Last Saturday night, I unintentionally curated a personal musical festival of sorts, attending six different sets of music, in three venues, over eight hours. While walking home at 3:30am we reflected upon the most shows that we’d seen over one night, usually at festivals like Burning Man or Treasure Island. But this Saturday night began just like any other…until it turned into an ideal arc of music that I rode across San Francisco, bringing with it a strange and captivating diversity of sound all by happy coincidence. Starting with Bay Area and Portland-based folk acts like Rainbow Girls and John Craigie, escalating to the Berliner-infused dance beats of Oliver Koletzki, and ending with a mystical Danish downtempo set by Satori. Seeing my dear friend John Craigie play a sold-out show (set 3 of 6) was a heart-warming and nostalgic midpoint to a night full of fantastic music. Highlights from my favorite shows of the evening and a new music playlist up next.
Rainbow Girls, August Hall
Rainbow Girls, the self-described “Eclectic Folk Trio”, hails from Sonoma’s auburn rolling hills and easily swept up the audience with their soaring harmonies and delicate melodies. Known throughout the Bay Area folk scene for their mesmerizing music, we were happily transfixed early in the evening by the bands’ three talented members – Erin Chapin, Caitlin Gowdey and Vanessa May. While performing at August Hall, San Francisco’s newest music venue, these ladies offered subdued folk tunes with rich harmonies and activist lyrics. On Nov. 8, 2017, Rainbow Girls released their first album as a trio, American Dream as a socially conscious record, that explores the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, the protests at Standing Rock and concerns about the disintegration of the fabric of American culture (The Boot). Enjoy the title track off this album, a cozy antidote to the smoky skies of California, lifting our spirits and clearing our lungs through their gift of poetic and hopeful songwriting: “Everyone is worth something, and it’s not their weight in gold”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocEKFdhwkO8
John Craigie, August Hall
John Craigie, the now famous orator, and musician has been regaling audiences with “humorous storytelling, serious folk” for many years, and holds a special place in my heart since he was my first community connection to Burning Man. After my 2013 camp plans fell through, a mutual friend introduced us in Golden Gate Park at the Bicycle Music Festival; Craigie’s generous spirit invoked a once in a lifetime introduction to Home Free Dome, a veteran Burner camp filled with many inspirational artists and musicians (Daniel Steinbock, Leigh Jones, to name a few). Ever since then I’ve been attending Craigie shows whenever I get the chance – from the dusty couches of Center Camp, to backyards in Santa Cruz, to amphitheaters in Berkeley. After a dozen or so shows under my belt, I was delighted to see Craigie’s soldout set with Rainbow Girls on was filled with every bit of rye wit and heart-wrenching lyricism that he’s known for. An endearing friend to be sure, Cragie’s empathetic nature comes out in his complex folk songs that are a perfect soundtrack to the country roads of Eastern Oregon or a rain-soaked winter’s walk in Big Sur. Since touring with Jack Johnson last year, it seems the rest of the folk community has caught on to Cragie’s allure of “…trubador mix of folk and wit”. I can only hope he keeps reaching bigger audiences with his earnest charm and self-deprecating songs that help remind us of the universality of hard times and the healing power of music and humor to help us today’s challenges. “And when the apocalypse is over, I hope you like your job…ain’t a shame, no body sets anybody free anymore?”
Oliver Koletzki, Halcyon
After laughing and singing along with Craigie and his band of folksy friends, I bid my 1st music crew farewell and headed to SOMA for a complete change of scenery. Upon arrival at the club Halcyon, the line of German and Spanish speakers wound around the corner, while thumping Bass vibrated the sidewalk we stood upon. Once inside the venue, I was disoriented by smoke machines billowing inline with the steady drum od dance beats and light. After only a brief search I located my friends in the crowd, aka music crew #2 for the night. Soon the party DJ that had been playing at my arrival transitioned in to the main show stealer – Oliver Koletrzki, a legendary Berlin-based producer and DJ known for a unique style of rhythmic techno house and electronic dance music he’d been making for over 30 years. Launched into fame in 2005, Koletrzki’s underground hit “Der Mückenschwarm” was discovered by techno-king Sven Väth, who signed the record to his label Cocoon and it quickly became the best techno record of 2005. Since then Kolestrzki has run his electronic dance house music career, started his own label and performs live sets as often as he can (see Berlin Boiler Room set below). As I transitioned from a Northern California folksy dreamscape into a full-on European techno dance party, Koletzki’s uplifting beats intermixed with haunting female vocals launched me into my much needed second wind, creating a dance party whose electric energy would carry me through the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZqPjILQosg
Satori, Public Works
After Koletzki’s s vibrant dance set it was time to close out the night with a quick snack followed by Satori, a new mystical Danish DJ I would soon become enraptured by during his set at Public Works. Satori’s global electronic sound defies clear definition, he himself describes it as “…an endless blend of seductive trance and mind-altering earthy tones….hoping to provoke a spiritual journey through his infinite sound-garden.” While that might just sound like a great acid trip, the vague verbiage is actually incredibly on point. As the last set of the night, Satori’s eclectic mix of drum beats, international instruments, and lyrical intonation was the perfect reverb to keep up dancing into the wee hours of the morning. While at times his melodic sound could soothe you into a lullaby-like trance, before you nodded off on the dance floor, he would elevate the audience with a surprising strum of a guitar or a loop of kora (West African harp) melodies. As a rising star in the electronic world, I’m sure we will be seeing Satoria headline more festivals and become a true leader in the global fusion genre. Despite being incredibly exhausted, I couldn’t help but get lost in the loops of his sometimes cacophonous, but always interesting looping melodies. With such an eclectic mix of instrumental fusion in his repertoire, I can’t wait tt see him again live, it is well worth spending some time diving into Santori’s distinctly hypnotic sound.
And for your curated listening, find my newest favorites below:
Music On My Mind 