The Joe Zawinul Syndicate Comes to the Palace of Fine Arts

One of my all-time favorite jazz keyboardists, the truly legendary Joe Zawinul, comes to the Palace of Fine Arts on November 2nd. I've seen Zawinul many, many times, mostly with his co-leader and Miles Davis alum, saxophonist Wayne Shorter in Weather Report. Zawinul is a true visionary, who once compared jazz to boxing (“the footwork, the jab, the constant setting up and reacting to your opponent), and now at the tender age of 73, continues the good fight of plumbing the intersection of jazz, rock, and world music with his always-fresh Zawinul Syndicate.

Austrian born, Joe Zawinul emigrated to the US in 1959 where he played with Maynard Ferguson and the great Dinah Washington before joining alto saxophonist great Cannonball Adderley in 1961 for nine years. With Adderley, Zawinul wrote several important songs, primarily the slow and funky Hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" which reached the top on the Billboard magazine Pop Charts in 1967.

Zawinul then moved on to a brief but fateful encounter and collaboration with Miles Davis, just at the time Miles was moving into the electric arena. It was Zawinul’s tune "In a Silent Way”, in fact, which served as the title track of Miles’ first electric foray, and Zawinul had a potent impact on Bitches Brew, as well. He is one of a bare handful of synthesizer players who actually learned how to play the instrument, to make it an expressive, swinging part of his arsenal. Prior to the invention of the portable synthesizer, Zawinul’s example helped bring the Wurlitzer and Fender-Rhodes electric pianos into the jazz mainstream.

After releasing his debut solo album on Atlantic in 1970, Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter put together what was to become the most important jazz group of the ‘70s and beyond, Weather Report. Drawing on the power and theatricality of rock and R&B, while maintaining allegiance to jazz and the pure spirit of improvisation, they tapped into the so-called "fusion” movement of that decade while carving out their own unique niche. Bandmembers came and went, including Miroslav Vitous, Airto Moriera, Alphonse Mouzon, Dom Um Romeo, Ndugu "Leon" Chancler, Alphonso Johnson, Jaco Pastorius, Narada Michael Walden, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena, Chester Thompson, and finally, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine, and Omar Hakim, but the band spirit prevailed over the course of 17 albums, including the ground-breaking album Black Market and the massively popular Heavy Weather, with Zawinul’s infectious song "Birdland". That song, in versions by Weather Report, Manhattan Transfer and Quincy Jones, won separate Grammy awards in three successive decades, and Weather Report itself won a Grammy for their momentous live album, 8:30.

In 1985, after he and Shorter finally agreed to go in separate musical directions, Zawinul continued to create adventurous new grooves in the group known as Weather Update and then the Zawinul Syndicate, whose albums have included the Grammy-nominated My People in 1996 and the two-CD, Grammy-nominated World Tour in 1998. Other special projects have included an adventurous solo album, Dialects (1986), and work as producer and arranger on Salif Keita’s landmark album, Amen (1991). Meanwhile, as another tributary of his creative life, Zawinul has also pursued classical composition, writing his ambitious "Stories of the Danube" in 1993 and working with renowned classical pianist Friedrich Gulda. His special solo project, "Mauthausen" released in Europe in 2000, is a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust, and was performed on the site of the Austrian concentration camp it is named after.

Among his prizes and awards, Zawinul has won the "best keyboardist" in Down Beat 28 times. Weather Report was a perennial winner in the "Best Band" category in Down Beat, Swing Journal and other magazines around the world. He has honorary doctorates from Berklee School of Music, and is the official Austrian goodwill ambassador to 17 African nations. In January, 2002, Zawinul has received the first International Jazz Award, co-presented by the International Jazz Festival Organization and the International Association of Jazz Educators.

Joe Zawinul is deservedly renowned for his pioneering role in the Jazz world combining the elements of world music rock and jazz. In fact, many of the worldbeat sounds we take for granted today, simply wouldn't exist without his revolutionary compositions and performances with Miles Davis in the late 60s, Weather Report in the 70 - 80s, and The Zawinul Syndicate in the 90s evolving into the new millenium. Don't miss one of rare oppotunities to see one of the truly greatest musicians of our time.

The Joe Zawinul Syndicate
Thursday, November 2nd @ 7:30pm
Tickets: $58, $38, $32, $25

Planet Drum Comes to the Masonic

World Percussionist and Grateful Dead co-drummer Mickey Hart returns to the Masonic Auditorium, Saturday, September 23rd, with his legendary Planet Drum group. This latest incarnation, as part of a SF Jazz Festival special event, Hart reunites his fellow percussion virtuosos; Indian tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain, conga maestro Giovanni Hidalgo and African percussionist, Sikiru Adepoju. This latest incarnation of Planet Drum builds on the legacy of the group that won 1991’s first-ever “Best World Music Album” Grammy Award (for the self-titled record that held the #1 spot on Billboard’s World Music chart for 26 straight weeks).

Hart is best known for his nearly three decades as an integral part of an extraordinary expedition into the soul and spirit of music, disguised as the rock and roll band the Grateful Dead. As half of the percussion tandem known as the Rhythm Devils, Hart and Bill Kreutzmann transcended the conventions of rock drumming. Their extended polyrhythmic excursions were highlights of Grateful Dead shows, introducing the band's audience to an ever-growing arsenal of percussion instruments from around the world. Exposure to these exotic sounds fueled Hart's desire to learn about the various cultures that produced them.

His tireless study of the world's music led Hart to many great teachers and collaborators, including his partners in Planet Drum. Planet Drum's self-titled album not only hit #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart, remaining there for 26 weeks, it also received the Grammy for Best World Music Album in 1991-- the first Grammy ever awarded in this category. Planet Drum is one of twenty-nine recordings released on Hart's the WORLD series on Rykodisc Records. The WORLD offers a wide variety of music from virtually every corner of the globe with releases like Voices of the Rainforest from Papua, New Guinea and Living Art, Sounding Spirit: The Bali Sessions.

Hart's experiences have paved the way for unique opportunities beyond the music industry. He composed a major drum production performed by an assembly of 100 percussionists forthe opening ceremony of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games along with Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo and Philip Glass. Additionally, Hart has composed scores, soundtracks and themes for movies, television, and home video including Gang Related, Hearts of Darkness, Apocalypse Now, The Twilight Zone, Vietnam: A Television History and The Next Step.

Hart's lifelong fascination with the history and mythology of music is documented in three books: Drumming at the Edge of Magic (written with Jay Stevens and Fredric Lieberman), Planet Drum (with Fredric Lieberman and D.A. Sonneborn) and his 1999 offering, Spirit into Sound: The Magic of Music (written with Fredric Lieberman). The three books are published by Grateful Dead Books. In August of 2000, an extensive exhibit of Hart's percussion collection, A Journey Into the Spirit of Percussion, opened at the San Francisco Airport Museum in the United Airlines Terminal.

Several years ago, Hart was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center atthe Library of Congress where he heads up the sub-committee on the digitization and preservation of the Center's vast collections. This has evolved into "Save Our Sounds," and the Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters upon Hart for his work in advancing the preservation of aural archives.

I had the pleasure of working with Hart and one of his previous versions of Planet Drum, featuring drummer Ron Molo, following their show at Woodstock in 2000. His hearing wasn't what it once was, (the result of too many Dead shows), however his energy, and the music of Planet Drum remains as viable and vibrant as ever.

Planet Drum with Mickey Hart,
Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, Giovanni Hidalgo
Saturday, September 23 • 8pm
Tickets: $80, $60, $47, $37, and $25

The Yellowjackets: Celebrating 25 Years of Jazz

In 1981, a small crew of talented musicians led by guitar virtuoso Robben Ford dedicated themselves to pushing the boundaries of jazz with a deceptively intense, distinctive sound that incorporated elements of bebop, funk, R&B and rock. They called themselves the Yellowjackets, and the buzz was instantaneous. That was 25 years ago, and a few of the names and faces have changed since then. What remains is a powerhouse quartet - including original members Russell Ferrante on keyboards and Jimmy Haslip on bass - that's still fiercely dedicated to that original vision of improvisational jazz that draws from a vast range of musical sources and yet defies categories. That initial buzz is no less intense today than it was a quarter century ago.

The Yellowjackets are celebrating this landmark anniversary with the release of "Twenty-Five", a combination CD/bonus DVD package that captures two electrified live performances by the Yellowjackets during their European tour in the fall of 2005. In addition to the live performances themselves, the DVD portion of the two-disc release offers an array of behind-the-scenes material: interviews with band members (past and present) and session players, and a variety of other background and retrospective footage. The project offers a snapshot of where the Jackets are today, and a look back at where they've been.

"The basic foundation, that initial spark of innovation, is still there," says Haslip. "We're very open minded and are always looking to the horizon to see what's up ahead. We're very dedicated to our craft, and we're constantly trying to progress. That ultimately is a motivating factor in keeping a band like this going. It's a laboratory, in essence, where some great experiments have taken place."

Recorded at The New Morning concert hall in Paris in October 2005, the CD is essentially an eight-song retrospective of some of the band's finest work - as interpreted by the current lineup of Haslip, Ferrante, saxophonist Bob Mintzer and drummer Marcus Baylor. The songs connect to every period of Yellowjackets' evolution - from the uplifting "Revelation" (1986) to the free-spirited "My Old School" (1992) to the intricate rhythms of Marcus Baylor's "Freeday" (2005).

"Our intention was to include some of the earlier tunes, but to play them in the way we play now," says Ferrante. "Paris was one of the strongest shows on that tour. Live performances in general are always very much in the moment, and the results can be hit-or-miss sometimes. Some nights are better than others, but everything came together on this particular night."

Bridging the old with the new has been a smooth process for Baylor, the relative newcomer to the band who joined the lineup in 2000. He's discovered that success with the Jackets is not about rank or tenure, but about being positive, open-minded and willing to grow. "When a new piece is added to the puzzle, the band automatically takes on a new personality without even thinking about it," says Baylor. "But these guys are just so open minded. They just say, 'Hey, let's just play, not necessarily this way or that way, but let's just play and find a way to connect the pieces of the puzzle together.' And when we do play, we are of one mind. Personally, that's what I want people to see, more than just this guy who plays great or that guy who plays great. I just want people to see four guys who work well as a unit and move in the same direction to make positive music for our listeners to enjoy."

The DVD performance, filmed at the Naima Club in Forli, Italy, includes a set list that digs back even further. "Imperial Strut" and "Matinee Idol" are taken from the Jackets' eponymous 1981 debut album, while Ferrante's devotional "Geraldine" and the environmentally conscious Ferrante/Haslip composition "Greenhouse" are representative of the Jackets' late-1980s and early-1990s groove. "Time Squared," a rhythmically complex piece penned by Mintzer and first heard on the 2003 album of the same name, is in part a tribute to the courage and perseverance of New York and its residents in the aftermath of 9/11.

The group considers the free bonus DVD as a way for them to give something back to their loyal fans. The DVD was directed and edited by Tony Zawinul, son of the multi-faceted jazz keyboardist Joe Zawinul. "Tony came to Los Angeles and we talked for hours at various locations, including the studio where we recorded with Robben Ford," says Ferrante. "We went to the house where we all first met. We traveled around to different studios in L.A. where we recorded. He interviewed a number of musicians that we worked with along the way. There are archival videos, mostly from Europe. A lot of the festivals there are televised, so there's documentation of a lot of those performances."

And yet, for as gratifying as milestone anniversaries can be, Yellowjackets continue to look to the future. "I think we could be together for another 25 years," says Mintzer. "It's the kind of band that could thrive for a long time, because of the democratic philosophy, and the level of commitment to what we do. There's a long-standing bond that we share, and I don't think it will ever go away. It's just something that developed over the years of playing together and making music together."

The Yellowjackets line-up with William Kennedy, on the fabulous "Wildlife" from their "Four Corners", release will always remain my personal favorite, however, whether you've been on board since the very early days or you've just discovered the Jackets in recent years, Twenty-Five is a big enough number to accommodate everyone. Experience the sublime magic that comes from a quarter century of innovation and exploration.

Remembering "LJ" Lawrence

The tragic death of "LJ" Lawrence, one of the regions' best loved bassists, has sparked an out pouring of love and support from far and wide. LJ was a close friend to me personally, and an inspiration to countless others with her generousity, music and spirit. I have been overwhelmed by the many emails and phone calls I've received in this time of grief, and in a way of coming to grips with a life cut way too short, I'd like to share just a few of the moving letters and tributes to the woman I affectionately called "LL Cool Girl". Sam Fallo, and members of the Musician's Union of Reno, will be holding a memorial tribute and jam session in her honor, Sunday, September 24h.

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Doc,

Your article about LJ's life and her work with Don (Evans), brought back a lot of good memories of the Golden Age of blues in Reno, much of which was due to LJ's hard work every Tuesday at the old Hacienda. Thanks for that portrait in words, it was a great tribute to the woman that so many of us have loved over the years. I can't wrap my mind around the tragedy of her death yet or accept that she's gone - it's the kind of pain you can only let in a little at a time lest it flood in and destroy you. But your article called back memories of many, many hours that I spent in late night casinos around Nevada hanging with Don and LJ to enjoy who they were as people, as much as to enjoy their music. A spark of happiness through the tears.

She loved the music so much that when she played you felt the music was coming across somehow from the other side, that her love of the music was able to make thin and transparent that veil between here and heaven, to give us a hint of what the Real music is. Now she is part of that Real music. I know I'm only one of many, many people who can honestly say that LJ's love of the blues changed my life by letting me really hear the music one beautiful note at a time, till it all came together as something more than just a performance; and that knowing her made me a better person than I otherwise could have been. Wherever she is now is part of that mystery we all will eventually face. I hope that mystery will somehow bring us all together again, eventually, where the music is pure love, and has its own quality outside of space and time.

With grateful respect,

Ed Hanley, Reno

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Doc,

So sad about LJ... Rene Best forwarded your email to me. Of course we are all shocked here in Reno. LJ was one of my first musical friends when I moved here 12 years ago.

Genie Webster, Reno

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Guitarist Don Evans and "LJ" Lawrence

Hey Doc,

Thanks for the heads-up about LJ... I haven't responded until now because I haven't known quite how to. This was indeed a shocking event, and I'm sure there is much yet to unfold. I spoke to Genie at length about it yesterday... and so far, one can only sit back and await further information on what-the-fuck-over...

Marty Bolin, Southern Oregon Blues Band

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Hi Doc,

Thanks for the wonderful article on our dear friend LJ Lawrence. Of all the reports that have been written this is absolutely the one that tells it like it is. My wife and I have known LJ for over 10 years and just played a blues fest with her 2 weeks ago. Everything you said about her totally summed it up.... It is beyond belief how such violence can end the life of a person so wonderful. Thanks again for the great article.

Kari and Jerry Shurtleff, The Kari and Jerry Duo

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Doc,

I will send light and love… Thank you for letting me know!!!!

Rudy Colombini, The Unauthorized Rolling Stones

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Eric,

I knew L.J. reasonably well. She had played in a Tahoe band called Shameus before I took over the bass spot. She was kind and lovely, and a totally badass musician. Just the weekend before last I was up in Tahoe celebrating a friend's bachelor party, and we drunkenly found our way to Harvey's, where I knew Cool Black Kettle often played. I sat in front of the stage, blew a kiss to L.J, and went on my way. That was the last time I saw her. The whole Lake is reeling. I found your article on line and just wanted to pass along how fitting and wonderful a tribute you wrote for her. She will be missed,

Sincerely, David Bole

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July 4th, 2006, LJ Lawrence and Mira Musser

Doc,

My Husband David Musser a long time player and founding member of Cool Black Kettle was absolutely beside himself when he heard of LJ’s death. We were scheduled to play a gig on Saturday night here in Los Angeles, and had to cancel due to the sadness we both felt! She did not deserve this end.

I was fortunate to get to meet her and play with her at a 4th of July gig in Tahoe this year, In a few words she inspired me immensely, and David and I both cried over the news…We pray for her family and her soul as the world has lost a beautiful woman!

What could her supposed Boyfriend have been thinking when he “took out” an Angel like L.J.?

Sincerely, Mira Wilder Musser

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Doc,

So sorry to hear of your friends fate. Keep that music coming as a way of keeping her memory close.

Wilbur Rehmann, The Wilbur Rehmnann Quartet, Montana

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Bassists Kate Aragon and LJ Lawrence
Kauai, 2004. Photo by E. Doc Smith

Eric,

Thanks for the sensitive and insightful article.

Kate Aragon, Oakland

"LJ" Lawrence, 1964-2006

Laurie Jean "LJ" Lawrence, bassist of the Reno/Lake Tahoe groups "Cool Black Kettle", and her own "Sierra Blues Tribe", was found murdered Saturday morning in Reno, Nevada, the apparent victim of a dispute with her ex-boyfriend. Reno police arrested Denver Dean Pullin, 44, of the same address, and booked him into the Washoe County jail on suspicion of murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Authorities did not specify when they found the body or where the body was found at the home. Detectives will not release the cause of death until after an autopsy which was scheduled for Sunday. Officers discovered the body while responding to a report of a suicidal person at the residence.

LJ, had been bringing great blues to the Bay Area, Reno and Lake Tahoe, for well over a decade. One of the hottest female bass players on the scene today, she was a wonderful singer and front person, bringing energy and enthusiasm to the stage, while sharing the limelight with a talented and creative band. Her first recording, a collection of songs she wrote and recorded with acclaimed guitarist and long time music partner, Don Evans, was entitled "Heart Of The Tribe." Ranging from full-force funky to hauntingly introspective, their CD embraced open-souled expression while showcasing her unique talents.

Originally from the East Coast, LJ came to Reno from the San Francisco Bay area where she'd been the bass player for the Bay Area Blues Society out of Oakland, CA, backing up artists such as the late greats Bobby Day and Cool Papa, as well as playing with what was to evolve into the Caravan Of All Stars. Previously a guitar player and more of a rocker, she'd always enjoyed the blues, but developed a deep appreciation of the blues audiences and tradition in the Bay area. LJ studied privately and majored in music at Laney Community College and the Contra Costa System where she studied with D'Amante and pianist Ed Kelly and received an Associate Degree. She toured Japan, Korea, Canada and the Western United States playing a wide range of music with various bands before landing in Reno.

There, her band initiated the original jam sessions at the old Hacienda in 1991 before she left to tour Alaska. Seasoned guitarist Evans wound up in the Hacienda's house band while she was gone. Upon returning, she and Evans teamed up, and together reformed a group which evolved into the Sierra Blues Tribe. The two also formed a hardworking commercial band and played all kinds of music. During this time period, Evans and LJ were inseparable, working six and seven days per week, and offstage, working up harmonies, exchanging music, going to shows, stockpiling equipment, backing up other artists, and both were very involved with different aspects of the music community. In addition to playing countless clubs, festivals and concerts, the Sierra Blues Tribe continued to host one of the most successful jam sessions in the region.

Largely defined by musical camaraderie and love of the blues, the band was influenced by the variety of musicians they came in contact with as well as their own diverse taste. In addition, Evans, already a successful recording engineer in Los Angeles and Reno, was still involved in mixing projects and doing live sound. This contributed to the band's already eclectic mix. One night, while Evans was recording some tracks for Kim Wilson's "That's Life" CD, Wilson took a break and demonstrated harmonica techniques for the two of them while discussing his Texas musical days. "Baby, Please," a song from "That's Life" remains one of Evan's signature covers. LJ & Evans also became fans of the group, the Subdudes, after hearing a broadcast over Idaho while on the road. Back in Reno, Evans was actually hired to mix the band at their Hacienda concert and 'All the Time in the World' turned up in their repertoire.

Considered by many, one of the most sought after and respected female bassists in the area, LJ's recent and victorious battle with thyroid cancer, makes her untimely death, all the more tragic. Her voice had returned, and her bass playing was better than ever. LJ's heart, and the warmth she displayed both on stage and off, was a rare commodity in today's music world. Her death sadly, is another in a long line of absolutely senseless crimes against women. LJ was one of the most beautiful and sensitive persons I have ever known, a true friend, and a fantastic bassist. I will miss her terribly.

Robert Anbian's "We3" Comes to the Madrone Lounge

This Wednesday night, September 6th, San Francisco poet and writer Robert Anbian, and myself, will bring Anbian's political and thought provoking poetry, with electronics, jazz and the music of my invention, the "Drummstick" to the Madrone Lounge, Divisadero and Fell Streets. Also performing with us will be legendary Bay Area musicians, saxophonist Charles Unger, and keyboardist Sam Peebles.

Anbian's critically acclaimed "We" series, and his "Bush Hiaku" from writer Gene Stone's best selling anthologies, the "Bush Survival Bible", and subsequent "Cheney Survival Bible", will be put to the music of Bobby Hutcherson, Miles Davis, and Thelonius Monk, among others, and performed electronically by Unger, Peebles and myself, in a debut of our self described group, "UFQ", the Unidentified Flying Quartet.

Anbian's "We" series, have been hailed as a "psycho-social poem-object of the contemporary world," and “A passionate virtuoso steeped in these times and deep with tradition — hiply linguistic turns of natural originality, rhythmically brimming with a tempestuous taste of ecstasy, reason, and love.” — Oxygen. “Anbian is a raw mixture of poet, preacher, seer and rebel...(his) poems are unlike anything else on the market.” — Choice.

Anbian and I have been long time friends, and following the success of our July show at CounterPULSE, we decided to continue the project, with Unger and Peebles. The idea of putting Anbian's writings and poems to the music of Miles Davis and others, had sprung from some of the 1990 recordings of the late William S. Burroughs, John Giorno and Laurie Anderson. Burroughs had successfully added the music of jazz fusion greats like Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Billy Cobham, to his poems and works, and Giorno took it one step further by adding a live band, which would add the complex vamps of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, or the punk rock grooves of Fugazi.

Laurie Anderson's use of voice enhancing electronics was another motif both Anbian and I had experienced in those heady NYC/DC days of the 1980s and '90s. I was no stranger to the use of that technology, a skill honed from my years of work with the pop diva, Madonna. After remembering those performances during one of Anbian's legendary Christmas parties, we thought, "Hey, that's some thing we could try!" Once Robert started reading, I noticed right away, that he had a kind of rhythm that would work nicely with jazz.


Charles Unger, Sam Peebles, and "Doc" Smith on his "Drummstick"

Unger and Peebles have been seen regularly at Haight Street's Club Deluxe Tuesday Poetry Night, joining fellow Unger band mate Andy Marquetti, and sitting in with a host of local jazz artist and poets. After visiting with Unger one Tuesday night, I saw how well the mucisians played with the poets, and enlisted the legendary Unger and Peebles right away. My use of the guitar-like drum controller, the "Drummstick", had been thrilling audiences for over a decade, and for this combo, I've even got jazz legends Unger and Peebles to dust off their respective electronic instruments, a MIDI saxophone and keyboards, which allow all three of us to play a variety of chords, melodies, samples and other-worldly sounds. The UFQ is a sort of an electronic Modern Jazz Quartet. We don't know who may be in the group at any given time. It could be me, Unger, Peebles and even a laptop, or perhaps a guitar/synth player like John Moremen. We only know that it's electric, fun and it's got some elements of jazz.

Not unlike the "Beat" poets of the 1950s and their jazz counterparts of the past, Anbian's "We3" with myself, Unger, Peebles and their "Unidentified Flying Quartet", promises to be a very interesting show. A recently finished studio recording of this ensemble, as well as a live CD should be released this fall.


A Night of Live Music
Robert Anbian's We3,
featuring E. "Doctor" Smith, Charles Unger & Sam Peebles
$5
Madrone Lounge
Wed Sep 6 (6pm-2am; show begins at 9pm)
500 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
cross street: Fell -- Tel. 415-241-0202