the backroom

Grand Opening @ 1951 Coffee Company
Fri., Feb. 3, 4pm-5pm

Join local officials and the community as they welcome 1951 Coffee Company to the Telegraph district!

1951 Coffee is a new Berkeley nonprofit that supports recently arrived refugees through job training and employment opportunities in the coffee industry.

Your patronage at 1951 will directly help create a welcoming community for refugees while you enjoyone of the best new cups of coffee in town. Cafe hours: Mon. – Fri. 7am-7pm; Sat. & Sun. 8am-7pm.

1951 Coffee Company, 2410 Channing Way in Berkeley
between Telegraph Avenue and Dana Street

Stu Allen’s Grateful Dead Night @ Ashkenaz

Fri. Feb. 3, 9pm

A tradition started back in the 20th century, Ashkenaz’s Grateful

Stu Allen Photo/ashkenaz.com

Dead Night is always evolving and reaching new heights since Stu Allen & Mars Hotel launched a weekly residency in late 2011. Led by acclaimed guitarist-singer Allen (of Phil Lesh & Friends, Melvin Seals & JGB, Ghosts of Electricity), a revolving cast of incredibly talented musicians inhabits Mars Hotel, drawing from the Grateful Dead’s vast catalog to delight Deadheads and dancers of all generations. A Mars Hotel show is always an energetic evening of good vibes, good music, and good community.

When it became apparent that Jerry Garcia had played his final show in 1995, Stu Allen began working to keep Garcia’s music, sound, and spirit alive in the concert setting. He regularly works with Phil Lesh and has also played sets with Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann.

Mars Hotel takes this idea a step further by presenting a new band at each performance. Drawing from the rich music scene of the Bay Area, Allen has assembled a broad and ever-rotating group of musicians that makes each concert a once-only experience.

Tickets: $16-18 Advance tickets

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley

Peter Case @ the backroom

Sat., Feb. 4, 8pm

Peter Case will return to The Back Room with his special guest Bob Hillman. Both are superior singer/songwriters. According to the backroom, Peter is earthy, bluesy, passionate and Bob is cool and cerebral, with a dry wit. Also one of them is a famous rock star who once fronted the Plimsouls and the Nerves.

Peter Case is an artist whose eclectic body of work embraces rock & roll, contemporary folk, blues, and a number of points in between. As a songwriter, Case is a master storyteller with a special understanding of underdogs and lost souls.

On his most recent release, Peter put his focus back on acoustic music for his album, HWY 62, which features guitar work from Ben Harper.

After over a decade away from the stage and studio, Bob Hillman returns with the full-length album Lost Soul. With his longtime musical mentor ex-Plimsoul Peter Case at the helm, the San Francisco-based singer/songwriter taps back into literate, tuneful songwriting that defined his earlier material and embraces a contemporary sonic landscape. The result is a less crafted, more visceral album.

The Backroom, 1984 Bonita Ave in Downtown Berkeley

About the backroom

The Backroom books all acoustically-based genres, including Jazz, Blues, Folk, Bluegrass, Americana and more. It’s an intimate, comfortable venue with no food or drink other than water or soft drinks. Adults can BYOB. Local musician Sam Rudin wants to keep the music venue small and comfy with a Steinway grand piano on stage and thrift shop overstuffed chairs below. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased in advance or you may buy at the door the day of the show with no service fee.