Davisite logo
Davisite Banner. Left side the bicycle obelisk at 3rd and University. Right side the trellis at the entrance to the Arboretum.

Category: Music

  • Whole Earth Festival Sunday – Women’s Music Day – “Double Maya Rainbow! Oh, my God—it’s a Double Maya Rainbow all the way! Whoa, that’s so intense!”

    Download (1) DownloadSunday at the Whole Earth Festival has traditionally been held on Mother's Day, and for many years has highlighted women artists on Sunday.  

    This year is no exception, with the Sunday lineup on "Quad" Stage including: 

    11:20-12 SOPHIE SENG

    12:20-1 LILLIAN FRANCES

    1:20-2:20 MAYA MCNEIL AND THE SILVER APPLES

    2:40-3:40 MAYA BURNS

    4-4:50 JESSICA MALONE

    and yes, it's a DOUBLE MAYA RAINBOW from 1:20 pm to 3:40 pm !!!!

    Maya Burns first wowed WEF audiences years ago when at the age of ten she sang a perfect acapella version of "White Rabbit".  Now a Singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer she floats from Monterey to Ensenada to México City and annually visits the Whole Earth Festival in Davis.  She presents her music in English and Spanish, inspired by her cultural surroundings growing up in Mexico.

    Maya McNeil is a native of Davis who's solo music is now blossoming as she premiers her amazing band, the Silver Apples, for the first time Sunday!  Maya has a few singles online now such as "Waiting for the Light to Change" and "Main Stream", in anticipation of her first album, "Waiting for the Light to Change".  Maya was Art Space Director of the Festival years ago and has deep roots with the Festival.

    Images Maya Mc

    Do note that the Whole Earth Festival has temporarily moved to Russell Field this year, the big grassy area along Russell Blvd.  It's going to be hot this weekend and Russel Field is treeless, so bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and take advantage of the Whole Earth Misting Station between Quad Stage and the Staff Dome (teal, lavender and tan dome), as well as the 26 large shade structures towards the eastern side of the field.  Quad stage is the eastern of the two stages.

    Also, be sure to check out Maya Burn's parent's (Jim & India) tie-die booth, the colorful booth nearest Quad stage – they have shirts, hats, dresses and much more!

  • Groove with Soroptimists for 70th anniversary

    SI Davis 70th Anniversary Invite FlyerSoroptimist International of Davis will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a disco-themed dinner on Sunday, May 19.

    The event is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Stonegate Country Club, 919 Lake Blvd., Davis. Tickets are $40 and include dinner, a drink ticket, and disco lessons led by Pamela Trokanski. Groovy attire is encouraged. Tickets may be purchased at https://bit.ly/GetGroovyWithUs. The event is open to the public. Please RSVP by May 10.

    Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. It was founded in 1921 in Alameda County. Soroptimist International of Davis was chartered in May 1954. Local members join some 75,000 Soroptimists in 122 countries and territories to contribute time and financial support to community-based projects benefiting women and girls. Its core values are gender equality, empowerment, education, diversity and fellowship.

    SI Davis offers cash Live Your Dream Awards to female heads of household seeking education or training, and assists King High students through its Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls program. It also funds high school scholarships, and grants to nonprofits that align with the Soroptimist mission.

    SI Davis members meet twice a month on Wednesdays – once at lunchtime and once in the evening – and connect for other fun activities and service. Learn more at https://www.sidavis.org/.

  • Davis Pride to celebrate 10th anniversary

    PrideFest2023

    Festivalgoers enjoy the 2023 Davis Pride Festival. This year’s event is June 1 (Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photo)

    (From press release) The Davis Phoenix Coalition plans a month full of events to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride, beginning with its 10th annual festival on June 1. Activities also include a festival after party, fun run, skate and comedy nights, and plenty of drag queens.

    The activities share the theme “Davis Pride – Because Yolo County is for Everyone!” It follows the Davis Phoenix Coalition’s recent lawn sign messages “Davis is for Everyone” and “Yolo County is for Everyone,” to counter the far-right actions experienced in the community.

    The 10th annual Davis Pride Community Fair and Music Festival has a new location this year: Civic Center Park, at Sixth and B streets. The community-focused, family-friendly event includes a music festival, resources, vendors, food, drinks and more – from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. Headlining the musical lineup is Davis’ own Butterscotch, a Season 2 finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Other performers include Deuces & Diamonds in a special reunion performance, the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus, Team Davis Singers, and the always popular Drag Revue. Other artists will be announced soon. There will be activity zones for children, teens and seniors.

    (more…)

  • Picnic in the Park returns to Davis on May 1

    PIP2023

    Patrons enjoy the first Picnic in the Park of the 2023 season. The annual Davis Farmers Market tradition returns in May, and runs every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. through September in Central Park. (Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photo)

    (From press release) The music, food and family fun of Picnic in the Park returns to the Davis Farmers Market on May 1.

    The popular event is every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m., May through September. A local band plays each night. There’s children’s entertainment, loads of food vendors, and plenty of opportunity to gather as a community. October through April, there’s a traditional farmers market on Wednesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m.

    Upcoming bands on the 2024 Picnic in the Park schedule are: Cold Shot (dance party) on May 1; 5-Star Alcatraz (indie, alt rock) on May 8; Kindred Spirits (folk rock) on May 15; Penny Lane (Beatles) on May 22; According to Bazooka (indie, folk, pop) on May 29; The Teds (rock) on June 5; Island Crew (beach tunes) on June 12; and Julie and the Jukes (classic blues) on June 19. Bands are still being booked through September. Check the entertainment schedule at https://www.davisfarmersmarket.org/entertainment-schedule/.

    Tables and chairs in the Market Food Court are sponsored by A Grand Affair Party and Event Rentals. They are for use while enjoying market-purchased food. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets for picnicking on the lawn.

    During operating hours, the market will have an open-container permit, allowing patrons to consume alcohol, whether it’s canned beer from one of the four Davis breweries rotating each week, a bottle of wine from Heringer Estates, or a beverage they brought from home. Check the brewery rotation schedule at https://www.davisfarmersmarket.org/2024-beer-schedule/.

    Picnic in the Park will focus on family-friendly children’s activities and music, along with a wide range of food made from market ingredients. There is a clown, face-painter and children’s activities. The Davis Schools Foundation is organizing the pedal-powered carousel.

    (more…)

  • Thursdays in The Davisphere canceled for 2023

    (From press release) Thursdays in The Davisphere, the concert series launched in 2022 by Davis Downtown, is on hiatus until 2024.

    The board of the Davis Downtown Business Association decided this month to cancel the 2023 event, planned for Oct. 26 in Central Park. In 2024, the organization is looking to bring Thursdays in The Davisphere further into the downtown core, to add vibrant energy to its downtown member businesses.

    DDBA Executive Director Brett Maresca said several factors led to the difficult decision. The postponement gives the organization time to raise funds and plan for a spectacular 2024 series.

    The inaugural season of Thursdays in The Davisphere was weekly in September and October 2022, thanks to funding from a city of Davis grant to revitalize local businesses emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. A follow-up survey showed a nearly 90% approval rating of the event, citing the energy and vibrancy it brought to the downtown. Davis Downtown provided a designated nonprofit beneficiary to receive a portion of proceeds from beer and wine sales.

    Davis Downtown is recruiting sponsors and vendors. Sponsorships would allow the organization to offer multiple Thursdays in The Davisphere events in 2024. For details, email info@davisdowntown.com.

    Davis Downtown leads and energizes the downtown as the primary business, entertainment and cultural center of Davis. Alive with activity seven days a week, downtown Davis draws locals and visitors alike to experience fine food and beverages, retail, professional services, arts and entertainment in an extraordinary and sustainable gathering place.

    • For more information on The Davisphere, visit thedavisphere.com.
    • Learn more about Davis Downtown events and programs at davisdowntown.com.
    • To stay abreast of activities, sign up for the Davis Downtown email newsletter at davisdowntown.com/subscribe.
    • Follow Davis Downtown on Facebook at @davisdowntown and on Instagram at @davis.downtown.

  • The Davisphere returns to Central Park on Oct. 26

    DavisphereSept2022beer

    Crowds gather in Davis’ Central Park on Sept. 29, 2022, for one of the Thursdays in The Davisphere events. The next concert is set for Oct. 26. (Courtesy photo)

    (From press release) Thursdays in The Davisphere, the concert series launched in 2022 by Davis Downtown, will return to Central Park on Oct. 26.

    The spooky-themed, family-friendly event is from 4 to 9 p.m. in Central Park. 301 C St. It will include food, drink, craft, art, retail and other vendors. Attendees are encouraged to dress in costume. The entertainment lineup will be announced soon.

    The inaugural season of Thursdays in The Davisphere was weekly in September and October 2022, thanks to funding from a city of Davis grant to revitalize local businesses emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. A follow-up survey showed a nearly 90% approval rating of the event, citing the energy and vibrancy it brought to the downtown. Davis Downtown provided a designated nonprofit beneficiary to receive a portion of proceeds from beer and wine sales.

    The 2023 event welcomes UC Davis students who are back in town. It will include mobile food and beverage vendors as well as a beer and wine garden. Patrons are also welcome to bring food and nonalcoholic drinks purchased from downtown businesses.

    (more…)

  • Al’s Curiosity Corner: What Do Davisites Think of ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ ?

    I'm curious what the people of Davisitesville think of this mega-hit's message. 

    My reaction, from the lyrics, is this could be a punk song sung by 'Oliver' as a raw country ballad.  Rage!  Stickin' it to the monarchy, the man, the machine.  Anger at what the government is doing to us, against the men in power.  Yet this song is being labeled a 'conservative ballad'.  True, it is catching fire in conservative circles, but I don't see that in the lyrics.  I can easily hear a Johnny Rotten or a Henry Rollins versions of this song.

    There's a reference to 'minors on an island'.  That happened.  Davis liberals don't defend pedophiles (do they?). 

    (more…)

  • Come check out the Whole Earth Festival this weekend

    2023 WEF East Quad-Main St

    By Scott Steward

    The 54th Whole Earth Festival held on the UCD Quad, and sponsored by ASUCD, is a beautiful sunny event that everyone can enjoy.  This year’s theme is "Sell Out to Love" at this alcohol and smoke free event.

    I recommend getting there early to enjoy the vibrant green brought on by all that rain! Bring a soft frisbee but expect to share space with spike ball, a game where young people furiously throw a malleable ball object downward into a small trampoline and then alternately palm the ball up in the air before hurling it again.

    There are 130 stalls of goods for sale neatly organized around the perimeter of the Quad. The quality of the merchandise is high and higher still than I remember at the 50th. The Festival has always crept towards being more mercantile, but the education corner is poignant and the Kids Space well supplied and staffed. There are few lectures about counter culture and alternative living (that proliferated in the early years of WEF), but the legacy of that ground work is woven into the comfortably open green grass and open sky of this healthy pubic common.

    There are 18 food booths and entertainment a plenty. Bring your own personal shade and something to carry water. It is up to those of us, who have seen decades of Whole Earth Festivals, to share our WEF stories. It is particularly important to make the connection from past to present to mend the pandemic multi-year gap in the continuum of this youth led event.  Find yourself starting a conversation in the shade of a tree on the west Quad.

    For 54 years WEF goes on with the lightness and importance of being born of and remaining youth led. Children of all ages come celebrate mother earth.

  • Entertainment announced for Picnic in the Park

    ColdShot2019

    The Davis band Cold Shot features René Martucci and Richard Urbino. (Courtesy photo)

    (From press release) The dance-party band Cold Shot will be the first musical group to play when the Davis Farmers Market’s Picnic in the Park returns on May 17.

    The family-fun event will be every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m., May 17 through Sept. 13. A local band will play each night. There will be children’s entertainment, loads of food vendors, and plenty of opportunity to gather as a community. Late September through early May, Wednesdays swap back to a traditional farmers market, open 3 to 6 p.m.

    Cold Shot, featuring René Martucci and Richard Urbino, brings together a dynamic selection of upbeat rock ’n’ roll, pop and dance party songs that span decades of iconic artists. Other bands on the 2023 Picnic in the Park schedule are Julie and the Jukes on May 24, Pleasant Valley Boys on May 31, Odd Man Out on June 7, The Teds on June 14, They Hey-Nows on June 21, and According to Bazooka on June 28. The Peter Franklin Band plays on July 5, The New Harmony Jazz Band is July 12, 5-Star Alcatraz plays on July 19, It’s About Time is on July 26, and Putah Creek Crawdads are Aug. 2. The Geoffrey Miller Band is Aug. 9, Penny Lane is Aug. 16, Wealth of Nations is Aug. 23, Kindred Spirits is Aug. 30, Island Crew is Sept. 6, and The Kalapana Awa Band is Sept. 13. To see the calendar and band descriptions, visit https://www.davisfarmersmarket.org/entertainment-schedule/.

    (more…)

  • Tainted Love headlines Davis Pride Festival in June

    Tainted-Love-2018

    Tainted Love will bring the best of 1980s music to the Davis Pride Festival on June 4. (Courtesy photo)

    (From press release) The 1980s tribute band Tainted Love will headline the June 4 Davis Pride Festival. The music is part of a weekend of activities in downtown Davis that celebrate International LGBTQ+ Month.

    “A Tainted Love performance is like reliving the ’80s,” its promotional material states. “The band will take you back in time while keeping the party going.”

    Based in San Francisco, Tainted Love – the Best of the ’80s Live performs at major clubs, ballrooms and rock venues across the country. Its high-energy show has a loyal fan base, and is appreciated by every generation.

    The band’s name is inspired by the 1981 Soft Cell hit “Tainted Love,” but it plays a wide variety of hits from the 1980s, including “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, “Jesse’s Girl” by Rick Springfield, “Don’t you Forget About Me” by Simple Minds, and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. Other covers include songs by Billy Idol, Bon Jovi, John (Cougar) Mellencamp, Madonna, Phil Collins, Prince, The Police, Van Halen and others.

    The music festival, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Sunday, includes several local and international bands, choirs and a drag queen revue. It’s just part of the ninth annual Davis Pride Festival and related events. The community-focused, family-friendly weekend includes a skate night, fun run, music festival, drag queens, vendors and more – June 3 and 4. 

    The events, produced by the Davis Phoenix Coalition, follow the theme “I am Davis Pride.” This year, Davis Pride’s presenting sponsor is BluPeak Credit Union. The highlights of the weekend include:

    (more…)