Monthly Archives: February 2017

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 3/1 – 3/14

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Ventura MusVentura Breeze logoic Scene
Local Music and More!
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

I’m extremely impressed with this year’s lineup for the Ventura Music Festival which includes headliner Michael Feinstein, but I’m really looking forward to catching Perla Batalla’s tribute to Leonard Cohen on Friday, July 21.  Yes, this is advance notice, but hopefully ticket sales will be brisk and I wouldn’t want you to miss out.  Full listings for all events can be found at VenturaMusicFestival.org.

Medicine Hat is off to Austin this month to play at SxSW (3/10 – 3/19).  They’ll be there five days, they’re currently scheduled to play four shows and working on more. In addition to acoustic shows, Medicine Hat will play a couple gigs with a full band, consisting of some of Austin’s finest.

Here’s a couple of one-liner notes of interest: Karen Eden continues her Margarita Mondays at 6 at Amigos; Chris Austin is heading up an open Jam/Mic night at Bombay’s on Wednesdays starting March 1, PA and backline will be provided and I’m told that the jams will be filmed; Yachtley Crew returns to Bombay’s on Saturday March 4; Four Brix Winery will offer live music on the first Friday of the month starting with JJ Frank on March 3; The Ventucky String Band plays every first Thursday of the month at Saloon BBQ including this month on the 2nd; Big Rig Dollhouse returns to Sans Souci on Friday, March 3; you can catch the Dive Bar Messiahs in a new venue for them at the Star Lounge, on Saturday March 4; the Social Distortion show at the Ventura Theater March 7 is sold out, but tickets are still available for the White Buffalo on Friday, March 10; there’s a Rockabilly and Blues fundraiser for El Camino High at the Ventura Beach Club on Friday, March 10; and finally, Plan B’s Second Sunday Supper is back on with Ray Jaurique and the Uptown Brothers on the 12th.

One of Ventura’s most popular bands, Rey Fresco, has new music, three songs produced by Mario C who also worked with The Beastie Boys and Jack Johnson (he’s also won three Latin Grammy awards to date).  I’m loving their new tune “You Were Wrong” which I haven’t gotten out of my head since first playing it, but you know, in Rey Fresco’s case, that’s a good thing.

And speaking of Rey Fresco and bands who record original music, don’t miss my program “The Pam Baumgardner Mostly Local Music Hour” on KPPQ-LP 104.1 FM.  I’m spinning tunes from not only Rey Fresco, but Shawn Jones, Kelly’s Lot, Steve Williams, Bryan Titus, Hot Roux, The Barrelhouse Wailers, The NaVaNaX, Medicine Hat, Charles Law, 50 Sticks of Dynamite, Jerry Breiner, Shaky Feelin’ and more. The station is rebroadcasting the show during the week, but I’m live on Tuesdays 5-6 pm with internet access coming soon. You can also give a listen to the current week’s broadcast on VenturaRocks.com.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Or would you like to submit your music for possible inclusion on my radio show? 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 – February 2017

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Bombay Bar and Grill – February 19, 2017
CASH BASH
The Mighty Cash Cats with Jade Hendrix (Photo: Cliff Montgomery)

Grapes and Hops – February 16, 2017
Jeff Silbar and Suzie Candell 

Bombay Bar and Grill – February 11, 2017
Yachtley Crew

Squashed Grapes – February 9, 2017
Mike Garson (Bowie, NIN, Smashing Pumpkins), Dave Liebman (NEA Jazz Masters Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Endowment for the Arts)
with special guest appearance Jacob Scesney

Discovery – February 4, 2017
The Band That Fell to Earth (Bowie Tribute)

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 2/15 – 2/28

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Ventura MusVentura Breeze logoic Scene
One Degree of Separation
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

If you follow Ventura’s music scene, then you most likely know Brent Harding who can be heard playing bass in bands like the Whiskey Chimps, the Gypsy Blues Band, Hot Roux and others, but did you know he’s been Mike Ness’s bass man for Social Distortion since 2004?  Brent will be back on the road with Social D the next few months and you can see him when they play at the Ventura Theater on March 7.  That’s all awesome, but I just found out that during one of the many private parties during this year’s NAMM (National Association Music Merchants) event, Brent got a call to play at a Gretsch Guitars event with Jeff Beck.  Yeah, THE Jeff Beck.  I had to talk to Brent about it, because you know, that’s HUGE! Plus, that’s only one degree of separation for me!  Anyways, Brent was so funny when he told me there were moments where he couldn’t look at him because he’d freak out and he had to concentrate; but he said Jeff Beck was a wonderful guy, really sweet and kind.  Now that’s what you want to hear about guitar gods, no?

Grapes and Hops will once again host a special evening with Shawn Jones, Jeff Silbar and Suzie Candell. Of course, we all know and love Shawn who recently competed and made it to the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis this month, but Suzie is returning to Ventura from Switzerland; Shawn produced her first CD the last time she was out here called, California Streets. The two will reunite with the one and only Jeff Silbar (Grammy award winning songwriter, “Wind Beneath My Wings”) for an evening of swapping stories and tunes on Thursday, February 16.

Here’s a couple of one-liner notes of interest:  Ruben Estrada returns to the Copa Cubana Monday evenings 6-9 pm through April 10; The Ventura Breeze is sponsoring the Equinox jazz band at Squashed Grapes February 24; The Johnny Cash, Cash Bash will be held on Sunday, February 19, 4-7:30 pm at Bombay’s featuring the Mighty Cash Cats and Jade Hendrix; another Cash Bash will be held on Sunday February 26 at Discovery with Hard Six, Jackass and Inazuma; Rey Fresco will be at Now Ventura on Saturday, February 25; and along with their normal Friday concerts, Hi Hat Entertainment has a special show on Sunday, February 26 at the Hong Kong Inn featuring the 2016 Muddy Award Winners, “Performance of the Year,” Karen Lovely with Lisa Mann and Ben Rice (downbeat at 7).

And finally, the all new CAPS Media radio station, KPPQ-LP has officially launched and is live on air 24 hours a day at 104.1 FM. It’s a low-powered signal so it only reaches most of Ventura, but they’ll soon be available on the internet as well; the staff is working out the programming as you read this.  Keep in mind, this is local area access and along with covering our City Council meetings and other events (parades and such), the programming is open up to CAPS members like myself.  I hope you’ll tune in when I’ll be hosting a one-hour mostly local music show, tentatively on Tuesdays 5-6 pm.

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.