November 22, 2026 - Josh Rouse

This is a special show for me. In 1996, my brother Jim gifted me a subscription to CMJ New Music Monthly for Christmas. I kept the subscription current for another ten years and discovered hundreds of emerging artists via the monthly magazines and accompanying disks. One such artist was Josh Rouse who, in 1998 released his debut album “Dressed Up Like Nebraska,” the title track of which appeared on the monthly CMJ disk. I loved the song and bought the album. About a year or two later, Josh released his second album, “Home,” the single from which, “Directions,” was also included on a CMJ compilation disk. I loved that song (apparently, so did screenwriter/director Cameron Crowe, who included it on the soundtrack to his film “Vanilla Sky,” starring Tom Cruise) and bought the album. I no longer needed CMJ to alert me to new Josh Rouse music - I own almost every one of his 15 full-length albums and a few of his EPs.  I jumped (almost literally) at the opportunity to host him here at Theater 5150.

With Brill Building wit and a Midwestern sense of melancholy, Josh Rouse has built an almost 30-year career as a singer-songwriter turning out well-crafted and hook-laden folk-pop, alt-country, and Americana gems. Rolling Stone Magazine has described his music as displaying “a sharp wit, slightly obscured by the moody earnestness of folk and new wave, but with a better groove and bouncier beats.” It proclaimed his “Nashville” album “a landmark album that mixed the rootsy stomp of Music City with string arrangements, brass and other orchestral flourishes.” You don’t have to work hard to enjoy his music. His songs present themselves to you with an open heart, an innate intelligence and an absolute lack of pretension. They are clear-eyed, empathetic and penetrating. Without pandering, they seek to satisfy both your ear and your understanding. He has performed worldwide and his music has been featured in television and movies (“Eat Pray Love,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “Roswell,” “Ed,” “Brothers and Sisters,” to name a few). He has a brand new album, “Museums and Women,” that’ll be released in time for his West Coast tour, which starts in early October and ends with our show at the end of November.

This will be an early Sunday evening show. Doors open at 6 pm and the music starts at 7. 100% of proceeds from ticket sales go to the performers. We'll have some complimentary food and drinks while they last and we always love it when guests bring food and drinks for all to share. We ask that you get here with plenty of time to spare so you have time to get something to eat and drink and we won't have to seat anyone during the set. We can't wait! Tickets are $35 per person and you can get them right here. See you then! 

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Please join us December 4th, when we welcome for the first time local jazz-hip hop wizards LabRats, who create some of the most interesting and technically challenging music you'll hear anywhere. I think Jennifer Reason of CapRadio describes them best, as “an extremely versatile jazz/hip hop fusion band that is both a stand-alone act and a favored companion to vocalists and instrumentalists of all genres." They've been on our radar for quite some time and I'm delighted to finally bring them here!

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Please join us January 15th, when one of our very favorites, Katie Knipp, makes her annual visit to Theater 5150. Katie's a force of nature. She's an accomplished pianist, guitarist and harmonica player, but her calling card is that magnificent voice! She can bring gale-force vocals that might bring to mind Koko Taylor, Tina Turner, or Janis Joplin, while possessing the nuance that might conjure the spirit of Nina Simone. In fact, one of the best descriptions of Katie's music I've heard came from Blues great Mick Martin, who described Katie as "a cross between Nina Simone and Mose Allison." Her band is as good as they get, featuring veterans of Tower of Power, War, Bo Diddley and other heavy hitting outfits. She's charted on Billboard four times and received Grammy award consideration for those same four albums. She's opened for or collaborated with a who's who of artists in the blues and rock communities, including The Doobie Brothers, Fantastic Negrito, Joan Osborne,  Walter Trout, Robert Cray, Ruthie Foster, Jimmie Vaughan and others.  She's the real deal.

Katie last performed here to a sold out, jam-packed, super enthusiastic audience for the live recording of her most recent album, Live at Theater 5150. After first politely asking if she and her band could "melt our faces off," she proceeded to do just that, hitting us with an incendiary set that ranks right up there with the best we've ever had the pleasure of hosting. 

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Please join us when Jessica Malone and her marvelous band make their annual appearance at Theater 5150! Jessica is an award-winning singer, songwriter and composer whose instantly accessible music ranges from songbird confessional to rambunctious and rollicking full-band efforts and incorporates elements of Americana, Bluegrass, Folk, Rock, and even some hints of Jazz in a sometimes smooth, sometimes gritty, brew. The closest comparisons I can conjure are Brandi Carlile and Allison Krause, but you'll hear influences that include Joni Mitchell and Linda Ronstadt. Her band is stellar, featuring the supremely talented virtuoso Giorgi Khokhobashvili on violin and Ruby Jaye on keys and vocals. Her new EP, “Indigo,” recorded at Freda Recording with some Nashville heavy hitters, is excellent from start to finish.

Jessica is right up there with the best NorCal music has to offer. She’s one of our all-time favorites and every time she performs here she sells the place out, so you’ll want to grab your tickets sooner rather than later when they go on sale about a month before the show.

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