“Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.” Radio announcer Fred Foy’s famous intro to The Lone Ranger serves as the tagline for a Santa Barbara-based sextet of not-so-lone rangers. Stray Herd is composed of six local musicians with a passion for classic country-rock and roots nostalgia.
At the front of the pack are lead and harmony vocalists Kate Ingalls and Ally Shiras. Aside from Stray Herd, Ingalls has also collaborated with many rock and jazz-based ensembles over the years, including Champagne, Dark Street Kiss, and Vocabella. A musical theater and dance veteran as well, Shiras is also known for her solo singing and songwriting, most notably for her original Americana-folk album, Invisible Children (available on iTunes and Spotify).
Like Shiras, Stray Herd’s rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist Grayson Dale is locally known for his solo work, most of which he compiled for I Gotta Thing For You, a collection of his solo recordings. Before joining the Herd, Dale played guitar and vocals for tribute groups Pelvis Elvis and Pink Freud—so many endorphins just reading those; happiness is a warm pun after all.
On lead guitar and vocals is Santa Barbara local Nick Hoffman, who not only plays but also designs his own custom guitars. Hoffman described his musical style in press materials as “free-wheeling” and one that “lifts dancers off the floor.” Aside from the Herd, Hoffman has also toured with The Fog, another Santa Barbara favorite.
Rounding out the ensemble is bass guitarist and harmony vocalist Steve Clemens and drummer Snake Farmer. Clemens spent years performing in a barbershop quartet before diving into country-rock, while Farmer spent his college years refining his percussion chops at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Snake Farmer and his peers will be slitherin’ their way from Santa Barbara and up Highway 154 to the Cold Spring Tavern on Friday, Jan. 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. You’d be astray to miss them!
Tavern tunes continued
Following the Herd’s Cold Spring concert is solo artist John Lyle, who takes the Tavern’s stage on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. The venue’s weekend lineup continues with classic rock tribute The Youngsters later that evening, from 5 to 8 p.m. This cover group plays a mix of hits from Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and other legendary artists. According to the band’s Facebook page, its top priorities are “drinking, making people shake their asses, and keeping bar owners happy.” Sold!
The lineup wraps up with Tavern regulars Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan, who play their usual blues and rags set on Sunday, Jan. 19, from 1:15 to 4 p.m., and The Low Down Dudes, who follow the duo from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission to all concerts at the venue is free, but food and drinks are available for purchase. Visit coldspringtavern.com for more details.
More music
The Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez hosts two blast-from-the-past tribute concerts in a row, with ’80s homage The Molly Ringwald Project and ’90s-centric Flannel 101—the former on Friday, Jan. 17, from 9 p.m. to midnight, and the latter on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. The Saloon switches things up the following afternoon with country-rockers Are We Not Horses, who perform on Sunday, Jan. 19, from noon to 4 p.m. Entry to all three shows is free. Visit themavsaloon.com to find out more.
Meanwhile, Vino et Amicis Wine Bar in Orcutt presents two solo singer-songwriters back to back, with Angel Elias on Friday, Jan. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m., and Tom Mutchler on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. There is no cover charge for either performance. Check vinoetamicis.com for more details.
Also in the Santa Maria Valley, it is my pleasure to announce for the third week in a row another Central Coast show from Will Breman, who performs at Presqu’ile Winery on Friday, Jan. 17, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
The Santa Barbara native was a formidable competitor on NBC’s The Voice last December, making it to the final 10 vocalists of the season. Breman is also a meticulous producer and multi-instrumentalist, often arranging his compositions through live looping—recording himself performing one instrument at a time and playing each back simultaneously, creating a one-man-band effect. Admission to Breman’s Presqu’ile concert is free. Visit presquilewine.com for more info.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Local Notes. Contact him at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2020.