NIGHT BEAT on Rhythm Street Joe Tate
Friday
Taste of Rome at 1000 Bridgeway is a great place to hang and enjoy what is probably the best coffee house in Marin. With a collegiate atmosphere, it seems to be populated with a cross section of local writers and artists.
When the weather is nice, like it is this evening, the front glass is folded back so the interior and sidewalk area become one. You can enjoy a glass of wine, beer or sample the offerings from the menu. These include pizza, sandwiches, salads, quiche and pasta.
This evening the New Rising Sons are playing from 7: PM till 10: Pm. This group’s genesis dates from 1964 when Ry Cooder , Taj Mahal and Jesse Kinkaid formed the Rising Sons in southern California. The group also included Gary Marker and Ed Cassidy. They were a popular band in the Los Angeles area and often played clubs along the Hollywood strip. They recorded an album with Columbia records but, because they didn’t have a hit single, it was never released. The LP was widely bootlegged and after some 35 years was finally released.
In 2007 Jesse Kinkaid and his new group became the house band at Mill Vally’s Sweetwater. With Jonathan Lovitt on guitar, Jake Baker on drums and Kurt Huget on bass, they were employed as the anchor band of the club. They decided to call themselves the New Rising Sons.
Tonight the set started with Jonathan Lovitt singing the jimmy Reed standard “Hush Hush.” Jonathan makes good use of his ample guitar skills while simultaneously providing an authentic sounding Jimmy Reed rack harp.
Continuing on with light rock and blues, the groove spread out onto the sidewalk where passersby stopped to enjoy the sounds and gyrate a little. Jake Baker sang a nice rendition of Elvis’ “Little Sister.” Kurt Huget, who was playing guitar tonight, gave of a nice version of the folk rock clkassic, “The Might Quinn.” Duane Van Diemat, formerly of the Tasmanian Devils, played bass instead of Kurt because Jesse Kinkaid was absent. So Kurt took over Jesse’s guitar spot.
Veronica Page came to the stage and sang “I Fell In Love.” At this point, the soft rock program was over. Fine with me. Veronica has a smooth bell tone voice that morphs into a squall as she belts out this number.
Jake and Kurt team up for some tight harmony on the Everly Brothers’ “Dream. This is really nice. Kurt also sings a tribute he wrote for the late Francis Clay, the legendary drummer of the Muddy Waters band, titled “ Ain’t Gonna Muddy the Water Any More.”
The New Rising Sons return to Taste OF Rome in Sausalito on July 26.
Just a short walk down Bridgeway brings us to Piccolo, at 660 Bridge way. This is right at the intersection of Princess Street and fronting Yee Tock Chee Park, which is built like a sort of pier connecting between the sidewalk and the Bay. You can sit outside here at the restaurant or in the park. It’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. However, there is strict rule here not to bring your alcoholic drinks beyond the perimeter of the restaurant.
They have good coffee as well as wine, beer and an assortment of other goodies. Take your pick: appetizers, Pizza, salad, panini, pasta, croissants and more. Owner Mauro, who used to operate Caffé Divino, keeps busy scurrying from table to table, making sure everyone is happy.
Fiver Brown’s band is playing outside facing the Bay. Fiver received the name from his mother because of her fascination with the seer rabbit in Watership Down.
The group features Fiver singing his many original songs with a sprinkling of covers scattered throughout the set. He is backed by Dave Zuckerman on guitar, Mary Pitchford on fiddle, Gregg Galbraith on Keyboards, Scott Lipsitz on bass and Rocky Vogler on Drums. They develop a nice ensemble sound which drifts across the water and envelopes this downtown hub with a nice Sausalito groove.
The songs carry popular themes with vocals interspersed with nice solos from guitar, keyboard and fiddle. All in all, it’s a very nice sound. These folks seem like real professionals and they can be heard at various functions around town. Look for them at Bay Model functions and occasionally at the Presidio Yacht Club.
Many patrons are dancing on the concrete slabs in the park. It is a nice night and many people are walking in and out from the street. The crowd is made up mostly of locals, though some folks have expensive cameras hanging from them. The atmosphere is very congenial though and, I would recommend hearing music here whenever it is warm.
Night Beat 