Ventura Music Scene 6/12/24 – 6/25/24

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

Heritage Square in historic Downtown Oxnard is once again offering free Friday night concerts during the summer, though there are a number of seating options for a fee. The Individual table reservations are available online and run the gamut $54 – $100 plus service fees. There are also limited seats for $10 on a first come first served basis, otherwise bring your low-back chairs and a picnic dinner, or take advantage of the full-service food and beverage options nearby. Over the next two weeks you can catch the Impulse Band on June 14, and the Brandon Ragan Project on June 21. Find out more at HeritageSquareOxnard.com.

Poseidon Brewing Company’s annual Brews, Blues & BBQ will be held on Saturday, June 22, featuring live music from the Guy Martin Band and Looking West. The event runs 1-5 pm with the food catered by Ruff House BBQ. They’re located at 5777 Olivas Park Drive in Ventura.

A fabulous fundraising affair, New West Summerfest 2024 is the kick-off event for their 30th anniversary season calling it Denim and Diamonds to be held at Rancho de las Palmas in Moorpark on Sunday, June 23. Proceeds benefit the New West Symphony’s artistic and educational programs. Tickets are $300 for both the dinner and concert; concert only tickets are $125 while they last. The concert features Jason Scheff (long-time lead vocalist Chicago), Steve Porcaro (Toto), Rick Cowling (Kenny Loggins, Ambrosia, Phil X (Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper) and Sherry Hursey (actress/vocalist). Enjoy iconic hits such as “25 or 6 to 4,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “Africa,” “Baba O’Riley” and more. Find out more at NewWestSymphony.org.

The Ventura Music Festival is coming up at the end of July. The Olivas Adobe concert features Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper on Thursday, July 25. All other concerts will be held at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Friday, July 26, Caleb Teicher & Conrad Tao on Saturday, July 27, Bach, Baroque and Bunch on Sunday, July 28, Perla Batalla on Friday, August 2, Jason Vieaux and Julien Labro on Saturday, August 3 and Anderson & Roe on Sunday, August 4. Secure tickets at VenturaMusicFestival.org.

Upcoming special events:

Ventura County Fairgrounds
X Games – Friday, June 28 – Sunday, June 30
Surf Rodeo – Friday, July 5 – Saturday, July 6
Tequila & Taco Music Festival – Saturday, July 13
Ventura County Fair – Runs Wednesday, July 31 – Sunday, August 11
The Throw Down Cornhole Festival, Friday, August 23 – Sunday, August 25

Downtown Oxnard
Oxnard Salsa Festival – Saturday, July 27 – Sunday, July 28 downtown Oxnard

Quick Notes: The Six on Main Street downtown Ventura has closed their doors; Ouro and Danielle Stacy play the Saloon on Thursday, June 20; and Reggae Sundays continue at Café Fiore with Jangala Roots on June 16 and Keyth Garcia on June 23.

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 Rocks Music Scene Column 7/13 – 7/26

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

This is it! After a pandemic time-out, Surf Rodeo returns to Ventura over the weekend of July 15 – July 17 at the Ventura pier with music on the southside and surf competitions on the northside at Surfer’s Point. The festivities not only include a surfing contest featuring pros and locals, the bikini cowgirl and cowboy competition and cornhole tournament, but if you ask me (which is why you’re most likely reading my column), it’s all about the live music. It will be live bands galore over three days on several stages; it’s practically non-stop, start to finish with over 40 bands scheduled! The headliners for each day are The Green, Hirie and Rob Leines on Friday, Ozomatli, Badfish, The Aggrolites & Bob Log III on Saturday, and Yachtley Crew and Highway Starr on Sunday. For a more complete music listing and to secure your tickets, go to SurfRodeo.org.

Girtty in Pink posterBy the way, on July 16-17, Gritty In Pink will be performing at Surf Rodeo and they’ll be hosting their own stage block that will feature their top artists such as Chastity Ashley or known as Neon Pony, Alicia Vigil, Kiki Wong (Vigil of War), Stundriver, Shiragirl, DJ Vashonda Sherra, Xtine Reckless and many more. Gritty in Pink said this festival in particular is very special to Shiragirl, because the Ventura community has been so supportive of Shiragirl since the debut of the Shiragirl Stage during the days of the Warped Tour. So, this feels like a full circle moment for them being able to build upon what they started on the Warped Tour by bringing the Gritty In Pink stage to Surf Rodeo!

Meanwhile for something a little tamer, Camarillo Old Town Heritage Days Midsummer Block Party also runs the same weekend July 14 – 17. Though you’ll need to purchase carnival ride tickets, there is no admission to the event which means the music is free!

Friday, July 15
6-10 pm – Acoustic DNA

Saturday, July16
Noon – 2 – Mariachi
2-4 pm – Full Clip
4-5 pm Rising Elijah
5-6 pm Bobby Hart & Old Town Boys
6-7:30 pm Mini Driver
8 – 10 pm Foster Campbell & Friends

Sunday, July 17
Noon – 2 pm The Martinez Bros with Ruben Estrada
2-4 pm Shaky Feelin’
4-6 pm Free Love Project

Poseidon Brewing has their Summer Saturday Music Series from 4-7 pm (unless otherwise listed):

July 16 – Zeke Berkley
July 23 – Steve and Sally Williams
July 30 – Mitch Bradford
August 6 – Muleskinner Revival
August 13 – The Dynasties (1-3 pm)
August 13 – Morrison Drive (4:30 – 7 pm)
August 20 – Cary Park
August 27 – Chris Murphy
September 3 – Dean & Lisa

The 2022 Heritage Square Summer Concert Season is underway in Oxnard on Friday evenings 6 – 8:30 pm. Individual seats are available for purchase day of show for $10 on a first come basis, or you can take your own blanket or low back lawn chairs seats for free unreserved seating.
Upcoming concerts:

7/15: The Impulse Band
7/22: Los Cool Arrows
7/29: Myst
8/5: Soul Machine
8/12: The British Beat
8/19: Caliente 805

Pedals & Pints Brewing Company and Tarantula Hill Brewing Company in Thousand Oaks are presenting the inaugural Down the Rabbit Hole Festival of Music and Beer on Saturday, July 30 from 11 am to 11 pm and it will feature 10 bands between the two breweries. Tickets are $60 for both venues, which includes your first beer at both locations, and a free shuttle between the two. Bands on the bill are Robert Jon & the Wreck, Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse, Shaky Feelin’, Jacob Marquez & the Good Vibes, a Dustland Fairytail, OPM, Weekend Celebrity, Garrett Lee Robinson, Those Animals and Better off Blonde.

New shows added for the Majestic Ventura Theater include Concerts 4 Causes – Metal Help for Mental Help featuring Bone Maggot, Disrupted Euphoria, Sinsation and more on Saturday, July 23; Panteon Rococo on September 20; Lagwagon, Strung Out and SACK on October 6; and the Front Bottoms on October 9.

I was looking over the Boots & Brews Country Music Festival webpage and it shows Ventura is listed for August 20 with Cole Swindell, Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, and Raelynn. But then they list Tim McGraw on October 14 and when you take a look, it’s a second Boots & Brews for Ventura which also features Michael Ray and Bailey Zimmerman. Hmmm, interesting; I hope it’s not a mistake.  I hadn’t heard back on my inquiry for clarification as of press time. UPDATE:  THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!!!

Quick Notes: All Music Under the Stars summer concerts at Olivas Adobe are sold out; the Ojai Band plays a free concert at Libbey Bowl on Wednesday, July 13; jazz musician, Luis Munoz, will have his final show at Namba on Saturday, 7/16, before he moves out of state; there’s a Numbskull show with Subhumans, Generacion Suicida, and Head cut at Gigi’s on Saturday, July 23; Katie Shorey does ladies of the 80s at Cantara on Saturday, July 23; and don’t forget that the Ventura Music Festival runs July 29-31 & August 5-7.

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 for all of Ventura county, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.