Music

Central Coast residents are patrons of many different kinds of music, from classical to hip-hop and everything in between. The genre of big band jazz is one that has found a welcome home in the area, with community, high school, and collegiate groups performing across SLO and Santa Barbara counties. Local band director Dick Clark […]

As the days lengthen and the temperature rises, locals seek shady spots and cool watering holes to enjoy weather that makes the Central Coast so famous (and expensive!). At most of the best spots around Northern Santa Barbara County and beyond, you’re likely to find more than wine tasting and trip-tip; you’ll also find live […]

It can certainly be said that Lompoc is a city in touch with its rich cultural history. From the historical murals seen throughout the city to the various cultural institutions, the town is filled with the efforts of dedicated and creative locals. The Lompoc Valley Master Chorale is one of several leading musical community ensembles […]

Musicians intimately understand sound, usually forging a relationship with a particular instrument and all of the sounds it makes. Students in the Allan Hancock College Sound Technology Department take a different approach, using sophisticated soft- and hardware that can emulate every concert and folk instrument known, as well as forge entirely new sounds. The upcoming […]

Music is a language without words, unless you add them in, of course. This linguistic fusion has powered vocal music since the dawn of the art, and people of all languages enjoy setting their specific dialect to song. The Allan Hancock College Singers is a group of vocalists who have worked the entire semester mastering […]

The Santa Maria High School concert band and jazz ensembles keep dozens of students involved in music on a daily basis. The program has grown much and earned many accolades since band director Ulises Valdivia began teaching the class—and mobilizing his students to support it. An upcoming spring concert and silent auction benefit is the […]

Dip your comb into some pomade, shine your wing tips, and don’t forget the Ray-Bans when you come out to a Drive-In Romeos show. The Santa Maria-based four-piece R&B rock group is dedicated to providing an old-school sound for local rock, beat, rockabilly, and soul fans. “I think we’re more R&B based, like from the […]

Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico director Ricardo Gabaldón was hurrying between rooms, touching base with the various factions of his cultural performing arts program during a recent school day. The Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico have each enjoyed their own class period throughout the years, the soon-to-retire founding director explained, but this […]

The squeeze-box sound of a rhythmic brass and woodwind accompaniment, supported the soaring notes of flutes, trumpets, and clarinets, moved in time to the swish of a small white baton, held aloft by the all-important director. The Orcutt Academy High School band students brought their reverberations to a halt as their director and instructor Brenda […]

One thing all human populations have in common, no matter how isolated or archaic, is singing. Not only are we compelled to sing, but singing in harmony is also a technique documented well before the notation to record the phenomenon was ever invented. It isn’t a surprise that almost everywhere you go in the country […]