Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com
There are a number of events lined up to get you into the holiday swing of things if Thanksgiving didn’t already do that. Let’s start with the Ventura Winter Wine Walk and Holiday Street Fair where at the corner of California and Main live music will abound with dancing in the street along with a “snowfall” which delights all attendees young and old. Live music runs 2-8 pm with Upstream, The Bomb and Adelaide. The street fair runs all day and is free to the public, but in order to participate in the wine walk, tickets should be purchased in advance as this one could sell out. Keep in mind all venues are open to the public at all times.

Then there is the 25th annual 4Kids 2Kids Toy Drive which will be held on Sunday afternoon, December 3, at Cantara Cellars in Camarillo with a stellar lineup including appearances from Nick St. Nicholas (Steppenwolf), Shawn Jones, Milo Sledge, RJ Mischo, Debbie Davies, Ray Jaurique Big Band, the Vonettes, Debbie Davies Steve and Sally Williams and more. The cost of admission is $10 and one unwrapped toy.

Doc the Halls, Holiday Blues at Namba is Saturday December 9 with electrifying blues tunes and soulful melodies which will include performances from Mint Dolphin, the Sea Hunters, Brasscals, Tom Collins, and the All-Star Blues Band featuring Fito De la Parra (Canned Heat), RJ Mischo, Rick Holstrum, and Hank Van Sykle…oh! And of course, the man himself, Doc Ventura!

The Majestic Ventura Theater’s 10th annual Holiday Sing-a-Long featuring Disney and holiday songs will be held on Sunday, December 10 from 3:30 – 6:30 pm with the price of admission as one new unwrapped toy per group.

And you may want to continue your celebration of Hanukkah this year on Sunday, December 10, with your family and friends downtown at California and Main from 4 – 6:30 pm where a night full of unity, light and community awaits along with live music from Cedars of Lebanon. This free event also includes dreidel fun and games, face painting and other activities for the kids along with a candle lighting ceremony.

Non-holiday type events include a night with Willie Porter who will perform at Namba on Sunday, December 3 (He will have performed the night before at the legendary McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica). Porter is an American rock musician singer/songwriter who was inducted into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Hall of Fame earlier this year. He’s currently touring in support of his 13th release, The Ravine.

On the same night, an amazing singer/songwriter, Sara Lee Guthrie performs at the new space at the Ojai Underground. If Guthrie sounds familiar, well it should! She is daughter to Arlo Guthrie and granddaughter of Woody Guthrie and she’s been out on tour wrapping up the year with this date in Ojai.

Quick Notes: there’s a West Coast Jazz Jam at Copa Cubana on Thursday, November 30; the rescheduled Brit Floyd, 50 Years of Dark Side of the Moon is Friday, December 1 at the Ventura Theater; Birdbrain, Bonnie Boy and Duncan and the Dragonslayers play early evening sets at Bombay’s on Saturday, December 2; The Struts play Ventura Music Hall on Tuesday, December 5; after recently opening for Yachtley Crew at the Ventura Theater, Casual Business will play Topa Topa Brewing (Downtown, Thompson Blvd. location) on Saturday, December 9; and Margarita Villa will be taking a winter hiatus from live music after the Sunday, December 3 performance from Déjà vu Three.

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