San Francisco Voice

There’s a quote that I love which goes something like: Every day, I become an intenser devotee to common sense. (I forget who said it, although I remember that it comes from a book that’s got a selection of diary entries from female writers.) I may not recall the author, but the message stuck with me throughout the years. I’m a big fan of common sense, especially when it seems to be lacking in situations around me. And I thought of this line when I first put on Fix the Roof, the CD by San Francisco band Hippie Grenade.
That’s because …read more

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The image that you see up there is the poster for the San Rafael Food and Wine Festival which is happening this weekend up in San Rafael. The reason that you see it here is because the poster was created by local artist Rich Sigberman who was recently interviewed by San Fran Voice. If you’re heading up to check out the festival, be sure to say hi to Rich since he’s going to have a booth there.
If you miss him there, you can catch him in September at his booths at the Telluride Blues Festival (which he also did the …read more

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You’ll have to be familiar with San Francisco’s music scene to understand why I absolutely adore Going My Way, the CD of local musician Shane Papatolicas. That’s because I can’t give a review that doesn’t mention a comparison between Shane’s music and the music of my favorite San Francisco Band, Bag of Toys. And with this CD, Shane managed to surpass the band in my eyes because of the diversity of his music. But for those of you who aren’t on the same page as me, let’s backtrack a little bit.
We’ll start with Bag of Toys. I stumbled on this …read more

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Imagine that it is the end of winter in a place that has four typical seasons. You are in your apartment, wearing fuzzy pajamas and a warm robe. Outside of your window, the wind stirs up the chill but the true harshness of winter has already subsided. You have just gotten over your winter cold, and you feel happy just to feel well. You are curled up on your favorite chair, your hands wrapped around a mug of hot tea. It’s dark tea, with a rich smoky flavor and you’ve accented it with a spill of cream and a dash …read more

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*”Morning Glory” by Rosalind Solomon
Rosalind Solomon has spent more than thirty years doing commercial artwork, primarily illustrations for such projects as children’s books and advertising packaging. In recent years, she has begun to make the switch to fine art, using inspiration from her own spiritual journey and from all of her years of making art to create paintings that are the manifestation of this personal history. She is currently working on opening her own studio in her home and continuing to explore this new aspect of her artwork. In this interview, she tells us about this new work as well …read more

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I’ve had the pleasure of listening to Going My Way, the CD by Shane Papatolicas. You’ll be getting a full review here next week but suffice to say that I love it on every level. For that reason, I strongly recommend going to check him out tonight at his live show at El Rincon. He’s playing a long set from around 8 – 10 (and will be followed by the Marc Digiacomo Trio).
You can get a glimpse of Shane’s music on his MySpace Page or his website.

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Go to Rich Sigberman’s website and you’ll learn that he does “Jazz, Pop & Abstract Artwork” and “Commercial and Architectural Illustration”. What does that mean? He’s an illustrator and artist who has done work for books and buildings all throughout the Bay Area. Much of his inspiration comes from the jazz musicians that he has loved for years. In other words, Rich gets to do what many artists only dream of doing; he makes a living from his art. And he gives you some hints as to how in his blog. But first, learn more about his work from this …read more

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*”Kneeling Girl” painting by Ryoko Tajiri
Ryoko Tajiri is an artist who came to San Francisco from Japan, got an MFA from a local art school and is now making a life here in the Bay Area. In this interview, you can learn not only a lot about the artist but also a lot about a particular local art movement – Bay Area Figurative.
What can you tell us about the basics of your artwork? How does your work differ when you work in different mediums (ie, how do sketches differ from paintings?)
School gave me the opportunity to study both abstract …read more

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Dena Rose is a Bay Area fashion designer whose one-of-a-kind vintage items are beginning to pop up in the city at places like RAG Co-op in Hayes Valley. She got started in her career when she was just a kid, tailoring used clothes to fit her tall frame and to create her own style. Now she applies that style to vintage clothes that she finds in thrift shops around The Haight and elsewhere, creating a variety of new clothes inspired by all kinds of different things in the city (and elsewhere). Check out some of the work that she’s got …read more

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I received a message about a show this weekend and it immediately caught my attention because the first line of the invite is: “All-you-can-eat BBQ, drink specials and 3 sexy men, all in their own special ways.” That definitely works for me. The three men who are performing are Fred Odell, Ian Shaul, and Glen Earl Brown, Jr.
Ian’s the one that I got the invite from, and the one whose music I already know. (It’s an indie/folksy sound; you can check it out yourself on his MySpace page.) He’s a funny guy … his self-description in the message says: “Ian …read more

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