Lisa Berman, Anne & Pete Sibley

Foghorn Stringband

Friday, February 10, 7:30pm

$16 advance / $18 door

We kickoff the SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival with a great triple bill!

The internationally acclaimed Foghorn Stringband has been at the vanguard of a revival in American old-time music for over a decade now. They've traveled the globe, been signed to a major label, and inspired a new generation of old-time musicians, all without compromising their love of traditional American music.

Jeff Kazor founded his groundbreaking and internationally influential band The Crooked Jades in San Francisco in 1996, recording 7 albums and touring and playing festivals all over Europe and North America. Multi instrumentalist/vocalist Lisa Berman is internationally known as a pioneer in bringing the Hawaiian slide guitar back to old-time music and redefining its sound. She also performs on claw-hammer banjo, dobro, guitar, harmonium, and baritone ukulele. Berman co-founded The Crooked Jades with Jeff Kazor, where her rare gift for harmony singing has been showcased and critically acclaimed as hauntingly beautiful and goosebump-raising. Berman also records and tours with the renowned Stairwell Sisters.

Originally from New England, Anne & Pete Sibley have been at home in the Rocky Mountain West since 1999. Less than a decade since they released their first album, the Sibleys' music hit the national spotlight in 2009 with a blue ribbon finish in the "Great American Duet Sing Off" on National Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion.

Ramblin' Jack Elliott
and Vikki Lee

photo of the performers

Saturday, Jan 21, 8pm

$20 advance / $22 door

Music Legend and Three Time Grammy Winner Ramblin' Jack Elliott

“Ramblin’ Jack Elliott has been a towering influence on a generation of folk and rock musicians, most notably Bob Dylan.”
– The Boston Globe.

One of the last direct links to the great folk traditions of this country, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is one of the legendary foundations of American folk music. In the tradition of roving troubadours Jack has carried the seeds and pollens of story and song for decades from one place to another, from one generation to the next. In 1950, he met Woody Guthrie, moved in with the Guthrie family and traveled with Woody to California and Florida, from the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters. Along the way he learned the blues first-hand from Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Jesse Fuller and Champion Jack Dupree. So it’s fitting that earlier this year, he received his first Grammy Award in the Traditional Blues category for his album, A Stranger Here. (His two previous Grammys were in the folk category). He received the National Medal of Arts award and was honored with a special dinner at the White House. Recently the award-winning film The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack introduced a new generation to his timeless music and yarns. We are honored to have this national treasure start our concert year.

Americana/Country/Rockabilly artist Vikki Lee opens the concert.

2011

2010

2009

2008

JD SOUTHER, April Smith, ROY ZIMMERMAN, STEVIE COYLE, THE STAIRWELL SISTERS, THE CREOLE BELLES, Geoff and Dan Hoyle, The GAS MEN, Merle (Ian Shoales) Kessler & Joshua (Raoul) Brody in SLOUCHING TOWARDS DISNEYLAND, LED KAAPANA, MIKE KAAWA, BAGUETTE QUARTETTE, moira smiley & VOCO w/Keith Terry & Evie Laden, Mimi Fox, Merle Kessler & Joshua Raoul Brody present Another EVENING OF SONG, Peppino D'Agostino, Vienna Teng, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Tango No. 9 with Mila Salazar & Dancers, Houston Jones, WILL DURST plus special guests, The PETER ROWAN BLUEGRASS BAND, ERIC & SUZY THOMPSON, JACKSTRAW, THE WRONGLERS, FRET NOT, the Stairwell Sisters, the Crooked Jades, Spring Creek, MICHAEL MANRING, EDO CASTRO & YVES CARBONNE, Lindsay Mac, Steve Seskin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Mike Beck.

2007

Ya Elah & Miriam Peretz, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, BRUCE BARTHOL, Iva Bittova, KIHNOUA w/Larry Ochs & TIPS Trio, Ben Goldberg, Scott Amendola & Devin Hoff, MARTY EHRLICH & MYRA MELFORD Duo, Jeffrey Halford, Chris Donohoe, Keith Greeninger, PETER FINGER, TEJA GERKEN, STEVE BAUGHMA, Sasha Dobson, SWELL SEASON w/GLEN HANSARD & MARKETA IRGLOVA, Dave McGraw, The Baguette Quartette, ZA'ATAR: Music of the Jews of Arab & Muslim Lands, COUNTRY JOE McDONALD'S Tribute to Woody Guthrie, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, ELIO VILLAFRANCA w/Babatunde Lea, Howard Wiley and Jeff Brennan, BILL EVANS String Summit, TANGO No. 9 & Dancers, SLAVYANKA Men's Russian Chorus, KRIS DELMHORST, Ana Egge, PETER ROWAN BLUEGRASS BAND, ALHAMBRA VALLEY BAND, JACKSTRAW, THE STAIRWELL SISTERS, THE WRONGLERS, TIN HAT, ADRIAN LEG, MANRING KASSIN DARTER, RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT, Jeffrey Halford.

2006

KITKA presents WINTERSONGS, GEOFF HOYLE & DANIEL HOYLE, The BETH CUSTER ENSEMBLE, JEFFREY HALFORD & The Healers, JIM BRUNBERG (BOX SET), CHRIS DONOHOE, PEPPINO D'AGOSTINO & ENRIQUE CORIA, TANGO No. 9 & Dancers in Tango, The Baguette Quartette, Boulder Acoustic Society, Iron & the Albatross, Hot Club of Berkeley, Larry Reed's Shadow Light Theater, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, THOTH, HOYLE & HOYLE, San Francisco Guitar Summit with TEJA GERKEN, SAN FRANCISCO GUITAR QUARTET, ADAM LEVY & WILL BERNARD DUO, JOHN SANTOS performs 'Rhythmic Stories', KITKA Women's Vocal Ensemble presents SPIRIT VOICES, BILL FRISELL'S Ensemble performs Probability Cloud created with visual artist, JIM WOODRING, BALINESE SHADOW THEATER -- Performed by LARRY REED, Jeffrey Halford & The Healers, MANRING KASSIN DARTER & RAY MANZAREK & MICHAEL McCLURE, THE DREW EMMITT BAND, DONNER MOUNTAIN BLUEGRASS BAND, TH LITTLE & JIM NUNALLY, BELLE MONROE & HER BREWGLASS BOYS, PETER ROWAN w/Sharon Gilchrist, Boulder Acoustic Society, The PAPERMILL CREEK ROUNDERS, KLEPTOGRASS, HIGH COUNTRY, TANGO No. 9 & Tango Con*Fusion, Ray Manzarek & Michael McClure --- with Larry Kassin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott.

2005

THE KLEZ- X, Eric Andersen & SONiA, CASCADA de FLORES, The Stairwell Sisters with Smith & Jones, and Keith Terry, SLAMMIN all-body band, Brian Gore & Juan Martine, MAMADOU DIABATE & WALTER STRAUSS, NATASHA MILLER & JAMIE DAVIS, JEFFREY HALFORD & the Healers, THE PINE BOX BOYS, Box Set Duo, Adrian Legg, Prince Diabate & Band, the Baguette Quartette, CUARTETO DOS ALAS with John Santos, Orestes Vilato, Elio Villafranca & John Benitez, Za'atar, Tango No. 9, Crooked Still, Jeff Kazor & The Swerve Beats, Marley's Ghost, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Maria Marquez with John Santos & Larry Vukovich, Ganesh Kumar & Ensemble, The Peter Rowan / Tony Rice Quartet, The Greencards, Jackstraw, Crooked Still, Matt Bauer, John Reischman & The Jaybirds, Due West, Bill Frisell's 858 Quartet featuring Hank Roberts, Eyvind Kang & Jenny Scheinman, Rafe Stefanini, The Shiftless Rounders, Kenny Hall & the Long Haul String Band, Box Set Duo plus Corinne West w/James Nash, Manring Kassin Darter, Ramblin' Jack Elliott plus Sonia.

2004

A Celtic Christmas Concert with Todd Denman, Kyle Thayer & friends, A Chanukah celebration with Davka, Mamadou Diabate with Walter Strauss, Tango No. 9 with the Tango Con*Fusion Dancers, Peter Lang, Dale Miller, and Teja Gerken, the music of Phil Ochs with SONiA of disappear fear, Greg Greenway, Magpie, Kim & Reggie Harris, Pat Humphries & Sandy O, David Roth, Tom Prasada-Rao, John Flynn, hosted by Sonny Ochs with Eric Anderson, The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Art Songs --set to music by Bryant Kong, The Incredible String Band, Espers, The California Guitar Trio, 'Dance When You're Broken Open', a poetry concert with Jami Sieber, Kim Rosen, Michaelle Goerlitz & Rhiannon, Terry Riley & Larry Karush, Shana Morrison & Band, Box Set Duo plus Hyim, Rachel Grimes (from Rachel's) plus Brightblack, The Baguette Quartet, The San Francisco Klezmer Experience, Cyril Pahinui & Patrick Landeza, The Palm Wine Boys, Jewels and Binoculars, Leni Stern w/George Brooks, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, The Crooked Jades and Los Cenzontles, Larry Karush, Chirgilchin, Stephen Kent, Danny Heines, Sarymai Urchimaev, Manring Kassin Darter, Jeanrenaud, Masaoka, Ochs, Peppino D'Agostino and Duck Baker.

SF Live Arts at Cyprian’s

formerly the Noe Valley Music Series

Archive of Past Events

2016

THE LAST EVENING OF SONG

“Whine & Dine: Songs of Food and/or Kvetching”

SF Live Arts presents our Women in Music series with

DIANA GAMEROS Trio

MEGAN & BRANDON KEELY

An Evening of Portuguese Fado--

RAMANA VIEIRA & Ensemble

with special guests FATIMA SANTOS & JOSE IGLESIAS

ShadowLight Production's performance of:

WAYANG BALI: An Evening of Balinese Shadow Play

MISNER & SMITH JEFFREY HALFORD & the Healers

(acoustic)

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT

plus Vikki Lee & Russ "The Muleskinner" Whitehead

BOX SET

A special CD release celebration:

MANRING, KASSIN & JOHN R. TODD BOSTON

Both artists celebrate the release of their new CDs:

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN

MEGAN KEELY

2015

Winter Solstice concert for Light & Peace:

KRISTIN HOFFMANN

with flutist Larry Kassin

and the One Heart Choir, directed by Claire Victor

Folk music legends:

KIM & REGGIE HARRIS JAMES LEE STANLEY

Only Bay Area Concert!

The Best of SPIDER SALOFF Concert

The 29th Anniversary edition of:

AN EVENING OF SONG!

Two great bands - One great night!

HOUSTON JONES

SUSIE GLAZE & THE HI LONESOME BAND

The lilting balladry, deft songwriting and gentle thrilling songs of:

QUILES AND CLOUD

KELLY MCFARLING

THE LADY CROONERS

MERRYGOLD

DIRTY CELLO

THE LITTLEST BIRDS

At the Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez in San Francisco:

After 4 years we return to our original venue for a special performance!

ShadowLight Productions presents:

Wayang Bali: Balinese Shadow Play

At St. Cyprian's, 2097 Turk (near Masonic) in San Francisco:

RAINBOW GIRLS

DGIIN

Special Admission Price-All tickets $10!

Live, in concert CD recording!

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN with Bob Beach plus Chris Ayer

PATCHY SANDERS

MISNER & SMITH

A Duo of Award-Winning Duos with

MELODY WALKER & JACOB GROOPMAN

MOLLY TUTTLE & JOHN MAILANDER

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT

2014

ShadowLight Productions presents

WAYANG BALI: BALINESE SHADOW PLAY

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN

with Bob Beach

Saturday, October 18 8:00pm

HOUSTON JONES

SUSIE GLAZE & THE HiLONESOME BAND

The 28th Anniversary edition of:

AN EVENING OF SONG!

Award-Winning Americana, Folk & Traditional Bluegrass from Boston and The Bay Area

MOLLY TUTTLE TRIO & BILL EVANS

A Special CD Release Concert with:

DOUG BLUMER & THE BOHEMIAN HIGHWAY

THE SORENTINOS

We present at STUDIO 55 in San Rafael:

Comedian WILL DURST in his hit show

BOOMERAGING! FROM LSD TO OMG

Electric bass summit with:

SF Live Arts
at Cyprian’s

formerly the
Noe Valley Music Series

MISNER & SMITH
JEFFREY HALFORD & the Healers

MANRING, KASSIN & JOHN R.
TODD BOSTON

KIM & REGGIE HARRIS
JAMES LEE STANLEY

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN with Bob Beach
plus Chris Ayer