Steven Short

Today we're featuring a local band called Shady Maples. They’re a northern-southern band, actually; the singing guitarist lives in the Bay Area and the lap steel player resides in San Diego. Their talents will converge on Sunday, April 15th, when they’ll have a free show at Rasputin Records in Berkeley, starting about 2 pm.

The music you’re hearing is by The Rogers. The members all met at a music instruction store in Oakland’s Laurel neighborhood. They have quite a complicated list of ingredients to their sound, which is most easily described as “Americana.” They’re one of five bands on the bill this Thursday at The Stork Club in Oakland. Music starts about 9pm.

At Maritime National Historical Park, the golden age of shantey-ing comes alive again as sailors and sea music enthusiasts gather around an ancient vessel, the "Balclutha.” Peter Kasin’s job is to preserve these ancient shanties, and in turn to preserve San Francisco’s dangerous Barbary Coast past. But not everyone likes their shanties; some say they’re more bouncy than they were in the past, and should capture the sweat of the sailors who sang these songs way back in the 1800s to help make their rough shipboard jobs a bit more rhythmic.

The Shants, which is Gaelic for "charmed," or “blessed,” call their sound “slow burning Americana, from Oakland, California.”

The Shants will be playing on Sunday (April 1st) as part of “Roots Rocket Sunday,” at Disco Volante in Oakland.

Music starts about 7 pm, and tickets are $1,000 each. APRIL FOOLS! Actually, admission is free….

At Maritime National Historical Park, the golden age of shantey-ing comes alive again as sailors and sea music enthusiasts gather around an ancient vessel, the "Balclutha.” Peter Kasin’s job is to preserve these ancient shanties, and in turn to preserve San Francisco’s dangerous Barbary Coast past. But not everyone likes their shanties; some say they’re more bouncy than they were in the past, and should capture the sweat of the sailors who sang these songs way back in the 1800s to help make their rough shipboard jobs a bit more rhythmic.