Myriam Gendron/Jim White/Marisa Anderson

Mayday is the third LP by Montreal-based artist, Myriam Gendron. It follows her earlier, critically acclaimed albums, Not So Deep As A Well (2014) and Ma délire –Songs of love, lost & found (2021). Prior to her debut album, Myriam’s primary musical focus was busking in Paris Metro stations, performing the songs of Leonard Cohen and others, accompanying herself on guitar. Through her day job, working at a bookstore, Myriam discovered the poems of American writer, Dorothy Parker, who was better known for her cutting wit than her verse. Inspired by Parker’s words, Myriam wrote music to accompany a suite of them, then recorded the results in her bedroom. These very recordings were issued as her debut LP, and continue to delight listeners who discover them, with their freshness, clarity and humor. Writing in Uncut, Tyler Wilcox described Not So Deep As A Well as, “one of those out-of-nowhere LPs that was so captivating, you couldn’t help raving about it to anyone who would listen.”After a hiatus, during which she became a mother, Myriam began exploring the complex folk traditions of Quebec, and recorded the 2LP, Ma délire. This project was begun while she was on a sponsored creative retreat in rural Quebec with her young daughter. Myriam had been inspired by the ways in which traditional songs from disparate cultures embrace parallel archetypes. The resulting album (part of which was actually recorded on the fly during this retreat) combines traditional and original lyrics (largely in French) with arrangements that make space for avant-garde musical interludes by such players as guitarist Bill Nace (Body/Head) and percussionist Chris Corsano. Like her debut, Ma délire has been received rhapsodically. In his review for Foxy Digitalis, Brad Rose writes the album, “is a complete and total triumph. There aren’t many artists who understand and can harness the immortal spirit that flows through traditional music like Myriam Gendron. For all her talents as a songwriter, guitarist, and singer, this is her greatest gift.” Mayday presents an even more syncretic fusion of the elements Myriam uses to create her sound. Most of the songs are original, sung in both English and French, and they blend traditional and avant elements with abandon. She is often accompanied on this album by the guitarist Marisa Anderson and drummer Jim White (Dirty Three), whose work provides a quietly aggressive sort of free-rock base. Additional players this time include Montreal bassist Cédric Dind-Lavoie (a fellow fan of trad/avant dynamism), Bill Nace and saxophonist Zoh Amba (whose horn actually gets the final “word”.). Mayday is a thoroughly thrilling effort that manages to create new vistas of sound while maintaining a feel that is both intimate and familiar. Myriam has privately described the mood of Mayday as dark, in part due to the fact it was assembled after her mother’s passing, but she is always capable of balancing and blending emotional content in a way that makes it ultimately hopeful. The music here certainly possesses a richly serious tone, but Myriam Gendron (like Leonard Cohen) is able to infuse her darkness with a subtle, powerful light that reminds us that even the most pitch-black night is but a transitional state. Beautiful work. 

Jon Chi & the Pacific Syndicate

Wildfires, floods, quarantine and isolation, protests, riots, and raising children who are coming into awareness of these issues all influenced Jon Chi as he wrote the words and music to his 3rd solo album, River of Marigolds. “How do you take struggle and adversity and turn that into hope and love?” is a central question on the album, Chi says. The Marin County-based songwriter, guitarist, and producer coalesces disparate styles here that he has explored on prior releases. Chi’s lyrics, at times dark and moody and at others hopeful, meld with a musical blend of spacious Americana and psychedelic soul. Much of the album features Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) on bass along with long-time rhythm collaborators John-Paul McLean and Jeremy Hoenig (Melvin Seals and JGB), Jordan Feinstein and Mike Emerson on keyboards, and pedal steel ace Dave Zirbel.  Jon is the former frontman for the band Rainmaker who found their fans among the jamband and world music scene.  The band’s second album, Long Slow Fade, reached #2 on the jambands.com radio chart and featured Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Chi has gone on to create two solo efforts, Just For Now and Another Rising Sun which were more focused, songwriter-style records. “I love both of those styles, and I think we blended them together really well on (River of Marigolds). I feel like we’re adding a little something new to the conversation.”While River of Marigolds is undeniably steeped in the challenges of today(“Toss us a tourniquet, send us a sage / We’ve been waiting on the wind to blow the other way”), it ultimately yields perspective and hope in lines like “She’s hanging on the hands of time, but don’t they have their way? / Let love and laughter rule your days” and invites you to “Raise a glass, come sing along / praise the earth that we’re all walking upon”.  Chi started with 40 songs and culled them back to the 9 that were most cohesive.  “There had to be an emotional thread that ran through the entire album,” he says. The second half of the album is connected with seamless segues and there is an inviting mix of atmospheric Americana (“River of Marigolds and “Sweet Surrender”), gritty rock (“Road to Revival”), and driving soul (“Got to Give the Devil His Due” and “Cold Clear Winter”). 

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express

Since his neo-psychedelic Green On Red days, Chuck Prophet has been turning out country, folk, blues, and Brill Building classicism. After a false start recording in his hometown of San Francisco, Prophet decided to get out of Dodge and found himself re-energized in Upstate New York just a few miles from the Vermont border to make 2020’s The Land That Time Forgot, a record that is much a 21st century exorcism as it is America.   Written mostly with Prophet longtime collaborator and co-conspirator klipschutz, the songs that inhabit The Land That Time Forgot come at you from an array of locations both real and imagined including San Francisco’s Tenderloin, an English roundabout, and Nixonland while hanging out with the ghosts of Johnny Thunders, Willie Wonka, and John the Baptist, and contemplating the train that carried Abraham Lincoln home for the final time.   To compliment the critically acclaimed album, in early 2022, Prophet released The Land That Time Forgot Revisited, a four-song digital live EP recorded at the Make Out Room in San Francisco featuring “Meet Me at the Roundabout,” “Womankind,” “Fast Kid,” and “Kiss Me Deadly,” with his band, the Mission Express, and a string quartet (the Makeout Room Quartet).   “I know a little bit about how to craft a studio LP,” says Prophet. “But recording live with a string quartet on a linoleum floor on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in an empty barroom in San Francisco’s Mission District is something different. For one thing there is an actual “arranger.” Like Nelson Riddle. Or what Randy Newman does, adding his own secret sauce to the compositional gene pool that has scored half the soundtracks in Hollywood history. They’re a new way into the songs—and an adventure finding our way out. There’s still an acoustic Mission Express in the mix, along with the strings. Three songs from The Land That Time Forgot reimagined, plus a Lita Ford cover that has to be heard to be believed.”  

Bandworks – Live. Learn. Rock.

Tickets $15 at the door.  (No advance sales.)BandWorks is a local music program started in 1993 that builds bands by matching youth, teen and adult musicians with peers.The bands rehearse two hours a week and perform seasonally at venues like the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley.Sweetwater Music Hall Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is fully devoted to advancing education, understanding and appreciation of music, bay area music history, culture and arts.

Celebrate Jerry Garcia’s Birthday with JERRY’S MIDDLE FINGER

Jerry’s Middle Finger is a family of music-makers born from a deep collective love of all-things Jerry Garcia. Established in 2015, JMF has quickly become a spiritual destination for those searching for “the sound”, yearning for that unspoken feeling when the sweet soaring song lifts you off your feet and sends you dancing through the stars.  Erupting from its west coast roots, the band is now spreading its magic across the country filling rooms with their electrifying and dynamic rendition of the music of the Jerry Garcia Band… Jerry’s most adored ensemble outside of the Grateful Dead. Whether you saw Jerry 500 times or were born after his time on earth, this much is true: JMF will make you feel like he’s still here and will leave you wanting more.   Garrett Deloian – lead guitar and vocals Halina Janusz – vocals Lisa Malsberger – vocals Jon Gold – keys and organ Son Vo – bass guitar Rodney Newman – drum kit and vocals

Will Bernard and Freelance Subversives

Will Bernard (T.J. Kirk, John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, Stanton Moore Trio) Eric Kalb –  drums ( Sharon Jones/Dap Kings, John Scofield) Victor Little bass ( Robert Walter’s 20th Congress) Vicki Randle  (Leno Tonight Show band, Skip The Needle, George Benson) Ben Stivers – keyboards (Bee Gees, Lyle Lovett, Matchbox 20)Will Bernard began playing and recording on an international level as a member of Peter Apfelbaum’s Hieroglyphics Ensemble,who made their recorded debut with Don Cherry on “Multikulti” (A&M 1989). Since then, Bernard has participated in a host of boundary stretching groups, ranging from jazz, hip-hop and world music to experimental music, with many stops in between. In the 90’s Bernard recorded and performed with many projects under the direction of acclaimed producer Lee Townsend and worked with groups ranging from the Hindustani-influenced Jai Uttal to the political hip-hop group the Coup. The most commercially successful of these projects was the group T.J. Kirk (with Charlie Hunter) whose sophomore album “If Four Was One” on Warner bros. was nominated for a Grammy in 1997.  Leonard drum instructional video and book.   Bernard broke out as a bandleader in 1998 with the release of “Medicine Hat” (Antilles/Polygram), showcasing his expert chops and flair for funky, bottom-heavy soul-jazz. He then followed up with two self produced albums (“Motherbug” and “Directions To My House”), before making two albums on Palmetto Records (“Party Hats” and “Blue Plate Special”). “Party Hats” garnered a nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 for best contemporary jazz album. The all-star “Blue Plate Special” includes performances by Stanton Moore, Andy Hess and John Medeski. In 2011, Bernard released an organ trio record titled “Outdoor Living” to positive reviews with his own genre-bending style.   Will recorded 3 albums on Posi-tone records  “Just Like Downtown” (Posi-Tone 2013) which features John Ellis on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Brian Charette on organ, and Rudy Royston on drums and “Out and About” (2016). which features Ben Allison, Allison Miller, Brian Charette and John Ellis. And Ancient Grains (Posi-Tone 20210 These recordings  demonstrates Bernard’s roots in straight-ahead jazz and more traditional styles as well as funk and free wheeling improv.   As a touring artist, Bernard has hit the road extensively with sin his own bands or as a member of the Stanton Moore Trio, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Groundation, and numerous other lineups. As a leader Bernard has performed at The Monterey, North Sea, SF Jazz, Jazz a Vienne, Bumbershoot, Be-Bop and Brew, Montreal, Vancouver, Carribean Sea, and The High Sierra festivals,as well as clubs and festivals across the US, Europe and Canada. They have opened for Herbie Hancock and the Head Hunters, Jimmy McGriff, The Funky Meters, John Scofield, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Zigaboo Modeliste and the Charlie Hunter Quartet. Will has performed and or recorded with Dr Lonnie Smith,Tom Waits, Ben Sidran, Dr John, Booker T.Jones, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, Butler/ Bernstein and the Hot Nine, George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, Global Noize, Greyboy Allstars, Galactic, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Mike Clark, Idris Muhammad and others. As well as leading his own groups, Will performs regularly with the NY collaborative electro-funk band “Pleasure Drones”, the W-Beez (With Wil Blades), Peter Apfelbaum’s Sparkler and John Medeski’s Mad Skillet with Kirk Joseph and Terence Higgins.

tu-NER featuring King Crimson alumni Trey Gunn & Pat Mastelotto with Markus Reuter

From the kitchen of the original King Crimson R&D fraKctal units, please let us welcome the new incarnation of tu:NER.    tu:NER, in its most recent incarnation, is a musical trio comprised of Trey Gunn, Markus Reuter, and Pat Mastelotto, that celebrates the music of the Double Duo era (1998 to 2003) of King Crimson, and the bands TU (Mastelotto and Gunn), KTU (Mastelotto, Gunn, and accordionist Kimmo Pohjonnen), TUNER (Mastelotto and Reuter), TUNISIA (Mastelotto and thereminist Pamelia Stickney), The ProjeKcts (featuring Gunn and Mastelotto as well as other KC members) and Stick Men (Mastelotto, Reuter and King Crimson’s stickist Tony Levin).   tu:NER will perform their original music, improvs and honor as well their King Crimson/ProjeKcts DNA, as well as also bring to the stage some of the material produced by TU and TUNER during the past two decades. The music of those projects is known for being innovative yet accessible in nature, drawing on elements of rock, jazz, prog, funk, and other genres.   All the different influences coming together through these three artists are notable for their endlessly creative approach to music, and for the highly skilled musicianship of the players involved. The music produced by all these precedent projects is highly rewarding for those who are willing to listen with an open mind. After three decades of partial collaborations in pairs, and two decades since Trey introduced Pat to Markus, they have created pieces like Face, Absinthe, Pole, Műűt, Untamed Chicken, Flinch, Fandango, and Deception of the Thrush, all having become part of the classic neo-progressive rock catalogue of the 21st century. Together with staples from the King Crimson songbook such as EleKtriK, Level Five, Vrooom Vrooom, and FraKctured, all co-written by members of this outfit, these three amazingly talented friends guarantee an evening of mind-expanding music of the highest standards of virtuosity, innovation, and melodicity.    Of course, the creative impulse of these three musos would never be fully satisfied by simply revisiting their back catalogues, as if it were a mere trip down memory lane. Far from it, audiences will be treated to new pieces, as well as their characteristic improvisations, which, instead of consisting of simply jamming and noodling, in their case always comprise “instant compositions,” where the three musicians are constantly listening to each other with their ears and with their souls, in the telepathic fashion of a true R&D small intelligent unit. Because Trey, Pat and Markus are the best musicians at creating magic musical concoctions on the spot, away from the rock or jazz traditional rules of improvisation.    Listeners who are fans of King Crimson, and progressive music in general, will soon realize this new trio incarnation of TUNER is the musical collaboration of the decade. Twenty years since the disbanding of the Double Duo, the spirit of the ProjeKcts is finally back on the road with Gunn, Reuter and Mastelotto.   

Big Richard

What began as an all-female festival collab quickly morphed into a serious passion project driven by sisterhood, harmony and humor……along with the shared desire to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy.    Big Richard is a neo-acoustic super group made up of four well established Colorado musicians: Bonnie Sims on mandolin (Bonnie & Taylor Sims/Everybody Loves An Outlaw/Bonnie & the Clydes), Joy Adams on cello (Nathaniel Rateliff/Darol Anger/Half Pelican), Emma Rose on bass + guitar (Sound of Honey/Daniel Rodriguez/Whippoorwill) and Eve Panning on fiddle (Lonesome Days).    Formed in late 2021, the band gained immediate notoriety for their charismatic stage presence and their vocal/instrumental prowess.  After selling out all of their club shows Big Richard quickly started confirming festival appearances across America.  2023 is sure to be a big year!!  

White Denim

In his 1942 essay The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus wrote that “All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant’s revolving door.” 15 years later Richard Wayne Penniman wrote “Wop bop a loo bop a wop bam boom”, an undeniably powerful vocalization that on any given Wednesday in any given situation, civilized or otherwise, is still fully capable of setting somebody’s stuff aflame. Over ten years and seven long players into their career, White Denim are still in the relentless pursuit of a thread – in other words, a wick.    The Austin,Texas band have carefully and continuously studied the greatest records ever made, but they write songs just dumb enough to drink, dance, and fight to. Theirs is a music that aims for the whole body, while equally satisfying the mind. While it has morphed, expanded, and even burst apart, White Denim’s sincere and human drive and ability to spark true rock & roll exhilaration have been unerring constants of the band’s 10-year existence.     “White Denim are one of the best live bands you will ever see if you live to be a million. That’s not excitable hyperbole, merely a bald statement of undeniable fact…” — Time Out   “The last great rock & roll band!” — The Guardian

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