Every 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 5-7. Sometimes rollickin', sometimes introspective, The Possum Family Singers bring you singer/songwriters, country, pop, old-school, new school, and special guests. Tips appreciated!
For details, link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/possum-family-singers-the-starry-plough-pub-tickets-49237132589
5pm to 6pm, The Starry Plough Pub - 3101 Shattuck Avenue - Berkeley
JSA
Chivaless
Cyberclops x Edgewize
Idhaz + Rose Cherami
Spacewalker
Zeus Lee
$10 +$2 Membership
7 PM All Ages
No drugs. No alcohol. No fucked up behavior.
7pm to 11pm, 924 Gilman, 924 Gilman St, Berkeley
This is not country music. The first generation of country artists borrowed from everything around them: Appalachian stringband, Texas fiddle traditions, cowboy songs, Delta blues. Western Centuries uses every tradition and their modern spirits and ears. They are really good singers, brilliant songwriters, and great instrumentalists. They aren't bound by any rules to write songs in a country style; instead they're taking their own personal influences as songwriters and fusing them into a sound that moves beyond the constraints of country. Part of the reason they can make music with this range of influences is because of their roots in city life. Both Cahalen Morrison and Ethan Lawton, two of the three principal songwriters, live in Seattle's diverse South end, and the third songwriter, Jim Miller, spends most of his time in and around New York City. The urban landscapes they call home make for inspirational sounds that draw as easily from modern rhythm & blues as it does the honky-tonk saloon.
Western Centuries' music crosses vastly differing geographies-the city, the southwest, the metaphysical. And their musical influences are equally as diverse. They weave a tapestry of western music that will levitate hearts and bring country music home as literate, epic odysseys from all over. The band has been here before and I'm thrilled to have them back. Listen to a tune here.
Doors open at 7:00, music at 7:30. Cost is $20; all proceeds go to the musicians.
RSVP
7:30pm to 9:30pm, Fifth Street Farms, 1517 Fifth Street, Berkeley
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Since they left Mexico for Ireland in 1999, Rodrigo y Gabriela have established themselves as one of the most popular acoustic instrumental bands in the world. They have sold in excess of 1.5 million albums worldwide, and have sold out venues like the Hollywood Bowl, the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Le Zenith in Paris on numerous occasions. Their film work includes the soundtracks to `Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' and `Puss In Boots', and they have collaborated onstage and on record with artists as diverse as Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Al Di Meola, Zack De La Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) and Anoushka Shankar. In 2010 Rodrigo y Gabriela played at The White House in Washington for President Obama. From humble beginnings as buskers on Dublin's Grafton Street, endless touring and a great word of mouth buzz carried the band forward until their international break out with the release of their self-titled 2006 album, which spawned the hits `Tamacun', `Diablo Rojo' and their cover of `Stairway To Heaven'. The duo appeared on Jools Holland, BBC TV's Glastonbury coverage, plus Letterman and Jay Leno in America. "11:11" followed in 2009, and the band went to Cuba in 2012 to record with local musicians for "Area 52". The band's last studio album release was 2014's "9 Dead Alive". In 2016 alone they performed in 25 countries around the world, including their debut tour of South America. 2017 saw the duo celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their breakout self-titled album with a deluxe re-issue and extensive world tour during which they performed the album in full each night. They are currently writing and recording a new studio album.
8pm to 10pm, The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall, 2036 University Avenue, near Downtown Berkeley BART, Berkeley, CA, 94704
The Unreal Band
For over thirty years, The Unreal Band has been a major component of the cultural phenomenon that the Thomas Guide Map calls "Berkeley, California."
Their "take no prisoners" approach to rock and roll has left a 30 year long trail of the breathless and the exhausted on dance floors from Gilman to Woolsey and all points in between.
But it hasn't stopped there.....
Taking it on the road in 1984 with Wavy Gravy (speaking of major cultural components), an unsuspecting nation got a taste of Unreality as the Nobody for President bus rolled and rocked its way through a 10 city cavalcade of unblinking lunacy.
The CD "Asphalt Dream" was released on October 20th 2007 at The Ashkenaz. It was the fulfillment of a promise made to Pat Quinn (an off the CHARTS Berkeley cultural phenom in his own right) and was released on the one year anniversary of his passing.
The Unreal Band continues to rock into 2018. So get your bad selves ready to strap in and hold on tight !!
BluesCasters
Like so many bands before it, BluesCasters started out in 1992 as a side project. Before long, the band had become a ton of fun and a great success.
Playing the blues is primarily a labor of love. Very few bands get to the level of stature that allows them to make a full time career out of it. BluesCasters are destined to become one of those few. Over a very short period of time the band has picked up a strong and devoted following of blues and rock fans.
Fans of BluesCasters are fans of the Blues and the "San Francisco Sound." Because that's exactly what BluesCasters do: interpret the Blues as only a San Francisco band can. With a knack for improvisation, all BluesCasters' shows are exciting and different.
Jody Salino is the BluesCasters' lead guitarist, as well as one of the two founders of the band. Jody has performed with many notable talents during his career. Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna and The Jefferson Airplane), Harvey Mandel (Canned Heat and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers), Rick Danko (The Band), John Hammond Junior, Stefan Grossman (The Fugs), John Renbourn (Pentangle), Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report), Rashied Ali (John Coltrane Quintet), Chris Spedding, and the list goes on and on..... Jody is known for his great guitar tone and bluesy leads. Jody is a real crowd pleaser with guitar fans.
The BluesCasters' lead vocalist and second founding member, Jeff Sullins, brings years of experience performing in the folk clubs and coffee houses of the Bay Area to the band. With delicate interpretations of soulful lyrics, Jeff can work the crowd into a frenzy. Which he does!
Bassist, Chuck Rosene, is well known around the East Bay music scene since the 80's. A founding member of Buffalo Roam and Grapefruit Ed, Chuck is also currently with Berkeley's historic Unreal Band.
Drummer, Mike Eaves, has been performing in the Bay Area since 1980. Currently drummer for Shakey Zimmerman, some of the groups Mike has worked with are the Napa Symphony, Oakland Youth Symphany, and a seven year stint with the well known East Bay R&B; group, Rhumboogie. He has appeared at well known Bay Area venues with James Cotton, Robben Ford, Freddie Roulette, the Reggae Lions, and the Delta Wires.
For details, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-unreal-band-with-bluescasters-free-show-the-starry-plough-pub-tickets-49237097484
8pm to 11pm, The Starry Plough Pub - 3101 Shattuck Avenue - Berkeley