Rising star and phenomenal 22-year-old guitarist Matthew Curry along with The Jimmy Dillon Band and Bay Area’s own Birdseed will perform at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley in a very special Fall Benefit Concert for Bread & Roses on Tuesday October 24th. Irish Greg will emcee this one-time-only ROCKTOBER event. This intimate evening of extraordinary rock 'n’ roll music will support Bread & Roses programs that bring hope and healing through live music to isolated Bay Area audiences in over 600 annual shows. General Admission and VIP tickets are available online through Sweetwater or through Bread & Roses by calling (415) 945-7120.
Here’s an in-depth look at the exciting artists that will play for the ROCKTOBER Benefit Concert.
Matthew Curry
Twenty-two-year-old Matthew Curry, a rising star out of the small town of Normal, Illinois, has been called “the next guitar hero” and “a phenomenal guitarist” by Peter Frampton. On tour recently with Frampton, Matthew has also played with the Steve Miller Band, the Doobie Brothers, Blackberry Smoke and Don Felder. According to Steve Miller, “Matthew Curry is a wonderful guitar player [and] great songwriter in the Stevie Ray Vaughan area of virtuosity and originality.”
Now part of the Intrepid Artists label, he has recorded two full-length albums and an EP. He is one of ten featured artists on the Fender Accelerator Tour that provides developing artists a touring van as well as the resources needed to get out on the road to promote their music and upcoming concerts to over two million fans. Matthew has played The Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee; Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in Ozark, Arkansas; as well as Bluesfest Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia.
The Jimmy Dillon Band
Since The Steepwater Band is regretfully unable to play due to a family emergency, our concert will now feature "The Jimmy Dillon Band." We are honored that Jimmy Dillon and friends will step in to play with Matthew Curry and share their own music as well. The band consists of guitarist, bandleader and producer Jimmy Dillon, with friends Eric McCann on bass and Kirk Snedeker on drums. A well-known San Francisco Bay area guitarist, Jimmy Dillon is an accomplished and award-winning musician, singer, songwriter and teacher with an impressive record. Jimmy has backed up celebrated artists including Bruce Springsteen, Sting and John Lee Hooker. He has appeared on stage with B.B. King, Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt, among many others before embarking on a solo career and recording four CDs to date. A quick listen to his repertoire reveals an eclectic mix of blues, rock, country and Latin styles.
Most recently, Jimmy Dillon and Paul Liberatore co-produced a special show "Summer of Love: The San Francisco Sound" on July 22 at the Nourse Theater in San Francisco and donated a portion of the proceeds to Bread & Roses. Jimmy has been a volunteer performer and supporter of Bread & Roses for over two decades. He has mentored many youth to perform for Bread & Roses through his Blue Star Music Camp and is on our Circle of Advisors.
Birdseed
Birdseed is a Bay Area rock band formed in 2012 that has been attracting large numbers of Gen X and Gen Y fans with their classic Fleetwood Mac-meets-Wilco sound. With an interesting backstory of ordinary moms and dads chasing a teenage dream, Birdseed was formed while their children were studying together at the Bird School of Music in San Francisco, CA. Their songs address adult angst, lost loves, perseverance through pain, and the transcendent power of music.
Birdseed consists of Kerry Landreth (vocals), Jamie Goodyear (vocals, guitar, keyboards, vocoder, bongos), Mason Morfit (guitar), Scott Bell (drums), Brian Hetherington (keyboards), Peter Landreth (saxophone) and Lane Murchison (bass). In January 2016, Birdseed opened for Poi Dog Pondering at the Great American Music Hall and for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at The Independent in San Francisco. Lead singer Landreth's personal connection to the crowd fuels the energy at their fun and dynamic shows.
The name Birdseed was inspired by a dream image of seed being thrown to a flying group of pigeons swarming to catch food in mid-air. This has served as an apt metaphor for the band's music, its relationship with its fans, and the atmosphere at its shows. The story of the band and its fans was featured in the rockumentary "Birdseed: Songs from the Nest," which can be streamed at www.birdseedband.com.
“Irish Greg” McQuaid
Emcee "Irish Greg" McQuaid grew up in Dublin, Ireland and moved to San Francisco in 1996, where he interned with Alex Bennett at Live 105. "Irish Greg" soon got his dream job producing the "KFOG Morning Show" with Dave Morey, which lasted 17 years. In 2014, he co-hosted "KFOG in the Morning" with Renee Richardson. He left KFOG in 2016. He currently co-produces "Renee and Irish Greg's Pop Up" a bi-monthly podcast and show of live music recorded in various locations with diverse Bay Area audiences.
Don’t miss this unforgettable evening. Get your tickets now and support Bread & Roses mission of hope and healing through live music and make a positive difference in the lives of those isolated around the Bay Area who need it most.