If you like your Christmas beer-soaked and bluegrassy, The Siren has just the doubleheader for you when it presents Merry Shucking X-Mas with The Mother Corn Shuckers (TMCS) and Cuesta Ridge on Friday, Dec. 20 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com).
Led by Che Miller, TMCS formed in 2009 and plays what they call “BeerGrass.”
“Well, it’s a mixture of bluegrass and country that evolved into Americana folk and then evolved into jammy electric guitars and two drummers,” Miller explained. “What the hell else you gonna call it?”
Miller came up with the band name after a brainstorming and drinking session: “I rounded it down from about 60 names on a piece of paper,” he recalled. “In the morning after a night of a lot of whiskey, Mother Corn Shuckers was circled.”
TMCS are known for their boisterous party songs and plain spoken lyrics about familiar topics, such as “Tradition,” a song Miller wrote with Leo Mathews (aka Miss Leo): “Will you be the one who wakes me in the morning/ Will you be the one to hold me at night/ Won’t you be the one who shares my coffee/ Won’t you be the one to drink with me at night// Hang on the couch on a Friday night/ You and me and the fire light/ Count on you to fix what’s broken/ Count on you to make it all alright.”
A more recent song, “Eyes Wide Open,” explores the travails of social media: “Social media wasting my time/ images of reality destroying my mind, Recycled truth turns into lies/ Clouds the brain, burns the eyes.”
Where do Miller’s song ideas come from?
“The heart,” he said. “It’s a cheesy answer, but it’s the truth. I write about everyday life and the struggles and love that is a part of everything that surrounds me and the situations and lives of our friends and families.”Â
Get in on the fun this Friday!
“The Mother Corn Shuckers are alive and well and getting ready to unleash some great tunes onto everyone in 2025 and a whole lot more to follow,” Miller added. “I have a lot of songs to record!”Â
Cuesta Ridge traces their genesis even further back, having formed in 2002 when two monster guitarists—Toan Chau and Patrick Pearson—got together. Later they added Dan Keller (mandolin), Brent Vander Weide (drums), and Dylan Johnson (Bass).
“We only play about six or seven gigs per year in the last five years or so now,” Chau said. “We have over 100 songs, so we try to make every gig special by playing new covers or bringing back old originals in out set list.”
Expect each band to play a 90-minute set.
Also at The Siren this week, see Brass Mash when they play a Big Ass Brass Christmas Bash on Saturday, Dec. 21 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com), the club announced. The band takes songs from the ’60s to the present and mixes two or more together in an arrangement for a horn band. For example, their song “Rolling in the Crazy Jeans” mashes Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Gnarles Barkley’s “Crazy.”
“Back in the 2010s, I was playing and arranging in a mash-up band up in Oakland,” bandleader Colin Dean explained, “but upon moving back to the SLO area in 2015, I noticed there was no brass group in the area, so I decided to create my own. I wanted to create a group to feature myself on trombone and my incredibly talented horn player friends! In a lot of ways, it was to demonstrate to my music students on the Central Coast that brass and woodwinds are cool, viable, and capable of so much more than most folks think.
“Moreover, that music doesn’t have to be just about the guitars. I’ve found over the years that mash-ups get folks listening carefully to the music and discussing the songs with their neighbor. Of course, the name Brass Mash seemed like the most concise way to describe the format of the band.”
Dean recruits players from the local classical and jazz music scene, and because so many of the band members are busy with other gigs, he often brings in substitutes, who sometimes become mainstays.
“We have a really unique and delightful group of people right now,” Dean noted. “Very talented and very positive!”
If you ever wondered if there’s life after high school band, the answer is a resounding yes.
The Clark Center
The Beach Boys formed in 1961 and had already released six hit albums by 1964 when they entered the studio to record their seventh—a Christmas album, of all things. The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album contained five original songs, notably “Little Saint Nick” and “The Man with All the Toys,” and seven standards including “Frosty the Snowman,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “Blue Christmas,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and the perennial classic, “Auld Lang Syne.”
I imagine that when The Clark Center presents the ultimate Christmas with Surfin’ The Beach Boys Tribute on Saturday, Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $39 to $59 at clarkcenter.org), you’re going to hear all that and more, as well as some of The Beach Boys’ biggest hits.
Also at the Clark Center, hear The Pan American Nutcracker Suite interpreted by Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band on Sunday, Dec. 22 (7 p.m.; all ages; $34 to $59 at clarkcenter.org). The Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble is immersed in the bebop tradition and rich rhythmic sounds of Afro-Caribbean music.
“Created and co-arranged by Joe McCarthy and Vince Norman, the evening will feature Tchaikovsky’s timeless masterpiece ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ reimagined for Joe McCarthy’s 18-piece Latin Grammy Award-Winning New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band and reflecting the beautifully diverse musical traditions of the Americas and beyond,” organizers announced.
Expect two sets of big band music with The Pan American Nutcracker Suite following intermission.
Sing-along!
I grew up in Wisconsin, and caroling was a thing. On any given winter night around Christmastime, you’d hear singing outside your house, open the front door, and voila, a cluster of five or six people would be crooning Christmas classics. Mom always had a plate of cookies ready to hand out to the singers.
Since moving to California a zillion years ago, I’ve never once had carolers come to my door, but there are still opportunities to feel the down-home holiday spirit—like SLO Master Chorale‘s Holiday Festival & Sing-Along Messiah at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.; $12 to $39 at pacslo.org).
The choir will perform the choruses from Handel’s ever-popular masterpiece, Messiah. You’ll also hear the majestic Forbes pipe organ played by Cal Poly University Organist Paul Woodring. Hear traditional carols and arrangements for chorus, organ, and orchestra with a guest appearance from Los Angeles’ Westwood Brass. Δ
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Dec 19-29, 2024.
