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

Monday April 22nd

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime… The High Tide Trio is a sensational super instrumental band featuring Mitch Polzak on guitar and bass, Hank Maninger on guitar and bass, and Les James on drums. Les will not be playing guitar. Hank and Mitch will switch off on guitar and bass. Mitch and Hank will not be playing the drums. The band plays all sorts of interesting guitar instrumentals, including surf, country, jazz, bluegrass, and movie and TV show themes. 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.. Highly recommended!!!! 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

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-11:55 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

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. A really nice show with singer/songwriter Rose Droll headlining the evening. Her debut album Your Dog is highly recommended…Also on the bill tonight is the afrobeat, electric funk indie band Sea Moya and the electronic hillbilly sounds of Pregnant. Highly recommended!!!!! $10 Cover Charge..

Rickshaw Stop 155 Fell Street, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime… New Zealand’s iconic indie folk rock singer/songwriter Aldous Harding will be on her world tour. Highly recommended!!!!! $16 cover Charge..

The Chapel 777 Valencia St, San Francisco.. 8:00 PM Showtime.. A great night of music is in store with one of my favorite jazz fusion experimental instrumental bands The Messthetics. Highly recommended!!!! $15 Cover Charge..

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-Midnight Showtime.. The Fil Lorenz Orchestra is a high-voltage, crowd-pleasing big band born of the blues, with a sound defined by a searing, relentless horn section. Saxophonist/arranger Lorenz has assembled a musical cast of the highest standard, bringing some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most accomplished and adventurous jazz veterans together with some of the fertile San Francisco scene’s most promising up-and-coming players. Highly recommended!!!! No Cover Charge…

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM Showtime… Anything from ‘average,’ Average White Band has never been quite what you’d expect. They burst onto the Northern soul scene in 1972 opening up for Clapton, mixing classic sounds of Memphis Motown and Philly R&B to produce serious hits including “Cut The Cake” and “Pick Up The Pieces”. Undeniably funky; AWB packs enough soul and groove to make you move in any sized room. Highly recommended!!!!!! $39 Cover Charge..

Tuesday April 23rd

Bar Fluxus 18 Harlan Pl, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:30 AM Showtime. Vibrason is another great band out of the Bay Area very reminiscent of some of the Cal Tjader bands. Highly recommended $10 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

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley 8:00 PM-11:30 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..

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-Midnight 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

Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music 2367 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley 8:30 Showtime…The Legendary Shack Shakers are one of the great Americana rockabilly blues inspired bands. This band covers all genres including rock and roll, country blues, old time music, jazz, carnival music and swamp rock. They are a personnel favorite. Highly recommended!!!!!!! $19 Cover Charge…

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM & 10:00 PM Showtimes… Anything from ‘average, Average White Band has never been quite what you’d expect. They burst onto the Northern soul scene in 1972 opening up for Clapton, mixing classic sounds of Memphis Motown and Philly R&B to produce serious hits including “Cut The Cake” and “Pick Up The Pieces”. Undeniably funky; AWB packs enough soul and groove to make you move in any sized room. Highly recommended!!!!!! $39 Cover Charge..

Wednesday April 24th

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:45 PM 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

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.. Nick Rossi Trio.. is led by Nick a great jazz guitarist. The trio plays standards, swing, and bebop as well as anyone in the Bay Area. 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.

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..

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes. The Bay City Blues is our 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 with this week’s special guest Oakland’s rising star vocalist Mz. Dee. 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!!!! $22 Cover Charge..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime…Hawaii’s official music ambassador singer/songwriter Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom is Hawaii’s top selling female vocalist of all time. Her success is evidenced by a multitude of awards, including five Grammy nominations and 18 Nā Hōkū awards. She has played for sold-out crowds in Europe, Japan, China, all across America, and French Polynesia, both as a solo artist and alongside legends like Earth, Wind & Fire, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, Diana Krall, Joe Cocker and many more. Driven by a profound sense of cultural responsibility, she has worked tirelessly to elevate awareness of Hawai’i’s music community and fans. With classical training, powerhouse vocals, and honor for her ancestors, she is dazzling in live performance. Highly recommended!!!!! $34 Cover Charge..

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:00 PM Showtime. Wayne “The Train” Hancock has been the undisputed king of Juke Joint Swing – that alchemist’s dream of honky-tonk, western swing, blues, Texas rockabilly and big band. Always an anomaly among his country music peers, Wayne’s uncompromising interpretation of the music he loves is in fact what defines him: steeped in traditional but never “retro;” bare bones but bone shaking; hardcore but with a swing. This is a great performer!!! Highly recommended!!!!$20 Cover Charge..

Thursday April 25th

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. A really good night of music in store with a great garage punk pop band from Vancouver, British Columbia The Pack A.D. San Francisco based indie rockers See Night and the Los Angeles based indie pop r&b band Strange Hotels rounding out the night.. Highly recommended!!!! $15 Cover Charge..

Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco 9:15 PM Showtime… Brothers Gow brings to the stage an imaginative style of modern rock, progressive funk and unpredictable retro-electronic jams. The group has managed to stay true to its roots of rock, funk and jazz fusion. Highly recommended!!!! $10 Cover Charge…

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

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime. Goran Bregovic and His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra a musical spectacle unlike anything else on North American stages, is back for a dizzying, ecstatic reprise! This trans-Balkan musical feast features Gypsy brass players, Bulgarian vocalists and conservatory-trained string players from Belgrade in a kaleidoscope of action, color and intoxicating beats. Highly recommended!!!! $50/$75/$95 Cover Charge..

Friday April 26th

August Hall 1706, 420 Mason St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime.. Whiskey Meyers is currently on their “Die Rockin’ Tour”. This is one fun bunch of southern rockers built on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern rock template, complete with Texas country and blues overtones. Should be a great show.. Highly recommended!!!!! $35 Cover Charge..

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. A fun night of music with San Francisco power pop rockers Please Do Not Fight headlining..Two indie rock bands Curious Quail and Talk round out the bill. Highly recommended!!!!! $18 Cover Charge..

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime. Goran Bregovic and His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra a musical spectacle unlike anything else on North American stages, is back for a dizzying, ecstatic reprise! This trans-Balkan musical feast features Gypsy brass players, Bulgarian vocalists and conservatory-trained string players from Belgrade in a kaleidoscope of action, color and intoxicating beats. Highly recommended!!!! $50/$75/$95 Cover Charge..

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

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtimes.. Wildly fun, musically fearless and bursting with bravado, Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtimes.. Wildly fun, musically fearless and bursting with bravado, Rick Estrin And The Nightcats have created one of the blues’ most instantly recognizable sounds and no-holds-barred styles. Featuring the world-class talents of harmonica master, songwriter and vocalist Rick Estrin, guitar wunderkind Chris “Kid” Andersen, keyboard wizard Lorenzo Farrell and dynamic drummer Alex Pettersen, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats serve up sharp and incisive original blues and gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll. Highly recommended..$24 Cover Charge..

Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco 9:15 PM Showtime…Reminiscent of James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stone, Diggin Dirt is a seven piece band that is very well known around Humboldt County and the whole West Coast for uniquely blending together their influences that range from funk to blues to reggae to psychedelic-rock, to make something that is all together new and old sounding, in the best way possible. The White Blinds are a blistering hot soul jazz organ trio, playing those gritty soulful sounds of the 60’s and 70’s. Emerging from the tight-knit Los Angeles funk and soul community, The White Blinds are one of the newest true organ trios to carry the torch of oran masters Dr. Lonnie Smith, Charles Earland and The City Champs. The trio led by drummer and percussionist Michael Duffy of Jungle Fire and Ozomatli, with organist Carey Frank of Tedeschi Trucks Band and master guitarist Matt Hornbeck. What a great show..Highly recommended!!!!! $12 Cover Charge…Boom

Mr.Tipples 39 Fell St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-11:30 PM Showtime.. Robert Dehlinger & The Alpha Rhythm Kings influences range from vintage lounge music, 1940s R&B, swing, and boogie-woogie. This is a swinging fun band led by Robert’s vocals and superb trumpet playing. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Mystic Theatre & Music Hall 23 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma 8:30 PM Showtime.. LA’s ambassadors to Latin punk, funk & psychedelic sole Chicano Batman will be headlining. Also on the bill are the psychedelic jazz swinger trio Brainstory. Highly recommended!!!!! $32 Cover Charge..

Point Richmond Jazz 201 Martina Street, Point Richmond 7:30 PM Showtime.. Afro-Cuban, jazz/rock violin master Jesus Florido will be in performance. Jesus has performed with musicians ranging from Dan Hicks and the Hotlicks, Whitney Houston, Moody Blues, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to Zubin Metha, Pinchas Zukermann and Itzhak Perlman to name a few. He is a Bay Area treasure.. 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.. Wayne “The Train” Hancock has been the undisputed king of Juke Joint Swing – that alchemist’s dream of honky-tonk, western swing, blues, Texas rockabilly and big band. Always an anomaly among his country music peers, Wayne’s uncompromising interpretation of the music he loves is in fact what defines him: steeped in traditional but never “retro;” bare bones but bone shaking; hardcore but with a swing. This is a great performer!!! Rounding out the bill are Hank & Ella With The Fine Country Band. Highly recommended!!!!! $20 Cover Charge…

Saturday April 27th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes… Earl Thomas is a sensational blues, jazz, and gospel singer and his live performances have become legendary. I got to see Earl once and his voice literally shook the rafters. Highly recommended!!! $24 Cover Charge..

Revolution Cafe 3248 22nd St, San Francisco 5:00 PM-8:30 PM Showtime.. Westside Jazz Club, lead by the wonderful tenor saxophonist Scott Silverberg, is a collective of innovative jazz musicians performing jazz standards, challenging modern compositions and freshly-updated classics. I have seen this ensemble a number of time and they never disappoint.. Highly recommended!!! N/C

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes Showtime. Goran Bregovic and His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra a musical spectacle unlike anything else on North American stages, is back for a dizzying, ecstatic reprise! This trans-Balkan musical feast features Gypsy brass players, Bulgarian vocalists and conservatory-trained string players from Belgrade in a kaleidoscope of action, color and intoxicating beats. Highly recommended!!!! $65/$85/$110 Cover Charge..

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. Two bands I really like are opening the show tonight. The self described “Hardest Working Band on the West Coast” Monkey is a great high energy ska/reggae band. San Francisco’s alternative punk reggae ska band BURNT is another band I really like.. Headlining tonight is reggae punk rockers from Annapolis, Maryland Bumpin Uglies. I highly recommend checking out Monkey!!!!!! $15 Cover Charge..

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-1:00 AM Showtime… Mitch Polzak is a master guitarist and he and The Royal Deuces has been one of the premier Rockabilly bands since staring in 1999. I am a huge fan. Highly recommended!! N/C

Hotel Utah 500 4th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. A fun night of music in store tonight. Headlining is the edgy, loud and funky rock and rollers the Death Valley Gypsies. The San Francisco based blues/funk/jazz rockers 6 Speed Supernova, an eclectic rock and roll band from Portland The Weird Kids and Portland based singer/songwriter and ukulele player Amy Bleu round out a great night of music. Highly recommended!!!!!! $10 Cover Charge…

Red Poppy Art House 2698 Folsom St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime. French Manouche Meets New Orleans Swing with the French Oak Gypsy Band a wild-around-the-edges band, melding French jazz manouche and chanson, New Orleans jazz, Roma traditionals, and global folk. North Bay native and vocalist Stella Heath leads the band which also features French/American guitarist Gabriel Pirard, reed player James Inciardi, standup bassist Skyler Stover, and percussionist Jamie Foster. With their French-inspired global panoply of sounds spotlighting Heath’s magnetic vocals and the band’s tight rhythms, they transport their audience to lands unknown. Highly recommended!!!!! $20 cover Charge..

HopMonk Tavern 224 Vintage Way, Novato 8:00 PM Showtime… Ramblin’ Jack Elliot is one of the country’s legendary foundations of folk music and one of the last true links to the great folk traditions of this country.Long before every kid in America wanted to play guitar — before Elvis, Dylan, the Beatles or Led Zeppelin — Ramblin’ Jack had picked it up and was passing it along. From Johnny Cash to Tom Waits, Beck to Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder to Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead to The Rolling Stones, they all pay homage to Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. 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. They are timeless songs that outlast whatever current musical fashion strikes today’s fancy. Highly recommended!!!!!! $25 Cover Charge.

Sunday April 28th

The Independant 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime. Louis Futon is known for his weavings of hip-hop, R&B, and soul styles into his fresh sounding works. He is a talented live performer as well. Highly recommended!!!!! $20 Cover Charge..

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes… CROS music is a mix of genres including soul, funk, blues, r&b and folk brings an incredible and unique presense to every performance. Recent winner of the Phoenix Blues Society’s Blues Challenge, CROS has shared the stage with with musicians in a variety of genres including Cypress Hill, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Marcus Miller, Otis Rush,Maria Muldaur, Marcia Ball, Johnny Winter, and numerous Jazz ensembles. Tis band is really good. Highly recommended!!!!!! $20 Cover Charge…

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:00 PM Showtime. Goran Bregovic and His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra a musical spectacle unlike anything else on North American stages, is back for a dizzying, ecstatic reprise! This trans-Balkan musical feast features Gypsy brass players, Bulgarian vocalists and conservatory-trained string players from Belgrade in a kaleidoscope of action, color and intoxicating beats. Highly recommended!!!! $50/$75/$95 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

Ivy Room 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany 5:00 PM-7:00 PM Showtime.. An evening of Songs About Something: Old, New, Borrowed and Blue – Tunes in the Round hosted by Americana singer/songwriter Paige Clem. Also performing are singer/songwriter of Hot buttered Rum Nat Keefe, ALO bassist Steve Adams and singer/songwriter and story teller Steve Pile. Highly recommended!!!!! $10 Cover Charge…

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 7:00 PM Showtime.. Mary Lou’s Apartment is an all-women compact-yet-mighty big band, set to debut at the Freight in a night of glorious music and great company that you don’t want to miss. The ensemble features the music of African American musical geniuses Mary Lou Williams and Melba Liston in an atmosphere of kindness, joy and political action. Highly recommended!! $20 Cover Charge

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society 311 Mirada Rd, Half Moon Bay 4:30 PM Showtime. One if the great clarinetists in the known universe Don Byron will be performing with his quartet.. Don redefines every genre of music he plays, be it classical, salsa, hip-hop, funk, rhythm & blues, klezmer, or any jazz style from swing and bop to cutting-edge downtown improvisation. He has been consistently voted best clarinetist by critics and readers alike in leading international music journals since being named “Jazz Artist of the Year” by DownBeat in 1992. The quartet features Byron’s compositions, standards, classical compositions and his interpretations of a variety of artists including Hank Williams and Bach. The quartet includes Don Byron on clarinet, Aruan Ortiz on piano, Brad Jones on bass and Drew Heller on drums. Highly recommended!!!!! $35-$45 Cover Charge..
If you live in and around Santa Cruz you may want to check out

Moes Alley 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 4:00 PM Showtime.. Wildly fun, musically fearless and bursting with bravado, Rick Estrin And The Nightcats have created one of the blues’ most instantly recognizable sounds and no-holds-barred styles. Featuring the world-class talents of harmonica master, songwriter and vocalist Rick Estrin, guitar wunderkind Chris “Kid” Andersen, keyboard wizard Lorenzo Farrell and dynamic drummer Alex Pettersen, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats serve up sharp and incisive original blues and gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll. Highly recommended..$20 Cover Charge..

Video Pick Of The Week..

Keith Richards: Under the Influence is a portrait of Keith Richards that takes us on a journey to discover the genesis of his sound as a songwriter, guitarist and performer.talks about his career, his influences and his creative process, tossing out fragments of thought in that impossibly gravelly voice. You certainly feel as if you were getting to know the man as he really is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re gaining much insight. The film stitches together footage of Mr. Richards walking the streets, staring out a car window, doodling at a piano or on the guitar. He drops the names of American bluesmen and country music stars who shaped his musical tastes, but they’re the same ones who shaped every other rock star in his era — Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters — so it’s not particularly illuminating. Highly recommended!!!!!