Bay Station Loves the Bay Video Series Launch! Episode 1 with Penny Opry

Bay Station welcomed nautical music duo Penny Opry to the sailboat Espresso for a later morning conversation and concert on the Oakland Estuary of San Francisco Bay.

Bay Station - "Trickster Moon" (Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse)

ay Station Love the Bay Full Moon Sail -January 2019. Filmed on the Alameda-Oakland estuary during the Super Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 1/20/19

Love the Bay v.2

Bay Station has sail from Alameda on our second Love the Bay multi-day sailing trip/tour of the San Francisco Bay.  Follow along on Facebook and/ Instagram this  Memorial Day Weekend for live broadcasts from our various ports of call.

Memorial Day Weekend  May 25-28 Bay Station Loves the Bay Aboard Espresso, San Francisco Bay SF x Sausalito x Richmond x Alameda

Bay Station's Other Desert Cities Record Releases Today

A new record with Bay Station

While I'm more a periodic than routine co-writer, I love collaborating and making something that simply wouldn't exist otherwise. While we started co-writing as part of a challenge, Kwame Copeland and I have since made it an annual undertaking, resulting in a bunch of songs and the Americana band Bay Station. For the past several years, we've spent a lot of time in Joshua Tree writing together, and two years ago, we ended our cross-country tour there...and began a new batch of tunes. When it was time to record the keepers, we decided to record the songs near their source, took the band to Gatos Trail Studio outside of Joshua Tree and recorded the basics (We also played a gig and took a sound bath at The Integratron while we were at it!). Over the next months, we completed the 10 tracks at Lost Monkey Studio in Hayward. We’re pleased with how all those good vibrations added up, and, almost exactly a year after starting the record, we're excited to release Other Deserts Cities this coming Sunday, April 29 at The Starry Plough in Berkeley. It’s a double record-release show with our Bay Station bandmate Steve Waters. If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, please join us!

Wiggle!

Deborah Crooks "Record of a Day" (Pint of Soul Video)

"Record of a Day" by Deborah Crooks

Back in  January, I spent an afternoon shooting a couple videos with  Pint of Soul at Amado's in San Francisco. This live version of"Record of a Day" (from the Beauty Everywhere CD)  features Art Khu on piano, Kwame Copeland on guitar, and Kim Xuan Nguyen on bass. Enjoy!

Songwriter Showcase at The Octopus Literary Salon - June 21 in Oakland

Nothing like hopscotching across the country over the past couple weeks to appreciate the Bay Area and all it's amazingness that much more. I love travel and I love the return ...and I love love love that I'm sharing a show with three FABULOUS SF Bay-based songwriters - Aireene Espiritu, Claudia Russel and Paige Clem- next Wednesday June 21 at The Octopus Literary Salon in Oakland. These women are all on fire creatively (and there will likely be a special guest or two sitting in). Mark your calendars and join us.  

A post shared by Deborah Crooks (@deborahrcrooks) on Jun 5, 2017 at 8:42pm PDT

Hot Water Tour 2017: Soak in the Sounds of Sultry Americana withAireene Espiritu, Deborah Crooks and "Yours Truly, Michele"

Poster design by "Nemo"

Excited about the "Hot Water Sessions" I'm doing with Aireene Espiritu and Yours Truly, Michele in May! Join us in some great venues in Niles, San Francisco, Suisun City and/or Alameda:

Wednesday, May 17th @

Hot Water Sessions 2017 Kick-Off Party at

The Mudpuddle Shop

37433 Niles Boulevard

NILES, CA

7-10pm

Donations welcomed. Limited seating, RSVP https://www.facebook.com/events/1860826930831504/

Thursday, May 18th

Hot Water Sessions @

The Lost Church

65 Capp St

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 

7:30-10:30pm

$10 advance/ $15 day of show. A #FolkFightsBack Benefit event! Advance tickets recommended: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1459109

Friday, May 19th 

Hot Water Sessions @

Barkissimo: A Floating Oasis

600 Solano St.

SUISUN CITY, CA

7-10pm

$20  RSVP to boatysattva @gmail.com

Barkissimo is located in the heart of downtown Suisun City, across the grand plaza from Main Street. Bring a home made dish to share with the community.

Saturday, May 20th 

Hot Water Sessions @

Hopmonk Tavern

224 Vintage Way

NOVATO, CA

1-4pm

Donations welcomed. In the beer garden.

Sunday, May 21st 

Hot Water Sessions @

A Private House Concert 

ALAMEDA, CA

6-9pm

$20. Limited seating,  RSVP to baystationband@gmail.com

More about the artists: 

Aireene Espiritu 

http://www.aireeneespiritu.com/

"Folk singer-songwriter Aireene Espiritu works in the elemental substance of vernacular American music with an uncanny ease. Whether blues, hillbilly, soul, folk or R&B...[she] demonstrates masterly command of each."- Jonny Whiteside, Los Angeles Times

Deborah Crooks

http://deborahcrooks.com/

"California songwriter Deborah Crooks’ is simply too original to be a singer who will be known as someone who sings like…like no one. She changes gears seamlessly and in regards to Lucinda [Williams], Deborah may have a wider pallet of styles than even Lucinda." - John Apice, No Depression 

Yours Truly, Michele http://michelekappelstone.com/

"She’s a celebration. No matter your mood, you’ll walk away with a smile. It’s cheaper than therapy." Tony DuShane, San Francisco Chronicle

With a sound infused with 60s pop, shadowy torch songs, and touched by by Americana Roots-Rock, it is truly Michele Kappel’s own brand of music.

New Music from The Welcome Matt: "More Empire Days"

San Francisco's The Welcome Matt is releasing a new album! Check out the video for the first single, the title track "More Empire Days":


Then go get yourself a ticket for his album-release show at Doc's Lab on May 13. 
KC Turner Presents
The Welcome Matt
Special Guests- Guinevere Q / Seth & Erma
Saturday, May 13 - 8pm
at Doc's Lab San Francisco
$15 ADV / All Ages

March 15, 2017: Original Songwriter Showcase at The Octopus Literary Salon, featuring Bob Hillman, Maggie Forti & Peter Whitehead

I'm hosting another run of songwriter shows at The Oakland Octopus Literary Salon this year, kicking off what will be a quarterly event, Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 7pm.  March features three great artists: Bob Hillman, Peter Whitehead and Maggie Forti. Don't miss it! The entry ($5-10 suggested) is a steal, plus the Octopus is cozy, has delicious and nutritious food and drink. 

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SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE

March 15, 2017 7pm

Octopus Literary Salon

2101 Webster Street
Oakland, CA 94501

all ages, $5-10 suggested

[NBC] Peter Whitehead: Anything You Want to Do Is Going to Work Eventually from Oresti Tsonopoulos on Vimeo.

Thursday June 9: A Night of Americana at The Ivy Room

This week's fun: Thursday, June 9 at the Ivy Room in Albany, Bay Station shares a with Kate Burkart and Nate Jones & The Sloe Sippers, it's going to be a fine night. Three bands, $7, good vibes; hope to see you there!

Thursday, June 9th, 2016

Bay Station (full band) at The Ivy Room

with Nate Jones & The Slow Sippers, Kate Burkart Band

858 San Pablo Ave
Albany, CA 94706
510-524-9299
 Show starts at 8pm;  Price: $7. Bay Station plays at 10:30

 

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/ 

Bird Songs II: "I Like Birds" "Broken Wings Heal" and "Proud Penguin"

More selections from the world of contemporary bird-referencing songs. 

"I Like Birds" by The Eels
This punchy number caught my ear more than a decade ago when a friend turned me on to The Eels. No birder pretension here, just simple bird appreciation:

"I can't look at the rocket launch
The trophy wives of the astronauts
And I won't listen to their words
'Cause I like birds

I don't care for walking downtown
Crazy auto-car gonna mow me down
Look at all the people like cows in a herd
Well, I like birds

If you're small and on a search
I've got a feeder for you to perch on"

"Razor Wire" by Carolyn Aiken
There are bird references all over Aiken's latest recording, Broken Wings Heal, and the title track itself is a confident ode to healing. But "Razor Wire" is the heartbreaking gut punch of the album, a song I first heard live at The Freight a last summer:
"behind razor wire
sings a song bird
her heart beats strong
her spirit flies free
undaunted and sublime
she sings to the sun and the wind and the trees
she remembers in her dreams
Outside her confines
she knows what it’s like
flying tandem with her kind
free to dive and climb and be
and she…dreams
of the time she will fly
and readies her wings
calming her mind
knowing that all that stands between her and the sky
is time."

 
"Proud Penguin" by Jamie Purnell
Purnell is a Bay Area songwriter I met at FAR-West. He performed this song live the other night at the KC  Turner Presents Shhhongwriters Open Mic at Doc's Lab. A shorty and powerful ditty about flying, swimming, being only who you can be and self acceptance, I couldn't help but love it. 
"hey there seagull, it's fun to swim in the sea/I may not be able to fly, but I'm happy to be me."

Know of a fairly-recent (post-2000) "bird song" I should hear? Please email me! 

Bird Songs: "All Over Ohio", "Birds Fly South" & "Scarecrow"

photo by Don McCullough

As I'm one of those lifelong bird people (I considered a bird-related career path in college, studying natural history and working to release peregrine falcons for the Predatory Bird Research Group) I notice the actual and metaphorical birds wherever I am, and birds tend to show up routinely in my own writing. But even music lovers who are the most disinclined to ornithology know many bird-related songs: The Beatles "Blackbird," Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" and Skynyrd's "Freebird" (like it or not) are pretty much of the modern-day canon. At a concert last summer, I was struck again at how often birds appear in lyrics, even among songwriters that aren't really "birders." The past few months I've started "collecting" contemporary (post-2000) bird-referencing songs, and will be sharing my favorites here. Know of a fairly-recent "bird song" I should hear? Please email me. 
In the meantime, here's a sampling of some of my recent favorites: 
 
"All Over Ohio" by Over the Rhine
I swoon over the sensibilities of Over the Rhine in general, who call an Ohio farm home between their own musical peregrinations,  and whose lyrics bespeak their deep connection to place. They know their land deeply, as well as the creatures who share it. "All Over Ohio," sung in duet, is a long, lovely tour both of place and the birdly need to come and go: 

"And the starlings they were flying
Earlier today
Doing their maneuvers
Clouds of feathers on display
Makes me wanna kneel in prayer but
I’ve forgotten what to say
I’ll just name all the birds in Ohio
...

All I wanna be is a thousand black birds*
Bursting from a tree into the blue
Love – let it be not just a feeling
But the broken beauty
Of what we choose to do"

*Listen to an actual blackbird call HERE.
 

"Birds Fly South" by The Mastersons  
The Mastersons, an Austin-based duo, also evoke bird migration in the title track of their 2012 release, a song about their own need to move, the pull of the heart, the mystery and reasons  of why humans and animals pick up and go when they do. 
Birds fly south, before the cold
all night, I'm going to drive
New York's getting me down
run out of reason to hang around
that's why birds fly south, 
when it all comes down 
All night, I'm going to drive
Will you be, right by my side?


"Scarecrow" by Michael McNevin 
This is one of my all-time favorite songs for a lot of reasons: not only it it a great evocation of the behavior of gulls* (the species of sea bird I've projected upon this song), its a beautiful love song, period. I believe its won some awards, and I've a CD containing the song, but it's hard to find online to easily share.  Fortunately, for these purposes, there's this video (Track McNevin down at one of his shows or hit him up at Muddpuddle Music if you want your own copy.) I heard him sing it the first time I saw him perform and became an insta-fan. 
She's a sea bird I'm a scarecrow
She came to rest upon my elbow
She flys fast I watch the corn grow
Will she come back, well damned if I know
Damned if I know
 ...
She's a sea bird I'm a scarecrow
Will I turn to driftwood in the shallows?
Damned if I know, damned if I know

*Listen to an actual California gull call HERE.

 
(McNevin's also got a song called "Early Bird" worth giving a listen)

KCDC Love the Bay Recap

KCDC completed our inaugural sail and play around the San Francisco Bay/Love the Bay tour experiment with bright sun, warm skies and just enough wind to get us back to Alameda. Thanks to Treasure Island Bar & Grill for hosting us Thursday, our pals Christie & Martin for taking care of us so well in Sausalito, and to those who tuned into our Concert Window broadcasts from Espresso. We learned much about taking gear on a boat, live-streaming and what works and what doesn't for such an expedition, plus had some magic moments around our beautiful Bay (Harbor porpoises! Seals! Osprey! Sunsets!) We hope to do this again in 2016. Stay tuned. In the meantime, we're taking the full band back to High Street Station in Alameda on Saturday, Sept. 26. Real inputs, mics and amplification! Woo-hoo! Please join us.

A photo posted by Deborah Crooks (@deborahrcrooks) on Sep 19, 2015 at 1:22pm PDT

Artist Interview: The Assured, Authentic Americana of The Keller Sisters

Since releasing their debut CD Shine in 2013, The Keller Sisters have quickly taken their place at the top of the Americana and Folk Charts and the San Francisco songwriting community for their warm harmonies, keen perspective and sense of humor.  Following up Shine up with 2014's equally assured House of Cards, the success of siblings Sheryl and Kerry is well deserved: They bring an easy grace forged by a strong family bond,and a lifetime of musical experience, to any stage they take.  The two discussed their life in music as they prepared to perform at the American River Music Festival.  

Q: Did you have similar tastes growing up? Did you go through any sibling rivalry or rebellion?
KS: We have been singing together as long as we can remember. We shared a room and
our mother dressed us alike so a strong bond was formed early on. We can not remember a time that either one of us was jealous of the other. We still finish each other’s sentences. One of our songs has the line "Two peas in a pod two nuts in one shell"...pretty much sums it up.

Q: How does (or doesn't!) your first teen duo project reflect your current sound?
KS: Back then, we played the music we were listening to: Music rooted in harmony and lyrics with strong melody.  Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles. Over the years, we have developed a love for every genre but our music definitely has these early influences.

Q:Can you describe events that led to you forming officially as The Keller Sisters and recording Shine?
KS: Our cover band, Blue Tuesday was playing a lot — local clubs and some festivals — and while it was and is very fun, we started missing the stripped-down sound and the music that we played when we were young. In 2011, we were asked to play a fundraiser and decided to do a few songs, just the two of us.  We played some of the old songs and one original tune. It went well and we really enjoyed it. The first time playing the original song in public was an “Ah Hah” moment and we realized we wanted to do more of that.  After writing more songs, we decided to record them just to have for us and our family. We found a wonderful producer and during the process decided that we would release a CD to have something to share when we played live. It all came together quickly, and we did a residency at a local venue to fine tune the songs and try out new ones. One of our first rehearsals we thought of all kinds of clever names for our duo, then gave up and decided to go with who we are.

Q:  Your mother was a singer and actress and you've been exposed to music for most of your life: Was there ever a time you weren't doing music or wanted to do something else?
KS:  Our mother was a huge influence on us. She had an incredible voice with gorgeous tone and perfect pitch. She moved the family from San Francisco to Los Angeles after our older brother was born. We lived our early lives in Hollywood while she worked in films and did local television. Dad taught the movie stars kids at a private school. His father asked him to join the family insurance business back in SF and the decision was made to come back home. Mom decided that she would go back to her first love which was musical theater. She toured extensively and when she was home was constantly rehearsing. This exposed us to a world of music and wonderful training. We grew up watching her perform and meeting her on tour. We were fortunate to do summer stock with her which was a real education. We both sang in the school Glee Club and did lavish productions in our bedroom.

We worked out all the harmony parts to Beatles songs and aspired to be the next Simon and Garfunkel.  We are having so much fun right now, but those moments where our voices become one still bring us the most joy.

Q: How do you write? Do you write together or individually bring songs to the table?
KS: So far, Sheryl does all of the songwriting. The ideas come from personal experience reading and observing life.  Kerry is the editor and sounding board. When a song is close, we work together on the details and fine-tune, tweaking the melody to highlight the harmonies which is so important to us.

Q:  Who are you listening to or reading now? Any sounds you're especially loving?
KS: We recently saw the amazing Ruthie Foster and had our first Steve Poltz experience. We see as much live music as we can and always come away completely inspired... It is thrilling to discover new music. Currently we are listening to Jason Isbell and Gretchen Peters.

Q: What's next? Anything new audiences can expect at the American River Music Fest in Sept?

KS: We have a collection of new songs and only one of them has been performed live. We will be spending the next few months fine-tuning them and are hoping to record another CD early in 2016. We are so excited to play the American River Music Festival and are looking forward to hearing all of the music... We will surely discover and become fans of someone we have never heard before and what a thrill that is!

The Keller Sisters perform Friday, September 18 at The American River Music Festival 950 Lotus Road Coloma, CA 95651 530.622.6044

Heartbreak Hell in Berkeley: Celebrate Valentine's Day with Sad Songs & Soothsaying

Looking for Valentine's Day plans? May I suggest Heartbreak Hell @ The Monkey House this Saturday, February 14, in Berkeley. Sad songs about love, loss & all manner of things that make a heart crack
A benefit for BASCIA: Bay Area Suicide and Crisis Intervention Alliance Doors 7, show 7:30-10. Event will end at 11.  

Holiday Shows & Music: Mann & Naylor Update the Usual

I went to two very different but equally excellent holiday-themed shows this past weekend: Aimee Mann's rock 'n roll Holiday special at The Fillmore on Friday and Jacqui Naylor's intimate jazz show at Salle Piano's on Sunday. Very different in setting and mood, they were both excellent, featuring stellar accompaniment (key players being songwriter/guitarist Ted Leo for Aimee and pianist Art Khu for Jacqui) great singing and new takes on holiday favorites.

Both Mann and Naylor have above-and-beyond-the-usual holiday albums. Check 'em out.
Jacqui Naylor — Smashed for the Holidays
Aimee Mann —  One More Drifter in the Snow

 In addition to co-leading the show with Leo — they've been performing as 'The Both'  for the past year or two — Mann called in a couple of comedians as well as Bangle member Susanna Hoffs to fill out the evening. Their video, below, albeit not Christmas-related, captures the chops and humor this bunch brought to the stage.

Red Meat, Run Boy Run, David Jacobs-Strain to Perform at FAR-West Music Conference Venues' Choice Concert, Thursday, Oct 16, 2014

Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 7:00 P.M.
Oakland Marriott

On Thursday evening, October 16, FAR-West will kick off its 11th annual conference with the Venues’ Choice concert. Five venues from around the region, dedicated to presenting acoustic music year-round, will each present an artist(s) of their choice. FAR-West's opening night 'kick-off' concerts are always one of the highlights of our conferences and we anticipate another great night!

Limited tickets ($15) are available for public purchase at the FAR-West Brown Paper Tickets site.

Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West) is the western region of Folk Alliance International including Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northwest Territory, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Yukon Territory.

FAR-West fosters and promotes traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, dance and related performing arts in the Western United States and Canada.

FAR-West supports this mission through its annual conference each fall, one of five regional Folk Alliance Conferences. The annual FAR-West conference provides a three-day, music-filled weekend for the folk and acoustic music community to unite, exchange songs and ideas, re-charge and do business.