Newsletter: Hot days and cool nights for the North Bay music community!
Hello friends and welcome to SmartMouth!
This week I'm going to keep this intro short and sweet, because this week I've got a nice little long-read about my first time experiencing both Gin Blossoms and the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park!
This Sunday I'll be in Napa covering the SoFi district's 3rd annual Battle Of The Bands block party. In case you missed it, I had a short preview piece in the Napa Valley Register where I talked with the founders of the festival about what to expect this year!
The event is completely free to attend and is one hell of a great block party. If you're like me and rolled your eyes at the idea of it being a Battle of the Bands, don't worry. It's much more of a street festival with the battle as a McGuffin to get folks to participate in the event! It's a hell of a party and I hope to see you there!
I'll be back next week with an interview and show preview with Old 97s frontman Rhett Miller, and a contest to give away a pair of tickets to their upcoming show at the Napa Music Hall on Tuesday August 4th! Keep an eye out for that next week!
Let's get to this week's news and recommended shows, shall we?
Long Reads:
Claire and I went and checked out the Green Music Center for the very first time, while finally watching Gin Blossoms! I wrote all about it at the link below!
Damian Burford
NEWS:
Please submit any local music news to smartmouth707@gmail.com
I've been writing a lot about Santa Rosa's Vista Francisco lately, but they've become my favorite new musical discovery in the area. Damned good lofi bedroom emo-pop. If none of those words makes any sense to you... It's a vibe thing and I'm here for it. They remind me of lazy summer nights driving around with your friends, no agenda. Just drive.
They just released a damned great video for their lead single "Steeling Wheels" from their new EP, Few Years, Few More. It's a stop motion animated film directed by Sydney Dillon. It's super impressive and I just can't get enough of this band. Please put them on your radar.
THIS WEEKEND'S RECOMMENDED EVENTS:
I've been building a curated calendar of local events happening in and around the North Bay that I feel should be on your radar. I've been slacking on it lately, putting all my work into the actual writing, but I hope to get back to it very soon. Check out that work in progress at smartmouthcalendar.com.
Please submit any upcoming events for consideration at: https://smartmouthcalendar.com/submissions/
Thursday July 23: Mel Ford Ep Release Party with Leslie of Cosmo & Leslie - Barnhouse, Napa. Free
Mel Ford is a damned solid singer-songwriter based out of Napa by way of South Louisiana. Damned good Americana/Alt-Country in the vein of Wilco, Justin Townes Earle & Jason Isbell.
This Thursday night at Barnhouse he is celebrating the release of his new EP with Leslie, one half of the Napa based power-pop duo Cosmo and Leslie. Expect a fun night of introspective singer-songwriters doing what they do best: Breaking your hearts and putting them back together through music. It's free. 7pm.
Friday July 24: Moon Sick, Lust 4 Blood, Old Man's Chair, The Sea Shells & Redwood Chrome - Redwood Underground/The Shop, Santa Rosa. $10.
Redwood Underground is a DIY space that has been fighting the city of Santa Rosa about permitting issues. So they've been hosting "Private recording events," not concerts to skirt around the issue. I hope it works out for them cause this is a killer mixed bill showcase of local area powerhouses such as Redwood Chrome, who I write about all the damned time on here.
Also on the bill are The Sea Shells who will be bringing their brand of ska influenced punk rock to the party.
Old Man's Chair only have one demo online, but it's damned cool intricate mathrock and jazz inspired instrumental DIY punk. I've been listening to Explosions in the Sky all morning and this is right up my alley.
Lust 4 Blood is a modern day screamo/scene/goth band. Not my scene, but I know so many folks who love this stuff unconditionally. Glad to see folks are still at it.
Moon Sick describe themselves as Surf-Doom, Beach-Trash. I wasn't sure what to expect as I hit play on their Mad Scientist video, but its damned fun high energy rock n fucking roll that reminds me of Joan Jett meets Red Fang with some Iron Maiden thrown in for good measure. Damned cool stuff.
Saturday July 25: Redwood Chrome, Concrete Rivers, Nicco's Band & Marley Namack - Red Dog Records, Petaluma. $10
Redwood Chrome are the hardest working band in the North Bay! If you miss them on Friday night at the Redwood Underground, you can catch them on Saturday at the best damned record shop in Petaluma: Rain Dog Records! I couldn't find any information on the middle slot performers Concrete Rivers (in their debut performance) or Nicco's Band. But I did listen to the lofi bedroom indie acoustic songs from Marley Namack and really liked what I heard! $10 Cover.
Sat July 25: Petaluma Music Festival at Petaluma Fairgrounds - $72.94
Holy hell! Look at that line up! The Smithereens! Cherry Poppin Daddies! Chuck Prophet! 10,000 Maniacs! GasMoney! Spike Sikes!
AND HOLY SHIT! Texas guitar legend in the making: Alejandro Escovedo!
I worked for Crooked Goat Brewing at the Petaluma State fair and really enjoyed my time at this space! I'm excited to see they're doing more than JUST the fair, and to be honest this is a better line up than the fair had! All for less than $100 a person. Not a bad day of music! (Too bad I'm bartending all day and will miss this. 😦)
Sunday July 26: SoFi District's 3rd Annual Battle of the Bands Block Party!
Look, I think Battle of The Bands are lame as hell, but I was surprised and delighted when I discovered this day long block party music festival is less about the battle and more about fighting for community. They've built something really damned cool in downtown Napa and it's my favorite local music festival of the year - beating out BottleRock. Plus, It's completely free to attend!
Artists hail from all over the Bay area to perform. This year's festival includes: 945, Blood Orange Liqueur, Change! Pop, Clementine Darling, Dose of Pure Energy, Dr. Knoxious, El Seven 4 Tet, Gas Money, JNX, Not Actually, Oke McFly, Psycho 151, Repossessor, Riverfront District, Salacious Rumors, Shark in the Water, Side Tribe, Slow Coast, Sona, Spleens, Stereotongue, Temer of Sound, and Voltage.
Sunday July 26: Nothing to Fear Fest 2026 - El Infierno Cantina, Santa Rosa. $25
DIY promoters Down The Street Booking are celebrating SIX YEARS with 17 bands and 3 stages at the infamous El Infierno Cantina this Sunday starting at 1pm.
I'm a terrible music journalist, as I don't recognize a single band on the line up. But that's what's so exciting about being here in Sonoma County and the North Bay right now is that there is so many artists, scenes and movements hiding behind every corner waiting to be uncovered.
I clicked around and listened to some of what I could find for some of the artists performing. This being a DIY show, a lot of the bands don't have demos, websites or even instagram pages that I could find.
I dug the hell out of post-punk/hardcore from New Low! I enjoyed the emo rock from ANTIPHONY! I really dug the female fronted hardcore act Fixxer! Gumby's Junk isn't just a great band name, I really dug their wild and weird Math Rock stuff that reminded me of the Residents.
Lots of women! Lots of people of color! Lots of variety. Damned cool stuff. Congrats on SIX YEARS, Down the Street. That's a hell of a run.
I'm heartbroken to miss this. I'd love to stand in the back and feel like an old man at the DIY show, but I'm covering the Napa Battle of the bands for the newspaper like a jerk. Sigh.
LOOKING FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS?
Make sure you visit SmartMouthCalendar.com! Also, let me know what I'm missing! What shows and events are you looking forward to in the North Bay? Send them my way and let me know! SmartMouth707@gmail.com!
There is a TON of stuff happening in the area, and many venues, promoters and bands do not advertise much more than an instagram post or two. So there's so much happening off the radar. What cool shows are you planning on going to in the near future? Sound off in the comments!