June 2024

Hall on the Hill : Touring again, Daryl Hall visits Saratoga’s Mountain Winery

Eddie June 5, 2024 No Comments

PUBLIC EYES Daryl Hall plays June 10 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Photo by Stuart Berg

Radio listeners in the ’70s and ’80s would be hard pressed to have missed the pop/soul group Hall & Oates. Darlings of both FM and AM, and MTV regulars during the ’80s, the duo would eventually split with both artists releasing solo records.

Originally part of the Atlantic Records family for their first three records, which yielded the No. 1 hit “She’s Gone,” Hall & Oates had a run on RCA Records that saw them rise to the top of the charts on a consistent basis. At their new label, distributed by behemoth BMG Distribution, they would strike gold yet again with an astounding six No. 1 hits. 

Today, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Daryl Hall has built himself quite a reputation as a music lover of multiple genres by producing his own show, Live at Daryl’s House, which finds the songwriter featuring myriad guests from such disparate backgrounds and genres as King Crimson’s Robert Fripp, singer/rapper/producer CeeLo Green, rock band Cheap Trick, singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb, British popster Howard Jones and more.

“It was an idea I had to use the internet for entertainment, which hadn’t really been done before,” Hall has said about the LADH series, which he started with his own money. “Hard to believe, but there wasn’t anything like it. So much has changed since then. I was kind of a pioneer. I love all the guests we’ve booked and I think we’ve gone to places, musically, that we’ve never gone to before.”

As luck would have it, the ambidextrous musician with a golden voice will return to the touring circuit with his longtime pal, Elvis Costello. For those who don’t understand the tour’s significance, it has been four decades since the two sang together on Costello’s “The Only Flame in Town” song from the 1984 Goodbye, Cruel World release. 

The 22-city tour will find both Hall and Costello playing songs from their storied catalog as well as joining together for a handful of numbers. Not unlike a semi-recent tour with Todd Rundgren, it’s wholly obvious Daryl excels at pairing up with musician friends whenever possible be it live or in his studio.

And while Daryl Hall has a formidable solo catalog to choose from, judging by recent setlists, it would seem he’s bound to go heavy on the Hall & Oates material that made him a household name at his upcoming concert. Expect “Out of Touch,” “Say It Isn’t So,” “Sara Smile,” “I Can’t Go for That,” and a handful of cover surprises that change from tour to tour.

Said Hall about their package tour, which began on June 2 in Oregon and will eventually wind down on July 25 in Virginia, “It’s fantastic to be able to rekindle a musical relationship.” Added Costello about the joint venture, “We are looking forward to kicking off the show in style in the certainty that Daryl will deliver a slam-bang finish.”

Daryl Hall, Elvis Costello and the Imposters and Charlie Sexton play the Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga, on June 10 at 6:30pm. mountainwinery.com.

(Metro Silicon Valley)

The 85’s Bring 80’s dance party to Sweetwater

Eddie June 4, 2024 No Comments

Featuring a veritable who’s who of the North Bay music scene, The 85’s are surely not your average cover band. Instead, this group of like-minded musicians add their own spin to all those rad 80’s songs you purchased originally as a 45rpm while constantly sticking to the vibe and live presentation of its original writers.  

Originally formed 19 years ago, the group has been a headliner at countless venues including Bay Area clubs, private events, and outdoor festivals while paying homage to and playing a heady mix of songs from The Clash to Devo, English Beat to Eurythmics, The Fixx to Madonna, The Police to Pretenders, Journey to Prince, and much more. 

For those not in the know, the band features founding members Adam “Bagel” Berkowitz (drums, vocals) and Monroe Grisman (guitar, vocals), both alumni of neighboring 

Tamalpais High School in 1985. Additionally, the band is rounded out by the very capable vocal stylings of April Grisman (Eric Martin, Clarence Clemons, Irene Cara & Y&T) alongside new (er) members Steven Seydler (keyboards) and Joey DiBono (bass).

We caught up with drummer Adam Berkowitz during his downtime in between gigs to get the lowdown on their upcoming Sweetwater Music Hall show. 

Pacific Sun: The 85’s must have a huge pool of songs to choose from. About how many will your Sweetwater Music Hall show feature? 

Adam Berkowitz: Yes, and the song list keeps growing. It’s funny to think back when we first formed this band – a one-off for my Tamalpais High Class of ‘85 high school reunion. We picked ten tunes from our high school years and that was supposed to be it. Later that year, we put together a holiday show over Christmas at The Sweetwater and opened it up as a hometown reunion. We had to learn a couple sets of music. Once you learn about 30 tunes, you basically have a functioning band and so we kept going with it. I think we now we have about 60 songs to pull from and we keep adding new ones. For the Sweetwater show, we’ll be doing two sets which is about 25 songs. Stylistically, we cover a lot of ground so there is something for everyone but the goal is to get folks dancing.

Pacific Sun:  As a drummer and background vocalist to boot, are there are songs you find more difficult than the others on the kit? What about background vocals? 

Adam Berkowitz: I don’t find the songs to be particularly difficult to play, but adding vocals on top of that adds an element of complexity. When we first formed the band, prior to April joining, we all sang lead vocals. April would sit in on occasion and, after about 5 years of pleading, we were finally able to get her to officially join the band. Though April sings the majority, Monroe and I still sing lead on many of the songs. We love singing harmony parts as well. Singing and playing just adds another element of fun for us and it sounds great.

Pacific Sun: Any goals or aspirations for The 85’s in 2024 / 2025? 

Adam Berkowitz: As we come up on our 20th year, I’m not sure we have any grand plans. We’ll probably just cycling in new tunes to keep it fresh. I can’t recall a specific gig that stands out, though I really love the Sweetwater holiday party we do every year around Christmas since it becomes sort of a reunion with so many old friends. We’ve played so many clubs, private events, weddings etc that they all tend to blend in together, but it really comes down to how the crowd reacts. If we have the dance floor moving and folks are singing along, it doesn’t get much better than that.

The 85’s play Sweetwater Music Hall located at 19 Corte Madera Avenue in Mill Valley. Doors open at 8pm and the show kicks off at 9pm, Friday, June 7. Tickets are $20 advance and can be purchased at www.sweetwatermusichall.com. All ages are welcome. 

(Pacific Sun)