Are you ready to feel the love? Lovestories presents Jungle Masquerade with Elysian Moon and Friends at Kreuzberg on Friday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. to midnight; 21-and-older; $25 presale at posh.vip/e/lovestories-presents-jungle-masquarade or $30 at the door).
The friends include Jüngle Haus, Juan Travolta, Jose Madre, EV b2b WLCX, Devin From Heaven, and Okay AJ spinning music to set the vibe.
Elysian Moon, featuring pianist Grace Jiia and violinist Tyson Leonard, is a live electronic duo creating house music and progressive sounds. Leonard also performs under the name Tropo.
“Our goal is to create spaces for people to dream,” Tropo said.
“People ask, ‘What does Elysian Moon mean?’ I’m still discovering. Yet I know this … for me, it’s a feeling that is free and incredibly beautiful,” Jiia added.
‘I want this to be a dance club space for people to write the stories that define their lives.’
—Tropo, musician and producer
“It’s magical realism,” Tropo continued. “I’ve been doing this my whole life. … I listen to the beat of my heart because the more I trust it, the more magic happens. I feel lucky to travel the world producing shows in ancient amphitheaters as well as performing with Elysian Moon and meticulously fine-tuning tracks in the studio. I want this to be a dance club space for people to write the stories that define their lives. And we are here to create that in our hometown.”
Show producer Lovestories is “a community of music lovers centered around progressive world sounds, good friends, and high vibes.”
Are you ready to join the community?
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DEVIL MAKES THREE
Big Vibez at the Fremont
Good Vibez has a bunch of great shows this week at the Fremont Theater starting when they team with (((folkYEAH!))) to present The Devil Makes Three on Friday, Oct. 23 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $55.59 at prekindle.com).
Formed in 2002 in Santa Cruz, this genre-bending trio delivers infectious Americana tunes with punk rock sensibilities. I’ve seen them so many times and they never disappoint. Two Runner opens.
Blues and blues rock artist Gary Clark Jr. plays on Saturday, Oct. 24 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $69.50 at prekindle.com). The Grammy winner also manages to work some soul, R&B, hip-hop, funk, and jazz elements into his sound.
Just so you know, “This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of cellphones, cameras, or recording devices will not be permitted in the performance space,” the venue announced. “Upon arrival at the venue, all phones will be secured in Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event.” Xavier Lynn opens.
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF FORTUNE FEIMSTER
Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Comedy Tour arrives on Sunday, Oct. 25, with an early show (doors at 4, show at 5 p.m.) and a later show (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $47.09 to $99.62 at prekindle.com), but the 5 p.m. is nearly sold out. You’ll find better seats at the 8 p.m.
I love her unpretentious, folksy comedy style. The North Carolinian leans into her Southern charm and self-deprecation. Such a great storyteller!
The Michael Franti Trio makes a stop on its Heartstrings & Dynamite Tour on Tuesday, Oct. 27 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $39.11 to $75.78 at prekindle.com). Franti is a globally revered musician, activist, and award-winning filmmaker known for his philanthropic efforts and unshakable optimism. Wheeland Brothers open.
The film YES: Keys to Ascension screens on Wednesday, Oct. 28 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $15 at prekindle.com). Thirty years ago, in March of 1996, Yes played three sold-out shows at the Fremont Theater and filmed the performances. The film captured the progressive rock band performing their most iconic songs such as “Close to the Edge,” “And You and I,” “Awaken,” “Roundabout,” and “Starship Trooper.” Now you can watch the movie in the theater where it was filmed.
Finally, Cal Poly’z Biggest 18+ Halloween Party happens on Thursday, Oct. 29 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.78 at prekindle.com). “Costumes on. Lights low. Packed-room energy all night,” organizers announced. “Three-hundred-plus events nationwide. Thousands of college students. More sold-out nights than we can count. Different cities. Different campuses. Same result. Cal Poly, you’re next.”
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF SWINGIN’ UTTERS
Take your medicine
Good Medicine and Numbskull have a bunch of fun ones this week starting with Swingin’ Utters at Club Car Bar on Friday, Oct. 23 (7 p.m.; all ages; $23.90 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Cowpunk adds accordion and strings to standard punk rock instrumentation. Sweet Reaper opens.
Country artist Jay Webb on his Homesick Tour plays The Siren on Tuesday, Oct. 27 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.93 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Raised in Alabama, he pens gritty narrative songs delivered with outlaw country rap style featuring lyrics that cut deep. On “Bury Me With Bourbon” he sings, “Burnin’ your memory in this cigarette/ I smoke like a chimney and drink like a fish/ Wish you were with me, ah, damn, I regret/ Lettin’ you slip right through my fingertips.” Lil Man J opens.
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF MISSING PIECE
Southern gentleman, ex-boxer (he fought Roberto Duran!), and masterful songwriter Paul Thorn returns to The Siren on Wednesday, Oct. 28 (6:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $37.80 at goodmedicinepresents.com). He’s touring in support of Life Is Just A Vapor, which is packed with inspiring songs, including the title track that recounts a real-life story about Thorn and the late great John Prine: “Life is a vapor, let’s live it while we can.” There are also songs about resilience like “Tough Times Don’t Last” where he sings “tough times don’t last, but tough people do,” and songs about soldiering on like “Old Melodies” that remind listeners that “any mountain up ahead is just a hill.”
“I like for people to be touched by music and get something from it, something that they can take with them throughout the day,” Thorn explained on his website. “Every song on this album, there’s a message in it of some sort about how to live life.”
Tunnel Vision plays The Siren on Thursday, Oct. 29 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20.29 at goodmedicinepresents.com.com). Hailing from San Clemente California, they’ve played reggae rock since 2012.
Also at The Siren …
EMO Kids return on Friday, Oct. 23 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.77 at tixr.com). Hear covers songs by My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, The All American Rejects, Blink-182, and more. Expect two hours of your favorite emo hits.
Blue Street Jazz Band play on Saturday, Oct. 24 (2 to 5 p.m. p.m.; 21-and-older; free) with special guest boogie-woogie pianist and radio personality Carl Sonny Leyland. Expect Dixieland jazz and the music of Kid Ory, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, and Louis Armstrong.
Credit: COURTESY PHOTO BY ASHLEY BELIVEAU
BYO spliff
SLO Brew Live presents LA reggae artists Arise Roots at The Rock SLO on Friday, Oct. 23 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). Formed in 2010, the band’s intent is to “create a fresh reggae sound with a modern feel that appeals to all walks of life without compromising the true feel of roots reggae,” their bio explains.
Local favorite True Zion opens.
Beatlemania
West Coast Performing Arts Concerts presents Ticket to Ride: The Beatles Concert Experience at the Clark Center on Saturday, Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49 to $79 at clarkcenter.org). The concert covers the band’s early days to their Sgt. Pepper era, bringing “the sights, sounds, and spirit of The Beatles to life with era-perfect costumes and spot-on live performances,” organizers said. “With the excitement of a real Beatles concert re-created live onstage, audiences relive the songs, the harmonies, and the unforgettable magic that changed music forever. Experience the joy. Feel the nostalgia. Take the ride.”
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF CAL POLY ARTS
Plucked and bowed
Cal Poly Arts presents CelloGayageum at the Spanos Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 27 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $44.50 to $55 at calpolyarts.org).
Dayoung Yoon is a Korean gayageum (a traditional Korean plucked 12-string zither) player and composer, and Sol Daniel Kim is an Austrian cellist and composer. They joined forces to mesh Western classical music with Korean gug-ak, traditional Korean music, in all-original compositions written by the pair.
“Their collaboration celebrates the beauty of connections by creating a sound rooted in Korean folk melodies and infused with global sensibilities,” organizers announced.
Genre defier
Festival Mozaic presents Susan Cahill: An Afternoon of Music & Theater at the Experimental Theater in the Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College on Sunday, Oct. 25 (3 p.m.; $60 at festivalmozaic.org/show-details/susan-cahill).
Cahill is a bassist and composer who’ll offer an eclectic and genre-defying performance when she’s joined by actor and composition partner Jon Wilkerson for “new works that blend dramatic storytelling with virtuosic double bass,” organizers said. “Jazz pianist and Cal Poly jazz department chair Jamaal Baptiste joins Cahill for a lively mix of jazz standards, Cahill’s original compositions, and spontaneous improvisations.”
Punk-o-rama
Get your thrash on when GS3 presents Weapons of Mosh Destruction VII at Humdinger Brewing on Friday, Oct. 23 (6 p.m.; all ages; $23.21 at my805tix.com). Hear Bay Area thrashers Ghoul, Portland’s Dry Socket, and Orcutt-based hardcore punk and thrash band Hostile Takedown. Humdinger for the win!
Fleet fingers
Experience piano virtuoso Carmen Staaf at SLO’s Anderson Social on Monday, Oct. 26 (doors at 5, concert at 6:30 p.m.; all ages; $39.34 at my805tix.com). Herbie Hancock called Staaf “a consummate jazz pianist with equal talent in composition, orchestration, and arranging.”
Staaf has quite the bona fides: pianist and musical director for NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater for more than eight years, and she’s performed with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as well as John Zorn. She’s played the Lincoln Center as a guest soloist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. She’s recorded with Natalie Merchant and Lila Downs. And she’s a fellow at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute, where she studied with Wayne Shorter and Hancock.
Jazz-tastic
The San Luis Obispo County Jazz Federation will present Bruce Forman meets the SLO Jazz All-Stars at SLO’s Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church on Saturday Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $35 general, $25 Jazz Fed members, $10 students at my805tix.com).Forman is an internationally acclaimed guitar master who’ll be joined by Inga Swearingen (vocals), Dave Becker (woodwinds), Marshall Otwell (piano), Ken Hustad (bass), and Darrell Voss (drums).
Forman’s played the Monterey Jazz Festival more than 20 times, has 18 recordings as a leader and countless more as a sideman, and played on three Clint Eastwood movies soundtracks, including Million Dollar Baby.
Storytime
Wine Country Theatre presents Stories in Songs at the Encore Center (1030 Railroad St., Paso Robles) on Sunday, Oct. 25 (4 p.m.; all ages; $15 tickets at the door go on sale at 3 p.m.). Experience both Melodies in Pieces: A Phantom of the Opera Suite and The Ballad of Jason Lewis.
Melodies is a 15-minute medley of The Phantom of the Opera music. The Ballad of Jason Lewis is local Grammy-nominated composer-performer Garry Eister’s “true story of the first man to go around the world using only the power of human muscles,” organizers explained. It includes “nine songs, three musical melodramas, two visual aids, one sound effect, and a musical portrait of a cat.”
“This amazing, true story is fascinating, full of adventure and sheer determination,” Wine Country Theatre Executive Director Cynthia Anthony said. “But that’s not the entire show—it’s not a traditional storytelling experience, it’s a musical. Garry Eister wrote and composed songs and music that are interwoven to the story. It’s like musical theatre, where the songs carry the story forward and carry insight into the characters. And he’s funny. And a consummate musician and composer. It’s very exciting to have this unique talent here for Wine Country Theatre”
Eister will do a post-concert Q-and-A. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pets 2026.
