If you’ve never been to the Chapman Estate on the cliffs above Shell Beach, this Friday, April 3, might be the perfect time. It’s opening night of the venue’s Sunset in the Garden live music series, and local trio Club Akusaa is playing from 5 to 7:30 p.m. ($5 donation requested; visit chapmanestatefoundation.org for more info).
“It is amazing. I love it there,” vocalist and guitarist Akusaa Powell explained. “You can bring your own food, and they have tables and chairs. It’s a beautiful place to share food with friends and listen to live music.”
They sometimes have food and drink vendors, but no outside alcohol is allowed, FYI.
Akusaa fronts Club Akusaa, a trio that includes her husband Warfus “Moon” Powell on percussion. Moon is a member of Urban 805 and formerly worked for Dimes Media, where a lot of his music ended up on radio ads. The final member is Mark Muro on drums. He hosts a popular drum circle. Akusaa also entertains at assisted care facilities.
“I do,” she said. “I play every Friday. I have a full-time job, but I only work Monday through Thursday, and on Fridays, I have four or five facilities that I rotate. I’m in a different place every Friday, singing to the elderly, which is one of my passions. I love doing that. I’ve been doing it for the last 10 years.”
Her day job is as a direct support professional at ResCare where she works with “developmentally disabled adults” who are mostly in wheelchairs.
“We take them out in the community and give them a good day or work with them inside the building on their goals. I’ve been in that field for the last eight years.”
‘I don’t [to] go entertain. I want to empower. I want to uplift. I want to encourage, and I want people to really feel like they can leave changed, leave making better decisions for their life. That’s who I am.’
—Akusaa Powell of Club Akusaa
If Akusaa’s sounding kind of saintly, it’s because she is. Moon calls her “Mother Teresa.” Her parents are from Argentina, and she grew up up singing in the church and surrounded by Latin and American music. Her trio plays originals as well as covers.
“Everybody loves my variety because I can go back from the ’50s all the way up to what’s being played now. I put a Latin twist on a lot of covers and songs. That’s the Latina in me. I do a lot of bilingual—part of the song in English and part in Spanish.”
She and Moon dream of opening a brick-and-mortar club—a physical Club Akusaa.
“People want a place to go to, want to dress up, want to go to an adult place where they can have a meal and drinks and listen to amazing talent. Moon and I, that’s our vision. We would love to see that here on the Central Coast, so I thought, ‘Why don’t we just start it from the inside out,’ you know? I’m singing, Moon decided to join me. I found Mark at the drum circle that I go to. Then I realized, this is Club Akusaa. We’re going to create it from the inside out.”
Akusaa is more than an entertainer. Her goal is to transform listeners. You can also catch Club Akusaa this month at Moonstone Cellars in Cambria on Sunday, April 19 (2 to 4 p.m.).
“I’m not just singing. I speak to them. I make sure that they’re validated. I speak between songs, and I share things that I know that someone needs to be empowered by. A lot of people have told me that.”
She recalled a woman who approached her after hearing her “hummingbird song.”
“She was ready to commit suicide, and she changed her mind because she heard my song. I don’t go [to] entertain. I want to empower. I want to uplift. I want to encourage, and I want people to leave changed, leave making better decisions for their life. That’s who I am.”
The SLO Blues Society
There’ll be a whole heapin’ mess of blues at the SLO Vets Hall this Saturday, April 4, when the SLO Blues Society whips up a three-band show headlined by Wrockinfoose (doors at 6:30, show at 7; 21-and-older; presale $26.80 via sloblues.org or $35 cash only at the door).
The Monterey Bay area powerhouse sextet delivers funky NOLA-style R&B, both originals and their own take on well-known standards. They’re led by keyboardist Luca Fredricksen, protégé of NOLA’s Walter “Wolfman” Washington and a longtime member of the Pontiax Blues Band.
Opening is soul and blues act Leslie and the Soulshakers performing tunes like “Papa was a Rolling Stone” and “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean,” as well as the Niffy’s Merrimaker house band Blues Asylum.
“This show is dedicated to the memory of our late, great longtime emcee and board member, Bill ‘Boogie’ Newell,” current SLO Blues Society president Burning James Scoolis said.
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOD MEDICINE PRESENTS
Good Medicine and Numbskull
If you’re up for an alt-rock and nu metal tribute teamed with a grunge rock tribute, Paso’s BarrelHouse Brewing is the place on Friday, April 3, when Crawling—A Tribute to Early Linkin Park and Nirvanna—Tribute to Nirvana share the bill (doors at 6 p.m.; all ages; $27.50 at goodmedicinepresents.com).
Linkin Park formed in Agoura Hills in 1996, and its first seven studio albums featured lead vocalist Chester Bennington. His suicide in 2017 effectively ended the band for seven years until it reformed in 2024 with Emily Armstrong on lead vocals.
Seattle’s Nirvana (technically they formed in Aberdeen, but you know) was a seminal grunge band formed in 1987 that was also marred by the suicide of its lead singer, Kurt Cobain, ending that group in 1994.
If you’re in the mood for some workingman country, saddle up for Silverada at The Siren on Saturday, April 4 (doors at 8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $26.47 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The band began its life as Mike and the Moonpies, but as its sound and bandleader Mike Harmeier evolved, so did its name.
Leroy from the North opens.
Also at The Siren
Morro Bay’s wonderous nightclub that I desperately wished was in downtown SLO hosts Santa Cruz surf/psych act Trestles on Wednesday, April 8 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $13.17 at tixr.com). Formed in 2021, “the band has spent the last several years developing a sound based in 1960s West Coast garage rock tradition,” according to their bio. “From their early days as a fresh-faced college rock band to their more recent years as garage revivalists, the band has consistently been the definitive face of the Santa Cruz independent music scene.”
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock
Winner of the most shows this week goes to this multi-named venue, starting when Vinylistics 805 presents Mia on Friday, April 3 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $34.42 at ticketweb.com). The Miami singer has “a whispery affectation amidst lo-fi synths,” according to her bio, and the relative newcomer is already making waves with songs like “Creatures of the Night” and “Love Me Right.” LA-based funk, disco, and R&B duo Introverted Funk and Twin Cities-based psychedelic funk and soul duo King Pari open the show.
Lovestories presents 360°: Immersive Electronic Music Show on Saturday, April 4 (doors at 8 p.m.; all ages; $23 at ticketweb.com), with Elysian Moon, Jungle Haüs, and McKenna opening.
“Boutique collective Lovestories brings a new dimension to the Central Coast with 360°, a ‘campfire-style’ showcase at SLO Brew Rock,” according to Grace Jiia of Elysian Moon. “This SLO scene is evolving, shifting from traditional party nightlife into a hub for genuine connection that draws a cross-disciplinary crowd of local artists and pioneering thought-leaders.
“The night spotlights a live-electronic dialogue from Elysian Moon—the duo of violinist/audio engineer Tyson Leonard [Tropo, Alan Parsons Project, Festival Mozaic] and Chinese-German pianist Grace Jiia,” she continued. “They remix tracks in real-time, blending organic instrumentation with electronic ‘waves’ to create a living canvas. Joining them are local curators Jüngle Haus [Dante Marsh] and McKenna.
“Electronic music is not just sound; it’s a wave that moves through our bodies,” Jiia explained. “Through the live show, we create a culture rooted on personal sovereignty and shared human experience.”
“Every set is a surprise,” Leonard, whose repertoire spans from gypsy-folk to hypnotic trance, added. “We believe underground music is the catalyst for an evolving culture.”
Finally, check out New Constellations on Wednesday, April 9 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com). The duo “is the ethereal meeting point of two lifelong creative friends: Harlee Case and Josh Smith,” they explained.
The Clark Center
Stand-up comic and actor Rob Schneider (Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Animal, The Hot Chick) brings his act on Saturday, April 4 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49 to $129 at clarkcenter.org). The three-time Emmy-nominated SNL writer “is having the best time of his life, enjoying raising his 7- and 3-year-old girls, Miranda and Madeline, with his wife, Patricia. Schneider is also the father of singer-songwriter Elle King,” according to his bio.
Next, see ABRA Cadabra, an ABBA tribute, on Thursday, April 9 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $59 to $69 at clarkcenter.org). Family friendly and replete with a dynamic live band, stunning vocals, captivating dancers, and authentic costumes—you’ll feel like you’re seeing ABBA as you hear “Mamma Mia,” and many more.
SLO PAC
Speaking of superstar tributes, is that you, Elton? Sir El Tom—a tribute to Elton John plays Cal Poly on Friday, April 3 (8 p.m.; ages 5 and older; $36.20 to $64 at pacslo.org). According to press info, “Tom Cridland began performing Elton’s music to recover from alcoholism, and has become a singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist, aka ‘Sir El Tom.’ Tom learnt the piano almost overnight during the COVID-19 lockdowns as part of his recovery, but in a couple of years he went from playing pubs to headlining theaters, amphitheaters, and arenas.”
Expect to hear “Rocket Man,” “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting),” “The Bitch Is Back,” “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me,” “Crocodile Rock,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Your Song,” “Candle In The Wind,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” and many more. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in April 2-9, 2026.