30 May 2024

BISS List 5.30.24: Spotlight on Stern Grove Festival + Best of BISS this Week

Happy (Almostl) Summer BISS Listers!

While summer may not officially be here yet, it’s certainly close, and the proof is in the tickets! Stern Grove Festival released their first round of tickets last week, and have another one today! Get all the details on this year’s lineup and how to snag your free tickets in our Featured Spotlight below!

Soooooo…. Did you miss me? Did you even know I was gone for the last two weeks? (Probably not with rockstar Jenni at the helm)

Let’s get right to it! This week’s BISS List is all about Grooves, Gratitude, and Giving Back!

The Golden Road Gathering was more than just a festival this year; it was a full-on experience for all! I had the unique opportunity to wear two hats: managing the Golden Ticket VIP Experience and working as the band manager for LAZWELL. Read my full thank you message here. The most magical part of the entire weekend was without a doubt the vibe. Everyone – staff, patrons, musicians – came together to create an atmosphere of pure joy and camaraderie. It’s a feeling you just can’t replicate. If you were there, please feel free to add to the Golden Road Gathering Music & Festival Experience album so everyone can witness the magic!

One more round of thank yous! Thanks to Tony Dellcioppa & Larry Sabo for capturing all these amazing moments over the three days of the festival!

Juggling two hats at a festival can be a real challenge, making it hard to keep up with anything outside of that, but I’m incredibly fortunate to have an all-star team back at BISS HQ who kept the show on the road while I was at Golden Road. A massive thank you to Phillip for keeping the calendar full and the contests flowing – you’re the glue that holds things together! And an even huger thank you to Jenni, our social media queen & BISS content manager. She always keeps you in the loop on all things awesome, but this past two weeks she truly went above and beyond. Not only did she manage the socials, but she also cranked out two fantastic editions of the BISS List! Seriously, Jenni, you might be better at this than I am – although, don’t tell my ego. In all seriousness, your dedication and hard work are invaluable, and I can’t thank you both enough for holding down the fort.

Apparently, those younger days of bouncing back after a festival weekend are a distant memory. (Did you just call me old?) This past week, I took it easy and let the post-festival fatigue wash over me (although some might say it was pure laziness!). However, I did manage to muster up some energy for a truly special event on May 22nd, the day after I returned – the Black Tie & Tye Dye Gala! Check out some of the Love on Haight Fashion Show and some of the Bone Diggers set here! We have more contributors adding more to this album so check back again later!

This San Francisco tradition benefits HealthRIGHT 360, a vital organization providing healthcare to low-income residents and those experiencing homelessness. It was a fantastic night filled with live music, dancing, and, of course, tie-dye! But the most heartwarming part of the evening was witnessing my best friend, Sunshine Powers, the owner of Love on Haight, get presented with the Community Visionary Award for her incredible contributions to the community! Seeing her dedication and passion recognized was truly a highlight.

So, while last week wasn’t exactly packed with high-octane activities, it was a perfect reminder of the importance of community, celebrating loved ones, and of course, supporting a good cause. Now, feeling refreshed and recharged, I’m ready to tackle whatever BISS throws my way this week!

…though truth be told, I did have to tap into those reserves again on Memorial Day. This time, it wasn’t for another music festival, but for another good cause even closer to the heart. Jake Orlick, Nica’s son, was recently in a major motorcycle accident, and the community rallied together to support him and his family during his recovery with a benefit concert called “Jammin’ for Jake.” Huge congrats and gratitude to event organizers Jordan Feinstein, Wendy Garf-Lipp and Nica Orlick!

This event at Strawberry Station in Mill Valley was a true testament to the power of music and community. Over 300 guests came together to enjoy four sets of music featuring more than 35 musicians – all lending their talent to help Jake. (Way to go Musical Director, Jordan!) It was a heartwarming day filled with good vibes and even better people. While I may not be bouncing back from festivals like I used to, there’s no way I could miss an event like this. Sometimes the best way to recharge is by giving back to the community and supporting those in need.

So, that’s my past two weeks in a nutshell…

I would have liked to have made it to BottleRock this past weekend but thankfully our man, Gabriel Barkin was there on behalf of Grateful Web to get some great shots and write up a fine review which they have graciously allowed us to reprint here on BISS List.

I would also love it if you could share some of your musical experiences with me and the BISS community in our Community Photo & Video album. Show me what I missed for the last two weeks in The Bay!

This Week: For many of you tonight is night THREE of FOUR MMJ shows at the Fillmore which kicks off my musical adventures for this weekend… Here are some of my hopes and dreams for the coming weekend. What’s on your live music radar this week? With our Best of BISS recommendations in the section below, the options are endless! My target!

5/30: My Morning Jacket @ The Fillmore – Who will I see at this show tonight?!
5/31:Tedeschi Trucks Band + Little Feat @ The Greek Theatre – Anyone driving from the city? I am looking for a ride!
6/1: APE @ Cafe Du Nord (*WIN*) – Who doesn’t want to see the only live band in the world that features a live Tiki Carver AND gets you grooving? And this time Crazy Al’s Tiki will be auctioned off to benefit City Surf Project!
6/1-6/2: Redwood Mountain Faire ft Melvin Seals with China Cats, Dustbowl Revival, Lyrics Born, Katdelic, Coco Montoya, The Coffis Brothers & lots more! @ Roaring Camp (*WIN*) – Congrats to our first couple of winners of a pair of tickets each, Jade & Bianca! We have another pair up for grabs with an instant win! To enter, spread the word and tag the festival, 2 bands, and one friend you want to go with! Then email biss@bisslist.com to enter!
6/1: Paper Moon Presents: The Terrapin Roadshow ft Guitar Trio: Grahame Lesh, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz & Stu Allen + Steve Adams, Alex Koford, and Jason Crosby – Psychedelic Saturday ft Sunshine Garcia Becker @ Bruns Amphitheater (*WIN*)
6/2: Paper Moon Presents: The Terrapin Roadshow ft Guitar Trio: Grahame Lesh, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz & Stu Allen + Steve Adams, Alex Koford, and Jason Crosby – Western Sunday ft Peter Rowan @ Bruns Amphitheater (*WIN*)

As Always: Check out the Win Tickets page, and don’t forget there is more on the Full Calendar.

Speaking of LAZWELL… Their new music video for “Borrowed Time” plays like a movie! Watch it now! I just wanna know… what’s in the bag Lantz?! Listen to the full album, Counter Clockwise, available on all streaming platforms!

But wait there’s more! Check out this week’s song selection, “Per Ridere” by Funky Lemonade, in the #ListenToThis section below.

~ Pamela aka Miss BISS
#seeyouattheshows

SPOTLIGHT ON STERN GROVE

Stern Grove Festival 2024

June – August @ Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove

The nation’s longest running non-profit festival returns for its 87th season. Stern Grove Festival is a magical place to spend your summer afternoon for a day of community, nature, and FREE live music. This is a hugely popular series, and although free, ticket reservations are required for these in-demand shows. And as many of you know — the tickets go fast! You’ll want to be prepared for your best chance to score reservations. Here’s the scoop on how tickets will work this year: The first batch of tickets are released One (1) Month prior to the show date at 2pm. For example, today (May 30th) at 2pm the first batch of tickets will be released for Chicano Batman on June 30th. You will be able to reserve up to 4 tickets for yourself and a few friends. If you don’t get tickets for a show during the first batch release, keep checking the ticket page. After the initial release, Stern Grove Festival secretly and randomly releases thousands of additional tickets leading up to the show date. *Pay it forward tip: if you reserve tickets and find out that you will be unable to use them, please take a moment to cancel your reservation. This will open up the tickets for someone else during one of the subsequent ticket releases.

Here’s the 2024 Lineup! Remember to mark your calendar one month ahead at 2pm for reservations!

6/23 Tegan and Sarah w/ King Isis
6/30 Chicano Batman w/ Lido Pimienta
7/7 SF Symphony with special guest Jessica Vosk
7/14 The Commodores w/ The Grease Traps
7/21 Masego w/ Satya
7/28 Franc Moody + Drama
8/4 Alex G w/ Fake Fruit
8/11 Herbie Hancock w/ SFJAZZ Collective
8/18 Lucinda Williams w/ Jobi Riccio
8/24 The Big Picnic Weekend: Sylvan Esso + Poolside
8/25 The Big Picnic Weekend: Chaka Khan + Steel Pulse

*Check out all of our Featured Shows.

LISTEN TO THIS

Listen to “Per Ridere” by Funky Lemonade, from the album Per Ridere (Released 2023)

Funky Lemonade is the brainchild of Italian twins Luca & Matteo Coluccia. Groovy and funky, their music is energetic and full of happiness with a bit of irony. It’s like a lemonade on a hot summer day — refreshing.

“Per Ridere” (“To Laugh”) is the title track of Funky Lemonade’s latest album. We spoke with Matteo and he told us that the song is “kind of a theme song. It contains the various parts that distinguish us: the instrumental part groovin’ with guitars and bass and then the more pop and catchy singing part. The song was born in the rehearsal room jamming together. The lyrics of the song talk about the fact that when you’re not feeling good, you can feel better again by dancing, laughing, and singing together with others, which is what we try to do during our live shows.”