The Back Room

We are so excited to announce our spring outdoor concert series, and an upcoming livestream with Sam this Sunday evening! Click the image below to see our newsletter and learn more. We hope to see you at a show soon!

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at 8pm this evening for Sam’s first livestream, in honor of his third annual holiday concert. Please click the link below at 8pm to view the concert, admission is free and donations are gratefully accepted. Thank you for supporting local music! https://howlive.tv/event/SamRudinChristmas

Invite your friends to join you online for this special event!

Sam's doing his first-ever livestream concert, on the occasion of his third annual Merry Christmas From a Jewish Atheist Pianist show! Tune in on 12/24 at 8pm PT to enjoy the show!

Today's show with Roberta Donnay & the Prohibition Mob is ON! Please dress warmly and feel free to bring food/drinks to enjoy while you listen. :) Thanks for supporting live music, see you later today!

Good news! We've rescheduled our show with Yolandra Rhodes and Darryl Rowe. Please join us on Nov. 8th!

An update from Sam: Well, this has been the most tumultuous week yet! Early Monday afternoon, I got the word from the Downtown Berkeley Association that Mayor Arreguin had come to some kind of agreement with the Health Office, and that our performance schedule was back on track!... I wrote up a newsletter with the glad tidings, including the fact that the Mayor declared that he was very aware of public sentiment on this issue due, in part, to the many emails he has received. Then, late in the day, just as I was about to hit "send," the DBA sent me another notice: the music was off! Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with emails and phone calls in every direction. The Mayor weighed in here on our Facebook page, explaining that, while he definitely supported this sort of musical event (and thanked everyone for their emails), he did not have the power to summarily override the Health Office, which (and I did not know this) answers directly to the State. He would continue, he said, to "use his influence" and to "advocate on our behalf." As for me, I was feeling mighty combative, and I started looking for a lawyer. As I wrote in my response to the Mayor: ~My concern is not just about the month of October, but extends even more importantly to the coming spring and summer. I feel it is incumbent upon The Back Room not to allow this current status to become a precedent, and I am still assessing our options as to how to most forcefully make this case.~ Meanwhile, Andrew Gilbert, the music journalist, had taken quite an interest in all of these ups and downs (his article should appear in Berkeleyside Thursday or Friday), and it was Andrew, who, just a few hours ago (it is Wednesday evening as I write this) let me know the big, breaking news: Governor Newsom has announced new guidelines for outdoor theatrical and musical performances!! "...as these guidelines are not complete, this morning the State is issuing an interim directive which permits performances before audiences of less than 100 individuals...but requires approval of the safety precautions taken for such performances by the local public health officer." So there we have it! The Governor (responding to the S.F. International Arts Festival, to whom I will have to send a thank you note), has ridden to the rescue, our "local public health officer" has new marching orders, and all is well with outdoor music in Berkeley! Meanwhile, ticket buying has, understandably, come to a halt these past couple of weeks, and you should know that there are plenty of seats left for this weekend's shows (John Schott's Actual Trio and Roberta Donnay & the Prohibition Mob). There are also seats available for Mark Hummel/Bob Welsh on Nov. 1st, and maybe a few for the rescheduled HowellDevine show on Nov. 7th. So, again, thanks to everyone for your good wishes and moral support! See you outside! Sam

Hi Everyone - Well, the saga of outdoor music at The Back Room continues! The Happy Ending that we thought was in place as of our last communique is no longer the case! Regretfully, under orders from the city's Health Office, we had to cancel this past weekend's concerts (10/17 and 10/18). We are still fighting to hold on to the rest of the series, and YOU CAN HELP! This is the very definition of a policy in flux, where officials have not figured out what they want to do, and...Continue reading

A note from Sam: I regret to report that the Berkeley Health Office has decided, despite the opinions of the rest of the Berkeley government, and despite the overwhelming opinions of the citizens, to issue a cease and desist order against the Back Room Outdoor Music Series. This order is still being fought, but in terms of this weekend, the fight is lost. We will post a more detailed update about the entire program very soon. We're sorry to cancel this weekend's shows and hope to see you at another show soon. All tickets have been refunded for this weekend. If you have any questions or need anything, give us a call at 510-654-3808. Thanks for your support!

Here's the latest from Sam about our upcoming shows and the generosity of the good folks at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Click the image below to read this week's newsletter, and as always, thanks for supporting live music!

#SOSFest is happening Oct 16-18 with a killer line-up and a chance for all of us to support independent music venues across the country. #SaveOurStages

Tomorrow's show with HowellDevine is being postponed to Nov 7th due to poor air quality. All tickets sold will be honored on Nov 7th, or you may request a full refund through Eventbrite. Thanks for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you soon! Stay safe!

Thank you Berkeleyside and Andrew Gilbert for the love! We’re excited to be back!

Our first outdoor show went well! Thanks to all who came out yesterday for the J. Hanrahan Quartet. We've added a new show with Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs on Sat., Oct. 10th at 3pm. And Sam has more info about our new outdoor concert series, click the link below to learn more. #outdoorconcert #livemusic

Our first outdoor show is today at 3pm! Tickets are still available: https://backroommusic.com//9/26/j-hanrahan-quartet-outdoors We hope to see you there, and thanks for supporting live music!

Some good news! Live music is back at The Back Room! Sam has booked nine shows so far, all to be held outside in front of the venue, starting next Sat 9/26. Read all about it in our newsletter below, and thanks for supporting live music!

Calling all Bay Area musicians! Our friends at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass asked us to pass this info along and we're happy to do so: FUNDING FOR BAY AREA MUSICIANS: Apply now for COVID-19 relief funding through the Hardly Strictly Music Relief Fund! Eligible applicants in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sonoma counties can apply for unrestricted grants up to $2,000 to address urgent financial needs resulting from the impact of COVID-19. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in partnership with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and Center for Cultural Innovation encourages musicians of traditional forms from all cultures to apply for support! Applications are due September 14 at 5 pm PST. Learn more: https://www.actaonline.org//hardly-strictly-music-relief-/

Things have been pretty quiet lately but Sam is working on creating some outdoor shows in front of The Back Room, with strict safety protocols in place. Stay tuned for more info soon! We look forward to seeing you at a show soon!