01 August 2024

BISS List 8.1.24: Spotlight on Groove Summit (8.24 & 8.25) + Best of BISS this Week

Happy August BISS Listers!

Jenni here filling in for Pamela as she heads to Felton for Locomotion Festival to serve as the conductor of Club Loco VIP. There is still time to join her for one, two or all three days!

We once again asked “What is the best live music show you have been to in the past week?” and got lots of great responses. A few of you told us that you had a great time at Petaluma Music Festival. Our calendar guru Phillip was at Boom Boom Room for both Afrolicious (“fantastic dance!”) and TOPAZ (“going late soulful disco-ish sounds DANCE!”). Phillip was also at Music City SF’s new Imprint label debut with performances from The Rudy Colombini Band and The Unauthorized Rolling Stones, along with Haight Street Voice’s Linda Kelly (“Diggin this thread. It’s Citizen Music Journalism”). Dee-Ann M. really enjoyed the Motet at Hopmonk Sebastapol (and Pamela lamented not being in town for this one!). Check out the full thread to see what everyone had to say and add your own reports of last week.

On to this week. Today is Jerry Garcia’s birthday, and so begin The Days Between, along with lots of opportunities to celebrate Jerry. Tonight Jerry’s Middle Finger plays a sold out show at Sweetwater Music Hall (congrats to ticket winner Joey S.) and Terrapin Family Band take the stage at The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park. Jerry’s Middle Finger will also be at Felton Music Hall for two nights (8/2 & 8/3). On Saturday, the free community celebration begins with Jerry Day ft Melvin Seals & JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel, Grahame Lesh, Elliott Peck & Alex Jordan at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, and continues with Jerry Nite, a free after-party pub crawl through the Excelsior District near Jerry’s childhood homes. Music starts with Josh Gelfand at The Halfway Club at 5:30pm, then the crawl continues with more music including Hot Mountain Dips (find out more about Jerry Day & Nite in last week’s BISS List). The Days Between conclude on August 9th, and China Dolls have a very special show planned for that night at Sweetwater (more on that in the spotlight below).

But it’s not just about Jerry this weekend, on Friday The Humidors bring their high-energy ensemble funk to Sweetwater Music Hall (*WIN*), and later that night Danger-Ate & Oakadelic keep the funk going at Boom Boom Room (*WIN*). On Saturday keep the groove going after a long Jerry Day & Nite with Super Greens at Boom Boom Room (*WIN*). And looking ahead a few weeks, Groove Summit brings the funk to Napa with two day outdoor party (more on that in the spotlight below).

Personally, my weekend is hyper-focused on Sunday, as I’ve been helping plan a celebration of life for my dear friend, William “Incredi-Bill” Hood, who passed away a year ago. We will be gathering at Ocean Beach and spreading some of his ashes to sea. If you knew and loved Bill and somehow the details for Sunday didn’t make it to you, please reply to this email and I’ll send them to you.

Here’s to a week of good music and good friends.

~ Jenni, BISS Social Media Maven

SPOTLIGHT ON GROOVE SUMMIT

Groove Summit

August 24 & 25 @ Meritage Resort

Groove Summit is bringing the funk to Napa for an unforgettable two-day outside party at Blue Note Summer Sessions at the Meritage Resort! This lineup is stacked with funk royalty, modern icons, and next-generation groove-makers.

Day 1 (8/24) features The Fearless Flyers (Cory Wong, Joe Dart, Mark Lettieri, and Nate Smith), Lettuce, Fred Wesley and the New JB’s
*WIN TICKETS for Day 1*

Day 2 (8/25) features Tower of Power & Ghost Note
*WIN TICKETS for Day 2*

One Day & Two Day Tickets are available now!!

SPOTLIGHT ON THE DAYS BETWEEN

China Dolls

August 9th @ Sweetwater Music Hall

Celebrate the culmination of the Days Between with China Dolls’ authentic and soulful experience of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band catalog. The China Dolls were born out of a Women’s Month event and have sold out almost every concert they’ve played since, receiving stellar reviews from Deadheads and bringing high demand in the Bay Area jam band scene and beyond

Fronted by Sunshine Becker (Furthur, JGB Band, SoVoSo) on vocals and flute, along with Cheryl Rucker (Melvin Seals & JGB) on vocals, Pamela Parker on vocals and guitar, Jen Rund on bass, Anna Elva on drums, and Richelle Scales on keys. With singer/guitarist Matt Hartle and special guests Dave Ellis (saxophonist from Bob Weir’s Ratdog) and Jacklyn LaBranch (vocalist from Jerry Garcia Band). Get ready for a night filled with heartwarming melodies and memorable performances.

***Check out all of our Featured Shows.