San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Concerts in variety of formats
Around this time last year, concerts and festivals were being postponed due to the rapidly developing coronavirus pandemic. Eventually, those shows got postponed indefinitely or just straightout canceled.
This spring, however, as the number of Bay Area residents receiving COVID19 vaccination increases, some venues are cautiously starting to host limitedcapacity outdoor and indoor concerts with an eye on safety. Many presenters and artists like SFJazz, Piedmont Piano Co. and Meredith Axelrod & Craig Ventresco are also continuing to offer livestreamed musical events.
Here are some ways to enjoy music in person and virtually this transitional season:
The Midway: The 40,000squarefoot space in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood houses an art gallery, the Envelop SF surroundsound space, a cafe, an entertainment kitchen and a nightclub. Taking advantage of its considerable real estate, the Midway switched to presenting outdoor performances such as DJ sets, burlesque performances and variety shows last summer for some time before being shut down again during the holiday season.
Now the venue is back and ready to host several spring parties. Its Moonlighting variety show is back in time for April Fool’s Day but promises a “happy ending” (7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1). Los Angeles DJ/producer Tokimonsta, who spun a memorable set during last year’s virtual Inside Lands festival, headlines a show that starts at 4 p.m. May 21, while Peter “Moon Boots” Dougherty is scheduled to spin at 3:30 p.m. on May 29. And that’s just a few of the highlights.
Physically distanced tables can accommodate from four to six guests for latemorning, midafternoon or early evening entertainment and dining Thursdays through Saturdays, as well as some Wednesdays and Sundays. Ongoing. $60$275. Midway, 900 Marin St., S.F. themidwaysf.com
San Jose Jazz New Works Fest: In January, San Jose Jazz, also known as SJZ, announced its new Jazz Aid Fund that provided $1,000 composition grants to 33 Northern Californian musicians based anywhere from Santa Cruz and Sacramento to Los Altos and Ceres (Stanislaus County). Eleven of those artists, including pianist/vocalists Kev Choice, Tammy Hall and player VânÁnh Võ, are expected to present their compositions at the inaugural SJZ New Works Festival starting on April 29.
The concerts will be recorded at SJZ’s offices in downtown San Jose in its new Break Room multimedia performance space. Those performances can also be seen for free by live audiences standing on San Carlos Street via outdoor speakers, and video projection when those shows are streamed.
Tickets are $10 per streamed performance, $20 for a festival pass and free on International Jazz Day (April 30), which will be a live event at the Break Room.
April 29May 8. $10$20. San Jose Jazz, 310 S. First St., San Jose. sanjosejazz.org
Blue Note Napa at Charles Krug Winery Road Trip: Blue Note Napa can seat around 150 patrons, so when Wine Country’s highestprofile club presents shows with bigger audiences, it utilizes the upstairs JaM Cellars Ballroom. But with both currently closed due to the ongoing pandemic, the West Coast branch of the famed Greenwich Village venue will be presenting concerts outdoors about 20 miles away at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena.
Two shows will be presented per night, Fridays through Sundays, from Memorial Day Weekend (when BottleRock Napa Valley would normally take place at the nearby Napa Valley Expo; the outdoor music festival is set for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 35) through Oct. 3. Tickets are sold in pairs or fourand sixpacks and are applicable to open socially distanced table seating in three different sections for a total of 260 patrons per show.
There are two days of preopening special events with Poolside, the “Daytime Disco” project of San Francisco State alum Jeffrey Paradise, scheduled for 8:30 pm May 21 and 5:30 and 8:30 pm May 22. Opening weekend includes two shows a day, with Los Lobos kicking things off on May 28, followed by concerts by Pink Martini from May 2931.
Though Oct. 3. $39$109. Charles Krug Winery, 2800 Main St., St. Helena. www.bluenotenapa.com/krug
Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society: Since late founder Pete Douglas first started hosting concerts in 1964 at his nowfamous Half Moon Bay beach house, late Sunday afternoons have been synonymous with jazz, AfroCuban and occasional classical performances in an idyllic setting and at a picturesque time of day.
Since last June, that tradition has moved online with Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society livestreaming concerts from its Miramar Beach bandstand. (A pair of concerts was streamed from home studios earlier that month.)
The nonprofit organization continues its spring season with shows through May 23.
On Sunday, March 28, vocalist Pamela Rose is expected to present her “Celebrating Great Women of Jazz and Blues” program with saxophonist Kristen Strom, guitarist Terrence Brewer, bassist Ruth Davies and drummer Daria Johnson. Other artists include pianist Omar Sosa on April 18; vocalist Bobi Céspedes’ quintet on May 2; drummer Akira Tana and Sound Circle’s tribute to the late saxophonist/composer Jimmy Heath on March 16; and vocalist/pianist/percussionist Claudia Villela, pianist Marcos Silva and guitarist Ricardo Peixoto’s trio on March 23.
4:30 p.m. Sundays through May 23. $20. bachddsoc.org
The Art Boutiki: Arguably the best hybrid comic book shop/performance venue/Tshirt printer/cafe “geekeasy” in Northern California, the Midtown San Jose space has been streaming concerts from its stages since August.
This spring, its livestreaming series continues to offer the same broad selection of genres as its inperson shows, including country, blues, folk, roots rock and jazz, on Wednesday and Saturday nights. All concerts are free, with advance registration, and there’s a YouTube archive of past performances. (The venue accepts online donations and has a Patreon account.)
The Westside Sheiks, a Santa Cruzbased alternative “nouveau vintage” duo featuring vocalist/guitarist Christopher “Preacher Boy” Watkins and pianist Jon “Captain Ahab” Dryden, are scheduled to play Wednesday, March 31, while Bennet Roth, a jazz pianist, composer, producer and arranger, is set to perform April 3.
8:30 p.m. Wednesday and Saturdays. Free, registration required. artboutiki.com