Ventura Music Scene 11/16/22 – 11/29/22

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.comartwork

Looking ahead, the event of the season is coming up on Saturday, December 3. Of course, I’m speaking about the annual Winter Wine Walk & Holiday Street Fair downtown Ventura. I’ve attended several of these throughout the years, and it’s always a treat to be in one place at the same time with thousands of people celebrating the season. There are several different levels to be involved from just visiting all the vendors from one end of downtown to the other as you check off items on your Christmas shopping list, to walking to all the different participating venues whilst sipping your beverage, to hanging out in the VIP gardens (where you’re find the best pours and food), to dancing at Main and California while a snowfall transforms downtown into a winter wonderland. No charge to hang out for the Street Fair and music at California and Main, but you’ll want to secure your tickets for the wine walk at VenturaWinterWineWalk.com.

If you’ve never sat in a music hall listening to a full orchestra performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Ode to Joy, then do yourself a favor, and kickstart the season with the New West Symphony. There will be two shows, one on Saturday, November 19, at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and one the following day at Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center in Camarillo. The program includes Meri Sakhi Ki Avaaz, My Sister’s Voice. For ticket availability, go to NewWestSymphony.org.

Majestic Ventura Theater Upcoming Shows
The Wrecks – 11/19/22
AFI – 11/25/22 (Sold Out)
Beach House – 12/7/22 (Sold Out)
Circle Jerks, TSOL – 12/30/22
Jerry Cantrell – 2/21/23
Eric Johnson – 2/22/23

Ventura Music Hall
The Purple Ones – 1/6/23
Steely Dead – 1/20/23
Cut Chemist – 1/26/23
The Wood Brothers – 2/2/23
Mat Kearney – 2/11/23
Alborosie – 2/19/23
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore rescheduled for 2/23/23

Congratulations to two-time Grammy-award winner Rhiannon Giddens who will become the music director for the 77th Ojai Music Festival in June next year. She recently won the Grammy for Best Folk Album for They’re Calling Me Home with Francesco Turrisi.

Quick Notes: Barrelhouse Wailers are in the studio on Ojai at Carbonite Sound; Brendon Willing James performs at the Deer Lodge with special guest Omar Velasco on Thursday, November 17; There will be live music at Bombay Bar and Grill, on Saturday, November 19 with Olivia Willhite at 5 pm); Numbskull Productions bring Wormwitch, and Bewitcher to town for a gig at Gigi’s Cocktails on Saturday, November 19; Wrecking Crew member, Don Randi & Quest returns for a date at the Grape on Saturday, November 19; AFI show at Ventura theater on Friday, Acoustic DNA play a Friendsgiving show at the Twist on Wednesday, November 23; November 25 is sold out; Janelle & Andrew play Surfers Point Café on Sunday, November 27; and Ventura Theater’s annual sing along will be held on December 11 (admission is one new unwrapped toy).

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.

Ventura Music Photos – November 2022

The Victorian House (Formerly The Tavern, A Bar Called Country) – November 29, 2022
Jayden Secor
Jayden Secor

Topa Topa Brewing – November 11, 2022
Anchor and Bear (album release party)
Anchor and Bear

Ventura Music Hall – November 10, 2022
Shane Alexander (photo: Ariel Sri)Shane Alexander

Majestic Ventura Theater – November 5, 2022
Gogol Bordello (photo: Chris Jensen)
Gogol Bordello

Ventura Music Scene 11/2 – 11/15/22

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.comartwork

Good Kids artworkIt didn’t surprise me at all when I heard that several members from Army of Freshmen had taken on a new project, an album for children, called Good Kids. It features 14 high-spirited, multi-genre songs that speak to children. If you know the band, then you know what quirky high energy fun-loving free spirits they are, so this totally makes sense!

A few factors help mold the project, the most important one being that

Army members

they are parents themselves, but then the pandemic hit and it was the perfect time to fill in all that free time they now had on their hands. To accompany the release of Good Kids on November 4, will be a new web series of the same name offering four-minute episodes hosted by a different band member interviewing a “real” good kid, as well as comical vignettes of the band taking on the subject themselves from sports to going to school to starting a band. Way to go boys!

Expect frivolity, over-the-top theatrics and just an awesome stage show when punk legends Gogol Bordello hit the stage at the Ventura Theater on Saturday, November 5; and then Canadian indie pop duo, Tegan and Sara (twin sisters) play the Majestic on Friday, November 11.

Meanwhile just a few miles away on Thompson Blvd, this is the Ventura Music Hall line up for the next two weeks:
Sammy Johnson on Thursday, November 3
Tai Verdes on Wednesday, November 9
The Longest Johns with Shane Alexander opening on Thursday, November 10
Big Head Todd and the Monsters on Friday, November 11
The Sinseers on Saturday, November 12
Flamingosis & Blockhead on Sunday, November 13
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore with the Guilty Ones on Tuesday, November 15

anchor and bear artworkI’m looking forward to the new release from Anchor & Bear. You can see them perform “No More Nights on the Roof” at Topa Topa Brewing, downtown Ventura on Friday, November 11, with Looking West opening the show. By the way, if you haven’t been to this Topa Topa Brewing location in a while, you need to check it out. They cleared out the back room where they use to have their brewing equipment and now they have a spot for live bands, open mics and screenings. I’m hoping this will become consistent listening room for artists to perform.

Quick Notes: Danny Carey of Tool returns to the Grape with the Doug Webb Group on Thursday, November 3; Poseidon Brewing’s First Friday is offering up the CocoKnots with a Hawaiian vibe on November 4; the final free Ojai Pops Concert Series show of the season will be Sunday, November 6, at 3:30 pm at Libbey Bowl with Larktown & Friends; Jodi Farrell’s live performers’ workshop at Namba will be on Sunday November 6 (donations appreciated); Michael Falcone does a tribute to Sinatra on Thursday, November 10 at the Manhattan in Camarillo; David Franz album release party will be at the new Feros Ferio Winery in Ojai on Saturday, November 12; local singer/songwriter, Krystal Park, performs a set at Surfers Point Café on Sunday, November 13 (1 pm); and tickets are on sale via eventbrite for Dr. Know & Stalag 13 at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme for Saturday, January 7, 2023;

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.