Have you caught Ali Siddiq’s act? The independent comedian’s YouTube channel gets a crazy number of views. Millions have streamed his 2025 standup special, My Two Sons, which is funny as hell. He lays out the differences between his oldest son, Trey, and his youngest, Hassan, and he spares them no mercy.
During a recent phone call, I asked him how his kids felt being used in his routine.
“I don’t think they really have no choice,” he laughed. “You know, they’re not living their own life. When they start paying their own bills, maybe they can have a say so, but until then, ‘Hey, this is how you eat.’”
Ali, born Siddiq Nasir Abdullah Ali in Houston, Texas, where he still lives, isn’t so much a set-up-a-punchline comic as he is a masterful and animated storyteller. Onstage, he uses a stool, a small table, and the microphone as props, visually recounting moments in his life. His body language and facial expressions do the rest. Most amazingly, his stories are true.
“I don’t tell fake stores. I don’t do bits,” he claimed. “I stay genuine to the story. My mentor told me years ago that the funniest you’d ever be is based on how honest you want to be, so I just want to be honest. I just have to recall the story. I don’t punch it up. I just say it.”
In his routine, he talks about being in four shootouts. He had a rough-and-tumble youth. When he was 19, he was convicted of cocaine trafficking and did six years of a 15-year sentence.
Now 52, he talks about boxing his adult son, Trey, after he refused to take out the trash. It was a one-punch fight. He talks about his younger son, Hassan, and how bougie he is because of his easy life. There are also some moving moments in his special. Ali’s always ready to welcome Trey back home after he moved out but struggled to live on his own.
“I’m really trying to drive home a point of how many people are lost in this world, and why they’re lost, kind of give a human touch to why things happen. I wasn’t gonna make it hard because that’s not my job. I always have to be the hand that he can reach to, but his siblings, on the other hand, that’s different. Y’all have at it,” he laughed.
My Two Sons earned Ali an NAACP Image Award nomination, and he has a theory why.
“I think that it’s probably the fact that it was a father showing the difference between the two young men in his life and taking some sort of responsibility for how they see the world. You know, Trey was with me when I was in a different place, and then Hassan is with me when I’m in a more comfortable place, so they’re going to have two different outlooks on things.”
Good Vibez presents stand-up comic Ali Siddiq on his In the Shadows tour at the Fremont Theater on Sunday, Feb. 15 (doors at 6, show at 7 p.m.; all ages; $40.14 to $154.73 at prekindle.com).
Also from Good Vibez this week at the Fremont, get nostalgic with It’s a 2000s Party on Friday, Feb. 13 (doors and show at 9 p.m.; 18-and-older; $33.96 at prekindle.com). Hear everything from Britney Spears to Eminem.
Hip-hop’s in the house when Bravo the Bagchaser and Lou Deezi join forces on their R2DC Tour on Saturday, Feb. 14 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $39.11 general or $94.73 to $154.73 VIP at prekindle.com). Lil Maru opens.
Guitar great Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra play on Tuesday, Feb. 17 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $40.14 to $77.22 at prekindle.com). Liebert, a global phenomenon, began playing guitar at 11. The German-born New Age artist creates Spanish-influenced compositions, and four of his more than 30 studio albums are Grammy-nominated.
Finally, #IMOMSOHARD: The Flashback Tour bring the laughs on Thursday, Feb. 19 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $39.11 to $94.22 at prekindle.com). What began as a web series by real-life best friends, comedians, and moms Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley has become a comedy cottage industry with their videos garnering nearly 300 million views as they discuss “hemorrhoids, nipple hair, sex after marriage, mom bods, spanks, wedding dresses, and swimsuits,” their bio explains.
Take your medicine
Good Medicine and Numbskull present Long Beach-based surf rock act Tijuana Panthers at The Libertine on Friday, Feb. 13 (7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $17 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Apparently, The Libertine has been getting pushback from neighbors about noise from the venue’s shows, and they have complained to the city. Local musician Vince Cimo started an online petition at change.org. Sign it if you want to save live music in downtown SLO.
Good Medicine and Numbskull also present Jonny Fritz at The Siren on Sunday, Feb. 15 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.90 at goodmedicinepresents.com). He calls his mix of country and western music Dad Country—“a theme park tailor made for dads.” According to his bio, he’s a leatherworker who’s “made guitar straps for all your favorite bands and he even co-wrote the hit song ‘All Your Favorite Bands’ (with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes).” Local singer-songwriter Derek Senn opens.
Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX present Rebirth Brass Band in The Siren on Thursday, Feb. 19 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $29.56 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The Grammy Award-winning band is New Orleans royalty and has been for nearly four decades as they’ve combined jazz, funk, soul, R&B, and Second Line sounds.
Push it!
Energetic, rock-infused cover band PUSH plays at The Siren on Friday, Feb. 13 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $5 cash or $6.50 card at tixr.com). You’ll hear hits from the ’70s to today.
Powerhouse vocalist Jessica Mangione fronts the band. Hailing from a musical family, Mangione was a session singer for California radio stations by age 8. At 18, she landed her first record deal, and her debut release, “You Better Be Good To Me,” reached the Top 5 on European charts.
The band also includes Chris Tso (lead guitar and vocals), Paul Choboter (bass and vocals), and Jim Moran (drums).
“Hear your favorite songs from Prince to Donna Summer to AC/DC,” Tso said. “Get ready to dance!”
Also at The Siren, surf, rock, funk, and soul act Riff Tide plays a free matinee show on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older).
Later that night, three-time Grammy-nominated reggae act The Wailing Souls performs on Saturday, Feb. 14 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $26.42 at tixr.com). The Jamaican vocal group started back in the ’60s, and while it’s had some lineup changes over the years, Winston “Pipe” Matthews and Lloyd “Bread” McDonald have been with the group since the beginning.
Jah Ollin opens.
Smorgasbord of sound
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock brings Grateful Dead tribute band The China Cats to the club on Saturday, Feb. 14 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). The Santa Cruz band has been performing the music of the Grateful Dead since 2010.
IMVA and Los Tranquilos play what’s being billed as Noche de Amor (night of love) on Sunday, Feb. 15 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). IMVA delivers pumping R&B and soul. Los Tranquilos is inspired by ’60s and ’70s romanticas, soul, and psychedelia from México and all Latin America. DJ Mana opens
Tripleheader at The Clark Center
AMAZ Entertainment presents Jack Wright’s national touring tribute Neil Diamond Superstar on Saturday, Feb. 14 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $45 to $65 at clarkcenter.org). The show chronicles five decades of Diamond’s remarkable career and songs such as “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Solitary Man,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and many more.
The Three Italian Tenors perform on Monday, Feb. 16 (7 p.m.; all ages; $45 to $69 at clarkcenter.org). Straight from Rome, hear Giovanni Maria Palmia, Ugo Tarquini, and Alessandro Fantoni delivering beloved Italian songs and arias, accompanied by pianist Fabrizio Mocata.
International Guitar Night comes to the Clark Center on Wednesday, Feb. 18 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $38 to $64 at clarkcenter.org). The 2026 tour features classical guitarist and certified guitar teacher Thu Le (Vietnam), rock-flamenco phenom Lucas Imbiriba (Brazil), fingerstyle sensation Alexandr Misko (Russia), and IGN’s first-ever ukulele star, Taimane (Hawaii).
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF CAL POLY ARTS
‘Ethno chaos’
Cal Poly Arts presents Kyiv-based quartet DakhaBrakha at the Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Feb. 19 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $35 to $55 at calpolyarts.org). They call their sound “ethno chaos” because it’s “a bold fusion of traditional Ukrainian polyphony with global influences like African rhythms, Indian melodies, and punk energy,” Cal Poly Arts announced.
The four members came together in 2004 at the DAKH Center for Contemporary Art, and “the group’s theatrical roots shape their visually rich performances, often accompanied by striking imagery of contemporary Ukraine.”
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF MAMA’S BROKE
O Canada
Seven Sisters Folklore Society presents A Midwinter’s Night with Mama’s Broke at the Milking Parlor at the Octagon Barn on Wednesday, Feb. 18 (7 to 9 p.m.; all ages; $25 general or $15 under 18 presale at eventbrite.com or $30 at the door). The Canadian folk duo “interweaves age-old music form and tradition with original modern compositions,” organizers announced.
Lisa and Amy juggle fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and foot percussion, drawing from old-time, Quebecois, blues, punk, Celtic, Balkan, and doom metal. An old-time jam session starts at 6 before the 7 p.m. show.
Dying for love
Local supergroup MiniNova is cleverly billing their upcoming concert “Jason vs. Cupid: Friday the 13th Showdown!” The all-star lineup features Scott Martin (sax and vocals) and Rene Camacho (bass) of War, Kenny Lee Lewis (guitar and vocals) of the Steve Miller Band, Cal Poly Jazz Director Jamaal Baptiste (piano), and local drumming legend Jim Stromberg.
“Step into a night where romance meets horror, where funk meets jazz, and where Friday the 13th collides head-on with Cupid’s arrow,” the band announced. “Get ready for a one-of-a-kind musical battle: Jason vs. Cupid.”
Danceable funk, rock, soul, and jazz are on the menu when MiniNova plays The Gathering House on Friday, Feb. 13 (11245 Los Osos Valley Road, in SLO; 7 p.m.; $23.27 general admission or $33.98 table seating at my805tix.com). ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Health & Wellness 2026.