Music

According to their press materials, musicians Jay Nash and Josh Day—who have been touring together as The Contenders since 2012—don’t play songs. Instead, they let the songs play them. Influenced by acts like The Grateful Dead, The Band, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan, this songwriting duo strives to combine poetic lyrics with a classic Americana […]

Unlike the barbecue lunch included as part of their upcoming performance, the eclectic quintet Cafe Musique can’t be put in a box. Known for blending gypsy, tango, swing, and their self-defined genre, “wild classical,” this Central Coast-based group is performing on the lawn of the Santa Maria Country Club on Sunday, July 21, starting at […]

Dancing to live music is fun and all, but riding a roller coaster to live music is next-level euphoria. I’m not sure what the exact layout of this year’s Santa Barbara County Fair is, but past years have offered more than a few rides in the vicinity of the KCOY Main Stage—making it feasible for […]

Presqu’ile Winery is home to not one, but two formidable acts touring to celebrate the release of their latest albums this weekend. The festivities begin with Southern rocker Paul Thorn, who performs at the winery on Saturday, July 6, at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $30.  “This is the culmination of my whole […]

Santa Ynez native Kathleen Sieck is just one of the five artists uniting their efforts to bring this year’s Santa Barbara Youth Project Concert to life. Sieck will be joined by fellow performers Emily Wryn, Jonathan McEuen, Steven Styles, and Amber Durbin for this annual fundraiser, which takes place at Standing Sun Winery in Buellton […]

To say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree would be an understatement in the case of Neal and Ian Sowers, aka The Hubcap Stealers. This father-and-son duo got its start in 2012, when son/apple Ian was only 11 years old, although he had already been drumming since age 4.  Watching Ian develop as […]

At age 25, Kevin Galloway made a life-altering decision. Tired of pursuing a career in banking, Galloway decided the time had come to chase his true dream. After relocating from East Texas to Austin, the aspiring singer and guitarist began regularly performing at local open-mic nights.  From there, he soon crossed paths with fellow performer […]

All it took was a Miles Davis cassette tape to change one Danish classical violin student’s life forever. Mads Tolling was 14 when his father introduced him to Davis’ music, which spawned an everlasting adoration of jazz, soul, and R&B of the 1960s. Within this decade’s sounds, Tolling found a paradoxical sense of freedom and […]

If the name William Royce Scaggs doesn’t sound familiar, you might know this soft rock legend better by a particular schoolyard nickname he acquired during the days of his youth. I probably shouldn’t have spoiled the reveal in the headline, but it did get your attention, right? It was St. Mark’s School of Texas where […]

Aficionados privy to the Santa Maria and Lompoc music scenes may know songwriters Weston Scott and Christian Schmidt for their work as the pop parody duo The Friendos, who celebrated their inaugural album release in 2017. If you’re curious about what they’ve been up to for the last two years, head on over to iTunes, […]

I try not to let first impressions get the best of me—but anyone willing to compare their upbringing to the plot of Disney Channel’s High School Musical gets a golden star in my book. “I wasn’t groomed for music,” singer-songwriter Conner Cherland said in press materials. “I played volleyball for as long as I can […]

“Beauty school dropout/ No graduation day for you …” When it comes to generation gaps, Frankie Avalon’s performance as the guardian angel who encourages Frenchy to go back to high school in Grease knows no boundaries. Or do kids not grow up with Grease anymore? People still watch ABC Family, right? What’s that you say? […]