Ventura Music Scene 5/29/24 – 6/11/24

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

With Memorial Day behind us, we’re looking at the summer season with so many special events involving live music from tribute bands, to classical music to rock, rap and more. You may want to schedule vacations around these happenings, many of which reoccur every year.

The Ojai Blues fest returns to the Ojai Art Center with a Friday night kick-off party featuring Deb Ryder and RJ Mischo, then on Saturday, June 1, it’s a full afternoon of blues with Crooked Eye Tommy and Friends, Dianne Miller, Red-Headed Stepchild, Blues Bullet and more! Tickets for this one available through EventBrite.com.

The Ojai Music Festival features classical and contemporary music and will run Thursday, June 6, through Sunday, June 9, at a couple of different venues starting with a free concert at the Libbey Park Gazebo on Thursday at 6:30 pm followed by the official opening concert at Libbey Bowl at 8 pm. The entire line-up including programs and ticket availability can be found at OjaiFestival.org.

Surf Rodeo released a poster highlighting artists playing Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6, though I can’t decipher who is playing when and which day. The lineup includes Chris Janson, Iam Tongi, Denm, Jim Lindberg from Pennywise, The Aquadolls and more plus several local bands such as Shaky Feelin, Looking West, Jayden Secor, Tribal Me, Honey Owl and of course the obligatory set from Raging Arb and the Redheads. You can get the lowdown at SurfRodeo.org.

Happy to report the X Games will feature live music all three days which will be included in the price of admission. Their schedule has been posted with Oxymorrons, AG Club and Wiz Khallifa on Friday, June 28, Mija, Devault and Kaskade on Saturday, June 29, and Metalachi, Blame my Youth and Fever 333 on Sunday, June 30.

I’m seeing mixed responses on social media to the Ventura County Fair’s lineup as well as their new VIP section located in front of the stage. They’re branding it as “Go free, or go VIP,” but not everyone is happy to have to pay to be in front of the stage now. All concerts will continue to be included in the price of admission, but if you want to be up close, you will need to buy a VIP ticket for that specific concert. Rolled out so far, I Love the 90s tour, Sublime with Rome, Dustin Lynch, Ludacris and Gary Allan. Tickets go on sale May 30 at VenturaCountyFair.org.

Quick Notes: The Rubicon’s “Ventura Live” concert series continues through the middle of June; TD Lind and the Aviators play June 1 at the Santa Paula Theater Center; and there will be a special Sunday matinee show at the Garage on June 9 with Nocturnal Drifters along with special guest, Hard Rooster.

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 Music Scene 5/31/23 – 6/13/23

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

The Wild Oaks Country Music Festival is Saturday, June 3, with Craig Morgan, Cam, Chayce Beckham, Justin Honsinger, Chris Johnson and the Hollywood Hillbillies. This one will be held at Conejo Creek Park South in Thousand Oaks and it’s presented by the Rotary Club of Westlake Village with 100% of net proceeds going to support non-profit organizations locally and globally including the U.S. Military Veterans, First Responders, Human Trafficking, and community needs. Advance tickets available at WildOaksCMF.com.
Ojai Blues Fest artworkThe Ojai Blues Fest returns to the Ojai Art Center for a day of blues and roots music on Saturday, June 3, featuring Shawn Jones, Celso Salim & Darryl Carriere, Chuck Strong, TD Lind & the Aviators, Smokey & Friends, and the Brothers Marsh. Tickets may, or may not still be available the day of the show, so it’s encouraged to secure your tickets via EventBrite.com.
Ojai Music Festival artworkOjai Music Festival takes place June 8 – June 11 at a couple of different venues, but mostly the Libbey Bowl. A number of events are free and a number of ticketed events are already sold out. The best way to plot your week is to visit the official website at OjaiFestival.org and again, don’t expect tickets to be available the day of, purchase your tickets now.

The Ventura County Concert Band will perform a free concert at the Ventura High School Auditorium on Sunday, June 4 at 3 pm offering “pop” tunes including selections from Stevie Wonder, Henry Mancini, The Beatles, Aladdin and more.

Artwork of Julian Marley CDNew dates at our local venues: Bob Marley’s son, Julian Marley, has been added to the Libbey Bowl’s concert line up for June 16 with the Bad Seeds opening; Daughtry was also added for Sunday, September 17. Speaking of Bob Marley, the Original Wailers will play the Ventura Music Hall on Wednesday, October 11 and Sun Room was added for November 19 at Majestic Ventura Theater.

All Kinds Studios continues to provide live music to all ages in a sober space in Zander Alley downtown Ventura. Saturday, June 3, they have The Illegal Aliens out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with How to Live with Robots, and Spaceyy. If you’d like to keep up on their schedule, it’s best to follow them on Instagram.

Quick Notes:
Leashless Brewing will be trying out singer/songwriter open mics with the first one Thursday, June 1; Michael Henszey will perform in support of his new EP release of Fly Away at Namba on Saturday, June 3; Shane Alexander, Renee & Jeremy, and Kat Sophia play Ojai Greater Goods on Sunday, June 4; The Local Love Project fundraiser is Sunday, June 6 with Kelly’s Lot, Scott Detweiler and Bobby Hart at the Portside Ventura Harbor Clubhouse; Michael Falcone does Sinatra at the Manhattan in Camarillo on Thursday, June 8; and there will be a Burch Studios Showcase at the Ventura Theater on Saturday, June 10.

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 6/1/22 – 6/14/22

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

The Ojai Blues Fest at the Ojai Art Center returns on Saturday, June 4. It’s always a treat when Tommy Marsh returns to town after picking up and leaving us for Tennessee to build a Nashville audience. Trust me when I say, the talent will not disappoint! Tickets are available on EventBrite.com. Here’s the current time lineup:

1:30 – Milo Sledge
2:00 – Crooked Eye Tommy
3:30 – Chuck Strong & SRBQ
4:30 – Ray Jaurique & the Uptown Brothers
5:30 – Sandy Haley Band
6:30 – Guy Martin
8:00 – All-star Jam Session

The 75th anniversary of the Ojai Music Festival runs June 9 – June 12 at the Libbey Bowl. Tickets for each event run between $20 and $150; but on Sunday, June 12, all are invited to two free events at Libbey Park. The first, Dance in the Park, features the dance duo Julia Eichten and Bret Easterling, celebrating tenderness, togetherness, and fierce joy; and then that afternoon, Rome is Falling is a high-energy new telling where song, spoken word, and driving music come together to contextualize the action with audience engagement and the performance of a local children’s choir. For more details on all performances and to secure your tickets, go to OjaiFestival.org.

The Glass Animals concert at the Ventura Theater wasn’t announced until 9 am on Wednesday, May 18 and tickets went on sale that day at noon which promptly sold out for their show the following Wednesday, May 25, at the Ventura Theater…which by the way was fabulous.

Future shows on sale now for the Ventura Theater include Third Eye Blind for Saturday, August 6, Billy Idol on Thursday, August 25, Hollie Cook (from all-female punk/reggae band, the Slits) on Saturday, September 24, Black Flag on Saturday, October 29, and AFI on Friday, November 25. If you don’t want to miss out, you’ll want to keep your eye on their calendar as you never know when new dates will pop up (such as the Glass Animals).

Heading around the corner and down the block (or two) to the all-new Ventura Music Hall, I’m happy to report that I’ve secured tickets for the Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs show for Sunday, June 12. Come on!!! He co-wrote so many hits with Tom Petty (Refugee, Here Comes My Girl, Runnin’ Down a Dream), you know it’s going to rock!! New dates added recently include Guttermouth on Sunday, July 3 (happy to say local bands False Confession and Romper will open), Memphis May Fire out of Texas plays Tuesday, July 19 and Jerry’s Middle Finger will bring in the “Deadheads” when they play Friday, July 29.

Over on Main Street, midtown Ventura, the Grape has Casey Abrams, former American Idol contestant and current member of Postmodern Jukebox, returning for a show on Saturday, June 4, then the venue will go into overdrive when they open on Sunday and Monday (traditionally closed) for two special concerts. Firstly, on June 5, it’s Dreamland band, a Joni Mitchell tribute, featuring Kimberly Ford on vocals and guitar and then on Monday, June 6, the Dave Weckl/Tom Kennedy Projects with their high energy jazz fusion. Weckl was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2000. Tickets are available for these shows at TheGrapeVentura.com.

The Toni Jannotta Jazz Trio plays Peirano’s on the Terrazza Friday, June 3, with Terry Simcik on guitar and Tom Etchart on bass. Toni then leaves for Europe to sing in the Langtoun Jazz Festival in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.

Here’s a fun, or not-so-fun fact: all reserved tables and special ramadas for all concerts are sold out for Music Under the Stars this summer. Tickets still available for general admission include Identity Theft on July 23, Rhythm Krewe on August 6 and Lisa Haley & the Zdekats on August 27, all other shows totally sold out. You can either purchase tickets at Ventura City Hall or over the phone (805) 658-4726.

Quick Notes: just announced, Uncle Cracker will perform at BBQ Fest 2022 at Surfer’s Point Live (Ventura Fairgrounds) on Saturday, June 11; Surfers Point Café will hold a grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 11, featuring the loveable CocoKnots and their tropical blend of music with a sprinkling of pop & jazz classics from 1 -4 pm; Cadillac Zack presents Aki Kumar, Bollywood blues, at Namba on Friday, June 10; Iain Matthews and Steve Postell (founding members of British folk rock bands) play the Ojai Underground Friday, June 3; Mack and D start up their Thursday evening residency at 1901; Tickets are on sale for the Hip Hop edition of Sunday Funday with Flo Rida and Lil Jon at Surfer’s Point Live (Ventura Fairgrounds parking lot); and Mick Stover (bassist Dive Bar Messiahs, Gentlemen’s Blues Club) has started a new 80s dance cover band called ’80 Reasons 2 Dance, you can catch them at Margarita Villa on July 9.

The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour continues to support and play local artist out of the 805, as well as artists who come here to play. Mary Z Wilson continues to be a great asset talking about the history of Americana here in town; she’ll be sharing music from Donna Lynn Caskey, Merlin Snider and Cyrus Clarke on the next episode, (#162) which runs 5/31 – 6/12 and airs Tuesdays and Fridays at 5:00 pm and Sundays at noon. Tune into KPPQ-LP at 104.1 FM here in Ventura, or listen via the MyTuner radio app on your smart device, or online at CapsMedia.org/Radio.

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 5/22 – 6/4

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

Surf Rodeo has finally announced their headliners for each day! First, it’s The Expendables (reggae) for Saturday, July 13, and then it’s Hepcat (ska and reggae) for Sunday, July 14. Don’t forget that the two-day surf and music festival lands in a new spot this year at the Ventura Pier. JD Drury has always been a strong supporter of local music, case in point, you can catch loads of local bands including Hy Brasil, Stoneflys, Honey Owl and Kings Revenge along with JD’s Raging Arb and the Redheads. There will be 30+ bands along with surf and cornhole competitions, and cowgirl & cowboy bikini contest…hey wait! A cowboy bikini contest? How did I miss this before??? Get tickets and more information at SurfRodeo.org.

The 4th Annual Ojai Blues Fest at Ojai Art Center will be held on Saturday, June 1, with another amazing lineup of blues artists. The doors open at 1 pm with music from Kelly’s Lot, Orphan Jon and the Abandoned, Crooked Eye Tommy, Rae Gordon, Laurie Morvan Band, then a grand finale set featuring an all-star jam. Acoustic sets will be played in between to keep the day moving; tickets available online at OjaiBluesFest.com

Tickets for the Music Under the Stars concert series this summer are available only through Ventura City Hall. Several shows have already sold out, but you can still get tickets for Sound Effect on July 20, Rodeo Drive on July 27, Four Lads from Liverpool on August 3 and Identity Theft on August 10. I’m happy to see people are scooping up tickets, but it’s a little baffling why the City doesn’t set up an online page to purchase tickets; you still have to call to get yours during their regular business hours.

Quick Notes: the May 23 Good Charlotte show has been cancelled at the Ventura Theater; Jon over at Leashless will be hosting the Listening Room Open Mic weekly on Tuesday nights until further notice; Big Adventure has landed a Wednesday night residency at Oak and Main; you can find out what psychedelic jazz funk sounds like when Los Retros and Evolution Burger play Concrete Jungle on Friday, May 24; Ventura College Performing Arts Center hosts El Bracero, a Mariachi opera on Friday May 24; River Ripley, RyMi and the Martians along with Tattered Angels play Namba downtown on Saturday May 25; and Topa Mountain Winery will have live music with Bryan Titus Trio on Memorial Day, Monday, May 24.

The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour returns to KPPQ-LP at 104.1 FM after a short hiatus following the passing of my father Gilbert Sanchez. Airdates are Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon. You can also listen with the MyTuner app for your phone or online at CapsMedia.org.

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. For updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.