Joe Payne

The brain is a vastly complex organ. Its complexity is matched only by the number of possible injuries and disorders it can suffer, as well as the range of possible treatments. Music can help the brain in many ways, be it aiding with communication or promoting healing. One local, Victoria Lowrie FNMT, MT-BC, is a […]

The new year brings many changes, looked and unlooked for. One local business, Skip Gibson’s BBQ, has moved, something owner and proprietor Skip Gibson had been planning since he opened his restaurant. He also developed plans to offer an entertainment venue for the city of Santa Maria. “We always had the vision of becoming a […]

The Christmas and holiday season is known as a time of festive merriment and reuniting with friends and family. Besides the steady flow of food, drink, and gifts, music making explodes during the holidays, yielding a cornucopia of performing ensembles. Bands add a couple of familiar holiday tunes to the repertoire, orchestras schedule holiday-inspired programs, […]

The Lompoc Valley Master Chorale is celebrating the holiday and 20 years of musical contribution to Lompoc’s musical community with the piece that originally brought the group together: George Frederic Handel’s setting of the Messiah to be performed on Dec. 16 and 17 in Lompoc. “David Hensley, who was the founding director of the group, […]

The Eclectic5 is a quintet of local musicians who work together to meet a common goal: produce great music no matter what the genre or time period. The group’s upcoming holiday concert will feature a holiday theme that will still fit the “eclectic” moniker and, above all, be lots of fun. The concert, set for […]

Sweet Adelines International, founded in 1945, is a global organization of women who enjoy singing in the four-part barbershop style. Any group of women vocalists may apply to open a chapter and start a chorus, just like was done in 1970 by the Flower Valley Chorus in Lompoc, which has since expanded and is now […]

The Music Association of California Community Colleges (MACCC) is an organization that works to advance music education in the state’s community colleges. It does this by functioning as representation in the state Legislature. One way MACCC works to advance music-making among the state community colleges is through its yearly conference, which several Allan Hancock College […]

The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society has a rich history of providing locals with the finest classical concert music available. But as all organizations, nonprofit or otherwise, have been feeling the economic crunch, the philharmonic has had to step up to the challenge of providing the community with quality music on a dwindling budget. The philharmonic’s […]

An entire universe of music awaits those willing to learn the art. Whether for self-expression, stress relief, or just plain fun, music pervades all cultures and yields uncountable genres. The one thing all music holds in common is the instrument: a crafted device that enables a person to make a musical sound. When deciding to […]

The first four notes of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony have become virtually unmistakable, even to the most ignorant of listeners. But Beethoven was as industrious as he was creative, and while there are some pieces that loom large in his legend, there are also some masterpieces, just as glorious, that aren’t as universally recognized. […]

A great music teacher is hard to come by. Balancing technique, application, and fun is paramount to keeping a student interested, and the number of skilled musicians a teacher sends out into the world is the legacy of his or her ability. Jerry Coelho has been teaching and performing guitar on the Central Coast under […]