Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 4/30/14 – 5/13/14

Ventura Breeze logoVentura Music Scene
Music is Never a Burdon
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

I cannot wait to check out Eric Burdon when he comes out this way; the last time I ran into him was at a concert KXBS oldies radio station put on at State Beach back around 1992.  Burdon (yes, THE Eric Burdon from The Animals and War fame) will be headlining a show at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai on May 17th and I’m hearing it’s Eric’s 73rd birthday so we’re expecting quite the celebration.   Opening the show will be the Rubberneck Lions and Dishwalla.
Eric Burdon and Pam BaumgardnerThe Ventura Music Festival is in full swing during the month of May, and the powers that be have really outdone themselves this year with a stellar line up:  May 2 it’s Igudesman & Joo, a Little Nightmare Music at Community Presbyterian Church; Ventura High plays host for several shows including Lynn Harrell, Dean of American cellists on May 3; an evening with Judy Collins on May 4; and Stanislav Khristenko, 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition Gold Medalist, on May 9.  Check out www.VenturaMusicFestival.org for even more shows, ticket pricing and availability.

Depending on your mood, the Ventura Theater has some cool shows in May.  If you’re looking to burn off steam, punk rockers, Against Me! will be in the house on May 27, but if you’re looking to dance off some energy, you won’t want to miss the ever popular Reverend Horton Heat and their brand of psychobilly on the 23rd; and finally if you’re feeling a little more mellow and ready for some reggae, then it’s The Green for you on May 26.

Ventura Music Week is coming up!  Don’t even think about scheduling your vacation between June 6 and June 15th.   Just some of the events to look forward to include the annual SRO benefit with the Stoneflys, Highway Starr and other bands; there’s the Roadshow Revival’s:  a Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash; Louden Guitars will have a special showcase at the W Gallery with some amazing guitarists including our very own Shawn Jones;  there will be a special screening of the Oscar winning documentary, “20 Feet from Stardom”;  an evening of visual arts up at City Hall’s Atrium, and more music than you can shake a stick at.  Do check in at www.VenturaMusicWeek.com for more details as they come in.

Do you have any music related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing?  Send all information short or long to  Pam@VenturaRocks.com.

How to Get Listed on VenturaRocks.com

VenturaRocks.com LogoSend me your information – in advance.

We are currently ONLY listing music related gigs for free in Ventura (city of).

We do list artists/musicians/bands who do not reside here, but they DO have to play here.

If it is a special event such as a Festival or fundraiser, send artwork too along with links.

Send information and.or questions to:  Pam@VenturaRocks.com

We do not charge venues or artists to be listed in Ventura, but we now offer venues outside of Ventura to be included on our calendar for a small fee of $10 a week (1 day or 7) or $40 a month.

Would you like extra coverage? Click here for our ad rates.


The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour (2017)

I now host a local music show on CAPS Media’s new radio station KPPQ-LP at 104.1 FM.  It simulcasts on the internet so we are worldwide.  We have to abide by strong rules such as never announcing song titles before we play them; only being able to rebroadcast the same show three times a week and only for two weeks; AND I’m not allowed to say VenturaRocks.com on the air. I can not get any benefit from what I do so I can’t promote my website. The first few rules are to protect the artists so people can’t steal music and try to record a song they want.  The last rule is a general Non-profit radio rule.

By the way, if you are covering someone else’s music, you should have permission to do so.  I will be asking.  For that reason, most music will be original work…which is really the point of doing this anyway, right?  Sharing local artist’s talent.

I can live with those rules, I’m sure you can too.  If you’d like to be a part of this venture and would like to submit your music for possibility of getting played, then send me a email at Pam@VenturaRocks.com.

Please DO NOT try to get me to go to Reverbnation or i-Tunes or Spotify or….

I play artists who live here in Ventura, live nearby, as well as most of Southern California.  I also play artists who have come here to play and maybe a song or two of something I just find interesting. Tune in won’t you?

Right now my show airs Tuesdays 5-6 pm at 104.1 FM, KPPQ-LP Ventura with rebroadcasts on Friday at 5 and Sunday at noon.



The VenturaRockSpot

This is  fairly new  to VenturaRocks.com and is completely spearheaded by GWC Productions.  If you want to see about being featured, click here for more information.


UPDATE ON FACEBOOK PAGE (April 2015):

We chose to migrate to a “Business” page as oppose to continue as a “Friend” page for a couple reasons.
#1 It’s against the rules to be a business as a “Friend” page.  We knew our days could be numbered and we could get taken down, so we bit the bullet and converted our “Friends” to “Likes”.
#2 The cap on “Friends” is 5,000.  There is no cap on “Likes.”  We had been keeping Friends at 4,999 so people could request to be friends (otherwise you’d get a notice saying we no longer accept friends).  When people shut down their page, un-friended us, we un-friended them, or they got blacked-balled, we would add people who were in the queue.  We had dozens in the queue at any given time.  They’re all Likes now.

Unfortunately, Facebook only shows our posts for a very small minority of people who have Liked us. To increase your chances of having us show up in your news feed, hunt us down, make sure you had Liked us, then continue to click on posts, Like them and comment on them.

This is our new page:  https://www.facebook.com/venturarockswebsite.

Rules for Facebook:

Please do not list your gig on a comment for someone else’s gig.  For instance, let’s say we shared an event for the Jazz Punks at Squashed Grapes.  We will remove comments that talk about another gig at Cafe Fiore.  It’s just bad manners. I delete disparaging remarks.  Again, bad manners.

We no longer allow people to post to our timelines.  You can either private message me with the information or send it to pam@venturarocks.com.  But better yet…create an event and invite us.

Most days I check and share invites for music-related events on our timeline.  I also check these weekly for our official website.

While we’re on the subject of invites, be sure to add artwork!  I promise, it will get noticed more by viewers, than those which don’t do anything. And be sure to make your invite Public!  If you don’t, I won’t be able to share it.

This is not a community soundboard. We don’t post “drummer needed,” or “we’re looking to hire a manager,” etc…

If you have an editorial or some other content that we find interesting on your timeline, we sometimes ask if we can add it to our website.  We always ask for permission.  If you find we missed something, music-event-wise, PLEASE bring it to our attention!

We don’t blackball events or artists or venues.

We do try to spread the love, so sometimes we don’t check in at venues because we recently did so. It’s not an exact science.

It would be really really helpful if you checked here before sending info for your gig.  We may already know about it:  http://www.venturarocks.com/Listings/index.htm.  We update for the week on Sundays.


So in closing, help us help you.  We want to boom Ventura’s music scene!!!

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 4/16/14 – 4/29/14

Ventura Breeze logoVentura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

With the weather warming up more music is being offered outdoors. One recurring event, Folk Steady, can be found at the Ojai Rancho Inn where Vaughn Montgomery of the band Little Big Here puts together a pretty cool list of bands (including his own) playing for free (donations welcomed). Vaughn told me he’s been holding these concerts since last summer and depending on the weather they fall on the first Sunday of the month with seven or eight acts on the bill.

Todd-Jesse-VRThe first Sunday of April I caught just a couple of the acts including a great set from the owners of Brotheryn Studios, Todd Hannigan and Jesse Siebenberg, along with Micah McCabe and Taylor Quinn which included a guest appearance by Roger Keiaho of Rey Fresco. The afternoon was a blast. It was completely a laid back vibe with a swimming pool, nice lawn area, and a huge tree where the band plays underneath. Scratch Food Truck was on the grounds for those who didn’t pack a picnic lunch. In attendance were Steve and Polly Hoganson, Charles and Christine Law, Amanda Peacock, Dan and Malory Grimm, Becca Fuchs and just tons of other musicians, friends and families.

Vaughn’s completely on board with future gigs telling me, “I’d like to keep doing them indefinitely. It seems like a good alternative from hearing music in a bar. These concerts feel more like a day in the park, with families and dogs and some sky.” Catch the next one scheduled for May 4th, bring blanket, low chairs, sunscreen and refreshments.

Speaking of fun in the sun, Ventura Earth Day Eco Fest has plenty of music lined up for Saturday, April 26, along Ventura’s promenade. Just a couple of acts to watch for are the Barrelhouse Wailers, D.on Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers, Derek Jennings and Soul Infusion. Check out www.VenturaEarthDay.org for more information.

Of course there is Ventura Beach Festival with Martha Davis and the Motels headlining on May 3rd at State Beach. See www.VenturaBeachFestival.com ticket info and further down the road it’s the Roadshow Revival: A Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash on Saturday, June 14 with the Paladins, Dale Watson, Calico, Hard Six and the Mighty Cash Cats lined up so far.

And finally, Bombay’s will host a fundraising event with Tommy and Paddy Marsh and special guests. A percentage of sales will be donated on April 19, 6-9 pm to the Botanical Gardens, so grab a burger and brewski, enjoy the tunes while supporting another great cause!

Do you have any music related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Send all information short or long to Pam@VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Music Photos: April 2014

Music in Ventura

Sans Souci – April 25, 2014
Radio Threat
Radio Threat


Amigo’s Surf Cantina – April 25, 2014
Bigfoot Invasion – Cougar Estrada, Ruben Estrada, John Schnackenberg, Ruben Martinez, Rene Martinez
Bigfoot Invasion


The Wine Rack – April 25, 2014
Ebony Ann Blaze
Ebony Ann Blaze


The Keynote Lounge – April 24, 2014
Open mic jam night!
Wild Rideopen mic


Bombay’s Bar and Grill – April 23, 2014
The Session featuring Coco Montoya and Mikey Mo
The Session


Amigo’s Surf Cantina – April 23, 2014
Kyle Swan, Benjamin Buttner and Doug Johnson


Bombay Bar and Grill – April 19, 2014
Groove Session


Bombay Bar and Grill – April 19, 2014
The Pullmen
The Pullmen


Bombay Bar and Grill – April 19, 2014
Botanical Gardens Fundraiser
Ray Jaurique, Tommy and Paddy Marsh
Ray Jaurique, Tommy and Paddy Marsh


The Wine Rack – April 19, 2014
Dan Grimm
Dan Grimm


The 805 Bar – April 19, 2014 – Andy’s Birthday Bash
Steve and Sally Williams
Steve and Sally Williams


Bombay Bar and Grill – April 18, 2014
Sharks and Cobras
Sharks and Cobras


W20 at The Watermark – April 18, 2014
Shawn Jones
Shawn Jones and Mario Calire


Squashed Grapes – April 17, 2014
The Jazz Report:  Bevan Mason (keys); Brad Dutz (drums); Danny Young (bass); Jacob Scesney (sax); Dave Tolegian (flute/sax).
The Jazz Report


The Tavern – April 16, 2014
American Hoss
American Hoss


Yolie’s – April 12, 2014
Morry Sochat with Tommy Harkenrider (guitar), Steve Nelson (bass) and Jerry McWorter (drums)
Morry Sochat


Squashed Grapes – April 10, 2014
Ventura Jazz CollectivePam from VenturaRocks.com and Adam from Squashed Grapes representing!Ventura Jazz Collective

Pablo Plasencia, Crystal Rose Sanchez, Patrick Martin, Pam Baumgardner, Adam Randall, Trey O’Toole from Pulse Drumming and Bill Bannister.

Bombay Bar and Grill – April 9, 2014The Session: Tommy Marsh and Bad Dog with guest Cadillac Zack – Post Jam with Paul Vallis, Franklin Murphy, Jacob Scesney
Jacob Scesney


Squashed Grapes – April 9, 2014
Nee Sackey Trio with special guest Karl Hunter
0409_Karl-Hunter_001 Nee Sackey Trio
The Nee Sackey Trio featured Nee on bass, Hans Ottsen on guitar and Adam Clark (not pictured) on drums with special guest Karl Hunter of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on sax.


The Star Lounge – April 6, 2014|
Dallas Burrow from Austin, TX
Dallas Burrow


Downtown Ventura – April 6, 2014
D.on Darox
D.on Darox


The Garage – April 5, 2014
Shelby Figueroa
Shelby Figueroa


The Garage – April 5, 2014
Practical Animal
Practical Animal


Bombay Bar and Grill – April 4, 2014
Alicia Murphy, Derek Jennings & Max Kasch
Alicia Murphy


The Wine Rack – April 4, 2014
Matthew Zeltzer
Matthew Zeltzer


Amigo’s Surf Cantina – April 1, 2014
Nathan McEuen
Nathan McEuen