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Local all-star soul revue plays special benefit at Great American

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ably setting backsides in motion since the late 2000s, all-star R&B revue Marc & the Casuals has earned a solid reputation as one of San Francisco's premiere party-starting outfits. Led by session veteran and keyboard/trumpet player Marc Capelle, his core wrecking crew of Bay Area luminaries features such talented musicians as guitarist Bart Davenport (a solo artist who played with Capelle in the Kinetics and also fronted the Loved Ones and Honeycut) and his Persephone's Bees partner guitarist Tom Ayers, drummer Todd Roper (Chuck Prophet, Cake), and onetime Dwarves/John Wesley Harding bass player Pete Straus.

Augmented by a horn section and additional auxiliary players -- among them Capelle's own son Evan on percussion -- the group backs a rotating who's who of local guest vocalists like veteran rock heroes Bob Reed (Overwhelming Colorfast, the Titan-Ups) and Mark Eitzel (American Music Club) and established songwriters Virgil Shaw and Brad Brooks through marathon sets that range from deep soul and funk covers to revamped rock classics.

Brad Brooks w/Marc & The Casuals-"Thank God It's Not Christmas" (Sparks Cover) by Brad Brooks on YouTube

While the performances of this live R&B jukebox have become more rare in recent years as Capelle focused on his soundtrack-focused project the Red Room Orchestra -- which not surprisingly features many of the same players --  Marc & the Casuals still re-emerge for shows periodically.

The group served as the house band for the Make-Out Room's annual Holiday Craptacular fundraising food drive in 2018 and 2019. During the pandemic shutdown, Capelle appeared regularly at the Chapel's attached restaurant Curio, leading small groups featuring his main foil Ayers on guitar at the spot's outdoor patio.

While the group frequently convenes for its seasonal "soul celebrations," this benefit show at the Great American Music Hall that was originally scheduled in the fall will take on a more somber tone under the circumstances. Last summer, bassist Straus' father Stephen was among the victims who died in the tragic July 4th Highland Park mass shooting. He left behind a wife of 60 years, two sons and four grandchildren.

The concert will be dedicated to the memory of Stephen Straus and all victims of gun violence, with all the funds raised from the evening benefiting the Giffords Law Center with representatives from the Law Center in attendance and speaking at the show. Bay Area artist Tucker Nichols also created a limited edition print in tribute to Straus that is being sold through SF-based Gallery 16's website that is raising funds for the center.

The band will have accomplished drummer Michael Urbano (Todd Rundgren, John Hiatt, Smash Mouth, Sheryl Crow) sitting in and a three-member horn section including oboe and English horn player Amber Lamprecht (Awesome Orchestra Collective, Graham Connah) and brass player Scott Larson (Franco Nero, The Cottontails). Peter Straus will be performing alongside his daughter Maisy, who will reprise a song she sang during her grandfather's memorial service with regular guest vocalists Jason Morgan (Harold Ray and East Side Dynamite), Karina Denike (Dancehall Crashers, NOFX, The Cottontails),  Meryl Press (Citay, Hope Sandoval) and Adriana DeLanda (Extra Classic). 

Giffords Law Center Benefit with Marc & the Casuals 
Friday, Jan. 6, 8 p.m. $20
Great American Music Hall

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