Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 10/26 – 11/8

Posted on October 23, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
Halloween and much more!
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

With Halloween falling on a Monday night this year, most venues are offering up parties the weekend before:

On Friday night (the 28th), Bombay’s will host Hotel Clownafornia; The Garage has a Halloween Monster Bash with Radio Threat, Cursed Bastards and Inazuma; and there’s a Halloween party with American Hoss at the Golden China.

On Saturday night (the 29th) look for A Nightmare on Main Street at Amigos with DJ JScratch; there’s the 2nd annual Halloween Hoedown at Gigi’s with Jackass, Norco-Cryptkicker and The Kreeps; Discovery has Dawn of the Dreads with Arise Roots, Iya Terra and Ital Vibes; there’s a Zombie party at Saloon BBQ with Skin n Bones; the SPRP Halloween costume party will be at the Red Cove with Seven 40 Seven, The Kane Gang, The Airmen, The Rouse, The Lower Echelon; Café Fiore has Soul Infusion; the Sewer has DJs Darko, Pistolero and Spinobi; the Keynote has UnUsual Suspects; and it’s the Tony Ybarra trio at Squashed Grapes.

There’s a couple of worthy Blues shows coming up at the Hong Kong Inn that you won’t want to miss including Hi Hat Entertainment presenting the Shari Puorto Band on Friday, October 28, then that Sunday, October 30, Crooked Eye Enterprises presents The Forty Fours with a special show at 4 pm.

The Majestic Ventura Theater continues to bring great shows to town with Aaron Lewis (Staind) on Wednesday October 26; The Pixies on Friday, October 28; Dwight Yoakam on Thursday, November 3; and Nahko and Medicine for the People on Saturday November 5.

It’s been awhile since the Pretty Uglys have played in town so I’m looking forward to catching their punk rock/glam band show when they kick off their U.S. tour by playing at Sans Souci on Friday, November 4th. If you miss that show they’ll be on the back stage at Bombay’s on Saturday November 5.

Bad Sam Presents D.R.I. and The Dwarves at the Garage on Thursday, October 27.

Bobby West returns to Squashed Grapes on Friday, November 4 and the following day Kevin Winard will hold a drum clinic hosted by Pulse Drumming to be followed by a performance that evening with none other than saxophonist, Tom Scott.

If you’re in the Camarillo area, you won’t want to miss The Swing Shift, a big band featuring vocalist Jan Nelsen. Their next couple of gigs at the Sportsman in Camarillo will be held October 23 and then again on November 27 from 5-8 pm. They typically play the fourth Sunday of the month (except for December). And then the Starlight Supper Club will hold a fundraising event for Project Understanding on Saturday, November 5 at the Serra Event Center also in Camarillo featuring the Ventura Jazz Orchestra sextet featuring vocalist Donna Greene.

Do you have any music related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Send all information short or long to Pam@VenturaRocks.com, and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 10/12-10/25

Posted on October 9, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
Ebbs and Flows of our Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Nobody likes change, especially when it involves the closing of another venue which offered live music. I’ll admit to my disappointment; especially when walking by Saturday night and not hearing upbeat live music from W20 at the Watermark. I wanted to berate Hartley for letting us down, but you know, he and Kathy sort of deserve less stress in their lives. It would have made the blow easier knowing the new tenants would carry on with live music, but alas, it doesn’t appear they will. I’m trusting the other venues in town to pick up the slack and help out the bands scrambling to find places to play. I always say there are ebbs and flows with Ventura’s music scene. Guess which one we’re in.

Doing his best to pick up the slack of course is Mike Toler just around the corner from W20 at Amigos. He’s got a nice line up of music scheduled including Mi6 on Sunday October 23d. He told me that he’s looking forward to the return of his friend Wes Nile and Mi6. He said, “The last time we had them at Amigos they really brought it with something I had not seen before. Imagine listening to a DJ but the DJ was being replaced by a band, and unless you were in front of the band, you wouldn’t know the difference!”

I’m glad I was able to witness the return of Cirith Ungol at the Ventura Theater during the Frost and Fire II fest. The City of Ventura was scheduled to recognize their reuniting after 25 years at the City Council meeting on Monday the 10th. I’ve heard European dates will be coming up for them in 2017.

SteampunkFest will be held at the Heritage Square in Oxnard on October 15th and 16th. The event is being touted as kid friendly with wacky events all day. Some of the bands scheduled include 50 Sticks of Dynamite, Abby and the Myth, Cirque Des Betes, and of course the Velveteen Band. For more information and ticket prices, check out www.OxnardSteamPunkFest.com.

I’m hearing good things about the band, Big Jesus, an alt-rock band out of Atlanta, GA, who will be coming to town this month. They’ve been getting a lot of good coverage for their latest release; Rolling Stone Magazine praised them for “reviving 90’s alternative” which happens to my favorite era of music. Actually the entire week at the Ventura Theater will be rockin’ with Yellowcard on the 19th, Garbage on the 20th, Ben Folds on the 21st, Common Kings on the 22nd and wrapping up the week will be Big Jesus opening for Good Charlotte on Sunday the 23rd.

And finally, happy anniversary to Sheldon and the staff of the Ventura Breeze. I would like to personally thank Sheldon for supporting Ventura’s music scene by devoting a full page to its coverage.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 9/28 – 10/11

Posted on September 26, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
Folk fest to Metal fest
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

High at the top of my list of things to do over the next few weeks is the Topa Topa Folk Fest being held at the beautiful Libbey Bowl in Ojai on Saturday, October 1. Ticket sales have been brisk, which is great because I’d love to see this one sell out as it also helps to benefit the Turning Point Foundation. Headlining the folk fest will be Jake Smith better known as The White Buffalo whose music has been featured on such TV shows as “Sons of Anarchy” and “Californication.” I’m also excited to see Grizfolk after watching local talent Brendon Willing share his adventures via social media after joining the band over a year ago. Actually, the whole lineup is pretty cool with Jaime Wyatt, Todd Hannigan, Shane Alexander, Lee Koch, Bryan Titus and so many more talented folks. Find out more at www.OnesToWatchProductions.com. You can help make a difference while enjoying a great day of music, hope to see you there!

Another Turning Point Foundation fundraising was held at the Traveler’s Café on Thursday, September 22 when Shawn Jones entertained the room. It was the perfect opportunity for people to check out one of Ventura’s newest restaurants offering up live acoustic music on select days. Shawn by the way heads back to Europe the first week in October for about a month with shows in Italy and Ireland.

The highly anticipated return of Cirth Ungol (their first show in 25 years) is finally upon us as they headline Frost and Fire II at the Ventura Theater on October 8, and to sweeten the deal even further, Metal Blade Records released the band’s classic “Paradise Lost” on CD and vinyl. Frost and Fire II actually spans three days (October 7-9) and three venues (Bombay’s, Sans Souci and the Ventura Theater). This heavy metal festival isn’t for the light of heart and will most likely sell out (Day one already sold out at press time). To get the full line up of bands and schedules go to www.FrostAndFireFest.com.

Plan B will be celebrating their 4th anniversary with their popular Second Sunday Supper for October (on the 9th), featuring The Vonettes. The venue is also working on Friday nights for live music on a regular basis.

Squashed Grapes is excited to welcome Ronnie Hudson on Saturday, October 8. Hudson is most notable for his hit song “West Coast Poplock” which would later appear on Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur’s song, “California Love” and Snoop Dogg’s “Poplock 2”. Hudson also played bass on the legendary Grammy-winning soundtrack “Shaft” by Isaac Hayes, and his work is featured in other films including “The Social Network”, “Iron Man II” and “South Central.”

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 9/14-9/27

Posted on September 14, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
Suds and Tunes
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Photo: Joe Nichols Country music star courtesy of JoeNichols.com

California Beer Festival returns to Ventura with several events all week long at different venues in the area, but on Friday, there’s a Food and Beer Pairing Competition up at City Hall with music from Ross Harper and The Bomb; on Saturday, it’s their Craft Beer Heaven at Plaza Park featuring music from The Purple Ones, Dr. M and The Caverns; and then the grand finale, Boots and Brews featuring music from Caught Red Handed, Tyler Rich, Highway Starr and a performance from Country music star Joe Nichols. For information on all events and how to get tickets, go to CaliforniaBeerFestival.com/Ventura. On Sunday, be sure to stop by the VenturaRocks.com booth and sit a spell and share your music related tidbits with me!

Fresh off the Dave Mason tour, drummer Alvino Bennett held a drum clinic for Pulse Drumming at Squashed Grapes on September 10 and then immediately following that Saturday afternoon, he held a short jam with a handful of fellow musicians including Jonathan McEuen deeming them “Alvino Bennett and his Stellar Acquaintances.” Oh, by the way, both Jonathan and his brother Nathen will be joined by their father John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) at the Topa Topa Winery in Ojai Sunday, September 18, 3-5 pm.

And speaking of Ojai, and more Topa Topaness, One’s to Watch Productions will be holding Topa Topa Folk Fest on October 1 with headliner, The White Buffalo. Other folk acts include Grizfolk, Jaime Wyatt, Todd Hannigan, Shane Alexander, The Brambles, Dear Lemon Trees and the Bryan Titus Trio. The day-long concert benefits in part the Turning Point Foundation. You can find ticket information at OnesToWatchProductions.com.

Ventura’s Elks Lodge is holding a lodge membership drive and BBQ on Saturday, September 17th with proceeds benefiting Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Ventura; both Big Adventure and The Swillys will be performing. The Ventura Elks Lodge is located at 2126 Knoll Drive; the event starts at 4 pm.

Discovery’s Backyard Bash was a big success! Now I’m looking forward to seeing the return of Alastair Greene on Friday September 16, the Fooz Fighters, a tribute to the Foo Fighters on Saturday September 17, and Diego’s Umbrella, San Francisco’s ambassadors of gypsy rock, on Saturday, September 24.

Rock the Dock continues on Saturday afternoons 3-6 pm during September in the Ventura Harbor. You can catch The Phantom Riders on the 17th and Super Stoked on the 24th.

Birdbrain hosts their CD release party Friday, September 17 at Sans Souci; Youth Brigade will play with The Grim and Mothers of Dissension at The Garage on Friday, September 23; and Pat Kelly along with Carey Frank and Steve Hass will play Squashed Grapes on Saturday September 24th.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/31-9/13

Posted on August 29, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
Help for Budding Artists
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

©highwaystarz

Big help from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy for our local schools! That’s $42,500 in funding to Ventura Unified School District earmarked to enhance existing visual and performing arts programs. The funds were made possible through the BBVD concert last April celebrating the City of Ventura’s 150th anniversary. I’m looking forward to seeing new upcoming artist having the chance to flourish as a result of the band’s generosity.

Local singer, Eric Harrington, recently played at Squashed Grapes to a packed house. Few knew there was a chance that drummer Vinnie Colaiuta might show up, and show up he did for the final songs of the night. Harrington told me, “What an amazing night it was, and to end it with Vinnie sitting in was just incredible, he’s just a delightful man!” Trey O’Toole from Pulse Drumming told me that Colaiuta had been working in a session all day and was afraid he might not make it, but luckily for the house, he did.

Speaking of Pulse Drumming and Squashed Grapes, watch for the Alvino Bennett (currently working with Dave Mason) drum clinic on September 10; he’ll be joined afterwards at the Grape for an awesome jam including musicians George Hawkins, Jr. on bass and vocals (Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina), Jonathan McEuen on guitar and vocals (Dwight Yoakum, NGDB, Dave Mason), Geo Evans on guitar (Cheryl Lynn, Euge Groove) and TJ, Teddy Jack Russell on guitar and vocals (Leon Russell).

Bombay’s 32nd End of Summer Party hits Ventura over the first weekend of September with three stages (including one outdoors with sand and a mechanical bull). Look for musical acts all weekend long including performances from Mandex, Highway Starr, Dirty Rice, Uproots, Shakey Feelin’ and A.D.D to name but a few.

The first ever Oxnard Jazz Festival lands at Oxnard Beach on Saturday, September 10, offering a diverse mix of Jazz, Latin, Soul, Blues and R&B with Tom Brown, Nick Colionne, Howard Hewett, O’Bryan, Quatrosound and Poncho Sanchez. You can get ticket information and more on this special event at OxnardJazzFestival.com.

Alternative/Country rockers, Porter & the Bluebonnet will be swinging through town from Austin, TX, with a showcase at Sans Souci on Friday, September 9. They’ll be on the same bill as The Jelly.

The Ventura Theater has been packing in the shows for the rest of the year. You’ll want to review their line up so you don’t miss any acts such as Jackson Browne, Pennywise, Echo & the Bunnymen, Steve Vai, Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, Ben Folds, Garbage, The Common Kings, Dwight Yoakum and more! Plus, you have the Nardcore show on September 10, and Frost and Fire with the return of Cirith Ungol on October 8. Details at VenturaTheater.net.

World Premiere: The Bet

Posted on August 16, 2016 by venturarocks

August 16, 2016
By Pam Baumgardner

Well the guys pulled it off! Not only did they write and co-produce their first feature length film, but they held a red carpet event at the Regal Cinema at LA Live in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. In attendance stars of The Bet, Alex Klein, Brian Allen, Amanda Clayton, Michael Consiglio and more including director Ryan Ederer.

Congratulations to Army of Freshmen members, Chris Jay and Aaron Goldberg on their raunchy comedy (not for the faint of heart), The Bet.

Many thanks to photographer, Cliff Montgomery for stepping in for VenturaRocks.com who was out of town that week. I take one vacation, and Chris has one red carpet screening, what are the odds they’d be on the same week????

: Alex Klein – Denton Baker in The Bet

: Amanda Clayton – Amanda Morrison in The Bet

: Chris Jay and Aaron Goldberg – Co-Writers and Producers of The Bet

: Ryan Ederer – Director of The Bet

: The Jeremiah Watkins- Jeremiah Watkins- Wiggins in The Bet

: Michael Consiglio- Brandon Lucas in The Bet

: Tawnie Jacyln – Ring Card Girl in The Bet

: Reza Riazi – Producer of The Bet

: Stacey Kaney – Denise Davids in The Bet

: Ron Yavnieli – Announcer in The Bet

: Crowd Gathering Prior to the Premiere of The Bet

: Nikki Leigh – Kendra McNulty in The Bet

: Mindy Robinson – Mrs. Lucas in The Bet

: Mike Evans- Spin Class Guy in The Bet

: Katie Hilliard – Hayley Matthews in The Bet

: Joe Henle and Guest – MMA Fighter in The Bet

: Gerry Bednob – Bob in The Bet

: Erin Morse – Kimberly Pointer in The Bet

: Dian Bachar – Video Store Guy in The Bet

: Chris Beal – UFC Fighter

: Michael Davenport and Guest – Music Supervisor of The Bet

: Brian Allen – Jackson Price in The Bet

: Ayla Fox – Art Director of The Bet

: Ali Rose – Sarah Dawn Samuels in The Bet

Final note…as a supporter of Ventura’s music scene, and supporter of Chris and Aaron’s first film, and because they asked for help, I’d like to thank them for the opportunity to be one of the extras in the film, but more than that, thanks for the shout out in the credits! MY NAME IS IN THE FREAKIN’ CREDITS!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Bet. I laughed, I blushed, I rolled by eyes shaking my head (boys will be boys), while loving all the Ventura locations used in the film.
Raunchy: yes
Funny: yes
Worthy: Yes!

Don’t be a putz, support Chris and Aaron and buy your very own copy today!!!

I bought mine from Amazon, but it’s available on iTunes, FandangoNow, Google Play, Vudu, and more.

Interview with Chris Jay on The Bet
The Bet Official Website
The Bet Facebook Page

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/17 – 8/30

Posted on August 15, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Idols, Icons and more…”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Karen Eden with Olivia Newton-John at W20 at the Watermark, Thursday, August 4, 2016.

With the Ventura County Fair behind us leaving us with many cool memories of so many amazing concerts, I would be remissed if I didn’t share one slightly monumental event that took place on Tuesday afternoon. One of our musical treasures we claim as our own is Jimmy Calire who you can find playing here in town with several different bands. I once wrote about stories Calire shared with me when his band Raven played in New York City and Jimi Hendrix would join in on the jam and I even once read that Janis Joplin tried to hire him at one point. Calire also toured with America in the seventies, so it was really cool when America played at the fair and invited Jimmy to join them for their final song, their most iconic tune, “Horse with No Name”. I had to ask Jimmy about it and he modestly told me, “Joining them on the song was great, but just catching up backstage was even better.”

Another anecdotal story I must share with you involves another local artist whom you can find singing her Aussie heart out most weeks here in town, of course I’m speaking of Karen Eden. Mark Hartley of the Watermark specifically had Eden booked for Thursday, August 4, in order to surprise her with one of Eden’s idols. Karen told me, “I was half way through a song when Hartley gave me a mischievous look and out from behind him stepped none other than Olivia Newton-John!” Karen of course immediately recognized her and smiled a huge grin. She told me, “I can’t believe I kept singing!” After the song Karen went up to Olivia and gave her a big hug. Karen got to tell her how she grew up listening to, learning from and loving her. Karen confessed, “She was so lovely; it was a treat of a lifetime for me.” It also turned out that Karen’s guitarist that evening, Cary Park, had played on one of Olivia’s albums back in the 90s. What a night!

And just so you know Mark Hartley, Dave Grohl is my favorite idol. Just sayin’.

Music Under the Stars continues Saturday nights throughout the summer at the historic Olivas Adobe with music from the Shari Puorto Band (Rock ‘n’ Blues) on August 20 and Savor (Santana tribute band) on August 27 which is already sold out.

And finally Spencer Makenzie’s Cornhole Tournament has been growing exponentially gaining recognition as the West Coast’s biggest cornhole/bean bag tournament and though their main focus is the contest, they’re also continuing their End of Summer party with a free concert Saturday, August 27, featuring Mandex. Show starts at 6 with Andre, then Brothers Fortune and the headliners at 8.
Do you have any music related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Send all information short or long to Pam@VenturaRocks.com, and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/3 – 8/16

Posted on July 31, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“If the Fair is a Rockin’…”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Finally, it’s Fair time!!! Yippee! Deep fried foods of all kinds, here I come and I don’t feel too guilty as I’ll be burning off those empty calories dancing to all the great music coming our way. The fair officially opens on Wednesday August 3 (the Fair Parade will be held on Saturday morning the 6th on Main Street downtown Ventura), and will run through Sunday, August 14. Their full entertainment schedule can be found at the fair’s official website (VenturaCountyFair.org). I’m looking forward to Styx, Old Dominion, the return of Joan Jett, and of course one of my favorite bands, Third Eye Blind!

Music Under the Stars continues Saturday nights throughout the summer at the historic Olivas Adobe with Cuban Classica music from Orquesta Charangoa on August 6 and one of the best Beatles tribute bands around, Britain’s Finest on August 13.

Here’s an interesting tidbit, Paul Black (of LA Guns fame) will be returning to Margarita Villa on Saturday, August 13. Black had actually reached out to the venue asking for a slot to play and they were happy to oblige.

I looked over Squashed Grapes’ August calendar for jazz music and trust me, there’s going to be plenty of cool jazz for your hot summer nights culminating with the return of Doug Webb featuring Danny Carey of TOOL on Saturday, August 27. Carey missed the last engagement due to touring conflicts. Other highlights to watch for include the return of Bobby West with Adam Clark on August 3, Anne Hall & the Remarkables on the 7th, the Fair Parade band August 6 (always a good time), Rachel Flowers on the 13th, Colin Bailey on the 25th and D.on Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers on the 26th. Full line up can be found at SquashedGrapes.com/events.

The final installment of Ventura Rocks on CAPS Media has been released. Don’t miss The NaVaNaX airing now on CAPS but it’s also available 24/7 on Ventura Rocks’ YouTube channel. The guys did a spectacular job. Many thanks to the crew at CAPS for the opportunity and for their support of Ventura’s music scene.

And finally, I caught up with lead singer/musician Eric Rachmany of Rebelution who assured me the band will return to Ventura, but on their current tour you’ll have to catch them at the Santa Barbara Bowl on August 13. Eric told me, “Ventura is just as much home for us as Santa Barbara. Back in the day us and Iration had the opportunity to open for Yellowman at the Ventura Theatre. We have some great memories in Ventura. We will be back!” You can read the full interview on VenturaRocks.com, and you’ll most likely want to pick up their latest release, “Falling Into Place.”

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 7/20-8/2

Posted on July 18, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Spicy Summer Tunes”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

The French connection back in Ventura: Jean Francois wtih Kelly Zirbes, Perry Robertson of Kelly’s Lot.

The good folks that bring you Ventura’s Wine Walk, Champange on Main and Tequila and Taco Music Festival have moved the latter from the Collection to Ventura’s Plaza Park! The event will run over two days July 23 and 24th with music from Adelaide, Patron Latin Rhythms, Instone, SambaDá and Metalachi. More ticket information can be found at tequilaandtacomusicfestival.com/ventura.

Nashville singer-songwriter Don Gallardo will be performing at Saloon BBQ on Friday, July 29. Gallardo, who’s just recently back from another successful UK tour, will be playing select shows outside of his home base of Nashville to celebrate his summer US release of his acclaimed album, “Hickory” (four stars from MOJO Magazine and named one of the best albums of 2015 by The Telegraph).

It’s the final dates of the Ventura Music Festival with Sergio Mendes, a Celebration of 50 years of Brasil 66 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Friday July 22, and the last two dates will be held at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center with Ventura Music Festival’s musical director, Nuvi Mehta & Friends on Saturday, July 23 and wrapping it up will be a program entitled “Composers and the Movies” on Sunday July 24.

Music Under the Stars continues Saturday nights throughout the summer at the historic Olivas Adobe with New Orleans style boogie and blues from Porterhouse Bob on July 23 and Queen Nation’s tribute to the rock band Queen on July 30.

And finally, I caught up with the dynamic Kelly Zirbes of Kelly’s Lot who is super jazz that their good friend Jean Francois will be back visiting this summer. I asked her about how their friendship between she, her husband Perry (Kelly’s Lot guitarist) and Francois began and Kelly told me, “I met Jean Francois in 2010 during a tour in France. We became instant friends and we decided it would be fun to share our love of music and community with each other. Perry and I have traveled to France three times since then to play shows that Jean Francois organized and promoted in the Auvergne region in France. The French community embraced our band so last year I invited eight friends from Ventura to join the band in France and the bonding of Auvergne and Ventura began. A couple band members and I even played on Jean’s new CD, “Death Valley Blues” which was inspired by his first trip to Southern California in 2015. At the end of July, Kelly’s Lot will host Jean Francois for 6 shows here in Southern California; two of which are in Ventura County. The first one is on July 29th at Four Brix Winery in Ventura and then on July 30 at The Maritime Museum in Channel Islands for the annual Oxnard event, Chowder Feat.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 7/6 – 7/19

Posted on July 4, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Summer Music Heating Up”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Raging Arb at Surf Rodeo

One of my favorite events of the year, Surf Rodeo, is finally upon us over the weekend of July 16th and 17th! You won’t want to miss this year’s music line up with a great eclectic mix of local, near local and national with over two dozen bands continuously playing on two different stages. The crew have it down to fine art while one stage is live, the other is tearing down and setting up the next band. Stationed between the two stages of course is where the surf competitions take place with male and female categories from 13 and under up to 45 and over including a Pro/Open category with $1,000 purse. All seriousness aside, you’ll want to catch the “greased pig” competition where oiled up surfers try to tackle the waves with grace, which of course turns out to be nothing but hilarious.

Music starts at 10 am both days; high on my list of priorities music wise include Dirty Rice, Mark Masson and Phriends, Hy Brasil, The NaVaNaX, No Duh, Spencer the Gardener, The Pullmen, an obligatory set from Raging Arb and the Redheads and of course the headliner, Dave Wakeling and The English Beat who will wrap up the weekend on Sunday.

The Ventura Music Festival’s 22nd season runs July 15 through the 24th with the big ticket being Sergio Mendes, “A Celebration of 50 Years of Brasil 66” on Friday, July 22. Ticket information can be found at VenturaMusicFesitval.org; however, there will be a couple of free events, the first one on Friday, July 15 at 6 pm at the corner of California and Santa Clara with the Festival Brass Quintet and the second one, a Master Class on Saturday morning July 16 in the Ventura college Performing Arts Center.

9 Mile Skid (Grateful Dead tribute band), are calling it day, while a few former members of Bullet Made Statues, StoneFlys, and Trash Honey have come together to form a new band, Goodnight Kiss. The band’s already making their mark on LA whilst playing our local haunts such as Amigos, W20 and Sans Souci.

The Ventura County Fair doesn’t open until the first week in August, so don’t plan on taking your vacation during their run as their music is exceptional from UB40, a return of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and one of my favorites, Third Eye Blind. Of course all music is included in the price of admission; get the lowdown at www.VenturaCountyFair.org.

And finally summer wouldn’t be summer without Music Under the Stars at Olivas Adobe on Saturday nights through September 3rd. July 9th kicks off the season with Mirage – Visions of Fleetwood Mac. All dates and ticket information can be found on the City’s website: www.CityofVentura.net/mus.

Ventura Rocks

Yeah it Does!

Category Archives: Ventura Rocks

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 10/26 – 11/8

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 10/12-10/25

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 9/28 – 10/11

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 9/14-9/27

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/31-9/13

World Premiere: The Bet

August 16, 2016
By Pam Baumgardner

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/17 – 8/30

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/3 – 8/16

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 7/20-8/2

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 7/6 – 7/19

August 16, 2016 By Pam Baumgardner

August 16, 2016
By Pam Baumgardner