Agit-prop in libraries. Nudity in post offices. Surrealism in public schools.
Murals and Sculptures of the New Deal, 1934-1944
An illustrated presentation by Barbara Bernstein.

The Depression years brought an audacious collection of large-scale art to public spaces throughout America. Barbara will talk about the programs and the people behind these works. She will show many of her favorites, including several in San Francisco: works of great charm, works of great power, and works of questionable taste–all still out there for all to see.

Molly Maguire

3:00 pm
Sunday
November 20, 2011

    Molly Maguire is a singer-songwriter (the piano playing kind) out of Bolinas, CA with jazz, folk and pop influences. Naked, her first album, was signed by Portico Music out of Half Moon Bay and received many positive reviews, including a film placement of its first track Ashes in the film Morgan directed by Michael Akers, in September 2011. She is currently working on Bike, her second album, to be released in June 2012.

Joseh Garcia

7:30 pm
Saturday
November 12, 2011

With Bryan Olson (acoustic guitar), Michaelle Goerlitz (percussion), Daniel Magay (flute, sax, and clarinet), and special guests

Brazilian charm, sensuality and playfulness — new bossas and old sambas. Joseh Garcia has recently performed at Palace of Fine Arts and Yoshi’s SF Lounge, and has reached audiences in Brazil, Italy, France, and Canada. Video.

Sam Lardner

7:30 pm
Thursday
October 27, 2011

Bobby Jo Valentine

7:00 pm
Saturday
Oct. 15
2011

With a warm and precise baritone, Terry builds a kinship with the people he sings about—estranged lovers and lonesome drinkers, heartless women and hopeless romantics—and that special bond is always a sweet comfort. “I love how every day and every town is completely unique,” he says. “I love how I can be in New York City one week and in Big Sky Country the next. As a writer, meeting all kinds of people from so many different walks of life inspires me and feeds my muse. Touring is truly an adventure for me and is something that I’ll never get out of my system.”
Jesse has opened for legendary singer/songwriter/musician Darrell Scott (from Robert Plant’s “Band of Joy”), Tony Lucca, Rachel Platten and Scott Sharrard (Greg Allman Band), has performed at the Berlin Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall, and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music.

It’s in the effortless ease with which he delivers his conversational lyrics and mellifluous melodies, this natural magic that is at the heart of Tom Freund’s music… Read more at tomfreund.com. KC writes:

People still say Matt The Electrician’s and Tom Freund’s 2008 house concert was the best show they have ever seen! Tom is fresh off tour with Ben Harper. He has performed and co-written with Jackson Browne and Brett Dennen. Graham Parker says, “I get shivers down my spine on almost every tune. Along with Lucinda Williams, Freund is the best singer/songwriter operating today.” Video.

Impresario KC Turner writes, “This Sunday I welcome back Portland’s truly inspiring Nick Jaina to my house concert series. The way Nick writes draws my ears in like no other songwriter. He is a poet that pieces words and melody together in a way that leaves you saying, “How in the hell is this guy not famous!?”

“Check out this video of one of my favorite songs of his: ‘Days in My Room‘.

“Opening the show is San Francisco local songwriter, Obo Martin. Obo is a songwriting machine. He recently completed a song project where he posted a new song everyday for 30 days! Check out this video of Obo performing his song ‘Lucky Bones‘.”

Please RSVP and join us on Sunday!

Misner & Smith are a gem of a musical pairing, offering a refreshing take on contemporary folk music. Their lovely harmonies and perfectly blended voices fit within classic American tradition, and their songwriting and storytelling transport the listener to a world of their creation. That is the hallmark of any folk singer worth his or her salt, but Misner & Smith have a truly unique quality in the chemistry of their duets that set them apart from the field. Perhaps it’s a shared appreciation and connection to the musical history of their Bay Area home, or maybe it’s simply fate that brought these two artists together, but whatever the impetus for their musical journey we are unquestionably all the better for it.

Misner & Smith’s thoughtful songwriting harkens back to the glory days of folk songwriters like Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel, even Crosby, Stills and Nash. With a timeless San Francisco sound and poetic songwriting, they are a duo that blend roots and folk at the cutting edge of contemporary acoustic music. Capable on their instruments, and even more so with their vocals, Misner & Smith are an act not to be missed in an intimate live setting. ~Gabriel Marowitz Hearth Music

The polyrhythmic heat and funk of Evie Ladin’s clawhammer banjo, resonant voice, real stories and rhythmic dance – have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Based in Oakland, CA, Evie tours solo, duo with Keith Terry, or with her expansive stringband Evil Diane. Known as a driving force behind San Francisco’s Stairwell Sisters, Evie’s solo debut Float Downstream (2010) was produced by Mike Marshall and Keith Terry. Sing Out! magazine reports “Solid song craft performed wonderfully end to end…Very strongly recommended.”

www.misnerandsmith.com
www.evieladin.com