02 April 2025

BISS List 4.2.25 Spotlight on Mill Valley Music Festival (5.10 & 5.11) + The Best of BISS This Week

Happy April, BISS Listers!

New month, fresh shows, and a whole lot of good music energy in the air. Let’s dive into what went down this past weekend and what’s coming up next… Here’s a recap of last weekend’s shows.

Friday at The Chapel:

Jazz Mafia: They kicked off the night with that signature Bay Area swagger. 👉Check it out.
Otis McDonald: Always a vibe. So much groove in that set. 👉 Check it out. Huge shoutout to Nora, our latest ticket winner, who sent in a couple of great videos from this set. Love when the BISS fam gets involved!
Forrest Day: What an awesome set! And they closed it out with a full-on guest-filled jam session. (Cannot wait to see him again at Golden Road Gathering!) 👉 Check it out.

Sunday at Presidio Theatre: BEATrio – Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez Trio: A world-class trio of masters. Honestly, it’s hard to describe the level of musicianship in that room. I also have to mention how much fun it was to have so many of you BISS peeps in the house! Loved seeing all of you there. P.S. I didn’t realize that videos were not allowed right away, so you get two from me and one from Patreon winner Corey. 👉Check it out.

Coming Up This Weekend:

Fri 4/4: I’m heading to see Rubblebucket + CAPYAC @ August Hall (*WIN*). It’s been a minute since I have seen Rubblebucket, and I’ve seriously missed their quirky, joyful, dance-like-nobody’s-watching energy. If you’ve never seen them live, trust me—this is your sign.
Fri 4/4: Looking for something more down-to-earth this Friday night? Catch Seth Walker @ Hotel Utah (*WIN*). He’s an American electric blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter with soul-soaked vocals and rootsy charm.
Sat 4/5: I’ve got a friend’s private event in San Rafael. It’s one of those gatherings I’m really looking forward to!

That being said, I would love it if you share your experiences with me for next week. If you are already posting your albums, just make them public and send me the links. If you want to write up a little review about something awesome, email it to me at biss@bisslist.com! If you don’t know what to do this weekend, check out the Best of BISS section below!

Mark your calendar for these shows coming up in April!

April 17th: High Sierra Music Festival Band Contest at Boom Boom Room. We’re bringing a little slice of High Sierra magic to the Bay! Four finalist bands from our region will battle it out live for a chance to perform at this year’s festival. Only one winner will advance from this round! The night will be hosted by the one and only Pamela Parker (also part of this year’s HSMF 2025 lineup), and judged by Miss Parker, Andy Gadiel of JamBase, and… yours truly, Pamela Gerstein of The BISS List.
April 18th: LAZWELL ft. Starchild Jr. at Oddfellows Hall Vallejo (*WIN*) This will be the very first Mr. Hat Presents x BISS List Presents show at Oddfellows Lodge in Vallejo, also known as San Pablo Lodge. The room is a magnificent, tall old-school space with stained glass windows, a great stage, a proper dance floor, and tons of vintage charm. I can’t wait to see my favorite band play there. Who’s joining me?

🎷 NOLA Is Calling: Our Jazz Fest Nights NOLA-dex (Thank you Booka for the help building this and for the name!) We launched the NOLA-dex last week, a growing list of 60+ night shows happening around New Orleans Jazz Fest this year. Check out the NOLA-dex and see what’s already on the radar and how you can Win Tix. Check back later this week for more shows and more opportunities to win tickets!

🌀 Bands, Promoters, Venues & NOLA Businesses—Listen Up!

If you’re already on the list and want more visibility on your show, we can run a ticket giveaway for your show, just reach out.
If you’re not on the list yet, let us know and we’ll get you added: email biss@bisslist.com
Want to promote your show, venue, or business in a bigger way? Let’s talk about running an ad on the NOLA-dex page.

I can’t believe I’m heading to New Orleans in just a few weeks. It’s a quick, work-supported trip, but I’ll be cramming in as much music as humanly possible. Only heartbreak? I’ll be missing Warren Haynes (5/3) at The Fillmore (*WIN*) while I’m gone (ugh). But I’ll be back just in time for Mill Valley Music Fest (5/10 – 5/11), which is looking 🔥. For more info on the Mill Valley Music Festival and how you can win tickets, check out the spotlight below!!

💜Before we say goodbye to March, I wanted to take a second to thank Independent Arts & Media for featuring me in their Women’s History Month spotlight as the founder of The BISS List. This feature not only honored the roots of this project, but also marked an exciting new chapter. Thanks to IAM, The BISS List is now fiscally sponsored, which means you can make tax-deductible donations to help sustain this labor of love. If you believe in what we’re building—amplifying live music, supporting artists, and keeping our scene thriving—this is a powerful way to support it.

👉Click here to make a tax-deductible donation: https://bit.ly/BISSListDonateNow.

As always, for even more shows and your chance to win FREE tickets, check out Best of BISS, the Full BISS Calendar, and the Win Tickets page. If we missed anything, let us know!

That’s a wrap for now. Whether you’re front and center, on the rail, or just vibin’ in the wings, I hope we cross paths soon. If there’s something we should be shouting from the list, send it my way. Keep it funky, keep it kind.

~ Pamela aka Miss BISS
#seeyouattheshows

SPOTLIGHT ON MILL VALLEY

Mill Valley Music Festival

May 10th & 11th @ Friends Field

Get ready for a musical smorgasbord under the California sun at the Mill Valley Music Festival! Enjoy two incredible days filled with live music, savor your favorite local food and drinks, and delight in family-friendly activities. This epic bash transforms Friends Field into a festival wonderland. It’s the perfect opportunity to unwind with friends and family, make new connections, and create lasting memories.

This year’s line-up includes Gary Clark Jr., Nile Rodgers & CHIC, The Crosby Collective ft Dave Schools & more, Monophonics, Vieux Farka Touré, Sister Nancy, Ghost-Note, Thee Sinseers, Elliot Peck, Mission Delirium, Rose Paradise, Wreckless Strangers, Flamingos in the Tree, Meels, IrieFuse, and Matt Jaffe, plus Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of SF and Marin School of the Arts Rock Band. Enter to WIN a Weekend Pass!!

**Check out all of our Featured Shows.

BEST OF BISS THIS WEEK

04/02 Anna Elva & Friends: A Grateful Dead Night @ Ashkenaz

04/03 Downtown First Thursdays @ 2nd St btw Market & Howard

04/03 LOVE with Johnny Echols w/ Strangers in a Strange Land @ Sweetwater Music Hall

04/04 Rubblebucket, CAPYAC @ August Hall

04/04 Jorma Kaukonen with John Hurlbut (Two Nights) @ Sweetwater Music Hall

04/04 Old 97’s @ The Fillmore

04/04 Combo Tezeta + Discos Resaca Collective @ Ivy Room

04/04 Seth Walker @ Hotel Utah

04/04 Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers (6:30 & 9pm) @ Biscuits & Blues

04/04 La Misa Negra @ Moe’s Alley

04/05 An Evening With Y&T @ Fox Theatre Redwood City

04/05 Jorma Kaukonen with special guest John Hurlbut (Two Nights) @ Sweetwater Music Hall

04/05 Los Amigos Invisibles @ The UC Theatre

04/05 CHUM: A Tribute to Phish @ Ivy Room

04/05 Bob Mould Band w /Craig Finn @ The Fillmore

04/05 Notes & Words: UCSF Children’s Hospital Benefit ft Gary Clark Jr & Grace Potter @ The Masonic

04/05 Old 97’s w/ Grey Delisle @ Felton Music Hall

04/05 The Heeters @ Smiley’s Schooner Saloon

04/06 Los Amigos Invisibles w/ DJ Wyze 1 @ Moe’s Alley

04/06 Psycotic Pineapple + Eric Din @ Ivy Room

04/06 Stereophonics w/ Witches Exist @ The Regency Ballroom

04/08 Old 97’s, Grey DeLisle @ Lost On Main Chico

04/09 6 Roses ft Michael Cavaseno, David Boyce @ Madrone Art Bar

Want more shows from BISS?
Check out the Best of BISS & BISS Full Calendar

New to the BISS List?

The BISS List began in 2003 as an email newsletter for diehard live music fans in the Bay Area. Over 20 years, we’ve grown to become the go-to resource for funk, jam, soul, and groove music, reaching approximately 20,000 followers and over 80,000 through various platforms. Our curated list features only the shows we and our fans love, and we host ticket giveaways to enhance promotions with venues and artists.

Each week, we highlight the BEST OF BISS shows, with select FEATURED SHOWS that you won’t want to miss. Our shows are free to view and add to—if you have a show to submit, visit our submission page or email us at biss@bisslist.com.

🎶 Two Ways to Help Keep the BISS List Alive! 🎶

The BISS List has always been a labor of love, fueled by passion for live music and a dedication to this amazing community. What started as a personal email of show picks has grown into a full-fledged resource for funk, jam, soul, and groove lovers—bringing you curated show recommendations, ticket giveaways, and a space to connect over the music we love.

But running BISS takes time, effort, and real costs—over $3,000 a month just to keep the basics going! That’s why we’re excited to offer two ways you can support and help sustain the BISS List:

✨ Make a tax-deductible donation – The BISS List is now fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, which means your donation directly supports our mission while also being tax-deductible! Every contribution helps us grow, support artists, and expand BISS to serve the music community even better.

✨ Join our Patreon – Want to support and get perks? Patreon gives you a way to back the music you love while enjoying exclusive benefits. Your membership helps cover essential costs and allows us to keep BISS thriving without constant financial stress.

Your support—no matter the size—keeps the BISS List alive and ensures we can continue sharing the music, artists, and shows that bring us together. Thank you for being part of this incredible community. Let’s keep the music playing! ~ Pamela aka Miss BISS