It was disappointing that their college and cabaret performance space closed, but they still have…read moreperformances across the street in a pleasant hall.

I've been taking classes (playing in bands) here for four years. Gotten me back on track in terms…read moreof my playing. It's also becoming a good place to hear concerts, hard to find any creative music venues these days.

There is no bad seat at The Freight but this time I got front row , it's always general admission…read moreseating. This show was for Dave Alvin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore... two legends playing without their band for this show. Last time I saw them with their full band much closer to home at Felton Music Hall... also a great venue. Opening artist was guitarist Lenny Kaye from The Smiths and he was great too. Awesome audience as usual for The Freight. Get out and see live music, it's always a great time.

We saw Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono recently. It was our first visit to the Freight since they…read moremoved ever so long ago. This is truly a nice venue to see music. The staff is friendly; parking is convenient next door in the garage; plenty of restaurants nearby. There were also a few snack items and drinks available for sale. I was bummed that perhaps customer service and management aren't completely in synch with their own policies. I had written and asked if photography would be allowed since this was a Hawaiian show. I wanted to bring in one camera with an attached lens, no flash to take photos for personal use only. I was told that the policy was no photography was allowed. On the night of the show, the last announcement before the show started, was that non-flash photography was welcome. Oh well.

San Francisco has great places to eat pizza. There is a pizza parlor for each neighborhood. Having…read moretried the majority of the pizza spots in San Francisco I decided to go to Berkeley. The city of Berkeley has brought good pizza recently to San Francisco like Rose Pizzeria. Going to Berkeley I have experienced great pizza places which are not located in SF. Berkeley has some great pizza places such as the Cheeseboard , Pizzeria da Laura and for the best Chicago style pizza at Zachary's Pizza ( actual fresher ingredients than most of Chicago )which both have no locations in SF. There a different pizza spot in Berkeley which serves fresh pizza with local ingredients and there is no spot in SF and it's called Sliver pizza. On a Summer day stroll in the sun in Berkeley I landed at the Telegraph Avenue. Inside there are plenty of seating and they do not accept cash. I ordered their POD also known as Pizza Of the Day. It had the Mushroom, red onions, green scallions , and it had a lemon zest which was sour like some in SF. It was a little cheesy and the sourdough crust was soft. It was tasty and you can taste the field to table ingredients in the pizza. They also have interesting pizza like the Cherry Corn Pizza like I saw on my social media feed. When in Berkeley you must try Sliver Pizzeria. Go to Berkeley for this is a "must" because they have a sourdough "crust" is a "plus" it's not too cheesy and very delicious and leaves some pizza places in SF in the "dust" This pizza place is to eat inside , pick up, and they do "deliver" I rate it more on gold standard side than "silver" fresh ingredients from the "Salinas River" at a pizza place in Berkeley on Telegraph called "Sliver"

Amazing pizza, great location, lots of interior space, slight sus bathroom…read more.. Food: Sliver is probably one of my favorite pizza shops in the bay, maybe in general. I went last week and they had a summer corn pizza that was loaded with juicy kernels of corn, fresh tomatoes and peppers, plus a ton of parsley for garnish. I am a corn fan so I knew I'd like this flavor. And I wasn't disappointed. Sauce: Sliver could even be more well known for its sauces. You have to try the green sauce! Perfect blend of savoriness, freshness, and a kick of heat! Location: right off the Berkeley BART station, This shop is super easy to transit to whether you're taking bus or the bart. Lots parking nearby too. Bathroom: maybe I just went too early in the day before the employees had time to clean up the bathroom, but it had no toilet paper, no seat covers, no paper towels, and the hand soap was simply in a cup that you had to dip your fingers into... kinda sus? Overall I'll definitely be going back because sliver become so popular because of their incredible pizzas and not their bathrooms!

Once known for good beer selection and entertainment, it is still all that but also with solid pub…read morefood. The entertainment and community feel of the place is the #1 highlight. Open mic night gives young people a voice. Older musicians act as unofficial mentors - the best advice from one was to 'make me feel something!!' I love the art scene - and to me there is a special intersection of utility (maybe articulating an important message - or building a useful couch) --- and the beauty of that piece. How you put it together, how it looks and most importantly how it makes you feel when you sink into the couch or words. I have a lot of opinions and a lot to say. These days you really can't complain much - in the world you are a nag and in church you are labeled a legalist. The secret is if you say those things in a beautiful way or tip toe around a subject asking questions and letting the audience come up with their own conclusions. The young people today I have lots of sympathy for. The 50 year olds could get away with earning $50k/yr - the 40 year olds could get away with earning $100k/yr but the 20 and 30 year olds in the bay area with 2 kids need to earn $200k in their household to make ends meet. Gentrification is the enemy - those who are 'rich.' Lets blame the boomers. Maybe there are some other 'enemies' of the unaffordable nature of the bay area. A witch hunt aiming at tech workers or the unhoused or maybe today AI robots. My brother pays $4000/month for babysitting. I think his house tax is another $1000/month and we aren't even talking about the mortgage yet.... In San Francisco a family of 4 can qualify for free babysitting if they earn $178,300 or less per year. Maybe you can't call this the poverty level - but you qualify for everything including housing assistance. I'm sorry no beautiful poetry for you today. No lit slam. No soup for you!! I will continue building my couches - you take the stage!!

Starry Plough....Oh wow! This is really a cool scene…read more There's a different event seven nights a week. Today the day after July 4 celebration is sort of an Irish music session in the place is packed at 5:45 PM! Great musicians and a fun atmosphere, but it seems like the same continuous song plays between breaks with a slight adjustment of the melody. Sort of a hypnotic repetitive groove, not so unlike "ON THE CORNER" by Miles Davis but not really, ha ha! OK kids, please plug that into your little machine and have a listen. Feel that groove in "BLACK SATIN" The Starry Plough is a full service restaurant, pub and nightclub that has been a staple of the East Bay scene since 1973. With deep roots as an Irish Revolutionary watering hole, the history of protest runs as deep today as it did when they opened five decades ago. And they have really good food and a great tap beer list. Also, the very best bartenders and staff throughout! I just had a half order of the handcut french fries and they really are top-notch man, they're served with different condiments that you can help yourself to. I chose the Sriracha sauce and ketchup. I couldn't find the horseradish tonight. I've been coming in here for several years and I really dig it. Very special people hang out here, kind of a hippie Berkeley vibe. I've had great long conversations and met very groovy folks. It's a great watering hole.

A musician's dream!…read more Per the recommendation of our wedding planner, we worked with Hella Fitzgerald for our wedding in Big Sur, CA in August 2023. One of the best decisions we made for our wedding. I am a musician myself and had a lot of specifications for what I wanted throughout our ceremony, first dance, and dancing portions of the evening. And I mean a LOT of specifications! Music is something I am very particular about. Lilan worked closely with me on everything from which 2nd singer to hire to match the feel we wanted (the band works with various singers) to learning new songs that we had requested to adjusting songs to specific BPMs!!! She never seemed to lose her patience with me and would text me randomly with ideas or singer leads. One time she even texted me a couple vocal riffs she sang into her phone to see what I would prefer. We wanted a fun, sexy, big band feel and a talented group of musicians who could perform soul, Latin, swing, R&B, and everything in between. That is exactly what we got. We never left the dance floor. Thank you HF!

Hella Fitzgerald was a huge hit at our son's Bar Mitzvah. We wanted live music as opposed to a DJ…read moreand we couldn't have been happier with their performance! Every musician in the band was outstanding. They accommodated all of our requests, including an extra long hora. :) All of our guests loved them and it was so refreshing to have 'real' music at our daytime event. Their price was extremely reasonable to boot! We highly recommend Hella Fitzgerald - they were fantastic!

We hired Daniel to play for my late Father's Celebration of Life. He was extremely kind,…read moreresponsive, helpful and professional throughout the booking process. He arrived on time, setup quickly, and did a fantastic job. We worked together closely to figure out the appropriate set list given the sensitivity of the event. Daniel was flexible, and I asked him to play original songs he was familiar with and to read the room if we needed to adjust. We even ended up doing an impromptu song and guitar performance from some of my guests! . I would hire Daniel and his team again in a heartbeat! Thank you Daniel for making this important moment in our family's life one to remember.

Daniel is an excellent musician and was a wonderful person to work with! He responds in a timely…read moremanner and was a joy to have at the party. Also he is very talented.

D-e-a-a-o, Daylight come and me want go home...at 80, Belafonte is tireless in his humanitarian…read moreefforts as an activist and was the recipient of the first Berkeley Jazz Icon award. And yes, the man graced us with a verse of the song he will eternally be equated with. This tribute was a real treat in the midst of a concert that brought out many artists that we have scarcely seen since the seventies. It was as if time stood still as Randy Crawford belted out 'Street Life', accompanied by Joe Sample. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as Roy Ayers, Jean Carne, Lonnie Liston Smith, Wayne Hendersen and one of my favorite singers, Jon Lucien performed, and still has an amazing rich and deep voice. It seems like yesterday, when we would bring the rice balls, chicken, potato salad, and fruit salad, feasting while we drank in the rich sounds of Grover, Donald Byrd, Pieces of a Dream, Miles, Stanley Clarke, and countless other jazz greats over a 3 day lineup sitting high up on the hill overlooking the tower, the San Francisco bay in the background and feelin' the 420 buzz...yes, those were the days...excuse me while I get out my vinyl and reminisce. update: we lost another great artist...Jon Lucien passed just a few days after this concert...bless you for your gift to us all...RIP