Marin’s live music schedules this November round up genres of all sorts from artists local and far-flung. With lots of blues acts, plus some alternative, rock and jazz worked in, this month’s slate of concerts have something for everybody.
Sweetwater Music Hall
Our Pick: A few chances to hear Louisiana sound
Rebirth Brass Band
Nov. 2 @ 3 p.m. & 9 p.m., $40
Sweetwater features two groups this month that are bringing soulful Louisiana stylings. For a taste of New Orleans, try one of the two shows by Rebirth Brass Band at Sweetwater on Nov. 2. A Grammy Award-winning group from the Big Easy’s Tremé neighborhood, Rebirth Brass Band is hopped up on horns cranking out a big sound. Maybe you even caught them at Mill Valley Music Festival this past year…
Marc Broussard
Nov. 14 & 15 @ 8 p.m., $45
See Sweetwater’s full live music calendar here.
And next up is Marc Broussard, the “Bayou Soul” singer from Carencro, LA, with a remarkable set of pipes. Broussard fits two nights at the Sweetwater (Nov. 14 & 15) into his packed national tour. His gritty songs weave funk, R&B and blues, and recent album Time Is a Thief adds ten new songs to Broussard’s repertoire.
Even more is coming to Sweetwater this month, like a Nov. 3 concert by Jeffrey Foucault, a Midwestern folk blues singer-songwriter who’s touring his new album. And as mentioned last month, VINYL’s annual Black Wednesday show should be a blast.
Rancho Nicasio
Our Pick: The Familiar Strangers
Nov. 3 @ 4 p.m., $24
See Rancho Nicasio’s full live music calendar here.
A grab-bag of country of country, western swing, bluegrass and blues, the Familiar Strangers aren’t, ahem, strangers to Marin stages. The trio (and sometimes quartet) can get you dancing, they can play the classics and they stay responsive to the energy their audiences bring.
Also coming up this month, more local favorites like new wave acolytes Pardon the Interruption (Nov. 22), emulators of the Dylan-Harrison-Lynne-Orbison-Petty supergroup The Traveling Wilburys Revue (Nov. 23), eight-piece jazz and blues band Lavay Smith and Her Hot Skillet Lickers (Nov. 30), and more.
Peri’s Tavern
Our Pick: Tarnation and Sarah Bethe Nelson
Nov. 10 @ 7 p.m., $15
See Peri’s full live music calendar here.
Turn up to Peri’s for one Sunday evening with two Bay Area groups showcasing their unique songwriting and Americana stylings. Sarah Bethe Nelson opens with her brand of indie rock featuring reflective ballads and gentle melodies. Then, Tarnation keeps up the show with a kind of “dark country” that melds contemporary folk sound with an added edge from lead singer Paula Frazer’s ethereal voice.
Another show to look out for at Peri’s is a “Blues Power” set by local Bay Area guitarists Jeff Miller (of jam band New Monsoon) and Jonny “Mojo” Flores (of roots-rock group Achilles Wheel), who on Nov. 16 will be playing music by Derek and the Dominoes, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and more.
Mac’s at 19 Broadway
Our Pick: Jon Chi Birthday Bash
Nov. 22 @ 9 p.m., $23.18
See Mac’s full live music calendar here
Jon Chi & the Pacific Syndicate have rung in many special occasions at Mac’s — Friday nights, new years, Fairfax Festival after-parties… It’s only fitting to pay back the Marin County musician with his own celebration. Come out for this birthday bash for guitarist and songwriter Jon Chi, featuring even more talented local musicians, including Lex Razón (of VINYL and Soul Ska), vocalist and trumpeter Natalie John, bassist Angeline Saris and more.
HopMonk Tavern
Our Pick: Peter Bradley Adams
Nov. 22 @ 8:00 p.m., $25
See HopMonk’s full live music calendar here.
Singer-songwriter Peter Bradley Adams crafts delicate folk songs that live and breathe Americana. Adams got started with the early-aughts folk pop duo Eastmountainsouth and on tour appearances with folks like Lucinda Williams, Tracy Chapman and Nelly Furtado. Still writing and racking up listens on Spotify, including nearly 100 million plays on his 2017 song “My Arms Were Always Around You,” Adams’ music contains an emotionally forceful sound with influences from his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
Fun fact: One of Adams’ songs with Eastmountainsouth, “You Dance,” appeared in the 2003 TV show One Tree Hill. Also coming to HopMonk this November is singer-songwriter Tyler Hilton, who played the character Chris Keller on One Tree Hill. Coincidence? Maybe the venue’s booker KC Turner is hyped for the show’s reboot… Listen to Hilton’s acoustic tunes at a matinee show on Nov. 16.
Marin Center
Our Pick: Duke Ellington Tribute
Nov. 23 @ 7 p.m., $65
See Marin Center’s full events calendar here.
In the newly renovated Showcase Theatre, prolific pianist Tammy Hall will lead singers Kim Nalley and Paula West in a tribute to the great American composer and bandleader Duke Ellington. Nalley and West are two singers whom the Bay Area is lucky enough to call locals. Nalley (or should I say, Dr. Kim Nalley) has one of those old-school jazz voices that’s just magnetic. Another virtuoso, cabaret singer Paula West maneuvers the Great American Songbook with creativity and grace, sometimes incorporating protest songs alongside jazz standards in her performances. This concert by Marin Jazz is one of several shows on a schedule of jazz performances that will run well into new year.
Smiley’s Saloon
Our Pick: Aki Kumar
Nov. 30 @ 8:30 p.m., $12.51
See Smiley’s full live music calendar here.
Blues meets Bollywood in the music of the San Jose harmonica man, Aki Kumar. Originally from Bombay, Kumar charts his own sound by melding the influences of American blues with classical Indian music and staples of Bollywood cinema. And with undeniable charisma as a frontman, Kumar can get everybody singing along to his Chicago-style blues tunes — even if it’s in Hindi.
