Our Immigrant Voices series continues!

Kitka and Kostroma in Concert

Saturday June 1, 2019 8PM
$30 door / $25 advance

“Simply amazing harmonies…. truly this is the most wonderful singing I’ve ever heard!”  -David Crosby

A concert of Slavic songs for the spring and summer performed by Kitka and Russian House Kedry’s Kostroma vocal ensemble. These seasonal ritual songs are intended to summon renewal, warmth, passion, partnership, fertility, and abundance.  Russian House Kedry is made up of immigrant families who live in Silicon Valley. Kedry’s mission is to create a rich cultural and linguistic environment for the Bay Area’s Russian-speaking community and beyond. Kitka and Kostroma bring diverse yet complementary perspectives to the lush, organically improvised harmonies and elemental rhythms of Russia’s vast cultural landscape.

Part of SFLive Arts’ “Immigrant Voices” series and supported by the California Arts Council and Zellerbach Family Foundation

We honor the Jewish and Italian Immigrants who came to the Bay Area 100+ years ago with a rollicking concert!

Charming Hostess

Trio Pizzicato

Saturday June 8, 8PM
$18 adv /$22 door

The five piece ensemble Charming Hostess, led by Jewlia Eisenberg will sing songs of spirit, love and labor from the Baltic and Sephardic traditions.  The band is a whirl of eerie harmony, hot rhythm, and radical smarts, featuring three singers, a cello, fiery drums and everything else you want in life!

It also happens to be Shavuot, the festival of First Fruits and planting! We will honor the summer harvest festival (and we’ll also honor critical thinking!)  It is the custom to remain awake all night in song and study on the eve of this holiday. -We shall do our best.  -Also, people eat a lot of cheesecake.

“Jewlia Eisenberg’s work is irreverent and ambitious. Charming Hostess radiates female energy and her singing transforms the spirit.”– The San Francisco Chronicle

-“Charming Hostess is hilarious and touching, running the gamut from hard-edged and powerful to sweet and soulful.”  –The New Yorker

Trio Pizzicatow/special guest Irene Herrmann, performs folk songs sung by and about Italian immigrants. These songs express the sadness, longing, and joy of the millions of  Italians who left their homes to re-settle in the Bay Area, Europe, and North and South America. They will also play mandolin and guitar instrumentals that were composed and played by Italian immigrants to the United States. Bill Foss on mandolin and  Martha Hawthorne on guitar founded  Duo Pizzicato duopizzicato.com in 2010.  Kathy Sherak on mandolin makes them a Trio!  Kathy played with mandolin master Mateo Casserino (one of the original Italian immigrant musicians) at the Caffe Trieste in North Beach, where all of them loved to hang out. Trio Pizzicato has been featured at the Museo Italeo Americano at Fort Mason, and the San Francisco Festival of the Mandolins.

 “If you close your eyes, you’ll think you are in Italy!” -Lisa Judge, Manager Tosca Café   

Gayle Lynn & The Hired Hands

Wishing & Bone

Saturday June 15, 8PM
$16-$18 adv/$22door

A quintessential “Country City Girl”, San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Gayle Lynn was born and raised by the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky. She writes lingering, soulful songs that resonate – whether channeling joy, loss, poignant memories or good ‘ol bourbon-soaked frivolity.  The tunes are crafted by seasoned pros playing an eclectic mix of Americana, roots, alt-country, folk and rock – with a definite dash of twang. The meaningful songs take you on a ride through the American landscape via straightforward stories about real life and all of its beautiful – sometimes devastating – complexities.  Shimmery pedal steel and tastefully crafted guitar licks waltz and two-step alongside Gayle’s emotive vocal stylings on a musical road trip filled with honky-tonks, truck stops, city lights and backcountry pastures.

“Gayle’s songs are like a fine Kentucky bourbon—smooth going down with a little kick at the end to make sure you didn’t miss one of life’s truths.”   — Brenda and the Reviews, from Bluegrass Breakdown

“Wishing & Bone aka Tom Wishing and Noam Cohen, are consummate showmen. They’re been together nearly 40 years and you can see it in their easy camaraderie and witty repartee. Great guitar pickin’ from Tom in styles as diverse as Mississippi John Hurt, folk and hard core blues, fabulous accompaniment and solos from mouth-harp master Noam. At first glance (or listen) the music is irreverent, almost humorous, but listen closely and you hear poignant yearnings and hard wired truths.” – Kathryne Cassis

“One of our most beloved acts, Wishing & Bone, are two gentleman who know how to have fun-and take the audience with them on a very merry ride.  With roots in old time blues and roots music they dip into politics, lost love, new technology and much, much more, sharing a collection of musical stories that will leave you entertained from start to finish.”  – Ira Marlowe, the Monkey House

This concert is dedicated to the memory of our beloved friend, a wonderful artist and member of our SF Live Arts family, Marlene Aron.  We wish to thank the East Bay Foundation, Hilary Perkins and Jim Nunally for supporting this event