Category Archives: Ventura Rocks

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 4/30/14 – 5/13/14

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Ventura Breeze logoVentura Music Scene
Music is Never a Burdon
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

I cannot wait to check out Eric Burdon when he comes out this way; the last time I ran into him was at a concert KXBS oldies radio station put on at State Beach back around 1992.  Burdon (yes, THE Eric Burdon from The Animals and War fame) will be headlining a show at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai on May 17th and I’m hearing it’s Eric’s 73rd birthday so we’re expecting quite the celebration.   Opening the show will be the Rubberneck Lions and Dishwalla.
Eric Burdon and Pam BaumgardnerThe Ventura Music Festival is in full swing during the month of May, and the powers that be have really outdone themselves this year with a stellar line up:  May 2 it’s Igudesman & Joo, a Little Nightmare Music at Community Presbyterian Church; Ventura High plays host for several shows including Lynn Harrell, Dean of American cellists on May 3; an evening with Judy Collins on May 4; and Stanislav Khristenko, 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition Gold Medalist, on May 9.  Check out www.VenturaMusicFestival.org for even more shows, ticket pricing and availability.

Depending on your mood, the Ventura Theater has some cool shows in May.  If you’re looking to burn off steam, punk rockers, Against Me! will be in the house on May 27, but if you’re looking to dance off some energy, you won’t want to miss the ever popular Reverend Horton Heat and their brand of psychobilly on the 23rd; and finally if you’re feeling a little more mellow and ready for some reggae, then it’s The Green for you on May 26.

Ventura Music Week is coming up!  Don’t even think about scheduling your vacation between June 6 and June 15th.   Just some of the events to look forward to include the annual SRO benefit with the Stoneflys, Highway Starr and other bands; there’s the Roadshow Revival’s:  a Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash; Louden Guitars will have a special showcase at the W Gallery with some amazing guitarists including our very own Shawn Jones;  there will be a special screening of the Oscar winning documentary, “20 Feet from Stardom”;  an evening of visual arts up at City Hall’s Atrium, and more music than you can shake a stick at.  Do check in at www.VenturaMusicWeek.com for more details as they come in.

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

How to Get Listed on VenturaRocks.com

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VenturaRocks.com LogoSend me your information – in advance.

We are listing music related gigs for free in the county of Ventura.

We do list artists/musicians/bands who do not reside here, but they DO have to play here.

If it is a special event such as a Festival or fundraiser, send artwork too along with links.

Send information and.or questions to:  Pam@VenturaRocks.com

We do not charge venues or artists to be listed in Ventura.

Would you like extra coverage? Click here for our ad rates.

The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour (On Hiatus)

I now host a local music show on CAPS Media’s new radio station KPPQ-LP at 104.1 FM.  It simulcasts on the internet so we are worldwide.  We have to abide by strong rules such as never announcing song titles before we play them; only being able to rebroadcast the same show three times a week and only for two weeks; AND I’m not allowed to say VenturaRocks.com on the air. I can not get any benefit from what I do so I can’t promote my website. The first few rules are to protect the artists so people can’t steal music and try to record a song they want.  The last rule is a general Non-profit radio rule.

By the way, if you are covering someone else’s music, you should have permission to do so.  I will be asking.  For that reason, most music will be original work…which is really the point of doing this anyway, right?  Sharing local artist’s talent.

I can live with those rules, I’m sure you can too.  If you’d like to be a part of this venture and would like to submit your music for possibility of getting played, then send me a email at Pam@VenturaRocks.com.

Please DO NOT try to get me to go to Reverbnation or i-Tunes or Spotify or….

I play artists who live here in Ventura, live nearby, as well as most of Southern California.  I also play artists who have come here to play and maybe a song or two of something I just find interesting. Tune in won’t you?

Right now my show airs Tuesdays 5-6 pm at 104.1 FM, KPPQ-LP Ventura with rebroadcasts on Friday at 5 and Sunday at noon.


The VenturaRockSpot

This is  fairly new  to VenturaRocks.com and is completely spearheaded by GWC Productions.  If you want to see about being featured, click here for more information.

UPDATE ON FACEBOOK PAGE (April 2015):

We chose to migrate to a “Business” page as oppose to continue as a “Friend” page for a couple reasons.
#1 It’s against the rules to be a business as a “Friend” page.  We knew our days could be numbered and we could get taken down, so we bit the bullet and converted our “Friends” to “Likes”.
#2 The cap on “Friends” is 5,000.  There is no cap on “Likes.”  We had been keeping Friends at 4,999 so people could request to be friends (otherwise you’d get a notice saying we no longer accept friends).  When people shut down their page, un-friended us, we un-friended them, or they got blacked-balled, we would add people who were in the queue.  We had dozens in the queue at any given time.  They’re all Likes now.

Unfortunately, Facebook only shows our posts for a very small minority of people who have Liked us. To increase your chances of having us show up in your news feed, hunt us down, make sure you had Liked us, then continue to click on posts, Like them and comment on them.

This is our new page:  https://www.facebook.com/venturarockswebsite.

Rules for Facebook:

Please do not list your gig on a comment for someone else’s gig.  For instance, let’s say we shared an event for the Jazz Punks at Squashed Grapes.  We will remove comments that talk about another gig at Cafe Fiore.  It’s just bad manners. I delete disparaging remarks.  Again, bad manners.

We no longer allow people to post to our timelines.  You can either private message me with the information or send it to pam@venturarocks.com.  But better yet…create an event and invite us.

While we’re on the subject of invites, be sure to add artwork!  I promise, it will get noticed more by viewers, than those which don’t do anything. And be sure to make your invite Public!  If you don’t, I won’t be able to share it.

This is not a community soundboard. We don’t post “drummer needed,” or “we’re looking to hire a manager,” etc…

If you have an editorial or some other content that we find interesting on your timeline, we sometimes ask if we can add it to our website.  We always ask for permission.  If you find we missed something, music-event-wise, PLEASE bring it to our attention!

We don’t blackball events or artists or venues.

It would be really really helpful if you checked here before sending info for your gig.  We may already know about it:  http://www.venturarocks.com/Listings/index.htm.  We update for the week on Sundays.

So in closing, help us help you.  We want to boom Ventura’s music scene!!!

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 4/16/14 – 4/29/14

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

With the weather warming up more music is being offered outdoors. One recurring event, Folk Steady, can be found at the Ojai Rancho Inn where Vaughn Montgomery of the band Little Big Here puts together a pretty cool list of bands (including his own) playing for free (donations welcomed). Vaughn told me he’s been holding these concerts since last summer and depending on the weather they fall on the first Sunday of the month with seven or eight acts on the bill.

Todd-Jesse-VRThe first Sunday of April I caught just a couple of the acts including a great set from the owners of Brotheryn Studios, Todd Hannigan and Jesse Siebenberg, along with Micah McCabe and Taylor Quinn which included a guest appearance by Roger Keiaho of Rey Fresco. The afternoon was a blast. It was completely a laid back vibe with a swimming pool, nice lawn area, and a huge tree where the band plays underneath. Scratch Food Truck was on the grounds for those who didn’t pack a picnic lunch. In attendance were Steve and Polly Hoganson, Charles and Christine Law, Amanda Peacock, Dan and Malory Grimm, Becca Fuchs and just tons of other musicians, friends and families.

Vaughn’s completely on board with future gigs telling me, “I’d like to keep doing them indefinitely. It seems like a good alternative from hearing music in a bar. These concerts feel more like a day in the park, with families and dogs and some sky.” Catch the next one scheduled for May 4th, bring blanket, low chairs, sunscreen and refreshments.

Speaking of fun in the sun, Ventura Earth Day Eco Fest has plenty of music lined up for Saturday, April 26, along Ventura’s promenade. Just a couple of acts to watch for are the Barrelhouse Wailers, D.on Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers, Derek Jennings and Soul Infusion. Check out www.VenturaEarthDay.org for more information.

Of course there is Ventura Beach Festival with Martha Davis and the Motels headlining on May 3rd at State Beach. See www.VenturaBeachFestival.com ticket info and further down the road it’s the Roadshow Revival: A Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash on Saturday, June 14 with the Paladins, Dale Watson, Calico, Hard Six and the Mighty Cash Cats lined up so far.

And finally, Bombay’s will host a fundraising event with Tommy and Paddy Marsh and special guests. A percentage of sales will be donated on April 19, 6-9 pm to the Botanical Gardens, so grab a burger and brewski, enjoy the tunes while supporting another great cause!

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

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 4/2 – 4/15

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

VenturaRocks.com’s 5th anniversary party was a blast.  Many thanks to Those Lousy Drunken Uncles who kicked off the festivities and especially to one of Ventura’s favorites, Rey Fresco, for hitting it out of the park.  Diego and the crew at Bombay’s are the best; I can’t thank them enough for their hospitality and for their continued support.   The night was a long one to be sure with family, friends and VenturaRocks.com supporters coming and going as they celebrated their St. Patrick’s Day in their own way.  Many heartfelt thanks to those who did stop in including Sheldon Brown from the Ventura Breeze, Sally Williams representing the Swillys (thanks for the bubbly dear!), Shawn Jones, Owen Bucey, Dan Grimm, Doug Johnson, Kat Merrick from Totally Local VC, JR from Winchesters, Armand John Lizzy, Tommy Marsh and Tammy Aren, Eve Mimiaga, John Reese of Amigos, Brother Rob from KXBS and all my family and friends who made the time to come by, that meant a lot.  Oh! Big thanks to Maggie McKinney for the beautiful flowers and all that delicious cake!

John Reese of Amigos announced something extremely cool.  Nathan McEuen will be playing at Amigos every Tuesday night 6-8 pm through the month of April.  Yeah baby!

The Ventura Beach Festival announced the line-up for the May 3rd event at San Buenaventura State Beach with Martha and the Motels headlining. Other bands on the bill include The Surfaries, Rey Fresco, Spencer the Gardener, Dirty Rice and Barley Legal. This one helps benefit Friends of Channel Coast State Parks.  For ticket information, visit www.VenturaBeachFestival.com.

It looks like more music will be happening down at the Ventura Harbor Village Carousel Stage as the weather continues to warm up.   All shows run noon – 3 pm. Just a few lined up:  Rusty Rounders on April 6, Beach Bums on April 13, Main Street Jazz Band on April 20 and Jill Martini Soiree on April 27.

Shows to watch out for at the Majestic Ventura Theater include The Pet Shop Boys on April 11, and Latin-ska band, Panteon Rocoxco, which will be in town on April 19.  Both Ellie Goulding on April 16 and Cage the Elephant on April 18th are sold out.

Ventura’s music scene is incredible because we have three different elements coming together here in this amazing town.  First and foremost, we have amazing talent, secondly we have the venues which support live music (and a great deal of it original), but it wouldn’t come together without the third element which is us music lovers.  Together, we make Ventura Rock!!!

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

Karl Hunter’s Return to Squashed Grapes

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Karl Hunter “Organ’ic” Quartet
3/22/14 – Squashed Grapes

Karl’s thoughts on the gig:
Jimmy'sLast night’s KH quartet gig was awesome!!! Jimmy Calire, Mario Calire, and Hans Ottsen killed it. Jimmy brought his B3 and from the moment we saw it in the back of Jimmy’s van there was a hushed reverence. I’ve never seen a B3 with so much character. Both aesthetically and aurally. The power and sound of the organ was so fun to play off of. Especially when played by Jimmy. Mario’s drumming was so groovy and tasty. His technique and style are a joy to watch. I had the best vantage in the place, right next to him. He reminds me of all the reasons I love drums and drumming. Hans played one amazing solo after another and accompanied Jimmy’s playing perfectly. Jimmy even sang a couple of tunes and sounded amazing. I had no idea he had such a great voice. Plus Jimmy brought a bunch of his original tunes to the plate that seemed custom fit to this band. The guys all played their collective arse off. On top of that the show sold out! I can’t wait to do this again and I want thank the guys and everyone who came out. What a blast! My new friend Pam did a blog post with pictures from the gig on her site VenturaRocks. Thanks Pam! Much love to all who shared this awesome night. Thank you so much!
The Band
Karl Hunter – Jimmy Calire – Mario Calire – Hans Ottsen

Miscellaneous Shots


The Crowd

Written by Karl Hunter and originally posted on Facebook 3/20/14

Karl Hunter QuartetSo, the first KH quartet,back in November, was in the fusion vane. We played a bunch of Herbie Hancock tunes and went ballistic. It was a wild ride and a whole lot of fun! Rufus Philpot, Aaron McLendon, and Andy Langham killed it. It was amazing! I’m still listening to the recordings!

The second installment of the Karl Hunter Quartet is going to explore another one of my favorite sub-genres of jazz, the organ trio/quartet. One of my favorite musicians is Jimmy Smith. His playing is firmly rooted in the blues. But there is something about his phrasing on the B3 organ that is so unique. I’ve been listening to Jimmy a lot over the years and he did a lot if great records with amazing tenor players.

We had a rehearsal last night for Saturdays “organ”ic quartet gig and it went great. Jimmy Calire brought a bunch of his tunes and they are really great. Plus, I brought in some of my favorite Jimmy Smith classics. I brought all my horns with me, soprano, alto, tenor, Bari and I couldn’t put my tenor down. It just sounds so good in that organ setting. I’m really excited about Saturday’s gig. It’s going to be great!

Squashed Grapes FlyerSpeaking of great, Mario Calire, Jimmy’s son, and an amazingly tasty drummer, sounds great, and always instinctively gets what each tune requires. He always keeps musicality at the forefront. His grooves always feel so good and make it so easy to play over. It’s no wonder that Mario was picked up to play with the Wallflowers at such a young age. His knowledge of the proper styles and grooves in jazz and Latin music is amazing and I look forward to learning a lot from him.

Hans Ottsen is also amazing and such a intuitive musician. Guitar has so many functions in Jazz and Hans knows precisely where and how to play each functionality. It’s a delicate balance between showcasing your own personal voice and serving the music and I’m learning a lot from Hans’ playing as he balances both beautifully. I love how his playing is both cerebral and inventive, and at the same time he’ll throw in that perfect phrase that fits the groove and genre to a tee. A perfect balance of paying respect and moving jazz forward.

Karl HunterWhen I moved back into the “805” about 5 years ago, I settled in Ojai. And without fail, when I met someone, and mentioned that I was a musician, the response was always, “Oh, you must know Jimmy Calire.” Well, I didn’t at first, but I’m so glad I do now. Jimmy has been in the Ojai area for many years, he originally hails from Buffalo NY and came out to our sunny shores when he played with the band America. I always liked when I heard an America song. I knew they had a few hits etc. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy shared a bill with America several years ago, and while sitting on the side of the stage I was blown away by how many hits they had. One amazing hit after another. There wasn’t one song in their entire set that I didn’t know well.  So I finally met Jimmy and got to hear his B3 organ playing and was blown away. A lot of piano players dabble in organ, but Jimmy is the real deal and makes it sing. He has tons of experience and it shows when he plays. He has the knowledge of harmony and passing chords that you don’t just learn playing real-book tunes in the practice room. You can tell Jimmy learned his craft the right way, on the bandstand.

I’m feeling so much gratitude to be able to play jazz with so many great players lately. Jazz is a language, and there is no better way to become more articulate then to immerse yourself in the conversation.

If you are free this Saturday and would like to hear a few things we have to say musically, come down to Squashed Grapes in Ventura. It’s on Main Street, a half block east of Seaward. The experience there is amazing and the folks that work there seriously could not be any nicer or supportive. It really is a Ventura treasure. We start at 7:00. I hope you can join us.

(Editor:  Call Squashed Grapes for ticket availability: 805-643-7300.  Also, while you’re at it, see our review & photo gallery for Karl’s last performance at Squashed Grapes).

 Previous post from Karl November, 2013 

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 3/19/14 – 4/1/14

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

The music series being proposed up behind City Hall is still a possibility for this year.  If it happens, the promoter will be allowed one season to see how it goes.  Consultants are working on the Draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) and citizens will be able to weigh in on it soon.  There are strong viewpoints for and against it happening in that location so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the near future.

It was pretty cool hearing The Calamity’s new CD, A Ghost of These Moments played live from beginning to end during their CD release party at Bombay’s.  They guys so nailed it. Afterwards I ventured in the backroom for Crazy Rust, a Neil Young tribute band, where lo and behold, Neal Casal had joined in for their second set.

We joined Kat Merrick on her Totally Local VC float for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade downtown Ventura and Dan Grimm was on the float playing live for the crowds.   Dan recently released his latest called Average Savage, and I have to say that Dan continues to grow as a songwriter.  His songs tell stories of love, drama and struggle, some of which are quite personal.  And I’ll be up front and honest, there is nothing sexier than a man who isn’t afraid to show his love for his woman and profess he’ll eat monsters for her.  That’s just feakin’ awesome!  Dan describes his sound as “flip-floppytonk” or “rock ‘n’ roll with a little bit of country” and I can’t disagree.  You should check it out at www.DanisGrimm.com .

I ran into Trey from Pulse Drumming the other evening and he told me about some drum clinics they have coming up.  The one that caught my attention will be the one with Vinny Appice, and I’m a little upset I never got around to learning the drums because what an opportunity to sit in with one of the masters!  Appice, who has played with Dio, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Derringer and Axis (I still have the vinyl for that one), will be here in town on Saturday, May 17.  The clinic is offered to all ages and abilities. Call Pulse Drumming for more info (805) 648-3786.

I already have my tickets for two upcoming shows at Squashed Grapes.  First it’s Karl Hunter of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy returning for a show on March 22, and then it’s The Jazz Punks on the 28th.  The Grape has really been pulling in some terrific acts helping to establish them even more as the Jazz place to be Wednesday through Sundays.  Call for ticket availability at (805) 643-7300.

And finally, shows to watch out for at the Majestic Ventura Theater include Cage the Elephant, Pet Shop Boys and Ellie Goulding, more information can be found at www.VenturaRocks.com.

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

VenturaRocks.com 5th Anniversary

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Ventura Rocks HomepageIt’s been five years since we launched VenturaRocks.com and it’s become a tradition to make an annual statement, sort of a State of the Union address if you will.

After I made the decision to start this website I tinkered with it and it was looking good enough to launch and it just happened to be mid March.  So we launched it on St. Patrick’s Day.  No other reason than it was ready to go! That was March 17, 2009.

Let’s recap our Mission Statement:

Our Mission is to help stimulate the economy in our favorite city in the whole wide world by promoting venues who offer music and to the artists who live in and around Ventura as well as those who travel here to play.

We want to inspire people to get out and support Ventura’s music scene.

We promise never to charge the venues or the artist to be listed on VenturaRocks.com.

There have been many changes in the past year where we’ve become more involved in the music scene and we’ve had some staff changes, as well as evolving the look of the website.  Here is a recap of 2013:  http://venturarocks.com/blog/ventura-rocks-a-look-at-2013/.

Again, this venture is NOT a non-profit.  To date, it’s been a good-will gesture to help support this amazing music scene.  And we have a steady dedicated following who come to our official website to get the lowdown on where to head out for the evening.  They swear by it.  And to be honest, when I hear that, it makes all the work worthwhile.

The other amazing aspect of doing this project is when a venue or a band/artist or music festival will reach out and ask for our help.  I love collaborations, and I’ve so enjoyed meeting and making new relationships.

I’ve been having discussions with several friends and colleagues wondering what our next step will be. Do we expand throughout Ventura County?  If so, do we only offer larger venues who offer live music?   Should we finally stop badgering the venues who still don’t send us their music line up and stop listing them?  There’s a lot to think about.

I continue to go out 2-3 times a week and enjoy our music and I try to mix it up supporting different venues.  I’m rarely disappointed, because there is so much talent out there. And if you’re wondering what you can do to help?  Send us information on events you think we might be missing.  Is a venue now offering music?  Let us know.  But most of all, get out, rally the troops and support.  Remember, there are three elements to making this music scene, the venues, the artists and us music lovers.

Together we make Ventura Rock!!

Love you!
Pam Baumgardner
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

 

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 3/5/14 – 3/18/14

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

Kevin Seconds

It was pretty cool catching the Numbskull Show on a rainy Wednesday night in the backroom at Bombay’s with Kevin Seconds from 7 Seconds sharing an acoustic evening with Steve Soto (Agent Orange and The Adolescents) and Russ Rankin (Good Riddance).  Kevin’s three-week tour in support of his new release, Off Stockton, kicked off in Ventura.  Rankin told me he’ll be performing the first four dates and the last three dates with Kevin. The night had the three as solo performers – just the artist and their acoustic guitar – and though there were some missteps from Soto, it was pretty cool when he just laughed it off like the true punk rocker he is.

We’re looking forward to catching Karl Hunter of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy as he returns to Squashed Grapes for another show on Saturday, March 22.  In what is being called the Karl Hunter Organ’ic Quartet, Karl will have the legendary Jimmy Calire who toured for several years with America on keyboards, Mario Calire from the Wallflowers and Ozomatli on drums and guitar player extraordinaire Hans Ottsen will round out the quartet.  Tickets are $10 and you should get them in advance at the Grape as this one is sure to sell out fast.

Technicolor Tone Factory out of Boulder, CO, will be making their debut in Southern California area with a free show at Green Art People on Wednesday, March 12.  According to Taylor Frederick, TTF isn’t a jam band that rocks, but rather a rock band that jams.  I took a listen on SoundCloud, and trust me, the band rocks.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations officially kick off with the City’s annual parade on Saturday, March 15.    We’ll be hitching a ride on Kat Merrick’s Totally Local VC float where Dan Grimm and other artists will be performing live along with Jon Reese of Amigos on air guitar, as we cruise down Main Street.  Give us a shout out when we pass by!

And of course you are officially invited to help Ventura Rocks celebrate our 5th Anniversary with a huge St. Patrick’s Day party at Bombay’s on the 17th with first Irish music from the Lousy Drunken Uncles at 6:00, then it will Rey Fresco making this the hottest party in town.
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.

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

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

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 2/5/14 – 2/18/14

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Ventura Breeze logoVentura Music Scene
Surf Rodeo’s Up!
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

JD Drury and Surf Rodeo announced the dates for this year’s two day event over the summer.  Mark your calendars now because you won’t want to schedule your summer vacation July 12th and 13th.  They’re currently looking for vendors and bands, if you’re interested, shoot them off an email to  SurfRodeo@gmail.com.  And speaking of upcoming music events, Roadshow Revival’s a Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash announced their first signed act, The Palladins.

I spoke to Jeremy Pemberton from Discovery Ventura who was more than pleased with the turnout for their grand opening weekend.  Now they’ll be filling out the paperwork for long-term entertainment permits so they’ll be able to provide music on a consistent basis.  We’re looking forward to good things to come from Discovery in the future.

Jon Gindick’s Mississippi Delta Blues Harmonica Jam Camp was held here in Ventura for the very first time bringing to town some of the finest players including Brian Purdy, R.J. Mischo, Cheryl Arena, Hash Brown and the man himself Jon Gindick.  The workshops were held at the Pierpont Inn over five days. Most of the camp players arrived at Bombay’s on Thursday, January 23, to witness their instructors tear it up with members of the Gypsy Blues Room. At the end of the night all players (new and seasoned) got out their harps and joined in for a group grand finale with dozens of harp players throughout Bombay’s playing in synch.  It was pretty cool.

I ran into Gil Valencia at Peirano’s on a Tuesday evening.  While taking some pictures, Gil announced to the crowd that I was the “Mamarazzi” to which everyone gave me a warm welcome. Gil told me that he would always fill the house at the Sidecar Restaurant when he would play there the third Tuesday of every month.  Well after they closed he found a new home at Peirano’s and his following, well, followed.
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And as always, we invite you read the latest from Polly Hoganson, MusicMuse on VenturaRocks.com.  She recently interviewed Chris Jay of Army of Freshmen who spoke candidly about the new film project he and fellow band mate Aaron Goldberg wrote called Baker’s Dozen.  They’ve been seen filming around Ventura using members from several local bands including members of 8Stops7 and New Liberty along with several of guys’ wrestling heroes such as Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Tommy Dreamer and Diamond Dallas Page.

Have any music related news or upcoming shows you want help on publicizing?  Send all information short or long:  Pam@VenturaRocks.com.