Red Poppy Art House

Makrú: Exploring New Musical Paths
2015-12-19 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Landing in San Francisco from different parts of the world, Makrú takes elements of rumba flamenca, reggae, cumbia, ska, and other global beats to create an uplifting and unifying sound. The group’s lyrics in Spanish and English bring reality, fiction, and joy together in the hopes of spreading a message of respect and love.

Featuring:
Raúl Vargas – vocals and cajón
Bob Sanders – electric and acoustic guitar
Vinicio Peñate – bass
Sergio Durán- percussion
Morgan Nilsen – clarinet
Haluk Keceliouglu – violin and oud
(special guests – TBA)

Follow Makrú on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Admission: $12-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.

Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

CALI2CUBA Presents: Rhythmic Resistance: The Zen Chaos of Afro-Cuban Drumming - A Lecture/Demonstration by John Santos
2015-12-19 14:00 - 16:00
The Goal:
20% of the proceeds will go to help fund Juan Bencomo’s community project in barrio Jesus Maria, La Habana, such as painting his studio and promoting his business. With the hopes of becoming the first Cali2Cuba Casa, children from all over Habana can come and study the folklore of Cuba with the best teachers and artists in the area.
About Cali2Cuba:
Cali2Cuba is an organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Afro-Cuban culture. The organization seeks to teach, nourish and engage the community by presenting fundraisers, workshops, and concerts that bridge gaps in musical history and knowledge. C2C believes that promoting Afro-Caribbean music will help create solutions to social, political and economic ills and create community that will make a positive impact in our world.
About John Santos:
Seven-time Grammy nominee and US Artists Fontanals Fellow, John Santos, is one of the foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music in the world today. He is known for his innovative use of
traditional forms and instruments in combination with contemporary music, and has earned much respect and recognition as an educator, composer, and record and event producer.
Mr. Santos is widely respected as one of the top writers, teachers and historians in the field and is a member of the Latin Jazz Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. He has conducted lectures, workshops and clinics in the Americas and Europe since 1973. Additionally, he has contributed to the international magazines Percussive Notes, Modern Drummer, Modern Percussionist, and Latin Percussionist. The San Francisco Bay Area community in which he still lives and works has presented him with numerous awards and honors for artistic excellence and social dedication.

Admission: $20. Lecture/Demonstration at 2:00pm.
For reservations, please call 805-455-8224.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco: The Next Generation of Latin Jazz Artists
2015-12-18 19:30 - 22:00
Performing Latin jazz classics and original compositions, the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco (LJYE) is comprised of talented musicians ages 10 to 18. The mission of LJYE is to preserve the traditions of Latin jazz and to create role models for aspiring student musicians. The group has recorded three CDs with original material composed by the students themselves, including LJYE Live at Yoshi’s (2005), Generaciones (2009), and Con Mis Manos (2015).

“Far from a kiddie show, this group of young musicians, who range in age from 10 to 18 years old, display a serious professionalism.” – Mary Ellen Hunt, San Francisco Chronicle

Follow LJYE on Facebook.

PC: LJYE

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.

Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Mark Growden and Chris Grady: Soulful Chamber/Folk
2015-12-17 19:30 - 22:00
For a rare Bay Area performance, Mark Growden and his long-time collaborator Chris Grady bring to the Red Poppy a combination of soulful vocals with elements of chamber, folk, and jazz.

Mark Growden is a composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist and the director/founder of The Calling All Choir. Raised in a small mountain community in Northeast California, his work emanates earthy, soulful and poetic tones. Growden has ten years of experience teaching music in schools and currently leads singing workshops across the country. He has devoted his life to making music for other people, and to helping other people make music for themselves.

Featuring:

Mark Growden – vocals, saxophones, accordion, banjo, sruti box, bicycle handlebars
Chris Grady – trumpet, cornet

“His music combines elements from classical jazz ensembles, New Orleans-style brass bands, cabaret fanfare, and circus troupes with the stark honesty of Appalachian folk ballads and African-American prison songs.” – Taos News
“Rich, haunting and personal song cycles that incorporate avant-garde, rock, cabaret, blues, country, contemporary classical and Tin Pan Alley.” – Tucson Weekly

Follow Mark on Facebook and YouTube.

Admission: $15-25. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Derek Lassiter Presents: Nick Hours: Poetic Chamber Pop
2015-12-13 19:30 - 22:00
In curatorial partnership with the Red Poppy Art House, Derek Lassiter presents Nick Hours. Backed by a skilled and dynamic group of musicians, Nick creates a distinctly rich chamber pop sound in his performances.
Nick Hours is an insightful and ambitious singer-songwriter based in Oakland, CA. Also an accomplished composer for the stage, Nick’s songwriting is mature, playful, and highly atmospheric. Combining poetic lyricism with inspired musicianship and a mixture of classical and jazz instrumentation, his heartfelt music hits deep with a rare sincerity.
Featuring:
Nick Rattray (Nick Hours) – vocals
Cristina de Leon – violin
Tim Silva – drums, vocals
Jary Niebur – guitar, vocals
Travis Kindred – bass

About Derek Lassiter:
Lassiter, a mainstay on the San Francisco arts scene, has received accolades for both his recordings and live performances featuring Bay Area notables such as pianist/composer Tammy Hall, producer/percussionist PC Muñoz, and composer/pianist Art Khu. Lassiter is profiled in Julian C. R. Okwu’s book, Face Forward: Young African American Men in a Critical Age.

“At turns bright and others sinister, the music Nick makes is beautiful. He’s at the center of a maelstrom of musicians, and you should hear what he has created with them!”
– Oaktown Indie Mayhem
Follow Nick Hours on Facebook and SoundCloud.
Watch the official video for Mission of Dancing here.
PC: Nick Hours

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Marcus Shelby Trio ft. Miss Faye Carol & Joe Warner: The Legacy of the Blues
2015-12-12 20:00 - 21:30
Details TBA!
Featuring:
Miss Faye Carol – vocals
Joe Warner – piano
Marcus Shelby – bass

Marcus Shelby is a bandleader, composer, arranger, bassist, educator, and activist who currently lives in San Francisco, California. Over the past 25 years he has built a diverse biography as a composer. His work and music has focused on sharing the history, present, and future of African American lives, on social movements in the United States of America, and on early childhood music education. Currently, Shelby is an artist in residence with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and the Artistic Director of the Marcus Shelby Orchestra. His series of interactive discussions, Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex, delves into our justice system, its flaws, and how music can be used as a tool for reform and change.
Faye Carol is one of the premiere vocalists of her time with a career spanning over five decades. Arranging popular standards with doses of jazz, blues and hip-hop, Miss Carol has managed to cultivate a diverse sound throughout the years. Her divine energy and ability to rock the mic consistently leaves her audience both mesmerized and uplifted. As founder of The School Of The Getdown, Miss Carol has effectively developed two programs to serve the Bay Area community. MITC (Music In The Community) and The Vocal Workshop Series have triumphantly supported hundreds of youth and adults in becoming more confident, skilled musicians. Known for her outwardly-loving embrace and support of all, Faye Carol remains a conduit for bringing together many communities through music.
Joe Warner is a pianist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Byb & Kiandanda Dance Theater Present: Ange Aoussou and Chris Babingui - Dance Africa Dance for Peace and Independence
2015-12-11 20:00 - 22:00
In collaboration with the Red Poppy Art House, Byb & Kiandanda Dance Theater present Dance Africa Dance for Peace and Independence. The evening features performances by two African dancers/choreographers, Ange Aoussou from Ivory Coast and Chris Babingui from the Republic of Congo. Performing their respective solo works, J’aime le rouge and Nibo Nano, these pieces touch on the social-political issues of the African continent that is still struggling to gain true independence and development.
Born in Divo (Ivory Coast), Ange Aoussou had trained in traditional African dance, contemporary, modern and jazz. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various choreographers from around the world and has worked with Koteba D’abidjan, Institute Djolem of Abidjan, Mr Salif Coulibaly, and Souleymane Koly.
Chris Babingui was born in Enyelle in Congo. At the age of five, he learned the ndombolo and other traditional dances of Congo through the imitation of his elders. After completing his secondary education in 2006, Babingui started his artistic career dancing hip-hop as he joined the group, Boom Danger of Massamba Brunel (aka “Flash”). He has since worked and toured internationally in Africa and Europe after joining the Studio Maho, directed by choreographer Florent Mahoukou.

About Kiandanda Dance Theater and Artistic Director Byb Chanel Bibene:
Kiandanda is an international dance company that does work between Africa, Europe and the USA. Every year, the company holds workshops, the Nzela Program and the Rue Dance Festival, which is held every two years in the Republic of Congo. As formerly named Studio Rue Dance, Kiandanda Dance Theater is a laboratory, a studio where everyone is invited to come and contribute to create the art through conferences, performances and workshops.
Byb Chanel Bibene is a choreographer and performer working in theater and contemporary dance. His own technical and aesthetic sensibility is rooted in the culture and dances of his country of origin. He has toured and performed internationally with companies originating from Africa, England, France and the USA.

J’aime le Rouge by Ange Aoussou:
“We just celebrated 54 years of independence of the black continent. Two generations have passed. Why so many failures? African wars you took me, my body, my land, you have plunged my life in distress. All these tears and cries that fire, these falling bodies, and these extended corpses. The blood that spreads gradually, these martyrs. And the smell of death and widespread fear. Sorry. Turn the other cheek. It is able to forgive. Who hurt you. It also means knowing smile. Who made ​​you cry? Africa, you are my joy memorable although sometimes misfortune strikes, you will remain the land of freedom.”
Watch a clip here.
Nibo Nabo by Chris Babingui:
Nibo Nabo is all about a cry of revolt against the leaders of the country who rule one after the other when the conditions of living are gradually deteriorating to the level of extreme poverty. It is all about the expression of the pains and the feeling of exhaustion of a well educated but traumatized generation of Congolese youth which finds itself threatened by several ills and which feels being sacrificed by the carelessness of the government: lack of water and electricity, increase of unemployment, youth delinquency, lack of social aid.
Watch a clip here.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:30pm. Show at 8:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Marcus Shelby Presents: Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex, Series 3, Discussion 4
2015-12-10 19:00 - 21:00
The Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present the third series of Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex on September 10, October 8, November 12, and December 10, 2015. Marcus Shelby and Jacqueline Ramos return to the Red Poppy for the continuation of these interactive discussions concerning our justice system.

Led by composer, bassist, and bandleader, Marcus Shelby, the series explores the prison industrial complex, restorative justice, prison abolition, the death penalty, the school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, and more. The evenings include special guests, readings, live and recorded music, poetry, and video. These discussions are open to anyone interested in ending the prison industrial complex and how music and art can be used as a powerful vehicle in that process.

Discussion Schedule:
Thurs, 9/10 – Discussion 1
Music and Its Power in Social Justice; Restorative Justice
Thurs, 10/8 – Discussion 2
Prison Abolition and the Death Penalty
Thurs, 11/12 – Discussion 3
School-to-Prison Pipeline Part 3
Thurs, 12/10 – Discussion 4
Action Plan and Solutions to Fight Mass Incarceration

Admission: $10 suggested donation per discussion. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Doors at 6:30pm. Discussion at 7:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

December 5th MAPP: Mission Arts & Performance Project
2015-12-05 17:00 - 22:00
December 5th MAPP Schedule:
5:00pm – 7:00pm: Classical Revolution
Chamber Music for the People
7:00pm – 7:10pm: Byb Bibene & Chris Babingui
Afri-Contemporary Dance – Presented by Flying Under the Radar
7:15pm – 7:35pm: Ben Baker
Experimental Butoh
7:45pm – 8:00pm: Anna Seva & Jessica Brown
Postmodern Dance
8:00pm – 8:20pm: Camille Mai
Alternative Jazz
8:30pm – 9:00pm: Dina Zarif
Persian/Classical
9:00pm – 10:00pm: Makrú
Rumba Flamenca, Cumbia, Ska & Reggae

About Flying Under the Radar:
Leading up to Flying Under the Radar’s 2017 Biennial Festival of the Arts, FUTR is partnering with local SF/Bay Area organizations to present a vibrant and eclectic range of artists producing work across disciplines and aesthetics, as well as to broaden and deepen relationships across artistic communities.
The first Flying Under the Radar Biennial will debut in San Francisco, California over five days in April 2017. A second edition, in 2019, will occur in Rio de Janeiro. The event will feature thirty emerging or career artists with limited or no exposure outside their home countries. Participating artists will be from the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro and San Francisco/Bay Area, and will be known for working in the areas of Film and Video, Music, Dance and Performance, Poetry, and Visual Arts.
Learn more about Flying Under the Radar here and artist/choreographer Byb Bibene here.

About the MAPP Program:
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses, into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.
To learn more, visit the Poppy webpage and MAPP website.

Tito y su son de Cuba: A Night in Old Havana Cuba
2015-12-04 19:30 - 22:00
Taking the audience through the streets of Old Havana, Tito Gonzalez returns to the Red Poppy for a night of vibrant tunes with Cuban son and the tres guitar.

Singer/composer Tito Gonzalez is a master showman with a voice that has been compared to that of classic son singer, Daniel Santos. Gonzalez delivers songs that are deceptively simple – between their fluid melodies and retrograde rhythms, they evoke a focus and introspection that Tito attributes, in part, to his life in America. Along with son, his music demonstrates a broad range of Cuban genres such as rumba, guaracha and the most romantic boleros.

Featuring:
Tito Gonzalez – lead vocals, guitar, tres guitar
(more musicians TBA)

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

The String Quartet Experience: Nahuel Bronzini and the Amaranth String Quartet
2015-12-03 19:30 - 22:00
The String Quartet Experience is Nahuel Bronzini’s arranging journey which joins together the sounds of singer-songwriting and a string quartet. Playing off of the expectations of what a classical string quartet should sound like, Bronzini creates a heightened listening experience of textures and gestures that range between old and new. “I wrote a full string quartet arrangement for each piece in hopes of representing the emotions and images depicted through their music and lyrics, while also printing my own voice as a composer. This is a true collaborative project that brings to life the musical beliefs, fantasies and needs of both myself and the songwriters.” – Nahuel Bronzini

An Argentinean guitarist and composer, Nahuel Bronzini moved to San Francisco in 2010 after completing a degree in jazz at the Escuela de Música Contemporánea in Buenos Aires. Despite Bronzini’s love for popular music, his urge to keep widening his music experiences led him to continue his studies in classical guitar at the San Francisco Conservatory. Bronzini’s original music explores themes of nostalgia and longing, navigating sonorities from both the contemporary classical world as well as jazz and other pop culture-related music. He is also currently involved in several Bay Area music projects as a performer, arranger and/or producer.

With a love of tackling the string quartet canon and as fierce a passion for discovering newly composed works, Amaranth was founded in 2013 and proudly calls the Bay Area home. Members Katie von Braun, Abigail Shiman, Erica Zappia, and Helen Newby bring classical music beyond the concert hall, striving to reach divergent audiences that range from high school classrooms to neighborhood bars alike. Projects this season include a performance at the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music’s SFMusic Day 2015, participation in Oakland’s Art in Nature Festival, and a residency with the Cypress String Quartet.

Featuring:
Nahuel Bronzini – arranging/artistic direction
Katie von Braun (Amaranth) – violin
Abigail Shiman (Amaranth) – violin
Erica Zappia (Amaranth) – viola
Helen Newby (Amaranth) – cello

Diana Gameros – vocals, guitar, songwriting
Kendra McKinley – vocals, guitar, songwriting
Camille Mai – vocals, piano, songwriting
John Haesemeyer – vocals, guitar, songwriting
Mike Suarez – vocals, guitar, songwriting
Claudio Santomé – tenor vocals
Juan David Mejia – cello
Schuyler Karr – upright bass
(TBA) – percussion

Watch a short documentary about the String Quartet Experience at the Poppy here.
Find out more about the album through the Kickstarter campaign here.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

DOUBLE SHOW: Istanbul Connection: Balkan & Latin Music
2015-11-28 19:00 - 22:00
Istanbul Connection features members of the Bay’s hottest Balkan & Latin bands who came together in preparation for a journey to Istanbul, Turkey. Since inception, the band has played at The Mekan, Arsen Lupen, and Leyla Teras in Istanbul; at Great American Music Hall and Elbo Room in San Francisco; and were featured performers at Burning Man.

Featuring:
Paul Bertin – alto sax
Sean Tergis – percussion
Melissa Cruz – flamenco baile & palmas
Bob Sanders – guitar
Kata Miletich – vocals
Izzy Weiser– bass
Morgan Nilsen – clarinet
Marco Peris – drums & percussion
Raul Vargas – cajon & vocals
Alex Hand – guitars
Gregory Jenkins – Clarinet
Danny Cao – Trumpet
Haluk Kecelioglu – oud, violin & vocals

Watch clips of Istanbul Connection’s past performances here and here.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 6:30pm. First show at 7:00pm, second show at 8:30pm. All ages welcome.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

CHELLE! and Friends: Celebrating the Holidays with New Orleans Musical Gumbo
2015-11-27 19:30 - 22:00
In a lively celebration of the holidays, CHELLE! and Friends commemorates the vibrant music of New Orleans with influences of jazz, funk, soul, gospel, blues, zydeco, and the rhythms of Mardi Gras Indians.
Artistic Director and Founder, Michelle Jacques, is a new New Orleans native and Oakland’s own “Queen of New Orleans Music”. Together with some of the most distinguished musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, CHELLE! and Friends stirs all of its influences into a diverse stewpot of musical gumbo.

Featuring:
Michelle Jacques – vocals
Rhonda Crane – vocals
Bryan Dyer – vocals
Donna Viscuso – woodwinds, harmonica
Eric Swinderman – guitar
Kevin Scott – bass
TBA – drums

Like CHELLE! and Friends on Facebook.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Arouna Diarra and Biko Casini: Balafon Dance Music from Burkina Faso
2015-11-22 19:00 - 21:00
The Red Poppy Art House warmly welcomes Arouna Diarra and Biko Casini for an evening of traditional music from Burkina Faso. Inspired by the pulsing melodies and infectious dance grooves of the balafon, Biko traveled to Bobo-Dioulasso (Bobo), the artistic city of Burkina Faso, to study the djembe in 2007. Arouna, who comes from a family of musicians in Bobo, moved to Asheville, NC in 2012 where he established himself as the bandleader of Mande Foly. Upon meeting in Asheville, the two began playing music together and are now touring the West Coast with the band, Rising Appalachia.

Featuring:
Biko Casini – djembe, calabash, kamele ngoni
Arouna Diarra – doula balafon, kamele ngoni, talking drum

Click here to watch a Mande Foly performance ft. Biko.

Admission: $10. Doors at 6:30pm. Show at 7:00pm. All ages welcome.

Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Laura Klein and Destiny Muhammad - A Piano/Harp Encounter: From Celtic to Coltrane and Beyond
2015-11-21 19:30 - 22:00
The sound sculptress Destiny Muhammad and lyrically creative pianist/composer Laura Klein combine their formidable talents in concert for the first time. Together they’ll explore an enchanting musical terrain ranging from modal jazz to Celtic music.

Destiny Muhammad is a recording/performing artist in the singer-songwriter tradition with jazz and storytelling to round out the sonic experience. She has performed in Yoshi’s ‘Women in Jazz’ Series, Oakland East Bay Symphony, and with great artists like Calvin Keyes, Marcus Shelby, Omar Sosa, Ambrose Akisemuire, and Denise Perrier. Destiny is the principal harpist for the Eddie Gale Inner Peace Orchestra, the Oakland Community Orchestra, and founder of The Destiny Muhammad Project.
Laura Klein is a pianist/composer with numerous recordings of her original music that have received international airplay. She is the co-leader of FivePlay Jazz Quintet, performs with the Morchestra, and plays with many of the leading Bay Area jazz luminaries. She has appeared at Yoshi’s, the SF Jazz Festival, KCSM’s Jazz on the Hill, Vallejo Jazz, the Cotati Jazz Festival, San Francisco Performances, and has performed with the SF Symphony.
Featuring:
Laura Klein – piano
Destiny Muhammad – harp, vocals
Follow Destiny on Facebook and Laura on YouTube.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Maria Volonte: Blue Tango Project: Born in Buenos Aires. Raised on the Road.
2015-11-20 19:30 - 22:00
Hailing from the colorful and gritty La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Blue Tango Project is an exploration of the emotional and musical crossroads where tango and the blues embrace. The project is a collaboration between Argentine Latin Grammy nominee María Volonté and California harmonica player and poet Kevin Carrel Footer. This globe-trotting duo celebrates the deep spiritual bond that joins tango and the blues as two musical genres born in desire and marginality, many times censored yet always resurgent and speaking directly to our hungry souls.
Featuring:
Maria Volonte – vocals, guitar
Kevin Carrel Footer – harmonica
“The best-kept secret of Argentinian tango… Well established and widely respected in her native Argentina, Maria Volonte is a singer who can switch between jazz and blues-influenced vocals, intimate Argentinian-style folk singing and classic big tango diva numbers.” — Songlines Magazine

Like Blue Tango Project on Facebook and check out their YouTube channel

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Industrial Revelation: Liberation & the Kingdom of Nri - PNW Album Release Tour
2015-11-15 19:30 - 22:00
On tour for the release of their latest two-disc album, Liberation & the Kingdom of Nri, Industrial Revelation takes on everything from jazz, blues, funk, hip-hop, rock, chamber music, and beyond.

Industrial Revelation is about human emotion– the unbridled energy, excitement, passion, beauty and the enjoyment that coincides. Based in Seattle, the band was founded by D’Vonne Lewis through the ambition to continue the musical legacy of his family and to create melodies characterized by a vibrant spirit. Industrial Revelation is influenced by all styles of music and strives to generate something special that transcends the moment, especially at a live show.

Featuring:
D’Vonne Lewis – drums
Evan Flory-Barnes – bass
Ahamefule J. Oluo – trumpet
Josh Rawlings – rhodes/keyboard

“Industrial Revelation embodies jazz; jazz is meta-musical, embodying everything else. And so IR rocks. But really they’re just virtuoso musicians playing risky and loose. They are a joy to hear. They slide around the music scene, doing the thing they do, mercurial and misplaced and unsung. As outsiders, they fit right in.” – Jonathan Zwickel, City Arts

Stream Liberation & the Kingdom of Nri on SoundCloud and Bandcamp.
Follow the band on Facebook and Twitter.

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Fandangueros: Latin/Filipino Folk and Contemporary Music
2015-11-14 19:30 - 22:00
Traversing the musical footprints between Spain, Latin America and the Philippines, Fandangueros‘ compositions value tradition as well as their new iterations. Fandangueros started out as an outfit to support Florante Aguilar’s commissioned compositions and projects. The group’s identity later evolved through Florante and Chus Alonso’s shared passion for their country’s folk music – the Philippines and Spain, respectively. While Florante’s nationalistic approach is a nod to its Spanish influence, Chus posits that the exchange goes both ways – that Spain’s music is also the beneficiary of many folk traditions from Latin America and beyond.
Featuring:
Florante Aguilar – guitar, arrangements, compositions
Chus Alonso – flute & laud, arrangements, compositions
Sage Baggott – drums
Greg Kehret – double bass

Learn more and listen to Florante Aguilar here.

Admission: $15-25. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Marcus Shelby Presents: Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex, Series 3, Discussion 3
2015-11-12 19:00 - 21:00

BON JOUR MONOGRAMISTA T.D: Slovakia/SF Intermedia Project
2015-11-11 19:30 - 21:00
Monogramista T.D (born as Dezider Tóth in 1947) is considered “the father of Slovak conceptual art” with artwork ranging from performance, installation and bookmaking, to painting, object and minimalist intervention. His work, Partituras (1976-1978), attracted the attention of contemporary Slovak composers and intermedia artists, Fero Kiraly and Ivan Siller. Partituras is a series of ink drawings strongly resembling music scores. Until now, it has never been musically portrayed. Kiraly and Siller, together with a group of interdisciplinary artists, reinterpret various parts of Partituras through music, dance, sound art and spoken word in their multimedia performance, BON JOUR MONOGRAMISTA T.D.
Featuring:
Ivan Siller – piano, sound objects
Fero Kiraly – analog, monophonic synthesizer
David Molina – electronics
Shikha Malaviya – poetry

*Program brought to you by Platform 1-12 and supported by Ministry of Culture of Slovak Republic.

Catch a sneak peak here.
Learn more about the project here.

Admission: $10. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Jazz in the Neighborhood Presents: Kristen Strom
2015-11-08 19:30 - 21:30
Presented by Jazz in the Neighborhood’s monthly series at the Poppy, saxophonist/vocalist Kristen Strom brings a program of original and standard tunes in a trio setting with husband Scott Sorkin on guitar and John Wiitala on bass. “With a tone that’s lithe and lustrous, Kristen Strom embodies her musical philosophy in every note she plays.” – Andrew Gilbert
Featuring:
Kristen Strom – saxophone, vocals
Scott Sorkin – guitar
John Wiitala – bass
More on Jazz in the Neighborhood:
Jazz in the Neighborhood‘s mission is to celebrate and invigorate the Bay Area’s rich, musical jazz heritage by creating more opportunities for established local musicians to perform, mentor aspiring players, and share this great American art form with the community. Through collaboration with school music programs and adult big bands, the project enables top-caliber artists to push creative boundaries while helping developing musicians “learn on the bandstand” according to the great jazz tradition. Performances in neighborhood venues not only showcase the wealth of local talent, but also create regular destinations for people to enjoy rich cultural and social experiences where they live.

Admission: $20 advance, $25 at the door, $5 student, sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Advance tickets: https://goo.gl/8f4Zct
Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Fero Kiraly - Soundring: Hands-On Music Workshop for Children
2015-11-08 11:00
SOUNDRING is an interactive educational workshop for children age five+. SOUNDRING was created by the Slovak contemporary musician and composer, Fero Kiraly. He uses a custom-made electronic instrument called Zvukodrom. During the workshop, children listen, compose and conduct. Fero explains how to listen for varied environmental sounds as a snoring dog, meowing cat or a motorcycle. Children use the Zvukodrom to improvise with those sounds and play together in duet, trio, quartet or even an entire orchestra. Children become aware of mathematically based concepts, such as keeping time, learn collaborative listening skills and even practice the art of conducting.
What is a Zvukodrom?
A Zvukodrom (zvu-ko-DROM) is a special instrument that consists of handmade molded objects of geometrical shapes designed by Martin Piacek. These touch-responsive objects are connected to a computer, which gives users the ability to create sounds and music through software specially designed for the workshop.
Learn more about SOUNDRING and the Zvukodrom here.

Admission: $10 suggested donation. Workshop at 11:00am. For children ages 5+.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Tiffany Austin Quintet: Bessie's Blues: A Tribute to Bessie Smith
2015-11-07 19:30 - 22:00
A dynamic night of blues, soul, and swing, the Tiffany Austin Quintet celebrates the great blues singer, Bessie Smith.

Described by NPR’s Kevin Whitehead as “a musician to keep an ear on,” Tiffany Austin is one of the fastest rising jazz singers in Northern California, with a tradition-rooted yet thoroughly contemporary style. After earning her J.D. from Berkeley Law, Tiffany released her debut CD, Nothing But Soul. Her refreshing singing style has attracted the attention of artists such as vibraphonist Roy Ayers, saxophonist John Handy, and drummer Tommy Campbell. Tiffany has performed at venues across the U.S., including SFJAZZ, Yoshi’s (Oakland and San Francisco), and the Blue Note (New York).

Featuring:
Tiffany Austin – vocals
(more musicians TBA)

Follow Tiffany on Facebook.

Admission: $20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Advance tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2420678
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Steven Lugerner's JACKNIFE: Revisiting Jackie McLean’s Blue Note Recordings
2015-11-06 19:30 - 22:00
Saxophonist Steven Lugerner maintains an active, bi-costal performance schedule between San Francisco and New York City. As a band leader, he has released multiple albums to critical acclaim and has toured the U.S. as a sideman and leader of his own ensembles. He has collaborated with Grammy-nominated pianist Fred Hersch,drum legends Albert “Tootie” Heath and Matt Wilson, pianist Jason Moran, saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom, pianist Myra Melford, trumpeter Darren Johnston, and bassist Todd Sickafoose. Through a contemporary sensibility, Steven Lugerner’s JACKNIFE pays homage to the great alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, Lugerner’s main influence in the jazz idiom.
Featuring:
Steven Lugerner – alto saxophone
JJ Kirkpatrick – trumpet
Adam Shulman – piano
Josh Thurston-Milgrom – bass
Michael Mitchell – drums
Follow Steven on Facebook and SoundCloud.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Altar para mi barrio: Art, Poetry, Food & Live Music for Day of the Dead
2015-11-01 18:00 - 2015-11-02 22:00
Día de los Muertos is an extraordinarily auspicious time for the Mission community, and the Red Poppy Art House is humbled to participate in the annual celebration that honors the ancestral memory of the departed. We invite all of our community to join us on Sunday, November 1 and Monday, November 2 for a weekend of art, food, and remembrance.
On Sunday evening, curator Alejandro Meza unveils the exhibition, El Mito Contemporáneo del Más Allá, featuring commissioned altars that pay homage to the dead. The exhibition will be complemented by food (tamales de carne, tamales vegetarianos, champurrado) and live music curated by Sofia Elias.
Monday evening’s program opens with a rumba session featuring Los Rumberos de Cali. Concurrently, Sofia Elias, Adriana Camarena, and Florencia Rojo lead a procession honoring those who have died as a result of police violence. The procession will begin at Alex Nieto’s memorial site on Bernal Hill, stop at Amilcar Perez-Lopez’s memorial site on Folsom Street, and end at the Red Poppy Art House. A guided discussion will follow, led by community members who have lost loved ones to police violence, including Elvira and Refugio Nieto. The night will conclude with a series of live performances honoring victims of police violence, including the work of poet Ben Bac Sierra, a close friend of the deceased Alex Nieto.
November 1st Program
6:00pm: Exhibition, El Mito Contemporáneo del Más Allá
7:30pm: Lara Manzanares
8:00pm: Manos Lindas
8:30pm: Trio Cambio
9:00pm: Camille Mai

Visual Artists: Alberto Toscano, Alejandro Meza, Chelis Lopez, Carlos Pillado, Dennis Maxwell
Curators: Caleb Duarte (Lead Artistic Director), Schuyler Karr (Performance Programming Director), Alejandro Meza (Exhibition Curator), Sofia Elias (Performance/Food Curator)

November 2nd Program

5:30pm: Procession
From Bernal Heights Park at Alex Nieto’s memorial site, down Folsom Street to Amilcar Perez Lopez’s memorial site, to Red Poppy Art House at 23rd & Folsom.

6:00pm: Los Rumberos de Cali live demonstration
Los Rumberos de Cali is dedicated to the preservation of Afro-Caribbean culture throughout the United States. The group includes a community of singers, drummers and dancers who span across all generations, backgrounds and ethnicities. The mission of Los Rumberos de Cali is to organize and promote Afro-Caribbean culture by inviting elements of rhythm, song, and dance into everyday life.
6:30pm: Community Altar @ RPAH
Bring a photo of a loved one, leave a treat for them!
7:00pm: Restorative Circle
Family and friends of loved ones killed by police will participate in a circle guided by four restorative questions. (*Will be filmed)
8:30pm: Performances
Let’s celebrate our beloved deceased!

Co-hosts: Adriana Camarena (Justice4AlexNieto), Florencia Rojo (Justice4Amilcar), Sofia Elias (Red Poppy Art House)

Admission: Free. Event at 6:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

The Bug Tones: Spooky Toons, Blues, and Boogies
2015-10-31 19:30 - 22:00
The golden age of the silver screen and Halloween featuring Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse! For an evening of scary fun and beautiful music, watch the magic of early 20th century cartoons as The Bug Tones play music to make your feet tap and your head bounce.
A composer, bassist, and bandleader, Safa Shokrai is inspired by visual art, architecture, and movement. They inform the color and tone of his work. He strives to create a performance experience in which the audience steps into a film, a world that has been fabricated and imagined, realized with sound and sight.

Featuring:
Safa Shokrai – upright bass
Britt Ciampa – drums
John Finkbeiner – guitar
Larry Leight – trombone
Henry Hung – trumpet
Ralph Carney – saxophones
Ric Carasquillo – animation editor
Catch Safa Shokrai in a performance here.

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.

Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Flying Under the Radar Presents LOAN at the Red Poppy Art House
2015-10-30 19:30 - 22:00
Flying Under the Radar and the Red Poppy Art House join together to present an evening of poetry and live music featuring LOAN.

LOAN, founded by poet Tongo Eisen-Martin and guitarist Peck the Town Crier, is a collective of artists that integrates new generation black avant-garde poetry with virtuosic musical exploration. LOAN gives musical shape to the longing for revolution in a landscape of word and chord. It sees today as a time of convergence where music, poetry and all of their respective histories meet to bloom in a time for liberation.

Featuring:
Tongo Eisen-Martin – poet
Peck the Town Crier – guitar
Jon Rogers – drums
Miles Wick – upright & electric bass

More about Tongo Eisen-Martin:
Originally from San Francisco, Tongo Eisen-Martin is a movement worker and educator who has organized against mass incarceration and extrajudicial killing of black people throughout the United States. He has taught in detention centers from New York’s Rikers Island to California county jails, and his work in Rikers Island was featured in the New York Times. He was also adjunct faculty at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. His latest curriculum on extrajudicial killing of black people, We Charge Genocide Again, has been used as an educational and organizing tool throughout the country. Eisen-Martin is also a revolutionary poet who uses his craft to create liberated territory wherever he performs and teaches. His latest book of poems, someone’s dead already, is being published by Bootstrap Press.

Dive into the poetry of LOAN here and here.
Get a feel for the albums on Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
Read about Tongo Eisen-Martin’s book, someone’s dead already, here.

About Flying Under the Radar:
Leading up to FUTR’s 2017 Biennial Festival of the Arts, FUTR is partnering with local SF/Bay Area organizations to present a vibrant and eclectic range of artists producing work across disciplines and aesthetics, to broaden and deepen relationships across artistic communities.

The first Flying Under the Radar Biennial will debut in San Francisco, California over five days in April 2017. A second edition, in 2019, will occur in Rio de Janeiro. The event will feature thirty emerging or career artists with limited or no exposure outside their home countries. Participating artists will be from the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro and San Francisco/Bay Area, and will be known for working in the areas of Film and Video, Music, Dance and Performance, Poetry, and Visual Arts.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.

Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Vernon Bush: I am somebody... is everybody - Inspirational Soul
2015-10-24 19:30 - 22:00
Drawing from multicultural influences, Vernon Bush brings together the sounds of soul, gospel, and inspirational for a passionate evening of music. Vernon is a singer, composer, and recording artist who worked closely with the late Whitney Houston and even starred in her first music video, You Give Good Love. He has also worked and sung with Stevie Wonder, Taj Mahal, Joan Baez, jazz vocal legend Bobby McFerrin, as well as many other gifted performers. With his musical groups, he has toured all over the world with his inspirational sound. He is a member of the highly imaginative a cappella group, SoVoSo, and is also a featured vocalist with the Glide Ensemble at the celebrated Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

Featuring:
Vernon Bush – lead vocals, keyboards, hand drums
(More musicians TBA)
Follow Vernon on Facebook and SoundCloud.
Get a feel for his music here.
*We encourage guests to embrace and enjoy the evening by disabling cell phone use during the performance.

Admission: $20-25. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Mostly Kosher: Klezmer and Yiddish Jazz
2015-10-23 19:30 - 22:00
Mostly Kosher is a band based in Southern California with a mission to preserve Jewish musical traditions as well as progressing these genres through the sounds of other cultures and contemporary music. The group takes klezmer and Yiddish theater tunes and incorporates genres ranging from Latin jazz and tango, to Afro-Cuban and even hip-hop. Soon after the release of their debut album, Mostly Kosher’s title track, Ikh Hob Dikh Tsufil Lib (I Love You Much Too Much), earned them a recent award from World Music Network.

Featuring:
Leeav Sofer (bandleader) – vocals, piano, clarinet, percussion
Janice Mautner Markham – violin
Michael Bolger – trumpet, accordion
Eric Hagstrom – drums, aux percussion
Mike King – trombone
Adam Levy – upright bass
Skip Heller – guitar
Casey Solow – vocals
Watch the music video for Ikh Hob Dikh Tsufil Lib here!

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Fleshing it (in) OUT: Work in Progress Dance, Music & Performance Art - Curated by Amara Tabor-Smith
2015-10-22 19:00 - 21:30
Amara Tabor-Smith returns to the Red Poppy with Fleshing it (in) OUT, an informal evening of early stage work in progress dance, music, and performance art, rough and ready to be witnessed. Following the performances, the audience is invited to eat delicious food and engage in a discussion about the work. This event is an opportunity for artists and audience to break bread together, ask questions, and share dialogue about art making in an intimate and supportive environment.
Featuring:
Chris Evans
David Boyce
Dohee Lee (photo by Pak Han)
Laura “Larry” Arrington (photo by Robbie Sweeny)
Amara Tabor-Smith (photo by Robbie Sweeny)
Luciane Ramos Silva (photo by Davy Alexandrisky)
Amara Tabor-Smith is a dancer, choreographer, San Francisco native, and Oakland resident. Amara is the artistic director of Deep Waters Dance Theater, which draws upon influences of traditional rituals to depict modern realities of environmental justice. Amara also choreographed and appeared as a dancer in Shakti Butler’s documentary film, Making Whiteness Visible. She is currently an artist in residence at ODC Theater and teaches dance on faculty at UC Berkeley.

Admission: Free, donations accepted. Doors at 6:30pm. Event at 7:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.
