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Music Highlights
Thursday, January 14th:
Who: Tim Jackson – Rockin' Folk
Where: The Cliffs Resort, Thursday 6-9pm
What: Delivering Folk/Rock music with feeling and depth, Tim calls his sound Modern Americana. Raised on the tunes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beatles, and the Who, Tim has blended his favorite styles into a decidedly assertive brand of rock that evokes the finest musical emotions of the 60's while unmistakably charting the course the genre is pursuing into the 21st Century. Tim’s raw emotional presence coupled with his boundless enthusiasm and energy of his acoustic solo performances have won him loyal fans who are the backbone of his now
considerable following. On his eight critically acclaimed releases, you can find his own style of songwriting from Americana to rock and soul.
Who: Red Holloway
- Jazz BeBop and Soul
Where: Inn at Morro Bay, Thursday 6-9pm
What: Jazz legend and central coast treasure, Red Holloway lights up the Inn at Morro Bay with his sweet saxophone riffs – known as “soul jazz” – and his wily wit as a blues singer.
When Red plays, there’s standing room only - so come early, enjoy dinner, and stay late!
Who: The Dentures
– Surf, Fun, Dance Band
Where: Sea Venture, Thursday 6-9pm
What: Slip into your Hawaiian shirt and sandals, it’s time for a musical luau at the Sea Venture with The Dentures! The Dentures’ claim to fame (or infamy) is in playing as the Central Coast Surf Band for over seven years. We’re talking about four guys who are the poster boys for the “Old Guys Rule!” phenom. The Dentures have a combined playing experience of, oh, about 370 years – which means they were there when Early California Music was new!
The guys survive their day jobs, including as a corporate CEO, a successful private business owner, a building contractor, and a musical instrument builder. So when it comes to picking up their instruments to play some music together, The Dentures are in it for the fun! The Dentures are: Bob Kimball: guitar; Ron Saul: bass; Mark Ciccone: guitar; and Tres Feltman: drums. This San Luis Obispo, CA based surf-fun-dance band collects and plays a wide range of surf music from the Ventures, the Surfaris, Dick Dale and the Deltones and many more, punctuating their sets with danceable arrangements and originals that share a goodtime 60s vibe.
Friday, January 15th:
Who: The BlueSouls – Blues & Folk
(featuring Ted Waterhouse and Debra Windsong)
Where: The Cliffs Resort, Friday 4-7pm
What: Two central coast rockers, Ted Waterhouse on guitar and Debra Windsong on blues harp, join forces to put their spin on the blues, and cover a whole lot of musical ground at every one of their shows. This jumpin’ acoustic duo goes from blues and soul, folk and country to rockabilly and old-school rock'n'roll, all in their own distinctive style. Featuring the compelling vocals and harmonica playing of Debra Windsong and the engaging rootsy songwriting, singing and guitar playing (flat-top acoustic and National bottleneck) of Ted Waterhouse, the BlueSouls mix up a musical brew you're sure to enjoy.
Who: Dorian Michael and Kenny Blackwell
Where: Inn at Morro Bay, Friday 4-7pm
What: Kenny Blackwell and Dorian Michael are a mandolin/guitar duo that plays a wide range of music from bluegrass to blues, jazz, old-timey, Celtic, and Brazilian. Kenny Blackwell’s mandolin and guitar work have been heard in countless TV and movie scores. He has been a member of the famed Laurel Canyon Ramblers since 1994. Dorian Michael plays about every style of acoustic and electric guitar, with Blackwell he explores a variety of roots music. The duo's diverse backgrounds form the wellspring of exciting, heartfelt music. Says Michael, "Some music makes you feel deeply, some music makes you think, and some tunes are just sheer fun ! We like to try to get to all those places in the space of a concert."
http://www.dorianmichael.com/kennydorian.html
Who: Bob and Wendy – Homegrown Folk
Where: Apple Farm Inn, Friday 5-8pm
What: Bob and Wendy compose music together as a husband and wife team, she writes and sings the songs, with guitar accompaniment and Bob strengthens the compositions with his classic cello parts.
Who: The Jill Knight Trio
Where: The Cliffs Resort, Friday 7-10pm
What: Jill Knight - multi-award winning writer and performer- brings a whole new band to the Cliffs to showcase her songwriter abilities. Brynn Albanese is a classically trained violinist and a long-time fan of Jill’s music – what they cook up together brings a fresh, new flavor to Jill Knight’s already refreshing music. Eric Williams on bass pulls the whole sound together.
Arie once quoted, "I love great voices and when I heard Jill sing it stopped me in my tracks." She later asked Knight to be her opening act. Jill has toured and shared stages with: India Arie, Shawn Colvin, David Wilcox, Michael Hedges, Phoebe Snow, Richard Thompson, Little Feat, and many others.
Fans of Jill’s soulful, powerhouse playing won’t want to miss this new trio!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Knight/46951861590#
Who: The Red Skunk Jipzees
Where: Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort,
Friday 7:30-10:30pm
What: Young, vivacioius, and hugely talented – the Red Skunk Jipzees bring to life the music of the 20s, 30s, and 40’s. This group led by Molly Reeves on the National Resophonic guitar, Will Slavin on the lowdown Tuba, Sam Boorman on the Django guitar, Ken Davis at the drums, Pamela Scheffler on the violin, and Justic Au swinging on the trumpet. This group of young central coast musicians put together a surprisingly mature sound that draws from Django Reinhardt, 30s European Jazz and the American Roots Tradition.
If you missed them at the Live Oak Festival, The Harbor Festival in Morro Bay or the Jade Festival in Big Sur – you can catch them at our 2010 Americana Festival on Friday at the Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort. Bring your dancing shoes, and join the fun! For more information on the band or a sample of their music:
www.myspace.com/theredskunkband
Saturday, January 16th:
Who: The Jody Mulgrew Trio
Where: Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort, Saturday 6-9pm
What: Jody Mulgrew writes gentle, swayin, heart-on-your sleeve love songs full of charm, character, and utterly devoid of guile. His is a delightful fusing of the 20’s era crooner with the earnest cheerful good humor of the coffeehouse folkie. A contagion of smile-mania erupts whenever he takes the stage. “He is flat-out the best young singer songwriter in town at the moment.” Richard Rice, SF Folk Music Club/SF Hootenanny.
Who: Better Late Than Never
Where: Apple Farm Inn, Saturday 6-9pm
What: One of the best bluegrass bands on the central coast, Better Late Than Never offers both traditional, high, lonesome bluegrass tunes and their own contemporary styles. BLTN gives a fast moving, fun performance, concentrating on gorgeous vocal harmonies.
Their music nods to the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe and sweeps through the catalog of modern bluegrass with the likes of Allison Krauss and more.
Who: Wally Barnick & The Demos
Where: Inn at Morro Bay, Saturday 6-9pm
What: Playing authentic country with a dash of retro-Rhythm and Blues, and a pinch of surf music, The Demos call their music “West Coast Variety.” Rarely does such a diverse range of music happen in one place at one time, but this new group makes it all feel smooth and sound natural.
These talented musicians have a ball together, but what’s even better is that they’ll get you out on the dance floor feeling like you’re a teenager again! Kenny Blackwell (guitar and vocals), Greg Astle (drums and vocals), Danny Naccarato (pedal steel and vocals), Wally Barnick (bass and vocals).
www.myspace.com/thedemoscalifornia
Who: Good Medicine – Pholkadelic, Roots, Rock and Blues
Where: The SeaVenture Resort, Saturday 6-9pm
What: Good Medicine is Debbie Sipes on 6-string and 12-string guitars and Frank Sipes on bass, serving up music that gets your feet tapping and your whole body dancing. Both have such rich musical histories that the music they make together today cannot be put into a neat, tidy box-like description, that’s why “Good Medicine” is how they describe themselves!
Who: Whiskey Chimp – Americana at its Best!
Where: The Cliffs Resort, Saturday 8-11pm
What: Within the scope of an evening concert, Whiskey Chimp is bound to take its audience on a genre bending roller coaster of musical emotions. Starting from very traditional bluegrass, they may venture deep into punk rock roots or tangent off into a rousing mariachi ballad. Whiskey Chimp’s repertoire of refreshing original material and choice cover songs delightfully violate all rules of engagement.
Their simian stage antics and electrifying performance keep audiences entertained throughout the night. From their first song to their encore, it is very apparent that these boys are having a blast. Featuring tight four-part harmonies and blazing instrumental prowess, The Chimp, as they are affectionately known by their fans, always leave their audiences clamoring for more. Whiskey Chimp is storming the roots music scene!
Check them out on Facebook, itunes, and at
www.whiskeychimpband.com
Sunday, January 17th:
Who: Rebecca Troon Duo – Bluesy Folk Rock
Where: The Cliffs Resort, Sunday 5-8pm
What: Award-winning songwriter and recording artist, Rebecca Troon just released her second CD with the great producer, guitarist and songwriter, Kenny Edwards. Her goal is to be a source of love, inspiration, and healing through music. As a grateful survivor of "Just about everything!" she considers herself extremely lucky just to be here, and luckier still to get to be a musician. She delights audiences as she digs deep into her treasure chest of passionate storytelling through music.
Who: Inner Faces – Jazz on Strings, original music
Where: Inn at Morro Bay, Sunday 5-8pm
What: Drawing on influences from jazz, rock, classical, and bluegrass, Inner Faces has been performing their unique brand of string music on the Central Coast for over 20 years. The trio writes its own music and has created a distinctive sound that is difficult to categorize, but easy to enjoy. Their creative work is available in two original CDs entitled “Beneath the Surface” and “Best Laid Plans”. Inner Faces features Tom Walters on mandolin, Bruce Corelitz playing acoustic and electric guitar, and Ken Hustad on string bass. The Central Coast Americana Festival is pleased to feature Inner Faces on Sunday evening at The Inn at Morro Bay from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.
Who: Christine Rogers Trio – Classic California Folk
Where: SeaVenture Resort, Sunday 5-8pm
What: Christine plays guitar and sings in the folk tradition of Kate Wolf, with tunes about love and landscapes – bringing gorgeous California stories to light in song.
Christine’s trio offers fabulous vocal harmonies and strong musicianship to keep your feet tapping all evening long. Borne of mutual desire, this particular blend of vocals and instrumentation simply had to be repeated.
With influences in traditional and contemporary folk, blues, country and bluegrass, the weaving of styles and genres, along with Christine's unique originals, result in a musical tapestry. Christine Rogers on point with vocals and guitar, Steve Watt's colorful dobro and harmonies, and Sally Vedder steering the group on bass and making up the final layer of harmony.
Who: Little Black Train
Where: Apple Farm Inn, Sunday 5-8pm
What: Little Black Train is an exciting new project for Central Coast acoustic wizards John Weed (fiddle), Kenny Blackwell (mandolin), and Stuart Mason (guitar). Named after a traditional Carter Family gospel song, the group fuses old-time Americana with Celtic and original pieces to produce a crowd-pleasing mix of "oldternative" bluegrass music. Weed and Mason are members of international touring Celtic band Molly's Revenge. Both have performed at festivals in China, Scotland, Ireland, and many of the United States, while Kenny tours regularly with guitarist Dorian Michael.
Mandolinist Kenny Blackwell, who studied with the legendary Jethro Burns, has been a fixture in the West Coast bluegrass scene since the late '80s. He is known for his extensive studio work on various projects, as well as his collaborations with progressive fiddler Richard Greene and his membership in the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, a legendary California bluegrass outfit.