Sleepless nights make for tired days, and a life without Gram Parsons would be a life without alt-country as we know it. The Sleepless Nights series here in San Francisco was started eight years ago by Eric Shea as a tribute to the late great musician. “Sleepless Nights” is the title of Parsons’ 1976 posthumous album of covers and unreleased Grievous Angel tracks, as Parsons died of a drug overdose in 1973 at the age of 26. In his heyday, Parsons managed to bridge the gap between country and rock and roll, paving the way for bands and artists like Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, the Mekons, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and more.

This year, the Sleepless Nights series will feature a handful of talented bands, and save for Los Angeles’ Elisa Randazzo, all of them are local: Red Meat, The Stone Foxes, Sweet Chariot, The Real Sippin’ Whiskeys, The Parties and Paula Frazer.