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

Monday April 23rd

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 8:30 PM-11:00 PM Showtime The Earl Brothers are back. The bad boys of bluegrass, are irreverent energetic and a hell of a lot of fun. Highly recommended N/C

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 Le Hot Jazz.. The spirit of Django is alive and well in San Francisco. This is a great ensemble. Highly recommended!! N/C

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime The Grateful Bluegrass Boys mesh their love for traditional Bluegrass music with the songs of the Grateful Dead. This all star band consisting of Aaron Redner & Bryan Horne(Hot Buttered Rum), Ben Jacobs (Poor Man’s Whiskey) and David Thom (Vintage Grass) is making a rare appearance. Highly recommended!! $24 Cover Charge

Tuesday April 24th

Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real was one of the many highlights at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass last year. Great performers and Lukas’s stage present is so impressive. Highly recommend seeing this band. $25 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

Verdi Club 2424 Mariposa St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Buena Vista Jazz Band follows the instrumentation of guitarist Eddie Condon’s classic bands of the 1950s: Bass, Drums, Piano, Rhythm Guitar, Cornet, Trombone and Clarinet. The selections played by the Buena Vista Jazz Band are the classic songs of New Orleans jazz, along with selections from America’s blues and Tin Pan Alley traditions. This is a great venue to see one of my favorite Bay Area bands. $10 Cover Charge

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime I really like this band..The Leandro Joaquim Sextet combines rock, jazz, funk, reggae and bossa nova, with sophisticated and deeply personal lyrics that talk about struggles and triumphs of everyday life. I also like their use of psychedelic effects in their arrangements. Very cool. AfroLatin, East Bay funk 70’s soul influenced Jaz Clemente and World Music/funk influenced Zanzibar round out a great night of music. $10 cover Charge

Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk St, San Francisco 8:30 PM-11:55PM Showtime The Penske File have been playing punk rock together for more than half their lives, which is a quite a feat considering that they are all, just now, collectively entering their mid 20s. Growing up together in suburban Burlington, Ontario, James Hall, Travis Miles & Alexander Standen have been through a lot together. This becomes evident the moment you see them on stage as they feed off each other’s every cathartic note with harmonious ease. Decent Criminal with a sound reminiscent of ‘90s alternative, punk, surf, and power-pop, and punk power trio Linguo round out a great night of music. Highly recommended $8 Cover Charge

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime Los Lonely Boys the American Chicano rock power trio play a style of music they call “Texican Rock n’ Roll,” combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano. Singer/songwriter Lisa Morales is a great opening act. Highly recommended!! $44 Cover Charge

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime For 50 years Jesse Colin Young has been singing songs about peace, relationships and the environment. From his folk days in Boston and his first record, Soul Of a City Boy, he has articulated and recorded the tumultuous times of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s to the present, while reminding us that it is all about family, community and the precious natural world we live in. His musical style is now considered Americana, but in fact it’s his unique fusion of jazz, blues, folk and rock with an emphasis on his extraordinary voice that makes his signature sound. Highly recommended!!! $20 Cover Charge

If you live around Santa Cruz check out

Kuumbwa Jazz 320 Cedar St # 2, Santa Cruz 7:00 PM Showtime Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara, Vieux Farka Toure is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré. Vieux started his musical journey playing percussion, before taking up guitar and joining the group backing kora wizard Toumani Diabaté. He blends elements of Latin, rock, jazz, and blues into his sounds, creating an experience that transcends the boundaries of conventional genres. Highly recommended!! $40 Cover Charge

Wednesday April 25th

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

Tupelo 1337 Grant Ave, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime If you don’t know Johnny Z and the Camaros you should. They are such a fun rock and roll band. They will have Tupelo rockin’ out. N/C

Brick and Mortar 1710 Mission St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime AfriCali fuses rock, blues, heavy rhythms and the percussion of 1970s Ethiopian music. I really like this band’s instrumentation and vocal arrangements as well. Legendary American rapper and the king of underground hip hop Aceyalone and dubbed music legend AZ,ReDSMOKE round out a great night of music. Highly recommended!!! $12 Cover Charge

Cats Corner 2174 Market St, San Francisco 9:30 PM Showtime The Hot Baked Goods are a band of young jazz musicians playing hot tunes of the 30’s. Most of the band members started as swing dancers, and became so infatuated with the music that they decided to make some themselves. I saw them at the Amnesia and this band really swings. $10 Cover Charge

Palace Of Fine Arts 3301 Lyon St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime Gordon Lightfoot the Canadian singer-songwriter has achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s. He is often referred to as Canada’s greatest songwriter and is known internationally as a folk-rock legend. He is a great performer and I highly recommend seeing him. $49-$99 Cover Charge.

The Chapel 777 Valencia St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime Kinky Friedman is a true renaissance man. The American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and former columnist for Texas Monthly is one of the great American satirists in the style of Will Rogers and Mark Twain . Speaking of which I always loved his quote on Twain “Students don’t know who Mark Twain was because he wasn’t on the test”. I am really looking forward to seeing him again. There is a lot of great music this evening but Kinky is the show I would not miss. $40 Cover Charge

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime Los Lonely Boys the American Chicano rock power trio play a style of music they call “Texican Rock n’ Roll,” combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano. Singer/songwriter Lisa Morales is a great opening act. Highly recommended!! $44 Cover Charge

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara, Vieux Farka Toure is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré. Vieux started his musical journey playing percussion, before taking up guitar and joining the group backing kora wizard Toumani Diabaté. He blends elements of Latin, rock, jazz, and blues into his sounds, creating an experience that transcends the boundaries of conventional genres. Highly recommended!! $75 Cover Charge

Thursday April 26th

Black Cat 400 Eddy St, San Francisco 6:30 PM-9:00 PM Showtime The Ben Misterka Collectivity Trio is such a fun band. I love Ben’s energy and the way he blends different genres drawing on influences from jazz/funk, gospel, and psychedelic soul. He is also along with Collectivity are great musicians. Highly recommended!! $15 Cover Charge

The Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco 10:00 PM Showtime One of my very favorite drummers, Stanton Moore who helped found the New Orleans-based essential funk band Galactic will be performing as part of his all star trio with keyboard master and the founder of The Greyboy Allstars ,Robert Walter and funk, jazz hiphop and world guitar master Will Bernard. Khris Royal & Dark Matter from New Orleans rounds out a great night of music. Highly recommended..$25 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

Mr.Tipples 39 Fell St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime San Francisco saxophonist Steven Lugerner and his post-bop quintet Jacknife explores the early- and mid-1960s music of jazz legend Jackie McLean. No Cover Charge

Cafe Claude 7 Claude Ln, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime Jinx Jones is one of the great guitar virtuosos of the Bay Area. I love the way he seems to move seamlessly from rockabilly to jazz to twang and back again, sometimes in the same song. Highly recommended N/C

Red Poppy Art House 2698 Folsom St, San Francisco 7:30 PM-10:00 PM Showtime Matt Renzi’s music explores textures and colors, as well as the various sonorities of the distinct instrumentation. Although many parts are written out, there is also plenty of room for improvisation; the group makes use of both free-form and traditional song forms to use as the basis of collective soloing. The addition of the cello to the standard jazz-saxophone trio adds a contemporary classical element to the mix. The group features Matt Renzi on saxophone, oboe and English horn, Jessica Ivry on cello, John Wiitala on bass and Tim Bulkley on drums. $20 Cover Charge

The UC Theatre 2036 University Ave, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime I was really excited to hear that La Santa Cecilia is coming to the Bay Area. Named after the patron saint of musicians, their influences range from Miles Davis to The Beatles, Zeppelin to Janis Joplin and Mercedes Sosa to Ramon Ayala. The group consists of accordionist and requintero Jose Carlos, bassist Alex Bendana, percussionist Miguel Ramirez and lead vocalist Marisoul, whose captivating voice sings about love, loss and heartbreak. This is a show not to be missed.. Highly recommended!! $32 Cover Charge.

Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music 2367 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley 8:30 Showtime Midtown Social is a nine-piece tour-de- force. I just saw them for the first time last Friday at the Independant and they immediately became one of my favorite Bay Area bands. The musicianship and fresh vocal arrangements of ranging from funk ,rock hip hop and soul had the place rockin’. The band has great energy and stage presence. Highly recommended!!!! $12 Cover Charge

Friday April 27th

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime Los Angeles based singer songwriter Phoebe Bridgers plays her own brand of alternative folk and has made a name for herself in that scene in relatively short time thanks largely to the quicksilver beauty of her voice; sweetly vulnerable, it also has a tensile strength that beguiles listeners. Lomelda, just a wonderful singer/songwriter from Texas, and Nashville singer/songwriter Harrison Whitford rounds out a great night of music. Highly recommended!!! $15 Cover Charge

The Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco 10:00 PM Showtime Blue Plate Special is going to be a mind bending formation of sound, featuring master musicians stemming improv from funk, jazz and psychedelic rock roots. This all star band includes Will Bernard of T.J. Kirk on guitar, Stanton Moore of Galactic on drums, Chris Wood of Medeski Martin & Wood on bass, John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood on organ and Skerik of Les Claypool on sax. This show is ONE NIGHT ONLY – you don’t want to miss this! Highly recommended!!!!! $35 Cover Charge

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 10:00 PM Showtime When Sugaray Rayford belts out a song, you not only hear it, you feel it. He is a superb vocalist and entertainer. His dynamic voice is large just like the man. With his old school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. At 6’5” he is a big man, but he moves with grace and energy. His fluid dance steps will remind you of the Legendary James Brown. Rayford was nominated in December of 2015 for five separate 2016 Blues Music Awards for Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Best Band, Best Song, and the B.B. King Entertainer Award. Highly recommended!!! $35 Cover Charge

Brick and Mortar 1710 Mission St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Jungle Fire lives up to their name by fusing Cumbia, Afrobeat and traditional funk into a highly infectious and explosive sound draws inspiration from the groundbreaking rhythm sections behind James Brown, Fela Kuti, Ray Barretto and Irakere. Camino opens the night with a powerful blend of Latin, Afrobeat, and Funk. Loaded with World rhythms, powerful female vocals and saxophone, Camino’s spirited performances leave audiences feeling uplifted and excited to dance. Highly recommended!! $15 Cover Charge

Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk St, San Francisco 8:30 PM-11:55PM Showtime Reptoid the one man loud, heavy, noisy, rock aneurism from Oakland headlines a show that includes XDS the nerdy dirty jazz punk, vintage garage pop and psychedelic world music duo, the wound up art punk group Rip Room and punk duo The Tunnel. This should be a fun and rowdy night of pure chaos!! $10 Cover Charge

Hotel Utah 500 4th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime I really looking forward to seeing The Moves Collective. This amazing “funk grass” ensemble also draws on Django Reinhardt roots as well. Alternative rock band Drop Dead Red and Los Angeles singer/songwriter Karen Dezelle round out a great show. Highly Recommended!!! $10 Cover Charge

Elbo Room 647 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:30 Showtime The Boogaloo Assasins are in the room!! This Los Angeles-based 12-piece Latin band inspired by the Latin Boogaloo, Latin Soul, Salsa, and Latin Funk records of the 1960’s and 1970’s is so much fun. Just a great live band. Highly recommended!! $20 Cover Charge

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime Legendary guitarist Harvey Mandel whose innovative approach to electric guitar playing has brought him recognition as one of the most distinctive and innovative playes for the past 40 years. Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping. A professional at twenty, he has played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, the Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career. Highly recommended!!! $20 Cover Charge

The New Parish 1743 San Pablo Ave, Oakland 9:00 PM Showtime Mission Delirium is an invitation to revel in the sound of earth shaking drums and face melting brass. Let your hair down, get delirious and shake your ass, if it moves you we play it! Bollywood, Balkan, Brazilian, Ethiopian, Tango, Afro-pop, Middle Eastern, Salsa and more. A love letter to your feet from the dance floor. Highly recommended!!! $15 Cover Charge

If you live near Santa Cruz you may want to check out

Moes Alley 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 9:00 PM Showtime The UK SKA legends The English Beat will be in performance for one night only. $35 Cover Charge

Saturday April 28th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 10:00 PM When Sugaray Rayford belts out a song, you not only hear it, you feel it. He is a superb vocalist and entertainer. His dynamic voice is large just like the man. With his old school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. At 6’5” he is a big man, but he moves with grace and energy. His fluid dance steps will remind you of the Legendary James Brown. Rayford was nominated in December of 2015 for five separate 2016 Blues Music Awards for Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Best Band, Best Song, and the B.B. King Entertainer Award. Highly recommended!!! $35 Cover Charge

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime Consider The Source the progressive rock, fusion and jazz trio from New York headlines a great show along with a great LA surf, avant-rock band Atomic Ape and San Francisco experimental jazz ensemble Varona. Highly recommended!!! $12 Cover Charge.

Swedish American Hall 2174 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime Jenny Don’t And The Spurs If you have a love for old classic country artists such as Hank Williams and Patsy Cline then you might have a soft spot for this Portland band. Jenny Don’t sings from the heart her band plays like there is no tomorrow. Sit back and enjoy! Highly Recommended!! $14 Cover Charge

Cigar Bar & Grill 850 Montgomery St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-Midnight Showtime Mazacote is one of the Bay Areas premier salsa bands. This great ensemble led by legendary percussionist Louie Romero, plays a crowd-pleasing, high-energy mixture of classic salsa favorites and original latin jazz tunes. Highly recommended!! No Cover Charge

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-12:30 AM Showtime Mitch Polzak and The Royal Dueces are unquestionably one of the great rockabilly bands around. The high-energy three piece ensemble performs Rockabilly from the late ’50s Sun Records era, guitar instrumentals from influences such as Joe Maphis, Merle Travis, and Chet Atkins, to a wide a range of Bakersfield Honky Tonk and Truck Driving music. Mitch also adds the 5 String Banjo to the show, bringing in the influence of Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley. Les James on drums and Hank Maninger on bass round out the lineup. Highly recommended!! N/C

The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Throughout 2017, good friends Dave Chapelle & John Mayer, one an Emmy and GRAMMY® Award-winning comedian, the other a GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, played several intimate pop-up shows across the United States, ending the year with a sold out New Year’s Eve extravaganza at Los Angeles’ Forum. The two world-class performers will be returning to San Francisco’s historic Fillmore, for their first Controlled Danger show of 2018. Highly recommended!!!! $103 Cover Charge

La Pena Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley 8:30 Showtime The Origins Of Cumbia Concert.. Colombian musicians, KikoVillaKiko Villamizar y su grupo out of Austin Texas, are touring California to share their ancestral knowledge of Colombian cumbia, and also fusing Afro-Colombian, Reggae, and other Latin world beats.This should be a great evening of hot music.. $10 Cover Charge

If you live or are around the North Bay check out

Rancho Nicasio 1 Old Rancheria Rd, Nicasio, CA 8:00 PM Showtime Maria Muldar the iconic American roots singer whose repertoire ranges from jazz, R&B blues and what she describe as “swamp funk” always puts on a great show. Maria will have the joint rockin’. Highly recommended!!! $20 cover Charge

Sunday April 29th

The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime Throughout 2017, good friends Dave Chapelle & John Mayer, one an Emmy and GRAMMY® Award-winning comedian, the other a GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, played several intimate pop-up shows across the United States, ending the year with a sold out New Year’s Eve extravaganza at Los Angeles’ Forum. The two world-class performers will be returning to San Francisco’s historic Fillmore, for their first Controlled Danger show of 2018. Highly recommended!!!! $103 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

Pier 23 Pier 23 The Embarcadero, San Francisco 5:00 PM-8:00 PM Showtime Jazz drummer and percussionist Josh Jones will be performing with a small ensemble. Nice venue to listen to some great latin jazz. No Cover Charge

The Greek Theatre 2001 Gayley Rd, Berkeley 6:00 PM Showtime LCD Sound System the Brooklyn bred American electronic dance band will be in performance. $59.50 Cover Charge

If you live near Santa Cruz you may want to check out

Moes Alley 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 4:00 PM Showtime When Sugaray Rayford belts out a song, you not only hear it, you feel it. He is a superb vocalist and entertainer. His dynamic voice is large just like the man. With his old school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. At 6’5” he is a big man, but he moves with grace and energy. His fluid dance steps will remind you of the Legendary James Brown. Rayford was nominated in December of 2015 for five separate 2016 Blues Music Awards for Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Best Band, Best Song, and the B.B. King Entertainer Award. Highly recommended!!! $15 Cover Charge

Video Pick Of The Week…

Lead Belly: Life, Legend, Legacy

“Lead Belly: Life, Legend, Legacy” is the first full length documentary based on the life of American folk/blues musician Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter. Lead Belly inspired everyone from the Beatles to Nirvana, but died before ever reaping the benefits of his fame. This historic film 5 years to make, and is finally ready for post-production. We are looking to market the film to various film festivals and find distribution outlets that will expose the film to U.S. and international audiences. The film includes interviews with legendary musicians, Harry Belafonte, the late- great Odetta, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie son of Woody Guthrie, folk singer Pete Seeger and more. “Lead Belly: Life, Legend, Legacy” highlights the impact that Lead Belly had on the early stages of the music industry and his lasting impression on folk, blues, country, hip hop and rock and roll.