Wood-shedding is real, people. Sometimes musicians really do get together in an old shed and start making music together, only to emerge a fully functioning powerhouse band.
Take, for instance, Kentucky alt-country act Ole 60, that writes vividly rendered narrative songs about small-town life, working-class struggles, heartbreak and longing, grief, and addiction … painting these scenes with gritty, compelling lyrics.
Here’s the title track from their new album Smokestack Town: “Well I took a little trip to a smokestack town/ It’s the only thing that helps me when I’m feeling down/ Took a left in the high school parking lot/ Lit a spliff in the VP parking spot/ Got an old Toyota, four bald tires/ Took it down River Road and past Southwire/ Pulled it off, where that two-story house burnt down/ Nothing left but ashes now.”
These are dark little gems you can’t get enough of because of Jacob Ty Young’s earnest voice—think Tyler Childers or X Ambassador’s singer Sam Nelson Harris—and truly hooky melodies that feel both familiar and new. They have a real edge to them, and this is a band with an unusual sound. Yes, it’s mostly country and Southern rock, but you’ll hear grunge and punk influences too.
Young is the band’s primary songwriter, and he and childhood friend Tristan Roby began writing and performing together in a backyard shed after the pandemic. Their informal jam sessions began incorporating other local players and eventually settled into a band that includes guitarist Ryan Laslie, bassist Colby Clark, drummer Aden Wood, and multi-instrumentalist Dwight McGlynn. Guitarist and vocalist Dustin “Catfish” Fugua came on board shortly thereafter.
‘I saw you in the corner with a loaded gun/ I told you that I loved you and all you said was run/ You put one in the ceiling as you cried my name/ A second chance glance felt like Novocain.’
—Jacob Ty Young, Ole 60
Nederlander Concerts is bringing the band to Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Saturday, Aug. 8 (doors at 5:30, show at 7 p.m.; all ages; $55.75 to $104.45 at ticketmaster.com)—a stop on their Off the Grid tour.
The band also has a couple of earlier Eps to draw from during their set. Their debut full-length, Smokestack Town, features 11 intertwining tracks that combine to paint a picture of American working-class life that feels real.
On “Watching Scary Movies with the Volume Down,” Young sings, “I saw you in the corner with a loaded gun/ I told you that I loved you and all you said was run/ You put one in the ceiling as you cried my name/ A second chance glance felt like Novocain/ But if I called your bluff/ You’d say I’m no fun/ But this ain’t the first time you’ve tried to hurt someone/ I’m just glad that it ain’t you.”
Bleak but beautiful.
The Stews and Kolton Moore & the Clever Few open.
¡Arriba!
Good Vibez presents Línea Personal at the Fremont Theateron Saturday, Aug. 8 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $63.32 general or $123.06 VIP meet-and-greet at prekindle.com). This Mexican music band from Stockton is blowing up.
Formed in 2021 by frontman Gustavo “Tavo” Raya-García, backing vocalist Aidan Raya-García, requinto guitarist Jorge A. Ontiveros Zúñiga, and guitarist and producer Edgar N. Lozoya Verduzco, within months of their debut, they signed to Street Mob Records. In just more than three years, they’ve amassed more than 350 million streams across platforms and earned a Top 6 debut on the Latin Albums chart.
They blend “traditional Mexican sounds with contemporary influences, [and] they’ve built a strong and loyal following by connecting with a new generation through storytelling rooted in real experiences, emotion, and cultural identity,” their bio explains.
The Diamond Dave era
If you’re a fan of Van Halen’s early years—1974 to 1985—when David Lee Roth fronted the SoCal hard rock act, you’re in for a treat when Good Medicine and Numbskull present Fan Halen at The Siren on Friday, Aug. 14 (doors at 7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.93 at goodmedicinepresents.com).
Ernie Berru fronts the tribute act and delivers some very credible DLR swagger not to mention killer stage costumes that conjure up those magical early hits such as “You Really Got Me,” “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Beautiful Girls,” “And the Cradle Will Rock …,” “Unchained,” “Dancing in the Street,” “Jump,” “Panama,” “Hot for Teacher,” and more.
They’ve been called “The World’s Most Authentic Tribute to Van Halen,” with Derek Fuller recreating the Eddie Van Halen guitar tone and ripping solos, Andy Catt as Michael Anthony delivering the low-end bass groove and high harmony backing vocals, and Michael Thompson as Alex Van Halen “behind an enormous circa 1981 18-piece double-barreled bass drum Ludwig kit delivers the thunderous rhythms and heavy artillery,” their bio explains.
Sorry, Sammy Hagar fans. This one’s for Diamond Dave lovers!
Also at The Siren …
Before Fan Halen, The Siren has a fat stack of shows this week starting with Morro Rock the Bells, an all-vinyl DJ dance party of throwbacks, old-school classics, and remixes with DJs náboh and SLO LALA on Friday, Aug. 7 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $7 to $10 at tixr.com). Also see live art created by Spencer Poulter.
Throttle plays an evening of hard and classic rock covers on Saturday, Aug. 8 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). This SLO Town band said they’re “born in the dust, waves, and wide-open backroads of SLO County,” and that they play “hard-hitting rock … built on heavy grit and unapologetic attitude.”
Grateful Dead fans check out Young and Dead, a Dead-inspired jam band on Sunday, Aug. 9 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). This Boulder, Colorado-based quintet of young musicians is “united by a deep love for the music of the Grateful Dead and a shared commitment to keeping it alive for new generations,” their bio explains. “With youthful energy and old-soul sensibility, Young and Dead honors the enduring legacy of the Grateful Dead while carving out a sound that’s uniquely their own.”
Surf’s up when Chico Detour, Richard Tripps, and Matt Nice & The Derls play on Tuesday, Aug. 11 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $6.32 at tixr.com). According to their bio, Chico Detour is “nestling up in the sweet spot between Link Wray’s surf guitar and the pop-romance of the 1950s Chicano rock movement.”
Sounding Arrow, Gary Jules, and The Breezers play on Thursday, Aug. 13 (6:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.77 at tixr.com). Sounding Arrow is the solo project of Scott Kinnebrew of Truth & Salvage Co. He’s billing the project’s sound as “an ode to easeful living.” Gary Jules is best known for his cover of Tears for Fear’s “Mad World,” which appeared in the film Donnie Darko. The Breezers is multidisciplinary artist and songwriter Evan apRoberts’ project. Should be an arty night of hipster music.
Funky town
Vinylistics 805 presents Ameega at Rod & Hammer Rock on Saturday, Aug. 8 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $44.20 at ticketweb.com). The French funk act formed in 2002 but can trace its roots to 1980 since much of the group’s materials are from leader-author-composer-arranger Zo Ramaromisa’s own catalog.
“From France to the 805, Vinylistics are honored to bring back the one and only Ameega band,” organizers announced. “The French boogie funk pioneers will be returning to the Central Coast to perform all of their hits, ‘Funkysize Now Baby,’ ‘Give Me a Pinch,’ ‘I’m Willing,’ and more. If you didn’t catch them last time, be sure that you don’t miss this rare legendary performance.”
Resonate
A cappella choral ensemble Resonance presents All Things New: Music of Beginnings and Endings in three performances: Friday, Aug. 7, at Paso’s Trinity Lutheran Church (7:30 to 9 p.m.); Saturday, Aug. 8, at SLO’s Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church (3 to 4:30 p.m.); and Sunday, Aug. 9, Arroyo Grande’s St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (3 to 4:30 p.m.). Tickets are $20 to $30 at my805tix.com.
The three concerts promise to deliver “a powerful choral experience featuring music with themes of endings and beginnings,” the ensemble announced. “The latest program, All Things New, explores themes of innovation, rebirth, death, resurrection, and hope for a glorious future through a rich collection of contemporary and classical choral works.”
Resonance was founded in 2012 and features 35 gifted vocalists from throughout SLO County. They focus on Renaissance polyphony, contemporary compositions, and music of the Lutheran choral tradition.
Americana made
Concerts in the Plaza returns on Friday, Aug. 7, with award winning Americana singer-songwriter opening act Noach Tangeras at 5 p.m. followed by beergrass party band The Mother Corn Shuckers at 6. Tangeras lists Janis Joplin, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Dolly Parton, and Grace Slick as influences. The Corn Shuckers have a killer new record, Sunset Gold, that was produced by The Mother Hips frontman Tim Bluhm. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Education Today 2026.
