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

Monday October 21st

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime.. Another night of great music featuring two really rockin’ bands. Headlining is the Toronto based neo-progressive post grunge rockers Big Wreck. Opening the show is a band I really like from London, Ontario the high energy rock/pop group Texas King. This looks to be a great double bill. Highly recommended!!!!! $25 Cover Charge..

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

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…

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 6:30 PM-8:30 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. Highly recommended!! N/C

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-11:55 PM Showtime..
Windy Hill, the first ladies of Bay Area bluegrass music, have a return engagement to Amnesia. This should be a good show..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

Tuesday October 22nd

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

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.

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime.. Another night of great music featuring a great instrumental progressive rock band from Immerstadt, Germany Ape Shifter. This band really rocks.. Also on the bill two really good local heavy alt-rock trios Sesos and Points North who combines melodic guitar-driven instrumental music and pop sensibility. Opening up the show is a DJ form Rockville, MD 10Drilz. Highly recommended!!!!! $20 Cover Charge..

Wednesday October 23rd

Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime.. Two of the most acclaimed troubadours of folk music and traditions of this country, Americana alt-country folksinger-songwriter Todd Snider will be performing with 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. Highly recommended!!!!!! $28-$52.95 Cover Charge..

Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime.. Another night of great music featuring a great party band and visual experience from Bean Blossom, Indiana Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Reverend Peyton is the world’s foremost country blues finger-style picker, along with the biggest little band in the country has pieced together one of the most dedicated followings out there. Rounding out the night are from Oakland a great rock n’ roll blues group Sweetwater Black and opening the show is Oakland’s alternative rock/blues singer/songwriter Tyler Jakes. I plan on seeing this show. Highly recommended!!!!!! $20 Cover Charge..

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.

Le Colonial 20 Cosmo Pl, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime..
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers is internationally recognized as The Queen Of Classic Jazz & Blues in the authentic style of the 1940’s and 1950’s as the band pays tribute to the swingin’ Kansas City tradition, featuring the music of Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing, Joe Williams, Helen Humes, Lester Young, Jay McShann, Walter Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, Myra Taylor & Big Joe Turner! Highly recommended!!!!! No Cover Charge..

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.
The Nick Rossi Trio .. Nick is a great jazz guitarist. He 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.

The Lucky Horseshoe Bar 453 Cortland Ave, San Francisco 8 PM-Midnight Showtime.
Ed Ivey’s Weekly Blues Jam gets the bar rocking. His weekly jam is really fun. 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 concert series times moves from 5:00 PM-6:00 PM. La Mixta Criolla whose repertoire of originals and funky renditions of traditional tunes, features a variety of swinging Caribbean grooves, from plena, bomba, guaracha jíbara, aguinaldo, to merengue, son, rumba, seis, cumbia and salsa will be performing at Salesforce Park located at 425 Mission Street..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. For more than four decades now, Virginia based Robin & Linda Williams have made it their mission to perform the music that they love, “a robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country that combines wryly observant lyrics with a wide-ranging melodicism.” Today some might call it “Americana,” but these two revered music masters were living and breathing this elixir 20 years before that label was turned into a radio format. Highly recommended!!!! $24 Cover Charge..

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

Kuumbwa Jazz Center 320 Cedar St # 2, Santa Cruz 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes..Ukulele virtuoso and composer Jake Shimabukuro known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco in performance tonight. Highly recommended!!!! $45-$60 Cover Charge Per Show..

Thursday October 24th

Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime..Direct from Hamburg,Germany MEUTE is the techno marching band with count them eleven drummers and horn players who fulfill the job of a DJ with their acoustic instruments. The archaic conglomerate of brass and drums creates a new genre by combining hypnotic driving techno and expressive brass band music. MEUTE detaches electronic music from the DJ desk and evolves the thrust of energy on stage or directly in the crowd. Be it on the streets or in the club, with or without electricity.. Highly recommended!!!!!$20 Cover Charge…

Cafe du Nord 2174 Market St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime..
The 2019 Noise Pop Festival presents London, England indie singer/songwriter
Tom Speight who music blends elements of folk/rock and contemporary pop. Highly recommended!!!! $12 Cover Charge..

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.
Vocalist Darlene Langston shares her selections from the Great American Songbook, as well as her love of the blues. Ms. Langston is accompanied by the all star Saints & Sinners Jazz Band. Join Darlene Langston for an exciting evening of straight ahead jazz, swinging vocals, and soulful blues.

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:30 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!!!! No 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

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 concert series times moves from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM with one of the Bay Area’s best vintage jazz ensembles The Cottontails performing at Ricon Center Courtyard located at 121 Spear Street.

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. Since forming in 1975, GRAMMY winners BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet have claimed their undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. BeauSoleil take the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more into a satisfying musical recipe. Highly recommended!!!!!!! $30 Cover Charge..

The UC Theatre 2036 University Ave, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime. The Sons Of The Sahara Tour featuring Vieux Farka Toure the son of Malian musician Ali Farka Touré and often referred to as the “Hendrix of the Sahara” Vieux has been acclaimed by critics worldwide for his energetic live shows that he is the heir to Ali’s talent, although he has affirmed his own style. Omara “Bombino” Moctar is one of my very favorite performers. The Nigerien singer-songwriter and guitarist and leader of his group Bombino sings in his native Tamasheq and often address geopolitical concerns in Turag. He is one of the most original finger picking guitarists on the planet and I highly recommend seeing this original master. Highly recommended!!!!!!! $35 Cover Charge..

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

Rio Theatre 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz 8:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime.. Two of the most acclaimed troubadours of folk music and traditions of this country, Americana alt-country folksinger-songwriter Todd Snider will be performing with 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. Highly recommended!!!!!! $25-$35 Cover Charge..

Friday October 25th

August Hall 1706, 420 Mason St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime.. A great night of music in store with critically acclaimed 21 year old indie singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus headlining. I really like her album No Burden. Also on the bill is a indie folk rock singer/songwriter
Liza Anne and opening the show is another really read indie folk/rock group from Austin, Texas Sun June. Highly recommended!!!!! $20 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

Mr.Tipples 39 Fell St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-Midnight 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!!!! No Cover Charge..

Speisekammer 2424 Lincoln Ave, Alameda 8:30 PM Showtime.. The Americano Social Club plays music for “la dolce vita”: a mix of romantic and eclectic melodies from all over the world including pop, jazz, folk, classical, rock, opera, the music of Brazil and Europe’s cafés as well as some great original pieces. This is a great ensemble. Highly recommended!!!! N/C

The Chapel 777 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime..
Vivian Girls are back and they haven’t forgotten what they went through. During their initial run as a band, Vivian Girls were a band of outsiders for outsiders that solidified their “place in indie rock.” as one of the great girl bands. They were a band for the freaks, the malcontents. The ones who loved The Wipers as much as Burt Bacharach as much as The Shangri-Las. The ones who talked about astrology and politics and romance with equal passion. They were the band that made the punks feel like they could sing harmonies and pop fans could get in touch with their anger. Cassie Ramone’s lyrics alternated between love, loss and rage. They were heart-on-their-sleeves romantics in one breath and a spiraling explosion of feedback in the next. They were a band that we needed But in 2011the members of Vivian Girls parted ways and the band who had known each other since they were teenagers, went about the business of living. Katy Goodman and Ali Koehler both moved to Los Angeles, and Ramone continued to make art in Brooklyn. With Ramone and Goodman on board, Koehler (the drummer for Vivian Girls’ second full-length Everything Goes Wrong​) re-joined the band and the trio began playing together again during the spring of 2018, keeping the practices a secret and enjoying the simple communion of playing together. By fall, the members of Vivian Girls were ready to enter the studio and over the course of two sessions in mid-September and Halloween week, Memory was recorded an album filled with personal reflections on toxic relationships, the false promise of new love, mental health struggles, and finding ways to accept oneself amidst it all. And of course, there is the trademark mystery that set the band apart during its first incarnation. Even when we don’t know what exactly a Vivian Girls song is about, we know it is true. Fittingly, the sonic textures of the album match this sense of desperation and longing. It’s a loud, snarling journey and there’s a sense of streamlined direction and intensity to the performances: it sounds like a band returning to a core idea of itself. In the end, Vivian Girls have returned to making music together, looking to the future while bringing their past along with them, boldly and without apologies. And so let us listen and remember: we can still believe in ourselves. The 5 piece grunge band out of Seattle Great Grampa opens up for Vivian Girls. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!! $25 Cover Charge..

The Backroom 1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime…
Macy Blackman and The Mighty Fines are universally regarded as the Bay Area’s premier New Orleans R&B/boogie band. On their latest release, Shoorah Shoorah – The Songs of Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint, Blackman and his veteran band pay tribute to the genius of the Soul Queen and King of New Orleans. The Mighty Fines include saxophonists Nancy Wright (John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Elvin Bishop), Ken “Snakebite” Jacobs (Neville Brothers, The Band, Temptations, Gatemouth Brown), bassist Bing Nathan (Lavay Smith’s Red Hot Skillet Lickers) and drummer Larry Vann (Martha Reeves, Elvin Bishop, Charles Brown, Buffy Saint-Marie). Highly recommended!!!!! $15 Cover Charge.

Saturday October 26th

The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime..
Take Me To The River celebrates the Music Of New Orleans with the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Dumpstaphunk co-founders Ivan Neville and Ian Neville, a main stay of the New Orleans music scene Walter Wolfman Washington, legendary New Orleans Mardi Gras Chief Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and legendary Tipitinas‘ and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival‘s Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the 9th Ward Hunters. Highly recommended!!!!!!!! $35 Cover Charge…

The Chapel 777 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. Vivian Girls are back and they haven’t forgotten what they went through. During their initial run as a band, Vivian Girls were a band of outsiders for outsiders that solidified their “place in indie rock.” as one of the great girl bands. They were a band for the freaks, the malcontents. The ones who loved The Wipers as much as Burt Bacharach as much as The Shangri-Las. The ones who talked about astrology and politics and romance with equal passion. They were the band that made the punks feel like they could sing harmonies and pop fans could get in touch with their anger. Cassie Ramone’s lyrics alternated between love, loss and rage. They were heart-on-their-sleeves romantics in one breath and a spiraling explosion of feedback in the next. They were a band that we needed But in 2011the members of Vivian Girls parted ways and the band who had known each other since they were teenagers, went about the business of living. Katy Goodman and Ali Koehler both moved to Los Angeles, and Ramone continued to make art in Brooklyn. With Ramone and Goodman on board, Koehler (the drummer for Vivian Girls’ second full-length Everything Goes Wrong​) re-joined the band and the trio began playing together again during the spring of 2018, keeping the practices a secret and enjoying the simple communion of playing together. By fall, the members of Vivian Girls were ready to enter the studio and over the course of two sessions in mid-September and Halloween week, Memory was recorded an album filled with personal reflections on toxic relationships, the false promise of new love, mental health struggles, and finding ways to accept oneself amidst it all. And of course, there is the trademark mystery that set the band apart during its first incarnation. Even when we don’t know what exactly a Vivian Girls song is about, we know it is true. Fittingly, the sonic textures of the album match this sense of desperation and longing. It’s a loud, snarling journey and there’s a sense of streamlined direction and intensity to the performances: it sounds like a band returning to a core idea of itself. In the end, Vivian Girls have returned to making music together, looking to the future while bringing their past along with them, boldly and without apologies. And so let us listen and remember: we can still believe in ourselves. The 5 piece grunge band out of Seattle Great Grampa opens up for Vivian Girls. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!! $25 Cover Charge..

Chase Center 500 Terry A Francois Blvd, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime.. Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter musician & actress Sara Bareilles in on tour with her “The Amidst The Chaos Tour”. Highly recommended!!!! $39.50-$399.94 Cover Range..

Brick & Mortar Music Hall 1710 Mission St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.
Matt Heckler is a captivating and talented multi-instrumentalist specializing Irish American folk punk ballads. He is really entertaining and puts on a great show.. Highly recommended!!!!! $15 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!!!

Bird & Beckett 653 Chenery St, San Francisco 7:30 PM-10:00 PM Showtime..
Erik Jekabson and his great quintet featuring Erik Jekabson trumpet, Dave Ellis saxophones, Dave Mac Nab guitar, John Wiitala bass & Evan Hughes drums. Erik is my favorite Bay Area Jazz trumpet player and his quintet is outstanding. I have been able to have seen this ensemble a few times. Highly recommended!!! $20 Cover Charge $5 for Students..

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-1:00 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 !!

Speisekammer 2424 Lincoln Ave, Alameda 8:30 PM Showtime.. Legendary American blues guitarist, singer, bandleader and record producer Steve Freund will be performing with his Big 3 group featuring Howell Devine‘s Pete Devine on drums & washboard and Joe Kyle on bass. This is a show not to miss.. Highly recommended!!!! No Cover Charge…

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley 8:00 PM-Midnight Showtime.. Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums is one of the fun bands in the Bay Area performing vintage jazz, pounding boogie woogies, sultry ballads, and funky-swinging New Orleans R&B. Tonight they focus on giving you the beat to move your feet. Highly recommended!!!!!! $15 Cover Charge…

The New Parish 1743 San Pablo Ave, Oakland 10:00 PM Showtime..
Barrio Manouche is a great Bay Area ensemble performing a repertoire of original instrumental compositions with a unique sound that it’s difficult to classify but instantly recognizable deeply influenced by a range of musical traditions, from the swing of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, to the hot jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, the gypsy soul of eastern Europe, the flamenco of Paco de Lucía to the avant-garde sounds of Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane… Also on the bill are Bicicletas Por La Paz a nine-piece Latin Circus Funk band fuses Colombian folklore with modern psychedelic funk to create a high-energy sound that combines thick harmonies and hip-hop drive with positive and political messages in both Spanish and English. Opening the show is Calmao, a Colombian/Caribbean fusion of rhythms from the Caribbean. Highly recommended!!!!! $22 Cover Charge..

Sunday October 27th

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

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes…
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band is an 18-piece jazz orchestra that combines the big band swing of the 1930s and 1940s with contemporary music such as funk and jazz fusion. This is one of the most innovative and versatile collectives of the past thirty years, speaks reams about his seemingly limitless talents as an instrumentalist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader Gordon Goodwin, who arranges, composes, plays piano and saxophone. Highly recommended!!!!!! $36-$69 Cover Charge Per Show..

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society 311 Mirada Rd, Half Moon Bay 4:30 PM Showtime. Named one of the “Five Drummers Whose Time Is Now” (The New York Times) the Houston-raised Kendrick Scott is a prodigious musician, composer and bandleader. Hot off his new album A Wall Becomes a Bridge, Scott brings his quintet Kendrick Scott Oracle which was conceived from the influence of jazz master Art Blakey and the movie The Matrix as a call to question the status quo. Each member of this first-class quintet possesses a powerful transparency in their sound that cuts to the core of the music and embraces the others around them. Joining Kendrick will be John Ellis on saxophone, Michael Moreno on guitar, Taylor Eigsti on piano and Joe Sanders on Bass. Highly recommended!!!!! $30/$35 Cover Charge…

Video Pick Of The Week..

Louie Bluie, a documentary about string band leader Howard Armstrong (Louie Bluie), is the joyful, emotive, strutting subject of this tribute by fellow musician and cellist Terry Zwigoff. Filmed at the 1985 Friscofest, Louie’s unique Afro-American string band shares the stage with Cab Calloway and with Les Blank and Alan Governar in an entertaining number about the ups and downs of nicotine in Cigarette Blues. Enjoyable for all audiences, Louie Bluie is 60 minutes of happy musical catharsis. Highly recommended!!!!
Trailer