As the first all-female mariachi ensemble, Flor de Toloache blazes a brilliant pioneering path for women in a traditionally male world of Mexican music. Co-led by violinist and founder Mireya I. Ramos and Shae Fiol on the lute-like vihuela, the New York City-based band spent several years performing around the northeast and gained international attention […]
Lines and lyrics from Litquake Nation! Enjoy line breaks during your lunch break, as some of the Bay Area’s best poets and musicians share their work in the great outdoors. Kim Addonizio is the author of a dozen books, most recently Bukowski in a Sundress: Confessions from a Writing Life (Penguin), and a poetry collection, […]
The Bay Area has long served as a creative hothouse for adventurous-minded roots string players, and New World String Project is the latest gorgeous hybrid to emerge from this fertile soil. Something of a hybrid itself, the ensemble brings together four mighty players who weave a shimmering sonic tapestry from Celtic, Nordic and American folk […]
This spiritually charged double bill pairs the black Moroccan ritual trance music of Innov Gnawa with Book of J’s radical Hebraic blues. The Grammy-nominated New York musical collective Innov draws on Fez-born Hassan Ben Jaafer’s treasure trove of musical knowledge brought to Morocco centuries ago by soldiers and slaves from Mali and Mauritania, an incantatory […]
Directed and accompanied by veteran pianist Maestro Curtis and captivating vocalist Nola Curtis (a.k.a. Cyd Qurtisse), the Community Music Center Older Adult Choirs from the Bayview, Western Addition, and Ingleside neighborhoods perform rousing and inspiring music that celebrates the diversity of the members. The repertoire focuses on gospel, jazz and popular music from the civil […]
The dynamic Mexican-born conga player Javier Cabanillas has come a long way since he started performing in pop-up flea markets in the streets of Tijuana. A few years ago, the Bay Area resident walked the red carpet in Los Angeles and took home a Grammy Award for his work with Oakland-based Pacific Mambo Orchestra. After […]
When people in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat want to celebrate, the ecstatic dance tradition known as garba often provides the fuel. An essential component of wedding celebrations and the nine-day fall Hindu festival Navratri, garba is an intoxicating, high-energy folk style marked by hand claps and twirls. Danced in a circle (reflecting the […]
West Oakland meets West Africa in The Dogon Lights, a bumpin’ combo that combines influences from hip-hop and electronica, funk and reggae, rock, trance and far-flung international traditions from Brazil to Mali. What makes this band so arresting is the electro-acoustic blend. Evan Fraser supplies the irresistible twang on the kalimba, berimbau, Malian kamale n’goni, […]
The incendiary violinist/composer Tom Rigney joins forces with some of the finest musicians on the San Francisco roots music scene in Tom Rigney and Flambeau, a band known for turning unassuming gigs into ecstatic celebrations. Featuring pianist Caroline Dahl, bassist Steve Parks, drummer Brent Rampone, and veteran blues and roots guitarist Danny Caron (who played […]
Originally conceived as a platform for women’s artistry, Kitty Pak has evolved into an ongoing creative communion bringing together some of the most dynamic and inventive sonic explorers on the Bay Area scene. Led by Dakini Star, vocalist for Goddess Alchemy, Kitty Pak usually features a disparate array of women, and for this YBG Festival show […]
This children’s program repeats at 12:15–12:45pm. There’s no reason kids can’t dance like they’re in a Bollywood epic. Featured every month at Public Works in the Mission, Non Stop Bhangra brings the party to the Gardens, offering a unique experience that celebrates the beautiful and vibrant spirit of this traditional Punjabi folk music and dance. […]
This children’s program is a repeat of the 11:00am show. There’s no reason kids can’t dance like they’re in a Bollywood epic. Featured every month at Public Works in the Mission, Non Stop Bhangra brings the party to the Gardens, offering a unique experience that celebrates the beautiful and vibrant spirit of this traditional Punjabi […]
Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest highlights the spectacular strength, diversity and vibrancy of the Bay Area contemporary dance scene through a weekend of site specific performances. Curated by Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein, Co-Artistic Directors of RAWdance, the second annual ChoreoFest features nine local companies, and leads audiences on an exciting journey throughout the Gardens’ […]