Nate’s Werthless Good Time @ Boom Boom Room – March 22, 2025

A surprise-stacked funk summit led by Nate Werth at Boom Boom Room lights up the Bay.

There are great shows, and then there are the ones that feel like they just might shift the axis of the local music universe. This was the latter.

From the jump, Nate’s Werthless Good Time had that magic in the air — the kind of locked-in energy where the musicians couldn’t stop smiling at each other because they knew they were cooking up something special. This wasn’t just a funk show; it was a joyful, spontaneous summit of Bay Area groove, soul, and rhythm, with a lineup of guests that turned the Boom Boom Room into ground zero for something unforgettable.

Big shoutout to DangerAte for setting the tone right from the beginning with a fire opening set. Then Nate and his core crew hit the stage, instantly synced and grinning from ear to ear. You could feel it: they were vibing with each other so hard they almost forgot they had a whole room watching. About 40 minutes in, it was like someone looked up and remembered, “Hey, we’ve got some folks from the Bay Area funk scene in the house tonight who might wanna play… maybe we should invite some of them up here.”

Guest Sit-Ins: First up: Garrett Shider aka Starchild Jr. took the mic for a soul-drenched cover of California Dreamin’ — the Eddie Hazel version, no less. It was raw, epic, and personal. Garrett lives in SF now, so hopefully we get more of this magic in the future. I always joke with musicians: “Thanks for not making me look bad.” Because when I promote or invite someone, they better bring it. And he did.

Then came Lantz Lazwell, who brought serious heat on Pusherman. For those who somehow still don’t know (ha!), I work with Lantz. The musical chemistry on this one? Off the charts. Not that I had any doubt!

Then Lorenzo Loera from the California Honeydrops made a surprise appearance again (he also showed up at the last one), proving this project is turning into a magnet for the best of the Bay.

Then came the horns: Daniel Caseres and Mike Olmos, who stepped in and elevated things to another level. By this point, I wasn’t filming anymore — my arms were toast (but I was still dancing) — but the music just kept getting better.

At one point, we basically had the entire band AttaKid on stage. That would’ve been a show in itself. But it also happened to line up with Joe Bagale aka Otis McDonald’s birthday at midnight — so yes, a full-on birthday jam broke out. And it was glorious.

Moments That Hit: The core band never stopped smiling. Through every guest sit-in, every switch-up, they kept exchanging grins and looks like, “Are you feeling this too?” It was infectious.

Gala Celia (percussionist from Argentina) and Nate had a vibe all their own. They were trading spots, building grooves together, and completely locked in with each other. It was joyful, organic, and mesmerizing to watch.

Max Cowan on keys brought the space-age soul with a killer vocoder moment (which I totally thought was a talkbox at first). And again — the smiles. Just pure joy.

Post-show Vibes: After the show, I caught Joe Bagale aka Otis McDonald and Garrett Shider outside just talking about being deep in the pocket. It was one of those real, beautiful, music-nerd convos I wish I’d recorded. That joy wasn’t just on stage — it lingered in the air.

And let me not forget: Reed Mathis, RonKat Spearman, and Johnny Cotto (guitarist in RonKat’s band Katdelic) were just hanging out in the room. They didn’t even play. They were just there to witness. When guys like that show up just to listen? You know you’re in the right place.

Bottom Line: This wasn’t a one-off. The energy is growing. There will be more Nate’s Werthless Good Time shows. If you missed this one, start stretching now — you’ll want to be ready for the next one.

This was community. This was funk. This was exactly why we show up.

🎥 Check out the full video and photo gallery from the night here: View the Gallery.