{"id":48200,"date":"2026-05-12T12:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=48200"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:32:14","slug":"wavy-gravy-is-turning-90-of-course-theres-a-wild-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/wavy-gravy-is-turning-90-of-course-theres-a-wild-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Wavy Gravy is turning 90. Of course there\u2019s a wild party."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Party on: Wavy Gravy with Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir, 1998. Photo by Jay Blakesberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Arts + Culture<\/a>Culture<\/a>Music<\/a>Nightlife<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria Muldaur, Harper Simon, Cat Power, Rickie Lee Jones, Steve Earle, more to celebrate SF’s ‘saint in a clown suit.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Joshua Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 11, 2026 (48hills.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are birthday parties, and then there are gatherings that feel more like living history, where music, activism, and decades of cultural memory converge into something larger than a celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 16 at The Masonic in San Francisco, Wavy Gravy\u2019s 90th Birthday<\/a> will draw together a fantastical assortment of collaborators and lifelong friends of the legendary entertainer and peace activist<\/a>, to express their immense gratitude from the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event doubles as a benefit for the Seva Foundation<\/a>, the global nonprofit co-founded by Ram Dass, Larry Brilliant, and Gravy himself. Their mission is simple: restore sight and prevent blindness for millions around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results speak volumes\u2014more than 75 million people have had their sight restored or protected through Seva\u2019s programs. Cataract surgery, one of the most common procedures they support, costs about $50 and takes roughly 15 minutes, meaning that proceeds from each ticket (starting at $47 plus fees) contribute directly to life-changing care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For performers like Maria Muldaur<\/a>, the night is not just about honoring a friend, it\u2019s about tracing a shared history that stretches back to the roots of American counterculture. \u201cI\u2019ve known Wavy Gravy since way before he was Wavy Gravy,\u201d Muldaur says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her memories drift back to the Beatnik scene in New York\u2019s Greenwich Village, where poetry and music spilled out of small coffeehouses and into the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were a lot of little funky hole-in-the-wall coffee houses where there were a lot of Beat poets reciting poetry, and sometimes guys playing jazz and so forth,\u201d says the singer. \u201cSo I would sneak out and go down to hear people like Allen Ginsberg and all the other Beat poets of the day. One of my favorites was a guy named Hugh Romney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long before the name Wavy Gravy became synonymous with a certain kind of joyful activism, Romney was already carving out a presence that blended humor and insight. \u201cRomney had a really droll, tongue-in-cheek quality that really appealed to me,\u201d Muldaur says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sponsored link<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As the \u201860s unfolded, Romney\u2019s transformation mirrored that of the culture itself. The sharp-suited Beat poet evolved into a tie-dyed prankster, joining forces with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and becoming a central figure in a movement that sought to upend norms through humor, psychedelia, and radical empathy. Thus was Wavy Gravy born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ram Dass, Robin Williams, Wavy Gravy. Photo by Peter Simon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody knows his history and the psychedelic epiphany that turned him into the cultural icon that he\u2019s become,\u201d says Muldaur. \u201cHe has devoted his life to bringing light, laughter, and good spirits into whatever proceedings were going on. He was always a force for good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event lineup itself reflects decades of musical history, bringing together artists like Muldaur, Cat Power, Todd Rundgren<\/a>, Harper Simon<\/a>, and many others for a rare night of collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind them, a house band anchored by Larry Campbell and Tony Garnier, longtime members of Bob Dylan\u2019s circle, connects the present to a lineage that includes Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, and Mavis Staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Muldaur, the Bay Area has long been central to the universal story of music and transformation. \u201cAh, it was love, love, love,\u201d she says when asked what brought her there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the mid-\u201870s, as her signature track, \u201cMidnight at the Oasis,\u201d climbed the charts, she fell in love with bassist John Kahn, a key figure in Jerry Garcia\u2019s extended musical family. Moving to Mill Valley with her daughter, Jenni, to be with Kahn, she quickly became enamored with the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m in love with Mill Valley and the whole Bay Area,\u201d she says. \u201cI never looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maria Muldaur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The move placed her at the heart of a musical community that blurred the lines between performance and spiritual experience, particularly during her time with the Jerry Garcia Band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJerry didn\u2019t just play guitar, he conjured up a spirit that was very infectious,\u201d says Muldaur. \u201cIt was something else that he was pulling in and channeling\u2026 like being part of something as Jerry built a staircase to heaven.\u201d The performances embodied a shared transcendence. \u201cAt a certain moment, the whole crowd would erupt into a wave of joy and ecstasy,\u201d Muldaur adds. \u201cIt was a very communal moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sense of connection extended beyond the stage. Muldaur recalls a Thanksgiving night spent waiting in line to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind<\/em>, when Garcia\u2019s presence drew recognition rather than chaos. \u201cHe was this humble, normal guy who didn\u2019t put up a vibe of armor,\u201d says Muldaur. \u201cWhen fans approached him, he just said, \u2018Yeah, man, I hear it\u2019s a great flick.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By refusing to separate himself from others, Garcia created a space where respect replaced frenzy, a dynamic that echoes in Gravy\u2019s own approach to life and activism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even now, decades into her career, Muldaur remains in motion, recently completing her 44th album and continuing to perform widely. \u201cFor an 83-year-old gal, I\u2019m still chugging along,\u201d she says with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the upcoming celebration holds a particular resonance. \u201cWe all love Wavy, and we\u2019re going to give him the best birthday party he\u2019s ever had,\u201d says Muldaur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her admiration extends beyond friendship into something deeper\u2014a recognition of the values that have guided his gentle, humorous style and his work with the Seva Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a time she describes as dark, the opportunity to gather, sing, and contribute feels especially urgent. \u201cJust by coming to the party and enjoying the music, you are contributing to a good cause,\u201d Muldaur says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Harper Simon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For singer-songwriter Harper Simon, the event represents both continuity and renewal. \u201cWavy is a great American, and Seva is such a heroic foundation,\u201d Simon says. \u201cI\u2019ve always been really impressed by Seva. I was very pleased they asked me to do this big show for his birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His connection to Gravy stretches back to his teenage years, after the two met at a benefit. \u201cHe\u2019s been calling me and checking up on me for years,\u201d says Simon. \u201cI\u2019d visit him whenever I traveled through San Francisco. We\u2019ve always kept in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That enduring relationship has carried into Simon\u2019s role in shaping the event, helping bring together artists, including acts like The Moldy Peaches, whom he regards as very much in the spirit of Gravy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon acknowledges that, for the most part, the cultural landscape has shifted significantly since the height of the counterculture era that Gravy helped define. \u201cIn the \u201960s and \u201970s, counterculture dominated mainstream culture,\u201d Simon says. \u201cThat\u2019s not the case today; it\u2019s more niche. But it\u2019s still alive and vibrant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its endurance, he suggests, lies in its adaptability\u2014in the continued use of humor and absurdity as tools for serious engagement. \u201cYou could even point to someone like Sacha Baron Cohen as part of that lineage that Wavy trailblazed,\u201d says Simon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Muldaur and Simon\u2014who recently executive-produced the Pavements<\/em> mockumentary<\/a> and is currently working on new music\u2014return to the idea that this event is about more than performance. It\u2019s about the shared experience of participating in something that affirms connection and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wavy Gravy with Jackson Browne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA sense that the values we held so dear still matter,\u201d Muldaur says when asked what she hopes audiences will take away. \u201cPeople need to feel that sense of community, to get together, know they\u2019re not the only ones feeling these things, and give each other hope and encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon echoes that sentiment, emphasizing both the emotional and tangible impact of participation. \u201cThey should feel good about supporting Seva,\u201d he says. \u201cThey should also feel warmly toward the cultural achievements of that generation and recognize how much we\u2019re indebted to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most fitting image of Gravy at 90 comes not from a stage or a spotlight, but from a moment Muldaur describes with quiet affection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe has one of those chair lifts that comes down the banister,\u201d she says. \u201cThe last time we visited, we heard him going \u2018Whee!\u2019 all the way down the stairs, like a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a small detail, but it illuminates his refusal to let age or circumstance diminish joy. Even as a nonagenarian, he meets life with laughter\u2014not as an escape, but as a form of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAVY GRAVY\u2019S 90TH BIRTHDAY: A BENEFIT FOR SEVA\u00a0<\/strong>Sat\/16. The Masonic, SF. Tickets and more info\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. VIP ticket info\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Rotter is a contributing writer for 48 Hills. He\u2019s also written for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, SF Examiner, SF Chronicle, and CNET.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arts + CultureCultureMusicNightlife Maria Muldaur, Harper Simon, Cat Power, Rickie Lee Jones, Steve Earle, more to celebrate SF’s ‘saint in a clown suit.’ By Joshua Rotter May 11, 2026 (48hills.org) There are birthday parties, and then there are gatherings that feel more like living history, where music, activism, and decades… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48200"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48201,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48200\/revisions\/48201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}