Bay Station "Go Out and Make Some" National Tour

Bay Station is celebrating the release of Go Out and Make Some with a full band show at Amnesia in San Francisco, on March 24, before setting out across the US performing as an acoustic duo. 

BAY STATION 2016 SPRING TOUR

March 24 San Francisco, CA Amnesia
March 25 Los Angeles, CA MUSE on 8th
March 26 Phoenix, AZ Fiddler's Dream Coffeehouse
March 27 Bisbee, AZ Bisbee Grand Hotel Bed & Breakfast
March 29 San Antonio, TX Fralo’s
March 30 San Antonio, TX Sanchos
March 31 Austin, TX The Driskilll
April 1 Dallas, TX Opening Bell Coffee
April 2 Flora, MS The County Seat
April 3 Atlanta, GA Red Light Cafe
April 6 Knoxville, TN Preservation Pub
April 7 Nashville, TN Two Old Hippies
April 8 St. Louis, MO Stone Spiral (early)
April 8 St. Louis, MO Evangeline's Bistro & Music House (late)
April 9 Lawrence, KS Gaslight Gardens
April 11 Taos, NM Adobe Bar
April 12 Santa Fe, NM The Cowgirl BBQ
April 13 Flagstaff, AZ Cultured
April 16 Joshua Tree, CA Joshua Tree Saloon Bar & Grill

Go Out and Make Some is a true melting pot of Americana, blues, jazz and rock and roll, with songs about love, lust, sandy beaches, dusty roads, wandering holy men, wolf birds and more.

 

More information new dates being added at http://baystationband.com/ 

Austin Never Sleeps: MEOWCon Recap

Playing Cedar St. photo by Katie Garibaldi

We had another great time in Austin, playing at MEOWCon13 and getting completely inspired by all the other artists (hello Leni Stern African Trio*, Bluebonnets & Suzi Quatro), while catching up with new and old friends (Katie Garibaldi, Sue Quigley, Willow &The Embers) with gigs at The Driskill and Cedar St Courtyard to bookend the conference experience. Along with the live shows, there were several films that screened during MEOWCon. We met Seattle filmmaker Kay D. Ray on the shuttle to the hotel and were very happy we made a point of seeing her 'director's cut' of Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women In Jazz. Containing extraordinary footage of, and interviews with, pioneering women musicians from the 1920s to the 1970s, it's a deep, inspiring, troubling and enlightening film all at the same time. In other words, make sure you see it. You can find out more and support it's release at Kay's site.
Very big bow of appreciation to Carla DeSantis Black, who rounded up an extraordinary mix of women in music that was the inaugural MEOWCon. Here's to many more!

And thanks to Austin itself, which doesn't seem to get much rest. Between MEOWCon, the Austin Film Fest, the Austin Ironman and The Texas Book Fair (as well as a bunch of stuff we didn't know about) going on at the same time, the city was constantly buzzing. Ole! 

MEOW Showcase, photo by Jo Wymer

MEOW Con 2013

*We were especially blown away by Leni Stern, a masterful and transcendent guitarist whose trio brought the conference to an entirely new level. Bay Area residents take note: She's bringing her act to Oakland, November 2 @ Restaurant Duende & Bodega

SXSW: The games begin

Well, the games have been going on all week for those who attend the Interactive, Film and Music portions of SXSW. But having arrived in Austin late, late Wednesday on the Local Music Vibe/Chuck Prophet van express, my experience of the annual festival waking up with coffee and The Punch Brothers at KUT Live at the Four Seasons. This was a kind of no-fail choice: I knew how great The Punch Brothers were having had my mind blown by their musical alacrity a couple of years ago at The Living Room in New York. Five very accomplished guys on bass, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and banjo who draw heavily on their bluegrass roots but owe as much to jazz. They're playing all over Austin in the next couple days so catch them if you can.
Fortified, we wandered down 6th St. to meet up with some friends, acclimate to the rapidly filling streets and high level of beer consumption and see what we'd happen upon...which included a Canadian Guitar Showdown with a spot by Telecaster titan Bill Kirchen, a tired Trampled by Turtles contemplating their next show by sitting on their gear outside the Tap Room, and Band of Skulls at Cedar St. We took refuge from the throngs among friends at LoungeFly SF's Showcase before heading to South Congress.

Home to Jo's Coffee, The Continental Club, Guerra's Tacos, Hotel San Jose and Yard Dog Art Gallery, the South Congress District  is my favorite place in the city. And they host their own unofficial SX San Jose event with live bands, drinks and general bonhomie.  We enjoyed the scene there before lining up for the Kelly Wilson and Bruce Robison show at the Continental Club's Gallery Annex. A little listening room upstairs from the main club, the Gallery small, cozy, and filled with keen listeners and avid fans of the married pair of songwriters. I've long heard of how great Willis is and just recently caught the fact that she was collaborating with her equally accomplished partner. Rootsy, warm and excellent at their craft— she's got one of those great sweet country voices— the duo and their band presented a spirited set of originals about love and heartbreak that made me believe in the power of playing music all over again.

Road trip continued: LMV AZ x NM X TX

It was a long day in the saddle, but after blowing through New Mexico, we made it to Austin, late late on Wednesday night/Thursday a.m.  Once upon a time people didn't have iPhones, XM or Pandora Radio, on their travels but we don't know they did it. Time to listen to some live music!

Hitting the 'road to Texas

I'm hitting the road to Austin, Texas, today with Local Music Vibe. Follow us as we cross half the country in Chuck Prophet's van on our way to the music celebration that is SXSW. Check for updates here and on Twitter.
@LocalMusicVibe
@DeborahCrooks

Local Music Vibe: Hitting the Road to Austin

There's been great energy generating in the Alameda Local Music Vibe Meet-Up I started hosting earlier this month at High St. Station.  In just two meetings, two projects with serious legs have sprung up: a new songwriter showcase in Alameda kicking off in April and what's going to be a cross-country adventure in March.  The latter development I couldn't have predicted as it involves me hitting the road to Austin with Local Music Vibe founder Shelley Champine...in Chuck Prophet's van. If anyone out there doesn't know, Chuck Prophet is perhaps San Francisco's preeminent rockin' songwriter. Chuck's touring Europe leading up to his appearance(s) at SXSW so he reached out to the San Francisco Bay Area music community and Local Music Vibe stepped in. Shelley and I are going to be blogging about the trip at Local Music Vibe and searching out local music scenes along the route. If you've any tips for us about musicians or venues in the Southwest, we want to hear about 'em. Stay tuned for more here or at Facebook or follow me and LMV on Twitter: twitter.com/deborahcrooks and twitter.com/LocalMusicVibe.

Austin: Cacti, Flip's & the Taco Express

Where to start? Well, in Saturday's case, it was playing some music for our gracious host Kami, then heading to the Cactus Cafe to hear Shannon McNally. A few years ago, I really liked the Mississippi singer's album Geronimo and was happy to see she was in Austin...but in true 'that's the way plans go at SX' we arrived to see a show schedule different than what I expected. Still the rest of the 'Live from KUT' event contained some hot music. We walked in as the The Chapin Sisters were closing their fine set of country folk. Can we say great voices and amazing harmonies? They were followed by the Generationals about whom I knew absolutely nothing. A young and spirited group led by Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer took the stage. Joyner and Widmer shared vocal and guitar duties for a set of tight, uptempo, infectious indie rock w/trumpet and keys thrown in for good measure. We were about to leave when the DJ announced that the next band, If By Yes, featured none other than Nels Cline. We sat down and waited a long half hour while the 8-piece New York project set up. The arty lyrics, slightly avant garde arrangements and polished vocals somehow reminded me of vintage Yazoo. I think I'd have heard it with better ears in a downstairs club somewhere in Europe.
Onto the KC Turner Music showcase at Flipnotic's for some Bay Area representation. Back in California, KC has tirelessly kept the San Francisco house-concert scene alive and thriving with incredible artists bookings and was presenting a similarly stellar line-up in Austin. Only, again, we missed SF's The Family Crest, but heard a snippet of Indiana's Mars on the Moon, and were very, very glad to discover Man in the Ring, a trio centered upon Brad Cunningham. Passionate singing, fabulous violin and key cajon combining for some exceedingly satisfying Americana.
Texas music, in my book, is really Americana central, and so we gravitated back toward the South side of Austin, to Maria's Taco Express, a quintessential Austin restaurant with fine margaritas, corn tortillas, and a backyard patio that provided the setting for an Alejandro Escovedo-curated line-up including, among others, Maren Parusel, Jesse Malin (who gave the performance his all, including singing on the tables despite a later performance downtown) and the somewhat legendary Willie Nile, as well as Escovedo. It was very easy to spend the rest of the day and evening here, watching and listening to legends and locals alike laugh, drink, and play their hearts out.

Austin 2011: SX San Jose & Yard Dogs

A trip to SXSW is always a bit of a barometer of the year for me: where I'm at as well as what's happening in the music world at large. This year, I'm here for a few days of pure listening and catching up. Friday was spent immersed in the South Congress area of Austin, which is really more about Austin music than official SXSW showcases. We split our time fairly equally between Yard Dog Art Gallery which was playing host to the Bloodshot Records party and SX San Jose party in the back of Jo's Coffee and Hotel San Jose.
The Bloodshot Records line-up demonstrated well its 'insurgent country' ethos. Bandmate Kwame's brother Kwab Copeland energetically played drums for Eddie Spaghetti; Exene Cervenka asked the crowd to reclaim the best 'power to the people' aspects of early punk rock, and Denmark's Maggie Bjorklund rocked the pedal steel to back the Cobirds Unite as well as Exene.
One of my favorite things about South by Southwest is going to a venue for one thing and making a new discovery. My hero Alejandro Escovedo and his Orchestra were headlining SX San Jose which definitely got me there (and were fantastic as usual), and along the way I was taken with the bit of the new-to-me The Autumn Defense set I caught as well as the spirited, great harmony singing of The Belle Brigade.
So, per usual, good music, new sounds, inspiration (with a dose of tacos). I went to bed with ringing ears and sore feet.

Great Idea Tour in Texas: SXSW, Dallas, Denton

The Great Idea Tour is spending 5+ days in Texas: Pie delivered and served, songs sung and refined, heroes heard, more miles logged, tires patched, new friends made, inspiration and snow in Dallas.