Ventura Rocks Music Scene Column 9/7/22 – 9/20/22

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

How hot was that Labor Day weekend? I hope you were able to get out and catch some of the many live music events along the coast where it was mostly bearable. As for the rest of September, it looks like the weather should remain warm to hot…just not Vegas hot.

Taste of Local adAs always, at the top of my list of recommendations is anything I’m involved with, so I hope you’ll consider Taste of Local as it returns this year on Sunday, September 11 presented by Totally Local VC Agricultural Education Foundation. VenturaRocks (myself) will help to host the music stage where Spencer the Gardener, Dan Grimm and the Rose Valley Thorns will be performing. Along with the live music, there will be a local homebrew challenge, a farm-to-glass mixology throwdown and dozens of booths where you can taste delicious samples from local chefs. There is expected to be over 60 area chefs, farmers, purveyors, wineries, breweries and distilleries showcasing their culinary expertise. You can find out more about this wonderful event at TotallyLocalVC.com and I hope to see you there!

artwork Oxnard Jazz FestivalThe 5th annual Oxnard Jazz Festival runs three days this year at Oxnard Beach Park (1601 Harbor Blvd.) Friday, September 9 – Sunday, September 11. This ticketed event will feature live music all three days. Delta by the Beach kicks off the live music on Friday; Kelly’s Lot, Hiroshima, Jeffrey Osborne, Jeff Ryan and others on Saturday, and Sunday it’s Paula Atherton, Bunny Brunel, Erin Stevenson, the Emotions and more. You can get the full list of acts, Covid-19 updates and ticket information at OxnardJazzFestival.com.

artwork for 805 Roots JamThe Roots 805 Jam is Saturday, September 10 at Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme from 3 – 11 pm with Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Kyle Smith, Krooked Treez, Synrgy, Morie & the Heavy Hitters, Rising son, Jacob Marquez & the Good vibes and more. Tickets range from $30 to $65 on EventBrite.

logo for Chick Singer NightThe 34th Anniversary show for Chick Singer Night will be held on Saturday, September 10, with Martha V, Diana Bacon, Olivia Mucha, Kerri Climer and Vanise Terry. The location is Sound Palace, Studio B in Oxnard. Tickets are $25 through EventBrite.com.

Dirty Cello returns to Ventura with a show at Namba Performing Arts Space on Saturday, September 10. Band leader and cellist Rebecca Roudman is also a member of classical orchestras, but with the Dirty Cello band she lets her hair down and uses her classical training to push the cello to its limits – more Jimi Hendrix than Yo -Yo Ma. Roudman says, “We play what folks want to hear, from the Devil Went Down to Georgia to Led Zeppelin, we go on stage with a huge collection of songs and then just have a ton of fun – we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we just want the audience to have a good time too.”

The Leashless Brewing End-of-Summer Lu’au party falls on Saturday, September 17. You’re invited to dress in your lava-lavas, sarongs, or your aloha shirts…and bring on the island vibe because this will be a party! Morie and the Heavy Hitters play from 6 to 9 with proceeds from the event donated to the Ventura State Rescue Association.

photos of artistsSaturday September 17 at the Beatrice Wood Center for Arts in upper Ojai will have an event being billed as Gypsy Meets Choro, featuring Finnish guitarist Olli Soikkeli and Italian-Brazilian 7-string guitarist, Cesar Garabini. The duo offers up an exquisite duet paring swinging Django Reinhardt-style gypsy jazz guitar and spicy choro style jazz guitar. You can get more information at BeatriceWood.com

The Grape logoThe Grape always has a number of noteworthy performances scheduled at their gorgeous venue, tagline, “House of Jazz and Spirits” however, that doesn’t mean they exclude other genres of music, case in point, Billy Vera and the Beaters on September 22.  I recommend you bookmark their events page or better yet, request to be on their email list so you don’t miss any of their upcoming shows. (TheGrapeVentura.com)

New shows added at Ventura Music Hall
Tribal Seeds feat. Hector Roots Lewis – October 4
Atmosphere – October 19
Klangstof – October 25
Big Head Todd and the Monsters – November 11
Zepparella – December 8
Mat Kearney – February 11

Mark your calendar (more details next issue) for Saturday, September 24: The Banana Festival in Port Hueneme, Oktoberfest at Lucas Sellers in Moorpark and it’s the Rudder Room’s 60th anniversary with Teresa Russell.

Quick Notes: Starship feat. Mickey Thomas at Libbey Bowl on September 4 was cancelled; The Fabulous Thunders play Ventura Music Hall on Wednesday, September 7; Flipper, Mike Watt and The Robot Uprising play Gigi’s on Thursday, September 8; IDKHow plays the Ventura Theater on Friday, September 9; Bart Davenport plays the Deer Lodge on Friday, September 9; Blood, Sweat and Tears play Libbey Bowl on Saturday, September 10; Kansas plays the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center on Thursday, September 15; Josh Damigo will open for Allen Stone at the Ventura Music Hall on Friday, September 16; And Panteon Rococo plays the Ventura Theater on Tuesday, September 20.

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 in the Ventura Breeze 4/7/21 – 4/20/21

Ventura MusVentura Breeze logoic Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Ventura Rocks artwork

More venues are offering live music complying with all the Covid-19 restrictions in place as we continue to move through the tiers. Of course, you need to do your part as well so we don’t ruin it for everyone…again. Wear your mask, keep socially distanced from others not in your party and don’t be rushing the stage (sort of kidding on that one). So far, I’ve seen the posts/listings for live music here in Ventura at Winchesters, Vaquero y Mar (formerly Hong Kong Inn), Café Fiore, Leashless Brewing, Prime, and Copa Cubana; Camarillo has Camarillo Barrelworks (Flatfish Brewing/Cantara Cellars), Relm Wine Beer Bistro; and Oxnard has the Shores, Surfside Seafood, and 1901 Speakeasy. You can find listings on VenturaRocks.com; I update the website whenever I get wind of any live music. It’s a bit of a crap shoot when certain venues don’t list their events on their website or on social media, but a lot of the bands let me know. When I hear, you hear.

A big congratulations to Shane Alexander for landing a national Chevy commercial featuring one of his songs, “Everything as One.” It’s featured in their Drive Safe campaign which literally gave me the chills watching it knowing how much Shane deserves to have his music featured. Very well done Shane…and Chevy!

Interview with Max Kasch

For this issue, I caught up with Max Kasch out of Ojai. I’ve seen Max perform a number of times which included the first time at Zoey’s One to Watch contest back around 2012. He shared top honors with another local performer Derek Jennings that year. I understand the prize was an opportunity to record an EP in Santa Barbara with famed sessions and touring musician Tariqh Akoni (musical director for Josh Groban) along with a bunch of famous musicians including Doug Pettibone. For a lot of people including myself, Max landed on our radar as a young actor in the 2003 movie “Holes” alongside Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Shia LaBeouf and Tim Blake Nelson. He can also be seen in “Waiting”, “the Greatest Game Ever Played” and “Whiplash” to name just a few. But even with all his acting credits, music is rightfully and thankfully his passion.

photo of Max Kasch

Pam: I understand music is your passion now, and it has been for some time. I believe the first time I saw you was at Zoey’s…many years ago. Where do you typically perform in the 805?

Max Kasch: Well, truth be told, music was always the passion. It sort of took a while to circle back to it being the direction I wanted to move in. I detoured a bit into the acting world by pure chance and really only pursued it to make a living for my family.
I performed anywhere I could, really. Any place that would have me. Rock City in Camarillo, various Farmers and Makers Markets. Zoey’s was really the only place that gave me a consistent stage to work from and I loved their performers and vibe so it sort of became my main focus.

Pam: How did you first develop your songwriting skills, or did it just come naturally for you?

Max: I think it came naturally. Of course, everything needs to be honed and refined, but I like to think of the process as out of my hands really. When you’re really plugged in, writing is like pulling it out of the ether. Sort of like a conduit to some other realm. When it comes like that, it’s incredibly easy.

Pam: Do you collaborate with other artists? If so, who?

Max: I haven’t collaborated extensively as far as writing together with other artists, but Jesse Siebenberg and I work together producing my music like dancers in a tango.

Pam: That’s a great way to describe a working relationship. Did performing in front of an audience come easily with your acting experience? Or did you need to work on your stage presence and interaction with the audience?

Max: I’m still not really sure if having a stage presence was a conscious decision or something I chose to work on. It really wouldn’t matter to me playing for 3 people or 30,000. I’d do the same show either way. When I’m playing live, I suppose if I really feel like I’m doing what I need to do artistically, I feel nothing. Nothing personally, I mean. I’m neither impressing or disappointing myself. my focus is on doing the songs the way they should be done and communicating with the band effectively and hopefully the people watching or listening are feeling the presence through the music.

Pam: Catch me up on all your produced music to date.


Max: Well a few years ago I had an EP produced by Tariqh Akoni up in Santa Barbara. I did a very limited, unmastered run of CD’s for that release. To date I’ve only released one full length album with Jesse Siebenberg producing. We had a tremendous cast of players on that album that breathed some serious fire into my songs. The likes of Joey Waronker and Bob Seibenberg (Jesse’s father and drummer for Supertramp) Dave Palmer, Dave Levita, Austin Beede, Gabe Noel and Danny Wright.
Pam: How has it been this past year working as a singer/songwriter during the pandemic?
Max: To be honest it was the first time in my life I didn’t have to work. I finally found myself with time and a little money to finish this album. I really focused on writing new material and refining my craft and abilities even more. Beyond that, I didn’t do any zoom shows or live streams and it felt great not having any pressure or demand to do that!

photo of Max Kasch

Pam: What are you currently working on?

Max: Well I currently have a self-titled album “Max Kasch” live on all the streaming platforms and for sale on Bandcamp. I also have two follow-up EP’s complete. One is more of a stripped-down sort of lonesome acoustic cowboy [genre] and the other under the working title “Max Trash” which are very aggressive, experimental tracks that represent a whole other side of my musical tastes and expressions. I’m very excited about putting both out before the year’s end. I’ve compiled so much material over the last few years that it seems intuitive now to just keep releasing things.

Pam: What are your short-term goals; and long-term goals?


Max: Short term goals are to keep refining my craft of songwriting and to self record. I finally put a little money behind some gear and being able to record myself whenever, wherever. I think it’ll open up a lot of new ideas I’d like to get out quickly.
Long term I’d like to maybe pay my rent doing this for a living. Beyond that, it’s all sugar on top!

Pam: Any final parting words for our readers?


Max: Please pick up your trash wherever you go. It’s all headed for the Pacific anyway, but its goddamn unsightly.

I love Max’s parting words! You can follow Max on Instagram at maxkaschmusic or find out more about Max on his Bandcamp page: https://maxkasch.bandcamp.com/releases.

We’ve schedule Max to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the VenturaRockSpot which is a monthly interview show where mostly local artists out of the 805 are interviewed and they share some of their music either live, or with pre-recorded videos. You can view all episodes to date at www.VenturaRockSpot.com where you can see bands/artists such as Guy Martin, the Guitar and Whiskey Club, Bone Maggot, Kelly’s Lot, Kyle Smith and more (28 episodes to date).

And don’t forget to tune into the Pam Baumgardner Music Hour on KPPQ-LP out of CAPS Media at 104.1 FM here in Ventura. My show airs Tuesdays at 5 pm with repeats on Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon. You can also listen via the MyTuner app on your smart device or online at CapsMedia.org/radio.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows (online or live) 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 in the Ventura Breeze 3/24/21 – 4/6/21

Ventura MusVentura Breeze logoic Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

artwork

Spring has sprung and with warmer weather on the horizon, it will be a lot more comfortable supporting live music outdoors at such venues as Winchesters, Leashless and the brand new Vaquero y Mar (formerly the Hong Kong Inn). Along with the venues of course are the drive-in style concerts where you can stay in your car, or just outside on folding chairs. For all the latest listings please visit our music calendar for the daily updates.

And speaking of drive-in concerts, after a winter hiatus, both Concerts in Your Car (Ventura Fairgrounds) and the Canyon at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center are both ramping up with shows schedule in April. Concerts in Your Car has Don Pasquale from Opera Santa Barbara on April 10, Ziggy Marley on April 17 and Hippie Sabotage on April 24. Canyon Club dates are all tribute bands such as 4NR on April 2, Robert Plantation on April 3, Strange Days (Doors) on April 9 and Erotic City (Prince) on April 10.


Meanwhile, I caught up with Will Breman who appeared on NBC’s The Voice just before the pandemic hit where he made it all the way as a semifinalist on Season 17. Will calls the Central Coast home and is currently ramping up for post-pandemic shows.

Will Breman on The VoicePam: What has been the biggest impact to you personally and professionally this past year during the pandemic?

Will Breman: The hardest part of the pandemic last year was cancelling all of my national tour dates. Especially after coming immediately off of a show like NBC’s The Voice, that hit hard. I had to figure out very quickly how to make up for a lot of lost income, as well as hold on to the wave I was riding from the show.

Cancelling a national tour had to be so hard! What else was put on hold?

Will Breman: I had to delay a lot of recording plans. I have a couple projects that I’ve been sitting on top of until recording them in a studio with a group was safer to do. Thankfully though I was fortunate enough to record one of the songs I did on The Voice last year in Nashville with some legitimate studio cats, so at least something got done.

What do you miss the most?

Will Breman: I miss hugging people a lot, especially my close family. I feel like people were a lot less anxious before the pandemic. I think what I miss the most however is being able to play regularly in front of people. Doing it on Zoom is just not the same.

Will BremanHow did you work during the past year (writing/performing/recording)?

Will Breman: I had to switch to a lot of virtual gigging. I’m thankful to have an amazing manager who set me up with a lot of awesome corporate gigs that I could record from home.

Anything good from the close down?

Will Breman: I was able to go back to school. I’m in my second year of my masters in vocal techniques/performance. Now if the whole singer-songwriter thing doesn’t pan out, at least I know I have a career somewhere in opera or teaching at a higher academic level.

What are you most looking forward to doing again?

Will Breman: I’m looking forward the most to seeing, and playing, some excellent live shows. I know coming up I’m working closely with Kristen Stills and a wonderful team at Autism Speaks in hopefully setting up a festival at the Greek Theater in LA sometime in the fall. I’m also slated to open for Paul Thorn at the Lobero around that time, as well as playing Topa Mountain Music Fest. Hopefully there’s more where that came from.

Do you have a game plan coming out of the pandemic?

Will Breman: I know I want to finish those recording projects I’ve been sitting on. I’ve been taking a break from social media lately, but I’m hoping soon to get back into creating some high-quality content for Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok specifically.

For more information on Will Breman go to WillBremanMusic.com or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WillBremanMusic. You can also look for Will on a future episode of the VenturaRockSpot.


Oh! By the way, the VenturaRockSpot is a monthly interview show where mostly local artists out of the 805 are interviewed and they share some of their music either live, or with pre-recorded videos. Will Breman is scheduled to be a guest soon. You can view all episodes to date at www.VenturaRockSpot.com where you can see bands/artists such as Star Goes Nova, Jayden Secor, Medicine Hat, Jodi Farrell and more (27 episodes to date).

And don’t forget to tune into the Pam Baumgardner Music Hour on KPPQ-LP out of CAPS Media at 104.1 FM here in Ventura. My show airs Tuesdays at 5 pm with repeats on Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon. You can also listen via the MyTuner app on your smart device or online at CapsMedia.org/radio.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows (online or live) 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.