Santa Maria resident and retired Broadway veteran Michael Cone is joining local entertainer Diane Borad-Mirken for a special concert fundraiser to benefit Temple Beth El on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 3 p.m. The duo will collectively perform both duets and solos, covering a variety of Broadway standards and other show tunes. The program will also […]
Caleb Wiseblood
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A time capsule of visual and performing arts on the Central Coast in 2019
“Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes/How do you measure, a year in the life?” How about art? According to Rent, the correct answer is love; but is there even a difference? After all, you wouldn’t have heart without art, and Northern Santa Barbara County saw plenty of it throughout 2019—with enough exhibitions, competitions, theatrical […]
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A look back at the sounds that fueled Northern Santa Barbara County in 2019
The hills were definitely alive with the sound of music over the course of 2019—whether those hills are of the rolling variety in the Santa Ynez Valley or the equally rolling in Lompoc, Orcutt, and Santa Maria. To celebrate the new year, here’s a Throwback Thursday summary of some of my favorite concerts and album […]
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Riptide Big Band kicks off 2020 with Noon Year’s Eve Dance in Santa Maria
The new year is arriving a bit earlier than usual; 12 hours earlier, to be exact, at least for attendees of the Noon Year’s Eve Dance in Santa Maria. Hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club, this annual celebration takes place at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31, from 11 […]
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Shepard Hall Gallery showcases fiber artwork made from repurposed materials
Influenced by Piet Mondrian, Dale Chihuly, and other abstract artists, Patricia Lipscomb strives to create art that captures life without representing any particular living subject, whether it’s a plant or an animal. “I especially admire [Chihuly’s] ability to evoke life forms without depicting them,” Lipscomb told the Sun. “My pieces generally elevate matters of form, […]
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Art Squared exhibit showcases acrylic pour paintings at Valley Art Gallery
Described as a study of color, form, and line, Beverly Johnson’s current exhibition at Valley Art Gallery features more than 50 abstract paintings displayed in multiple groupings. Pieces were grouped together based on color and other factors to form a collage of canvas tiles. “The color palette of each grouping is very instrumental to the […]
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Lompoc Valley Art Association presents Let’s do the Holidays at Cypress Gallery
Cypress Gallery’s latest exhibition serves as an amalgamation—or should I say, fusion—of fused glass and other types of glass art from three local artisans. The title of the show, Let’s do the Holidays, sums up what viewers and potential shoppers can expect from the seasonal exhibit. “Our theme was just to provide items people could […]
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The Voice finalist and Central Coast local Will Breman performs at Cold Spring Tavern
Santa Barbara-based singer-songwriter Will Breman gained international attention while competing on NBC’s current season of The Voice, making it to the top eight finalists. Although Breman was eliminated at the end of the Dec. 10 episode, the live-looping soul musician feels extremely thankful for the opportunity of being on the show, he explained in a […]
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Little Orphan Annie finds new home at Orcutt Community Theater
“You’ll stay up till this dump shines like the top of the Chrysler Building,” a six-year-old orphan, Molly (Stella Sarvis), sings during “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” mocking the harsh demands of Miss Hannigan (Diana Diaz), the matron of a 1930s New York orphanage. As hyperbolic as the task might be, I think it’s safe to […]
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Pop and R&B group 98 Degrees brings U.S. tour to Santa Ynez
The rain might be coming down but the temperature is going up, at least in the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom on Friday, Dec. 6, when 98 Degrees claims center stage at 8 p.m. From 1997 and 2002, this quartet of Ohio natives—brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons—sold an estimated 10 […]
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Great American Melodrama kicks off the Christmas season with annual Holiday Extravaganza
With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s finally publicly acceptable to stretch out the fashionably ugly holiday sweaters and blast Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” on repeat. I’ve been doing both since the day after Halloween, but what better way is there on the Central Coast to get into the holiday spirit than […]
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Solvang Antiques Fine Art Gallery holds annual Holiday Art Show
Game of Thrones is allegedly over, but winter is still coming. And for Solvang Antiques Fine Art Gallery, the season arrived earlier than its designated start date (Dec. 21). The gallery’s annual Holiday Art Show opened on Nov. 29 and exhibits a diverse collection of pieces from eight local artists. One featured oil painting, titled […]
