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Join us for a star-studded bacchanal this Saturday night!
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Dan Cantrell (accordion and voice) is now slotted to bring his new supergroup fresh off of their hot NYE performance at Ashkenaz for an epic headlining set with a dream team of powerhouse Balkan musicians including Lila Sklar (violin), Calvin Lai (clarinet),
Greg Jenkins (sax), Jesse Hix (bass), Sean Tergis (Drums) and more TBA. Dan Cantrell is an Emmy award winning composer known for his virtuosic playing abilities on the accordion, excelling at Balkan, Romani, Eastern European, and Klezmer styles.
bellowhead.com
Dodona: Drawing from the deep well of musical traditions from Albania and the Epirus region of Greece, Dodona
moves between the mournful to the celebratory. The members of this new group have a specific goal, to bring out their love for the melodies of this small region. With a repertoire that goes from plaintive, to trance inducing, to driving, Dodona is one of
the few groups in the Bay Area specifically focused on the Albanian and Epirus diaspora. So whether you love a good tsamiko, or the familiarity of a syrtos, or even if you just love to dance with wild abandon this unique band is sure to deliver. Dodona’s members
are Calvin Lai on clarinet, vocalist Genevieve Daphne, violinist Ari Langer, Jenette Selin on accordion, Kent Kessinger on guitar and Sean Tergis on drums plus Greg Jenkins on clarinet and vocals.
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Save the date for return of Cretan Night at the Bacchanal, on a first Saturday next month...
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Manolis Bobolakis is from the village of Sempronas in the Hania region of Crete and has been playing traditional Cretan violin from a very young age. He has played countless cultural events and also has a studio album to his name.
Vaggelis Bagourakis plays the laouto and is the son of lyra player Tassos Bagourakis from Heraklion and is one the most talented up and comers in the modern scene of Cretan music. While playing together on and off for many years Manoli and Vaggeli have
built a great chemistry. They each bring unique traits from their respective areas and together they have a wonderful representation of traditional Cretan music from all over the island. This will be the trio's third visit to the bay area.
Cretan dance lesson led by Achilleas Fourakis (9:30 pm), co-director of the Minoan Dancers Greek folklore dance ensemble, a ministry of the Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in Novato.
Ezgija is Santa Cruz’s newest balkan band, serving up their favorite dance tunes from the Balkans, Anatolia, and beyond! Led by Shireen Nabatian’s sweet vintage vocals and soaring violin, they explore themes of love, loss, and celebration—presenting
forgotten gems from the archives alongside fresh material from her yearly travels in Türkiye. Guitarist Hossein Shoiaee adds unexpected twists and textures that keep things electric and genre-bending on guitar. Evan Stuart holds it all together on bass, with
warmth and heart at the core of every tune along with Avi Sinai on darbuka and more talented guest musicians from Santa Cruz's Turkish and Balkan scene. Whether it’s a smoky love ballad, a rowdy wedding song, or a mournful lament, EZGIJA brings the spirit
of these traditions to dance floors around the Bay Area and beyond with joy, soul, and a lot of sass.
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Plus even more bacchanals to come:
Friday, Feb. 20, 8 pm: Dugyu and Friends + Ilya Schneyveys and Friends (Bonos Birthday Bash)
Saturday, March 21, 8:30 pm: Istanbul Connection
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Eastern European Night at The Starry Plough
January 30, 8 pm
Produced by Zina Pozen
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Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal is a concert series featuring the other-worldy talent of musicians from the Bay Area and beyond performing Eastern European and Near Eastern folk music. A hub in the Bay Area Balkan music scene, the bacchanal provides a platform for
a community of performers, folk dancers, regular attendants and new friends to revel together since 2011.
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The Bacchanal depends on the promotional support of our friends and community. Please spread the word by forwarding this email and sharing on Facebook.
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Copyright © 2026 Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal, All rights reserved.
For Fans of the Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal at the Starry Plough
Our mailing address is:
Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal
Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal at the Starry Plough Pub
3101 Shattuck Ave,
Berkeley, CA 94705
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