A West Coast rapper with an authentic, heartfelt flow, LaRussell Thomas is also the founder of Good Compenny, an organization that helps promote rising Bay Area artists. First known as Tota before going by his first name, he's kept a busy release schedule with several albums and EPs a year, including 2023's Motion (with Link+Up) and 2024's DJ Gutta Butta Presents: 3 Point Play. LaRussell was born and raised in the northern part of Vallejo, California, a city with a rich vein of individual hip-hop talent.

(181 3rd St.)

Vinyl Nights a the Living Room Bar (W Hotel)

7-10PM
Hosted by DJWorks

LION BABE is a New York-bred funk and soul duo composed of multidisciplinary artist Jillian Hervey and producer/DJ Lucas Goodman, (also known as Astro Raw). The pair are known for their unique sound and look blending vintage colors with modern sonics. They started with their break-out single “Treat Me Like Fire” in 2012, which quickly garnered attention across the globe.

(Yerba Buena Gardens)

On August 7, YBG Festival brings Combo Chimbita to downtown SF for a FREE dance party set like you’ve never heard before. Combo Chimbita is a quartet of first-generation New Yorkers with roots in the Colombian diaspora described by NPR’s Alt.Latino as an “otherworldly presence.” Their sound transcends common concepts of time and nationality through supremely danceable music. Kick off your weekend early with a free, outdoor dance session at Yerba Buena Gardens!

COMBO CHIMBITA

THU. AUG 7
YERBA BUENA GARDENS, SF
6–7:30PM

Pre-show music from KALW DJ Marcus Rosario at 5PM.

Free RSVP: https://combo-chimbita-ybgfestival.eventbrite.com

Wine Down will offer Happiest Hours specials all night--$9 select wines, $7 select beer, $5 off carafes, pitchers, and cheese & meat feasts--plus DJ TASH and DJ SNKR will be spinning beats from 6 - 9 PM!

(111 Minna St.)

KALW Public Media & 111 Minna team up to bring you Bay Area art, culture and music at Downtown First Thursday. This month’s event offers: 
[@kalwpublicmedia, @111minnagallery]  5:30 - 7:30 Chulita Vinyl Club’s DJ Si.Mon.Güey spinning souldies, latin pop, disco, psychedelic rock, slow jamz, and cumbias to get you in the groove! 
@[chulitavinylclub] 


6:30 - 7:00 On Repeat Live - KALW Music’s J Boogie shares his favorite summer tracks with Tshego Letsoalo in a live edition of the On Repeat podcast.   
[@jboogiejustin]


7:30 - 10:30 Live Broadcast Dance Party DJ’s Wonway Posibul and J Boogie take you on a spellbinding journey across the musical universe, broadcast live on 91.7 FM.
[@wonwayposibul]


All Night in the Galleries: Bridge Studio Collective Art Show Experience work by 13 boundary-pushing artists across painting, illustration, sculpture, textile, and design.


All Night in Minna Alley: Curbside Karaoke Choose from thousands of songs and hit us with your best shot. Maybe you want to dance with somebody. Or just listen if you want it that way.

Kick off your evening at Southside Spirit House with $3 street tacos, great music, and good vibes all night long. Find us right behind the main stage on Howard Street near 2nd. 575 Howard Street.

The Black Banjo Reclamation Project (BBRP) is a group of musicians and performers employing a multitude of tactics to advance African American and Black life through the pursuance of the traditional folk musical practices relating to the banjo. Our organizing leadership, along with participants in our programs, have harnessed plans and taken action towards the reclamation of the banjo firmly based in the racial, social, economic, historical, spiritual, earth-based and practical ways that music can be used as a form of cultural healing. BBRP takes a unique approach to fostering an environment of change-based community design at the root. By placing the banjo at the very center of our work we create and nurture an ancestral connection through the ways that playing, teaching and creating the instrument produces a tie to rich cultural heritage and the way wisdom is passed down through song. 

(151 3rd St.)

Bay Area residents get free access to SFMOMA on the first Thursday of the month.

The music of Washed Out has always levitated over a timeless frontier. You can sense it in his immersive, amorphous vocals, the expansive soundscapes, the wistful storytelling. It's a sweet spot where, says its creative force, Ernest Greene, "any sort of association or memory from the past can transport you instantly. I love that."

(111 Minna St.)

5:30 - 7:30: Margarita Azucar Live DJ Set in 2nd Street Gallery. Content: Margarita will be spinning a DEVO-Inspired 80s groove.

7:30 - 10:30: KALW presents Live Broadcast Dance Party with Patrick King Most in the Zappa Gallery.]

(181 3rd St.)

Vinyl Nights a the Living Room Bar (W Hotel)

7-10PM
Hosted by DJWorks

(579 Howard. St.)

FREE Karaoke
Drink Specials
$3 Beer + $5 Nachos

(151 3rd St.)

Bay Area residents get free access to SFMOMA on the first Thursday of the month.

Without experimentation, innovation is impossible. For Rochelle Jordan, this desire for sonic expansion has been long embedded into her fusion of futuristic and ancestrally soulful R&B. To listen to a ROJO song is to absorb a phosphorescent but subtle blend of sampledelic 90s pop, vintage UK house and garage, 31^st century electronic bangers, airy late night ballads, and progressive hip-hop. 

No genres. No boundaries. No rules. The faces and creators of YEEDM, trailblazing VAVO occupies a distinct space within the music ecosystem, merging country music and true EDM production to create a wide-spanning sound that has connected with audiences across the globe.

Ryan Scripps is a Nashville recording artist from San Jose, CA who's debut EP “Everything But Her” was released in January 2016. At just 9 years old, Ryan learned how to play the guitar and began singing at the age of 17. He found a deep love and passion for country music and started performing at venues across the United States - Nashville, TN - San Francisco/Bay Area, CA - Rexburg, ID - and more to come!

Ryan Scripps is a Nashville recording artist from San Jose, CA who's debut EP “Everything But Her” was released in January 2016. At just 9 years old, Ryan learned how to play the guitar and began singing at the age of 17. He found a deep love and passion for country music and started performing at venues across the United States - Nashville, TN - San Francisco/Bay Area, CA - Rexburg, ID - and more to come!

Ryan appeared as a contestant on Season 13 of NBC's hit reality show "The Voice", striking a spot on Country Music Icon Blake Shelton's team consisting of only 12 artists out of 40,000 who auditioned for the show! Ryan had the amazing opportunity to work with and be coached by Blake Shelton and advisors Rascal Flatts during his time on the show. You can watch Ryan's Blind Audition clip and full Battle Round performance from the show by clicking the links below: 

Ryan Scripps Blind Audition Season 13 

Ryan Scripps Battle Season 13 The Voice 

Most commonly, you can find Ryan performing in venues all over Northern California such as the Rodeo Club in San Jose where he has opened for many artists such as CMA nominee country duo Dan & Shay.  Recently, Ryan performed at The Wildhorse Saloon and the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN! Artists such as Canaan Smith and the Swon Brothers recently have given Ryan shout-outs over social media for covering their material and he continues to post on a regular basis, expanding his fan-base.

You can hear Ryan's latest single "U-Turn” on San Jose's Country Radio Station 95.3 KRTY as well as on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. 

For more information on booking Ryan for your venue/event, feel free to get in touch.

Deep Thicket Dwellers are a four-piece ensemble originating from Alaska and Virginia, now based in Oakland, California. Their music weaves together Bluegrass, Old-time, Gypsy Jazz, and the playful ingenuity of John Hartford into a distinctive style called “Hillbilly Jazz.” With the fiddle at the heart of their sound, they deliver dynamic, high-energy performances that inspire foot-stomping revelry.

(151 3rd St.)

Bay Area residents get free access to SFMOMA on the first Thursday of the month.

Oliver Lee and James Carter make up the storied UK production and DJ duo, Snakehips. With over 2 billion catalogue streams over their career, Snakehips continue to evolve and connect with listeners around the world. Their 2015 mega-hit “All My Friends” featuring Tinashe and Chance The Rapper turned Snakehips into a household name.

(151 3rd St.)

Bay Area residents get free access to SFMOMA on the first Thursday of the month.

The alter ego of non-binary comic/actor Caldwell Tidicue, “Bob The Drag Queen” describes herself as “hilarious, beautiful, talented and...humble.” Bob’s unabashed confidence won her the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” on season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” multiple acting roles for HBO, Netflix, Sony Tristar, MTV, and VH1. The third season of Bob’s Emmy Award nominate HBO Max series ‘We’re Here’ is coming out at the end of 2022. Bob is also an accomplished stand up comedian with two solo specials under his belt and a starring role in the recent Netflix comedy concert film ‘Stand Out’ executive produced by Wanda Sykes. Sibling Rivalry – Bob’s podcast with his comedy partner Monet X Change - is now on its sixth season.

Blu DeTiger is a renowned bassist, singer, and songwriter who has quickly become a prominent figure in the modern music scene. Her journey began at the age of 7 when she first picked up the bass guitar, and she has since developed a unique sound that blends funk, pop, rock, and electronic music.

Rich Medina is an elite DJ who’s captivating narrative plays like no other. His love affair with music began in his family’s church, arguably from the womb, and has blossomed into an internationally renowned career as a platinum selling record producer, recording artist, poet, journalist, curator, university and arts institution educator, and 2021 Pew Fellowship recipient.

Hole Erth, Chaz Bear’s eighth full-length studio record as Toro y Moi, is the genre shapeshifter’s most unexpected and bold move to date, with Bear diving headlong into rap-rock, Soundcloud rap and Y2K emo. The album blitzes anthemic pop-punk next to autotuned, melancholic rap – two genres that inform one another now more than ever before — and packs in the most features ever on a Toro y Moi album. We get Don Toliver’s moody crooning on the anti-love song “Madonna.” We get Kevin Abstract and Lev’s breathy reflections on “Heaven.” We get emo king Benjamin Gibbard, the beating heart of millennial indie for crying out loud. Recorded in the span of a few months across late 2023 and early 2024, Hole Erth’s features built naturally over that short span, with Bear simply reaching out to long-time friends.