Locals unite for Rod & Hammer Rock’s daylong second annual Surf Block Party this Saturday, June 28, which will feature live music, local market vendors, family fun, and surf food and drink specials.
“This all-ages celebration is your front-row ticket to the best of California’s summer spirit,” the venue announced. “Our vendor village will feature a curated mix of Central Coast favorites, including local surf shops, surf-inspired clothing brands, artisan jewelry makers, surf art, and more! It’s the perfect place to find something unique while soaking in the laid-back beach-town energy.”
Music on the free outdoor stage runs from noon to 7 p.m., starting at noon with Riley & Sage, followed by the soulgrass sounds of Miss Leo & Her Feller at 1:30 p.m. Acoustic string trio The Salty Suites brings their energetic Americana music at 3:30 p.m. The outside stage headliner is Ventura rock act Shaky Feelin‘. They mix elements of reggae, bluegrass, and funk into their sound. See them from 5:30 to 7 p.m., but don’t leave yet. The night is just getting started.
The doors open at 7 p.m. for the main stage show featuring local soul and rock act Próxima Parada (8 p.m.; all ages; $32.36 at ticketweb.com) with pop singer-songwriter Antonio Barret opening.
“Our biggest news is just getting ready for another tour this year,” Próxima Parada frontman Nick Larson told me via email. “Then we’ll record another album after that. Not sure if it’s worth mentioning, but our song ‘Musta Been a Ghost’ is currently at 57 million plays on Spotify, and we’ve got about 800,000 monthly listeners worldwide on Spotify.”
As successful as they’ve become, Larson is quick to admit they’re not getting rich off Spotify.
“Streaming revenue is not enough to live on alone, so touring, merch sales, etc., are important and necessary. This will be our only show in SLO County this year. We’re planning something extra special for SLO for next year.”Â
OK, Próxima fans, get ’em while they’re here before they take off on another tour with stops in Nashville, South Carolina, Phoenix, Seattle, Boston, and more.
“Our Surf Block Party is all about bringing people together to celebrate summer, music, and California’s laid-back lifestyle,” Rodney “Rod” Cegelski, co-founder of Rod & Hammer, said. “From families and surf lovers to music fans and whiskey sippers—everyone’s welcome!”
Vina Robles coming in hot
Am I the only one who misses ’80s and ’90s MTV, where I was introduced to unhinged bands like Primus and tracks like “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” and “Tommy the Cat” from their 1991 major label debut Sailing the Seas of Cheese? By 1993, Primus was headlining Lollapalooza.
Tap into my bout of nostalgia when Primus plays Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 5 (doors at 6:30, show 8 p.m.; all ages; $74.25 to $312.10 at ticketmaster.com) with garage rock revivalist and multi-instrumentalist Ty Segall opening.
According to organizers, “Primus will return this summer with the Onward & Upward Tour—an expansive, coast-to-coast trek that marks an exciting new chapter for the band. The tour not only brings the trio’s signature blend of musical innovation back to stages nationwide, but also introduces fans to drummer John Hoffman, whose recent addition to the lineup brings a renewed sense of energy, experimentation, and groove to the legendary outfit.”
Added Claypool in press materials, “Hitting the road this summer with Hoffer at the helm! This fiery, cheerful, octopus-like drummer from Shreveport, Louisiana, has breathed a very potent breath of freshness into this band we all call Primus. While splitting the drum duties of his first gig with the mighty Danny Carey down in the Dominican Republic, John ‘Hoffer’ Hoffman has launched himself into the Primus world with all guns-a-blazin’.”
The Historic Fremont Theater
Planet Perreo kicks off the Fremont’s week on Friday, June 27 (9 p.m.; 18-and-older; $24.69 at prekindle.com), and I’ll let organizers explain what the heck this is.
“Welcome to Planet Perreo, where the pulse of Reggaeton meets the mystery of the cosmos! Our touring dance party is not just an event; it’s an extraterrestrial journey through Perreo. As we tour across the U.S., we bring a unique, alien-themed party atmosphere that’s out of this world, literally.”
The tribute band trend continues with Journey USA on Saturday, June 28 (doors at 7, 8 p.m.; all ages; $42.72 to $52.50 at prekindle.com). The band claims they’re “the closest thing to ’70s and ’80s Journey music you’ll ever hear! Start with a singer who was hired to do vocal work for Steve Perry during his solo career. Add the rest of the band—a guitarist who played and penned multiple hits for Grammy nominee Great White in the ’80s MTV era, a drummer who also toured with Great White, and a veteran multi-instrumentalist with three appearances on AXS TV’s World’s Greatest Tribute Bands, the thundering precision of bassist Jeffrey Bretz—and you have Journey USA!”
Hear hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” “Separate Ways,” and “Any Way You Want It.”
Numbskull and Good Medicine Present
For fans of ’80s and ’90s alt-rock, David Lowery is a legend. The frontman for both Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker is responsible for absurdist gems such as “Take the Skinheads Bowling,” “The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon,” and “(I Was Born in a) Laundromat.” These iconic tracks are fun in ways that are missing from most rock music today.
Lowery released his first solo album, The Palace Guards, in 2011 and has since put out five more, most recently 2025’s Fathers, Sons and Brothers. In the streaming era, he’s found a way to earn a living and raise a middle finger to the predatory streaming platforms who pay the musicians a pittance.
According to his curriculum vitae, “In 2019, Lowery began releasing a series of loosely autobiographical albums, including In the Shadow of the Bull (2019), Leaving Key Member Clause (2021), and Vending Machine (2023). These albums are currently only available in physical formats or via Bandcamp and are not available on streaming services. Originally intended as an experiment, the limited release strategy generated revenues that far exceeded what would be expected from a streaming release. Thus, Lowery has continued in this manner, as apparently in the streaming age, less is more.”
Love it! Of course, it helps to be David Lowery and have an established fan base.
David Lowery plays Club Car Bar on Saturday, June 28 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $36.77 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with singer-songwriter Megan Slankard opening.
The Siren’s call
How to describe Tracorum? They call their sound “a piano fueled blend of Southern rock, soul, honky-tonk, and roots Americana” with “elements of funk, Caribbean, and gospel stomp,” and they’re playing The Siren on Friday, June 27 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free).
“At the end of the day, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band in the truest sense,” pianist and vocalist Fletcher Nielsen explained in press materials. “We thrive on a diversity of sound because it’s an honest representation of where we collectively come from as people. In one show we might musically visit New Orleans, the Appalachian Mountains, Delta blues, church, psychedelic ’60s, England’s rock heroes, say hello to Dylan and Willie Nelson, drop Parliament/Funkadelic a bone, and end up in Jamaica with a final stop in Memphis via southern Georgia.”
Also this week at The Siren, check out rockabilly, country, and Western swing act Deke Dickerson & the Whippersnappers on Saturday, June 28 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15.30 at tixr.com) with Bracero Social Club opening. Dickerson is a true guitar hero and has several unusual custom models, including a four-neck. The veteran of the SoCal roots music scene and has toured in various combos, including the Dave and Deke Combo and Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics.
Club DV8 plays an ’80s party on Wednesday, July 3 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $5 at the door). The local ’80s dance group covers select hits that combine the signature ’80s guitar and synths instrumentation. Expect to hear songs by David Bowie, The Cars, INXS, The Cure, Michael Jackson, and more.
More music …
Concerts in the Plaza continues this Friday, June 27, with acoustic indie rock opening act Holding Pattern at 5 p.m., followed by funk headliner Vince Cimo’s Hot Fire from 6 to 8 p.m., in Mission Plaza. Last week’s opening concert was packed. Come join your friends and neighbors.
The Bald Spots will perform their only scheduled 2025 public performance on Saturday, June 28, in the Oceano/Five Cities Elks Lodge (410 Air Park Drive, Oceano; doors at 4 p.m., show at 5; open to the public; $19 presale by calling (805) 489-2504, Ext. 2; $15 at the door). Expect to hear doo-wop songs of the ’50s and ’60s mixed with humorous insights into American life and music.
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Club presents The Sierra Stompers on Sunday, June 29, in the Pismo Beach Vets Hall (12:30 to 5 p.m.; all ages; $15 at the door). Formed in 2023 to celebrate California traditional jazz, the Stompers have earned a reputation as “The hottest band on the West Coast!” Local ensemble The Decomposing Brass Quintet opens the show.
On Thursday, July 3, Dirty Cello returns to town for a show at Paso’s The Pour House (7 p.m.; $12.50 presale at bit.ly/dirtycello_pasoroblesjuly3). “There’s a rhythm section, vocals, and everything you would expect from a rock band, but no lead guitar—that’s what the cello is for,” bandleader Rebecca Roudman explained. “Years of classical study let me take my classical chops and apply them to rock and blues.” Δ
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 6, 2025.