Ventura Music Scene 4/1/26 – 4/14/26

Posted on March 29, 2026 by venturarocks

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

There is no better place than Ventura for “a seaside celebration of music and community.” That’s the tagline for Maybe It Was the Roses Music Festival, a three-day celebration of the music, spirit and connection inspired by the legacy of the Grateful Dead and Bob Weir. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Ventura Friday, May 29 through Sunday May 31. I’ve seen speculation that this replaces the defunct Skull and Roses, but who cares, if they pull this one off! Performances include those by Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Dead Aces, Stu Allen with Mars Hotel, Jerry & Dawg, and many more. Get the lowdown at GoldenRoadFestival.com. And in case you’re wondering, “maybe it was the roses” is a lyric from “It Must Have Been the Roses” from the Grateful Dead. Information at GoldenRoadFestival.com.
Earlier the same month, the California Strawberry Festival falls over the weekend of May 16 and 17 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Along with all the fabulous strawberry concoctions, there will be arts and crafts, Strawberryland for the kids, a festival fun zone with carnival rides, and of course lots of live entertainment spread throughout the venue on a minimum of four stages. Some of the highlights will be Hot Southern Nights, The Long Run Eagles Experience, Corazon de Mana, Kings of Queen, and a special appearance by the Ventura College Jazz Band. Information at CAStrawberryFestival.org.

Moorpark’s High Street Arts Center added their summer tribute series to the calendar for dates July 31 through August 16. Tributes to Bruno Mars, Motown, Country, Billy Joel, Selena, Elvis and surf music. Shows do sell out, so secure your tickets now at HighStreetArtsCenter.com
Ojai Music Festival schedule with ticket information at OjaiFestival.org. The festival runs June 11 – June 14 with most concerts at the Libbey Bowl.

Quick Notes: Modest Mouse added to the Libbey Bowl concert season for Tuesday, August 4; the Easter performance at Beatice Woods Center for the Arts with George Kahumoku Jr. and Jim “Kimo” West is sold out; the musical, Somebody to Love, is now running at the Rubicon through April 19; the Beta Macks play First Thursdays Food Truck event at Plaza Park in Oxnard on April 2; it’s a punk rock Saturday afternoon at Vaquero y Mar on April 11 with SRA, Spider Baby and Opaula; reservations/tickets on sale now for the Sinatra tribute band featuring Michael Falcone at the Manhattan for Thursday, April 23; and finally, see you at Paul Thorn Friday, April 10, at the Ventura Music Hall.

Fun observation: you can tell who the target audience is when it’s a fully seated show starting earlier as is the case for when Ambrosia who play the Ventura Music Hall on June 7 at 7 pm 😊

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows that you would like help publicizing? Please send all information, short or long, to Pam@VenturaRocks.com. For updated music listings daily, visit www.VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Music Scene 3/18/26 – 3/31/26

Posted on March 15, 2026 by venturarocks

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

Live It Up, a Nordhoff L.I.V.E. club benefit concert will be held at the Libbey Bowl on Saturday, March 21 (2-9 pm), with several local bands including The Chillz, The Framers, Girldad, Looking West, Joystix, Easy Bear and Crescent City. This is an all-ages show with free admission, but donations will be gratefully accepted with proceeds going directly toward supporting students traveling to Arusha, Tanzania this summer for service work.

Supporting Namba Arts, which is one of the best listening rooms in the county, will be an intimate concert featuring the talented trio of Jodi Farrell, Michael Henszey and Mike Collins. This fundraiser is dedicated to supporting this jewel of venue, bringing together a night of acoustic and electric performance in an intimate setting. Along with the show will be a silent auction. This event falls on Sunday, March 22 at 6:30 pm.

Richard T. Bear & Friends play the Grape on Wednesday, March 25. Bear’s friends include heavy hitters such as Laurence Juber (Paul McCartney & Wings) on guitars, Ricky Cortes (John Mayall, Buddy Guy) on bass, and Tony Braunagel (Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, Rickie Lee Jones) on drums. Juber will open with an acoustic set.

Tommy Marsh, aka, Crooked Eye Tommy, brings back the Ojai Blues Fest to the Ojai Art Center with music starting Friday night, May 29, with the Guy Martin Band, and Smokey & Friends. Saturday has a full line-up of music with Ray Jaurique, Rae Gordon, TD Lind & the Aviators, Jen Staves & the Bluzfish, Ashford Gordon, Toni Dodd and Southbound Blues and of course a set from Crooked Eye Tommy.

The Boots and Brews line up was just announced for this year’s concert at Surfer’s Point (Ventura County Fairgrounds) where it’s all about celebrating good friends, cold beer and great country music. This year’s headliner will be Cole Swindell, along with Gretchen Wilson and Jayden Secor on Saturday, June 13.

Quick Notes: Now that the weather is agreeable for outdoor gatherings Tony’s Pizzeria and Margarita Villa are back to their normal schedules; Thursday night Grateful Dead Jams continue at Winchesters; there will be a rare early show at Sans Souci on Saturday, March 21 (4p) with Robin & the Love Letters, Scott Taylor and Quimby; the annual ARC of Ventura County’s “Let Go Out” event at Bombay’s on Saturday, March 21, with The Vonettes and Ray Jaurique Trio; Ozomatli plays the Ventura Music Hall on Saturday, March 21; Kelly’s Lot plays a day (2-5 pm) at the Deer Lodge on Sunday, March 22; two new album listening parties at Salzer’s Records with Courtney Barnett on Thursday, March 19 and Black Label Society on Thursday, March 26;
and Portland Oregon’s Tyler Berd with Eliza Noxon, play the Ojai Underground on Friday, March 27.

Ventura Music Scene 3/4/26 – 3/17/26

Posted on March 1, 2026 by venturarocks

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

When St. Patrick’s Day falls mid-week (Monday – Thursday), it’s a bit of a gamble on where to go to celebrate if you want live music. And whether you’re a true-blue Irish person honoring the patron saint of Ireland, or you just love wearing a kilt and drinking green beer there will be plenty to do. The Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade traditionally kicks off festivities the Saturday before (or on) St. Patrick’s day, so this year it rolls down Main Street (Lincoln to Fir) on March 14, four days before the official holiday. Some venues have parties on Saturday, others on Sunday and even a limited number of venues including the Boatyard Pub on St Patrick’s Day. But if you’ve never made it out for the parade, do yourself a favor and gather up friends and family and support this family-friendly event which begins at 10 am. This year’s theme is “Catch the Leprechaun Spirit” and honors former Ventura Mayor and four-term Councilmember, Brian Brennan as Grand Marshall.

The highly popular post-parade party at the Grape hosts the Two Trees Jazz Project on Saturday (2 pm). The punker crowd competes with the Grape with a show (same time) at Vaquero y Mar with Preachers & Pornstars, Yeah Right, All-a-Blue, SRA, Pito Paqueet and Ro Sham Bo. Then at 3 pm it’s the Pipes at Winchesters. Meanwhile, don’t be surprised if a band of bagpipers appear for short sets of Irish tunes throughout the area (including Dargan’s with their line around the block) from either the Gold Coast Bagpipes, A Pint of Irish, or the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes and Drums who will gladly pose for a selfie photo op with you.

The Ojai Libbey Bowl has updated their website promoting their music line up: the Psychedelic Furs on May 31, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers on June 18, Dawes & Friends on June 26, Grateful Shred on August 1, Gipsy Kings on August 12, Ani DiFranco (where has she been???) on Friday August 14, Cat Power on August 18, Kamasi Washington on September 12, and two shows with Big Thief on September 19 and 20 with the first night already sold out. Find out more at LibbeyBowl.org.

Quick Notes: the 311 show at the Ventura is Wednesday, March 4, is sold out; renowned cellist, Ian Maksin’s Songs of the Vagabond Cello performs at the Ojai Art Center on Saturday, March 7; Matterform plays at the Saloon’s Artist’s Brew on Wednesday, March 11; the Botanical Gardens hosts musical guests, A Pint of Irish on Sunday March 15 from 11 – 12:30 pm; the Monday Club dance party with Hot Roux is Monday, March 16, at the Masonic Center in Ventura; and Ozomatli was been added to the Ventura Music Hall line up for Saturday, March 21.

Ventura Rocks

Yeah it Does!

Monthly Archives: March 2026

Ventura Music Scene 4/1/26 – 4/14/26

Ventura Music Scene 3/18/26 – 3/31/26

Ventura Music Scene 3/4/26 – 3/17/26