Once described as a demonic version of The Go-Go’s, pop punk and surf trio Hayley and the Crushers specializes in poolside glitter trash, a self-coined genre that sums up the group pretty well.
“We like to think if you had a really fun and wild pool party, then fished out the stuff you found in the bottom of the pool the next day, that would be us,” bandleader Hayley Crusher Cain said, explaining the term.
Cain recently opened up to the Sun about the group’s new album, Vintage Millennial, which premiered this month and is now available through Spotify, Bandcamp, and other platforms. And courtesy of Eccentric Pop Records, the album—the group’s third—is also available on pink vinyl.
“Our new LP is all about modern snark with an oldies heart,” said Cain, whose personal favorite single on the album is “Gabbie is a Domme”—the band’s most “pop” song to date, complete with 1960s-esque girl-group backing vocals.
“I wrote the song about a roommate I had 10 years ago when I lived in Long Beach. She worked in a sex dungeon and had gone from submissive to dominatrix,” Cain said. “She gave me all her white underthings, which even at the time felt weirdly poetic—a song waiting to be written.”
Although local to the Central Coast, Cain and company—bassist Reid Cain and drummer Benjamin Cabreana—have spent the last year touring extensively, logging in an estimated total of 100 days on the road.
“We toured more than a dozen states in 2019, and essentially live in the van when we are not home,” Cain said after describing the band’s ProMaster, which they acquired at the beginning of last year.
“It has made traveling considerably more comfortable,” she said. “We even have a coffee machine in there.”
To celebrate Vintage Millennial, Hayley and the Crushers are performing a special release show at O’Sullivan’s Pub in Santa Maria on Friday, Jan. 31, at 9 p.m. Opening acts include Pure Love Gang and DJ Daisy Van Tassel. The show is open to ages 21 and over. Admission is $5 and guests can look forward to free cake (appropriate). For more details on the concert, call the venue at (805) 925-0658 or visit osullivanspub.net. The pub is located at 633 E. Main St., Santa Maria.
Reggae royalty
Hailing from Trench Town, Jamaica, reggae artist Ras Danny has backed Black Uhuru, Lee Scratch Perry, The Meditations, and other legendary acts over his 20-year-plus career. Currently based in Ventura, the musician is venturing up the Central Coast and stopping in Orcutt to perform at the Naughty Oak Brewing Company on Friday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. Bob Marley, Mighty Diamonds, Gregory Issacs, and Dennis Brown are among Danny’s biggest musical influences.
Like most shows at Naughty Oak, admission is free, and Beau’s Dogs will be on site serving up grub for purchase (starting a bit before the concert, at 5:30 p.m.). The brewery is located at 165 S. Broadway St., suite 102, Orcutt. Call (805) 314-2368 or visit naughtyoak.com for more details.
Also in Orcutt, pop artist Nataly Lola is set to perform at Blast 825 Brewery on Friday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. Probably best known for her work with local favorite Ghost/Monster, Lola is flying solo during this complimentary concert. For more info on the show, call (805) 934-3777 or visit blast825brewery.com. Blast 825 is located at 241 S. Broadway St., Orcutt.
More music
“I see a bad moon a-rising/ I see trouble on the way.” Los Angeles-based country band Moonridge is most certainly on the rise, and locally so at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, come Friday, Jan. 31, as the group takes the stage from 8 to 11 p.m. And trouble is on the way, just as CCR predicted, as country-rock group Carmen and The Renegade Vigilantes performs the following evening, Saturday, Feb. 1, from 8 to 11 p.m. Entry to both performances is free. To find out more about upcoming artists at the saloon, call (805) 686-4785 or visit themavsaloon.com. The venue is located at 3687 Sagunto St., suite D, Santa Ynez.
Eclectic duo Oddly Straight kicks off the Cold Spring Tavern’s weekend lineup on Friday, Jan. 31, performing from 6 to 9 p.m. This pair of local musicians blends Americana, classic rock, and other genres. Santa Barbara-based bluegrass band Salt Martians plays the following afternoon, Saturday, Feb. 1, from 1 to 4 pm. Blues, jazz, Motown, and soul group Do No Harm follows later that evening, performing from 5 to 8 p.m. This local five-piece features Irene Fredricey on vocals, Tom Woliver on guitar, James Thomas on keyboards, Roger Runjavac on bass, Barry Birmingham on drums.
The tavern’s lineup comes to a close with contemporary blues and folk band Kelly’s Lot on Sunday, Feb. 2, who perform from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission to every show at Cold Spring is complimentary. The tavern is located at 5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara. Call (805) 967-0066 or visit coldspringtavern.com for more details.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Local Notes. Contact him at [email protected].
