It was a quiet, rainy Sunday night (not to mention during the Oscars), but a devoted few made it out (we spotted Mark Eitzel among the sparse crowd) to watch a night of great local acts (two of which were on our Best of San Francisco mix) and another all the way from the indie capital of Brooklyn.

Jon Bernson (of Ray’s Vast Basement), Mist and Mast and Tim Williams and each played sets before headliner Michael Zapruder closed the night down.

Michael Zapruder

Even during a night filled with top-notch musicians, Zapruder stands out as something different. His comfort and confidence are instantly apparent and compelling — he gives off the sense that this is what he’s supposed to do.

Zapruder brought his songs to life with his unconventional backing band of double bass, wurlitzer, violin and flute. Despite a relatively short set, Zapruder covered a lot of territory, ranging from pocket symphonies with his chamber orchestra to folkier songs on solo guitar.

For more, check out our recent interview with Zapruder.

Tim Williams

Tim Williams is effectively a solo artist, but was joined on stage by a guitarist and keyboard player (who doubled on car-key percussion) who both lent back-up vocal duties. Williams’ songwriting and the trio’s tight harmonies were the star of their set.

Mist and Mast

Mist and Mast’s debut album has gotten a lot of play in these parts, so it was good to finally catch them live. The venue was nearly empty during their set, but we were glad to see that the quartet’s translated as well as it did live.