Steven Short

At Maritime National Historical Park, the golden age of shantey-ing comes alive again as sailors and sea music enthusiasts gather around an ancient vessel, the "Balclutha.” Peter Kasin’s job is to preserve these ancient shanties, and in turn to preserve San Francisco’s dangerous Barbary Coast past. But not everyone likes their shanties; some say they’re more bouncy than they were in the past, and should capture the sweat of the sailors who sang these songs way back in the 1800s to help make their rough shipboard jobs a bit more rhythmic.

The music you’re hearing is by Benny Velarde. Velarde has played with just about every jazz great in the Bay Area, from Tito Puente and Cal Tjader to Vince Guaraldi and Lalo Shifrin. Velarde receives the Beacon Award from SFJazz this Saturday, March 31, marking sixty years of performing. The show takes place at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center Forum, starting at 8 pm.

San Francisco band called Pins of Light might remind you of Motorhead or Mothers of Invention. Or maybe they have a Pink Floyd vibe? They’re one of those bands that are hard to classify – which means they’re original!  

They’re celebrating the release of their new album on Friday (March 30) at the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco, starting about 9pm.

Bay Area beekeeper Marina Shoupe is a member of the San Francisco Beekeepers Association, and she’s one of two women in the group who remove unwanted beehives. The process is known as “extraction.” Shoupe told KALW's Steven Short about the first time she had to answer a call for extraction. She ended up getting way more intimate with bees than ever before.

The music you’re hearing is by acclaimed composer Terry Riley. Riley is considered one of the founders of the Minimalist movement of the 1960s, which has influenced such diverse musicians as Philip Glass and The Who. He’s performing a benefit concert for The Old First Church in San Francisco on Friday, March 23, starting at 8pm.