2020 C o n c e r t s
Due to COVID 19, all concerts have been suspended until further notice. We will notify people by email when we resume concerts. If you are not on our email list, please go to the home page and sign up for our 'Nest Notes' Newsletter using the form provided.
Scroll down for concert descriptions. To RSVP, use the form below. We will only accept three concert reservations for two seats at this time. Additional reservations will be offered 30 days before each concert. All Shows 6:30 - 9:30 pm. Doors open at 5:30. Please bring a low back lawn chair, something to drink to share with others, and a $20 donation per person for the musicians. Snacks will be available but feel free to bring dinner.
Good to Know.
Scroll down for reservation form and event descriptions.
Please submit a reservation for the events you want to attend. Seating is limited to the first 100 attendees. You may reserve seating for up to two people including yourself. We will confirm your reservation by email. If later, you find you cannot make the event, please let us know so those on the 'wait list' may be able to attend. The email confirming your attendance will include the address of Robin's Nest. Parking is limited. Please consider biking to the event.
Please remember to bring lawn chairs and a bottle of wine, beer or other drink to share with the group.
Thank you for supporting local live music!
Concert Descriptions
May 30 - Misner & Smith - (Sold Out. Wait list only)
Misner & Smith are a gem of a musical pairing and one of Davis’ favorite singer-songwriter groups, offering a refreshing take on contemporary folk music. Their lovely harmonies and perfectly blended voices fit within classic American traditions. Their songwriting and storytelling transport the listener to a unique world of their creation. With a timeless San Francisco sound and poetic songwriting, they are a duo that blend roots and folk at the cutting edge of contemporary acoustic music.
June 13 – Joe Craven and Mamajowali
Joe Craven, Mamadou Sidibe and Walter Strauss make up this cross-cultural "Afromericana" trio of veteran touring musicians. Blending West African music, old time American tunes, and spirited originals – with hoppin' grooves, tons of musical dialogue and tasty improvisational shenanigans. Come enjoy an upbeat blend of kamale ngoni (West African hunter's harp), guitar, percussion, fiddle, mandolin and songs in two languages.
June 27 – Jessica Malone Band
With northern California roots, award winning singer-songwriter, Jessica Malone writes lyrics that seem to grow from the landscape itself. Her voice whisks you away to places of both comfortable familiarity and dreamlike longing. The soulful songstress creates a one of a kind sound that blends a rootsy Americana with elements of folk, country rock, bluesy soul and sultry jazz. Malone's songs evoke a sense of wanderlust, self discovery, & her unfiltered approach to songwriting creates music that will take you back in time, while her heartfelt lyrics keep you rooted in the present. Her sound is both tight and playful with acoustic guitar, upright bass, and the romantic stylings of gypsy violin soaring through the mix.
July 18 – The Heifer Belles
The Heifer Belles began as friends getting together for some casual picking and singing. The resulting blend of back porch Americana took them out of the living room into the world to perform their music. Juliet Gobert’s song writing ranges from tongue-in-cheek to heartfelt to socially insightful—a gamut of human experiences in today’s world. Juliet leads on vocals and guitar, with a powerful and expressive voice. Juliet has opened for Ray Bonneveille, Maria Muldaur, Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Nina Gerber and Wayne Hancock, among others. Kim Rogers, on pedal steel and harmony vocals, is also a long-time DJ at KVMR community radio. Toni Valenta on bass and harmony vocals, is also the long time lead vocalist of L.A. based band Belly Love. The Heifer Belles love of 3-part harmony brings extra richness to the songs. The Heifer Belles and their musical hijinks guarantee a knee-slapping, tear-jerking time.
July 25 - Achilles Wheel Trio
Achilles Wheel is a California based acoustic trio that blurs the lines between genres and fuses an infectious blend of Roots and World Music Rockadelia. Their sound comes across as both Old School and New School and is riddled with great songwriting. The one thing that rises to the surface as you get to know this group is that supporting the benefit of our human condition is foremost in their work. They play hard as a way to break down walls and celebrate life. Achilles Wheel Trio is Paul, Jonny and Shelby of Achilles Wheel.
August 8 – Justin Farren
Justin Farren writes multidimensional songs that are both enchanting and seemingly effortless. Songs that are uniquely personal but endlessly inventive and highly relatable. Rich Warren of Folk Stage Chicago said "Justin Farren is an incredibly original artist with a lot of verve and energy and a terrific guitarist. He will absolutely charm you with the strange humor and cleverness of his lyrics." Songwriting awards Justin has received include the Songwriter Serenade winner in 2019; the Falcon Ridge Most Wanted Song Swap winner in 2019; the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist winner in 2018; and winner of the Kerrville Songwriting Competition in 2016.
August 8 –Maurice Tani
San Francisco’s Maurice Tani has been a fixture on the local alt-country scene for more than a decade with his band 77 El Deora. He has also previously sung and played guitar for the seminal Motown-style party bands Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra and Big Bang Beat. The San Francisco Chronicle has praised his “twangy modern country sound” and called his songs “wry yet romantic, tender but aggressive.” Known for his agile guitar style and expressive singing, Maurice Tani's particular flavor of Americana is a broad-spectrum tincture of influences to cure the wide range of ills his fertile imagination conjures. While rooted (at times distantly) in country music, his writing is centered on an urban-western perspective.
August 22 – Dennis Johnson and the Mississippi Ramblers
Dennis Johnson & The Mississippi Ramblers fuse roots and Americana music, rocking blues, New Orleans grooves and more. Johnson has drawn comparisons to slide guitarist Roy Rogers and won praise from Guitar World Magazine as being a “slide guitar master.” Blues Blast Magazine opined that, “This guy is up there in the pantheon of outstanding purveyors of the slide guitar tradition.” Bassist Jonathan Stoyanoff attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston on a performance scholarship and has played with or shared the bill with Larry Coryell, B.B. King, Robert Cray and Jackie Green. Since his early days as an apprentice to Tower of Power drummer David Garibaldi, drummer Tim Metz has performed with some of the world’s top jazz musicians including Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Jeff Clayton and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.
September 12 – Joe Craven and Way Old West
Way Old West is a highly original Americana roots music trio that was born out of a multi-culti mashup up of re-imagined covers, sparkling originals, thrift stored fashion-insulted presentation along with bargain bin humor. A popular attraction from the 1980s and 90s they have now (under a self-perception of extreme pressure from the general public and inspiration from Frank Sinatra) dusted off their now tighter-fitting WOW wardrobe to make a rare appearance of shows for 2020. They were a popular attraction in Nevada City / Grass Valley and, miraculously, will be returning through the good graces, if not compassionate allowance, of Paul Emery. Way Old West includes Tracy Walton (Mumbo Gumbo / The Cups / Walton, Webster and Edwards), Bill Edwards (Webster, Walton and Edwards) and Joe Craven (David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Alison Brown, David Lindley, Painted Mandolin and Joe Craven & The Sometimers… just to name a few).