Upcoming Events

Leap Year comes around every 4 years, so it's always a special occasion.

This year, Feb. 29 brings the Leap Year Hop with Petunia & The Vipers PLUS Dave Stuckey & the Hot House Gang.

These are two bands with swingin' synchopation that are reminiscent of the music from nearly 100 years ago - Hot jazz, Swing and Vintage R&B.

Both bands have loyal followers, both bands play great dance music - and both bands have a visionary leader.

In Petunia's case, he and his Vipers thrive on the challenge of adding Latin rhythms to a country blues tune, or gypsy flavoring to a rockabilly standard.

They play original music combining elements of classic 1920s, 30s 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s country, country blues, western swing, alt country rock, Mexicana, French cabaret, Romanian, ragtime, jazz, punk and folk music. And they do a few classic covers as well!

Dave Stuckey has enjoyed a wild musical safari from teenage punk-rock fandom to contemporary participation in half a dozen genre-jumping bands. He leads not just the Hot House Gang but several other bands playing music as diverse as western swing, vintage Hawaiian and hot jazz,

DJ Grease George will be spinning the dance tunes between, before and after the show!

Come enjoy the camaraderie of music lovers like yourself.

Free parking, full menu, all ages and a big dance floor.

Harp man Denis "Chef Denis" Depoitre brings his stellar band, The Healers, to the PCH Blues Club.

The band includes guitarist Johnny Main, guitarist Henry Carvajal, bassman Mike Hightower and Johnny Minguez on drums, with vocalist Tommy Eliff.

A night of full-on, straight-ahead blues by some of Southern California's top players.

Opening the show is Bean Mojo Hand, a hot young bluesician who is making a big splash in SoCal and all over the Southwest.

See him now before his shows sell out.

The compelling contrast between youth and experience will be on full display during this awesome lineup at the PCH Club in Long Beach.

18+, free parking, dance floor and full menu.

Reserve a seat today!

StellarShows.net

Hillbilly Jazz is a mash-up of top roots bands from all over the country.

This swingin' Sunday matinee is designed to get you out of the house for a 4-hour musical experience, and still have you home by 7 pm to get ready for your week ahead.

On March 8, it's the return of Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys. The world-renowned rockabilly band has won multiple awards, with two Ameripolitan Awards under their belt. Big Sandy is a human jukebox, a lead singer, a DJ - and one of the most entertaining artists we know. When these Boys play, you just gotta dance!

The Twilight Drifters are a rock-a-blues-a-billy trio based in Northern California. Channeling sounds of the 1950s into re-made and original tunes, the Twilight Drifters offer a compelling musical experience that entertains, moves, and captivates audiences. The band’s second CD, ‘Paint and Primer’, recorded and produced by Deke Dickerson at Ecco-Fonic Studio, and third album, '10 Lively Melodies' recorded and produced by Kid Andersen at Greaseland Studio are available at www.twilightdrifters.com

Lil' Sue & The Cow Tippers are bringing a bit of Americana to the Southern California music scene with a rockabilly twist.... a shot of honky tonk, a dash of Western Swing - and you have yourself one helluva a versatile band!

DJ Pete will be on hand spinning all your favorite dance tunes!

He starts at 1 pm, so get to this show as early as you can. Full menu with lots of affordable meals and appetizers.

Free parking, all ages, dance floor.

100 S. Main St Santa Ana.

Lil Sue kicks the live music off at 2 pm. Twilight Drifters about 3 pm, and big Sandy about 4:30.

THE MERRY KINKSTER TOUR

Kinky Friedman Hits West Coast To Promote His Resurrection

Yes, Kinky has been resurrected, with perhaps his greatest work ever, the album Resurrection (Echo Hill Records), and he’s bringing it to the left coast.

With 30-plus dates on the east coast, midwest and his home state of Texas under his belt, he’s finally hitting the west coast to complete the tour that will cement Kinky’s rep as one of the best performers and songwriters of his generation.

In working with superstar producer, multi-instrumentalist and three-time Grammy winner Larry Campbell, Kinky has finally found the perfect complement to his jagged-edge Texas Hill Country persona.

Together with fellow three-time Grammy winning engineer Justin Guip, they have produced eleven amazing cuts that speak to the legends and myths of the great southwest with an inner conviction that belies the raucous days of Kinky’s youth.Every appearance on the Merry Kinkster Tour will be a showcase of these masterpieces from a very deep soul.

Many of the dates should actually be called The Merry Kinksters Tour, as he will be joined by his long-time co-conspirator (read: Executive Buttboy) and legendary Austin band leader Cleve Hattersley, whose new book Life Is A Butt Dial (YES Publishing Austin, Texas) tells the tales of his and Kinky’s adventures together, plus myriad stories of a life in rock and roll, politics and pot smuggling.

Cleve will perform a few songs with his wife, Sweet Mary, and read from his book.

His band, Greezy Wheels, members of the Austin Music Hall Of Fame, also released its final cd Ain’t Quite Like That in November. Both it and Resurrection are in the Top 100 at Americana radio.

Raised in Lynwood California, Beano fell in love with music at the tender age of 6, while listening to rock and blues in his father’s wood workshop.

At the age of 13, he was visiting Las Vegas, young and bored, and decided to pick up the guitar and strum along to pop songs that were being played - and he hasn’t put his guitar down since.

His foster child upbringing has brought him many ups and downs, but these negatives have driven him to focus on what drives his heart and soul to climb the mountain of music success. His dedication, desire, discipline, drive and determination paved his path to play and write blues music.

At a young age he has been influenced by such greats as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Freddy King, BB King, Carlos Santana, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, Albert King and the Blues Breakers, John Mayall with Eric Clapton’s BEANO album; this album in fact, sealed the deal where Beano’s musical future is headed; to the BLUES! BEANO has formed LA’s hottest new blues band: Beano Mojo Hand. Since starting the band in 2019, Beano has performed with great renowned musical artist such as Junior Watson, the young phenom Kingfish, Kirk Fletcher, Johnny Main (the 44’s), Los Fabuloco’s, JR Lozano (The 44’s), Kid Ramos, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and the legendary group MALO of the world renowned hit ‘Suavecito.'

Beano has already performed at such great blues clubs such as The ABC in Monrovia, The PCH Club Long Beach, LA Stars & Stripes Music Festival, The New Blue Revolution Long Beach Blues Festival, Original Mike’s and Malainey’s. He has played with Joe & The Hostiles, Smoke Stack Lightning and at Char’s in Arizona and The 2019 International Blues Contest. Beano Mojohand has gained great support from such great musical artists as Kim Wilson, Joe Bonamassa, Rod Piazza, Hall of Fame Arizona’s King of Blues BIG PETE Pearson and fans all around.

In August of 2019 Beano Mojohand has teamed with artist/music engineer Chuck Alvarez in his private studio in San Pedro, where many original and covers were laid down for their independent debut album release in 2020 self-titled Beano Mojohand - written and co-produced by Beano himself.

Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity and character – as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar.

Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis generations before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, performed [on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time.

In 2018, Paul released an album titled Don’t Let the Devil Ride, which he describes as “the culmination of my whole life in music, coming back to my roots.”

It marks his first time recording gospel music - featuring guests such as the Blind Boys of Alabama, the McCrary Sisters, and Preservation Hall Horns - and his creation of a body of strikingly original songs that address the foibles of human relationships without necessarily favoring the sacred over the profane.

With 20 years of writing, touring, and entertaining under his belt, he shows no sign of slowing down with his new record, Don’t Let the Devil Ride, breaking genre barriers and topping charts, putting a new twist on his already-entertaining live show.

So that makes this PCH Club show a definite bucket lister for anyone who appreciates a dash of wry humor with their Americana.

If you know Paul, you will be here.

If you don't know him, then you should. Because this is a unique character on the level of a Mark Twain or a George Carlin - and there just aren't very many of those.

Seated show, all ages, free parking, fine dining, and hotel rooms are available at the Golden Sails on property.

HILLBILLY JAZZ SERVED FRESH AND PIPING HOT - JUST LIKE GRANDMA USED TO MAKE!

Howdy folks, we are The Southwest Biscuit Company.

We follow in a long proud tradition of western bands of 40s and 50s in the Southern California area.

We pride ourselves on playing great Western dance music that is sure to keep you on the dance floor from the first song until the very last.

Our influences are many from old standbys like Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys to Billy Jack Wills, Hank Penny, and Tennessee Ernie Ford, as well as our contemporaries like The Lucky Stars, The B-stars, Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys and many others.

Our music is for dancers by dancers. We look forward to seeing ya’ll on a dance floor soon.

Like March 27 for instance - that's our Long Beach CD Release Party for the new album titled "It's Biscuit Time!"

We are proud to announce that Lil' Sue & The Cow Tippers will be our opening band, as they share our love for the classic western swing numbers and honky tonk songs.

It all takes place at the PCH Club inside Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach at 6285 E. Pac Coast Hwy. starting with doors at 7 ppm and Lil' Sue at 8 pm.

Full menu is optional, free parking and it's all ages. Dance floor of course!

Honky tonkin' Corb Lund has his exclusive Southland appearance at Original Mike's in Santa Ana:

Those who know and love Corb Lund are people who appreciate the hilarity of his songs.

Listen to the lyrics of "Cows Around" or "Bible On The Dashboard."

These are not simply great lyrics; they are so tongue in cheek as to be masterpieces of the genre. An award-winning artist like John Prine would be proud to put his name on some of Corb Lund's songs - he is that good.

Unlike Prine however, Corb has a rockin' great honky tonk band, the former Hurtin' Albertans, backing him up on this tour.

That alone should be enough to pry you loose from a few bucks to go see this show! But bring some friends if you don't want to be describing what a great show it was over and over the next day.

More facts:

Lund is an award-winning, vintage country performer, who spent his twenties, interestingly, in an indie rock band. He embraces his rich and rustic western heritage with a style that’s unique, honest and resolute, while touching on a range of cowboy themes both past and present — from rough-and-tumble tales of lawless frontier saloons, to the sombre realities of running a modern family ranch. He sings about a life that he and his ancestors have lived themselves, paired with his quick-witted, wry observations of today’s world. As a result, his writing resonates emphatically with rural and urban audiences alike. It’s a classic sound with a twist, something of a rarity these days, but one that evokes the spirit of the American West, winning over appreciative audiences at rodeos, fairs, festivals and other events where tales of fearless explorers, determined homesteaders and committed cattle ranchers still holds a powerful sway.

Backed by his long-time honky tonk band, the Hurtin’ Albertans — Kurt Ciesla, bass; Grant Siemens, guitar; and Brady Valgardson, drums — Lund effectively amplifies those themes and fires up the crowds. It’s little wonder that the Vegas Seven noted, “Like Willie Nelson before them, they bring out the shit-kickers and hipsters in equal measure.”

“There aren’t many artists still making this kind of Western music,” Lund suggests. “Personally, I feel like I still have a real stake in it. That’s why I believe that the people that admire a vintage approach really appreciate what we do. And for us, it’s really gratifying to be able to perform it for them.” In a very real sense then, Lund has become a true musical courier as far as that authenticity is concerned, a traditional troubadour who’s determined to keep that rugged and restless spirit alive. “It seems to have developed that way,” he nods. “I didn’t necessarily plan it, but it feels really good that that’s how it’s evolved.”

The upcoming tour is a precursor to a series of new projects Lund has planned for the coming year. He promises a carefully curated EP of unexpected cover songs that will resonate with ranchers and rockers alike, and an album of original material to follow soon after. With nine studio albums under his belt, multiple CCMA, Juno, and international award nomination and wins, Lund is well recognized as a musical force to be reckoned with.

His seventh album, Cabin Fever, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Canadian Charts; he has three gold records; and his latest release, Things That Can’t Be Undone, cemented his status as one of the best contemporary country singer/songwriters working today.

The press agrees: Rolling Stone declared him one of the “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know” and NPR remarked, “The album is a high mark of a long career. ”Rolling Stone Country said of Things That Can’t Be Undone that it “finds Lund flirting in fresh sonic waters, while still keeping his sardonic mix of eerie lyrics and deceptively joyful vamps well intact.”

For its part, Popmatters proclaimed, “ 'Things That Can’t Be Undone' furthers the case for Corb Lund as one of the best contemporary country songwriters.”

Europe's world class blues export - B.B. & The Blues Shacks - appears in Newport Beach fronted by the amazing female singer Bonita from South Africa.

It's true!

Bonita is right on in the tradition of Ann Peebles, Etta James, Lula Reed and other unforgettable stars of the past.

The combination of this unique singer with the BBs seems a perfect way to transport blues and soul from the heyday of the genre to the present day.

Blues and Soul from the 50’s and 60’s are still alive and well, with this international touring band making an extremely rare appearance in the Southland.

Bonita's vocals complement perfectly with singer Michael Arlt and the other BB & the Blues Shacks band members. With an incredible amount of soul, Bonita Niessen interprets blues and soul numbers with feeling, intensity - and fun!

Press clips:

"This band once again underlines that it is Europe's absolute best blues band"
Jefferson Magazine - Sweden

"BB & The Blues Shacks are still one of the best" outfits "in Europe"
bluesinthenorthwest - Great Britain

"Their mix of soul, rhythm & blues with a dash of Chicago blues is a super spectacle, especially live"
BILD, 2015

Opening this special evening on Tax Day 2020 is Lil A & The Allnighters:

It's a West Coast Blues Band, established in 2006, tearing up rooms and stages all over Southern California with their West Coast Blues, Chicago, Memphis, and low down harmonica blues!.

Free parking, all ages, full dinner menu, reserved seatings

JESSE DAYTON & his full band

Jesse comes to Campus Jax in Newport Beach on a Wed. night along with his brother from another mother Ted Russell Kamp, and they are two of the most sought-after musicians in the Americana/Honky Tonk world today.

Appearing with full bands, the two will deliver a dynamite evening of their original brand of country rock, and Ted's opening set will include the talented Emily Zuzik as a vocalist.

Fun times!

Info on his most recent album: Mix Tape Volume 1

“A lot of this stuff was what I liked as a kid,” says modern-day outlaw country icon Jesse Dayton

of his new album of cover songs, Mix Tape Volume 1. “Some of it is from super-early on, before

I was even thinking about playing music. They're just songs I would hear on the radio in my

sister's old '62 Rambler she would take me to school in. I'm hearing Neil Young, Gordon

Lightfoot, stuff like that. Of course, when I got a little older, I saw The Clash in San Antonio at

the Egyptian Theater. Joe Ely opened that show. That changed my life.”

The dichotomy inherent in that Clash/Ely bill has ruled the Beaumont, TX native's career, either

with his own rockin' country music or playing guitar for everyone from Johnny Cash and

Waylon Jennings to punk standard-bearers X. He grew up, went through punk rock after that

eye-opening Clash gig and the obligatory late-'70s/early-'80s suburban American teenage heavy metal phase. He apprenticed in zydeco bands and honky-tonk outfits, and played on a session for zydeco legend Rockin' Dopsey produced by Texas music legend Huey Meaux. He moved from Beaumont to Austin, to play rockabilly. He eventually realized the stuff he grew up with – the vintage country music infusing his Beaumont childhood, from Johnny Cash, George Jones, Waylon Jennings - had an honesty, a passion and a rawness that modern country music didn't have, a spirit the best punk rock shared. He started relating to his roots again.

But to understand how Jesse Dayton arrived at Mix Tape Volume 1, you have to look to the five

years he spent being Thursday's entertainment at Austin honkytonk institution The Broken

Spoke. No matter how many strong LPs you've issued of your own material, when you are in that situation, having to play five sets-per-night? You can't rely on your original output.

"I was a human jukebox,” Dayton groans now. “But it's where I learned how to pace my sets. It's where I learned how to be a band leader. It's about watching the dancers - knowing where to play a polka, knowing where to play a waltz. Quite a bit of work and study went into that gig. It was packed every time. But I started having Groundhog's Day flashbacks. I wanted to kill some of those goofy dancers, after awhile." Thankfully, X's John Doe stepped in and asked Dayton to be his touring guitarist, showing him another way to play music. Otherwise, he might have been recording Mix Tape in prison!

Here and there, Dayton stays faithful to the original versions of his Mix Tape entries. For

instance, Dr. Feelgood's revved-up pub rocker “She Does It Right” remains in the same

neighborhood, with little renovation. It's when Dayton indulges his imagination that things get

interesting. He retrofits The Clash's reggae homage "Bankrobber" with a Bobby Fuller Four

arrangement, the way The Clash converted "I Fought The Law" into a furious punk anthem.

AC/DCs “Whole Lotta Rosie” morphs into something akin to ZZ Top playing Slim Harpo's

“Shake Your Hips.” Speaking of ZZ Top, their “She's A Heartbreaker” wouldn't have been out of

place on a Flying Burrito Brothers record. The Cars' midtempo chug “Just What I Needed”

becomes the sorta two-step, buckle-polishing Texas honky-tonk shuffle Dayton would've

whipped out on those Broken Spoke Thursdays. Bruce Springsteen's “State Trooper” becomes a Cramps-style punkabilly stomp.

"The world is filled with people aping Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings songs,” he says. “It's

so unoriginal. I had to make it sound like me, no matter where it came from."

But it's when he's lifting material from his older sister's '70s singer-songwriter records – Jackson

Browne's “Redneck Friend,” Neil Young's “Harvest,” Elton John's “Country Comfort” - and

making pure, achin' country music out of it that Dayton's redemptive powers really shine. It's

especially evident when he gives Gordon Lightfoot's “If You Could Read My Mind” the sort of

arrangement Waylon Jennings applied to “MacArthur Park,” or to Paul Simon's “The Boxer,” as

he did when Dayton played with him. It works.

"People think Waylon rode around in a pickup truck listening to Hank Sr. Waylon was cruising

around in a Mercedes, listening to singer-songwriters,” Dayton snorts. “He had a hit with 'Are

You Ready For The Country?' by Neil Young. George Jones had a hit with 'Bartender Blues' by

James Taylor. It might be his greatest vocal performance ever!”

"But now I look at the records my sister had - the Jackson Brownes, the Elton Johns - and I

think, 'Okay, now I get it.' There's a lot of great material there. It's all about interpretation."

And interpret, he does. Quite brilliantly, too. It was something Jesse Dayton's been needing.

“I'd done almost five years on tour,” he sighs, “doing two original records back-to-back. I played

on a lotta other people's records. I just needed to take the pressure off, just have some fun. And that's why this is Volume 1 – what if I need to do this again?”

Jesse Dayton Quick Facts

* 11 studio albums, 2 singles, and one EP as a solo artist

* Collaborations or guest appearances with Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez, Johnny Gimble, The Supersuckers,

Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Glen Campbell, and John Doe.

* Past Tours with The Supersuckers, Social Distortion, and X.

* 3 soundtrack collaborations with Rob Zombie, for his films The Devil's Rejects, Halloween 2 (also featuring

Jesse in the role of Captain Clegg), and The Haunted World Of El Super Beasto.

* Over 50 songs licensed to film and television.

* Writer and director of the independent horror film Zombex, starring Malcolm McDowell, Sid Haig, Lew

Temple (from The Walking Dead) and John Doe.

Album Credits

Jesse Dayton - acoustic & electric guitars, lead & harmony vocals

Chris Rhoades - bass

Kevin Charney - drums

Matt Hubbard - piano, organ, harmonica

Nate Flemming - pedal steel guitar

Noah Jefferies - fiddle

David Boyle - string arrangements

Patrick Herzfeld - engineer

Mixed by Stuart Sullivan

Recorded in Austin, TX. at Signal Hill Recording Studio & mixed at Mosaic Sound Collective

Mastered by Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova Mastering

Crossing borders, jumping barriers, taking risks, betting it all: that’s the path Alejandro Escovedo has been taking in his lifelong search for the heart of rock and roll.

Alejandro’s new album, The Crossing (YepRoc Records, September 14) is about that journey: searching, but not necessarily finding, eyes and ears open all the way. It is his first for Yep Roc Records and his first ever recorded in Europe. “This says more about me than any of my records without it being a record about me,” Alejandro says.

The Crossing tells the tale of two boys, one from Mexico, one from Italy, who meet in Texas to chase their American rock and roll dreams. They discover a not-so-welcoming, very different place from the Promised Land they imagined, with cameos from the likes of Wayne Kramer of the MC5, Joe Ely and James Williamson of the Stooges to show the boys the way.

It was recorded in an Italian farmhouse near Mogdliana and features his collaborator and co-songwriter Don Antonio with his band whom will be backing and opening for Alejandro. Don Antonio has backed numerous American acts in Europe but this will be their first ever tour of the US.

Escovedo’s trailblazing career began with The Nuns, San Francisco's famed punk innovators; then the Austin-based-based alt-country rock pioneers, Rank & File; on to Texas bred darlings, True Believers; and through countless all-star collaborations and tribute album appearances, and finally a series of beloved solo albums beginning with 1992's acclaimed Gravity.

Escovedo has earned a surplus of distinctions: No Depression magazine's ‘Artist of the Decade’ Award in 1998 and the Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing in 2006, just to name two.

His last album Burn Something Beautiful was co-produced, written and recorded with Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey. Alejandro worked with producing legend Tony Visconti (David Bowie/T-Rex) on Real Animal and Street Songs of Love; he has previously worked with Chuck Prophet, John Cale, Los Lobos, Willie Nelson and Bruce Springsteen.

Now Hepatitis C free, Alejandro serves as a spokesperson for the Prevent Cancer Foundation “Think About the Link” campaign about the link between viruses and Hep C. As an official showcasing artist, the Alejandro Escovedo Band with Don Antonio debuted The Crossing at the Americana Music Association Festival 2018 at the Americana Music Stage, hosted by WMOT Roots Radio, NPR Music and World Cafe.

"You just do your good work, and people care," Alejandro says. "I always believed, when I was a kid, that if you worked hard, you would find fulfillment. I think I got a lot of that from my father and my brothers. A working musician is all I ever wanted to be. Hard work, stay true to what you want to do, and then eventually someone would notice for that very reason."

See Alejandro live at the PCH Club in Long Beach, 6285 E. Pac Coast Hwy inside Golden Sails Hotel.

Info 714-809-6146

Louis Prima Jr. and The Witnesses Bring The Swingin'est Rock Band In The World to Campus Jax in Newport Beach!

Born into an undeniable musical legacy, Louis Prima Jr. picks up the torch lit by his iconic father and leads his incarnation of The Witnesses headfirst into the future. Their seamless blend of hard driving big band jazz, insanely danceable swing and, at its core, real rock and roll has been wowing crowds worldwide for over a decade.

Make no mistake, this is no tribute act. Although the band most certainly Jumps, Jives, an’ Wails "Prima-style," they are their own musical beast — thoroughly modern, laying down a blueprint for the future on the foundations of the past.

Audiences will be treated to an evening of classics from the Louis Prima catalog, selections from LPJ & Co.'s two CDs (Return of the Wildest! and BLOW) and a healthy dose of sure-to-please surprises.

Equal parts bandleader and ringmaster, Prima Jr. brilliantly distills the finest elements of his father's five-decade career through a contemporary filter, adding his own indelible stamp. "This is the happiest music on Earth!" he enthuses. "My father was rock n’ roll; Mozart was rock n' roll. It’s a state of mind; I don’t think it’s a genre of music. It’s how aggressively do you play and do you play it like you mean it.” And The Witnesses mean it. From Passaic to Palermo and Seattle to Sicily, they're bringing Prima music into the 21st century with new energy and attitude to match.

It's The Wildest Show this side of the '60s!