Ventura Music Scene 8/21/24 – 9/3/24

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

The Throw Down Cornhole Tournament and Music Festival will be held August 23 – 25 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. What started as a cornhole competition out in front of Spencer Makenzie’s has turned into the world’s largest with competitors coming from around the world. Along with the high stakes of tossing a bean bag into a hole 27 feet away, live music will abound with performances by Rey Fresco, Sunny Ledfurd, Morie & the Heavy Hitters, Whisky Business, Bad Habit, Dave Rae & DNA and more. Get ticket information at TheThrowDown.co.

The Ojai Pops Orchestra will have a free concert at Ojai Libbey Bowl on Sunday, August 25 starting at 3:30 pm.  The orchestra brings together musicians, conductors and composers to play Pops music in a full orchestra for the community including showtunes, jazz, movie scores and more. While the concert is free, your donation helps to fund music education for youth.

The Aloha Festival is back this year covering two days at Surfers Point Promenade Park where admission is absolutely free. There will be plenty of vendors, a K9 frisbee demonstration, Polynesian style dance exhibitions and live music from Heavy Rotation, Ska Daddyz, Jill Martini & the Shrunken Heads, Rising Son, Jacob Marquez and the Good Vibes and more. The two-day family-friendly event runs 10 am to 8 pm Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1.

The 21st Annual Ventura Nationals will be held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 31, featuring not only crazy hot rods and custom cars, but this year there’s a skate deck art show and of course a lot of live music. Included in the price of admission are sets from The Kid Ramos Band, Wyld Gooms, HeXXers and Gethen Jenkins. Find out more at VenturaNationals.com.

The final shows for the High Street Arts Center summer concert series include Mick Adams and the Stones on Friday, August 30, Billy Nation (Billy Joel tribute) on Saturday, August 31, and it’s the Surf City Allstars on Sunday, September 1.

Quick Notes: Tony’s Pizzeria is celebrating their 65th anniversary over the last weekend of August with Spencer the Gardener, The Heavy Hitters, Brandon Ragan Project and more; tickets are on sale now for the Mad Caddies at the Ventura Music Hall for Sunday, November 17; Shawn Jones returns to Namba for an intimate show of stories and song on Saturday, August 24; Kelly’s Lot plays Four Brix on Saturday, August 24; The Collection summer series show on Thursday, August 29 will feature Wanted playing Bon Jovi covers; LA based band, The Centuries, bring their brand of rockabilly to the Garage on Saturday, August 31; and Danny Carey of TOOL, returns to the Grape with the Doug Webb Group on Saturday, August 31.

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 Scene 3/20/24 – 4/2/2024

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com
artwork
What a celebration it was for VenturaRocks.com’s 15th anniversary on Sunday, March 17 at Tony’s Pizzeria. Bruce Barrios is the best host anywhere, the band, the Brandon Ragan Project was on fire, and the crowd couldn’t have had more fun dancing and enjoying all the festivities including a few numbers from the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes & Drums (love a man in a kilt!). It was so heartwarming to have so many people stop by to congratulate and share their stories of how much they love and appreciate the website. Many thanks to all who came out including Sheldon Brown, publisher of the Ventura Breeze and his daughter Staci Brown (Editor Emeritus), Kat Merrick of Totally Local VC, Milo Sledge who had a gig up the street at Topa Topa Brewing, Steve and Polly Hoganson (formerly of Zoey’s fame) and so many musicians and lovers of live music and VenturaRocks.com. I kept hearing, “Here’s to another 15,” which makes me wonder if I have 15 more in me or not. We’ll see!

Libbey Bowl’s line up is looking pretty good with most shows through the Canyon Club; make sure you’re getting the best price for your tickets, by going through their website. New dates added to this summer’s calendar include Los Lonely Boys on August 8, Don McLean on August 10, Maxi Priest on August 81, Pablo Cruise with Peter Beckett of Player on August 31 and Judy Collins on September 13. In-between, you’ll find a number of tribute bands as well. Check out the full calendar at LibbeyBowl.org.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Ojai Underground will have three fantastic singer/songwriters playing in the round, Zoe Fitzgerald Carter, Jess Bush, Natalie Gelman and Arielle Silver. Tickets on sale now for this Friday, March 22 performance at OjaiUndergroundExchange.com.

Surf Rodeo hasn’t listed any bands to date other than they’ll be back this year in a new location at the tip top of Surfers Point where the Ventura County Fairgrounds meets the beach. Dates will be July 5 and 6 which according to my calendar are a Friday and Saturday.

Quick Notes: Moofish Café in the Crowne Plaza will have Dueling Pianos Friday and Saturday nights; All female band playing AC/DC covers, Herway to Hell, will be at Copper Blues on Saturday, March 23; X is at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 24; Danny Carrey of Tool will be featured with Doug Webb at the Grape on Saturday, March 30; The Honeysuckle Possums play the Santa Paula Theater Center on Saturday, March 30; RAW record release party will be held at Vaquera y Mar on Saturday, March 30 with Plot and the Hong Kong Frenzy; and The Bone Thugs-n-Harmony show at the Oxnard Performing Arts center is postponed until September 14. If you have tickets, they’ll be honored on new date.

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 Scene 3/6/24 – 3/19/24

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com
artwork
March 17th is coming up and several venues will offer live music to entice patrons through their doors to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish culture. Of course, the City of Ventura will have their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade; but, on the day before, Saturday, March 16. So, if you plan to head out for some rollicking fun on Sunday then may I suggest you celebrate the patron saint of Ireland along with a very special milestone? That would be the 15th anniversary of VenturaRocks.com. That’s right! I launched the website on March 17, 2009, and have never charged the venues or the bands to be listed on the calendar of events, and it’s always been free to the end users, so many of which swear it’s their bible when it comes to live music in our town. Many thanks to Bruce Barrios for offering to host the party at Tony’s Pizzeria from 3-7 pm with live music from the Brandon Ragan Project as well as special appearance by the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes and Drums. I hope you can swing by!

Billed as Jazz in the House, the Ventura Theater will host a Sunday afternoon concert, free to the public, featuring the award-winning jazz bands from Cabrillo Middle School and Ventura High School. It’s truly inspiring that these schools continue to offer music programs when so many other schools cannot. Both programs are supported by the memberships of their Booster organizations (both 501(c)3 non-profits). This is a perfect way to support budding musicians by attending and showing them some love.

The City of Ventura has announced this year’s Music Under the Stars lineup for the summer of 2024; however, tickets do not go on sale until May 9, so you have plenty of time to map out which shows you plan to attend. Here now, the lineup: an 80s dance party with Identity Theft on July 13; the Smooth Sounds of Santana play on July 20; a Steely Dan revue with Pretzel Logic on July 27, it’s a fun combo of Stones vs Rod Stewart with Start Me Up on August 3; a unique spin on blues, Rock & Americana with Dirty Cello on August 10; R&B, pop, jazz top-40 with Phazze One on August 17; an Eagles tribute with Dark Desert Highway on August 24 and a high-energy Latin dance band, Susie Hansen Latin Band to wrap up the series on August 31.

Quick Notes: tickets are on sale now for Todd Rugren’s June 23rd concert at Libbey Bowl in Ojai; Jodi Farrel will hold a Master Class at Namba on Saturday, March 9; Spencer the Gardener plays the Ojai Underground on Saturday, March 9; it’s the debut of Mick Stovers Blues Band at Margarita Villa on Saturday, March 9; and Save Ferris plays the Ventura Music Hall on Saturday, March 16.

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 – April 2023

Majestic Ventura Theater – April 27, 2023
Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real with guest appearance by Bob Weir (photo: Chris Jensen)
Photo Lucas Nelsen

Majestic Ventura Theater – April 26, 2023
Angel (photo: Jeff Donovan)
photo of Angel

Chick Singer Night – April 22, 2023
Performers back to front: Dawn Lunsford, Emily De La Cruz, Gaby M, Jodi Farrell, Annette DiNardo, Danielle Taylor (interspersed with supporting band)
photo Chick Singer Night

MadeWest Brewing Company – April 15, 2023
Negative Tide (photo: Harper Point Photography)
Negative Tide

Ojai Valley Brewing – April 14, 2023
Mark Masson and Guil Juliao
Mark Masson and Guil Juliao

 

 

Tony’s Pizzeria – April 13, 2023
Keith G and the Universouls
Photo of Keyth G