5.4 – Hot Buttered Rum and Kyle Hollingsworth Band– The Fillmore– www.thefillmore.com– Doors 8:00/ Show 9:00 – $25
These guys are local favorites, and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them perform in huge festivals as well as small redwood groves. Best bluegrass around – fast, frenzied originals with a few surprise covers. Check out my interview with their guitarist, Nat Keefe, on this music blog.
5.5 – Cinco de Mayo in Beach Park with Chum Free Event – TerrapinCrossroads – www.terrapincrossroads.net– Free – 2:00
I’ve been going to Beach Park for afternoon shows lately, and it can’t be beat – sun shining, water nearby, and a great outdoor stage and dance space. And Chum, in case you didn’t know, is a Phish cover band. So dance away…
5.5 – Con Brio– The Fillmore– www.thefillmore.com– Doors 7:00/ Show 8:00 – $25
Beside the fact that you can’t stop dancing from the beginning of their show to the very last note of the very last song, and the fact that I chose to spend NYE with them and it was a fantastic way to bring in 2018, their super talented, super handsome lead singer also does flips on stage. Check out “Money,” and “Free and Brave,” but really, you need to check them out live.
5.5 – Melvin Seals and JGB– The Warfield– www.thewarfieldtheatre.com– Show 8:00 – $35-$50
Who better to celebrate the 96thanniversary of the Warfield Theatre? JGB plans on recreating a memorable 1988 Jerry Garcia Band show from the Warfield 30 years earlier, and we hopefully all know Melvin Seals from the Jerry Garcia Band as one of the best Hammond players around. Not to be missed.
5.6 – Steve Kimock and Friends – A Celebration of Wavy Gravy’s 82ndBirthday– Sweetwater Music Hall– www.sweewatermusichall.com– Show 8:00 – $125 VIP dinner/ $50 General Admission
Steve Kimock is a local legend guitarist who has played with RatDog, Phil Lesh and Friends, Rhythm Devils, and more. I also love that we are from the same hometown! Proceeds from this show benefit Camp Winnarainbow, an overnight kids camp specializing in circus and performing arts located in Mendocino.
5.9 – Scott Law and Ross James’ Cosmic Twang– The Chapel– www.thechapelsf.com– Doors 7:00/ Show 8:00 – $18-20
Scott Law is another local beloved guitarist. He has a monthly weeklong residency at Terrapin Crossroads where you’ll find him jamming with the best of the best, including Nicki Bluhm, Lebo, and Phil Lesh himself! Please check out my interview with him on this music blog to get a sense of his artistry and accomplishment. In Cosmic Twang, he’s teaming up with Ross James who plays guitar in Terrapin Family Band. It’s the Terrapin invasion of SF – I can’t wait!
5.9 – Music Heals International Benefit Concert Featuring MHI All-Stars w/ David nelson, DJ Logic, Jay Lane, Robin Sylvester, Melvin Seals, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Jason Crosby, and guests – Sweetwater Music Hall– www.sweetwatermusichall.com– Doors 7:00/ Show 8:00 – $50
I went to this benefit last year and was blown away by the love and generosity present from both artists and audience. Music Heals International is a nonprofit that “brings music and musicians to the children of Haiti and globally to inspire achievement, resiliency, and creativity.” If you want to be super inspired, meet Sara Wasserman, MHI’s Founder and Executive Director. This will be a night of fabulous music and fabulous feelings, my friends.
5.9 – George Ezra– The Fox– www.thefoxoakland.com– Doors 7:00/ Show 8:00- $35
This young British singer-songwriter shot to fame with the release of “Budapest,” and he’s now touring to promote his latest album, Staying at Tamara’s, which just topped the UK charts at number one. Check out “Savior,” a song on which he collaborated with my favorite Swedish sister folk duo, First Aid Kit.
5.11 – Rogue Wave– The Independent– www.theindependentsf.com– Show 9:00 – $25
Rogue Wave are celebrating the 10thanniversary re-issue of their album Asleep at Heaven’s Gate. They are on a national tour promoting this album in full, but they’ll be playing other favorites as well. From Oakland, Ca., these guys are another local indie pop favorite, in part because of their luscious melodies and smooth vibe. Check out “Lake Michigan” and “California Bride,” as well as my interview with Pat Spurgeon (drums, keys, vocals) in an upcoming blog.
5.12 – The Weepies– The Fillmore– www.thefillmore.com– Doors 8:00/ Show 9:00 – $32.50
This married duo, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, is aptly named: you can’t listen to their music without laughing and crying and “suffering through” deep catharsis – thus the talent of two incredibly gifted singer-songwriters. Oh – you also dance a lot. Their shows almost always sell out. Check out, “Early Morning Riser,” “Somebody Loved,” “Dating a Porn Star,” and the entire album “Be My Thrill,” which is so good a can’t pick a single track (except maybe “Be My Honeypie”). See you there!
5.15 – MGMT– The Warfield– www.thewarfieldtheatre.com– Show 8:00 – $45 – $59.50
Because who can forget that Tim Lincecum’s walk up song for a season was “Electric Feel?” (Okay, maybe you did, but it was, in 2010. It’s awesome when my two loves, baseball and music, come together!) All right, so this rock band was formed in Connecticut in 2002, and they shot to fame in 2007-2008, getting nods from both SPIN and Rolling Stone as a band to watch. Listen to “Electric Feel,” and “Kids,” as well as their new album, Little Dark Age. See you there!
5.19 – Sean Hayes– Terrapin Crossroads– www.terrapincrossraods.net– $25
I’ve followed Sean Hayes since I moved here in 1998 (we actually sang together in my living room once!), and he has a long-standing devoted fan base for a damn good reason. Check out “Alabama Chicken,” or “Rattlesnake Charm.”
5.19 – Maggie Rose– Sweetwater Music Hall– www.sweetwatermusichall.com– Doors 8:00/ Show 9:00 – $17
I saw her at Taste of Yountville in March and her powerful voice blew me away. Then I started researching her and discovered she left college her sophomore year to pursue a music career in Nashville after a personal phone call from Tommy Mottola – who wouldn’t? Check out, “I Ain’t Your Mama,” or “Better.”
5.24 – Heroes Rock Presents: George Porter Jr. and Friends – A Benefit Concert Honoring Our First Responders– Whetstone Wine Cellars– www.whetstonewinecellars.com – Happy Hour reception at 5:00/ Show 7:00 – $150
Spend money supporting our brave first responders of the Napa/ Sonoma fires in one of the most beautiful vineyards north of Novato. Oh – and listen to the grooves of George Porter, Jr.! Can you think of a better way to spend the night before BottleRock? Please check out my interview with Michelle Whetstone on this music blog for more information.
5.25 – John Prine– The Warfield– www.thewarfieldtheatre.com– Show 8:00 – $66 – $106
This 71-year-old LEGEND (!!!) has been playing his own brand of country folk since the early 70’s. You might know him for his duet with Bonnie Raitt on “Angel from Montgomery.” He’s also known for his often humorous musical bent and his political commentary.
5.25 – The New Mastersounds– Sweetwater Music Hall– www.sweetwatermusichall.com– Doors 8:00/ Show 9:00 – $27
The New Mastersounds are a British four-piece jazz fusion and funk band from Leeds, England. Over the last 16 years, they have issued ten studio albums, two remix collections, and a compilation album. Check out “You Mess Me Up,” and “Treasure,” then get ready to dance!
5.25 – Lake Street Dive– The Fillmore– www.thefillmore.com– Doors 8:00/ Show 9:00 – $43.75
Oh…butter. This band just makes you melt. They met at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and they’ve been on fire ever since. The lead singer, Racheal Price, even sang the national anthem at a baseball game during an episode of House of Cards. Check out “The Neighbor’s Song” or “The Good Kisser,” on YouTube, or their cover of “I Want You Back,” which is where it all started. Pretty sure this one will sell out.
5.28 – George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic– The Independent– www.theindependentsf.com– Show 8:00 – $55
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1997, George Clinton is known, along with James Brown and Sly Stone, as one of the founders of funk music. He’s also an incredible music producer who’s worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers among others. Take a listen to his classics, “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” “Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk),” and “One Nation Under a Groove.”
5.31 – Frazey Ford– The Independent– www.theindependentsf.com– Show 8:00 – $22
I’m a little scared to share her with you, because she is one of my absolute favorites. Her voice defines sultry the way Lake Street Dive defines butter. Frazey is one of the lead singers of The Be Good Tanyas, which is the band I’m constantly wanting to base a cover band on. Any takers? Don’t miss this one.
Emilie Rohrbach has taught music and theater to grades pre-school through 8th in San Francisco and Marin counties for the last 20 years. She has been a freelance writer for Divine Caroline for five years, and her writing has appeared in Narratively, Hippocampus, Common Ground, Travelers’ Tales, and Marin Magazine, among others. She is passionate about Room to Read, Shanti Bhavan, and Destiny Arts and serves on the board of Knighthorse Theatre Company.