Country music star Jordan Davis is one of the headliners at this weekend’s Sonoma Country Music Festival.
From a star-studded country music festival to Brian Copeland and free music and movies in Redwood City, there’s plenty to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond. This is a partial review.
Country Summer Music Festival Returns
Organizers have assembled an impressive group of headliners for the 2024 Country Summer Music Festival.
The three-day event, scheduled for June 14-16 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Santa Rosa, will feature Old Dominion, Little Big Town and Jordan Davis among the headliners.
Day 1 headliners Old Dominion made a quick start in the industry with their 2015 platinum-certified debut album Meat and Candy, which featured hits “Break Up with Him,” “Snapback” and “Song for Another Time.” The band’s most recent full-length performance was 2023’s “Memory Lane.”
Little Big Town was a popular attraction on day two, known for Top Ten hits such as “Pontoon,” “Better Man,” “Boondocks,” “Bring it On Home” and “Little White Church.” Vocal performances have won several awards, including four Grammy Awards.
Jordan Davis released his debut full-length album Home State in 2018, which included hit singles “Take It from Me,” “Singles You Up” and “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot.” . The Day 3 headliner released his second album Bluebird Days in 2023.
Other notable acts on the bill include Jo Dee Messina, Brett Young and Walker Hayes.
detail: June 14, 3:34-10:35 p.m., June 15, noon-10:35, June 15, noon-8:55; 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa; three-day passes start at $215, single-day passes start at $89; camping available; Countrysummer.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Classic Picks: Kanneh-Mason, BFX, “Partenope”
Symphonic works, early music and opera provide a wide range of choices for this week’s classical music calendar. Below are details on three special events.
In the symphony: Award-winning British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason headlines this week’s San Francisco Symphony program. He will perform Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the orchestra. ·Da Rimini completes the show.
detail: June 13-15, 7:30 p.m.; Davis Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $25-$139; sfsymphony.org.
BFX is dazzling: The Berkeley Festival and Exhibition returned earlier this month with dozens of events on its calendar. Hosted by the San Francisco Early Music Society, there’s also a weekend of performances, special events and three days of free exhibits and markets open Thursday through Saturday.
detail: Shows through June 16, various Berkeley locations; $30-$50; berkeleyfestival.org.
“Partenope”: Now that summer productions of The Magic Flute and Innocence are on the way, San Francisco Opera is ready to unveil the joy of Parthenope. Romantic complexities and gender confusion abound in Handel’s joyous opera, starring the great husband-and-wife duo of Alec Schrader as Emilio and Daniela Mack as Rosmila.
detail: June 15-28; San Francisco War Memorial Opera; $32-$414; sfopera.com.
—Georgia Rowe, correspondent
Copeland brings ‘The Black’ to San Jose
As Lynn Nottage’s critically acclaimed “Clyde’s” comes to a close this past weekend, San Jose’s City Lights Theater will open its stage for the iconic Bay Area show on Saturday .
Bay Area performer Brian Copeland’s hilarious and heartbreaking solo show “Not a Genuine Black” comes to City Lights as part of the show’s 20th anniversary .
“Not Really Black” is Copeland’s most famous autobiographical solo exhibition, and is said to be the longest-running solo exhibition in the history of the Bay Area. It tells a poignant and humorous account of Copeland’s upbringing in San Leandro, a city that in 1972 the National Committee Against Housing Discrimination described as a “racist bastion of white supremacy.”
On Sunday, the theater will host a concert by father-daughter duo Cory “Dr.” Noise” Cullinan and Riley Max
Copeland: Brian Copeland, Saturday, 7 p.m.; Cullinan and Max, Sunday, 7 p.m.; $22-$37 each; cltc.org.
—Randy McMullan, Staff
Free things to do in Redwood City
Courthouse Square in Redwood City hosts tons of events and parties year-round, but during the summer, the place can get very busy. Through late August, the city hosts a variety of free events and performances, some on a weekly basis. On Thursday evenings you can watch a movie in the square. Most weeks, there are two feature-length screenings, a kid-friendly film at 6pm, or an independent short film by the BraveMaker Independent Film Festival at 8pm, followed by a mainstream feature at 8:30pm. Filmmaker Jesse Kuba’s feature film “Moon in Aquarius” is part of the city’s Juneteenth celebrations. The film tells the story of two people who meet at a party and spend a particularly fun and romantic night in San Francisco. Other summer movie releases include Frozen II and Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (June 20); BraveMaker shorts and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (June 27) ; “Elemental” and “National Treasure” (July 18) and more.
Every Friday through August 30, the city hosts music events on the square from 6 to 8 p.m., including this Friday Petty Theft (a Tom Petty tribute band), R&B/soul band Patton Lethea (June 21 ), Latin jazz band Orquesta Dharma (June 28), Journey tribute band Faithously Live (July 5), and more. There will also be Art of the Square this Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, which will showcase works created by dozens of artists in various media. You can enjoy the works while listening to Petty Theft’s classic rock music. It’s a fun, generally family-friendly scene, and all entertainment is free. And there are plenty of places to eat and drink on site.
detail: More information and show dates at www.redwoodcity.org/residents/redwood-city-events.
— Bay City Press Foundation
commemorate an important holiday
Celebrations of Juneteenth — June 19, 1869, considered the day when the last remnants of slavery were abolished — are taking place across the Bay Area. One of the biggest events is happening this Sunday in Berkeley, and it’s packed with actors. The Juneteenth Festival, 11 a.m. to 7 a.m. at 3529 Adeline Street, Berkeley, will be headlined by Bay Area jazz/blues singer Faye Carol, aka “Energy Faye” “Miss Faye Carol” (Miss Faye Carol) was born in Mississippi but moved to Pittsburgh early. She soon began singing in church, wowing people. Carol has been an indelible part of the Bay Area and national jazz/blues scene since the 1960s, and if her current schedule is any indication, she doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Also rounding out the June Berkeleyteenth lineup are Zydeco accordionist Andre Thierry; vocalist Dennie Denise Robinson, aka Niecey LivingSingle; veteran blues/jazz singer and guitarist Alvon Johnson, formerly of the band Rollercoaster; and Roots Reggae band Kava Jah and the Remedy. There will also be a second stage for child-oriented entertainment and a kids/STEM area offering rock climbing, ice skating, art activities, dance, storytelling, face painting and other activities. A variety of vendors will offer food and beverages, merchandise, and health and community information.
Full roundup of Juneteenth shows here
detail: Admission is free. More information at berkeleyjuneteenth.org.
— Bay City Press Foundation
Playing Now: Flipper Jazz
Anytime you see a band like GoGo Penguin rocking around, you notice. Maybe that’s what this Manchester, England, trio had in mind from the start, but after more than a decade of earning rave reviews, we can forget there’s any novel aspect here. These guys are legit, even if their sound – a unique blend of rock, jazz, nu-jazz, electronic music and classical music – isn’t for everyone. The trio began to receive widespread attention when their second album “v.20” was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize (the British version of the Grammy Awards). The group was part of the acclaimed Blue Note label’s stable of jazz bands for several years before signing to the more experimental label XXIV Records in 2021. “Everything is Going to Be OK” and this year’s “From the North” – GoGo Penguin will land at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco this weekend, performing two shows at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $25-$75. Also performing at SFJAZZ this weekend are Cameroonian singer Ekep Nkwelle (Friday, 7 to 8:30 p.m.; $25) and trumpeter Jumaane Smith, a protégé of Wynton Marsalis best known for his work with Michael Buble (Saturday, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; $25).
detail: Information and tickets for all shows are located at www.sfjazz.org
— Bay City Press Foundation
