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Photos from Travis Sullivan’s Björkestra performing live at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on March 6, 2008.

A little more than a week ago, I was lucky enough to attend the first annual Switchboard Music Festival live at Dance Mission Theater on March 30, 2008. It was a full day of inspired music that’s best described in their own words:

The Switchboard Music Festival is an eight-hour music festival bringing together composers and musicians who are all pushing the boundaries of their respective genres. No other Bay Area music festival or concert series is dedicated to the idea of bringing together such an eclectic, genre-crossing/-breaking/-bastardizing group of experimentalists, innovators, and musical omnivores.

Some of the finest musicians in the Bay Area played over the course of the eight-hour music marathon, including Aaron Novik, Amy X Neuburg, Christopher Adler, Dan Becker, Del Sol String Quartet, Jeff Anderle, Edmund Welles, Erik Jekabson, Gamelan X, Ian Dicke, Ian Dickenson, Inner Ear Brigade, Jonathan Russell, Robin Estrada, Ryan Brown, and Slydini.

This really turned out to be a tremendous day of live original music, so please enjoy the photographs and this audio sample of Erik Jekabson’s trumpet solo (using a delay) called Opening Fanfare, which was the appropriately-named first song played at the festival (thanks Erik!). And don’t forget to help support this very-worthy festival when it comes around next year.

 Opening Fanfare [6:03m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s a few photos and audio samples from a recent Classical Revolution show played live at the Revolution Cafe on January 27, 2008. If you haven’t ever experienced this now-weekly classical jam session in the Mission, you really should because it’s a great example of some of the amazing live music that’s taking place in the burgeoning Mission creative music scene. They play late every Sunday night at the Revolution Cafe, and you can check their website for more up-to-date info.

Paul Hindemith, String Trio #2 (1935)
I. Massig Schnell
II. Lebhaft
III. Langsam-Schnelle Halbe

Albers Trio
Laura Albers, Violin
Becca Albers, Viola
Julie Albers, Cello

Brahms Sextet #1 in B Flat Major, op 18 (1860)
II. Andante, Ma Moderato

Classical Revolution
Jory Fankuchen & Edwin Huizinga, Violins
Charith Premawardhana & Becca Albers, Violas
Julie Albers & Adrian Fung, Cellos

 I. Massig Schnell (Hindemith) [7:34m]: Play Now | Download
 II. Lebhaft (Hindemith) [6:44m]: Play Now | Download
 III. Langsam-Schnelle Halbe (Hindemith) [8:25m]: Play Now | Download
 II. Andante (Brahms) [10:15m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s a couple of live tracks from Smith Dobson’s new band, the Lovecraft Ghostwriters, playing at the Red Poppy Art House on January 12, 2008. They performed a mix of new songs and old favorites from their recent release Basement Bloodlines.

Smith Dobson, Vibraphone
John Finkbeiner, Guitar
John Hanes, Drums
John Wiitala, Bass

 Skip Song [7:37m]: Play Now | Download
 Brooklyn Belle [7:08m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s a real treat for everyone, a long video from what I think was the last jazz gig of the year at the Red Poppy Art House. I shot this on December 29, 2007 using two tiny MP4 pocket cameras plus a field audio recorder from the back of the room (with permission of course), and considering how dark it was and how low budget my cams were, the final edit still came out pretty nice! The performance featured Marcus Shelby on bass, Matt Clark on piano, Jeff Marrs on drums, and Howard Wiley on tenor sax. Although Jeff was the main drummer for the night, the video features the one track that Marcus’s old friend Lorca Hart played on as a guest.

Please note that I’m trying out a new way of displaying video on my website that requires Flash 8, but also be aware that this is a huge video file, so it may require some patience while buffering. Thanks!

 Marcus Shelby Quartet [19:50m]: Play Now | Download

Photos from the Charlie Hunter Trio live at Yoshi’s West in San Francisco on December 13, 2007. The trio featured Charlie on guitar, Scott Amendola on drums, and Erik Deutsch on keys, along with special guests the Campbell Brothers on steel guitars.

Photos from Lyrics Born live at The Independent in San Francisco on November 18, 2007.

I’d like to give a huge shout out to LB and his tour manager, as well as to PDub and Justin, for making these photos possible. It was a kickin’ night of music for sure, so thanks!

On October 5, 2007 I recorded Crafty Apples playing in the Old First Church Concert Series. The ensemble features Sky Grealis on flute, Jason Levis on percussion, Aaron Novik on bass clarinet, and Charith Premawardhana on viola. They’ve been around for about two years and describe their work as an opportunity to “explore timbre and texture and less rigid structures mixed with improv and extended techniques” — all of which can be heard in the audio sample included below.

 Crafty Apples [16:08m]: Play Now | Download