The 2022 New Times Music Awards showcase takes center stage at SLO Brew Rock on Nov. 4 

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If you love the local music scene, there's one place to be this weekend. Friday, Nov. 4, is going to be a night to remember when SLO Brew Rock once again hosts the New Times Music Awards showcase (7 to 9:30 p.m.; all ages; $15 at my805tix.com).

Back in July and August, local performers from SLO and Northern Santa Barbara counties began submitting entries for the 14th annual contest, and now after the judging and planning, the night we've all been waiting for is finally here.

Performers will include Jacqui Bomben (youth), Jody Mulgrew (songwriter), Megan Stoneson (open), Ha Keem & Vincent Angelo (hip-hop/rap), Susan Ritchie (R&B/blues), Dead Magic (rock/alternative), Stephen Styles (county/folk/Americana), and Derek Senn (album). New Times will also present second and third place awards in all the categories, the Readers' Choice Award, the Local Legend Award, and the Best Live Performance Award.

This promises to be an eclectic evening of multiple music genres from our scene's finest performers. Come out and support your friends and neighbors—the folks who make the Central Coast music scene what it is.

Also at SLO Brew Rock, next Thursday, Nov. 10, see Dirtwire and Ghost Catcher with Vincent Antone and Banjoelectric (7 p.m.; all ages; $20 at ticketweb.com). Headliner Dirtwire is tricky to describe. They play everything from jaw harps to space fiddles, whamola basses to Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitars, creating music the band describes as "back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang."

Numbskull and Good Medicine, and The Siren

Known by his stage name Son Little, Aaron Earl Livingston was "conceived in a cabin overlooking the Delaware River in upstate New York," according to his bio. His most recent album, Like Neptune, finds the R&B artist navigating his own trauma—sexual abuse by a neighbor when he was just 5 years old.

After years of anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and existential dread—which he self-medicated with alcohol, drugs, or sex—a car crash and arrest led him into therapy in 2017.

"One day in therapy, I started talking to myself—to that annoying inner voice that criticizes everything when you mess up. I asked them how old they were, and they said '10.' I asked if they knew who I was, or how old I was, and they said 'no!' Strange as it all seems, it's had some amazing results. I'm able to soothe and comfort my inner ... children."

This Thursday, Nov. 3, Good Medicine and Numbskull bring Son Little with special guests Moorea Masa & The Mood to The Siren (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at goodmedicinepresents.com).

Also this week at The Siren, see Flannel 101—The Ultimate '90s Party Rock Band on Friday, Nov. 4 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 at eventbrite.com). Get your grunge on.

Candy O—The Ultimate Tribute to The Cars and Ric Ocasek comes on Sunday, Nov. 5 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $16 at eventbrite.com). Hear the classics.

Grammy winner Louie Ortega plays a Veterans Benefit Concert on Monday, Nov. 6 (4 to 7 p.m.; $20 each or two for $30 at my805tix.com). This concert raises funds and awareness for the Veterans Express Shuttle Service operated by Ride-On Transportation of SLO County. In addition to Louie Ortega and the All-Stars, Louie's talented daughter Talia Ortega is a special guest.

Finally, Hawthorne Heights, Fair Catch, and Bears Among Men play on Tuesday, Nov. 7 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $25 to $75 at eventbrite.com).

Emo act Hawthorne Heights broke out with "Ohio is for Lovers," which found airplay on MTV and national radio. Soon after, the Dayton, Ohio, band found itself at the forefront of the emo or post-hardcore scene.

The Fremont Theater

There's a big lineup coming to downtown SLO, starting with Britain's dance-music-maker-in-chief SG Lewis on Monday, Nov. 7 (8 p.m.; all ages; $26 at seetickets.us). "Everything I do stems from club culture," he said in press materials. Mindchatter opens.

Colorado rockers Big Head Todd and The Monsters plays the Fremont on Tuesday, Nov. 8 (8 p.m.; all ages; $39 at seeticket.us). The band hit the ground running in 1986 and scored a platinum album with 1993's Sister Sweetly, and its breakout single "Broken Hearted Savior."

Formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1999, Gypsy punk act Gogol Bordello is one of those bands that demands to be seen live. Their theatrical stage show and mix of punk and Romani music driven by accordion and violin is simply a romp. They play on Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8 p.m.; all ages; $35 at seeticket.us).

"My focus is always on staying experiential," Gogol bandleader Eugene Hütz said in press materials. "Go for first-hand information, transmute it into wisdom, and share it with the people in a communal celebration."

Finally, mark your calendar for reggae superstars Steel Pulse next Thursday, Nov. 10 (9 p.m.; all ages; $30 at seetickets.us).

More music ...

Otter Productions Inc. and Country Roots present Midland on its Last Resort Tour this Friday, Nov. 4, at the Avila Beach Golf Resort (doors at 4 p.m.; show at 6 p.m.; all ages; $45 to $146.50 VIP at countryrootslive.com), with Jonathan Terrell opening. Midland hails from Dripping Springs, Texas, and is touring in support of their third record, The Last Resort: Greetings From, which was released in May. If you dig the kind of vocal harmonies that made The Eagles famous, don't miss them!

San Francisco bluesy hard rock powerhouse Hell on Wheels and local surf psychedelic Cali rockers Murder Hornets play Rock the Odd, coming to SLO's Odd Fellows Hall this Friday, Nov. 4 (7 to 10 p.m.; all ages; $10 at my805tix.com and at the door).

Cal Poly's Wind Bands and Mustang Band present the annual Bandfest concert on Friday, Nov. 4 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $15 to $20 general and $10 for students at the Cal Poly Ticket Office or by calling (805) 756-4849). Nearly 300 students will perform in Miossi Hall of the Performing Arts Center.

The SLO Symphony's Family Fall Festival Fundraiser happens this Saturday, Nov. 5 (noon; all ages; $50 for a family of four or five; $40 for couples; $20 individuals at slos.secure.force.com) at SLO's Octagon Barn. Your ticket includes food, games, and music. There's also a raffle with prizes such as Festival Mozaic tickets, a PAC gift card, Botanical Gardens gift certificates, and Melodrama tickets. Money raised benefits education programs including the Youth Symphony, music van, Instrument Petting Zoo, and Strings in the Schools program.

Festival Mozaic presents pianist Stewart Goodyear on Sunday, Nov. 6 (2 p.m.; $52 at ovationtix.com) in the Performing Arts Center Pavilion. The Los Angeles Times calls him "a phenomenon" and The Philadelphia Inquirer hails him as "one of the best pianists of his generation." Works will include Bach, Bologne, and Beethoven, as well as an original composition.

Cal Poly Arts presents Olivier Latry playing the Forbes Organ Series on Tuesday, Nov. 8 (7:30 p.m.; $32 general at calpolyarts.org and $10 for students with an ID at the Cal Poly Ticket Office). The renowned French organist is one of three titular players at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. He'll give a pre-concert lecture about the Notre-Dame Cathedral organ restoration after the 2019 fire. Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].