Head to the heat of Paso Robles for the California Mid-State Fair's concert series 

With the California Mid-State Fair bearing down on Paso Robles from July 20 through 31, the Biggest Little Fair Anywhere's got music coming up quick, starting with one of the most legendary rock bands of all time.

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• Photo Courtesy Of California Mid-state Fair
• LEGENDARY Journey opens the California Mid-State Fair's series of concerts at the Paso Robles Event Center's Chumash Grandstand Arena on July 20.

Journey—Grammy Award-winning guitarist and band founder Neal Schon, longtime member Jonathan Cain on the keys, and relative newcomer Arnel Pineda singing—takes over the Chumash Grandstand Arena at the Paso Robles Event Center on Wednesday, July 20 (7:30 p.m.; $38 through $133; midstatefair.com). Expect a performance that includes many of Journey's chart-topping hits such as "Don't Stop Believin'," "Any Way You Want It," "Faithfully," "Lights," and more. SLO County favorites and New Times Music Award winners Dante Marsh & The Vibe Setters will open with a mixture of island, soul, funk, and R&B with colorful melodies and heavy grooves.

On Thursday, July 21, three-time Grammy Award winner and country music star Darius Rucker hits the grandstand arena stage (7:30 p.m.; $30 to $90; midstatefair.com). Starting off as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Hootie and the Blowfish, which sold more than 25 million albums, including Cracked Rear View, Rucker released his first country album in 2008. Since then, Rucker has had four No. 1 albums on the Billboard country music chart and 10 No. 1 singles. In 2014, Rucker won his third career Grammy for Best Solo Country Performance for his version of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel."

Special guest songwriter/producer/vocalist Caylee Hammack will join Rucker. Rolling Stone called Hammack an artist to watch for her "voice to move mountains." She's opened for Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and more. Find out who's playing the Mid-State Fair on the big and small stages by visiting midstatefair.com.

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• Photos Courtesy Of Vina Robles Amphitheatre
• CO-HEADLINERS Dispatch (top) and O.A.R. (bottom) bring their summer tour into the Vina Robles Amphitheater with G. Love joining in on July 19.

The Paso Event Center isn't the only North County venue bringing in chart-toppers. Two independent acts that broke into the mainstream music scene—Dispatch and O.A.R.—stop into Vina Robles as part of their North American co-headline tour on Tuesday, July 19 (doors at 6:30; show at 8 p.m. $49.50 to $60; ticketmaster.com), with G. Love in tow.

Chadwick Stokes and Brad Corrigan formed Dispatch while in college in Vermont, forging their own path outside the mainstream music industry as one of the most successful artists in the roots rock scene. Break Our Fall, their eighth studio album released to critical acclaim. American rock band O.A.R. from Rockville, Maryland, has earned platinum and gold plaques across 11 full-length albums. Marc Roberge (lead vocals, guitar), Richard On (lead guitar), Chris Culos (drums), Benj Gershman (bass), and Jerry DePizzo (sax, guitar) formed O.A.R. while they were in high school and are celebrating 25 years together.

The Siren

Find your local mosh pit at The Siren on Friday, July 15, during a free night of punk starting at 7:30 p.m. with No Consent, MFG, and Moonsick. No Consent's hardcore punk/melodic hardcore stands against injustice, racism, abuse, and everything wrong with the world. Their debut album, Bastard Nation, was released on Feb. 5.

Nearvana and Black Daze pay tribute to the grunge rock ballads of Nirvana and Soundgarden (Chris Cornell), respectively, on Saturday, July 16 ( 8:30 p.m., doors at 8 p.m.; $17 on eventbrite.com; 21-and-over), at The Siren. Nearvana is the first and only Nirvana tribute band to have met the three surviving members of the band. "We have the approval and support of Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear!" according to press materials. Enjoy all the great Nirvana anthems, including "Come as you are," "Smells like Teen Spirit," "Lithium," and "Heart Shaped Box."

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• Photo Courtesy Of The Siren
• DOOBIE, DOOBIE, DOO Southern rapper Devin the Dude will fill The Siren with his unique style and cannabis-forward sounds on July 19.

Good Medicine Presents the doobilicious Devin The Dude and local hip-hop act Wordsauce on Tuesday, July 19, (7 p.m.; $20; goodmedicinepresents.com). A Southern rapper known for his unique style of rapping on songs like "Lacville '79," "Doobie Ashtray," and "What a Job," Devin The Dude has collaborated with some of the biggest names in rap including Snoop Dogg and Jay Z. He has deep ties to Houston's early-'90s rap scene, began releasing solo albums in 1998, and hasn't stopped with his latest in 2021, Soulful Distance.

Find Mini Nova—featuring Kenny Lee Lewis of the Steve Miller Band and Scott Martin of WAR—at The Siren on Wednesday, July 20, for a free show that starts at 7:30 p.m. Put your dancing shoes on, because this four-piece latin/jazz/funk act is an explosion of rhythm and danceable melody.

Festival Mozaic is here!

Festival Mozaic kicks off with a concert before the summer music festival takes over the Central Coast from July 23 through 30. Find composer, producer, and video artist Emily Wells at SLO Brew Rock on Thursday, July 21 (9 p.m.; $30 in advance, $35 at the door; festivalmozaic.org), as part of the festival's Late Night Series collaboration with SLO Brew. Forging a bridge between pop and chamber music, Wells builds songs from deliberate strata of vocals, synths, drums, piano, and string and wind instruments. Her evocative music (described as "visionary" by NPR) and performances (called "quietly transfixing" by The New York Times) impel listeners to be attuned. Wells' latest release is the 10-song album Regards to the End. It explores the AIDS crisis, climate change, and her lived experience "watching the world burn." Check out the full festival schedule at festivalmozaic.org.

More music and things ...

Concerts in the Plaza continues its 10-week spree of live music in SLO's Mission Plaza on Friday, July 15, with rock 'n' soul act the Damon Castillo Band. Noach Tangeras opens at 4:30 p.m.

After you're done with that concert, you can head across town to shake your moneymaker to Thee Sinseers and the Charities at SLO Brew Rock (7 p.m.; $20; slobrew.com). Straight out of East LA and led by Latinx singer-songwriter Joseph Quiñones, Thee Sinseers feature a full rhythm and brass section, and are part of a new generation of bands inspired by the interrelated lowrider and music scenes that began within the Chicano communities in the 1950s. Thee Sinseers are part of the Colemine Records family, which released their first singles in 2019, "It Was Only A Dream" and "I Don't Mind"

Feeling funny? Swing into The Fremont on Saturday, July 16, to see funny man Kevin Nealon (doors at 8 p.m.; show at 9 p.m.; all ages; $39.50 to $63; eventbrite.com). Emmy and SAG-nominated actor, comedian, and author Nealon is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live (1986 to 1995), and he's received critical acclaim for his role in the Showtime series Weeds. Most recently, Nealon starred in CBS's Man With a Plan during all four seasons.

Good Medicine Presents and Numbskull want you to hop by Bristols Cider House in Atascadero on Thursday, July 21, to enjoy the melancholy melodies of folk/americana/indie rock singer-songwriter Chris Pureka with MaryLeigh Roohan (all ages; 7 p.m.; $20; goodmedicinepresents.com). Over the Portland-based Pureka's 20-year career, she's sold nearly 50,000 albums through her own label, Sad Rabbit Records.

Nipomo's first Concerts in the Park series kicks off the summer season on Wednesday, July 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will run every other Wednesday through Sept. 14. Top 40 dance band Steppin' Out from Santa Maria will play the first of this year's five concerts in Nipomo Community Park. The Rotary Club of Nipomo and Knights of Columbus of Nipomo will offer food and beverages for sale. Δ

Editor Camillia Lanham filled in for Glen Starkey this week while he stepped out. Send music information to [email protected].