Upcoming Events

It's been a long musical drought due to that nasty damn-penic - but now Stellar's HILLBILLY JAZZ returns in full health - ready to rock your world in 2021.

We present this impressive run of shows at Campus JAX, where we are kicking the new season off with a special Saturday night Hillbilly Jazz show - with dancing!

Hillbilly Jazz is a mashup of your favorite roots genres - Rockabilly, R&B, Honky tonk, Western swing, Doo wop and Blues - with some of the hottest roots artists appearing in the same show.

On Sat. July 3, ABBY GIRL & The Real Deal open our indoor series, joined by a special appearance by BIG SANDY sitting in.

Then Big Sandy will perform solo while we set the stage for one of the most sought-after acts in the roots world - THE DAVE AND DEKE COMBO!

Yes, the hottest hillbilly dance band in music today opens our Hillbilly Jazz series at Campus JAX in Newport Beach.

Campus JAX provides a great menu, attentive cocktail service - and the best sound around from its QSC-sponsored speaker system.

PLUS - the shows are now live-streamed all over the world, and the dance floor is open - with dancers appearing in the stream.

One dinner entree required per person.

Doors open at 5:30 w/ DJ Bobcat

This is an mask-optional environment, with no social distancing..

Singles and couples may be placed at tables with other patrons as needed.

If sold out, we have a WAITLIST AVAILABLE: simp/y text your name, quantity and date of show to 714-809-6146

Free parking, all ages, reservations required.

Our first post-pandemic Hillbilly Jazz Sunday matinee show of 2021 - and it's a doozy!

We are bringing in Mitch Polzak & the Royal Deuces from Northern Calif. for this 3-hour dance party.

Opening will be Seatbelt with Scott McLean, AND the ever-lovin' Lil' Sue & The Cow Tippers will all perform inside Campus JAX gorgeous new showroom - complete with dance floor.

Like all our shows, it will be streamed live world-wide - and like all our shows, it is cabaret-style.

That means everybody is seated - and at least one dinner entree per person should be enjoyed. That's a plus, as the menu is fantastic. Prices range from $10-$18 with dozens of options like Shrimp dishes, Veggies and Burgers.

So make your reservations now - the location is across from John Wayne Airport with plenty of free parking, all ages, no drink minimums!

Doors & DJ start at 1 pm.

Info on bands:

Mitch Polzak & The Royal Deuces: Polzak's guitar, vocals, and five string banjo play a wide representation of American Roots Music from Rockabilly to Honky Tonk. Polzak’s incredible showmanship and ability to connect with his audiences as well as his diverse background in multiple genres - like Cajun, Bluegrass and Surf - contribute to what makes his sound and show so unique.

Lil Sue & The Cow Tippers - This swinging honky tonk band has some talent! From Lil' Sue's vocals to Gene Cornwell's guitar pickin' to their solid rhythm section of Tony Macias and Tony Deherrera - this band is hot!

Seatbelt - Scott McLean and co. bring rockabilly, hillbilly boogie and honky tonk to our show - performed on vintage gear with a modern edge - and a dance energy that is as contagious as the Rockin’ Pneumonia or the Boogie Woogie flu!

Sometimes you hear an album and the only way you can think to describe it is stunning. Alice Wallace shows herself a spectacular songwriter as well as a singer who can deliver lyrics in a powerful way with minimal effort on her recent Into the Blue album.

On the title track from her fourth album, Californian Alice Wallace sings about the uncertainty of a career spent on the road. “The Blue” pays tribute to those who’re willing to take leaps, laced with soaring strings that nod to the country classics of the 1970s.

Wallace records on the Rebelle Road label, an imprint founded by a trio of women dedicated to strengthening the California Country music community and expanding visibility for female artists in the Americana/roots genre.

Pundits agree: she won the 2017 Female Vocalist of the Year at the California Country Awards and the previous year’s Best Country/Americana Artist at the L.A. Music Critic Awards. She was recently singled out by the Los Angeles Daily News and Pollstar for her “dead-on lovely version” of Ronstadt’s throbbing "Long Long Time” at the “Palomino Rides Again” event celebrating the legendary California honky-tonk

Wallace appears in concert at CAMPUS JAX with Caitlin Cannon, an accomplished Americana artist/actress.

Caitlin Cannon’s new music, a collection titled The TrashCannon Album, finds clever wordplay tackling what Caitlin calls the “inner garbage” we all have, but tend to hide away. Cannon shines a light on hard truths with a dive deep into what she’s saying - arranged in such a way that it's a testament to her ability to write the tar out of some songs, that are damn fun to listen to, in spite of their difficult themes.

Indoor show w small dance floor.

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

Now 2 days of big band swing! Saturday AND Sunday at 6:30 pm; doors open at 5 for dining and dancing.

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.

PLUS - Marco Palos appears on lead saxophone - always a treat.

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!

Note - one entree required per person.

Dance floor is open.

Doors at 5, show at 6:30 pm PST

Free parking, freeway close, all ages, full bar and waitstaff

POSTPONED to early Fall due to Corona Virus

(not Sept. 1)

All seats will be honored at that time.

(Or select another show of your choice)

It's out of our control, but Jesse definitely wants to come and play for you.

Stories Behind The Songs

Jesse Dayton is the living, breathing, drinking embodiment of a cool country soul brother. His first album 1995's Raisin' Cane included backup from Texas legends like Doug Sahm and Flaco Jimenez and was released on Willie Nelson's Justice label. His 2001 release on his own Stag Records label "Hey! Nash Vegas" also featured a stellar cast of players including Texas fiddle king Johnny Gimble,The Dixie Chicks, and Jim Lauderdale.

Dayton now has several more solo albums under his belt these days, and has also played on records by The Supersuckers, Ray Price, Waylon Jennings, Tenderloin and three albums with his rockabilly group The Road Kings. In 2005, filmmaker Rob Zombie recruited Dayton to create music under the moniker of Banjo & Sullivan for the soundtrack to horror flick The Devil's Rejects.

Dayton's talent is unmistakable & his all-american appeal is cross genre & generational, allowing him to tour with acts as diverse as George Strait, Mike Ness and Joe Strummer.

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

The two will deliver a dynamite evening of their brand of cerebral country rock. 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.

THIS SHOW IS MOVING (again) DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE TOUGH SITUATION THIS PUTS THE MUSIC COMMUNITY IN, EVERYBODY FROM THE ARTIST TO THE FANS TO THE VENUES AND PROMOTERS ARE AFFECTED DRASTICALLY.

OUR POLICY:

ALL PRE-SOLD TICKETS WILL BE HONORED AT THE LATER DATE,

OR YOU MAY CHOOSE ANOTHER UPCOMING SHOW TO USE YOUR SEATS AT.

CONTACT CHRISTOPHER@EXPOEVENTSUSA.NET FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO CHANGE SHOWS.

BIO

Honky tonkin' Corb Lund has his exclusive Southland appearance at Original Mike's in Santa Ana, with special guest Lauren Morrow. See her bio at bottom of this page.:

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.”

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT LAUREN MORROW

"Top Ten Country Artists to Watch in 2020." - Paste Magazine

“With her self-titled solo EP, Morrow has struck out on her own, debuting four songs that showcase her tender songwriting and inward-looking artistic vision.” — Rolling Stone

“Lauren Morrow—known best as one-half of Nashville-by-way-of-Atlanta duo Whiskey Gentry—puts lyrical fire behind a classic country sound on her four-song solo debut.” — Garden & Gun

“As she starts a new era of her career, she needs something to advantageously represent herself that isn’t The Whiskey Gentry, and this is what she accomplishes with these four songs. But most importantly, these four songs are really good.” — Saving Country Music

After over a decade as the centerpiece of popular Americana band The Whiskey Gentry, Lauren Morrow packed her bags, her dogs, her cats, and husband and moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a solo artist and grow her craft as a songwriter and performer. Within months, she released her first solo EP to widespread critical acclaim and landed on many Best of 2018 year ends lists from Rolling Stone to Garden & Gun, quickly launching her already budding career and sending it into hyperdrive. Over the next year, Morrow filmed an episode for PBS’ Bluegrass Underground and toured the US playing festivals such as Pickathon and Bristol Rhythm & Roots to name a few. In November 2019, Morrow began recording her first solo, full-length album at the legendary Nashville studio, Sound Emporium. Set to release in 2020, Morrow’s new album showcases her flawless vocals and intricate songwriting, but also her willingness to take risks — an edge that makes her stand out from the Nashville norm. Whether she’s singing an alternative/indie rock banger, a classic-country cooner, or a traditional lovesick ballad, there’s a unique impression she leaves that lingers and is unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Sadly, the Lowbrow Luau will NOT happen on Memorial Day Weekend, another victim of the damn-penic.

BIO

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 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