Bread & Roses Presents is a nonprofit arts organization with a human services mission that brings hope, healing and joy through live music and the performing arts to children, adults and seniors who are disadvantaged, marginalized, or otherwise isolated in diverse institutional settings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

You will see their table at most (maybe all) KC Turner shows at the Hopmonk in Novato. One of the ways they raise money is via a raffle. They sell tickets at the Hopmonk Cookout Concert series. The prize this year is a guitar that will be signed by Joan Baez. Bread & Roses Presents also raises money through their annual benefit concert.

This year’s benefit will be held on Sunday, September 21st at the Hopmonk in Novato and will feature Rainbow Girls opening for Shovels & Rope. There are still tickets available and I’m here to tell you that you don’t want to miss this. Go to KC Turner Presents to get your tickets.

If you aren’t familiar with Rainbow Girls, they are a local-ish Bay Area trio of amazing women with lovely harmonies and clever lyrics. They are a big part of the local music community here. I always leave their performances smiling and look forward to any chance to see them perform. The fact that they are opening for Shovels & Rope is such a bonus and makes the cost of this ticket more palatable. (Reminding myself that it’s a benefit!). Check out their tasty harmonies in this clip below from a house concert last year.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE Shovels & Rope. As I was thinking about writing this post this week, I realized that I was having a difficult time because Shovels & Rope is complicated for me. I do absolutely love this duo! They are a long-time favorite and I have seen them a lot. I would say they are in my top 5 favorite bands. They are a band that has truly represented community for me, but they also represent a lot of loss.

The first time I saw Shovels & Rope was in April 2013 at the Great American Music Hall. They made a big impression. I got to see them again in October at HSB and actually was able to share them with a few friends. They were the first band on Sunday morning and they brought it again. Just Michael and Cary Ann and their instruments and their voices.

Since then I’ve gone to see them whenever I can and sometimes I can actually get a crowd with me. Shovels & Rope is kind of how I met Rod in the fall of 2015; they are how we started talking – because we had the same Shovels & Rope shirt and he was always near us at shows and distinctive with his chin art and height. A friendship was made over a love of Shovels & Rope and live music, in general. If you want more about Rod and our friendship, here’s a link to the blogpost I wrote in December 2021 after he passed.

Since December 2021 (possibly before), I can’t hear Shovels & Rope without thinking of Rod. He was someone who went to all the S&R shows with me. He and Shovels & Rope also helped me get through my cousin Jamie’s death. To be fair, other people and things helped too, but imma give the credit to Rod and S&R. We had a big group heading out to see S&R at the Fillmore for my birthday celebration on November 4, 2016. I was at work that day when I got the call about Jamie’s death. I don’t remember a lot about that day, but I remember Rod taking care of me before the show at our happy hour and at the show. And I remember crying my eyes out at that show. Since 2016, I don’t think I’ve made it through a S&R show without tears streaming, certainly not since 2021.

Shovels & Rope is also how I met Jonathan Kopp, another show friend gone too soon. Jonathan and I met at the Fillmore (in line) and we saw quite a few S&R shows together, including the festival in Sonoma with the bride and groom partying with us. I remember Jonathan being quite taken with them.

So, Shovels & Rope is community for me… And they also represent death on some level. I imagine this doesn’t sound like a reason to go see this band, but you really should!! It’s like a catharsis; like a celebration of death (think NoLA / listen to St. Anne’s Parade). Their music is also a soundtrack to get us through these difficult times (listen to ‘Coping Mechanism’).

As a side note, part of what I really love about Shovels & Rope is they way they are together and the way they support other artists. Here a few photos and videos that I think show the energy and talent that they bring to the stage. Their live performances are always a treat for me! I also included a link to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert cause why not!

Anyway, I look forward to seeing them and my community on Sunday and hopefully that includes you too! I would normally spend hours reviewing and editing this and changing the pictures and the order, etc, but the show is tomorrow and I’ve got to get this published!

#alwaysgototheshow