Ventura Music Scene
Great Scott! It’s Tom!!
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Once again the Ventura County Fair entertained the masses with a lively eclectic line up of artists. Highlights for me were Kevin Costner’s anecdotes between songs with his band Modern West and of course “Private Idaho” and “Rock Lobster” from The B-52’s.

The hot ticket this month will be for Tom Scott who has recorded on dozens and dozens of albums from such iconic artists as The Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, the Grateful Dead, Bruno Mars, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, and Frank Sinatra. He’s earned over a dozen Grammy nominations, winning three; and of course he’s a founding member of The Blues Brothers. Confidence is high this one will sell out, so don’t miss Scott at Squashed Grapes on Friday, August 28.

The Pierpont Summer BBQ series has just two more concerts this season: 8/20 with Carmen & the Renegade Vigilantes, or better known as CRV, And then Dirty Rice will close out the series on September 3.

The Pacific Sound Chorus will hold their annual Ventura show at the Poinsettia Pavilion on August 30 featuring the chorus and several top, local barbershop quartets. The special guest star is a quartet from the Los Angeles area, The New Fangled Four who were crowned Champions of the Western United States in 2013, as well as champions in the International Collegiate Quartet Contest in 2013.

The El Rey Cantina will host an Elvis Karaoke Competition, on Saturday, August 22. There will be prizes for best Elvis singer and costume.

Don’t forget Spencer Mackenzie’s annual End-of-Summer Block Party on Saturday and Sunday August 29 and 30. There’s no cover this year. Artists performing include the Guy Martin Band, Bloody Mary Morning, Brothers Fortune, Mandex, Honey Owl and Andre and the Giants.

And then be sure to clear the calendar for Bombay’s 31th Annual Beach Party which runs the following week, September 1st – 6th. Just a handful of the bands appearing will be Hy Brasil, The NaVaNaX, The Jelly, Rey Fresco and more.

We’re sorry to report that Green Art People hosted their final Short Attention Span Theater on Wednesday, August 5 with GrooveSession and the Rainbow Girls. GAP kept their doors open as long as they possibly could, but fundraiser efforts fell short. Thanks for the memories and you’ll be sorely missed by the community.

And finally, a huge shout out to the cast and crew of West Side Story which had a one-week run at the Rubicon Theatre this month. It’s such a thrill to see live theater especially such a beloved story as this with a stellar cast comprised of so many Ventura County youth and young adults along with a 21-piece live orchestra. Hats off to Brian McDonald for another stellar production!

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.