The Lab: August, 2021

The last time this site presented information about performances at The Lab, the performance had been scheduled for March 20, 2020. As we all know by now, any event taking place on that date (or any other date in its “vicinity”) was cancelled. As a result, the last performance that took place at The Lab was a concert performed on the preceding February 20.

This morning The Lab announced that this month would see the first in-person shows of the fall season that has been planned thus far. More specifically, there will be two recitals in what may be called the “Vocal++” genre. Furthermore, at the second of those recitals, the featured vocalist will be preceded by an opening set.

For those who do not already know, The Lab is in the Mission at 2948 16th Street. This is a short walk from the corner of Mission Street. The location is particularly good for those using public transportation, since that corner provides bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel as well as a BART station. Doors open half an hour before the concert is scheduled to begin; and, back before the pandemic, it was usually the case that a long line had accumulated prior to the opening. Specific information, including when the performance begins and a hyperlink to the event page that provides both background material and hyperlinks for ticket purchases, is as follows:

Saturday, August 14, 8 p.m.: Angel Bat Dawid is a Black American composer, improviser, clarinetist, pianist, vocalist, and DJ. Her repertoire is eclectic, drawing upon free jazz, gospel, and hip-hop. The texts of her songs explore themes of both black resistance and self-care. Her debut album, which is available on Bandcamp, was entitled The Oracle; and it was released in February of 2019 (a little over a year prior to lockdown). Admission will be $25 with discounted rates for members of The Lab.

Saturday, August 21, 8:30 p.m.: Bay Area vocalist Chrystia Cabral performs under the name SPELLLING (a title that seems to have been designed to drive spell-checking systems crazy). (I am consistently amused by the fact that my pull-down menu includes “Ignore Spelling” as an option.) Her album The Turning Wheel had been scheduled for release in September of 2020, making it one of the many victims of COVID. Fortunately, The Turning Wheel is also now available through Bandcamp; and SPELLLING’s visit to The Lab will present the first live performance of songs from that album. SPELLLING will be preceded by a set of original songs composed and performed by Briana Marela Lizárraga, who recently received an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College. Admission will be $15, again with discounted rates for members.