The Watch
July 5
In a dive bar along Horseshoe Cove with million dollar views of the Golden Gate Bridge, The Watch covers tunes with an Irish bent, from U2 and the Cranberries to Johnny Cash and Flogging Molly. The band features David Winter on vocals, keys, and guitar and Lee Corbie Wells on fiddle and vocals with a backing band of Bay Area veterans.
Travis Marina Bar (Sausalito). 415.332.2319
MUSIC
Farzad Arjmand
July 6
Live Persian flamenco and the harmony between poem and music is the name of the game from this pioneer of the genre.
Fenix (San Rafael)
415.813.5600, fenixlive.com
Woodstock Revisited
July 6
This 50th anniversary musical salute features Caravanserai (the Santana Tribute) and SF Airship (the Jefferson Airplane Experience).
Slim’s (SF)
415.885.0750, slimspresents.com
Stern Grove Festival
July 7
The annual outdoor free concert by the San Francisco Symphony includes Mendelssohn’s “Fingal’s Cave” overture and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Stern Grove (SF)
415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org
Kanekoa
July 10
Nothing says summer quite like this ukulele-powered Hawaiian reggae folk rock band.
Sweetwater Music Hall (Mill Valley)
415.388.3850, sweetwatermusichall.com
Schwabacher Summer Concert
July 11, 13
Merola Opera Program commences its 62nd season with a showcase of the program’s rising stars, performing scenes from Lucia di Lammermoor, Il trovatore, Faust, Die schweigsame Frau and La rondine.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SF)
415.864.3330, merola.org
Flower Piano
July 11–22
Twelve pianos, available for passersby to play for 12 days, transform part of Golden Gate Park into an alfresco concert hall, with some professional musicians scheduled and three illuminated evenings.
San Francisco Botanical Garden (SF)
415.661.1316, sfbg.org.
Joan Osborne
July 12–13
The R&B and blues songstress draws from her 2017 Songs of Bob Dylan album in this live show.
Terrapin Crossroads (San Rafael)
415.524.2773, terrapincrossroads.net
Andrew York
July 13
The Grammy-winning classical guitarist performs in Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society’s monthly series.
Old Saint Hilary’s Church (Tiburon)
415.435.1853, landmarkssociety.com
Valley of the Moon Music Festival
July 14–28
This Sonoma-based festival celebrates its fifth season with classic and romantic chamber music played on period instruments.
Sonoma and environs
888.596.1027, valleyofthemoonmusicfestival.org
Out of This World
July 19
The San Francisco Symphony celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing with visuals on the big screen, works by Ravel, Strauss and Debussy, the intergalactic themes from Star Trek, and blockbuster scores by film composer John Williams.
Davies Symphony Hall (SF)
415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org
Mary Stallings
July 26
The San Francisco native brings her blues-inflected phrasing and supple swing to the stage for the Great American Songbook series.
Miner Auditorium (SF)
866.920.5299, sfjazz.org
Cracker + Camper Van Beethoven
July 27
HopMonk Tavern’s Cookout Concert Series returns for season six with live music and food in the outdoor beer garden, including this famous double bill (Novato).
(415) 892-6200, hopmonk.com
Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs
July 27
As part of the 27th annual Marin Summer Nights Outdoor Music Series, the popular guitarist brings his brash alt-country sound and searing licks to the open-air stage at Osher Marin JCC.
Kanbar Center for the Arts (San Rafael)
415.444.8000, marinjcc.org
The Four Seasons of Sonoma
July 28
The Santa Rosa Symphony performs Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as local artists’ images of Sonoma landscapes are displayed.
Green Music Center / Weill Hall (Rohnert Park)
707.664.4246, gmc.sonoma.edu
Christina Mueller is a long-time Bay Area food writer. She hails from the East Coast and has spent way too much time in South America and Europe. She discovered her talent as a wordsmith in college and her love of all things epicurean in grad school. She has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Sunset, and the Marin Independent Journal, among others. She volunteers with California State Parks and at her childrens’ schools, and supports the Marin Audubon Society, PEN America, and Planned Parenthood. When she is not drinking wine by a fire, she is known to spend time with her extended family.
