Ventura Music Scene 5/1/24 – 5/14/24

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

Sheldon Brown, thank you for giving me the opportunity to cover Ventura’s music scene. Your paper brings so much happiness to those who read it; your contribution to our town has been immense. I’m sure your son will carry the torch in fine fashion. I’d say I’ll miss you, but I know we’ll continue to see you out and about and of course we’ll have those occasional lunches to catch up. Love you!!

Now to business… while the Strawberry Festival will be held later this month at the Ventura Fairgrounds, the Moorpark Apricot Festival returns after a five-year hiatus. Fun fact: Moorpark is actually named after the fruit, the Moorpark Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca) which is the most common apricot in the world. Over half a century ago they were known for growing this variety and for a while were known as the Apricot Capital of the World. Unlike the Strawberry Festival, this one is free to the public sponsored by the Daly Group and the City of Moorpark. Live music will include performances by CLU Mariachi ensemble, Conjunto Zacamandu, Moorpark Symphony Orchestra and Moorpark College Jazz. This fun-filled day falls on Saturday, May 11, 11 am – 5 pm on Historic High Street. Get all the data you need at MoorparkApricotFestival.com including where to park and all the other activities and art exhibits for the day.

The Rubicon Theatre’s “Ventura Live” music series offers up a variety of one-night shows from Heather Youman’s evening celebrating the 60s and 70s most iconic women in music to Tony and Emmy award-winner, Lillias White who performs some of Broadway’s best-loved songs. You’ll want to go to the Rubicon website (RubiconTheatre.org) to see all performances which will run through June so far.

The Ventura Music Hall added a number of Reggae shows including Fortunate Youth on May 23, Burning Spear on May 28, and Katchafire on July 20.

And the Libbey Bowl calendar keeps filling up for the summer as they just added Queen Nation and So Petty for August, Thievery Corporation for Thursday, Sept 5, and Angel Olsen for September 11.

Quick Notes: Cantara Cellars hosts Kelly’s Lot on Friday, May 3; Duncan and the Dragonslayers return to Bombay’s on Saturday, May 4, along with RXTC and Casual Business; Be warned, Raging Arb and Friends take over Duke’s on Saturday, May 4; Plan B is providing live music again with Taylor Made Tapestry on Sunday, May 5, and Rock the Boat on Saturday, May 11; The Park View Courts music series continues with a performance by Will Breman on Tuesday, May 7; Guy Martin plays the Grape on Saturday afternoon, May 11; and The Psychedelic Furs play the Majestic Ventura Theater on Tuesday, May 14 with opening act John Doe and Exene.

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 8/9/23 – 8/22/23

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com Phil Salazar and the Kin Folk’s “The Shut it Down Tour” falls over the weekend of August 19 and 20 at the Santa Paula Theater Center. Phil Salazar was interviewed by Mary Z Wilson during her segment, Americana in the 805, on the Pam Baumgardner Music Hour airing on KPPQ 104.1 FM here in Ventura. Phil clarified that there was no falling out, the band members all get along just fine, he is just shutting down the “Salazar booking agency” aspect of having a band. Whew! Phil took up the fiddle when he was 16 playing with various bands since around 1972. You might remember The Rincon Ramblers or the Phil Salazar Band around these parts over the past couple of decades. Phil has played with artists such as Bob Weir, Jon McEuen, Steve Miller, Jimmy Buffet, Zac Brown, Dwight Yoakam over the years either performing with or just jamming with them. I was pleased to learn that Phil will be playing in the future with Tom Corbett at the Ojai Underground Exchange and at Namba Performing Arts.

The Rubicon Theatre’s Kids for Kids Benefit Concert is Saturday, August 19. The program is called, “What the World Needs Now…” The Music of Burt Bacharach and is conceived, directed, choreographed and produced by the students themselves with coaching support from Carolanne Marano and musical direction by Miriam Arichea. Funds raised will go towards scholarships for young people who might not otherwise be able to afford to participate in Rubicon’s education program, they call it “paying it forward.” Find out more at Rubicontheatre.org.

High Street Arts Center in Moorpark starts their summer concert series of tribute band starting with Journey USA on Friday, August 11, Raymond Michael’s Elvis tribute on Saturday, August 12, and LA Sound Machine on Sunday August 13. The following weekend it’s So Petty on Friday, August 18, and Raymond Michael returns with a tribute to Engelbert Humperdink and Tom Jones.

Harbor View Park 2023 Concerts by the Sea series continues with shows 4-6 pm on Saturday afternoons. Soul Machine plays August 12, and Los Cool Arrows on August 19. The park is located at 3850 Harbor Blvd. in Oxnard, where you’re welcomed to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs.

Quick Notes: The final Grandstand Stage act at the Ventura County Fair will be on Wednesday, August 8, featuring Tesla; Doc Strange plays Madewest on Saturday, August 12; Music Under the Stars Saturday evening concerts continue through August with Kings of 88 on August 12 and Soul Infusion on August 19; Dielectric, Casual Business and Birdbrain play an early show on Saturday, August 12 at Bombay’s; Brett Dennen has a sold-out show at the Deer Lodge on Thursday, August 17; and Wild Child, a tribute to The Doors, will be at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 19.

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 6/5 – 6/18

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

If nothing else, Ventura is known as a community that loves to give back, case in point, the Ventura Theater will be hosting a Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser on Saturday, June 8, with lots of favorite local bands being given the opportunity to play the big stage. The genres range from hard rock to metal with Bone Maggots, The Deveros, The Guitar and Whiskey Club, SixPackofDoom, Samoan Take-Out and Stronger Than Machines. This one is all ages and will be over by 11 pm. Tickets are only $10.00.

The Rubicon Theater has a number of music related events the next couple of weeks. First over the weekend of June 8 and 9 it’s Amanda McBroom performing “Lady Macbeth Sings the Blues” and the following weekend, June 14 – 16, you won’t want to miss the iconic doo-wop sounds of the 50s and 60s with The Drifters and Cornell Gunter’s Coasters playing two shows daily. You can find ticket information at RubiconTheatre.org.

The Hong Kong Inn has live music once again with quite the eclectic mix of genres. They’ll have punk shows on Wednesday, June 5, with Civil Conflict, NNN, Bare Minimum and Operation Oxnard, and then again on Friday, June 7 with How to Live with Robots and Astreyas; then it’s Latin fun with La Imagen Nortena on Saturday June 8, and smooth jazz on Sunday June 9 with Del Franklin.

Quick Notes: there will be a free, all-ages show, at Bank of Books on Saturday, June 8, with Lasso the Moon (Compton), Crawdads and Trypanosome; more punk with All-a-Blur, Plot, FUSE, Birdbrain and One Minute Run at the Red Cove on Saturday, June 8; Plan B Wine Cellars offers Johnny and the Love Handles for your Sunday early evening, June 9 (4:30 – 7 pm); Silver & Gold out of Greeley, Colorado will be making a stop on their tour for a special show at Oak and Main on Monday, June 10, along with Ferriswheels, Blossum and Pretty Well; Dad Brains is holding their album release party at Gigi’s Cocktails on Friday, June 14; the Ventura Harbor Village is once again providing live music over the weekend from 1-4 pm with Surfer Joe on June 15, and Cash Cats on June 16; and finally, good to know that the open jazz jam is gaining some traction on Thursdays at Golden China.

Big news!!! Be sure to listen to episode #84 of The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour on KPPQ-LP at 104.1 FM for the world premiere release of the brand-new Crooked Eye Tommy Album! Episode #84 also includes an interview with Tommy Marsh which airs Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon for two weeks. 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.