The Besty's » 2017

Cabbage White | Pieris Rapae

01.13.17 » The Cleveland Cavaliers (LeBron) in Sacramento @ The Golden 1 Center

» The NBA is always fantastic, this game was no different. The Golden 1 Center is an amazing venue & my favorite ever to watch basketball in. Sight-lines are unprecedentedly good, regardless of where your seat is. It was flash back Friday so the Kings wore their old-school powder blue uniforms. Thirteen rows from the floor increase the engagement, we were on the baseline near the Cavs bench. 

Early on it was Kevin Love getting buckets. His outlet passes are an asset for sure, it's one or two leaks-outs per game. Shump played well early for the visiting team, he was rocking Nike Air Zoom Generations. When LeBron is focused on defense it's a treat to watch him play weak side, he's the ultimate free-safety in basketball. Cleveland was locked in defensively overall. Kyrie's handles are so sticky and his pull-up jumpers are death blows. At one stretch the Cavs played LeBron with four role players; I've always appreciated these type of five-man groups. There were some nasty highlight reel dunks too. Cleveland's roster was filled with skilled players—it's no wonder we saw a trilogy in The Finals. 

01.29.17 » M » SF 

03.17.17 » March Madness in Sacramento @ The Golden 1 Center, St. Patrick's Day

» Cincinnati vs. K. State - First of all, K State has an awesome band & their arsenal of covers was impressive for sure. College atmospheres are so electric. 

» UCLA vs. Kent State - UCLA resembled a pro team during warm ups, missing only a few shots. Ball was quick to initiate offense and willing to take chances early up the court. I was impressed by the Bruins defense. There were some sets run by the UCLA that had such freedom & fluidity, their athleticism and exciting play is a basketball made fun. Leaf and Welsh were dominant throughout the half-court game. UCLA advanced with five guys scoring in double figures.

04.16.17 » The Birds @ Main Stage West in Sebastopol

04.22 & 23.17 » High Water Festival in Charleston, SC
» Day 1: Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, The Shins
» Day 2: Shovels & Rope, The Avett Brothers

» The artists listed above were the best sets I caught while attending the inaugural High Water Festival in Charleston. This will be an annual pilgrimage back to the Carolina's, it's one of the best boutique outdoor festival I've ever attended. And, it's only going to get better. Best friends, great times, good places, need I say more?

06.23.17 » J » SF 

06.27.17 » Tank & The Bangas @ Lagunitas in Petaluma

» Rocking, Psyche, Hip Hop, with breakdown-style call and response to some Nina Simone, and that was only their first song. They dropped some wah-wah pedal, mixing it with an almost scribbled sound two tracks later. An Anderson Paak Cover goes over well with this listener so, "I might never come down." Oozing with future sounds and Jazzy vibes, all I could think was, the future is female. Whatever you want to call their fun-soaked, bass-backed, Hip Hop Jedi sound, make sure to include danceable. Because, similar to their set-closer, Make Your Ass Clap, this band is on fire and you might just have to stop drop and roll. After throwing a party like that at Lagunitas they could have rode off into the sunset, instead, they dropped another bomb, Hey Ya (the Andre 3000 smash).

Summer @ SFMOMA

08.04.17 » BHS Basketball @ Monte Rio » Wags, Whiskers & Wine Gala in Geyserville

August » Road trip along the entire Oregon Coast & Portland
» Oregon is Calling Me...

09.26.17 » Tank & The Bangas @ The Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City

» Tuesday night ramen and some tasty oat sodas, plus kicking it with an all-time best bro and then going to a local venue to see a band that makes people dance—OK! I had a great couple of days in Salt Lake City. I got to mob the streets with the woofer Huey, she's such a sweet girl. Hanging out with one of my favorite people helps to smooth out any situation. I was shown a great time and was reminded of just how cool SLC is. I need to make it back there more frequently. 

We decided to go to Banga'ville, good choice. Tank and the Bangas opened with a Goodie Mob/Dr. Dre mash-up that got me into the groove. "Who's that peeking in the window?" Hip Hop was the early theme and the local crowd seemed to be more than cool with that. The band carved a cool energy into the crowd during the middle of their set; it had an almost lounge vibe, it made me smile. One of the lyrics went, "While you wash my hair, la la la." Returning to a more hip hop driven sound and spitting fire, it got loud. A spoken word-like poem backed by instruments segued nicely into a super creative take on the Zootopia song, it seemed as though I wasn't the only one noticing their ability to dig deep into their bag of tricks. Listeners began to shout the Zootopia line, Hey hey hey, which bent into a remixed version of, "a little bit softer now." As in Petaluma, this show would finish with Andre 3000's, Hey Ya; except this time it started off far more abstract. Having heard them do this over the summer, I whispered to the good Doctor, "Hey Ya."

10.07.17 » Gillian Welch & David Rawlings @ Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

» These American treasures own Golden Gate Park, especially when performing on the banjo stage, an annual right of passage for Bay Area residents. They started with an absolutely beautiful harmony on, Wayside, Back In Time, which set the tone for an emotional set. Elvis Presley Blues gave new meaning to poignancy as Gillian's voice bottled the masses into one moment, singing us into a willful submission; only a siren can silence that many people. The magic of a certain white butterfly kept, The Way It Will Be & The Way It Goes, heartfelt. A minor hiccup during Red Clay Halo revealed to us that they too make mistakes, they are so genuine it's unmistakable. A trio of, Hard Times, Six White Horses and Time (The Revelator), were the songs that hit hardest. The latter two carried even more meaning for my Ninja sidekick, hell, she's the M'F'n leader. Words sometimes carry with them more gravity at different times throughout life. And, when those words are being serenaded to you by authentic artists, all that's left to do is to feel. Letting your emotions take over can sometimes be exactly what is needed. Miss Ohio and I'll fly away closed the set. They would encore with Willie Watson on the cinematic, Don't Leave Nobody But the Baby. 

Set: Wayside/Back in Time, Annabelle, Elvis Presley Blues, The It Will Be, The Way It Goes, Red Clay Halo, Hard Times, Six White Horses, Time (The Revelator), Midnight Train, Look at Miss Ohio, I'll Fly Away, Don't Leave Nobody But The Baby 

10.26.17 » Mary Shelly's Body @ Main Stage West in Sebastopol

11.04.17 » Valley Ford, Dillon Beach, Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Station

» Happy Holidays & Enjoy the New Year!

Cheers,
eightychoices.

(Free) Summer Music

Take the path less traveled, it's free!

Sonoma County has plenty of cool towns to hang out in, or if you're lucky enough, live in. Another inviting aspect of these Mayberry's of the North Bay are their summer concert series. More than a few of these idyllic communities eagerly throw some of the region's best free concerts. The word is out on Live at Lagunitas—city folks are buzz'n up for these shows. This year's slate of artists include Thao & The Get Down Stay Down (July 19) and White Denim (September 5). Other performers who will surely please are, Charles Bradley (August 29) and Unknown Mortal Orchestra (August 30).

If you travel north of Santa Rosa you'll hit Healdsburg. Every Tuesday there's live music in the plaza, a picturesque town center lined with cafes, wine tasting and boutiques. Might I suggest stepping into Bergamot Alley if you have the chance. They scene they've created is a much needed aesthetic to the area; they also have a concert series that follows the plaza performances. Tuesday's concerts are already occurring and will continue until August 30th. 

Keep trucking north and you'll be presently surprised by the blue collar/mid-west feel that Cloverdale emits. Each Friday night of the summer this beautiful town hosts a wonderful farmers market and food bazaar, later in the evening the music kicks off. I got hooked last year by a diverse lineup that rocked. Friday Night Live is definitely one of the best bets to make this summer. The lineup is as unique as it is impressive. Highlights on the schedule consist of, The Monophonics (June 17), David Luning (July 1), Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars (July 8), John Cleary and the Monster Gentlemen (July 29). The last performance of the season, which is most likely Ruthie Foster (September 2), should be a good one. If you have transportation I highly recommend making it to one of these events over what is sure to be a hot summer. You can't clover if you don't dale. Enjoy the California sunshine. 

eightychoices.

Local Flavor | Music Review

This past week had a plethora of options to be distracted by. There was Outside Lands and the accompanying late night shows, I would have liked to see Wilco, Leon Bridges and D'Angelo. Instead, there were those of us in the North Bay that were treated to some other affordable options (and by affordable I mean free). 

The Mother Hips | Cloverdale

Last Friday we made our almost-weekly pilgrimage to Cloverdale for The Mother Hips. Tim Bluhm and company were hitting on all cylinders, this was one of the better shows I've seen from them. Greg Loiacono was on fire, his guitar licks seem to prevail throughout the night. "Freed From Prison" had a Bowie vibe. Other songs felt steeped in honky tonk blues. Greg took "Do It On the Strings," to another level with some impressive guitar work. On the next track, "Clean Me Up," they blended some nifty drumming with some fiery Wah-Wah to elicit a sound reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Multiple people mentioned that this was their favorite song of the night. "White Falcon Fuzz" got the crowd rocking once more as the interplay between the two guitarist created good sound and strong emotion. They wanted to go out ripping as the last two songs of the set were heavy in anthem-like rock tones. The encore gave us a couple more, the finale was a dirty (in a good way) and bluesy infused burner, "Stoned Up..."

St. Paul & the Broken Bones | Lagunitas

On Monday we made our way to Lagunitas for their super secret show. This Year's surprise band was St. Paul and the Broken Bones. This soulful outfit from Birmingham is the truth. Church-like is an understatement. Lacing covers in and out of their own material seamlessly, this seven piece doesn't make mistakes, they make good times. The first cover of the night was Sam Cooke's "Shake." They followed that with a down-tempo version of the title track "Half the City." After "Broken Bones & Pocket Change" they went for the Wilson Pickett Standard, "99 and a Half." As the night wore on you could see the energy inside the mini-amphitheatre pick up. The Broken Bones jumped into a string of songs that made me feel the love. "Let It Be So" and "Down in the Valley" featured Paul's gospel-like vocals and the spot-on snap of the horn section. The main set came to a close with a Tom Waits cover, "Make It Rain,"—if only our parched state could get some. Then came the encore. Beginning with a Motown version of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream," they created a new song from another world, one that would have made Ziggy Stardust proud. Next came Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You..." which was just what the shaman ordered. They dropped in "Call Me," before going all Beatles on us with a rousing, "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." One thing's for sure, I wanted more so bad. Rarely do you see a band tackle such a diverse catalog of songs. As the congregation left the service, there was a unified feeling, satiated in the soulful delivery from a band that's sure to deliver a sermon. Thanks to St. Paul, the Broken Bones and Lagunitas for taking me to the holy land, if only for a couple of hours.

eightychoices.

Lagunitas Live

Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma is primed for another awesome season of free outdoor concerts. Recently they released their schedule of events—it's pretty amazing. Peep the list to the left. 

Trampled By Turtles kick off the 2015 lineup and unfortunately, tickets are already gone. But there's plenty more to see if you're social media savvy. I suggest checking in on Facebook of the artist(s) you're most interested in seeing to get ticket information.

The super secret show is usually rad. No one knows who it is, even after acquiring tickets—you just have to take a chance. Last year Lucius played an outstanding secret show. 

Hanni El Khatib, Shovels & Rope, and Charles Bradley with his Extraordinaries, are the performers you should not miss. See you at the Lagunitas mini amphitheater. 

eightychoices.

Breathe in Foxygen

Continuing to bring Sonoma County great music at a reduced price (zilch), Lagunitas will be hosting Foxygen on August 4th in their ongoing summer concert series, Live at Lagunitas. The tandem of Sam France and Jonathan Rado have been hard working throughout their career and that work ethic made, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic a reality. The album bubbles with psychedelic experimentation and lush vocals that are reminiscent of California's musical past. The sound-scape of this record drips in a soft warmth. It also touches on some elements of pop music with a unique edginess. Some of their songs bend between Belle and Sebastian ("San Francisco") and Lou Reed ("No Destruction"). Other tracks that I'm drawn to on 21st Century are "Shuggie" and "Oh Yeah." Maybe you'll be there too. Enjoy.

Foxygen | "San Francisco" 



eightychoices.