Good Vibes, Bay Vibes

Entering the Third annual Bay Vibes Fest at Club Cocomo felt like walking into an island oasis.  Live artists, tropical concoctions at an outside bar, people dancing and talking, and an outdoor stage powered by the pedaling of a bicycle, courtesy of Rock The Bike, everything to provide a relaxed, creative environment for entertainers and attendees alike. The live painters Tonia Williams, Suzie Ferras (Local 365), Jessica Perlstein, created but also presented other paintings creating somewhat of an outdoor gallery full of color and inspired by music, culture, astrology, and travel.  Masseuses were on site to help people relieve some of their stresses and worries. The Bay Vibes staff clearly had their audience in mind when putting this all together.  I have never been to an event that catered more to creating a positive, peaceful, and creative environment for both the attendees and the entertainers.

 I heard a funky backbeat radiating from the inside stage.  The popular Bay Area band Frobeck was finishing up their set.  Complete with a soulful lead vocalist/keys, super funky powerful female backup vocals, killer horns, and a rhythm section that rocked the house, the crowd was on their feet the whole time.  Next in the lineup: Dogman Joe.  By the name I didn’t know what kind of music to expect, but as the crowd flooded in, I knew it was going to be something good.  The band hit and this was some hard grooving music.  The songwriting drew lyrically from love, life, and light hearted comic relief and musically melded blues, reggae, funk, and pop creating an organic roots sound.  They even captured candid moments of people rocking out for their upcoming music video.  A live artist was perched in an alcove to the right where she was creating an inspired masterpiece as the band played. To the left, the merch table presented a potpourri of artist memorabilia from each of the performing acts as well as Bay Vibes Fest T-shirts and information about the painters.  Do not miss this event when it comes around again next year.  Kudos to Bay Vibes for capturing the essence of the Bay Area culture and creating a magical experience for all.

-Lilan Kane
San Francisco Bay Guardian

Yoshi’s is the Bay Area’s ultimate destination for jazz, featuring touring and local acts on its intimate stage. But with the help of Bay Vibes and SonicZen Records, Yoshi’s is becoming a destination for singer/songwriters as well. Look out Hotel Utah!

Every Sunday night Yoshi’s SF lounge features “Songwriters Unplugged” where three singer/songwriters perform in round-robin sets. Some artists are on tour, but mostly they are local. Every few months, the showcase pulls out the big guns for the main stage. Thursday night was the third of these main stage showcases featuring a WomenRock line-up with Bonnie Hayes, Valerie Orth, Heather Combs, Ziva Hadar and Anita Lofton.

One of the great things about these showcases is the variety. Each artist performed a relatively short set, so the audience got just a taste of each artist. If one of these fine people left you wanting more, you’re a new fan.

I was excited to see Bonnie Hayes in action, as she is a Bay Area veteran and teaches songwriting at the Blue Bear School of Music. Valerie Orth kicked it up a notch with a sultry performance and really cool interplay between her guitar stylings and those of bassist Veronika Safarova. Women like Safarova are exactly why I’m learning to play the bass.

ZIVA’s trio of grand piano, guitar and cello brought a big sound. With her powerful voice and mad piano skills, Ziva Hader had a blast playing Yoshi’s main stage Steinway. Heather Combs went solo, entertaining the audience with witty stage banter and it was a treat to discover recovering punk musician Anita Lofton. She's one I'm going to keep my ears out for.

Bay Vibes is an organization with a mission to further expose, build, and unify the Bay Area’s artist community. Yoshi’s SF houses many of these showcases including: Songwriter Sundays, Late Night Live Tuesdays, and Global Movement Wednesdays. Bay Vibes also throws Summer Musicfest once a year in another location.

Check out the next Songwriters Sunday at Yoshi’s SF lounge

Jamie Freedman
Examiner