Housed in a 144-year-old redwood cabin — originally a blacksmith shop — with a wide back deck, Apple Jack’s may call itself a bar, but it is a quintessential roadhouse: a simple stage set in a clearing of wood chips, where the bands are as eclectic as the crowd. The outdoor bandstand, in the shadow of sky-high redwoods, hosts acts that range from hip-hop to indie rock to a Grateful Dead cover band. Dancing is encouraged, while any form of too-cool, putting on airs is an offense. Wednesday is karaoke night, with the locals leaning heavily on country, but when live bands play, any genre goes.

Photos by Emily Steinberger | Words by Freda Moon | Photo edit by Justin Katigbak and Brandon Choe | For The San Francisco Standard