The crowd buzzed under a long, shady barn in Los Alamos. An old flatbed truck served as an impromptu stage where a performer strummed an acoustic guitar and sang cowboy songs. Attendees sat or stood, eating catered food and sipping drinks, chatting while they waited for the scheduled speakers on the warm August afternoon of […]
Joe Payne
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
LOCAL NOTES: Tri City Sound Chorus welcomes local ladiesto join in on holiday singing
The iconic Christmas scene of yore wouldn’t be complete without the image of the tight pack of Christmas carolers standing on a doorstep with sheet music in hand. But for the women who sing in the Tri City Sound Chorus, a local chapter of the Sweet Adelines International, they ask locals who want to hear […]
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LOCAL NOTES: IndiePulse holds an instrument drive for local kids
The moment a young musician gets his or her first instrument is a transformative one. Joseph Timmons, publisher of the online music magazine IndiePulse and a lifelong drummer, remembers his first drum set clearly. Timmons has been the main writer and editor for IndiePulse for several years, and four years ago he decided to use […]
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LOCAL NOTES: Local Chumash keep their language and culture alive with music
The steady rhythm of a rattle, the sharp crack of wooden clappers, and the sound of voices singing in unison hung over the Santa Ynez Valley on Oct. 14. You wouldn’t recognize the syllables or what they meant, that is unless you were one of the few who’ve studied Samala, the ancestral language of the […]
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Central Coast Chordsmen hold a benefit barbecue for Youth in Harmony program
Help for harmony
The classic image of the barbershop quartet is a uniquely American phenomenon, with the iconic straw hats, striped vests, and bowties. But the visual imagery is the easiest part of the equation—it’s the a capella harmony singing that is the real challenge. The Central Coast Chordsmen is a local chapter of the Barbershop Society, and […]
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Local business hosted a drive to donate goods to those displaced by Northern California fires
Driven to help
After a series of wildfires in Northern California wrought devastation across countryside and residential areas in Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa the second week of October, social media feeds filled with images of leveled suburbs and reports of lives lost. Central Coast resident Daneal Nally was like most, watching the news and reports of “apocalyptic” […]
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LOCAL NOTES: John Moreland brings his signature music to Standing Sun Wines in Buellton
It’s not quite country, not quite blues, and not quite rock. That’s the essence of the genre termed “Americana,” and John Moreland epitomizes the sound. The opening riff of Moreland’s newest album, Big Bad Luv, is just a lone acoustic guitar picked by the singer/songwriter himself. The sound is dissonant and dirty, like a blues […]
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Opera SLO brings the splendor of Puccini to production of Madama Butterfly
In the world of stagecraft and classical music, nothing quite meets the size and scope of opera. That’s something that Brian Asher Alhadeff, artistic director and conductor for Opera SLO, is definitely cognizant of, especially when he programs an opera as iconic as Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which shows Oct. 14 and 15 at the […]
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No longer silent: Local support organizations, law enforcement, and survivors speak out to end the cycle of domestic violence
The first homicide within Santa Maria city limits in 2017 wasn’t the result of a gang-related shootout or stabbing, but rather a suspected act of domestic violence. Natalia Morozova was found shot when Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) officers responded to the scene near her home on North College Street in Santa Maria on Aug. […]
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The Lompoc Concert Association welcomes guitarist Andy Backbarth for concert honoring Andres Segovia
Some instruments are more popular than others, and it’s especially hard to compete with the guitar. Thanks to its popularity, the musical market is flooded with guitar players of every stripe, but there is still one category of guitarist that is rare and most prized: the classical guitarist. For professional guitarist and singer/songwriter Andy Hackbarth—who […]
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South County Youth Coalition Fun Run celebrates 20 years of program support for kids
Going for a regular run is a great way to boost cardiovascular health and overall fitness, but for Nipomoans, one annual jog has done much more than that. The South County Youth Coalition will hold its 20th annual Fun Run event on Oct. 7 this year, marking two solid decades of joining together to support […]
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The Santa Maria Philharmonic to open season with Dazzle & Destiny
It’s important to open a symphonic season strong, at least that’s what Michael Nowak says. The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s music director had that in mind when he programmed the first concert of his now second season with the orchestra. The first half will include two pieces that highlight a solo violinist, Jessica Guideri, who […]