22 November 2023

BISS List 11.22.23: Spotlight on BISS Holiday Party (12.6) + Best of BISS this Week

Happy Friendsgiving BISS Listers! Whether you call it Thanksgiving, Indigenous People’s Day, Harvest Festival, Friendsgiving, or just consider it to be a good Time to Shop, the “Holiday Season” is about to commence. That means time with friends & family, and lots of parties! That also means good shows all over the Bay area and Beyond. Especially for the NYE weekend of shows! It’s coming up quickly, and it’s time to think about making some choices. We are putting together our Spotlight on NYE, and that’s coming your way soon! In the meantime, you can check out the Full BISS List Calendar. Reply and let us know what you think are the “Best of” shows for NYE.

#NextWeek, while you are reading BISS List, I will be in Mexico working at Bajaja Music Festival as the Charity Auction Coordinator. If you read last week’s BISS, then you know we, the Bajaja Team, hosted a kickoff auction preview and social mixer last week and it was a blast! The little venue was packed with people, and the atmosphere was electric. There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air, as everyone is looking forward to the upcoming festival. Thank you to all who attended! ANYONE can preview the auction now online and get registered to start bidding on 11/28! *Preview & Sign up at https://one.bidpal.net/bajaja/welcome **If you are interested in donating items to our auction, please check out the auction letter for more information: https://bit.ly/Bajaja-AuctionLetter

#ThisPastSaturday, while many of you were putting on your Fancy Pants and getting ready to be Comfortably Numb, we took a quick mid-day trip to Jolly Old London aka The Dickens Fair (*WIN*). It is like taking a step back into the streets of mid 19th Century London. We checked out multiple theaters with stage performances, haberdasheries, clothing shops, jewelry shops, carnival games, pubs, sweets, and treats. Not to mention getting an introduction to Charles Dickens himself. (Thank you Denise!) We got so excited to meet Mr. Dickens in person (while trying to stay in character) that we forgot to take a picture with him though we captured much of the day. The Dickens Fair (*WIN*) is taking place every weekend through Dec. 17, (10am-6pm).

Again, I find myself perusing our own Best of BISS section to find the best shows to see this week. Then I realize that I can only do so much while getting ready to head out of town next week. But hey, this is a team effort, so please check out the “Best of BISS” show picks below, and then check out the Win Tickets page and the Full Calendar for more options.

#ThisSaturday looks like it will be the big night out. Not sure if you all know this, but I love FUNK! And being a lover of funk, I absolutely love George Clinton… in whichever version he brings. So obviously Parliament Funkadelic ft. George Clinton is already a no-brainer choice for Saturday night. But then throw in Fishbone and also Dumpstaphunk. No wonder they called it Just for The Funk Of It! Personally, I can’t believe it isn’t sold out yet! Seriously.

#SaturdayAfterParty, Oakadelic is throwing a P-Funk after party and jam session with a 10pm to 2am set and then jam session all night after @ The Bizarre, 3974 Manila, Oakland. But we won’t be staying there all night, we are going to be sure to head back to the city for Eric McFadden at BBR (*WIN*). I wonder if we might see him at the Fox along with other local P-Funk extended family musicians!

#MarkYourCalendar for the BISS Holiday Cocktail Party on December 6th! Due to overwhelming popular demand, BISS, Pamela & Elie are kicking off the holidays with our TWELFTH Annual cocktail party at The Fishbowl!! The last time we hosted this party, it was our “11th Annual” in 2019 so this would be the “FIFTEENTH ANNUAL” But life and times put it on hold for the last few years… More details in the Spotlight below.

But wait there’s more! This week’s #ListenToThis song pick of the week is “Make It Back Home” by ALO. Check out this week’s #ListenToThis below to hear the song and to see what Zach and Lebo have to say about this song and their excitement about the upcoming Bajaja Festival in Mexico!

#seeyouattheshows,
~ Pamela aka Miss BISS

SPOTLIGHT ON HOLIDAY CHEER

BISS Holiday Cocktail Party

Dec 6th @ The Fishbowl

The BISS Holiday Cocktail Party emerges once more! Beckoning all who crave a night of merriment and cheer. With a guest startender of unparalleled skill, Elie Sasson, the festivities promise to be a cascade of delightful drinks and lively conversations. Though the past few years, world may have pressed pause on this enchanted gathering, the warmth of the holiday spirit has rekindled its flame, and we’re back once again. Join us on December 6th at 7 pm, at The Fishbowl, as we celebrate the TWELFTH annual BISS Holiday Cocktail Party, bursting with drink specials and the company of old friends.

***Check out all of our Featured Shows.

LISTEN TO THIS

Listen to “Make It Back Home” by ALO from their album, Silver Saturdays (Released 2023).

We reached out to Zach Gill of ALO and asked the story behind this song that he wrote, and he told us that “Make It Back Home” is about “a lot of things all at once. It’s about acknowledging one’s own limits and making space in your life for new growth, let it go, so it can grow. The home that it refers to, has to do with the feeling of connection between musician and audience. For me, ALO shows often feel like rowdy homecomings. The lyrics were written during the pandemic, when I was really missing the experience of being together with the band and playing music for people. When I sing the song live now, it feels a bit like a prayer, an acknowledgment that even though the waters are rough and the path ahead seems unclear somehow in the end, we’ll make it back home.”

We also reached out to Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz of ALO, to ask him a few questions about the upcoming Bajaja Festival.

BISS: Are you excited about playing this first inaugural Bajaja Festival?
Lebo: 1000% Yes!! A mid-winter festival with a bunch of great bands on a warm beach in Mexico sure sounds great to me! We have some deep roots with the folks that are putting this event on, so as soon I heard this was going down, I was really hoping that the stars would align for us to take part in it. So happy that it did!
BISS: Are there any other artists on the bill that you are particularly excited to see?
Lebo: We have a lot of friends on the bill with us at Bajaja, which means that there will be no shortage of collaborations! Really psyched to see what happens when this group of artists converges. Was talking to Eddie Roberts from New Mastersounds a couple weeks back and we surmised that by the end of this festival, none of us will remember what band we are actually in!

ALO are performing next week at the Bajaja Music Festival in BCS, Mexico. If you aren’t able to join us there, never fear, because Tour d’Amour is coming to a venue near you in February!

Why should you “Listen to This”? – BISS (Because I Said So). Check out the complete Spotify playlist with all weekly songs! #moretocome

*Got some new music we should listen to? Submit it for review!