653 Chenery Street
in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood
1-415-586-3733
[email protected]
Open to walk-in trade and browsing
Tuesday to Sunday
noon to six
Live Streams every weekend!
Refresh your browser
to catch a show in progress!
Visit our Facebook page or
YouTube channel!
But nothing beats being in the room
with the music & the musicians!
Who knew surf guitarists might have an axe to grind!
Lee says plenty with his guitar, and Jamie Lease and Ed Ivey have no problem surfing his wake! We dig ’em unconditionally!
But Lee’s also got this to say!
SOMETIMES WORDS JUST GET IN THE WAY. THEY CAN OBSCURE AS OPPOSED TO CLARIFY. THIS CAN BE THE CASE WITH MUSIC & LYRICS. WORDS MAY GET IN THE WAY OF WHAT ‘S REALLY TRYING TO BE SAID. I DON’T LIKE WORDS IN MUSIC ANY MORE THAN I LIKE A STRANGER TELLING ME THEIR MEDICAL HISTORY WHILE WAITING FOR THE BUS. WORDS CAN BE HURTFUL. THEY CAN CUT LIKE A KNIFE AND BURN LIKE A FLAME. I’VE HEARD ENOUGH WORDS.
MY FAVORITE SONGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INSTRUMENTALS, ESPECIALLY WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY IMAGES, FILM SCORES IN PARTICULAR….MUSIC THAT EVOKES A SCENE, SOUND AS A PRELUDE TO ACTION AND MOVEMENT.
I WANTED TO ASSEMBLE A BAND THAT PLAYED ALL INSTRUMENTALS SO THAT GROOVE AND FEEL, MELODY AND HARMONY, COULD BE FULLY ENJOYED, UNENCUMBERED BY LYRICS. FORMED IN 2000 FROM THE REMAINS OF THE SWINGIN’ JOHNSONS, WE DECIDED TO SWITCH THE FORMAT TO ALL INSTRUMENTALS DUE TO THE UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR AND GENERAL UNSAVORY APPEARANCE, HYGIENE AND HABITS OF MOST VOCALISTS. WHAT STARTED AS A SIDE BAND FOR WELL TRAVELED BAY AREA SIDEMEN, HAS EVOLVED INTO ONE OF SF’s MOST POPULAR INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS.
Makes you think, don’t you think?
But when they play, there are no words, so you can just feel it! Come out and hear for yourselves!
Lee Vilensky Trio with Bill MacBeath on bass and Jamie Lease on drums
TAKE OUR SURVEY
To take our SURVEY, click here, and help the BBCLP get to know you better! As Duke Ellington always said, we love you madly...
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
Our events are put on under the umbrella of the nonprofit Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project (the "BBCLP"). That's how we fund our ambitious schedule of 300 or so concerts and literary events every year.
The BBCLP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit...
[Read More ]
The Independent Musicians Alliance
Gigging musicians! You have nothing to lose but your lack of a collective voice to achieve fair wages for your work!
The IMA can be a conduit for you, if you join in to make it work.
https://www.independentmusiciansalliance.org/
Read more here - Andy Gilbert's Feb 25 article about the IMA from KQED's site