Maybe you've seen those spray-painted messages on sidewalks around S.F.: "ULUV guitar?" "ULUV horns?" "ULUV the bay?"
Well, U aren't hallucinating. The signs are part of a viral marketing campaign for ULUV Music Day -- a citywide event this Saturday that will place more than 100 performers in public venues for an afternoon of free concerts.
It's the biggest-yet event from ULUV, an organization started by local recording engineer Michael Starita and Bay Vibes founder Robin Applewood. The idea is to showcase and strengthen the Bay Area music scene -- and Saturday will be a pretty large demonstration of strength. Musicians will perform in cafes, on sidewalks, and in BART stations all over San Francisco. At 6 p.m., there will be a mass gathering in Dolores Park, where all the musicians will play a song together. Then the party will move to Dolores Park Cafe for an open mic performance.
The End of Yoshi's SF: When the San Francisco jazz venue and restaurant Yoshi's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012, its representatives said there was no chance of the club closing -- that the move was only intended to restructure debts incurred since its founding in 2007.
They were, alas, wrong.
Yoshi's SF is not closing right away. But after six full years, the managing owners of the lauded Japanese restaurant and live music venue are relinquishing the business to a rival group of partners. Assuming the many involved parties bless the deal and the sale takes effect July 1, Yoshi's SF will have no more connection to its older, more established sister club in Oakland. Within three or four months, it will have a new name; before then, its celebrated but pricey Japanese cuisine will give way to a more accessible, more affordable menu. The live music program, which in the last few years had moved beyond jazz into R&B, world music, and hip-hop, will expand even further, though not for a while yet.... [continue reading]
