Ventura Rocks Music Scene Column 8/24/22 – 9/6/22

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

The Ojai Pops Concert Series co-sponsored by the City of Ojai kicked off Sunday, August 21, and if you missed it, no worries, there will be four more chances to catch another one of their community concerts at Libbey Bowl. All concerts are free and start at 3:30 pm:
August 28: Tuxedo Junction Jazz Band
September 25: 805 Brass and Los Padres Sound Horn Quartet
October 23: Ojai Pops Orchestra w/ vocalists Miriam Dance & Sophie Holt
November 6: Larktown & Friends, featuring Lark Cobb (vocals) and Todd Temanson (banjo)

The Hueneme Beach Festival falls over the weekend of August 27 and 28 (1 – 6 pm) and is absolutely free to attend with live music both days:
Saturday, August 27: New Orleans Suspects, Twisted Gypsy, Taylor Sackson, CRV, Morie & the Heavy Hitters, Olivia Willhite.
Sunday, August 28: Nth Power, Phantom Blues Band, Beebs & her Money Makers, the Cousins, Sade, Juano & Friends, Hand Me Down Band.

Spencer Mackenzie’s is once again uniting two events into one with the world’s largest cornhole tournament called The Throwdown during the day and then once the sun (starts) to go down, it’s live music with A.D.D. on Friday; Sunny Ledfurd, and Mandex on Saturday; then starting at 2 pm on Sunday, it’s Morie & the Heavy Hitters followed up with a set by Rey Fresco. Click here for tickets.

The 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. Chick Singer Night is held at Studio B in Oxnard. Tickets are $25 through EventBrite.com.

There are several shows coming up at the Namba Performing Arts Space on Oak, downtown Ventura:
Esteban Ramirez on September 3
Dirty Cello on September 10
Iona Fyfe on September 11
Tommy McManus on September 18

Along with Hawaiian hula dancers, frisbee dog demonstrations, food trucks and more, the Aloha Beach Festival will offer up some live musical entertainment from Warren Takahashi and Friends, Free Love Project 805, Jacob Marquez and the Good Vibes, Morie & the Heavy Hitters, Jill Martini and the Shrunken Heads, Keyth & the Universouls, Heavy Rotation, the Question and Rising Son. This free family friendly event will be held at promenade park along Surfer’s Point here in Ventura on Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4. This year’s beneficiary will be the Merito Foundation.

New shows added at the Ventura Theater:
Max & Iggor Cavalera – September 29
Alkaline Trio – October 21

New shows added at Ventura Music Hall
Protoje, Jesse Royal, Lila Ike – Oct 1
Bad Suns – Oct 5
Dirty Honey, Dorothy, Mac Saturn – Oct 6
Knuckle Puck – Oct 22
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore with the guilty Ones – November 15
The Rare Occasions, Hot Freaks – December 4

High Street Arts Center (HighStreetArtsCenter.com) in Moorpark has a number of tribute shows lined up called the 2022 Legends Series:
Chicago Tribute Experience (Chicago) – August 26
Raymond Michael tribute to King of Rock and Roll (Elvis) – August 27
The Heart of Rock & Roll (Huey Lewis & the News) – September 2
Fortunate Son (Credence Clearwater Revival – September 3

poster for eventThe Grape in Ventura has a couple of dates I want to ensure you know. First off, you can read my Q&A with Derek Sherinian, and then catch one or both shows when Sherinian and Simon Philips with band perform on Monday, August 29. Additional monster players for the night are Ric Fierabracci on bass and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on guitar. Tickets are available on EventBrite.
Then it’s always one of the hottest tickets in town to catch Tool’s Danny Carey when he drums for the Doug Webb Group which also features Jamie Klime on guitar, Jimmy Earl on bass and Mitch Forman on keys. Tickets are also available on EventBrite for this Saturday, September 3 show.

Quick Notes: just added to the music stage for Taste of Local on Sunday, September 11 is Spencer the Gardener; Billy Idol plays the Ventura Theater Thursday, August 25; the next Singer/songwriter showcase dinner event at Pierano’s is set for Thursday, August 25 with Dylan Brehm, Lainey Brown, Olivia Mucha, Jodi Farrell and Aaron Burch; Colbie Caillat is at the Thousand Oaks Civic Auditorium, Friday, August 26; Fantastic Diamond plays Cantara on Saturday, August 27; the final Music Under the Stars is Saturday, August 27 with Lisa Haley & the Zydekats (sold out); Elvis Costello plays the Thousand Oaks Civic Auditorium on Sunday, August 28; Switchfoot is at the Ventura Music Hall on Sunday, August 28; Nathan McEuen plays the Ojai Underground on Friday, September 2; and Starship, featuring Mickey Thomas, is at the Libbey Bowl on Sunday, September 4.

The latest episode of VenturaRockSpot is live featuring Looking West. The young trio out of Ventura have been making their mark on the music scene playing such venues as, Topa Topa Brewing in Ventura, Rock & Roll Pizza in Camarillo, even Surf Rodeo last month. You can catch them live when they play MadeWest Brewing on Saturday, August 27.

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 7/27/22 – 8/9/2022

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

The traditional free concert to the community once again opens the Ventura Music Festival (VMF) in Mission Park and this year it features Adaawe. The international women of voice and drum perform a global fusion of African rhythm, thrilling harmony, and world soul to uplift the spirt, celebrate diversity, and unite humanity. Low-back chairs are allowed, but honestly, I’m thinking we’ll be up and dancing for most of their performance which starts at 5:30 pm. Why not make it a family event and bring a blanket, picnic dinner while enjoying the sounds of Adaawe.

Following the Wednesday free performance, there will be six ticketed VMF performances held at the Ventura College Performing Arts Theater over the next two weekends featuring We Banjo 3, Django Festival Allstars, Sean Chen, the Moanin’ Frogs, Veronica Swift and The Crossing. To secure tickets, go to VenturaMusicFestival.org.

The Ventura County Fair returns this summer with a fine line up of musical entertainment both on the Station Stage featuring local artists, and the Grandstand Stage featuring national touring acts. It’s such a treat knowing all shows are included in the price of admission.

fair graphicBy the way, did you know the fair is free for those five and younger and for those 100 or older? For the rest of us, it’s only $15 for adults; $10 kids 6-12; seniors 65 and older $10. Check out VenturaRocks.com for the Station Stage lineup.

Here is the Grandstand Stage list of acts:
Wednesday, 8/3: Martina McBride
Thursday, 8/4: KC & the Sunshine Band
Friday, 8/5: The All-American Rejects
Saturday, 8/6: Blue Oyster Cult
Sunday, 8/7: Dia de la Familia concert
Monday, 8/8: The Beach Boys
Tuesday, 8/9: Clay Walker
Wednesday, 8/10: Cheap Trick

New shows added for the Majestic Ventura Theater include Marcus Mumford and Danielle Ponder on Tuesday, October 4, GWAR on Saturday, October 8; Black Flag on Saturday, October 29, Gogol Bordello on Saturday, November 5, and Tegan and Sara on Friday, November 11.

The Hueneme Beach Festival falls over the last weekend of August (27- 28; 11 – 7 pm) with free admission. Do note that parking is $10 but BikeVentura will be hosting a free bike valet, so if you can, ride your bike there. There will be music on two stages featuring New Orleans Suspects, Twisted Gypsy, Taylor Sackson, CRV, Marachi Camarillo, Oliva Willhite, and Morie & the Heavy Hitters on Saturday. And then on Sunday, it’s Nth Power, Beebs & Money Makers, the Phantom Blues Band, Sade, the Hand me Down Band, Juano & Friends, and the Cousins.

Spencer Mackenzie Throwdown Cornhole Festival will be held at Surfer’s Point Live (Ventura Fairgrounds parking lot) over the last weekend of August. The acts scheduled to perform this year are Sunny Ledfurd, Mandex, A.D.D., Rey Fresco and Morie & the Heavy Hitters. This is a ticketed event at $25 a day, or $40 for 3-day pass.

new west symphony The New West Symphony announced their 2022/2023 Masterpiece Series Season recently where performances will be held Saturday evenings at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center and with Sunday matinees in Camarillo at the Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center. It all kicks off with their Winter Spectacular starring Sam Harris in December 2022 and will run through next November 2023 with a production of “Beethoven to Brubeck.” You can download their brochure at NewWestSymphony.org.

If you enjoy the punk end of the music spectrum, then you won’t want to miss NardFest on August 6, at the Oceanview Pavilion Performing Arts Theater in Port Hueneme. Bands on the bill include Head Heat, Ill Repute, Stalag 13, Dr. Know, False Confession, iDecline, Civil Conflict, Romper and Boilerman. The event runs 3 – 11 pm; tickets are only $20.

Grateful Shred artworkThe Ojai Valley Land Conservancy benefit concert runs two days July 30-31 from 2-9 pm at the Libbey Bowl featuring Grateful Shred headlining both days. Leading up to the main act: Saturday, Cayucas, Gifted & Blessed, Chuck & Luisa, Barbarelle and on Sunday, Nate Mercereau, Carlos Nino, Dan Horne, Service Human, Shelley Burgon, Melody Bird and Barbarelle. Ticket information can be found at OLVC.org/shred.

Quick Notes: Vincenzo Giammanco, CEO and founder of Boots and Brews confirmed there will in fact be two Boots and Brews for Ventura this year with Cole Swindell on August 20 and Tim McGraw on October 14 (tickets for both are on sale at BootsAndBrews.com); Tony’s Pizzaria continues with the Thursday free reggae shows with Morie & the Heavy Hitters on Thursday, July 28; Myst plays the Heritage Square Summer Concert Series on Friday, July 29 and it’s Soul Machine on Friday, August 5; Jerry’s Middle Finger plays the Ventura Music Hall on Friday, July 19; Hip Hop Mindset at the Oceanview Pavilion Performing Arts Theater on Saturday, July 30; 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; Donna Lynn Caskey will open for the Dennis and Laura Show at Namba on Saturday, July 30; Poseidon Brewing will be celebrating their 8th anniversary over the weekend of 8/12-8/14; it’s Third Eye Blind at the Ventura Theater on Saturday, August 6; and finally, the Oxnard Salsa Festival is postponed for yet another year (fingers crossed for 2023).

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.