The Bay Theatre is mixing it up this week by adding a live music concert to its slate of movies. On Sunday, Feb. 2, sit back and enjoy the cello-driven blues, rock, and Americana of Dirty Cello (2 p.m.; all ages; $20 at bit.ly/dirtycello_morrobaytheatre). Dirty Cello frontwoman Rebecca Roudman gave me the lowdown.
“We’re performing at the theater because after doing hundreds of shows a year, we really know what our audience enjoys when it comes to venues: comfortable seating, good sound, not too late, and definitely not a dirty bar. The Morro Bay theater has all of that! Also, working with the theater allows us to keep ticket prices reasonable and do a 2 p.m. matinee show. We approached Cameron [Wilson], the owner, after literally walking around Morro Bay to see where the best spot for a concert would be.”
Your band tours a lot. What’s your craziest road story?
“We have enough road stories that we’re currently working on a book, and at our show, we’ll incorporate some of these stories. Our craziest one came during the lockdown when we were searching for safe places to perform outdoors. We discovered that who was still open for events were the nudist resorts. We got hooked into the ‘nude’ concert circuit, although before we get any further, I should mention that we always kept our clothes on. The sound guy was naked, which was quite an experience, and of course, the audience was as well. Before we started playing, I got a big case of the giggles and called the band over and joked that, ‘People always say when you’re nervous, to picture the audience naked,’ It turns out that that advice doesn’t work in real life.
“We started playing and everybody was dancing, which continued to make me giggle and forget my lyrics, but we were all having a great time. After some groovy rock ‘n’ roll, we came to a song in the set that was blisteringly fast bluegrass, and the audience began dancing as fast as they could, which was quite a sight. When I’m describing this to people, I always relay that the image of 150 naked people dancing vigorously is something I can never unsee.”
I think some people might think cello is an unlikely lead instrument. Has that presented problems?
“The cello is a very unlikely lead instrument, and a lot of people perceive it that way. This includes the rude judges on America’s Got Talent saying some horrible things about lead cello, bluegrass snobs requesting that I stop playing bluegrass permanently, and of course, lots of folks from the classical world that I think might be a little jealous of the amount of fun I’m having.”
Tell me about your music. I see you do some covers. How about originals?
“We do a mix of covers and originals, and with the covers, audiences will hear a totally unique spin, and with the originals, we don’t do anything sad or sappy. Our covers our chosen by audience requests that we take at every show and then go home and learn. For example, we do a rippin’ rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze.’ For our originals, we write songs about the funny things that happen to us including one of our most popular ones, which is about overhearing a couple get into an argument over a plate of onion rings.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“This live concert is an experiment at the Morro Bay theater, and we hope people join us for it. The building was built by the Army and was originally set up as a live venue. It’s undergone a ton of changes, but we’re excited to bring live performances back. We’re going to put up a stage at the front and bring in a lighting rig so everyone can see well.
“For folks that have never been to one of our shows, we want people to know that this is a casual event. We want everyone to dress comfortably and have a good time, and the show won’t be overly long. We’ll take an intermission in the middle so that everybody can hit the concession stand, which has everything you would expect to find at a movie theater.
“We suggest folks make a day of it in beautiful Morro Bay. Perhaps lunch beforehand or an early dinner after the show. We’ll be visiting Scout Coffee before we play to get ready for our high-energy show.”
Permission to come aboard?
Don’t deny it. You love you some Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze.” You sing along to Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle.” You know all the words to the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes.” It’s OK to admit you love yacht rock, and the good news is Yächtly Crëw is returning to town to play the Fremont Theater and make all your soft rock dreams come true on Sunday, Feb. 2 (8 p.m.; all ages; $43.74 at prekindle.com).
I spoke to frontman Philly Ocean (aka Phillip Daniel) for their upcoming gig. So, how did yacht rock become cool again?
“I think that music has always been beloved. The ’70s and ’80s soft rock hits have been a part of our cultural DNA for a long time. I can tell you, all of us in the band, we never stopped listening to this stuff. This is like the soundtrack of my life. Calling it yacht rock and getting back into the fun of this music is giving people permission to come out of the closet, so to speak, and say, ‘I love this music too, and I’m not afraid to let my freak flag fly.'”
What was the thinking on the matching outfits?
“We didn’t overthink it. We just wanted to have fun with it. You see us and think, ‘Why are these guys dressed like yacht captains? Oh, they play yacht rock.’ We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously, but let’s make sure the music sounds as good as people expect. That’s what we’ve always been about: putting on the best show; playing this music to the best of our ability; making sure people are having a great time when they come to see us live.”
The outfits also make them immediately recognizable; it’s their brand. They’re not the only soft rock homage act, but they’re so well known that they were featured in HBO’s Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary, which interviewed a bunch of the original yacht rockers of the ’70s and ’80s.
“That was cool to be recognized and legitimized in that way.”
They’re also signed to Jimmy Buffett’s Mailboat Records label.
“It’s been a pretty awesome ride so far.”
I asked Philly to sell his show to a first-timer.
“I think it was the OC Register that called us the KISS of soft rock. We’re a very high-energy show. It’s a lot of fun, a huge party. Our audience members show up wearing captain’s hats—they dress the part and want to be involved. I would encourage people to do the same. Get a bunch of friends together. Make up some piña coladas at the house. Get yourself a captain’s hat or buy one at the show. It’s just a lot of fun. That’s really what it’s all about. When you get there and feel the vibe, you’ll get what I’m talking about. Everybody is just there to have a good time and sing these songs at the top of their lungs with us.”
Get ready to (soft) rock!
“We’re super excited to be back up there in San Luis Obispo. We love that town and have been playing there for a lot of years. We have a great following up there, and we’re looking forward to seeing the ‘Crëwpies,’ as we call them.”
Minor miracles
The San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony (SLOYS) presents its winter concert at the Cuesta College Cultural and Performing Arts Center on Monday, Feb. 3 (6:30 p.m.; all ages; $15 at tiny.universitytickets.com/49vbsu24, kids 12 and under free). I spoke to Preparatory Strings Conductor Grace Seng, who’s also the SLO Symphony’s music education manager, about the upcoming concert that will feature the SLOYS Concerto Competition winner, Emerald Shanks, performing Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 in D Major.
What are the challenges and rewards for teaching children how to play music?
“It’s challenging that all of our students and families are very busy with academics and sports or other activities. We greatly appreciate the commitment our families show to making Youth Symphony a priority. We have students who travel from Paso Robles and Orcutt to SLO every Monday to come to rehearsals!
“The biggest reward is that music can be a deeply satisfying lifelong activity. We have several former Youth Symphony students who now play in the SLO Symphony or have gone on to arts performance careers. Even if students don’t become professional musicians, they hopefully develop a lifelong appreciation for classical music and live concert performances from their experiences with the Youth Symphony.”
How much preparation has gone on for these kids leading up to the concert?
“We’ve been working on these pieces since after our last concert in November. We rehearse only once a week, so we have to prepare a lot of music in a very limited time.”
Tell me a little about Emerald Shanks. How difficult is Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D Major?
“Emerald Shanks won our concerto competition held in December for the opportunity to perform as the soloist with our top ensemble at our upcoming concert. Any concerto is very difficult to prepare and perform with an orchestra, and Emerald has memorized and polished her performance. This Haydn Concerto is filled with fast, dazzling passages and is bright and cheerful music. It’s been a lot of fun for the orchestra to learn the music and accompany Emerald in the past few rehearsals preparing for our concert.”
What should attendees expect at the Cuesta concert?
“All four of our ensembles will perform three to four pieces. Preparatory Strings is our beginner ensemble, Academy Strings is our intermediate string group conducted by Tanya Streder, Symphonic Winds is our intermediate winds group conducted by Al Streder, and Concert Orchestra is our advanced full orchestra conducted by Christopher J. Woodruff. The concerts are generally around one hour long.”
Anything else people should know?
“You can also see our Youth Symphony students performing in the PAC lobby before each of the SLO Symphony concerts from 7 to 7:15 p.m. The next SLO Symphony concert is on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the SLO Performing Arts Center (tickets at pacslo.org).”
The rest of the best
Numbskull and Good Medicine present Portland-based Glitterfox at The Siren on Sunday, Feb. 2 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.41 at goodmedicinepresents.com), with local R&B act Hot 45 opening. Glitterfox is on a roll, releasing five singles in just six months under their new record label Kill Rock Stars.
SoCal rapper Shwayze plays The Siren on Tuesday, Feb. 4 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.93 or $107.33 VIP at goodmedicinepresents.com), with Bikini Trill and Twin Fin opening. Shwayze, née Aaron Smith, has “a top 10 album, Billboard chart-topping singles including ‘Buzzin’ and ‘Corona & Lime,’ a rock-doc reality show on MTV, and a number of roles in feature films and major network television,” according to his bio.
Americana and roots singer-songwriter Jackie Greene plays The Siren on Thursday, Feb. 6 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $35.74 at goodmedicinepresents.com). According to his bio, he’s “a jack-of-all-trades, and an artist who can croon over soulful piano ballads as much as he can shred a bluesy guitar solo (like he did as the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes in 2013).”
The Holdup plays SLO’s Libertine on his I Owe the IRS 60K Dollars tour on Thursday, Feb. 6 (8 p.m.; all ages; $24.41 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Dylan Reese opens.
The Holdup (aka Michael Garmany) creates “his own brand of groovy, melody driven, pop music, borrowing influences from R&B, reggae, and hip-hop. Often mistaken for a group, The Holdup has been a one-man labor in the studio, with Garmany writing, producing, performing, and engineering everything you hear on his albums,” his bio explains.
Indie/alternative rock act Big Sierra plays The Siren on Friday, Jan. 31 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $13.17 at tixr.com) with the James River Band.
Also at The Siren, see Flannel 101 when they rock their Ultimate ’90s Party on Saturday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com). Δ
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 9, 2025.