Another great week of live in the Bay Area. Here are some suggestion for this week..

Monday April 9th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-12:30 AM Showtime Mike Olmos Presents The Sessions Mike is a such a great trumpet player. He leads his all star Sessions for a great night of jazz.. N/C

Mr.Tipples 39 Fell St, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime Panique Jazz is a gypsy jazz band from San Francisco specializing in Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli‘s music of the ’30s and ’40s. Think of the backdrop to romantic Paris cafes, smoky underground jazz clubs, and Woody Allen flicks. The group features the incredible Vic Wong on lead guitar, Benito Cortez on violin, and Nick Christie on rhythm guitar. Hailing from prestigious local acts like Gaucho, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, they are experts in the struttin’ swing, passionate ballads, dazzling waltzes, and blazing bossas. N/C Highly recommended!!!

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-8:00 PM Showtime The Handsome Ladies, the best ladies-only bluegrass ensemble, hold an early jam session. If you are a lady, bring your instrument and get involved. Afterwards from 9:00 PM-11:00 PM enjoy great traditional bluegrass with The Bow Ties Highly recommended!! N/C

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime Another fun night of music headlined by Lincoln Durham a southern-gothic psycho-blues revival-punk one-man-band with a heavy amped edge, preaching the gospel of some new kind of depraved music. Blues, rock n’ roll noise and punk influenced The Ghost Wolves and Sweetwater Black playing blues with heart wrenching passion open the show.. $15 Cover Charge

Tuesday April 10th

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley 8:30 PM Showtime Tom Rigney and Flambeau is the Bay Areas preeminent cajun & zydeco band. This is such a fun band. Highly recommended!! $15 Cover Charge

Bar Fluxus 18 Harlan Pl, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:30 AM Showtime Vibrason I saw this band recently. They are another great band out of the Bay Area. Very reminiscent of some of the Cal Tjader bands. $10 Cover Charge

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime Arlo Gunthrie’s father Woody hoped one day to have enough kids to form a family band, traveling the country and singing their songs together – Generations. The Re:Generation tour is the spirit of an American family making music together. Arlo’s children Abe Gunthrie and Sarah Lee Gunthrie will be joining their dad to present music of the Guthrie Generations. The father of the American protest song, Woody Guthrie hoped one day to have enough kids to form a family band to travel the country and sing songs to the people. Woody built a legacy of activism that the Guthrie family continues to preserve with their leading voices in the current revolution against oppression and injustice. The Re:Generation Tour gives voice to the common folk with their characteristic honesty and humor through the power of community and song. Arlo and the Guthrie family aspire to represent hope for working families across this great nation. $64 Cover Charge.

Wednesday April 11th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Bay City Blues featuring Chris Cain is a weekly showcase of world class Blues music and superb instrumental talent. This event is a celebration of the Blues in all its forms and an adventure into the depth of a national genre. Hosted by the nationally recognized Chris Cain & his All-Star cast of Musicians, every week they invite a new special guest to accompany them on stage and present new, upcoming, & old talent from the blues world! Bay City Blues is our tribute and exploration into the Blues genre, it is a special event in which we all get to help, share, & “Preserve the Blues.” Highly recommended!! $20 Cover Charge

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime Arlo Gunthrie’s father Woody hoped one day to have enough kids to form a family band, traveling the country and singing their songs together – Generations. The Re:Generation tour is the spirit of an American family making music together. Arlo’s children Abe Gunthrie and Sarah Lee Gunthrie will be joining their dad to present music of the Guthrie Generations. The father of the American protest song, Woody Guthrie hoped one day to have enough kids to form a family band to travel the country and sing songs to the people. Woody built a legacy of activism that the Guthrie family continues to preserve with their leading voices in the current revolution against oppression and injustice. The Re:Generation Tour gives voice to the common folk with their characteristic honesty and humor through the power of community and song. Arlo and the Guthrie family aspire to represent hope for working families across this great nation. $64 Cover Charge.

Thursday April 12th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Showtime.. The legendary Sonny Rhodes continues to be a road warrior, delighting and amazing audiences with his virtuosity mostly displayed on lap steel guitar these days notwithstanding the fact that he is a masterful electric guitarist. Sonny doesn’t make it out to the Bay Area often so I would really recommend seeing this blues guitar master.$20 Cover Charge..

Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime The American orchestral indie rock band The Family Crest will be rockin’ the house. This should be a fun night of music. $23.50 Cover Charge

Le Colonial 20 Cosmo Pl, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime Le Hot Jazz The spirit of Django is alive and well in San Francisco. This is a great ensemble. Highly recommended!! N/C

The Independant 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Time to get your brass off!! The Soul Rebels are is town. This eight piece brass ensemble was recently described as the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong. The Rebels are one of the great bands out of New Orleans and I highly recommend them!! $25 Cover Charge..

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime The Jerry Douglas Trio is in town led by Dobro master and 14-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas is to the resonator guitar what Jimi Hendrix was to the electric guitar: elevating, transforming, and reinventing the instrument in countless ways. Opening for the trio is my favorite Bay Area blues band Howell Devine. Highly recommended!! $35 Cover Charge

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM Showtime Nils Lofgren, the legendary, world renowned singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will be performing solo acoustic. Nils recently entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of the E Street Band. This should be a great show. $44-$85 Cover Charge.

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime Arlo Gunthrie’s father Woody hoped one day to have enough kids to form a family band, traveling the country and singing their songs together – Generations. The Re:Generation tour is the spirit of an American family making music together. Arlo’s children Abe Gunthrie and Sarah Lee Gunthrie will be joining their dad to present music of the Guthrie Generations. The father of the American protest song, Woody Guthrie hoped one day to have enough kids to form a family band to travel the country and sing songs to the people. Woody built a legacy of activism that the Guthrie family continues to preserve with their leading voices in the current revolution against oppression and injustice. The Re:Generation Tour gives voice to the common folk with their characteristic honesty and humor through the power of community and song. Arlo and the Guthrie family aspire to represent hope for working families across this great nation. $64 Cover Charge.

Friday April 13th

The Independant 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Time to get your brass off!! The Soul Rebels are is town. This eight piece brass ensemble was recently described as the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong. The Rebels are one of the great bands out of New Orleans and I highly recommend them!! $25 Cover Charge..

Bimbo’s 1025 Columbus Ave, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Rebirth Brass Band is an institution. Formed in 1983, the band has long since graduated from the streets of New Orleans to theaters and festivals all over the world. Rebirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show. Their signature brand of heavy funk has placed them among the world’s top brass bands and they are the hands-down favorite among the younger generation. This is a show not to be missed!! $35 Cover Charge..

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtime Heather Gillis Band Heather is the complete package as a guitarist, lap steel player, songwriter, singer and arranger. She and her band have the stage presence and confidence to appeal to a variety of musical tastes be it rock, soul, jazz, roots or gospel. She will have the Biscuit rockin’!! $24 Cover Charge.

Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco 9:30 PM Showtime This will be a night of nonstop funk with two great bands headlining with Will Blades Starting Five Element Brass Band, one of the premier brass bands in Northern California opens the show. A fun night of funk!! $12 Cover Charge

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Headlining tonight is Go Betty Go an extraordinary all-Latina pop-punk band, an outfit whose classic, stripped-down ’77-style songs quickly established them as a popular force on the local rock circuit. Opening the show are Glam Shanks creates a colorful audiovisual extravaganza using familiar tints from T Rex, The Runaways, David Bowie and The Sweet, with the drama of Alice Cooper and the genuine rock sensibility of Aerosmith, all wrapped up in a full-blown cosmetic Rocky Horror show meets Hedwig androgyny; and Oakland’s own Year Of The Fist $12 Cover Charge

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime The Freight and Salvage Woody Guthrie All Stars performance of the music from Woody Guthrie’s American Song featuring the original core band, with special guests. Directed by Peter Glazer, Musical Direction by Jeff Waxman Woody Guthrie’s American Song is the award-winning musical based on the life and music of the iconic American folk singer, written and directed by Peter Glazer. The veteran cast seamlessly melds Guthrie’s jokes, tales, & music— classics like “Bound for Glory” and “This Land Is Your Land,” as well as lesser-known treasures like “Jolly Banker” and “Ludlow Massacre”— for a show The New York Times said “manages to find both the high beauty and the earthly humor of Guthrie’s love affair with America.” $32 Cover Charge

Piedmont Piano Company 1728 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland Akira Tana & The Secret Agent Band plays the music of Bond (James Bond), shaken and stirred. Led by drummer Akira Tana, his team includes Nashville-based vocalist Annie Sellick with James Mahone on sax, Jeff Massanari on guitar, and Midori Ono, organ. Says Tana, “The music from the James Bond films are a perfect vehicle for jazz interpretation. The tunes are globally recognized and are very accessible to listeners not familiar with the jazz idiom.” Highly recommended!! $20 Cover Charge

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM Showtime Nils Lofgren, the legendary, world renowned singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will be performing solo acoustic. Nils recently entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of the E Street Band. This should be a great show. $44-$85 Cover Charge.

Kuumbwa Jazz Center 320 Cedar St # 2, Santa Cruz, CA 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtime Five-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves is simply one of the pre-eminent jazz vocalists in the world. This is a great venue to see this grammy award winning vocalist. $60 Cover Charge.

Saturday April 14th

Bimbo’s 1025 Columbus Ave, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Rebirth Brass Band is an institution. Formed in 1983, the band has long since graduated from the streets of New Orleans to theaters and festivals all over the world. Rebirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show. Their signature brand of heavy funk has placed them among the world’s top brass bands and they are the hands-down favorite among the younger generation. This is a show not to be missed!! $35 Cover Charge..

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtime Heather Gillis Band Heather is the complete package as a guitarist, lap steel player, songwriter, singer and arranger. She and her band have the stage presence and confidence to appeal to a variety of musical tastes be it rock, soul, jazz, roots or gospel. She will have the Biscuit rockin’!! $24 Cover Charge.

Brick & Mortar Music Hall 1710 Mission St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime The B-Side Players have been laying down their own inimitable latin global funk since they came together in 1994. This 9-piece band part of a new movement in popular music. A band that honors the international cross-pollination that has always made music the universal language. They use any beat that catches their ear, regardless of geography or genre, to create a compelling, horn driven polyrhythmic groove. They continue exploring the multifaceted grooves of Latin America and the Caribbean, incorporating the sounds of Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil with the funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop rhythms of their homeland, dropping bits of Cumbia, Salsa, gritty street Samba, Son Montuno, Jarocho and Boogaloo into the mix. Highly recommended!! $22 Cover Charge

Mr.Tipples 39 Fell St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-12:30 AM Showtime Robert Dehlinger & The Alpha Rhythm Kings are another Bay Area great ensemble playing swing, vintage lounge and boogie woogie. This band is reminiscent of Louie Prima’s great band. N/C

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime The Freight and Salvage Woody Guthrie All Stars performance of the music from Woody Guthrie’s American Song featuring the original core band, with special guests. Directed by Peter Glazer, Musical Direction by Jeff Waxman Woody Guthrie’s American Song is the award-winning musical based on the life and music of the iconic American folk singer, written and directed by Peter Glazer. The veteran cast seamlessly melds Guthrie’s jokes, tales, & music— classics like “Bound for Glory” and “This Land Is Your Land,” as well as lesser-known treasures like “Jolly Banker” and “Ludlow Massacre”— for a show The New York Times said “manages to find both the high beauty and the earthly humor of Guthrie’s love affair with America.” $32 Cover Charge

Sunday April 15th

Pier 23 Pier 23 The Embarcadero, San Francisco 5:00 PM-8:00 PM The East Bay raised Hogan Brothers are steeped in jazz, R&B, funk, hip-hop and latin music. Highly recommended!! No Cover Charge.

The Back Room 1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley 3:30 PM Showtime The Five Spot Quintet features five musicians who have a deep feel for the jazz tradition. All five could be leaders in their own right. Together the band is even better than the sum of its parts. The band includes pianist Mike Greensill Saxophonist Charlie McCarthy Joe Cohen on alto saxophone, John Clark on bass and Jack Dorsey on drums. Highly recommended!! $15 Cover Charge

The Lucky Horseshoe Bar 453 Cortland Ave, San Francisco 4:00 PM-7:00 PM Showtime Bernal Hillbillies A great three hours of bluegrass music at a really great venue reminiscent of the jams at the Old Paul Saloon many years ago. N/C

Video Pick Of The Week..

AKA Doc Pomus AKA Doc Pomus Trailer

Doc Pomus was the most unlikely of rock & roll icons. Paralyzed with polio as a child, Brooklyn-born Jerome Felder reinvented himself first as a blues singer, renaming himself Doc Pomus, then as a songwriter, creating some of the greatest hits of the early rock and roll era: “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “A Teenager in Love,” “Viva Las Vegas,” and a thousand others. Doc used crutches and a wheelchair. He lived life fully, if not always happily or easily. A.K.A. DOC POMUS brings to life Doc’s joyous, heartbreaking, romantic, and extraordinarily eventful journey. Packed with incomparable music and rare archival imagery, it features a cast which includes Dr. John, Ben E. King, Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin, Dion, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and B.B. King. As well, Doc’s journals are read in the film by his close friend, Lou Reed. Doc Pomus is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the first white person inducted to The Rhythm and Blues Hall Of Fame. His story is one of triumph over adversity