Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 5/25 – 6/7

Posted on May 22, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Who to Watch”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Ones to Watch Productions will be hosting a number of showcases at Grapes and Hops on Main Street. Mimi Gilbert will be there on Saturday, May 28, and The Brambles on Saturday, June 4th. Steve and Polly Hoganson (formerly of Zoey’s) most certainly have their fingers on the pulse of up and coming artists to watch for, so be sure to support their showcases here in town!

Radio Skies CD release party will be held indoors and out at the Ventura Beach Club On Saturday, May 28 with several bands and artists on the bill in what they’re calling a “One Night Micro Fest”. If you’re not familiar with them, the band, Radio Skies is out of Ojai, and find their inspiration from the songwriting of Paul Simon, the electronic landscapes of Brian Eno and the spirit of the Grateful Dead with their sound described as folk roots, electronic, psychedelia. Other bands on the line up include Pacific Haze, The Brambles, 9Lives and Brion Shearer.

The Libbey Bowl 2016 season has a number of events lined up for the next several months including several dates for the 70th Ojai Music Festival in June; concerts with Rick Springfield, Ozomatli, Michael McDonald, The Zombies and a special intimate concert with Don Felder of the Eagles benefiting Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation and the Ojai Community Foundation in October; and coming up immediately is an Ojai VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) free Memorial Day concert featuring Veteran speakers, and music from Nordhoff High School, US Air Force Band and the Ventura British Brass. For more information on Libbey shows, check out www.LibbeyBowl.org.

Hi Hat Entertainment has landed at the Hong Kong Inn for their Friday night Blues concerts. Shows on their roster include the boss of boogie Woogie, Rob Rio, who will be in the house on Friday, May 27; Keke Dickerson and the Eccofonics, famous for their Western Rockabilly sound on Friday, June 3rd; and The Bruce Katz Band will be there on Friday, June 10. Katz was inducted into the Blues hall of Fame in 2013. Hi Hat has a solid up line through August; you can check out their line up at www.HiHatEntertainment.com.

By the way, if you’re planning on catching Bad Religion at the Ventura Theater on Thursday, June 2, then you’ll want to extend the fun afterwards at Sans Souci with Mother of Dissension and The Hymen Blasters.

And of course the summer fun officially starts with Roadshow Revival, (now being called) A Celebration of American Roots Music, at Mission Park on June 25th and 26th. I’m looking forward to catching John Doe, The Paladins, The Blasters, Robert Gordon, and tons of other acts performing over the weekend. Information and tickets can be found at www.RoadshowRevival.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, and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 5/11 – 5/24

Posted on May 9, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Local Artist Hitting the Big Time”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Jacob Scesney warming up for the Squashed Grapes St. Patrick’s Day Parade float 2015.

Jacob Scesney is making me super proud…not only has he been touring the world with various bands including Postmodern Jukebox, but he’s been making the rounds with Mike Posner on the Ellen Show and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Jacob is one of the most talented sax players and hardest working musicians around. If he’s not scheduled you’ll most likely find him sitting in with local bands from Squashed Grapes, to Bombay’s to Amigo’s. He told me that he’ll be out with Posner for a stadium tour all summer with Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato in the lineup, plus, they’ll be on Saturday Night Live and playing a gig at Wembley to an audience of 100,000 in June. He’s a sweetheart of a guy and I couldn’t be more excited about his career!

Shaky Feelin’ CD release party will be held at Bombay’s on Saturday May 21 which is perfect timing as the band will be in the studio with me at the end of the month recording the next episode of Ventura Rocks at CAPS.

A couple of bands coming up at Discovery you won’t to miss, Los Lonely Boys on Thursday, May 19, Spencer the Gardener on Friday the 20th, Big Tweed on Saturday the 21st and Fortunate Youth on Sunday, the 22nd.

Bad Sam Presents TSOL and Guttermouth at The Garage on Friday May 13. And Numbskull Productions is bringing English punk rock band Angelic Upstarts to the Garage with The Rouse opening on Tuesday, May 24.

Noel Paul Stookey of Peter Paul & Mary, will be at the Rubicon Theater for one special performance on Sunday, May 15.

You should get your tickets soon for the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival for May 28th and 29th with Booker T, Leon Russell, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Barbara Morrison, and more including local musicians and friends, Guy Martin and Kelly’s Lot. See www.SimiCajun.org for tickets.

I’m sorry to report that Blues artist Candye Kane passed away May 6. Kane had performed at the Ventura Blues Club for Hi-Hat Entertainment this past December; Jerry McWorter of Hi-Hat said, “Candye was one of our favorites…a true entertainer, singer, song writer and musician.” Kane was known as “the toughest girl alive” and had been battling cancer for eight years.

And finally, a lot of bands are going into the studio lately and a lot of bands are using crowd funding resources to help cover costs. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that unless the band/artist is not giving anything back in return. If I’m contributing $25 or more of my hard earned dollars, then I want a CD or digital download after the recording process is done. Just sayin’.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 4/27 – 5/10

Posted on April 24, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Ventura Kids Rock”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

I originally moved to Ventura for a radio job at 96-ZTR where I used the air name of Stephanie Rose for several years. Do you remember that classic rock station at 95.9 on the FM dial? Well it’s changed formats a few times over the last few decades and currently they’re known as Old School 959 and they’ll be introducing their new morning show host Jimmy Reyes at Amigo’s Surf Cantina on Friday, May 6. Swing by and enjoy “Old School” tunes with JScratch and DJ Wicked in the mix and Miss Alynette who will be hosting the evening.

You might want to go ahead and secure tickets before it sells out for the Frost & Fire II concert as the show features the return of Cirith Ungol. Last year dozens of folks showed up from around the globe just to get an autograph from a couple of the band members, but this year drummer Robert Garvan (and Ventura resident) is reuniting the band for their first live performance in over 25 years. A European tour can’t be far behind.

The 11^th Annual Ventura county Blues Festival with the Delgado Brothers is Saturday, April 30^th in Camarillo. This year the festival is dedicated to Alan (BB Chung King) Mirikitani.

Now Ventura has been offing up a DJ on Friday and Saturdays but they’re stepping it up with a “Return to Jazz” evening headed up by Davey Miller on Fridays and then a weekly jazz jam on Wednesday which will be hosted by the likes of monster players like bassist, Bruce Lett and Ric Fierabracci. Other names expected to participate will be Andy Langhamm, Mitch Forman, Nick Mancini and Dennis Hamm.

Copa Cubana in the Ventura Harbor Village has opened its doors with the Estrada Band every Monday night; more music and a fuller menu to come soon. And with the weather warming up, Margarita Villa also in the Ventura Harbor Village is once again providing music out on their patio area and Saloon BBQ downtown is once again consistently providing bands over the weekend.

Bombay’s is hosting a fundraising event supporting the Gull Wings Children’s Museum running all day starting at 11 am until closing with music from Sin Nombre, The Right Amount of Wrong, Phantom Train, Galactic Polecats Hard Six and more. There will also be a car show and a Little Miss Gull Wings pageant hosted by Ms. Cash Bash 2016 and Roadshow Revival contestant, Christini Martini, so mark it on your calendar for Saturday, May 14.

And staying with our kids, the Ventura Music Festival presents its most diverse Rising Stars concert on Friday May 6 at the First United Methodist Church (1338 E. Santa Clara). The 75-minute program begins at 8 pm and includes a 30-member high school choir, seven classical musicians from middle school to college and a jazz quartet. Admission is free.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 4/13-4/26

Posted on April 13, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Rockin’ from the Avenue to the East End”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Pam Baumgardner with Whiskey for Kittens Photo: Elizabeth Rodeno

I met up with owner Mike Toler at Amigos where they’ve been shaping up the menu and fine tuning their nightly music line up. A few of the band/artist residencies have been switched out and he’s offering up Reggae for downtown on Thursdays and will be creating Tuesday Bluesday in early May. Also coming in May, Mondays will be reserved for an open mic with a twist; they’ll be doing a six-week contest where winners win a paid gig at Amigos on a Sunday afternoon.

SPRP (Sunday Punk Rock Party) will be celebrating their first birthday party on Sunday April 24th 1-6 pm at the Garage on the East end of town featuring music from Mother of Dissension, The Lower Echelon, We the Underclass, The Rouse and The NaVaNaX.
Singer songwriter and powerhouse guitar player, Zack Bramhall makes his California debut Friday, April 15th at Ventura Beach Club; he’ll be joined by RJ Mischo.

The Velveteen Band is going back into the studio for their second release with a soft target of Fall 2016. The whole band is taking part in producing it and taking their time on the mixing and mastering process. Baron von Velveteen told me, “After almost 2 years as a band, we’ve really grown together as a team. At its core, this band is going to continue doing what we’ve done from the beginning, being as creative as we can, and having as much fun as possible. Fun and imagination, is the soul of this band, and this world needs to have way more of it! We hope to achieve an album, that tells that story!” You can catch the Velveteen Band on the first Friday of the month at Bombay’s.

Bell Arts Factory on the Avenue will host a screening of John Phaneuf’s film “Points of Light” with a performance by Dan Grimm on Saturday, April 16 at 7 pm. You probably know Phaneuf best as lead singer for Ill Repute, but he’s becoming quite the filmmaker. “Points of Light” highlights the inspiring lives of Barbara Flitt, Becca Porter and Al Earle. There is no cover, but a donation to Bell Arts would be appreciated.

And speaking of Dan Grimm, we’re working on the next episode of Ventura Rocks on CAPS Media with Dan Grimm in the studio featuring solo material and his new band Whiskey for Kittens. You can catch our most recent show with 50 Sticks of Dynamite on VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Rocks on CAPS Media – Dan Grimm

Posted on April 12, 2016 by venturarocks

Dan Grimm along with new project Whiskey for Kittens

Ventura Music Photos: April 2016

Posted on April 10, 2016 by venturarocks

The Garage – April 24, 2016
The Rouse – SPRP (Sunday Punk Rock Party 1st anniversary)

The Lower Echelon

Squashed Grapes – April 16, 2016
D.on Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers

Grapes and Hops – April 9, 2016
Shawn Jones with Mario Calire & Sam Bolle

Bombay Bar and Grill – April 6, 2016
Tommy Marsh with Dennis Jones
Tommy Marsh, Shawn Jones and Dennis Jones

Ventura Music Photos: March 2016

Posted on April 7, 2016 by venturarocks

Plan B Winery – March 26, 2016
Kelly’s Lot

Majestic Ventura Theater – March 10, 2016
Darren Block (opening for Uli Jon Roth) – photo credit: Sarah Gigliotti.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 3/30 – 4/12

Posted on March 29, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Ventura Rockin’ 150 Years!!!”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

The Barrelhouse Wailers performing at City’s 150th anniversary picnic.
Photo credit: Marie Gregorio-Oviedo

Ventura certainly rocks, and it’s been officially rocking for 150 years as of April 2, 2016. In honor of its major milestone, The City is celebrating with a free family fair and picnic at Plaza Park. Along with carnival games, activity booths, races and contests, an historic treasure hunt and a truly affordable old fashioned-barbecue, there will be live music with The Swilly’s, Ventura Jazz Orchestra Sextet featuring the vocal stylings of Donna Greene, The Barrelhouse Wailers and the Mighty Cash Cats.

And then, in conjunction with celebrating The City’s 150th anniversary, Ventura Education Partnerships will feature a concert with hometown heroes, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Mission Park. Tickets range from $25 and up to benefit music and arts in our schools.

Robert Ramirez and Michelle Votrian just returned from SxSW (annual music festival and conference in Austin, TX), so I asked Ramirez what made them decide to make the trek and he told me, “With friends out there, we just needed a show. Then we were invited to perform at Leeann Atherton’s Full Moon Barndance which is considered by the locals, the unofficial close to SxSW and a tradition, with non-stop music and food for 8 hours; it’s the place to be on Sunday. Every artist and band that played was a working band, some from Austin, some touring and some from Europe and Australia. Except us!”

The other evening, I dropped into Squashed Grapes to catch Mark Schulman’s set; he had put on an inspirational drum clinic in conjunction with Pulse Drumming before the show. Schulman is currently Cher’s drummer and has toured with Pink and others. He brought with him Eva Gardner on bass (Pink, Mars Volta, Cher) and Julian Coryell (Alanis Morissette, Carole King, Jewel) on guitar and vocals. The house was rockin’ a tad bit more than usual and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! In April, make plans to catch the return of Doug Webb with Danny Carrey of TOOL on April 2, drummer Joey Heredia (Stevie Wonder, Sheila E, Sergio Mendez) on April 16, Sandra Booker (Harry Connick Jr is quoted as saying, “her voice was made for jazz.) on April 23 and Frank Potenza and Friends return on April 30.

And staying with jazz for just a bit, the California Jazz & Wine Fest will be held on April 17th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village with the Tom Scott Quintet, Doug Webb Group and several of our local musicians including the Barrelhouse Wailers.

There will be a benefit concert for the Mare Louise Foundation on April 9 at Sandbox Coffeehouse featuring local artists, Marianne Turner, Xocoyotzin Moraza and Devin Johnson.

And finally for rap fans, don’t miss Tyler the Creator at the Ventura Theater on April 2.

Ventura Rocks on CAPS Media – 50 Sticks of Dynamite

Posted on March 14, 2016 by venturarocks

March, 2016
50 Sticks of Dynamite

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 3/16 – 3/29

Posted on March 14, 2016 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
“Ventura Continues to Rock!”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

For no other reason other than the website was ready to roll out, VenturaRocks.com was launched seven years ago on St. Patrick’s Day. We started out as a comprehensive calendar of music listings for Ventura, but quickly branched out by further covering Ventura’s music scene with photo galleries, interviews, and reviews. Then Sheldon Brown asked me to write a music column for the Ventura Breeze which I’ve been doing for a little over two years now; and most recently, CAPS Media invited me to host a music program on their cable channel which has turned out to be a whole lot of fun. Watch out for the next episode to air soon featuring 50 Sticks of Dynamite. It’s been a blast and I’m looking forward to another year serving Ventura’s music community at www.VenturaRocks.com.

There are a number of fundraisers coming up that I hope you’ll consider supporting. On Saturday, March 19, there will be a benefit concert at Bombay Bar and Grill for The Turning Point Foundation. After the devastating loss of Diego Hinojosa last Fall, Diego’s family and friends wanted to make sure others are aware of mental health resources available at this non-profit facility. Scheduled to perform between noon and 7 pm are Xoco Moraza & Tomas Herrera, Jackass, Crooked Eye Tommy, The Hymen Blasters, Legalizer, After the Smoke and Rey Fresco. Suggested donation is $20 for adults and $10 for kids.

The following afternoon, March 20 at Discovery, the annual Key to the Highway fundraiser will be held starting at 3 pm with a full line up stellar musicians including Guy Martin, Hoo Doo Hounds, 50 Sticks of Dynamite, Kelly’s Lot, Brian McCann, Steve and Sally Williams, Jon Gindick and more including the recipient of this year’s fundraising efforts, Ashford Gordon who is battling prostate cancer. The evening will end with an all-inclusive jam hosted by Doug Johnson. Tickets are only $10.

Surf Rodeo has started announcing their band line up for this year’s summer event and I was pleased as punch to hear Dave Wakeling and the English Beat will be on the line up. Surf Rodeo will once again take over Pierpont Beach on Seaward from Pierpont Blvd to the ocean the weekend of July 16th and 17th.

The Rubberneck Lions announced a Taiwan tour which caught my attention. I asked drummer Jaison Pearce Henderson about why they were heading to Taiwan, and he told me, “We have some Silver Strand friends who have moved to Taiwan and have made it easier to independently plan and fund a tour there. We were selected to play Taiwan’s huge Spring Scream Festival and the rest of the shows we booked around it.”