San Francisco's Rickshaw Stop celebrates 20th anniversary with series of shows
In a post-pandemic era when San Francisco is far more frequently lamenting the closure of venerable music venues, the Rickshaw Stop is marking two decades of operation with a full month of special shows.
Co-founded in 2003 by original owners Christopher White and Waldo Williams when they took over the space at 155 Fell Street that was once housed a television studio, the space struggled through some initial lean times. However, the Rickshaw Stop found its footing with a mix of popular dance nights like Non Stop Bhangra and events like Popscene that presented live music alongside DJs spinning danceable indie rock.
One of those DJs was Dan Strachota, who manned the turntables at one of the venues first events and founded the Francophile dance party Bardot A Go Go, would be hired as the venue's talent booker in 2004. His knowledge and connections as both a longtime college radio DJ at KALX in Berkeley and established music writer and editor would bring a diverse array of acts to the Rickshaw Stop, with such notables as Billie Eilish, Vampire Weekend, Sam Smith and Mac DeMarco gracing the stage over the years.
For the venue's 20th anniversary, the Rickshaw Stp is hosting a full month of special shows starting on Jan. 5th with a free all-ages concert featuring a quartet of local indie-rock bands including opening psychedelic surf-punk trio Preschool, rising outfit seablite, long-running all-female group the She's and headliners French Cassettes.
The month of music offers up an expansive overview of bands from the Bay Area and beyond, ranging from established returning favorites Shannon Shaw (frontwoman for Shannon and the Clams who released her acclaimed solo debut Shannon in Nashville in 2018 produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach on his Easy Eye Sound imprint) and dance-rock crew Hot Flash Heat Wave to celebrated young acts like Oakland's art-punk band Fake Fruit and LA drone-pop experimentalists Dummy (who share the stage on Jan. 18).
The Rickshaw Stop offered a special Very Important Party Person Pass allowing entry into every 20th anniversary show in January as well as related shows in February and March for only $150, but those passes have sold out. Tickets are still available for many of the anniversary events. Tickets and the full schedule is available at the Rickshaw Stop website.
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