CALENDAR

In addition to the Mill Valley Music Fest, there's plenty of excellent live shows throughout the county in May.

May 10-11 John Craigie Hailed as a “modern-day troubadour” in the style of Woody Guthrie, this Portlandbased artist has been entertaining audiences with his incredibly funny lead-in’s to beautifully rich and tender songs. sweetwatermusichall.com

May 20 Anna Moss & the Nightshades

With a voice filled with spirit and grit — and roots in the folk and festival scenes in North America — Anna takes her audience on a soulful journey. hopmonk.com/novato

May 21 Steve Pile Duo Sonoma County-based musician Steve Pile is known for his original music, orchestrating star-studded tribute shows, and his James Taylor-esque vocals. thejunct.com papermillcreeksaloon.com

Arts and lectures, concerts and festivals, live comedy, exhibition openings and other not-to-be-missed events around the Bay this month.

May 26 Sirsy Sirsy is a rock-pop duo based in upstate New York, described by both Boston Globe and SXSW as a little band with a big sound. They’ve been touring for 15 years and have played every state except Alaska.

MAY 6 Laura Dern and Diana Ladd

Acclaimed actresses Laura Dern (Big Little Lies, Twin Peaks, Jurassic Park) and Diane Ladd (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Chinatown) are coming to San Francisco’s Sydney Goldstein Theater to have a conversation with author Cheryl Strayed. The mother-daughter duo have appeared alongside in Rambing Rose and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. cityarts.net

MAY 6-7, MAY 13-14 Marin Open Studios

Celebrate 30 years of Marin Open Studios at the opening and fundraiser gala on April 29, at the new Sausalito Center for the Arts, followed by open studios at locations countywide the first two weekends of the month. marinopenstudios.org

MAY 9 John Waters John Waters is a writer, film director, actor, visual artist and Bay Area icon best known for his films, including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos and Serial Mom. His newest book is his first novel, Liarmouth cityarts.net

MAY 16 Tom Hanks One of the most respected actors and filmmakers of our time, Tom Hanks (Big, Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Charlie Wilson’s War) is also an avid reader. He made his fiction debut in 2017 with Uncommon Type and has recently published his first novel, The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece. Born in the Bay Area, Hanks advocates for community colleges, crediting the two years he spent at Chabot College as enabling his future acting and writing career. cityarts.net

MAY 19 Andy Cohen Award-winning television host and producer Andy Cohen is best known for Watch What Happens Live and as executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise. His new memoir, The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up, details his experience as a father. cityarts.net

Outdoor Education is at the core of the MP&MS experience. From our Tree School program for the youngest members of our community to our curated overnight field trips for the oldest students, there is something for everyone.

The Oscar-winning film comes to life on stage in this story of how young William Shakespeare is inspired by his muse to write Romeo & Juliet, his romantic masterpiece. See it at the Novato Theater Company. novatotheatercompany.org

MAY 5 Jimmie Allen Live in Concert The multi-platinum selling, Grammy Awardnominated country artist and special guest William Beckmann will be kicking off Kentucky Derby Weekend at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens. Enjoy country hits while you sip on delicious wines under the stars of Sonoma County. kj.com/kyderby

MAY 6 Mykal Rose The Grammy Awardwinning voice, formerly of Black Uhuru, got his start opening for Roberta Flack and playing with Fab 5. As lead vocalist, he and other Black Uhuru members won reggae's first Grammy award for the album Anthem in 1984. See him at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. sweetwatermusichall.com

MAY 5 ABBAfab Listen to tributes of music produced in the ’70s and ’80s, including ABBA hits such as “Waterloo,” “Fernando,” and “Dancing Queen” and the Marin Center in San Rafael. tickets.marincenter.org

MAY 3 Caroline Rose After releasing two records of folk and country-inspired music, Rose released a pop-rock album Loner in 2018, and her most recent album, Superstar, in 2020 — see her at the Fillmore in San Francisco. livenation.com

MAY 27 Yung Gravy and Joey Valence & Brae Yung Gravy is an American rapper who first earned recognition in 2016 when his song “Mr. Clean” gained traction on SoundCloud. He will be joined by TikTok rappers Joey Valence & Brae on stage at August Hall. augusthallsf.com

Since the release of Kingfish, the Grammynominated guitarist, vocalist and songwriter has quickly become the defining blues voice of this generation. From his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, to stages around the world, the now 22-year-old has already headlined two national tours. Come see him at HopMonk in Novato. hopmonk.com/novato

MAY 5–6 Novato Comedy Festival See the Bay Area’s top standup talent at the Novato Theater Company. novatotheatercompany.org

MAY 5–6 Adam Conover Adam Conover is an American writer and television host who created and hosted Adam Ruins Everything, based on the CollegeHumor series. cobbscomedy.com

MAY 11 Steve Ausburne Standup comedy is back at Novato's Trek Wine. This comedy show will feature Steve Ausburne, who has performed at The Punchline and Cobb's Comedy Club. trekwines.com

MAY 27 Steve Barkley Steve Barkley will be performing at Trek Wine in Novato. Barkley has been seen on HBO, A&E and Showtime, and was the $10,000 winner on ABC's America's Funniest People. trekwines.com

MAY 10–MAY 14 DocLands The California Film Institute returns to San Rafael with a slate of documentary films in three broad categories: Wonderlands, the Great Outdoors and the Art of Impact. doclands.com

MAY 11–MAY 21 CAAM Fest The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) welcomes audiences back into the theater to celebrate stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences. Look for films showing around the Bay through May 21. caamedia.org

THROUGH MAY 11 Sadie Barnette: The New Eagle Creek Saloon Oakland-based artist Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon (2019) is an installation and performance series that reimagines San Francisco’s first black-owned gay bar, opened by the artist’s father, Rodney Barnette, in 1990. sfmoma.org

OPENING MAY 18 Mika Rottenberg: Spaghetti Blockchain One of the most innovative contemporary artists working today, New York-based Mika Rottenberg uses a playful and absurdist sense of humor to confront some of society’s most urgent social issues. Spaghetti Blockchain exposes, delights in, and criticizes the interactions between labor, economics, and the ways in which our emotional relationships are increasingly monetized in today’s hypercapitalist world. thecjm.org

OPENING MAY 20 Frank Bowling: The New York Years 1966–1975 Born in Bartica, British Guiana (now Guyana), Bowling began his career in London and visited Guyana before arriving in New York in 1966, where he participated in critical debates around abstract painting and the role of Black cultural identity in artistic practices. sfmoma.org

OPENING MAY 20 Kinship: Photography and Connection This exhibition will feature six contemporary photographers who share a special affinity with their subjects. Relationships are fundamental to each artist’s practice, whether they are familial, platonic, romantic, cultural or geographic in nature. sfmoma.org

MAY 6 May Madness San Rafael May Madness is the longest running car parade in Northern California. Hundreds of vehicles of all types, including classic cars, hot rods and customs, line the streets of Downtown San Rafael. maymadnesssanrafael.com

MAY 6 The Kentucky Derby Party at the Kendall-Jackson Estate For the second year in a row, Kendall-Jackson is celebrating the 149th Run for the Roses in Sonoma County. Enjoy their stunning four-acre culinary garden, al fresco patio, wine, horse racing and entertainment. The event proceeds will be benefiting Farm to Pantry. kj.com/kyderby

MAY 7 Woofstock Marin Humane is hosting a fun summer event for animal lovers and their four-legged friends. Enjoy live music from Tom Petty cover band, Petty Theft, a variety of food trucks, local vendors and animal rescue groups. marinhumane.org

MAY 13–14 Mill Valley Music Festival

Marin’s favorite music festival returns with an amazing lineup. Bring a lawn chair, a hat and a refillable water bottle to the field behind the Mill Valley Community Center and celebrate the return of live music in a festival format, outdoors. millvalleymusicfest.com

MAY 18–23 Second Annual Healdsburg

Wine & Food Experience In the heart of California wine country, the second annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is a weekend-long festival that will showcase the region’s makers — farmers, growers, winemakers and chefs — alongside globally recognized wines from the greatest wine regions of the world. healdsburgwineandfood.com

MAY 26–28 BottleRock Napa Valley

Post Malone, Lizzo and Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline three days of a winefueled party over Memorial Day Weekend that features a culinary stage, a sparkle bar, silent disco and a sculpture garden. bottlerocknapavalley.com