It’s Friday, and that usually means dozens of live events in the North Bay—especially concerts—are gearing up to rock audiences in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.

Of course, things are not usual right now, and while venues across the region remain closed and Covid-19 cases continue to mount, the best way to get that earful of local talent you’ve been craving is to go online with these live-streaming shows coming up May 29–31.

HopMonk Tavern’s three locations in Sebastopol, Sonoma and Novato usually host weekly concerts featuring local and touring stars. Yet, the Covid-19 sheltering has kept all three stages empty since mid-March. So for the last month, the folks at HopMonk have made do—in the absence of live events—with the online concert series, “In the Meantime.”

This weekend, the “In the Meantime” series packs in several virtual shows, beginning with a set by longtime North Bay–musician Buzzy Martin tonight, May 29, at 6pm. Martin’s beloved brand of “Baby Boomer Rock ’n’ Roll” has won him fans and friends around the country, and he has performed with members of the Doobie Brothers, Pablo Cruise, Journey, Santana, Les Claypool of Primus and Huey Lewis and the News. Martin is also known for his offstage acts of selfless citizenship—such as teaching music programs to at-risk youth in juvenile halls and inmates at San Quentin Prison—which have earned him official civic recognition.

Tomorrow, May 30, HopMonk presents a virtual concert at 4:30pm with Evan Fraser and Vir McCoy, accomplished multi-instrumentalists who have been recording and performing music together in bands like Dogon Lights, Dirtwire and others over the last 20 years.

On Sunday, May 31, HopMonk gives the virtual floor to North Bay singer-songwriter Stella Heath. Before the stay-at-home orders went into effect in March, Heath was one of the busiest musicians in the region, averaging four gigs a week with her bands the Billie Holiday Project, Bandjango Collectif and others.

Since the sheltering, Heath has remained busy, only this time online. In addition to her Sunday afternoon set for the “In the Meantime” series, Heath can be heard singing with Bandjango Collectif bandmate Skyler Stover on Saturday, May 30, with Spicy Vines Winery’s live streaming show at 6pm. The two will perform stripped-down versions of their band’s blended jazz-and-folk tunes for that Saturday evening stream.

Also on Saturday, the second episode of Living Room Live, the free online venture from the organizers of Rivertown Revival and Friends of the Petaluma River, continues to present all of the best parts of the canceled Rivertown Revival. Starting at 7pm on May 30, the streaming showcase, hosted by musician and music promoter Josh Windmiller, will feature performances by the purveyors of San Francisco soul Royal Jelly Jive, world music masters La Gente SF, the original North Bay bad boy Frankie Boots and Petaluma singer-songwriter Hannah Jern-Miller.

Finally, several North Bay stars come together this Sunday, May 31, at 11am, for the latest installment of UnderCovered, a concert series hosted by newly formed artist initiative Social Distance Live. The UnderCovered series so far has featured local musicians performing covers of their favorite songs by groups such as the Velvet Underground and artists such as Bob Dylan (specifically Dylan’s work from 1979–1989).

This weekend, UnderCovered sets its sights on the songs of Joni Mitchell, and scheduled artists include Alison Harris performing “Come in Out of the Cold,” Dawn Angelosante performing “River” and Gowdey Caitlin and Jeremy Lyon teaming up on the song “California.”

As stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions are slightly relaxing in parts of the North Bay, many are looking forward to returning to the shops and restaurants they love. Yet, a recent surge in Sonoma County cases of coronavirus has shown local leaders that we are not quite ready for a full re-opening just at this moment, meaning take-out and curbside shopping is still the norm going into this weekend.

If you’re itching to get out, the best way to do so and support local businesses is to visit the shops and eateries at local outdoor markets like the Barlow in Sebastopol, Oxbow Market in Napa and Marin Country Mart in Larkspur.

The Barlow
Situated on a 12-and-a-half acre district in downtown Sebastopol, The Barlow open-air “maker’s marketplace” features dozens of retail and dining spots with Sonoma County chefs, vintners and other artisans creating local products and experiences.

Since the March shelter-in-place orders closed the physical locations for these artisans, many have transitioned to online ordering with options for curbside pick-up and take-out. Recently, the Barlow announced that the marketplace’s restaurants and eateries are now open for outdoor dining.

Food and drink options in the Barlow currently includes Acre Pizza, Barrio Cocina Mexicana, Community Market, Crooked Goat Brewing, Fern Bar, Golden State Cider Pax Wines, Seismic Brewing, Spirit Works Distillery, Sushi Kosho, Taylor Lane Coffee, The Farmer’s Wife, The Nectary, Two Dog Night Creamery, WM Cofield Cheesemakers and Woodfour Brewing.

Shops in the Barlow include Barge North apparel and home goods store, California Sister floral arrangements, Elsie Green décor and gifts shop, JG Switzer textile and bedding shop, the Lori Austin Gallery, Rust Clothing Boutique and Scout West County gift and home accessories store.

Oxbow Public Market
In Napa County, where dine-in restaurants and retail are both seeing restrictions lifted in terms of social distancing, the Oxbow Public Market is reopening its spacious and recently remodeled outdoor Oxbow River Deck, which now includes retractable shade structures and lighting.

Beginning Saturday, May 30, open-air, socially distanced communal tables and seats will be available for visitors on the deck, and Oxbow merchants will continue to offer online and over-the-phone ordering and pickup options for guests. The market is soon creating a designated curbside delivery area in the parking lot east of the main market hall as a drive-thru option for those who want to dine at home.

For guests who want to shop at the Oxbow Public Market, the new deck is part of the market’s new set of health and safety protocols made in accordance with all state and Napa County health requirements. The market will continue to also track and regulate the number of customers on hand to comply with social distancing regulations.

Oxbow Public Market merchants that are open for dine-in, takeout and retail include Anette’s Chocolates, C Casa, Fatted Calf, Fieldwork Brewing Company, Five Dot Ranch, Gott’s Roadside, Hog Island Oyster Company, Hudson Greens & Goods, Kara’s Cupcakes, Kitchen Door, Live Fire Pizza, Model Bakery (re-opening May 30), Olive Press, Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant, Ritual Roasters and Whole Spice. Additional merchant re-openings will be announced soon.

Marin Country Mart
Located adjacent to the Ferry Terminal in Larkspur, Marin Country Mart’s assortment of organic eateries, boutique shops and other services are coming back online after closing down in March. The village-style shopping center’s new model, which it’s calling Dutch Door Shopping, allows for curbside and social distant services like online classes in lieu of in-person events.

Shops and services that are open for pick-up, take-out or local delivery at Marin Country Mart include Poppy Store children’s boutique, Clic women’s clothing store, Toy Crazy, George pet store, Hudson Grace décor shop, Sarah Shepard Gallery, Flora & Henri artisanal home and gift shop, Jenni Kayne wardrobe and home goods store, Hero Shop luxury women’s store and Copperfield’s Books.

To-go dining options at Marin Country Mart include Farmshop’s nightly dinner specials, Hog Island Oyster Company, Johnny Doughnuts, Pressed Juicery, Rustic Bakery, Shake Shack, Sushi Ko, the Siam and El Huarache Loco.

Visit each of these markets online first for full details.

Located on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, the Napa Valley Museum closed its doors in mid-March to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. What’s more, due to the virus-vulnerable residents who live at the Veterans Home, it’s unlikely that the museum will be able to open on the same timeline as other venues.

“They haven’t had any (Covid-19) cases among the veterans which is wonderful, but they’re understandably very protective,“ says Laura Rafaty, Executive Director of Napa Valley Museum. “And then there’s a lot of (Covid-19 related) retrofitting that has to get done before we can reopen; things like the elevator, stairwells and the gift shop, we can’t have people touching things. It’s going to be a very different environment and we are going to work our way through that.”

The closure means the museum’s current exhibit of visual works by actor and activist Lucy Liu, “One of these things is not like the others,” is currently sitting in the dark until the museum reopens, at which time the exhibit will run through October.

The closure also means that the museum’s planned student-curated youth art exhibition in April was delayed until now; transformed into a virtual exhibit available to view on the Napa Valley Museum website.

“We had this student exhibition scheduled for April, but suddenly the kids were out of school and most of this artwork was stranded in the school building without a way to physically get at it,” Rafaty says. Once the museum could get the works in hand, the plan became to show the artwork virtually and, if possible, to display the pieces physically at the museum once it can reopen.

“The opportunity to have your work seen in a museum is so impactful for kids,” Rafaty says. “We don’t want to miss that, and at the same time, this is maybe a chance for people who would never physically get to our museum to see the work of these talented artists from the North Bay.”

The now-virtual exhibit, titled “Not From Around Here,” is the fourth annual youth art show that the museum presents in partnership with Napa’s Justin-Siena High School visual arts department.

The goal of the annual exhibit is to present diverse artwork centered on a timely or personal topic, and this year’s theme aims to raise questions within the student artists’ minds, “about our sense of belonging somewhere or to something.”

Nearly 30 student artists are participating in this year’s online exhibit, representing Justin-Siena High School, Vintage High School, The Oxbow School, Saint Helena High School, Marin Catholic High School and Novato High/Marin School of the Arts.

The works on display include paintings, photography, collage and assemblage and drawings that explicitly or abstractly tackle the topics of identity and society as it relates to the theme. In addition to the art, students write an accompanying artist statement that speaks to their intent.

“When you look at the statements, you get that sense of some of them asking, ‘Who am I?’” Rafaty says. “Being different, being out of place, that seems to be a theme that goes through this.”

Led by a panel of student jurors and curatorial teams, this is a youth exhibit through and through. The young artists even decide where to hang the work in the museum normally.

“Our team gets to work with the kids and see how they envision this, and sometimes they do things that we might not have thought to do that are really impactful,” Rafaty says. “We’re really missing that with the virtual exhibit.”

In addition to viewing the work online, virtual visitors are encouraged to vote online for the exhibit’s “People’s Choice” award and to donate to the museum’s efforts to reopen its galleries and educational programs.

Napa Valley Museum’s fourth annual student-curated exhibit, “Not from Around Here,” is on view virtually now through July 31 at napavalleymsuem.org.