Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com
Here’s to wishing you holidays filled with love, laughter, and of course, lots of music! With that being said, let’s get going with what’s on everybody’s minds, “How to bring in the New Year!”
The following parties are listed in alphabetical order: The Blue Agave will have a DJ, The Boatyard has Karen Eden with Bill Macpherson, then Troy Edwards celebrating on New York time when the ball drops at 9 pm our time (Midnight New York Time), the party starts at 5:30 and goes until 9:30. Café Fiore has a DJ in the Tree House Lounge and Action Down up front. Casa Bella should be hopping with A.D.D. playing all night. It’s the Estrada Brothers at Copa Cubana at the harbor. The Crystal Method will take over Discovery. It’s DJ Sharp at The Garage where they’re putting on a masquerade ball. Grapes and Hops will have the Brandon Ragan Project in the house. It’s What the Funk at the Keynote Lounge, then another earlier celebration on New York time at Leashless Brewing with FIDO. The Saloon BBQ has an 80’s themed promo with DJ, Arockalypse Now will keep it rockin’ at The Star Lounge, and it’s Mark Masson jammin’ at Vintura at the Wine Rack.
Please be safe this New Year’s, there will be plenty of taxis, Lyft and Uber drivers available, so play it safe and plan on a designated driver or alternative ways of getting around.
Quick Notes: Do note that Oak and Main will reopen soon; Bombay’s will offer bands 1 – 11 pm on Saturday, December 22, including sets from Medicine Hat, Blues Bullet, Brother Earl & the Cousins, and Rose Valley Thorns; Discovery hosts a Holiday Jamboree on Sunday, December 23, including The Rays, Rvrboy, VOC, King’s Revenge and Aaron Pax Taylor; The Bearded Clams with actor Patrick Warburton on vocals will take over the Hong Kong Inn on Thursday, December 20, playing nothing but Pearl Jam cover tunes; The Gentleman’s Blues Club return for another Sunday Blues-filled afternoon at Grapes and Hops on December 23; and finally, the Rubicon will end it’s run of Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s South Pacific on Sunday, December 23, but don’t miss their popular fundraiser, Kids for Kids: The Circle of Life on Saturday, December 29, the musical variety show’s proceeds to providing scholarships for summer camps and other educational activities at the Rubicon.
It turns out the Hong Kong Inn plans to continue to keep their doors open while searching for new tenants and Adam and Josh from Squashed Grapes will continue to help book jazz while waiting to open their new jazz club midtown. Keep in touch on VenturaRocks.com but do note they have Tom Scott scheduled for Friday, December 21.
Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to Pam@VenturaRocks.com, and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.