Q&A with Teresa Russell, performing at Boatyard Pub Oct. 11
Photo submitted
Teresa Russell
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Teresa Russell & Stephen Geyer at Boatyard Pub in Ventura (Oct. 11), Acadiana at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark (Oct. 12), Teresa Russell & Cocobilli at Waterside in Oxnard (Oct. 12), Teresa Russell & Cocobilli at Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Barbara (Oct. 13), Teresa Russell at Surfside Seafood in Hueneme (Oct. 16), Teresa Russell at Crown & Anchor in Thousand Oaks (Oct. 17).
Teresa Russell is the hardest working musician in the 805, and she has been for years — good thing she enjoys her job. She’s a guitar goddess, which is good work if you can get it. While it may seem that she plays 25 hours a day, eight days a week, 366 days a year, actually Russell doesn’t play quite that much, but she is in no danger of slouching to slacker mode, either. She has half-a-dozen gigs this week.
Q&A with Rankin, of Good Riddance, performing Oct. 5 at Discovery Ventura
Photo by Avrinder Dhillon
Good Riddance
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Good Riddance, 88 Fingers Louie, Skull Crack at Discovery Ventura, 1888 Thompson Blvd., Ventura, Sat., 8:30 p.m. COST: $18 before or $20 day of, CALL: 805-856-2695.
Good Riddance is another way of saying, “I’m not gonna miss you” and/or “You ain’t gone yet?” It’s also a long-running, politically charged punk band of the left-leaning persuasion. They won’t be playing any soulful ballads or Ted Nugent covers when they appear at Discovery Ventura on Oct. 5, and the band members are not followers of our “stable genius” president. They have an album entitled “Ballads For the Revolution,” which makes it clear they have no future at any GOP fundraisers.
Q&A with National Cat, performing at Deer Lodge Sept. 29
Photo submitted
National Cat
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: National Cat at the Deer Lodge, 2261 Maricopa Hwy., Sun., 1 p.m. COST: Free. CALL: 646-4256.
National Cat, an acoustic guitar trio, will perform a geezer-friendly, Sunday afternoon gig at the Deer Lodge in Meiners Oaks. These local cats include the husband and wife team of Danny and Brandi Fletcher, ably assisted by Barry Moffett, playing those same old songs in a mosh-pit-free environment. They’ve been at this for a long time – in combined cat years, they’re old enough to be dead, but in musical terms, these veteran players are the cat’s meow, but let’s let the married couple tell us all about their favorite band.
Q&A with Brett Dennen, performing at Topa Mountain MusicFest on Sept. 21
Submitted photo
Brett Dennen
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Topa Mountain MusicFest at Libbey Bowl, 210 S. Signal St., Ojai, 2 p.m. Shane Alexander & Quincy Coleman (2 p.m.), Tom Freund (2:40 p.m.), Timmy Curran Band w/Lee Koch (3:25 p.m.), Bryan Titus Trio w/the Brambles (4:15 p.m.) Reverend Tall Tree (5:10 p.m.), the Mother Hips (6:15 p.m.),the Marc Broussard Band (7:35 p.m.), Brett Dennen Band (8:55 p.m.). COST: $69, $75 or $100. CONTACT: www.topamountainmusicfest.org.
An obvious member of that small group of famous redheads, Brett Dennen joins Lucille Ball, Christina Hendricks, Woody Woodpecker and all those others — many of whom should come with a dimmer switch for the eyes of their beholders. Dennen will play some folk rock when he headlines the Topa Mountain FolkFest, happening all day Saturday (Sept. 21) at the Libbey Bowl in downtown Ojai.
Q&A with Susie Glaze performing Sept. 14 at Camarillo Cafe
Submitted photo
Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble at Camarillo Café, 1605 Burnley St., 7:30 p.m. COST: $25. CONTACT: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Celebrating three decades of family fun, the Camarillo Café will party like it’s 1989 on Saturday, Sept. 14, with the Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble providing the soundtrack. While not an actual café, this is an alcohol-free, all-ages venue where no drunks have ever been heard to shout “Free Bird.” It’s sort of a coffeehouse environment where people actually come to hear the music rather than text (as much).
Q&A with Hell Toupees performing Sept. 7 at Ventura Theater
Photo submitted
Hell Toupees
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Hell Toupees, Ripkatz, Blues Bullet, the Ghetto Lions, Robot Nature at the Ventura Theater, 26 S. Chestnut St., Sat. (Sept. 7), 7:30 p.m. COST: $10. CALL: 805-653-0721.
Depending on a voter’s preference in 2016, it may or may not be a bad hair night, but certainly an entertaining music night when the Hell Toupees headline a Concerts For Causes benefit show at the venerable Ventura Theater. The funds generated from this all-ages Saturday night show will be donated to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. To the multitude who may, in fact, need a check-up from the neck up, the Hell Toupees plan on prescribing some punk rock therapy of the fast and funny persuasion.
Q&A with Jon Anderson performing Aug. 30 at Libbey Bowl
Photo submitted
Jon Anderson
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Jon Anderson at Libbey Bowl, 210 S. Signal St., Ojai, Friday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. COST: $58, $78, $88 or $98. CALL: 805-272-3881.
An affirmative-action opportunity awaits those who just say “yes” to the Libbey Bowl debut tonight (Aug. 30) of iconic Yes-man Jon Anderson, fronting a new band in a thinly veiled attempt to sell a few copies of his latest solo album, “1000 Hands.”
Q&A with Mojo Monkeys’ Billy Watts performing Aug. 24 in Ventura
Photo submitted
The Mojo Monkeys
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Mojo Monkeys at Grapes & Hops, 454 E. Main St., Ventura, Saturday., 9 p.m. CALL: 805-616-2375.
Those simian sidemen who are the Mojo Monkeys will be stepping into the spotlight — sort of like King Kong on Broadway, but with a better beat and infinitely less destruction and more dancing. For the first time in a long time, the band will return to the 805 for a Saturday night (Aug. 24) show at Grapes & Hops in Ventura. This musical monkey business is the side job of three very busy players — singing drummer Dave Raven, bass player Taras Prodanuik and guitar player Billy Watts. Their collective résumés would fill up the rest of this darn fine family newspaper.
Q&A with Guy Martin performing Aug. 17 in Ventura
Photo submitted
Guy Martin
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Guy Martin Band, Todd Hannigan & Sleeping Chief at Ventura County Credit Union, 2575 Vista del Mar, Ventura, Sat. (Aug. 17), 5 p.m. COST: $35. CALL: 643-8044.
The governor and his masters from the builders/tourism industry — the growth-is-the-law folks — want to build 5 trillion new homes in your neighborhood; and for them, yesterday would not be soon enough. Yet, despite the persuasive and coercive powers of state government, local government too often has resisted. Locals invariably don’t want to pave their quality of life so a bunch of people they don’t know can move here.
Q&A with McFadyen of 50 Sticks of Dynamite performing Aug. 11
Photo submitted
Ian McFadyen (center) performs with 50 Sticks of Dynamite at MadeWest Brewing Company in Ventura. The band will return to perform at the brewery again on Aug. 11.
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: 50 Sticks of Dynamite at MadeWest Brewing Company, 1744 Donlon Drive, Ventura, Sunday, 3 p.m. COST: Free.
Ain’t no Earl Scruggs banjo. Ain‘t no Kingston Trio banjo. Ain’t no Steve Martin banjo, and ain’t no Bela Fleck banjo, either, and hopefully never, the banjo playing the theme to “Deliverance,” but rather it’s the aptly named and insanely incendiary 50 Sticks of Dynamite, fronted by Ian McFadyen playing an electric banjo, even as he channels his inner Jimi Hendrix. The band will be at MadeWest Brewing Company in Ventura on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 11.
Q&A with Kyle Swan performing at Ojai Deer Lodge Aug. 2
Photo submitted
Kyle Swan
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE: Kyle Swan Band at Deer Lodge, 2261 Maricopa Hwy., Meiners Oaks, Friday, Aug. 2, at 10 p.m. CONTACT: 805-646-4256.
Ojai local Kyle Swan will enjoy one of those clearly convenient home-game gigs when he plays the Deer Lodge in Meiners Oaks Friday night (Aug. 2). Usually a solo guy with no need for math when it comes to splitting the dough after the gig, Swan has expanded his horizons as he will be fronting his new band — certain to embellish his vast and weighty repertoire, at present numbering more than 80 originals.