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The Bay Area attracts a rather broad cross-section of humanity, where men who paint themselves white, or sometimes red, might show up suddenly, and for the sole purpose of standing or sitting on corners. The city of San Francisco is a concentration of all the elements that have made this section of the country so fiercely unique, and terribly interesting, for a lot of decades, and there’s no signs of any of it slowing down.

While the cost of living soars here, it might be reasonable to suspect that the artists who have made it great are being priced out of living here. That’s certainly true, in some respects, and it’s also worth considering how many artists of the next generation cannot afford to move here in the first place, to make it their home, when aesthetically they are the logical successors to the keys to the city’s culture. Still, there is enough funk to go around, and visitors staying at a San Francisco hotel will be able to find many interesting things, and many unexpected surprises.

When groups with names like Jimbo Trout and the Fish People are playing at fine eating and drinking establishments in town, there’s good news for everyone. The culture is alive and well, and there are daring bands of provocative musicians stretching limits. They push their own imaginations as much as they push the audiences, and there’s something about the chemistry of the wild west that’s still here, making nights out a pleasure.

The Plough and the Stars is just one excellent place to see these bands, and it also happens to be one of the favorite Irish pubs in the city. There are many who are not Irish at all who might recognize the pub’s name and be able to name the playwright, just as there are many who can enjoy the pub without any claim to ancestry. It’s not necessary here, just as much as it’s not necessary to be Cajun to like the Fish People. It certainly couldn’t hurt, however.