Activist folk singer Steve Taylor-Ramírez @ Plough and Stars, SF

Singer-songwriter Steve Taylor-Ramírez brings his critically acclaimed folk, acoustic soul and Latin hillbilly tunes back to the Plough and the Stars Pub, 116 Clement Street (at 2nd Avenue), in San Francisco, 94118, on Wed., November 14, starting at 9 pm. There's no cover charge, and he'll play two sets.

A close cousin to the Starry Plough Pub in Berkeley, The Plough and the Stars was voted “Best Irish Pub” by the SF Weekly and bills itself as “Home of Traditional Irish Music in the Bay Area.”

For more information, visit http://www.theploughandstars.com, or call (415) 751-1122.

The pub takes its name from images (a plough symbolizing new beginnings and stars connoting lofty ideals) that appeared on the flag of the Irish Citizen Army, which defended workers' rights and fought the British for independence in 1916. ICA member Seán O'Casey wrote a play about the uprising and titled it “The Plough and the Stars.”

Taylor-Ramírez is known for his guitar style and socially conscious lyrics. See: http://www.myspace.com/thestevetaylor

"Critic's Choice: Fancy finger picking, weathered vocals ... charisma ... socially conscious originals," wrote j. poet, music critic for the East Bay Express, as well as No Depression, Harp, Paste and other magazines.

“Steve’s a finger-pickin’ pro with songs of revolution and love,” wrote Kaitlin McGaw of The Recording Academy (the San Francisco GRAMMY office).

Taylor-Ramírez' tunes have also received praise from personalities such as critic Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle; Billboard Award-winning producer Eddie Galan of Trilogy Productions; Alan Kalter, announcer of The Late Show with David Letterman; Corey Mason of worldOneradio (KECG, 88.1 FM); and bluegrass GRAMMY winner Laurie Lewis.

Audiences compare his work to that of Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen. His songs have aired on KECG 88.1 FM, KUSF 90.3 FM and KYCY 1550 AM. He's performed live on KUSF.

"I like music that has an edge," he says," songs that deliver a message, a story, and a bit of humor. I love our old-time Americana artists, such as the Carter Family and Hank Williams; sixties folk-rockers Bob Dylan and The Byrds; as well as blues pioneers John Lee Hooker, Lightin Hopkins and Jimmy Reed. The work of classic Mexican ranchera songwriters and singers -- such as José Alfredo Jiménez, Miguel Acéves Mejía and Javier Solís -- has long held my interest as well."