Tag Archives: Rain Perry

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 4/20/22 – 5/3/22

Posted on by
Reply

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

The historic Olivas Adobe will once again host Music Under the Stars on Friday nights from July 9 – August 27. There are a number of tribute bands such as Savor, tribute to Santana on July 16, Dark Desert Highway, tribute to the Eagles on August 13 and 4 Lads from Liverpool, tribute to the Beatles on August 20. Tickets are only $20, and an extra $25 to reserve a table. Tickets go on sale May 2 at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/MUS.

Ojai Music Festival’s 2022 season has been announced and will run June 9 to June 12. For scheduled performances and ticket information, go to OjaiFestival.org.
Ventura Music Hall will be launching their Friday night Golden Hour series featuring mostly local tribute bands from May 13 through June 24. Lined up are Twisted Gypsy, Sgt. Pepper, Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Ridin’ the Storm Out and Doin’ Time.

There will be a Ukrainian Relief benefit brunch featuring live music by The Cover Girls & Friends, Breaking Bored, and Misunderstood at the Ventura Harbor Comedy Club on Sunday, May 1. All proceeds going to the Ukrainian relief charity of your choice. For more information and to reserve your spot, call Rosa Carbajal at (805) 827-2306.

Salzer’s Records will host a Meet and Greet with Think: X on Saturday, April 23 featuring bandmates Norwood Fisher (Fishbone), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), Scott Page (Pink Floyd), and Kenny Olson (Kid Rock) who will be stopping by on Record Store Day to promote Think: X, An Exploration of the Music of Pink Floyd. Think: X performs at Oceanview Production Studios in Port Hueneme later that evening.

Rock-n the Streets is free and happening on Saturday, April 23 at Casa Agria Specialty Ales located at 701 N. Del Norte Blvd in Oxnard with performances by Omega Nova, Stellar Ruins, NoSilence, Sunjelly, Crawdads and the Panes.

Just a few shows lining up at Libbey Bowl include the Musical Box performs Genesis on May 22, Stephen Pearcy of Ratt on July 8, Former members of Oingo Boing on July 16, ABC on July 17, the Zombies on July 22, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers on August 5, Mark Farner’s American Band acoustic show on August 6 and Michael Feinstein on August 27.

Quick Notes: The Twist on Main hosts Muse on Main: a benefit concert for Musicians on a Mission on Saturday, April 23 with Dr. T and the Blues Criminals; Tom Scott (the Blues Brothers, LA Express) plays the Grape on Friday, April 29; Kyle Smith is back in town with full band at the Six Chow House on Friday, April 29; Agent Orange plays Gigi’s on Friday, April 29; and new music out: Rain Perry’s a White Album, Shaky Feelin’ Brand New Day and Night Demon’s Year of the Demon (2020 singles compilation).

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.

Rain Perry on “The Shopkeeper”

Posted on by
Reply

shopperOjai mmark-at-computerusician singer/songwriter Rain Perry’s foray into filmmaking has resulted in a thought provoking, fascinating look at the music industry and how it has evolved the past fifty years. The film highlights the career of musician/producer Mark Hallman of Congress House Studio out of Austin, Texas. To make the film, Perry teamed up with Micah Van Hove, Director of Photography, who taught her invaluable lessons on filmmaking. Perry was able to produce the film as a result of a successful Indiegogo campaign.

The Shopkeeper gives a better understanding of the struggles musicians face asking the question, “Everybody can make a record, but nobody can make a living. Is there a problem with that?” The film is an excellent platform for starting that dialogue not only with musicians, but with music lovers and our responsibility when it comes to supporting artists

This is a must see film for artists, would be artists, and music fans, especially those who incorrectly believe music is free.

Ventura Rocks:  How can someone be able to see your documentary after this weekend?

Rain Perry

Rain Perry

Rain Perry:  Two ways: I am building a grassroots tour with events much like the premiere last night – where local musicians perform and we screen the film and hold a question-and-answer session at the end to talk about the issues raised by the film.

I will also be releasing the movie on DVD and for rental through my own website. And then ultimately it will be available on iTunes and Hulu but that will be a little later.

VR: When did you start production?

Rain Perry:  We shot our first footage in May 2014. With a little bit of footage shot and our first couple of interviews, we created a pitch video for our crowdfunding campaign, which ran throughout the summer of 2014. When that was successful, we planned our filming for the weekend of the Congress house anniversary party – which was five days of pretty constant filming. And the rest has been intermittent trips here and there – to interview Ani DiFranco before a concert in Napa, for example, and to the east coast for a few interviews.

VR: Name a couple of highlights while working on The Shopkeeper.

Rain Perry:  In many ways this was a very easy movie to make because everyone loves Marc so much they were happy to talk about him. Another highlight was working with my director of photography, Micah Van Hove. His work ethic, humor, and eye really made the movie.

And, finally, I was able to license every single song I wanted for the movie, for which I am incredibly grateful to the musicians.

VR:  What do you hope people will take away from it?

Rain Perry:  After both screenings this premiere weekend, we had awesome spirited conversations about the issues raised in the film. I want to educate people who maybe haven’t thought about this what it takes to create great music. And I want to take the knowledge and expertise of working musicians to see if we can’t brainstorm some solutions that will actually work for artists and for listeners.

VR:  What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned about film making?

Rain Perry:  Every lesson was my biggest lesson because I had no idea how to do this. Like, I figured out that I could transcribe all of my interviews using Siri. I would put on headphones and listen to the interview and dictate what the person was saying. That saved a lot of time. I created a massive database of every shot and every little sound clip so that I could search for, for example, everything everybody said about Spotify, or every piece of footage having to do with Tom Russell or whatever.

But mostly I really benefited from the expertise of Micah, who in addition to being a great camera man has been my own personal film school.

If you want to learn something frightening, read Perry’s blog on her calcuations on how much each spin earned her on Pandora and Spotify, Rhapsody and other services.

www.RainPerry.com
www.TheShopkeeperMovie.com 

Official Trailer for The Shopkeeper

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze June 8 – June 21

Posted on by
2

Ventura MusVentura Breeze logoic Scene
“Music and the Arts”
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Good Vibrations: A Harmony of Art & Music at Very Ventura.

Good Vibrations: A Harmony of Art & Music at Very Ventura.

Very Ventura is one of the coolest stores in town featuring local vendors. It’s also where you’ll find the Ventura Rocks Music Listening Station which offers recorded music from local musicians. They have a gorgeous gallery towards the back of the store called Gallery V which will host a new exhibit called “Good Vibrations: A Harmony of Art & Music” on June 18th which will run through July 24. Xavier Montes will perform at the opening reception. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the works from one of my favorite rock photographers, Cliff Montgomery; you might have seen his work up at Bombay’s.

Surf Brewery will be celebrating their 5th anniversary with a party in the parking lot all day long featuring live music including Raging Arb and the Redheads, The Slider, Tom Loughman Band and more. Make your plans to join in the fun on Saturday, June 18; the music runs 2-7 pm. They’ll have several specials and are hoping to raise funds for the Notes for Notes program at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Ventura.

Reggae returns to the Tree House at Café Fiore on Sundays now through Labor Day. Catch bands like the Babylon Rockers, Jahmark & the Soulshakers, and Casey Jones & the Reggae Train. Music kicks off at 6 pm.

Watermark has extended their live music to include Thursday evenings 7-9 pm with more of an easy listening vibe including artists such as Karen Eden, Coso, Jade Hendrix and others.

The Ventura premiere of the Rachel Flowers documentary by Lorenzo DeStefano entitled, “Hearing is Believing” will be shown at the Century Theater on June 9; Rachel will be performing at Squashed Grapes on Saturday, June 18.

And speaking of locally produced documentaries, I caught Rain Perry’s new film, “The Shopkeeper”; it’s an amazing piece of work which gives a better understanding of the struggles musicians face. It’s evolves around the life of music producer Mark Hallman, but covers the more important aspect of the evolving music industry and asks the question, “Everybody can make a record, but nobody can make a living. Is there a problem with that?” The film is an excellent platform for starting that dialogue not only with musicians, but with music lovers and our responsibility when it comes to supporting artists. The film will be available eventually on iTunes and Hulu. You can find a Q&A with Rain Perry at VenturaRocks.com.

And finally, by the time we go to press the next episode of Ventura Rocks at CAPS Media featuring Shaky Feelin’ should be up and available on the Ventura Rocks and CAPS Media You Tube channels. The band was super fun to work with and I think an excellent representation of what Ventura’s music scene is all about.

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.

Favorite Holiday Recipes

Posted on by
Reply

 

 FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPES FROM A COUPLE OF
MY FAVORITE ARTISTS & SOMETHING FROM ME TOO!

Enjoy these quick and easy recipes during your Christmas through New Years get- together with family and friends.  If you make any of these please take a photo and share with us!

THE PERFECT BREAKFAST ON CHRISTMAS MORNING!

 FROM SALLY JAYE – Singer/Songwriter & ½ of the duo of The Ladies Gun Club

SALLY JAYE’S FRENCH TOAST EVERYBODY LOVES!

sally jayeIngredients: One loaf of Challah bread, Canola oil, 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 Tbsp honey, ½ Tbsp sugar. Dash of salt, fresh berries, syrup

“Wake up. Go buy some nice Challah bread from a local bakery, maybe grab a cup of coffee there and smile and chat with some folks in the neighborhood. Take it home, turn on some music (we put the iPhone in a glass on the counter), and make sure the kitchen is nice and clean before you start.”

Slice bread about 1 and 1/2 inches thick and set aside. In a glass mixing bowl (I prefer glass), combine milk, eggs, vanilla, honey, salt. Don’t put your eggshells in the garbage disposal!  Whisk together. Pour into a small, shallow glass casserole dish. (I prefer glass). Add Canola oil to a medium size skillet, just enough to create a light layer all over. Turn stove onto medium. Lay slices of bread in mixture, coating each side but not soaking. Let bread sit in mixture for a few minutes. Place slices of bread in skillet. Cook for two to three minutes and flip. Repeat for other side. Flip again for about a minute, and flip again for another minute. Just don’t leave it for too long on one side or it will burn.  NOTE: Don’t let it get cold, so if you’re making a lot, keep it in a warm oven (low temp) while you make the rest. Serve with syrup and fresh strawberries and blueberries or fruit of your choice. Bananas are good too. This goes especially well with bacon and fresh orange juice to drink. 

The unabashedly Appalachian voices of SALLY JAYE and SARAH ROBERTS make for a stunning anomaly. Soon after meeting, they borrowed the name LADIES GUN CLUB from an actual ladies’ gun club in North Carolina and, happily commenced to makin’ bona fide Roots Music in the midst of Tinseltown. The NEW LGC single is out on iTunes! Check out BIG BASS DRUM, produced by Josh Day, written and performed by LGC with Brian Wright, Philip Khronengold & Dylan Cooper www.theladiesgunclub.com

APPETIZERS

 TAYLOR KASCH – Artistic Director Flying H Group – Theater Company

“My drunken Irish grandfather passed on to me”

                                               DRUNKEN MEATBALLS!!

taylor kasch1c catsup, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/2 to 1 cup bourbon, 1 package frozen meat balls.

Mix it all together in a crock pot and cook on high for 2 hrs.  Pretty damn good!

Flying H located at 6368 E Bristol Rd Ventura is a place for the professional actor & beginners alike to study their craft in a warm & welcoming environment. An ensemble group of actors has been created that “speak the same language”. Aside from our live productions, workshops and private instruction are offered. For further information go to our website at www.flyinghgroup.com

 POLLY HOGANSON – Writer VenturaRocks.com

“This is a family favorite and oh so easy!!”

                   HAM ROLL UPS

024Danish Ham – 16 ounces, Green Onions – 1 bunch, Soft Cream Cheese – 16 ounces

Wash green onions, cut off root ends, reserve green stalks. Take a slice of ham and lay flat, spread enough cream cheese to cover.  Cut 1 stalk of green onion the width of the ham, roll it up like a jelly roll.  With seam side down slice 5-6 “wheels”.  Place on a small platter or dinner size plate.  Continue through the pack of ham or until you run out of cream cheese.  It usually makes enough for 6-8 people.

NEW YEARS CHEER!

RAIN PERRY – Singer/songwriter

“Here’s a recipe I invented in honor of my nephew’s wedding.”

PEONY MARTINI

rain perryOne part Hendricks Gin, One part *ginger-infused Sake (see below), two parts raspberry lemonade from Trader Joe’s, raspberries to float on top

*I always store sliced ginger in sake because you can never use up a whole root before it goes bad. One day I thought “I bet that sake-flavored ginger would be pretty good in a cocktail!”

Rain Perry’s “Beautiful Tree” is the theme for the CW Network’s “Life Unexpected,” where she also had the surreal pleasure of appearing as herself in a music festival episode alongside Sarah McLachlan and Ben Lee. She has released four albums on her own Precipitous Records (2 of which had their CD Release Parties at Zoey’s), as well as writing and touring a solo play about her unusual childhood called Cinderblock Bookshelves: A Guide For Children of Fame-Obsessed Bohemian Nomads. A high point: hearing Nanci Griffith’s sweet voice on Tom Russell’s version of her song “Yosemite.” A not-so-high point: when it made the radio EP but not the album. In addition to her career as a singer-songwriter, Rain also promotes concerts in Ojai and teaches Songwriting for Civilians, specializing in classes for people who harbor a secret desire to write songs but need encouragement and tools.