At age 25, Kevin Galloway made a life-altering decision. Tired of pursuing a career in banking, Galloway decided the time had come to chase his true dream. After relocating from East Texas to Austin, the aspiring singer and guitarist began regularly performing at local open-mic nights.
From there, he soon crossed paths with fellow performer and kindred spirit Hal Vorpahl. Both artists were raised on classic country tunes from Willie Nelson and other artists. The two began performing as a duo, eventually adding guitarist Mike Carpenter and drummer Jason Armstrong to form the band Uncle Lucius. The country rock group dropped its first studio album, Something They Ain’t, in 2006 and three more before 2015, touring extensively between each one.
But in 2017, Galloway announced his departure from the band in order to spend more time with his wife and children. The artist reflected on this decision within the songs of his debut solo album, The Change, which was released last year.
“It’s a love letter, and a promise to my newly formed family,” Galloway said in press materials, describing The Change. “My wife and I have two children under the age of 3 now. After touring almost incessantly with a band for over a decade, I’ve decided to take a different approach. This is a sincere reflection of my mindset while reorganizing priorities.”
Attendees of Galloway’s acoustic concert at Standing Sun Winery in Buellton, on Friday, June 14, can expect to hear songs from The Change. Fellow country star Celeste Kellogg will open the show, which starts at 7:30 p.m. The young artist was crowned Female Vocalist of the Year at last year’s Nashville Universe Awards.
Like Galloway, Kellogg was raised to love music, growing up singing along to Alabama, James Taylor, and The Eagles with her dad. Kellogg had experience singing in school and church choirs before joining RD7, a Disney-owned pop band, at age 12. The group was best known as the opening act for several Disney artists at the time, including Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Raven, The Cheetah Girls, and more.
As a solo performer, Kellogg began to embrace country over pop, but continued to open for big names (regardless of their affiliation with Disney) like Scotty McCreery, Brett Eldridge, and Easton Corbin. And after this Friday, she can add Galloway to the list.
Tickets to the Standing Sun Winery show are $12 for standing room and $17 for reserved seating. All ages are welcome, and doors open at 7 p.m. The winery is located at 92 Second St., unit D, Buellton. Call (805) 691-9413 or visit standingsunwines.com to find out more.
Welcome to the jungle
“In the jungle, the mighty jungle/The lion sleeps tonight.” FALSE. Well, maybe those lyrics ring true every other night, just not this Friday night. The popular Tokens song was recently debunked thanks to this week’s lineup at Cold Spring Tavern off of Highway 154, which begins with Americana band Left Hand Lions on Friday, June 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. I could be totally wrong though—maybe they’re heading straight back to the jungle after the show rather than staying the night. But I just can’t accept the notion that they would be willing to leave the valley in such a rush. How can any creature, wild or domesticated, pass up Pea Soup Andersen’s?
Regardless of the lions’ sleeping arrangements, the tavern’s lineup continues with acoustic cover band Fort Taylor, CA (from 1 to 4 p.m.) and folk, rock, and surf group Hoodlum Friends (from 5 to 8 p.m.) on Saturday, June 15. The weekend concludes with rags duo Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan (from 1:15 to 4 p.m.) and blues band Little Jonny and the Giants (from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.) on Sunday, June 16. Admission to each performance is free. Visit coldspringtavern.com for more info.
More music
Neo-swing and jazz band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy perform at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria on Friday, June 14, at 6 p.m. For more than 25 years, the mission of this nine-piece outfit has been to celebrate and revitalize both jazz and swing music for contemporary audiences. Tickets to the show range from $33 to $40 and all ages are welcome. Food and wine will be available for purchase during the concert.
Naughty Oak Brewing Company in Orcutt presents Lompoc-based Americana group Angie and the Nightmares on Friday, June 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is free, and food from Feed My Seoul will be available for purchase. Also in Orcutt, solo artist Ron Miller performs at Vino et Amicis Wine Bar on Thursday, June 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Local singer and songwriter Sherell Jane performs at the bar the following night, Friday, June 14, from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission to both performances is complimentary.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Local Notes. Contact him at cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jun 13-20, 2019.
