Movie-theater concert embodies a thriving music scene in the Richmond

For generations, San Francisco’s neighborhoods have long defined its music scene. But the Richmond, a sprawling residential neighborhood known for its proximity to Golden Gate Park and (relative) affordability, has never boasted of a distinct musical legacy.

Until the last few years, that is.

A new cohort of musicians has proudly set up home in the neighborhood, and the advent of venues with unique and exciting programming have suddenly made the quiet community a bustling and vibrant artistic hub.

The neighborhood will be the center of The City’s tight-knit musical world Friday, when the 4 Star Theater hosts The Fresh & Onlys , a beloved San Francisco institution that will be performing publicly for the first time in six years.

The Fresh & Onlys ascended alongside many Mission district musicians earlier this century, and founding member Shayde Sartin drew parallels between that scene in the 2000s and the current one in the Richmond district.

“The one thing that most scenes need to be healthy is this sort of condensed community, and that’s what we had in the Mission district,” said Sartin, who now lives in the Richmond. “I see that happening in the Richmond because there’s a lot of bands out here. A lot of people really appreciate this neighborhood, myself included. I think the Richmond has turned out to be this nice little harbor for these bands and for this scene.”

Much of the Richmond’s newfound artistic vigor can be attributed to Adam Bergeron, the proprietor of the 4 Star and Balboa theaters. His neighborhood cinemas have greatly expanded their offerings in recent years.

Bergeron has owned the Balboa Theater and its sister theater, the Vogue, for more than 10 years under CinemaSF, and he’s operated the 4 Star for almost four. He previously ran music venues such as 12 Galaxies in the Mission and the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz.

As a result, he forged longstanding relationships with musicians, often employing them in his movie theaters. It was a common sight to see members of local bands such as The She’s or hardcore legend Tony Molina behind the counter at the Balboa and the Vogue.

Sensing an opportunity, Bergeron — who runs CinemaSF with his wife, Jaimi Holker — began incorporating live music into the programming at the Balboa around seven years ago. Local bands regularly perform in the vintage cinema, which first opened in 1926, with Bergeron sometimes incorporating live music into classic-movie screenings.

In late 2021, he took over operations at the 4 Star Theater, which had been shuttered for nearly two years due to COVID-19. After a slow start, Bergeron applied his formula of interlaying live music, interactive Q&A events and movie screenings to the venue, eventually building a new following to match the Balboa.

In his years managing venues in the Richmond, he said he has definitely noticed a change in the neighborhood.

“When I first started here, it was a different world,” Bergeron said. “It was really hard to get people to come out here to watch a movie. But then, things like Uber and Lyft changed that. And I think people realized that the Richmond district is this really cool neighborhood. Like, you can get to the park from here, and there is like a cool surf culture here. And I do think introducing some entertainment options into the neighborhood has helped bring a new crowd here as well.”

In addition to regularly featuring a host of local acts such as Chime School, Half Stack, Andrew St. James, and the Neutrals, Bergeron was able to land nationally recognized artists such as Animal Collective, Robyn Hitchcock, and legendary San Francisco band the Flamin’ Groovies.

Those artists added heft and credibility to Bergeron’s project — but managing the venues did not come without difficulty. Initially, 4 Star struggled to attract customers, and CinemaSF even hosted a GoFundMe campaign to support its theaters’ mission.

Things changed when Bergeron invited Tunnel Records owner Ben Wintroub to set up a second location within the 4 Star. Wintroub, a Marin County native who opened up Tunnel Records in the Outer Sunset in 2017, leaped at the opportunity to work with his longtime customer.

“I know this sounds a little dated, but the Richmond District just had that vibe of San Francisco that I fell in love with growing up, going to music shows in the ’90s,” Wintroub said. “It just has this loose, unpretentious feeling to it, and I wanted to be part of that culture.”

Bergeron credits Tunnel Records for reviving 4 Star, and now, the lion’s share of the live CinemaSF events takes place at that venue. The combination of retail space, movies and live performances has a special appeal for many, including Tim Cohen, the lead singer and another founding member of The Fresh & Onlys.

“For people like me, this venue has it completely figured out,” Cohen said. “I could spend literally my entire day here. I would browse the record store for hours, go watch a movie and then catch a live show.”

The masses of musicians who have moved to the neighborhood in search of low rent and more living space have undoubtedly had an effect, too. Members from bands such as April Magazine, The Umbrellas and Sad Eyed Beatniks all call the Richmond home.

No artist has done more to extol the everyday wonders of the area than Glenn Donaldson of The Reds, Pinks and Purples . Every one of the band’s album covers is adorned with pastel-soaked images from the neighborhood, and Donaldson’s lyrics and song titles are teeming with local references .

Donaldson is a longtime friend of Sartin of The Fresh & Onlys, whose return to live music is a true boon to San Francisco. Although the group is closely associated with the late 2000s garage-rock scene, it never fit neatly into that box of scrawling, lo-fi mayhem.

Formed in 2008 by Sartin and Cohen, who were eventually joined by drummer Kyle Gibson and guitarist Wymond Miles, the band’s early offerings were frenetic and uproarious — irreverent garage-rock send-offs.

But the band’s second album — “Play It Strange,” which landed on Pitchfork’s coveted year-end music list in 2010 — eschewed much of that dissonance, yielding beautiful, haunting songs such as “Waterfall,” a once-in-a-generation track that captured the band at their high point.

The releases following “Play it Strange” pushed the envelope even further, as the band embraced more polished production sounds and dutifully crafted songwriting approaches. Albums such as “Long Slow Dance” and “House of Spirits” were undeniably gorgeous creations, showcasing just how vast the Fresh & Onlys oeuvre could stretch.

“At some point, we kind of exhausted our means for trying to be lo-fi and grungy, so to speak,” Cohen said. “We were like, let’s see how these songs can sound like in this shimmering, romantic milieu, to see if we can sound actually pretty. It wasn’t a conscious thing or a reaction to how people perceived us — we always steered our own ship. That’s just what we wanted to do at the time.”

Despite the group’s increasingly engaging sound, the Fresh & Onlys lineup shifted and splintered in later years, reducing the lineup to just Miles and Cohen at one point. Eventually, Miles moved to Colorado, and the band has — with the exception of a friend’s birthday party — not performed since 2018.

Yet its members never considered themselves broken up, and the Fresh & Onlys often discussed plans of reconnecting for live shows. The Friday show has been years in the making, made possible with Miles back in town for July 4.

“Adam asked us to do this show and we’re all big fans of the 4 Star and Balboa and what’s he doing in the Richmond,” Sartin said. “We were all interested in seeing how this feels, to visit this part of our history.”

Both Cohen and Sartin expressed their enduring love for The City. Their return to live music taking place in the Richmond feels particularly prescient.

“Whenever we went out on tour, we were so proud to be this San Francisco band,” Cohen said, who said the group is considering adding additional live dates beyond this 4 Star show. “This show is going to be a little fly-by-the seat-of-our-pants kind of thing. But we’ve always been that way. And I think people appreciate that.”