Yoshi’s is the Bay Area’s ultimate destination for jazz, featuring touring and local acts on its intimate stage. But with the help of Bay Vibes and SonicZen Records, Yoshi’s is becoming a destination for singer/songwriters as well. Look out Hotel Utah!

Every Sunday night Yoshi’s SF lounge features “Songwriters Unplugged” where three singer/songwriters perform in round-robin sets. Some artists are on tour, but mostly they are local. Every few months, the showcase pulls out the big guns for the main stage. Thursday night was the third of these main stage showcases featuring a WomenRock line-up with Bonnie Hayes, Valerie Orth, Heather Combs, Ziva Hadar and Anita Lofton.

One of the great things about these showcases is the variety. Each artist performed a relatively short set, so the audience got just a taste of each artist. If one of these fine people left you wanting more, you’re a new fan.

I was excited to see Bonnie Hayes in action, as she is a Bay Area veteran and teaches songwriting at the Blue Bear School of Music. Valerie Orth kicked it up a notch with a sultry performance and really cool interplay between her guitar stylings and those of bassist Veronika Safarova. Women like Safarova are exactly why I’m learning to play the bass.

ZIVA’s trio of grand piano, guitar and cello brought a big sound. With her powerful voice and mad piano skills, Ziva Hader had a blast playing Yoshi’s main stage Steinway. Heather Combs went solo, entertaining the audience with witty stage banter and it was a treat to discover recovering punk musician Anita Lofton. She's one I'm going to keep my ears out for.

Bay Vibes is an organization with a mission to further expose, build, and unify the Bay Area’s artist community. Yoshi’s SF houses many of these showcases including: Songwriter Sundays, Late Night Live Tuesdays, and Global Movement Wednesdays. Bay Vibes also throws Summer Musicfest once a year in another location.

Check out the next Songwriters Sunday at Yoshi’s SF lounge

October 17 - Aaron Blyth / Alex Walsh / Kerry Wing

October 24 - Billy Schafer/ Essence / Chi McClean