Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 2/19/14 – 3/4/14

Ventura Breeze logoVentura Music Scene
Army on the March
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pa
m@VenturaRocks.com

0207_OwenBucey_001I caught up with Army of Freshmen’s Owen Bucey to get the lowdown on the upcoming Calamity CD release party set for Saturday, March 1 at Bombay’s. Owen told me how Army had been on the East Coast touring back in 2004/2005 and they had been staying at singer Chris Jay’s parent’s house. One evening most of the guys had gone out but Kai, Aaron and Owen had hung back kicking it around in the music room where Chris’s mom taught music. Before long, songs were being developed. Owen explained, “It was just sheer organic fun. We loved what came out of that night and decided to explore it a little bit more.” It was different too because they played different instruments except for Owen, but he actually started to write lyrics for the first time. Flash forward to present time with Calamity and their second release, A Ghost of these Moments, which will be played live, start to finish, with no stops. Price of the ticket at Bombay’s gets you a free download.

The Patio at Player’s Club Casino will play host for a fundraiser on Saturday, February 22, for the Canine Adoption and Rescue League with Kelly’s Lot and special guest on harp, Jon Gindick. There will be food, drinks and no cover, but plenty of opportunities to donate to this worthy cause to help our furry friends. See www.carlvc.org for more information.

The Garage is actively seeking bands to play there once again. Numbskull Presents announced Lower Class Brats out of Austin, Texas, with Kicker, The Loads and Global Crime Syndicate on March 27. It will be awesome having more live shows more often on the east end of town.

Parsons Guitars out of Seattle, WA, have moved into the space above the Ventura Theater at the corner of Main and Chestnut. I swung by during their “soft” opening and met owner Randy Parsons who gave me a tour, it’s amazing what they’ve done with the space. All stringed musicians should drop in and see what the man has to offer, from classes, to repairs, to building guitars to spec. We wish him well as we plan to get him involved with the music scene here in town.

It’s coming up on five years since VenturaRocks.com was launched and you’re officially invited to help us celebrate at our anniversary party on Monday, March 17, at Bombay’s. Yes, it’s a Monday. Yes, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and Yes, we have Rey Fresco playing! You won’t want to miss it!

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