01 November 2023

BISS List 11.2.23: Spotlight on Bajaja Fest (11.30-12.2) + Best of BISS this Week

Happy Halloween BISS Listers & Feliz Día de los Muertos!

#LastWeek, we celebrated Halloween at the inaugural Sugar Pine Music Festival (aka “Lo Sierra”) in Grass Valley! Thank you to the producers, the artists, the staff, & the patrons for making this first year one to to remember. And an extra HUGE thank you to my assistants, Spor & Jennie + our entire crew who stepped up to really make the SupernaturALL VIP Experience something special for everyone. I was busy working throughout the fest but I broke away and stepped into the crowd & went right up front for Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. The KDTU tribute to the Beastie Boys with members of Slightly Stoopid was epic! We also managed to make it out for some of the late night shows. Friday late-night was off the hook! We rocked out in the front row for Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes which was REALLY awesome. Then stayed right there for Diggin Dirt. They were so good too! Captured a bunch of both shows just to prove it! I really thought that Sugar Pine was going to be my last fest of the season. It’s been my closer for 10 years (as Hangtown)!

However…

I am excited and honored to announce that I have been officially hired as the Charity Coordinator for the upcoming Bajaja Festival taking place in Baja Sur Mexico at the end of this month (11/30 – 12/2). To show our gratitude we are are giving back to the locals who are hosting us by supporting the community’s first responders, Los Bomberos del Pescadero, which is the 100% VOLUNTEER-operated local fire department. Check out the Spotlight Feature below for more about the festival and how YOU can give back too!

Looking at the Bajaja lineup got me thinking about how stoked I am to see New Mastersounds play at this festival. It’s been a while since I have seen NMS live, but I have been a fan of their music for many years. So I recently decided that I needed to hear some New Mastersounds on shuffle. A good chunk of this NMS shuffle is already in my faves but I discovered that the album Deplar Effect (which was also in my favorites) was from 2022 making it recent enough to be eligible for a #ListenToThis. Soooo, this week, we picked “Let Me In From The Cold” as our featured song. I reached out to Simon Allen (Drummer for NMS) and he said, “‘Let Me In From The Cold’ is a great choice for your feature, not least because it is cold and wet and miserable here in Leeds UK right now and I’m very much looking forward getting to Baja to play music in the sunshine in my swimming trunks.” Come on now NMS fans, we all know that Simon will be down to his skivvies by the end of the show whenever he can get away with it. Check out the #ListenToThis section below for more from Simon and a link to listen to the song!

#ThisWeek…There are a lot of shows in the Best of BISS picks of the week in the section below but my personal plans are…

Thursday (11/2), I am thinking about Greensky Bluegrass w/ The Infamous Stringdusters at The Fox in Oakland.
Friday (11/3), I am definitely going to Say She She with They/Live @ The Chapel (*WIN*) If you haven’t seen them yet, I am telling you that you must. Buy Tickets here. Wanna win tickets? Spread the word by sharing the show info with your friends! Already have your tickets? Spread the word and win a signed album from the band!
Friday (11/3 Late Night) , SF is Dead Allstars: Phil Lesh Afterparty ft Reed Mathis, Matt Hartle, Danny Luehring Jordan Feinstein, Murph @ Boom Boom Room (*WIN*)

#NextWeek, is going to be a busy one! Again so many options already showing up in the Best of BISS picks of the week on the website which we will be sending to you next week… But I think it’s worth a #markyourcalendar to remind you about…

Wednesday (11/8), Durand Jones @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
Thursday (11/9), Black Joe Lewis w/ Emily Wolfe @ Cornerstone Berkeley (*WIN*)
Friday (11/10), JB’s Bday kickoff w/ Wanted III: A DangerAte Funktion ft Noble House @ Neck of the Woods (*WIN*)
Saturday (11/11), JB aka Red Hot Mama Birthday Extravaganza w/ Monophonics + The Sextones @ The Independent followed by
Saturday (11/11 – Late Night), Red Hot Mama Bday continues with Love Mischief (late night) at BBR (*WIN*)
Sunday (11/12), The White Buffalo @ Cornerstone Berkeley (*WIN*)

Buit wait there’s more! As always, check out the Best of BISS section and Win Tickets page. And don’t forget there is always more on the Full Calendar.

#seeyouattheshows,
~ Pamela aka Miss BISS

SPOTLIGHT ON BAJAJA

Bajaja Music Festival

Nov 30th, Dec 1st & 2nd @ Amaya Beach Bar

Introducing Bajaja Music Fest! Immerse yourself in the stunning beauty of Baja California Sur, where music meets pristine beaches, palm trees, cacti, mountains, and breathtaking sunsets. Brace yourself for an amalgamation of musical talents as we unite an extraordinary mix of artists on one stage. From soulful melodies to heart-pounding rhythms, this festival is a sanctuary for devoted music aficionados. Lineup includes: ALO, The New Mastersounds, John Medeski + DJ Logic & Friends featuring Eddie Roberts, Reed Mathis and Datrian Johnston, plus special guests, Rainy Eyes, Big Light, Destani Wolf, Los Daturas, and more.

Bajaja aims to deliver a truly authentic experience. Unlike conventional destination festivals, you’ll be immersed in local culture, with the opportunity to savor everything this region has to offer. Discover why Baja is heaven for adventure seekers. From surfing to whale watching, this part of Mexico offers a diverse range of activities to complement your music experience.

Bajaja Giving Back

In the spirit of international goodwill, Bajaja Fest has partnered with the community’s first responders, Los Bomberos del Pescadero, the 100% VOLUNTEER-operated fire department of southwestern BCS. Led by Chief Griselda Sotelo, Los Bomberos are making history with Mexico’s first female chief. This dedicated team of over 16 volunteer firefighters operates solely through community contributions to ensure everyone’s safety. Bajaja is raising funds to support the construction of a brick-and-mortar Fire Station, which will also serve as a community and medical center.

The opportunity to support Los Bomberos is available to everyone, whether or not you are attending the festival. Can you help donate something to the auction from your archive of items and / or experiences to support Los Bomberos? Items donated to the auction are tax-deductible and can be shipped to the winners at no cost to you. You can also support Los Bomberos with a tax-deductible donation via ShowUp. Donations over $100 will be recognized with your family name on a beautiful Talavera tile at the new Fire Station once it’s constructed with our collective help through our “Buy A Block Campaign”. Visit the Bajaja website for more information about support opportunities.

LISTEN TO THIS

Listen to “Let Me In From The Cold” by The New Mastersounds from the album The Deplar Effect (Released 2022).

I spoke with NMS drummer Simon Allen and asked about the inspiration for this song, this album and his thoughts on Bajaja Fest. Here’s what he had to say:

“The album was recorded in Iceland. It was inspired by Eddie Roberts being asked to consult on a recording studio project in Iceland, and asking the rest of us if we fancied a trip there to test out the studio. Iceland at that point (Nov 2021) being one of the few countries in the world that would allow us all in, and with us having been forcibly separated for nearly two years, we all jumped at the chance. When we got there we released two years’ worth of pent-up creative energy and the result was The Deplar Effect. (Deplar was the name of the super-swanky converted Icelandic farm we stayed at, lending itself to an obvious sonic pun.)

If I remember correctly, this song was inspired by our singer Lamar going for a smoke and getting locked out of the studio, having forgotten the door code. This was the beginning of winter in northern Iceland and it took us a while to notice Lamar’s absence! Joe’s wife Aoife (pronounced “Ee-fuh”) knocked out some lyrics, deftly employing the cold as a metaphor. Lamar then married them to an instrumental backing track that the core band had recorded a day earlier, and this classic uptempo funk-rock hit was born. Or something.

I’m very excited about playing with NMS again at Bajaja Fest, we last saw each other in northern Spain at the beginning of August. I had better go upstairs and do some drum practice.”