I picked up tickets to see Los Lobos and X at the Ryman this fall.  Unless I sneak to some show there before then, it'll be my first trip to the church of country music (and to see a punk band, no less)

It’s such a cool venue.

Tonight's Culture 

This one goes to 11

It's a lot easier to follow in English.

Quite the performance.

https://archive.org/details/rwh-20250510-t-21-choctaw-bingo
 

Ray Wylie Hubbard Saturday

 

Tonight's more intimate Culture 

Edited May 14, 20251 yr by Grahame

The Go-Gos played the Warfield Theater in San Francisco last night.  Kathy Valentine posted these shots to her Bluesky account:

Sturgill Simpson in Knoxville. This is a fantastic show. 
 

 

Non Eurovision Culture

Edited May 18, 20251 yr by Grahame

Last night we saw Simple Minds....super show.  Really impressed with how strong Jim Kerr's voice still is and how good a shape the gent is in.  

Modern English was the first act and did a great job.  

Soft Cell, unfortunately, was a bit of a disappointment.  Can't help but wonder if they need a better sound engineer.

Overall, great show and nice to run into some old friends.

HS

Make some noise, Walnut Creek!

Walnut Creek Art and Wine Festival part 1 with Pride and Joy (SF).

We managed to set up on a slope, with a view overlooking the east stage, shade, and the odd waft of Jazz Cigarettes.

The crowd are on their feet, getting on down.

Interesting view the other way.

 

Are we alive, Walnut Creek?

Part Deux, it's 4/4 time with Neon Velvet.

I can neither confirm nor deny if there was any getting on down.

The Band were down with post gig selfies.

And a Chauffeur driven ride, to and from the venue. This is Walnut Creek, after all.

Edited June 2, 20251 yr by Grahame

How Y'All Doin' Novato?

Wreckless Strangers

@ https://www.novatochamber.com/2025-art-wine-music/

Edited June 7, 20251 yr by Grahame

The Banjo powered jam band energy of New Monsoon.

And a choc-ice.

 

The 80's are now in full effect with Tainted Love.

Back in Novato to see aja vu and their commendable version of Steely Dan

 

Then they bought out the horn section for a few Chicago numbers

And threw in a horn solo and drum solo for good measure.

A fun time with all the hits.

 

 

Edited June 9, 20251 yr by Grahame

Jim Lauderdale at a free concert. Not recording this time

 

 

Phat Luv  @

https://www.agriculturalinstitute.org/events/june-san-rafael-summer-market

Hello Belvedere!

Rattle those Rolex's

To The Sun Kings and the music of the Beatles

@ https://www.cityofbelvedere.org/departments/concerts-in-the-park/

 

On the Summer Solstice, the people of Larkspur did gather (in what seemed to be a wind tunnel)

And Funk Nugget brought The Funk

And the people did Boogie-oogie-oogie.

And it was good.

That explains why nothing happened, I must have taken  a wrong turn in Albuquerque 

 

Holá Novato!

Carnival, a Santana Tribute Band

Have the crowd on their feet

@ Novato's Hot Amphitheater Nights.

Temperature and location wise, they are not wrong.

 

One of my best friends manages a CA East Bay Punk band called Stay Out.  They made their first East Coast visit this weekend.  Lots of fun, but shit did I feel old!  Another "old" local punk band, the FU's, also played (and their age was showing as they didn't want to headline, as that would be too late 🤣).  Great fun, energetic and often melodic music, and weary bones and muscles.

Stay Out did a REALLY good version of Green Day's "Welcome To Paradise" as an encore....

Stay Out is the second/longer video, FU's are the shorter one.  FU's lead singer reminds me of Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers....

IMG_6003.MOV

 

IMG_6006.MOV

Edited June 30, 20251 yr by skullguise

Funny how the band names become more and more appropriate as we age. FU and Stay Out are my reactions to just about everything these days.

Not attended live, but I've been watching Glastonbury on the TV.

Octogenarian Rod Stewart in the Legends slot on the Pyramid. His voice is nothing like it used to be. We saw him live when he was a mere 65 and he was great then. But given his age he still managed an hour and a half. He had a personal trainer back stage the he kept going to from time to time while the band played stuff.

And a last night a stunning set by Olivia Rodrigo - a real tour de force aged 22, She has crammed a whole lot into her young life (check Wikipedia)  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lekyx02j4o . Young enough to be my granddaughter, I had to remind myself that Mrs S and I were married at Rodrigo's age!

Well Hello Stern Grove 

SF Symphony in the grove!

Ukulele hero antics from Taimane

Hoops and "herbal" wafts, because SF.

EDIT:

(Shareable) SF Chronicle article  for more context 

Edited July 7, 20251 yr by Grahame