In the wake of California’s largest wildfire in modern history, Carpinteria’s own Dishwalla played a sold-out concert at the Alcazar Theatre. Formerly known as the Carpinteria Plaza Playhouse Theater, the gem of a venue, with accidental perfect acoustics has returned to its original name, Alcazar Theatre. Carpinteria Community Theatre Inc. who runs the venue renamed… Continue reading Dishwalla | Alcazar Theatre | Carpinteria, CA
Two progressive bluegrass titans shared a co-billing last weekend at The UC Theatre in Berkeley, California. Infamous Stringdusters hosted a diverse two-night run beginning last Thursday with Keller Williams and Grateful Gospel. Fans that evening were treated to an array of Grateful Dead classics augmented by a joint group of Keller and the Dusters. The… Continue reading Salmon & The Stringdusters | Berkeley, CA
On December 27, SiriusXM presented The Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Rocks! Tour at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Throughout his career, Setzer‘s innovative and daring musical styles have single-handedly resurrected two forgotten genres of music (rockabilly in the ’80’s and swing in the ’90’s). The opening act of the night, the quintet known as The… Continue reading Brian Setzer Orchestra Celebrates 14th Annual Christmas Rocks!
Just before the flames and smoke of the massive Thomas fire put a damper on the Christmas spirit in Santa Barbara County, pop singer Jewel brought her real-life musical family to the Chumash Casino. The special Christmas concert featured the veteran performer singing traditional Christmas songs as well as some of her biggest hits. The… Continue reading Jewel | Chumash Casino Resort | Review
In their forth outstanding gig at San Rafael’s Terrapin Crossroads this year, The Rock Collection brought an evening of originals, and beloved covers dissimilar to anything fans had seen of them yet. Any act under the jam band umbrella has to keep their shows diverse night to night, but what makes The Rock Collection standalone… Continue reading The Rock Collection | Terrapin Crossroads | 12/15/17 | Review
American rock prodigy Steve Kimock took over Denver’s Cervantes’ Other Side for two nights of funk, rock, and blues this past weekend, playing an exotic orchestration featuring jam-fueled originals and traditional covers alike. Billed as “Steve Kimock and Friends,” the arrangement featured Dead & Company’s Jeff Chimenti on keyboards with additional assistance from New York’s… Continue reading Steve Kimock & Friends | Cervantes' Other Side
A grand celebratory sendoff to the 50th anniversary of San Francisco’s psychedelic music scene of 1967 took place at one of its once and forever epicenters, The Fillmore, on December 9. Featuring about 30 prominent Bay Area performers of today and yesterday, the commemorative event righteously celebrated that important stretch of time through which poetry,… Continue reading ‘Dancing in the Street’ – Rex Foundation Benefit
One of the most anticipated jazz events of 2017 was The Meeting of The Spirits tour, a co-billing of celebrated fusion icon John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension with the astoundingly diverse Jimmy Herring and The Invisible Whip. Though the two guitarists/bandleaders spawned from different generations and backgrounds, their affinity for bringing exploratory styles including… Continue reading McLaughlin & Herring is a Meeting of The Spirits
Did I say one? Better make it two. While Dead & Company trounced Dallas this past Friday with a meaty rocker of a show, Saturday night in Austin received a more deliberate performance befitting the band’s early era of improvised exploration. Which was better? Well, that depends on the opinion of the most opinionated fans… Continue reading Dead & Company Deep In The Heart Of Texas
It was a spare crowd that greeted the band when they took the stage to play “Shakedown Street” but it grew pretty quickly. It seemed to me that a hundred people even on the last day of November was a fairly low turnout. Ashland is invariably a “slow show” crowd and soon afterward there was… Continue reading Terrapin Flyer | Ashland Armory | 11/30/17
