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

Monday September 24th

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

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-11:30 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

Tuesday September 25th

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. With his voice alternating between honeyed sweetness and raw belted choruses, Marc Broussard’s sound balances heartfelt soul and tearing grit. The young Louisiana born singer and guitarist has already toured with legends such as Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson, and has honed his songwriting since his debut in 2002 at the age of 20. Opening the show are The Dales are a five piece Americana roots-rock band, carried by three part harmonies and a deep appreciation for classic songwriting and early country music. Highly recommended!!! $34 Cover Charge.

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

Wednesday September 26th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.. Tin Cup Serenade is one of the Bay Area’s most exceptional old time jazz band deeply rooted in the blues ragtime, New Orleans jazz, western swing with a little mariachi and calypso thrown in. I really love this band. Highly recommended!! N/C

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-12:30 AM Showtime. The Patrick Wolff Bebop Quartet is deeply rooted in the bebop tradition established by Bird, Clifford Jordan and Dexter Gordon. Patrick is absolutely my favorite Bay Area tenor player and he leads an outstanding group of musicians..N/C.

Le Colonial 20 Cosmo Pl, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime.. Cosmo Alleycats is one of my favorite Bay Are jazz ensembles. The Alleycats are so good and so much fun and one of the better jazz bands in the Bay Area. Highly recommended. N/C.

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-Midnight Showtime… Steve Lucky and the Rumba Bums perform vintage jazz, pounding boogie woogie rhythms, sultry ballads, and funky-swinging New Orleans R&B. This band simply gives you the beat to move your feet. This will be a fun show. N/C

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..

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. Just a great night of music headlined by British folk/indie pop/hip hop singer songwriter Lucy Spraggan. I am a big fan of this siren… Indie folk rocker Tawnee Kendall and a really wonderful alt country folk rocker Amina Shareef Ali round out what promises to be a very good show… Highly recommended!!! $15 Cover Charge..

The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime… English musician singer/songwriter Johnny Marr, best known as the guitarist for Morrissey will be performing along with Vancouver’s ethereal crush pop band The Belle Game will be in performance. Should be a good show. Highly recommended!! $39.50 Cover Charge..

People in Plazas is free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series lineup includes The Nick Rossi Trio featuring one of the very best jazz guitarist’s in the Bay Area performs at 555 California; Pulse Brasil a really wonderful Bossa Nova ensemble performs at 101 California; The High Water Line a really wonderful bluegrass band performs at 505 Howard Street.

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime.. The John Doe Folk Trio lead by the legendary rock music pioneer will be in performance along with Venice Beach power duo Feisty Heart. Highly recommended!!!! $25 Cover Charge.

If you live in and around Santa Cruz you may want to check out

Moes Alley 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 8:30 PM Showtime.. The great singer/song writer and phenomenal guitarist Tom Freund is joined by jazz guitarist Steve Adams and percussionist Wally Ingram. This should be a great show. Highly recommended!!! $12 Cover Charge..

Rio Theatre 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz 8:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime.A Pioneer of blending world music and jazz, Al Di Meola, has an ongoing fascination with complex rhythmic syncopation combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony. His celebrated career has spanned four decades and earned him critical accolades, three gold albums and more than six million in record sales worldwide. Highly recommended!!! $39-$52 Cover.Charge..

Thursday September 27th

The Independant 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco8:00 PM Showtime.. Superorganism is a Transatlantic group who features Japanese vocalist Orono and a sprawling line up of international musicians / pop culture junkies currently living all under one roof in London’s east end. The band first introduced themselves at the start of 2017 with the idiosyncratic, technicolour pop of ’Something For Your M.I.N.D’. This should be a great show.. Lots of fun!! Highly recommended!!! $25 Cover Charge..

Atlas Cafe 3049 20th Street, San Francisco 8:00 Pm-10:00 PM Showtime..The Gil Cohen Trio is a really wonderful jazz trio. When I first heard Gil playing he reminded me a lot of Roy Eldridge’s sound. It turns that Roy was one of his major influences. Gil and his trio is definitely worth checking out. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Cafe Claude 7 Claude Lane, San Francisco. 8:00 PM-11:00 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

Tupelo 1337 Grant Ave, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime.. Somewhere between Joan Jett and Bonnie Raitt lies GG Amos. This is one badass chick with one badass band. This is one of my very favorite local blues band. Highly recommended!! N/C

People in Plazas is free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series lineup includes west coast blues guitar master and vocalist GG Amos performing at the TransAmerica Redwood Park 600 Montgomery Street; west coast funk meets traditional jazz with the sounds of West Grand Brass Band performing at 303 Second Street; City Opera SF performs at 333 Market Street; Rockabilly trio The Jukebox Charlies performs at Mint Plaza 1 Mint Plaza.

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime.. John Oates, one half of the best-selling duo of all time, Hall & Oates, will be in performance. Highly recommended!! $57 Cover Charge..

Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music 2367 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley 8:30 PM Showtime.. The best-selling instrumental band of all time and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Ventures will be in performance. Also on the bill is one of the best third wave surf bands Frankie & The Pool Boys. I am so looking forward to this show.. Highly recommended!!!!! $21 Cover Charge..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five day music festival featuring performances by local and national acts, a rollicking square dance, open cabaret, and the illustrious stringband contest in venues throughout Berkeley. The convention kicks off with non other than the *American Songster” Don Flemons known for his repertoire of songs spanning over 100 years of American folklore, ballads and tunes, and is an expert player on the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, quills, and rhythm bones. Don is the co-founder of the Grammy award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops.. Paul Brown & The Mike Bryant Band features the playing of two old-time music masters, Mike Bryant and Paul Brown. This extraordinary foursome presents old-time music traditions of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and other southern U.S. states with depth and expertise reflecting long experience…Sauge Grinder the Los Angeles’ classic old-time and country blues band, combines the traditional sounds of fiddle and banjo breakdowns with the low-down sound of country blues, topped off with a touch of ragtime and hillbilly jazz. The versatile acoustic ensemble features fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, jug, washboard, and a few odds and ends. This should be a great show and opening to this great music weekend of music. Highly recommended!! $21 Cover Charge..

If you live in and around Santa Cruz you may want to check out

Moes Alley 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 8:30 PM Showtime..The John Doe Folk Trio lead by the legendary rock music pioneer will be in performance along with Venice Beach power duo Feisty Heart. Highly recommended!!!! $25 Cover Charge.

Friday September 28th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.. Nashville Honeymoon is another Bay Area band I really love. Their music is a modern reworking of the classic country sounds of the 50s and 60s. Their songwriting draws on country, rockabilly, and honky-tonk traditions. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 10:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime.. Portland based Tumbledown House, a self described modern speakeasy, saloon jazz, parlor pop and Tom Waits in a cocktail dress ensemble. I really like what I have seen on youtube and look forward to seeing them this evening. Highly recommended!! N/C

Cafe Du Nord 2174 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime. Three really good bands with Atlanta based indie rockers Neighbor Lady headlining the evening. Two San Francisco based altenative indie bands Tino Drima & Don Cat round out what promises to be a really good show. Highly recommended!!! $15 Cover Charge.

Pier 23 Pier 23 The Embarcadero, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime. The eclectic Jimbo Trout playing their brand of bluegrass, blues, western-swing, jug band, jazz, tex-mex, rockabilly and honky tonk this evening.. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtimes.. Selwyn Birchwood is a remarkable contemporary bluesman…a powerhouse young guitarist and soulful vocalist. With his fiery guitar and lap steel playing, his trailblazing, instantly memorable songs and gritty, unvarnished vocals, Birchwood is among the most extraordinary young stars in the blues. His deep familiarity with blues tradition allows him to bust the genre wide open, adding new sounds, colors and textures, all delivered with a revival tent preacher’s fervor and a natural storyteller’s charisma. Highly recommended!!! $24 Cover Charge.

People in Plazas is free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series lineup includes the great jump/swing band Stompy Jones performing at 425 market Street.

Impulse Room 1501 N Broadway #138, Walnut Creek 8:00 PM-9:30 PM Showtime.. Robert Dehlinger & The Alpha Rhythm Kings is a swinging fun band led by Robert’s vocals and superb trumpet playing. This is a great band. Highly recommended!!!! $18 Cover Charge..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five day music festival featuring performances by local and national acts, a rollicking square dance, open cabaret, and the illustrious stringband contest in venues throughout Berkeley. The convention continues with two great multi insrtumental performers Alice Gerrard & Chris Brashear, a wonderful bluegrass ensemble The Down Hill Strugglers and a wonderful traditional music group Dos Valley Trio. Highly recommended!!!! $26 Cover Charge..

Saturday September 29th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtimes.. Selwyn Birchwood is a remarkable contemporary bluesman…a powerhouse young guitarist and soulful vocalist. With his fiery guitar and lap steel playing, his trailblazing, instantly memorable songs and gritty, unvarnished vocals, Birchwood is among the most extraordinary young stars in the blues. His deep familiarity with blues tradition allows him to bust the genre wide open, adding new sounds, colors and textures, all delivered with a revival tent preacher’s fervor and a natural storyteller’s charisma. Highly recommended!!! $24 Cover Charge.

Bird & Beckett 653 Chenery St, San Francisco 7:30 PM-10:00 PM Showtime. Jazz greats pianist Larry Vuckovich & bassist Jeff Chambers will be in performance. Really looking forward to this. Highly recommended!!!!! $25 Cover Charge..

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.. Amity Rose is a San Francisco-based tunesmith, song stylist and entertainer with a huge and expressive voice. Her band features upright bass, guitar, drums and Miss Rose at the helm on vox, ukulele and a variety of instruments. Sets include standards with a twist, lesser known vintage gems and a selection of originals reflecting her folk, indie-rock and theatrical roots. This music is beautiful and timeless.. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 10:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime..The Megaflame Big Band & Cabaret is a six-piece band from San Francisco that deftly re-imagines some of our favorite music from ’20s through the ’00s into our own swinging sound. Drawing on favorites from Billie Holiday to Tom Waits, the Cure to Count Basie, and also it’s own original material, the sextet embodies more than just a retro jukebox, it creates a memorable live show experience. This is a fantastic band!!! Highly recommended!!!! N/C

Cafe Claude 7 Claude Lane, San Francisco 8:00 Pm-11:00 PM Showtime.. Belinda Blair is versatile singer,bandleader, ukulele player and performer of swing, jazz, blues, indie rock and lounge music in the bBy Area and beyond. I usually see her anlong with her band Jellyroll, but all indications are she is going solo this evening. Highly recommended!!!!N/C

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. Antoher great night of musis instore tonight with the Brooklyn based indie pop rockers The Essex Green headlining. Rounding out the night are the psych Americana folk band Trummors and the indie rock jangle pop sounds of The Wild Kindess.. Highly recommended!!!! $15 Cover charge..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, Ukrainian “ethno-chaos” band DakhaBrakha creates a world of unexpected new music. Accompanied by Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian traditional instrumentation, the quartet’s astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range creates a trans-national sound rooted in Ukrainian culture. Highly recommended!!!! $40 Cover Charge..

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley 7:30 PM-11:30 PM Showtime. The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five day music festival featuring performances by local and national acts, a rollicking square dance, open cabaret, and the illustrious stringband contest in venues throughout Berkeley. The convention continues this evening with Marleys Ghost playing their mix of western swing, honky-tonk with some rhythm and blues thrown in. Bryant and Brown features the playing of two old-time music masters, Mike Bryant and Paul Brown presenting old-time music traditions of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia. Hotdish is a all-star pickup band of old-time players from all over the country, with fiddlers Aaron Olwell and Sonya Badigian (Virginia), banjo player Aaron Tacke (Minneapolis), guitarist Ryan Nickerson (Johnson City, Tennessee), and bassist Nokosee Fields (a native of Oklahoma, now living in Asheville). Highly recommended!!! $20 Cover Charge.

Sunday September 30th

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

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 6:00 PM Showtime. Lydia Pense and Cold Blood debuted when the Fillmore was at its peak as one of the nation’s musical Meccas. Owner Bill Graham was so impressed with Lydia’s voice and the sound of the band that he immediately signed Cold Blood to his new record label. During the span of six original late-60’s, early-70’s albums, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood helped, along with Tower Of Power, forge their own specific brand of funk/soul and R&B which came to be known as East Bay Grease. That music still holds up today, proving that great music is timeless and will continue to inspire generations to come. Highly Recommended!!! $24 Cover Charge..

The Greek Theatre 2001 Gayley Rd, Berkeley 7:00 PM Showtime.. Yo Yo Ma will play all six of Bach’s suites for solo cello, music that has been his constant companion through nearly six decades’ playing the cello. Mr. Ma has said that when “Bach’s music touches us, it reconnects us to our common humanity.” Indeed, writing in the New Yorker in December, Alex Ross described Mr. Ma’s performance of the suites at the Hollywood Bowl as “The loveliest experience of my listening year…it was as if music had stilled the world.” Highly recommended!!!!! $50 Cover Charge..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, Ukrainian “ethno-chaos” band DakhaBrakha creates a world of unexpected new music. Accompanied by Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian traditional instrumentation, the quartet’s astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range creates a trans-national sound rooted in Ukrainian culture. Highly recommended!!!! $40 Cover Charge..

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley 11:00 AM-1:00 PM Showtime. The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five day music festival featuring performances by local and national acts, a rollicking square dance, open cabaret, and the illustrious stringband contest in venues throughout Berkeley. The convention continues this afternoon with Soul Sanctuary Dance, a welcoming and inclusive all-ages community freestyle/ecstatic/shoes optional dance that supports free expression, community, physical and emotional health, and a spirit of generosity. Soul Sanctuary dances to an irresistible eclectic blend of world music, funk, house, soul, electro swing, positive hip hop, reggae, dance classics, jazz, blues, electronica, and other music to free mind, body and soul. Highly recommended!!! N/C..

If you live in and around the North Bay check out

Rancho Nicasio 1 Old Rancheria Rd, Nicasio 7:00 PM Showtime.. Pioneering band leader Commander Cody & His Modern Day Airmen mixes country, rock ‘n’ roll, western swing, rockabilly, jazz and jump blues together on a foundation of boogie-woogie piano. Cody and his lengendary band were among first country-rock bands to take its cues less from folk-rock and bluegrass and more from the rowdy barroom country of the Ernest Tubb and Ray Price style. This one of the most entertaining bands anywhere in the universe.. Highly recommended!!!! $25 Cover Charge..

Video Pick Of The Week..

Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound.. If you dig early 60s girl groups, this one’s for you! Fantastic story of the rise and fall of the girl group sound of the early 1960s includes interview and cool performance footage. The Shangri-Las, The Shirelles, The Avons, The Ronettes, The Angels, The Crystals, The Supremes, The Exciters and many other groups. “Be My Baby,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” “Locomotion,” and over 20 other hits. Includes many very good interviews with Brill Building alumni.