Every summer Friday, Mission Plaza turns into a community gathering spot for people who love live music, cold beers, fine wine, and community vibes, and this Friday, July 3, marks the 30th anniversary of Concerts in the Plaza, a long-running SLO Town tradition. To celebrate, Downtown SLO has something very special in store when it hosts the 30th Anniversary Block Party with two stages, five bands, six-hours of live music, vendors, and art installations.
Expect the Broad Street dogleg to be closed from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Public and pedestrian access through Mission Plaza, across the Warden Bridge, and on the streets, will not be restricted. Art installations by Mandala Umbra will be constructed. Expect onstage giveaways, a photo booth, line dancing with Nexus Dance. Also, you can access novelty services such as permanent jewelry, hair accessories, and face painting.
The event begins at 1:45 p.m. with a reading of the Declaration of Independence by SLO City Council members. R&B, classic rock, and oldies band Soul Kool with play from 2 to 3:15 p.m. on the Main Stage. Folk and country act Max MacLaury & The Compromisers follow from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. At 6:15 p.m., expect remarks from Mayor Erica A. Stewart, followed by the headliner, Americana rockers Moonshiner Collective.
Meanwhile on the Broad Street Stage, local rock act ghost/monster plays from 3 to 4:30 p.m., followed by the “cosmic mountain music” of Wolf Jett from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
‘One damn thing I know for sure, honey/ This life ain’t over ’til it’s over/ I know that someday we’ll get to see what it all means/ And until I get unlucky I’ll just keep on rolling/ Till I see you on the other side of life/ Don’t give up on me now.’
—Chris Jones, Wolf Jett
That’s a lot of great acts, but I’m really looking forward to Wolf Jett, which was co-founded in 2020 by lifelong friends Chris Jones (guitar and vocals) and Jon Payne (drums). Jones is the Tennessee-born frontman with a cool Southern-fried vocal sound. Payne’s drumming is right in the groove pocket. Their all-original music mixes folk, soul, and Americana, and they’re currently performing with Duncan Shipton (bass), Allyson Makuch (vocals), Rory Cloud (guitar), and Alex Benjamin (keys/percussion).
I think my current favorite Wolf Jett song is “Don’t Give Up on Me Now,” on which Jones sings, “One damn thing I know for sure, honey/ This life ain’t over ’til it’s over/ I know that someday we’ll get to see what it all means/ And until I get unlucky I’ll just keep on rolling/ Till I see you on the other side of life/ Don’t give up on me now.”
It’s super hooky.
This whole event promises to be awesome!
Australian wunderkind
Good Medicine and Numbskull present ripping guitar prodigy Taj Farrant at The Siren on Wednesday, July 8 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $40.89 general or $92.39 more to add meet-and-greet at goodmedicinepresents.com). Now 17, at age 9, he appeared on Australia’s Got Talent and blew the crowd away.
Viral social media posts propelled him further into the public consciousness and led him to music festivals like Big Blues Bender in Vegas, Telluride’s Blues & Brew, and Australia’s Bluesfest. He’s collaborated with musicians such as Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy, and the Hendrix Experience team.
His 2024 debut album, Chapter One, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Charts. If you’re a guitar fan, don’t miss him!
Four on the dance floor
The Siren plans to keep you on your toes this week starting with Legends classic rock band on Friday, July 3 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). They’ll play your favorite ’80s rock and classic rock hits from AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Alice In Chains, and many more.
Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Desiderata “blends tight, irresistible grooves with timeless melodies and modern funk energy—think Fleetwood Mac meets Chromeo,” according to their bio. “Fronted by Autumn Ford’s silky, pop-infused vocals, the five-piece draws inspiration from desert sunsets, mountain vistas, close friendships, and neon-lit dance floors. Their sound fuses soul, pop, funk, indie, disco, and rock into something warm, rhythmic, and effortlessly danceable.” See them on Saturday, July 4 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; free).
LA-based glam indie pop/alternative rock band Second Paloma plays on Tuesday, July 7 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). “Second Paloma’s sound sits somewhere between indie pop, art rock, and alternative, with a little alt-country influence—melodic, playful, danceable, and emotionally charged,” bassist Howie Fitzgerald explained in an email. “We’re currently building toward our first studio releases and using this tour to connect with regional music communities up and down the coast.”
Second Paloma’s debut single, “Camera,” was just released.
Finally, Dizgo plays on Thursday, July 9 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.77 at tixr.com). The band was “born from attic jam sessions between childhood friends Andrew Pickel and Kevin Hinnefeld,” their bio explains. Their “story began with two guitars, a tape recorder, and a dream—literally. The band’s name came to Hinnefeld in a dream, before their first gig, reflecting the cosmic, boundary-breaking sound they’d soon deliver.”
The Bloomington-based quartet also features Jake Evatt on keys/vocals and Justin Clark on drums.
Power trio!
SLO Brew Live presents High Fade on their Twice as Nice Tour at Rod & Hammer Rock on Thursday, July 9 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). Hailing from Scotland, the funk rock trio—founder Harry Valentino (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sentence (bass), and Heath Campbell (drums)—have enjoyed viral hits with tracks such as “Burnt Toast & Coffee,” “Gossip,” “Burnin’,” and their cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon.”
“Drawing inspiration from funk, rock, disco, jazz, metal, punk, soul, and beyond, High Fade has developed a sound that explodes out of a rip-roaring melting point of musical influences and tears at the fabric of space time by managing to feel simultaneously fresh and retro,” their bio explains.
Turning Jane opens.
Portland’s finest
In the ’90s, Everclear was everywhere and nowhere. If you were into them, you were in the cool club, but despite some modest success with singles like “Heroin Girl,” “Santa Monica,” “Everything to Everyone,” and “I Will Buy You a New Life,” wide success seemed just beyond their grasp until “Father of Mine” got traction and catapulted the band into the mainstream.
Their third album, So Much for the Afterglow, charted to No. 33 on the Billboard Album Chart and reached double-platinum sales, and the hits just kept on coming: “Wonderful,” “AM Radio,” a cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”—they were hot.
Founder, vocalist, and guitarist Art Alexakis knew how to write edgy angsty songs, driven by his challenging life. He was reportedly abused and abandoned as a child by his father. He struggled with addiction. At 12, he saw his brother overdose and die. His girlfriend committed suicide. His songs remain impactful, and there’s supposedly a new album coming out, the first since 2015. In 2019, following a minor car accident, he was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and discovered he’d been living with the disease for 20 years.
This guy is the poster child for resilience. Everclear plays the Santa Barbara County Fair at the Santa Maria Fairpark on Thursday, July 9 (7 p.m.; free with fair admission, though you can upgrade for a VIP experience at santabarbaracountyfair.com/entertainment).
Music and story
Get in on the ground floor of Transitions-Mental Health Association’s (TMHA) new concert series, Roots and Rhythm, held the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at Growing Grounds Downtown (956 Chorro St., 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; all ages; free, though donations for the performers are encouraged). The first performer is award-winning singer-songwriter Derek Senn on Wednesday, July 8.
“TMHA is launching a regular music series on the patio behind Growing Grounds Downtown,” TMHA Community Engagement Director Michael Kaplan explained. “This is the brainchild of [singer-songwriters] Ynana Rose and Cate Armstrong. The quick and simple is that this is a music and storytelling series to raise awareness and invite conversations around mental health and wellness, while offering live music in a beautiful downtown setting.”
Ynana Rose will host the new series, and upcoming performers include Azere Wilson, Ricky Berger, Emily Laliotis, Natalie Haskins, and Miss Leo. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in July 2-9, 2026.
