BISS List 10.9.25 Spotlight on Jorma Kaukonen (12.5) + The Best of BISS This Week

Happy Fleet Week, BISS Listers,

Even though we don’t have the traditional Blue Angels this year, the flight shows should still be amazing thanks to Canada, Colombia, and the other countries jumping in to keep the skies buzzing. Fingers crossed the fog clears by the weekend so we can actually see something.

Wow, what a weekend at HSB! The music, the weather, the people, the everything. The three-song rule was in effect (three songs = a set) From longtime fave ALO kicking things off Friday, to War & Treaty’s soul, Nitty Gritty’s rootsy groove, Nathaniel Rateliff’s intensity, and Amos Lee’s warmth… to Saturday with Patti Griffin’s power, Cimafunk’s full-blown dance party, Rosanne Cash’s storytelling, Courtney Barnett’s raw energy, and Steve Earle’s perfect walk-off soundtrack… and finally Sunday with Kelly McFarling’s soulful set presented by She Is The Music, William Prince’s calm beauty, Chuck Prophet’s cumbia vibe, Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets’ fire, Jason Wilbur and Dave Jaques with special guest Steve Poltz honoring John Prine, Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman’s bluegrass heaven, String Cheese Incident’s joyful jam, and Emmylou Harris sending us home with chills.

Don’t miss the amazing shots from all three days with a full review & gorgeous photos of the 25th Hardly Strictly Bluegrass by Gabriel Barkin on BISS List.

What was your favorite moment of your Hardly Strictly Bluegrass weekend? Reply and let me know or add your comments to my post!

As far as the rest of the weekend, my Friday night kicked off with Diggin Dirt & Pamela Parker’s Fantastic Machine at The Independent. From there, I headed to the Boom Boom Room for High Step Society – see my photos on IG and videos on FB. Then on Saturday, I went back to the Boom for Gitkin w/ KatzRoar.

Now it’s already time to rally for another round. There’s no rest for the early, the funky, or the BISS faithful, and there’s plenty to keep you moving this week.

What’s On My Radar: Fleet Week is nearly in full swing, and the music calendar is just as packed as the skies. Here are a few shows on my list (or would be if I could be everywhere at once):

• Thu 10/9: Cool Cool Cool w/ Floratura @ Sweetwater Music Hall (*WIN*) – Funky, soulful, and stacked with powerhouse vocals. They’re also playing Fri, 10/10 at Moe’s Alley (*WIN*), so no excuses. I caught up with my friends in Cool Cool Cool for an interview. If you didn’t love them before, you’ll love them even more after getting to know them.
• Fri 10/10: Game Night @ Manny’s Cafe – A fun analog way to spend your Friday night.
• Fri 10/10: LaMP ft. Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger & Ray Paczkowski @ Cornerstone Berkeley (*WIN*) – A super trio that hits that sweet spot between jam and jazz, groove and grit. These guys lock in like few others can.
• Sat 10/11: Dumpstaphunk @ SFJAZZ – Ivan Neville and crew always bring the NOLA fire. Expect deep grooves, tight horns, and pure funk joy.
• Sat 10/11: Rebirth Brass Band (late show) @ Sweetwater Music Hall (*WIN*) The night isn’t over till Rebirth says it’s over. One of my favorite live bands on the planet and always a guaranteed party. You can also *WIN* tickets to the afternoon show!
• Sun 10/12: Kate Vargas @ Ivy Room (*WIN*) – Celebrating her new album, which is currently in the first round of voting for Grammy consideration. Don’t miss this one and check out the Spotlight Feature below for more about Kate and the new record.

And of course, there’s plenty more to explore in the Best of BISS, the Full Calendar, and plenty of tickets to *WIN*, so pick your adventure and get out there.

Until next time, keep it funky and keep supporting live music 💜

~ Pamela aka Miss BISS

#seeyouattheshows

SPOTLIGHT ON JORMA KAUKONEN

Jorma Kaukonen’s
85th Birthday Celebration

Dec 5th @ The Masonic

Mark your calendar for an unforgettable night honoring one of America’s greatest guitarists, Jorma Kaukonen. The founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna will be marking his 85th birthday with a career-spanning show featuring an all-star lineup of collaborators and friends.

Lineup for this hometown show includes Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Bruce Cockburn, Jack Casady, Sam Grisman, John Hurlbut, Ross Garren, Justin Guip, and Peter Kaukonen.

Jorma’s music has endured through six decades and successive generations. This 85th Birthday Celebration tour sees him mine his extensive output as an artist, songwriter, and performer to present a set that audiences have never experienced before. From recognizable riffs to his famously meditative solo guitar compositions, he will tell his life story through these songs.

SPOTLIGHT ON KATE VARGAS

Kate Vargas
Record Release Show

Oct 12th @ Ivy Room

Junkyard folk artist, Kate Vargas, is in a musical world all her own, her lyrics on par with Bob Dylan and her unforgettable voice with Janis Joplin. Celebrate the release of her new record Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi, currently in the first round of voting for 2026 Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. Kate will be joined by Eric McFadden, Scott Amendola, Angeline Saris, and special guests to play through the full album.

Dusty, darkly romantic, and emotionally raw, Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi wraps Kate Vargas’ signature gravelly melodies in rootsy acoustic instrumentation and quirky percussion. The album’s title is a reference to actor Bela Lugosi being forever typecast as Dracula, and how we can all fall into adhering to a character cast upon us by others, or even by ourselves, until life shines just the right light – the “golden hour” of the title – for us to see a more authentic self.

BISS INTERVIEW

Cool Times Three:
Interview with Cool Cool Cool

In our latest BISS List interview, we chat with Cool Cool Cool, the funk-house/R&B powerhouse built by veteran members of Turkuaz. They open up about how a decade of touring forged their chemistry, the “family” ethos at their core, and why stepping into a new chapter as Cool Cool Cool feels equal parts legacy and reinvention. We also dig into their songwriting process, the electrifying energy of sharing center stage, and what they hope first-time listeners will take away from their live shows. Check it out here.

This week you’ve got two chances to see Cool Cool Cool live w/ Floratura: Thursday Oct 9th at Sweetwater Music Hall (*WIN*) and Friday Oct 10th at Moe’s Alley (*WIN*).

THE BEST OF BISS THIS WEEK

10/09 The Marshall Tucker Band, Jackie Greene @ The Mountain Winery

10/09 LaMP ft Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger, Ray Paczkowski @ Mystic Theatre

10/09 Sonamo @ Madrone Art Bar

10/09 Angelique Kidjo: The Freight’s Annual Benefit Concert @ Freight & Salvage

10/09 Cool Cool Cool w/ Floratura @ Sweetwater Music Hall  
10/09 ETHNO (Jeff Franca of Thievery Corporation) w/ MUSEAIC @ Crazy Horse Nevada City

10/09 Robby D & The EFG’s (No Cover) @ Boom Boom Room

10/09 George Colligan ft. Sax Sensation Nicole McCabe (7 & 9:15pm) @ Black Cat  

10/10 Marmot King’s Game Night @ Manny’s Cafe

10/10 Rebirth Brass Band @ The Guild Theatre  

10/10 Musiq Soulchild (8 & 10pm) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

10/10 Cool Cool Cool w/ Floratura @ Moe’s Alley  
10/10 Embodied Groove Dance Class @ Ashkenaz

10/10 LaMP ft Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger, Ray Paczkowski @ Cornerstone Berkeley  

10/10 ETHNO (Jeff Franca of Thievery Corporation) w/ MUSEAIC @ Crazy Horse Nevada City

10/10 Alastair Greene @ Almost Famous Winebar

10/10 George Colligan ft. Sax Sensation Nicole McCabe (7 & 9:30pm) @ Black Cat

10/11 Ty Segall @ The Regency Ballroom  

10/11 TV On The Radio @ The Warfield

10/11 Musiq Soulchild (7:30 & 9:30pm) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

10/11 LaMP ft Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger, Ray Paczkowski @ Felton Music Hall  

10/11 Dumpstaphunk @ SF Jazz

10/11 Forrest Day @ The Chapel  

10/11 Jerry’s Middle Finger @ HopMonk Tavern Sebastopol  

10/11 An Evening with Morrissey @ Greek Theatre

10/11 Rebirth Brass Band Early Show @ Sweetwater Music Hall  

10/11 Rebirth Brass Band Late Show @ Sweetwater Music Hall  

10/11 Midway Getaway: Bonobo, Richie Panic and Maddy Maia @ Private Location in Napa

10/11 Khalid, Lauv, and flowerovlove @ Golden Gate Park

10/11 George Colligan ft. Sax Sensation Nicole McCabe (7 & 9:30pm) @ Black Cat

10/12 Musiq Soulchild (7 & 9pm) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

10/12 Sunday B3 Sessions with Adam Shulman and Mike Olmos @ Madrone Art Bar

10/12 Kate Vargas Record Release Show @ Ivy Room  

10/12 TV On The Radio @ Fox Theater Oakland

10/12 Midway Getaway: Bob Moses (Club Set), Galen and Drevo @ Private Location in Napa

10/12 George Colligan ft. Sax Sensation Nicole McCabe (7 & 9:15pm) @ Black Cat  

10/14 Judas Priest & Alice Cooper @ Shoreline Amphitheatre

10/14 Alejandro Escovedo @ The Chapel  

10/14 Marc Broussard @ The Guild Theatre

10/14 Tata’s Tuesday ft The 5 Highs and Infinite Bits @ Boom Boom Room  

10/15 Sex Pistols (Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock) ft Frank Carter w/ The Molotovs @ The Warfield

10/15 Noam Pikelny & Friends @ Presidio Theatre  

10/15 Alejandro Escovedo @ HopMonk Tavern Sebastopol  
10/15 Lord Huron, Kevin Morby @ Greek Theatre

10/15 Stu Allen & Reflections – A Grateful Dead Night @ Ashkenaz

10/15 Lilan Kane @ Black Cat  

10/16 Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau (Two Nights) @ Presidio Theatre

10/16 Musiq Soulchild (8 & 10pm) @ Yoshi’s Oakland

10/16 Steal Your Faight w/ Guberman & Friends @ The Faight Collective  

10/16 Sonamo w/ Boca Do Rio & DJ Nino Msk @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall

10/16 Strawberry Music Festival (10/16-10/20) ft The Del McCoury Band, John Craigie & Coffis Brothers, Big Richard, Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, Painted Mandolin & lots more @ Nevada County Fairgrounds

10/16 The B-52s, DEVO, Lene Lovich @ Shoreline Amphitheatre

10/16 William Johnston’s Extravagant Superband @ Boom Boom Room

10/16 Mamajowali ft. Joe Craven, Mamadou Sidibe, & Walter Strauss @ HopMonk Tavern Sebastopol

10/16 Frank Catalano’s Love Supreme Collective 2025 (7 & 9:15pm) @ Black Cat  

Want more shows from BISS?
Check out the Best of BISS & BISS Full Calendar

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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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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