Pretty much everyone’s familiar with the British Invasion (the Beatles not the redcoats), but only those keeping tabs on the Santa Maria music scene lately may have heard whispers of a more local invasion currently on the rise—the Prairie Home Companion Invasion. That’s right, hear me out. Two frequent guests of the beloved radio program were scheduled to perform in Santa Maria within eight days of each other. Coincidence? Or the early stages of a cultural phenomenon? Only time will tell.
Whether you caught Maria Jette’s performance with the Santa Maria Philharmonic last week or not, you can catch fellow Companion alumna Inga Swearingen live in concert on Sunday, March 3, at 3 p.m. at Temple Beth El in Santa Maria. This jazz and folk performer was first invited to appear on A Prairie Home Companion in 2005 while finishing her master’s degree in choral conducting at Florida State University.
Swearingen has compared her scat singing style—improvising scattered syllables to create wordless melodies and rhythms—to Companion host Garrison Keillor’s use of impromptu storytelling and ad-libbing. She would go on to make 13 guest appearances on the program before its final run in 2016.
But Swearingen’s music career began long before her grad school and radio days. Growing up in a music-friendly household, there were few things her family loved more than singing together. By high school, she was already performing shows and writing her own songs. Swearingen never took any formal voice lessons until college, and in 2003 she started studying with acclaimed jazz singer Susanne Abbuehl, an experience she’s described as completely transformative. The same year, Swearingen collaborated with jazz group Trio 14 for her debut studio album, Learning How To Fly.
The following 13 years encompassed three more jazz/folk albums from Swearingen, the latest being Let Me Call This Home in 2016. The album is a collection of songs—six original tracks and four covers, including a unique scat rendition of The Police’s “Message in a Bottle”—that share a theme of longing for home.
Award-winning guitarist Jeff Miley will be accompanying Swearingen for the March 3 show, which opens with set of show tunes and standards from musician Diane Borad-Mirken. The concert also includes a dessert intermission between the two performances. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Call (805) 478-463 to reserve seats or for more info. Temple Beth El is located at 1501 E. Alvin St., Santa Maria.
Teach the world to sing
Central Coast-based guitarist Joelyn Lutz and bassist Bill Royal perform on Sunday, March 3, at 4 p.m. at CORE Winery in Orcutt. This musical duo is currently recording its second album together, a collection of original songs that fuse rock, country, jazz, and R&B.
Lutz is the principal songwriter, and her lyrics embody uplifting sentiments of planetary healing and the powerful gifts humans possess to work toward saving the Earth. After years of various musical ventures, including her stint with an all-girl rock band and side jobs teaching vocals and guitar, Lutz teamed up with Royal in 2017, whose father coincidentally happened to be Lutz’s choir director in middle school. If there’s anything the Prairie Home Companion Invasion has taught me about life, it’s that there is no such thing as a coincidence—only destiny.
Admission to the March 3 concert ranges from $15 to $20 and includes complimentary appetizers and a glass of wine. Attendees can reserve their tickets online at my805tix.com. Copies of the duo’s first album will be available for purchase. Visit joelynlutz.com to find out more.
More music
Pancho Barraza brings his unique spin on Mexican traditional music to the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez on Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, March 1, at 8 p.m. both evenings in the casino’s Samala Showroom. Before releasing his debut solo album, Mis Canciones De Amor, Barraza was best known for his collaborations with several acts, including Banda San Sebastian, Banda Camino, and Cruz Lizarraga Jr. Attendees of the casino concert can expect to hear “Y Las Mariposas,” “Nuestro Amor,” “Hablame Claro,” and more of Barraza’s most popular hits. Tickets range from $49 to $79.
Fans of ’80s nostalgia won’t want to miss The Molly Ringwald Project live in concert at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez on Friday, March 1, at 8 p.m. The saloon also hosts country group The Tex Pistols on Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m. Meanwhile, Cold Spring Tavern offers its own dose of country, mixed with a touch of surf, in the form of The Excellent Tradesmen, performing the same day at 5 p.m. But if acoustic rock strikes your fancy, head to the tavern a bit earlier to catch Fort Taylor, CA at 1 p.m.
The weekend lineup at Blast 825 Brewery in Orcutt starts a day early with country soloist Ron Miller on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. The brewery also hosts progressive rocker Russ Douglass on Friday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m., followed by a subtle change of pace from heavy metal group Gun Metal Gray at 10 p.m. Folk/Americana performer Chris Beland concludes the brewery’s offering of live music on Saturday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m.
Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Local Notes. Contact him at cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 7, 2019.