Nashville. Music City. Capital of the music industry. For a lot of musicians, the draw of Nashville is irresistible, which is why it’s a town packed full of amazing singers, songwriters, and musicians. Trying to rise to the top in this sea of talent requires deep commitment, and two of our own are living in Tennessee and grinding it out.
This week, former SLO resident Charlie McNeal and former Morro Bay resident Amalia Fleming return to their roots to play The Siren on Saturday, Aug. 2 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $13.17 at tixr.com).
McNeal’s known for blending traditional country sounds with a shot of Americana/alt country. He’s got a soulful voice, a twangy guitar sound, songs designed to get you dancing.
“Country music can make you feel a lot of different things,” McNeal said on his website. “It can make you dance. It can make you cry. It’s really versatile, and I love that. I want to make music that moves people.”
I’ve known Amalia Fleming since she was a young girl playing the Live Oak Music Festival kids’ talent show, and I’ve watched her grow into a fully formed singer-songwriter with a lot of depth.
She left for Nashville about five years ago to attend Belmont University, and after graduating, she stayed to follow her music dream. That dream wavered a little. At one point she was resigned to working on the business side of music, but she’s recommitted herself to performance.
“Yes, the last two years have been transformative! Interning under the CEO for a year with Sony Music Publishing was a great opportunity to learn more about the business and aided in my decision to pursue a creative career as an artist,” she explained via email. “The past 12 months since graduation have been pivotal for my career. The ability to direct full focus to co-writing two to three times weekly, performing, and releasing new music has refined my craft and influence. I was recently honored as a ‘One to Watch’ for the second time by the Nashville Songwriters Association.”
Earlier this year, she recorded and released “Widow’s Wall,” which she described as “a single inspired by the rock jetty in Morro Bay. ‘Lifeline,’ which was released in April, blends New Wave synths with organic folk instrumentation and reflects on ties that keep us tethered. The song I’m most excited about is ‘High Pain Tolerance,’ recently released on July 11th. This song captures the heartbreak that changes how you move through the world. Balancing playful defiance and raw vulnerability, the chorus bites but the bridge tells the hard truth; strength like this doesn’t come free. You can find the three singles on all streaming platforms.”Â
Fleming and McNeal will “bring a taste of Nashville’s rich musical heritage to the California coast for a special hometown show,” Fleming said.
If you’re not 21 and still want to see these two locals who are making it in Nashville, Fleming, McNeal, and local singer-songwriter Cate Armstrong will also play an all-ages show in Club Car Bar on Thursday, July 31 (7 p.m.; $5).
Also this week in The Siren, see Flannel 101—The Ultimate ’90s Party Rock Band on Friday, Aug. 1 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com)
Templeton strong
Numbskull and Good Medicine have two shows this week at Templeton’s Club Car Bar starting with The Two Lips on Monday, Aug. 4 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $22.35 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with Tiffany Stringer opening. The Two Lips are best friends Jewlz and Andrea who’ve teamed up to create a Latina/Filipina indie dream pop duo.
“The Two Lips use their music as a vessel for exploring the emotional landscape of womanhood, transforming personal stories into shimmering, ethereal soundscapes,” their bio explains.
Then on Tuesday, Aug. 5, see Swiss one-man-band Reverend Beat-Man at Club Car Bar on Tuesday, Aug. 5 (8 p.m.; all ages; $15.66 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with one-ban-band opener Bobcat. Reverend Beat-Man is also the leader of psychobilly band The Monsters.
Gentleman and Ladies
Over at Vina Robles Amphitheatre, Nederlander Concerts has country star Lee Brice on Sunday, Aug. 3 (8 p.m.; all ages; $65.25 to $83.80 at ticketmaster.com). He’s got more than 10 billion career streams and had radio hits with songs like “Memory I Don’t Mess With,” “One of Them Girls,” “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” and “Rumor.”
Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge stop at Vina on their Yes We Are Tour on Thursday, Aug. 7 (8 p.m.; all ages; $80.45 to $362.25 at ticketmaster.com), where they’ll contribute $2 from each ticket sold to benefit their nonprofit charitable organizations: The Etheridge Foundation and First Peoples Fund. These Grammy-winning artists and activists don’t really need much introduction. They’ve all been attracting fans since the mid-’80s and continue to create important music.
As Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers noted in press materials, “We joke about being old, but what is old when it comes to music? We’re still a bar band at heart. While our lyrics and writing approach may change, our passion for music feels the same as it did when we were 25 years old.”
Urban Western
What happens when you mix a rapper with an emerging artist known for a unique fusion of country storytelling and acoustic guitars? You get amazing urban Western vignettes.
Search YouTube for collaborations between the rapper Yelawolf and J. Michael Phillips and you’ll discover mini crime Westerns such as “I Swear” and “Searching for Heaven” or the soured love affair of “Amnesia” that mix Phillips’ urban country sound with Yelawolf’s sick rhymes. They join forces in the Fremont Theater on Tuesday, Aug. 5 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $52.50 at prekindle.com). J.T. Loux opens.
Also this week at the Fremont, iconic singer-songwriter Steve Earle plays an intimate solo acoustic show on Thursday, Aug. 7 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $46.32 to $82.37 at prekindle.com). The protégé of Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark has become one of the most revered songwriters of his generation with songs like “Guitar Town,” “Goodbye’s All We Got Left,” “Copperhead Road,” “Feels Alright,” and “Hard-Core Troubadour.”
If you’re ready to get weird, Bingo Loco returns to the Fremont on Saturday, Aug. 2 (doors at 6:30, show at 8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $41.17 at prekindle.com). “We’ve flipped the traditional game of bingo on its head and turned it into a three-hour-long interactive stage show complete with dance-offs, lip sync battles, throwback anthems, confetti showers, and prizes ranging from cars to lawnmowers,” organizers explain.
Deep roots
SLO Brew Live presents Junior Toots, a tribute to Toots & The Maytals, at Rod & Hammer Rock on Saturday, Aug. 2 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $32.26 at ticketweb.com), with Resination opening. Junior Toots is the son of the legendary Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals. Expect to hear some of Junior’s songs such as “Holding Firm” and “Jah Give Us Victory” as well as some of his father’s songs such as “Funky Kingston” and “54 46.”
Modern troubadours Rayland Baxter & Langhorne Slim play the Rock on Sunday, Aug. 3 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $49.35 at ticketweb.com). They’re co-headlining an intimate “evening of soul-stirring songs, poetic grit, and raw Americana spirit,” the club announced.
The outsiders
Stretch your sonic limits when The Bunker presents an outsider music event with Olympia’s cacophonous experimental artist and sax player Max Nordile, Seattle’s abstract electronica act CSTMR, and local static blaster Frequent Weaver on Sunday, Aug. 3 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $10).
According to this bio, “Nordile is a multidisciplinary artist living in Olympia. He may well complete a degree at the Evergreen State College studying arts and communication and previously attended Cornish College of the Arts.”
CSTMR is a Seattle duo consisting of Tom Scully and Casey Adams who “play a brand of improvised no wave thrash that is ever devolving,” according to press materials.
Should prove to be an interesting evening of organized (and perhaps disorganized) sounds. Δ
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 31 – Aug 10, 2025.