The greatest annual celebration of the Bay Area rock music scene is upon us — SF Winter MusicFest.
It’s not the most widely known festival. Or the flashiest. Or the one with the biggest headliners. But it is the one that does — by far — the best job in showcasing local talent. And, really, what else would you want from a Bay Area alt-rock festival?
Winter MusicFest, the live music arm of the coinciding SF IndieFest film festival, runs Friday night through Feb. 18, mainly at CELLspace, 2050 Bryant St., San Francisco. The two-week fandango, now in its sophomore year, will feature more than 40 acts, the vast majority of which are local.
Here are just five can’t-miss acts:
Also, a number of music-related films are being screened at the Roxie Theater during SF IndieFest, including “Gainsbourg, The Man Who Loved Women” (about legendary French crooner Serge Gainsbourg) and “Corpusse: Surrender to the Passion” (about Corpusse, a Montreal-born practitioner of “gothic shock opera”).
For more details on the Winter MusicFest or IndieFest, visit www.sfindie.com.
FIRST FUSION: Dust off the tie-dyed tuxedos and get your tickets for what’s billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime” collaboration between the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and the Marin Symphony Orchestra. The performance, rescheduled from last October, will feature more than 50 musicians interpreting the Grateful Dead’s legendary songbook May 7 at the Marin Center in San Rafael. Here’s hoping they include “Dark Star” in the mix. Tickets ($55-$310) go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday through Marin Center box office (415-499-6800) and www.ticketmaster.com.
FAMOUS FOOTSTEPS: My father is a writer, so, in that regard, I’ve followed in his footsteps. He writes about business subjects, while I’ve been known to write about blink-182, so the similarities only go so far.
Still, I do feel some pressure to live up to the high standards my pop has set — but it’s nothing compared to what Claudette King must feel.
She’s the daughter of B.B. King, the greatest living blues musician. And she’s decided to make a living out of singing the blues. Whoa. Talk about operating under a mighty shadow.
The former Bay Area resident has done more than just all right in her professional pursuit. Her most recent album, “We’re Onto Something” (released on San Francisco’s Blues Express label), has drawn solid reviews and has put King in contention for two W.C. Handy Blues Awards — best new artist debut (which is odd, as it’s the singer’s second album) and best soul blues female artist.
King will perform at 8 and 10 Friday at Biscuits and Blues, 401 Mason St., San Francisco. Tickets are $20, www.biscuitsandblues.com.
Guitar professor: Ted Nirgiotis spends his days teaching math at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. By night, however, this professor plays jazz guitar in his band Fortune Smiles.
Since forming in 2007, the group — which also features winds player Leonard Sklar, pianist Gary Monheit and Dan Krimm — has been building a fan base by playing a thoughtful brand of modern jazz that incorporates Latin, blues, pop, Brazilian and a number of other sounds. You can hear what I mean by listening to a copy of the band’s newly released self-titled CD, available for purchase at www.cdbaby.com/cd/fortunesmiles.
Now, fortune is indeed smiling on the group — which has landed a prestigious CD release party Monday at Yoshi’s Oakland. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $10-$14. Yoshi’s is at 510 Embarcadero West in Jack London Square. Call 510-238-9200 or visit www.yoshis.com.
Contact Jim Harrington at jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read his Concert Blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts/. Follow him at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic.
DON’T MISS
CAT POWER: Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, is a pretty dynamic presence on the stage. She’s said to suffer from stage fright, but she’s never shown that fear when I’ve seen her in concert. Instead, she’s managed to appear comfortable in a variety of musical realms, from indie-rock to Memphis soul. 9 p.m. Friday; the Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., S.F.; $35; www.ticketmaster.com.
ETHAN BORTNICK: He’s only 10, yet this pianist, who’s comfortable playing classical, jazz and pop, is definitely a star. He’s already been on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” four times; 8 p.m. Friday; Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness Ave., S.F.; $29.50-$39.50; www.ticketmaster.com.
MAYBE MONDAY: This experimental trio, featuring Fred Frith on guitar, Miya Masaoka on koto (a Japanese string instrument) and Larry Ochs on saxophone, is said to be a treat for fans of wholly improvised jazz music. Frith certainly has an impressive track record in “out-there” music, having collaborated with Brian Eno and John Zorn. 8 p.m. Wednesday; Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse; 2020 Addison St., Berkeley; $20.50-$22.50; 510-644-2020, www.thefreight.org.