6/8/2005: Good luck!

what shows to catch. Yep, life ain’t
easy in the city by the Bay.

Topping the list is Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno
bringing a funky band of all-star cats to the Boom
Boom Room Friday and Saturday. Also playing those same
nights are Hertz, Vega, and Levy at the cozy
Connecticut Yankee, which should be totally off the
hook. And just to confuse matters Delta Nove is in
town for a rare appearance on Friday night as is Dave
Grisman with a smokin’ young string band called Old
School Freight Train. Decisions decisions.

Also, Going on now through Sunday at 12 Galaxies and a
handful of other venues is the Mission Creek Arts and
Music Festival. The lineup seems to be mostly indie
pop/rock stuff which admittedly I don’t really know
much about. If you’re into it, the full schedule is
here: http://www.mcmf.org/mcmaf9/mcmf9_schedule.html

Good luck to you all making the hard calls.

Okey dokey homies, here’s the lowdown:

|||||| WEDNESDAY 6/8 ||||||

Yardsale | Frontporch @ Boom Boom Room $5
Two of the better up-and-coming soulful, funky,
roots-rock bands in this here town.
http://www.yardsaleproject.com/

|||||| THURSDAY 6/9 ||||||

Tower of Power | Average White Band @ Mountain Winery
(Saratoga) $35-65
It’s a night of old school funk and soul at one of the
best venues in the Bay Area. TOP is still a big bad
powerhouse after all these years with their blasting
horns and sweet soul vocals. The Winery is perched on
a hillside overlooking most of the South Bay and is
just an amazing setting. Not cheap though.
http://towerofpower.com/

|||||| FRIDAY 6/10 ||||||

Cyclomatic Trio Happy Hour @ House of Shields $FREE
Join funky drummer Adam Willis and his eclectic jazzy
three piece downtown from 6 to 8:30.

Eric Krasno & Yo Mama’s Pickled Beets @ Boom Boom Room
$15
Friday and Saturday shows! Fuuunkay! Krasno is the
smokin’ guitarist ya’ll know from Soulive and Lettuce.
This gig is an all-star lineup that features Erick
Coomes on bass (Lettuce), Mike Tiger on keys
(Goapele), and Nikki Glaspie on drums (Sam Kininger
Band). They’re funk machines every one. I’d go if I
were going to be in town for sure.
http://www.soulive.com/mx/site.html

Hertz/Vega/Levy @ Connecticut Yankee $10
Friday and Saturday shows! Truly a unique musical
opportunity, these three virtuosos are almost too much
sound for the little ol’ Yankee stage. Drummer Alan
Hertz is one of the Bay Area’s best and is formerly of
KVHW fame. Funky bassist and composer Bobby Vega is
legendary (Sly Stone, Quicksilver, Bob Weir, Santana,
Tabla Beat Science, etc). Finally Eric Levy is an
absolute wizard of a keyboard player as anyone who has
seen him with Garaj Mahal can attest.
http://www.theyankee.com/livemusic.htm

Delta Nove @ Bruno’s $10
One of the best bands I caught at High Sierra last
year, Delta Nove is a rockin’ dance-happy good time.
They’re an incredibly authentic mix of some of my
favorite styles: Funk, Brazilian samba, jazz,
afrobeat, and rock. And they’re rarely in town so you
should check ‘em out!
http://www.dnove.com/Default.asp

David Grisman & Old School Freight Train @ Independent
$25
Grisman is probably the most widely-recognized master
of the mandolin in this country. Old School Freight
Train is a young and talented bluegrass outfit that
skillfully merges jazz, Latin, Celtic, and pop
influences into their string music.
http://www.osft.net/main.asp

Yellowjackets @ Yoshi’s $22
Friday through Sunday shows. These East Bay veteran
players have been pushing the boundaries of rhythm and
melody in jazz for over two decades. Word is they just
keep getting better. If you were at the Bill Evans
Soulgrass show, you’ve seen their bassist and have
some idea of just how good these guys are.
http://www.yellowjackets.com/

|||||| SATURDAY 6/11 ||||||

Eric Krasno & Yo Mama’s Pickled Beets @ Boom Boom Room
$15
Friday and Saturday shows. See above.
http://www.soulive.com/mx/site.html

Hertz/Vega/Levy @ Connecticut Yankee $10
Friday and Saturday shows! See above.
http://www.theyankee.com/livemusic.htm

Yellowjackets @ Yoshi’s $22
Friday through Sunday shows. See above.
http://www.yellowjackets.com/

|||||| SUNDAY 6/12 ||||||

Yellowjackets @ Yoshi’s $22
Friday through Sunday shows. See above.
http://www.yellowjackets.com/

|||||| TUESDAY 6/14 ||||||

Shotgun Wedding Quintet @ Bruno’s $6
Jazz Mafia Tuesday will rock with the funky hip-hop of
Shotgun Wedding. Always improv, always telepathic,
these cats are right on it. Stella Artois is just two
buckaroos.
http://www.shotgunweddingquintet.com/

SambaDa @ Elbo Room $6
SF’s funkiest samba band will move your hips and your
feet on a hot Tuesday night.
http://www.sambada.com/