04 June 2025

BISS List 6.4.25 Spotlight on Joe Marcinek & GrooveSession (6.6) + The Best of BISS This Week

Happy June, BISS Listers!

It’s officially summer show season, and if your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s bursting with event invites, festival lineups, and last-minute ticket links. Before we dive in, a quick reminder: the High Sierra Music Festival BISS contest winner will be picked by the end of this week, so get those entries in! We’re looking for creative entries: posts, emails, or texts: that show both quantity and quality. Festival ticket giveaways are limited, so show us why you should win!

Last Week in Review

Tues, 5/27: Goose @ The Masonic: I love how insightful, appreciative, and musically observant our BISS Contributing Editor, Gabriel Barkin, is, he brings both a fan’s excitement and a critic’s eye. Check out his Goose write-up to see what I mean: Read the review.
Thurs, 5/29 & Fri, 5/30: Rocky Mountain Grateful Dead Revue, ft Jay Lane – Corey Sadd has been on the move again, this time in Colorado to celebrate Jake Wolf’s big 50th birthday with two epic nights to remember! Drummer Jake Wolf (RMGDR, Sages and Spirits) is a fixture in the Denver area and beyond, always bringing magic animal energy. Nearly two dozen special guests joined them, including Jay Lane (Dead & Co.), Bridget Law (Elephant Revival), Becca Bisque & Julie Gussaroff (The Sweet Lillies), and many more. Corey caught the spirit with lots of videos and pics.
Sat, 5/31: Afrolicious @ Boom Boom Room: Gabrielle Marshall FINALLY got to see Afrolicious live again, and her review says it all: “They did not disappoint with a deep groove, rump-shaking rhythms, and infectious let’s-party vibes. With a mix of funk, salsa-merengue-island, reggae, and all that moves, these loose-booty maestros brought the love energy. And cowbell! Hats off for keeping that beat going even while locking lips with your lovely.” Check out her full post and video here.
Sat, 5/31: Terrapin Roadshow @ Monte Rio Amphitheatre: Gabriel Barkin was there camera-in-hand and caught some beautiful moments. His exclusive BISS List review highlights the Roadshow’s charm and the warmth of the Monte Rio community. Check out the photo gallery here.
Sun, 6/1: Skerik @ Black Cat: The sax-blowing madman, wrapped up a four-night run. We caught the first set on Sunday, and it was a treat to see him in a proper jazz club like the Black Cat. We all felt so civilized… (don’t worry, he was still a madman). I was lucky enough to be running with Sherri for the night—a great music partner in crime and a Patreon member who took advantage of the +1 opportunity. Check out my photos and videos from the night.
Sun, 6/1: Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes @ Sweetwater Music Hall: Jenni Nelson, our resident social media badass, was out capturing the magic and had this to say about her night: “The Lucky Strokes served their southern-fried funky blues with the swagger of a 70s roadhouse jam. Stand outs of the night included the evocation of George Jones with a cover of ‘The Race is On’ and a fiery ‘Grits Ain’t Groceries’ finale (my favorite track on their album). The night was made all the more fun with a crowd full of BISS Listers grooving along.” Check out her reel on IG. In a shocking turn of events, I also made it out and captured a bit of my own. Watch mine here.

This Week’s Top Picks: These are just a few of the standouts…

Thurs, 6/5: Prince’s Birthday Celebration: Jazz Mafia ft Kate Lamont @ Blue Note Napa – Join them as they bring Prince’s music to life on stage with an incredible ensemble of Jazz Mafia core members.
Fri, 6/6: Joe Marcinek & Groovesession @ Boom Boom Room (*WIN*) an epic night of funky jams along with special guests Cliff Porter, Chris Hoog, and more. More info in the spotlight below!
Sat, 6/7: Sonoma Wild Festival @ Somo Village Event Center ft Rising Appalachia, Gone Gone Beyond, Painted Mandolin, Broken Compass Bluegrass, and more! I’ll be there from 8am setting up for VIP through the end of the night
Sat, 6/7: Drive-By Truckers & Deer Tick @ The Warfield
Sat, 6/7 & Sun, 6/8: 46th Annual Fairfax Festival ft Eric Lindell, Mark Karan’s Budz, The Tasmanian Devils, Molasses (ft. Paige Clem + Teal Collins), Danny’s Live Dead, Tom Finch Group, Bongo Sidibe, and more
Sun, 6/8: Domo Branch (7 & 9:15pm) @ Black Cat (*WIN*) Hey jazz lovers, looking for a little civility of your own? We’ve got three chances every week to win a pair of tickets to the Black Cat in SF. That’s right: every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Check the #WinTickets Page to find out more!
Wed, 6/11: The Motet w/ Tracorum @ The Junction – Wait, what?? No way!
Wed, 6/11: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue + Dumpstaphunk @ The Masonic (*WIN*) – While I did get to see both of these bands in NOLA, it was kinda nuts there and now I kinda need to see them here too!

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.

Mark Your Calendar for This Good Cause:

Sun, 6/29: GIVE FOR VIV @ The Independent: Support Viveca Hawkins’ healing journey with members of Dumpstaphunk & The Nth Power, All Star Bay Area Band ft Uriah Duffy, DJ D Sharp & special guests

Got a college student in your life who’s passionate about live music? The BISS List is offering a summer internship — an opportunity to build skills and gain valuable experience. Pass it on: bisslist.com/internship.

Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am to be part of this incredible community? If you’re feeling the BISS love too, there are two great ways to support what we do: become a Patreon member or make a one-time donation. Every bit helps keep the grooves coming!

~ Pamela aka Miss BISS
#seeyouattheshows

SPOTLIGHT ON JOE MARCINEK

Joe Marcinek Band & GrooveSession

June 6th @ Boom Boom Room

Joe Marcinek Band is an experience you will never forget, an ever evolving mixture of original compositions and incredible musicians. The music is equal parts Chicago Blues, New Orleans Funk, Grateful Dead Psychedelia, and Jazz Fusion. Reigning from Southern California, GrooveSession is a musical experience that brings a movin’ groovin’ high energy show with flavors of jam rock, funk, jazz fusion, and reggae. This funky rockstar collaboration returns to Boom Boom Room for an epic night of funky jams along with Cliff Porter, Chris Hoog and more special guests.

Plus two more opportunities to see Joe & GrooveSession together, with shows at Hopmonk Sebastopol on 6/5 (*WIN*) and Rosebud Ranch in Grass Valley on 6/7 (*WIN*)

BISS REVIEW

Goose Gets Loose at The Masonic

“Jam band darlings Goose played to an enthusiastic crowd for the first of two shows at San Francisco’s Masonic Auditorium last Tuesday night. With only one drummer in the lineup for the first time since the band’s fledgling days in 2014, the four members of Goose now frame the stage in a semicircle; Cotter Ellis’s drum kit sits at one end and Peter Anspach’s keyboard corral at the other. Guitarist Rich Mitarotonda and bassist Trevor Weekz fill the space between. Now just a quartet, Goose seems more grounded, both tighter and looser at the same time. The stage layout is symbolically equalizing, – and from the audience perspective, it makes the whole thing more of an interactive circle of celebration and less us-vs.-them’ish.” Check out BISS Contributing Editor Gabriel Barkin’s full review & photos here.

BISS GALLERY

Terrapin Roadshow in Monte Rio

The Terrapin Roadshow kicked off on Saturday in grand style beneath towering redwoods at Monte Rio Amphitheatre.The sun was warm, the crowd kept the vibes cool, and the music was hot. Allstars for the show included Grahame Lesh, Sam Grisman, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Amy Helm, Jason Crosby, Ezra Lipp, Elliot Peck, and special guest Shannon Koehler. Check out the full gallery here.

BEST OF BISS THIS WEEK

06/04 The Original Lakeside Band (Two Nights) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

06/04 Kelyn Crapp @ Black Cat

06/04 Black Gold: Stories Untold Opening ft RonKat Spearman & Katdelic @ Fort Point

06/04 Celestial Hotties (No Cover) @ Boom Boom Room

06/05 Pardon the Interruption w/ Jethro Jeremiah Band @ Sweetwater Music Hall

06/05 Joe Marcinek Band @ HopMonk Tavern Sebastopol

06/05 Domo Branch Residency (7 & 9:15pm) @ Black Cat

06/05 Daddy Issues w/ DJ Dojah @ Boom Boom Room

06/06 Natalie Cressman & Ian Faquini (6:30 & 9pm) @ Blue Note Napa

06/06 The English Beat (Two Nights) @ Felton Music Hall

06/06 Joe Marcinek & GrooveSession @ Boom Boom Room

06/06 Max Cowan (Atta Kid) @ Madrone Art Bar

06/06 Mads Tolling & The Mads Men ft Tony Lindsay @ The Guild Theatre

06/06 Positives & Negatives Gallery Opening: Memories from Castro Camera in the time of Harvey Milk @ Queer Arts Featured Castro

06/07 Sonoma Wild Fest ft Rising Appalachia, Gone Gone Beyond, Painted Mandolin, Broken Compass Bluegrass and more! @ SoMo Village Event Center

06/07 Drive-By Truckers & Deer Tick w/ Thelma and the Sleaze @ The Warfield

06/07 Graham Parker + Matt Jaffe @ Hopmonk Tavern Novato

06/07 Raphael Saadiq (Two Nights) @ Fox Theater Oakland

06/07 Napalm Death & Melvins w/ The Hard-Ons & Dark Sky Burial @ Cornerstone Berkeley

06/07 The English Beat (Two Nights) @ Felton Music Hall

06/07 Blu Egyptian @ Boom Boom Room

06/07 Zapp w/ Shirley Murdock (Two Nights) (7:30 & 9:30pm) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

06/07 Groovesession ft. Joe Marcinek @ Rosebud Ranch Grass Valley

06/07 The Grease Traps @ Toot’s Tavern

06/07 46th Annual Fairfax Festival (6/7-6/8) ft Eric Lindell, Mark Karan’s Budz, The Tasmanian Devils, Molasses ft. Paige Clem + Teal Collins, Danny’s Live Dead, Tom Finch Group, Bongo Sidibe, and… @ Downtown Fairfax

06/07 Novato Art, Wine and Music Festival (6/7 & 6/8) ft Wreckless Strangers, New Monsoon, Sunhunter & more @ Downtown Novato

06/08 Raphael Saadiq (Two Nights) @ Fox Theater Oakland

06/08 Zapp w/ Shirley Murdock (Two Nights) (7:30 & 9:30pm) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

06/08 Domo Branch Residency (7 & 9:15pm) @ Black Cat

06/09 Mumford & Sons w/ Divorce (Two Nights) @ Greek Theatre

06/10 Dumpstaphunk @ Moe’s Alley

06/10 Elysian Fields, Ella Hunt @ The Chapel

06/10 Mumford & Sons w/ Divorce (Two Nights) @ Greek Theatre

06/10 Fruition @ Felton Music Hall

06/11 Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue + Dumpstaphunk @ The Masonic

06/11 The Motet w/ Tracorum @ The Junction

06/11 Analog Love: Lily Stern @ Black Cat

06/11 Jeff Cotton’s Gin Joint (No Cover) @ Boom Boom Room

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.

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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.

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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