05 October 2023

BISS List 10.5.23: Spotlight on Sugar Pine Fest (10.19-10.22) + Best of BISS this Week

Happy Thursday BISS Listers! I know, a day later than usual but what a week everyone had here in SF with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass + Portola Fest + all the night shows to go along with those + the rest that the Bay Area had to offer over this past weekend. I could never make it to everything nor capture everything but I will share a bit with you here. If you have any great stories, photos or videos from YOUR past week, I would love to hear about it (or see it).

#LastThursday (9/28), was the kickoff of artists from Hardly Strictly Bluegrass playing shows around the Bay Area. Steve Earle returned to historic Herbst Theatre to host an intimate songwriters circle with Rickie Lee Jones, Peter Rowan, John Craigie, + special guest John Popper to gather in support of Camp Winnarainbow on 9/28 for Toward the FUN(ds) brought to you by Jordan Auleb. What a beautiful night with a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the night! I only took a couple of very short videos as was appropriate… but you can “imagine” how amazing this was! I was so glad that we were able to make it to The Chapel on time… to catch Holly Bowling‘s second set. While pictures and videos never do it justice, you can definitely get the idea from what I captured. It is pretty rare to go to two sit down shows in one night let alone two that are both so amazing they end with standing ovations.

#LastFriday, we had a blast getting down and funky with one of my long-time favorite SF bands, Afrolicious, at one of my long-time favorite venues, The Boom Boom Room. Check it out!

#Last Saturday, at The Fillmore, started with SAY SHE SHE, as the opener. The three female vocalists of Say She She possess voices that seem to transcend the celestial sphere, and seeing them perform live is even more captivating. With the support of three members of ORGŌNE behind them, this band is a powerhouse from another dimension! See for yourself… Then, the headliner of the night at The Fillmore was Bombino. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Bombino perform before, but this time I had the opportunity to be right up front. It was an eye-opening experience that helped me understand why Bombino is considered one of Africa’s most innovative and thrilling musicians. Check it out! And then of course, we ended up across the street for a little late night funk session with Litty DeBungus cause, why not?

While I couldn’t make it out to everything, I am super excited about the work that Lantz Lazwell and I got done this weekend! As you must know by now, I am managing him and his band, Lazwell (formerly known as Lantz Lazwell & The Vibe Tribe). He’s funky, bluesy, rock-y and soulful to say the least. I spent the better part of this weekend tweaking the website, creating and uploading some new show videos to the youtube channel and setting up his new hyperfollow page for the three singles that we have released which will be on his soon to be released new album. What do you think? All feedback welcome!

MOVING ON…

Looks like it’s going to be beautiful weather this week, which is great timing to get outside and enjoy Fleet Week!

#ThisWeekend, I am trying to decide between Billy Strings on Friday or Saturday at the Frost Ampitheater. We are giving away a pair of tickets for each night so get those entries in, ASAP! I am leaning towards Saturday so that I can maybe see Buckethead on Friday at the Fillmore.

There are tons of more great shows this week. Scroll down to see the Best of BISS picks for this week!

#MarkYourCalendar for these upcoming Best of BISS shows with opportunities to Win Tickets in the next two weekends! Then spread the word and enter to win! It’s easy!

10/06 Billy Strings @ Frost Amphitheater (*WIN*)

10/06 Grateful Shred @ Cornerstone Berkeley (*WIN*)

10/08 Rainbow Girls @ The Chapel (*WIN*)

10/09 Jon Cleary @ Sweetwater Music Hall (*WIN*)

10/10 The Brian Jonestown Massacre @ The Warfield (*WIN*)

10/12 Lyrics Born @ Lost On Main Chico (*WIN*)

10/13 Joe Russo’s Almost Dead @ Frost Amphitheater (*WIN*)

10/13 Fourth Position + Shook Train @ Boom Boom Room (*WIN*)

10/13 Blues Is A Woman – from Ma Rainey to Bonnie Raitt ft Pamela Rose, Pat Wilder, Daria Johnson, Ruth Davies, Jennifer Jolly & Kristen Strom @ Sebastiani Theatre (*WIN*)

10/15 The Dandy Warhols & The Black Angels, Queen Kwong (Two Nights) @ The Fillmore (*WIN*)

But wait, there’s more! This week’s #ListenToThis is “Zodiac” from Diggin Dirt, to continue getting you warmed up for Sugar Pine Music Festival. We also have a full spotlight on the festival below so read on for more and #Listen below!

#seeyouattheshows,
~ Pamela aka Miss BISS

SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC IN THE PINES

Sugar Pine Music Festival

Oct 19th – 22 @ Nevada County Fairgrounds

Hangtown Festival is now Sugar Pine Music Fest! Lineup includes Lettuce, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Beastie Boys Tribute ft members of Slightly Stoopid, ALO, Garcia Grisman Tribute (ft Stu Allen, Joe Craven, Jim Kerwin, & Andrew Collins), Sunsquabi, Moontricks, Ron Artis II & The Truth, Jennifer Hartswick Band, Diggin Dirt, Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes, Carolyn Wonderland, Dead Winter Carpenters, Honey Island Swamp Band, Boot Juice, Broken Compass Bluegrass, Armchair Boogie, Grateful Bluegrass Boys, Salty Sally, Caltucky, and Joe Craven MC.

Sugar Pine Music Festival will feature over 20 bands in exclusive collaborations and performances, late night shows, craft beer, wine, artisanal cuisine, arts and craft faire, family fun, Halloween costume themes, pumpkin carving, yoga, and more. All at the Nevada County Fairgrounds, nestled on almost 90 acres and surrounded by thousands of towering “Sugar Pine” trees, giving a cozy feel with shaded campsites, expanded amenities, numerous permanent bathrooms, ample camping spaces, a large number of RV hookups, and space for car camping.

***Check out all of our Featured Shows.

LISTEN TO THIS

Listen to “Zodiac” by Diggin Dirt, from their Jam in the Van recording session (Released 2022).

I spoke with saxophonist Tyler Martin about recording with Jam in the Van and he told me, “For the Zodiac session, that was our second or third time recording in Jam in the Van. It’s a blast as always, tons of fun to be in their van. It’s great too cause the style is just one take, so you get some live vibes in there too. To be honest, I think that recording of Zodiac is my favorite of the Jam in the Van stuff, and definitely my favorite recording of Zodiac. Things just feel good on that one. I remember recording that, they stuck me in the corner, and I couldn’t fit underneath the ceiling in the RV, so I had to kind of crouch down. That’s why I’ve got that wide stance in the video of that session, haha. That was recorded at Whale Rock, a great festival in SLO that really loves us. Lots of love from the West Coast these days, and we’ve been pushing East recently, so hopefully that spreads across the Country!”

You can catch Diggin Dirt at Sugar Pine Music Festival! I’m sure you can tell that we are so excited for Sugar Pine here at BISS List, and it’s clear that Diggin Dirt feels the same, Tyler told me that they are “super stoked to be coming back to Grass Valley for Sugar Pine, the team behind it is great and are all friends of ours. We’re honored to be included in the first year! Looking forward to Karl Denson and Lettuce too, of course. And we’ve got the late night sets too, so that’ll be a blast. Can’t wait to see ya!”

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!