Did you know in 2024 the Yerba Buena Garden Festival presented over 120 admission-free outdoor programs, featuring more than 1,300 performing artists welcoming 55,900 audience members? Well, they did. And festival organizers are in the process of making 2025 even more spectacular.
Donations, of any denomination, from individuals like you ensure that Yerba Buena Gardens Festival programs are always excellent, fresh and admission-free! If you are in a position to give, they would appreciate your support of the arts. You can donate here.
Thank You.
And by the way, thanks for spending time with us at Under The Stars….
Let’s get musical, shall we? Here are some recent observations in terms of upcoming Big Awards Shows:
In a New Yorker feature on Academy Award-nominated actress Monica Barbaro, she explained how she got into character to portray ’60s icon folk queen Joan Baez in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
On a phone call with the civil rights advocate, Baez told Barbaro that as she was coming up with her arrangement for “House of the Rising Sun,” sometimes she’d fall asleep with the guitar in her bed and wake up in the morning and keep playing—an activity the actress had done herself in preparation for the part.
Barbaro’s Baez is steely, scene-stealing, and dazzling in all the phases of Baez during 1961-65. Easily Academy Award material. At one point during the phone call, Barbaro nervously gushed out loud that Baez deserved her own movie. Baez, as if to wave away her concern, said, “I’m just in the garden, watching the birds!”
There is a certain dignity, a type of regality in just doing the work.
Late R&B legend Frankie Beverly, who passed away last September at the age of 77, technically never won a Grammy over his 60-plus-year career—he started as a doo-wop singer—but he easily received thousands from us every time he performed at those summertime shows and everyone in the audience was wearing white. Some would say it’s far too late, but the Grammys will be finally honoring this essential performer, with his still wildly devoted Black fanbase, usually all dressed in white for his concerts, during its February 2 broadcast, with a posthumous lifetime achievement award.
Beverly received lifetime achievement awards from both BET and the NAACP. His career spanned across eras, his voice led to nine gold records, and his music influenced multiple generations. However, due to the gross oversight of the Recording Academy, he never received that Grammy statuette.
You could argue that made his trademark all-white outfit: shirt, pants, and ballcap, signifying the beauty of life, shine just a bit more holy. Unsoiled.
While some blockbuster performers, beloved by the Academy, named themselves the “King of Pop,” or are the epitome of “sell outs,” Beverly was truly “souled out,” selling out concerts with his band Maze—summer after summer, decade after decade, generation after generation. Some believe there is more honor in not being recognized by the Grammy standard. He felt comfort in courting the love and honor of those who appreciated his music and message, ungentrified.
Born in Philadelphia in 1946, Beverly found his voice singing in church and formed many R&B and doo-wop groups throughout the 1960s before refining his sound and founding Raw Soul, later renamed Maze, in 1970, according to NPR. The funk band made up of highly skilled live instrumentalists and supporting vocalists, tied together with Beverly’s strong, smooth lead vocals as the constant, got its big break after relocating from the East Coast to San Francisco in 1971 and being invited by Motown giant Marvin Gaye on tour as his opening act.
Maze became such a thing, a draw, an act, that it would be compared to the devoted lineage that followed The Grateful Dead—that’s how consistent Beverly’s fan base felt not just about his music but the environment—in concert or at community functions—this music created.
“Joy & Pain,” a huge hit for Maze in the UK, would be sampled by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock in the late ’80s and become not just a hit within the burgeoning hip-hop genre, but a crossover trojan horse smash. That gateway Boulevard brought more converts over to the Frankie Beverly touring circuit. With a string of Maze standards that you could clock at a family BBQ, graduation, or wedding—”Happy Feelings,” “Golden Time of The Day,” and “We Are One” could become instant sing-along moments throughout an afternoon into the evening event.
But it’s “Before I Let Go,” covered by Beyoncé in 2019, that’s not just Beverly’s signature song. It showcases a certain sensitivity and optimism shared about a breakup that still feels replete with earnestness and undying affection. This song captures the buoyancy that Beverly brought to so many of us with each performance, forcing dedicated fans to thank him while he was alive by donning all-white outfits at those summertime multi-hour retreats.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE ASSISTANCE
The first two artists whom I heard lost everything due to the tragedy of the California wildfires were Brijean and Madlib, two artists I’ve easily gleaned joy from for years on end.
As reported in The Guardian, Madlib lost an extensive record collection and much of his recording equipment along with his home in the wildfires that have swept across Southern California and killed at least 25 people. According to reports, this musician, whose imprint is indented all over 21st-century music, albeit pop, hip-hop, alternative electronic music, and so many other microclimates, is believed to have lost thousands of rare vinyl records, CDs, and cassettes encompassing many musical genres, including records he collected on his global travels. In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Madlib shared he and his family have lost “their home, decades of music and equipment.”
A Donorbox fundraising campaign has been set up for the family. “Your donation, no matter the amount, will provide assistance to help Madlib with immediate personal needs, essentials like clothing, temporary housing, transportation costs, and the tools Madlib needs to continue creating the music that has touched so many lives,” the statement reads. “100% of your donations are tax-deductible and will go directly to Madlib and his family. This is not to rebuild the physical home; this is to start rebuilding life for immediate needs.”
You can contribute here.
Pop duo Brijean, originally from the Bay, who just performed last summer at The Independent here in San Francisco, also have lost their home and music studio due to the wildfires. Brijean Murphy and Doug Stuart, some of the most in-demand musicians still in the Bay, have a GoFundMe that you can support here.
As reported in Pitchfork, Los Angeles record label Leaving has digitally released a new compilation to support artists who’ve been impacted by the California wildfires. The album, Staying, has contributions from Samantha Urbani, Eddie Chacon, Sam Wilkes, Laraaji, Reggie Watts, André 3000, Samiyam, Brijean, Julia Holter, Total Blue, and many others. The label’s founder, Matthewdavid, curated and compiled Staying, with help from Carlos Niño.
Emmett Shoemaker, in a statement for Leaving Records, explained: “Seeking to supplement the numerous GoFundMes and the profound, often harrowing acts of mutual aid that are currently buoying recovery efforts, and in lieu of donating to a third party organization, all proceeds will be donated directly to impacted individuals. 50% will be meticulously, manually allocated to Los Angeles artists and music colleagues in need, as equitably as possible. We will be referencing existing music community aid spreadsheets / documents already circulating, alongside a succinct internal list of those affected in our immediate community. The other 50% of funds will be allocated to displaced Black families and community impacted by the fires, again, as equitably as possible.”
On Friday, February 7, from midnight to midnight PST, Bandcamp will donate 100% of their revenue share to MusiCares to support those affected by the recent Southern California wildfires. Here is a link to directly make donations to displaced Black families in need.
Those are just a few of the stories out there. If you would like to help comprehensively, and it is desperately needed, read through our Los Angeles fire relief: Grassroots ways to help from afar guide compiled by LA native Tamara Palmer.
CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE, DANS TA NUIT (DARK ENTRIES)
There is nothing more sexy to goths than getting loose to the noncommercial sway of ’80s darkwave. Big beat drums, samplers running amok with synth lines wafting about, and bizarre time signature switch-ups keep those Doc Martens stomping on the floor all night, while a blue light hue outlines the asymmetrical haircuts into the wee hours. French coldwave act Corps Diplomatique—recently dug up and prepared for a resurgence from our hometown label Dark Entities—have a special knack for finding cold wave grooves that will make you shout: “‘The Reflex’ by Duran Duran was a loose rip-off of darker synthy ideas already in the cultural zeitgeist!” That darker sound meandering about the underground of the ’80s was all over freestyle, proto-hip-hop, and yes, darkwave, baby.
Dans Ta Nuit, a collection of tracks recorded between 1984 and 1987, is dance music for the all-black-clad lot, that’s hittin’. Founded in Marseille by Olivier Aubin, Marie-Eve Bensussan, Patrick Loubet, and Nicolas Pélissie, Corps Diplomatique remains a mystery. The band only released one 7” during their time, 1988’s “Paradis I.” Dans Ta Nuit brings us nine tracks from this cult band, seven of which have never before appeared on vinyl. This is a crate digger special from the San Francisco-based specialty imprint; pick it up early, here.
DARKSIDE, “S.N.C.” FROM NOTHING (MATADOR)
Nicolas Jaar arrived to my ears through the DJ loan system. I didn’t know who he was, so friends lent me some of his records, and I became a fan. With this version of Darkside—Nicolás Jaar, Dave Harrington, and their longtime friend and collaborator, the drummer and instrument designer Tlacael Esparza—the band feels looser, and jammy, but not sloppy. The track “S.N.C.,” hitting heavy rotation on the local KEXP radio station, sounds like Jaco Pastorius and two strait-edged nerds making a flippy-floppy prog groove.
Can’t wait to hear the album in full and catch them at… well, the closest they’re playing is Coachella. So, it’ll be next time.
Pre-order here.
NOISE POP DROPS FINAL LINEUP REVEAL
The Noise Pop Festival, the original O in OG for live music festivals here in San Francisco, did not just add an up-close and personal performance on Feb. 23 at Grace Cathedral featuring the shapeshifting, ever-evolving performer singer-songwriter St. Vincent.
They also sold it out immediately.
St. Vincent, Ben Gibbard, as well as Earl Sweatshirt—hip-hop royalty of the Odd Future veteran ensemble—complete the star wattage for the third and final Phase drop. None too bad for a festival that began 32 years ago as a one-night event with five bands and now runs from Feb. 20 to March 2, this year featuring a mind-expanding array of artists, young and established, including Soccer Mommy, American Football, Danny Brown, DIIV, The American Analog Set, Lunkum, Mercury Rev, and Cymande.
This across-town, multi-venue, rambunctious music caravan event that goes strong for eleven days on end is, for the first time, joining forces with SF Sketchfest to host a one-night-only tribute concert to honor the late David Lynch, featuring the Red Room Orchestra and special guests.
Kicking off the fest’s opening night party at Cal Academy’s NightLife event will be none other than LA’s DāM-FunK. Other dance-oriented performances include Dani Offline, on February 27th, kicking off a four-night takeover of Noise Pop at SF Jazz in the dance-friendly Joe Henderson Lab, where every performance feels like a Friday night in some quirky, funky club you just happen to stumble upon. Artists Sirintip (February 28), August Lee Stevens (March 1), and MeloDios (March 2) will perform two concerts each night, completing the installation with an open dancefloor policy that bespeaks suave programming.
The lineup also includes MC Danny Brown headling the festival with a special one-night performance at Public Works (February 22); lo-fi rock pioneers The American Analog Set, who return to SF after a 20-year hiatus to perform two nights of an “intimate and immersive 90-minute live show” of thoughtfully selected songs from their first six albums (February 26-27); and one of SF’s most legendary bands, the Flamin’ Groovies, performing February 22 at 4 Star Theater.
Purchase tickets and gather more info here.
One last thing….
Blue Velvet, along with the early Spike Lee film catalog, changed my perception of what could be done with film. Without David Lynch, sheeit, I’d never have known who the hell Angelo Badalamenti was, nor would I have ever believed that a network television series could be strange and just completely off it’s noggin, out there. David Lynch impacted the visual and auditory like no one before. Thank you for your mastery of the arts.
