E. Doctor Smith's Blog

This Sunday, the Excelsior Cultural Group and the San Francisco Parks Trust will present the 8th Annual Jerry Day Celebration at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, located at 45 John F. Shelley Drive. The first Jerry Garcia / Excelsior celebration happended in 2002 as a fundraiser for Crocker Amazon Playground in Jerry Garcia's childhood neighborhood - The Excelsior District. Spearheaded and conceived by Excelsior District natives and residents, this civic and cultural event is the largest event associated with the neighborhood. It's wholeheartedly embraced by the community and the city. In 2009, the festival received the "Best Community Building Event Award" from the City and County of San Francisco. Jerry Garcia, as most people know, was one of the biggest musical icons of our time, the leader of the Grateful Dead, and a native son of the Excelsior District who grew up at 87 Harrington Street. This community celebration of Jerry Garcia originated in 2002 a...

Outsound Presents, the home grown artist nonprofit collective of the Bay-Area returns July 18th - 24th for the 9th Annual Outsound New Music Summit, one of the most comprehensive experimental music festivals on the West Coast with another unique roster of talent. The festival seeks to build on its reputation for diverse and critically-acclaimed performances with headliners that run the gamut from the films of Martha Colburn, multi-phonic drummer Alex Cline, the siren voices of Amy X Neuburg to the unabashed performance noise of Chen Santa Maria. Every summer since 2002, the New Music Summit spends a week in July showcasing some of the most innovative and pioneering new music that is happening in California and beyond. At first a celebration of the eclectic vanguard artists on the DIY Edgetone Records Label, the Summit now features a broad range of artists from across the US, Europe, Australia and Japan. It features world premieres and exclusive debuts, raging free improvis...

Béla Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world. “Throw Down Your Heart - Africa Sessions Part 2” includes fourteen new songs recorded during his journey from Nashville to Mali, The Gambia, Tanzania and Uganda. Fleck's goal was to collaborate with incredible African musicians, and look into the origins of the banjo and banjo music. This is also Fleck's second installment of his African musical odyssey and his first experiment with the idea of going direct to the listener online; no record company middleman, a popular concept being used in today's digital music world. For now, his website is the only place you can find and download this fabulous album. A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, mentored by fellow banjo renegade Tony Trischka. In 1980, he released his first solo...

Every summer on July 4th weekend in San Francisco, Fillmore Street is home to the largest free jazz festival on the West Coast: The Fillmore Jazz Festival. The festival annually attracts more than 90,000 people from all over the City, the Bay Area, and beyond. Visitors gather to celebrate and enjoy a musical tradition of live jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel as well as local culture and fine cuisine in the heart of the city by the bay. This year the Festival celebrates its 26th anniversary by once again blending art and soul from sunup to sundown, from Jackson to Eddy, presenting the music of old favorites as well as new ‘up and comers’ on multiple stages. You can also browse 13 blocks of fine arts and crafts, enjoy gourmet food and beverages, and participate in cooking demos by the Fillmore’s finest chefs. Art and crafts include photography, painting, woodwork, metalwork, jewelry, pottery, clothing, hats, and children’s toys – over 200 artists and craftsmen. Delicious ...