Wendy Liepman, one half of the husband-and-wife alt-folk duo Bob & Wendy, is such a gifted songwriter and lyricist. She manages to communicate so much with such brevity. On her newest single, “Changes,” which was recorded and engineered by local music guru Damon Castillo, she paints a simple picture: “Young man on a stage/ playing his guitar/ Hope is riding high/ Rising on a star// Fifty years go by/ What’s become of fame/ Now his hands are tired/ Fingers full of pain.”
The chorus is a message for our troubled time: “All he wants is a feeling of peace/ A simple life, a sense of relief.”
Bob and Wendy will be joined by Paul Griffith and Damon Castillo for an intimate concert at The Bunker on Sunday, March 16 (doors at 2:30, concert from 3 to 5 p.m.; all ages; presale $13 plus fees at my805tix.com or $15 at the door if any remain).
“We heard Damon Castillo on KCBX playing live for Neal Losey on Public Radio Music Day,” Bob explained. “Since his fans rarely get to hear him perform solo acoustic, we asked if he would play at our March 16 show. We know he gets asked all the time and are honored that he said yes. We’ll also be joined by former Nashville drummer Paul Griffith, who has done extensive studio and live work with Damon and Bob and Wendy.”
Bob and Wendy will also be guests on Dave Congalton’s Hometown Radio KVEC 920 on Tuesday, March 11, at 4 p.m.
Sad folk
Are you ready for some alternative tragic Americana, what Anna May describes as “invocations for peace and judgment reshaping with bleeding heart stream of consciousness poems”? Because Good Medicine presents singer-songwriter Anna May at Club Car Bar on Thursday, March 13 (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; all agers; free).
Exploration of heartbreak and trauma is May’s ongoing quest, with melancholic lyrics and tender melodies. She names Billie Holiday, Shawn Colvin, Neil Young, Mazzy Star, and Lana del Rey as inspirations for her ethereal sound.
“I also have a new single, ‘Elegy,’ coming out on March 13,” she explained via email.
Good Medicine also presents Ian George at Club Car Bar on Friday, March 7 (8 p.m.; all ages; $12.56 presale at goodmedicinepresents.com). According to his bio, he’s “a fanciful folk troubadour with a rhythmic flow and spirited vision.”
Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX team up to present Miss Leo & the Handsome Fellers at Club Car Bar on Saturday, March 8 (8 p.m.; all ages; free). Miss Leo recently released a solo album, but this go-around she’s playing with her full band, delivering an eclectic mix of traditional bluegrass, Americana, and originals.
Roots music
The Siren’s got a fun doubleheader lined up when AJ Lee & Blue Summit plays on Sunday, March 9 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.41 at tixr.com), with Wolf Jett opening.
Based in Santa Cruz, AJ Lee & Blue Summit are an award-winning band with some serious music chops.
“Our roots go really deep,” Lee explained in press materials. “We met when we were young kids. … We definitely decided to choose each other as a chosen family band later on in life, but in a lot of ways it was naturally just like that in the beginning.”
Renaissance man
Legendary folk singer and artist Dan Reeder was born in Louisiana and raised in California but now calls Nuremberg, Germany, home, where he creates his “unique blend of folk, art, and DIY innovation,” press materials explain. “Reeder’s work spans music, visual art, and homemade instruments—everything from steel-string guitars and banjos to PVC trombones.”
Boo Boo Records hosts Dan Reeder and his daughter Peggy Reeder for an in-store performance, Q-and-A and merch signing on Sunday, March 9 (4 p.m.; all ages; free).
Since moving to Germany, Reeder’s won “various visual art awards, participated in numerous exhibitions, led art seminars, and took on a visiting professorship at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (aka Germany’s Academy of Fine Arts). He published an overview of his work in 2012, Art Pussies Fear This Book. In between all of his artistic accolades, sometime in the early 2000s, Reeder sent a burned CD to John Prine. Prine listened—and signed Reeder to his label, Oh Boy Records.”
Get ’em while you can
When last I checked, there were only nine tickets left for the Fremont Theater’s upcoming The Wailin’ Jennys show on Friday, March 7 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $76.19 at prekindle.com). The acclaimed folk trio is known for incredible harmonies, thoughtful songwriting, and appealing Americana, folk, and bluegrass sound.
Also at the Fremont, NDVST presents Debà Tirar Más Fiestas: The Bad Bunny Party on Saturday, March 8 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20.57 at prekindle.com) with a DJ set by Zuhnddry. Just to be clear, The King of Latin rap will only be there in spirit.
Finally, get your dance party on when Club XCX presents Spring Breakers on Thursday, March 13 (9 p.m.; 18-and-older; $22.63 at goodmedicinepresents.com), with a DJ set by Julimuah. Hear the best of Charli xcx, Billie Eilish, Slayyyter, Troye Sivan, Kim Petras, Chappell Roan, Shygirl, Addison Rae, The Dare, Lady Gaga, Kesha, Lorde, Tinashe, Ariana Grande, and more!
Twice Dead and more
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock has a bunch of shows lined up this week, and two will be of very special interest to Jerry Garcia fans.
Grateful Dead tribute act Cubensis plays on Saturday, March 8 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). This band works hard to re-create the original, organic Grateful Dead concert experience, drawing from all eras and improvising sets of Dead and Jerry Garcia Band classics “that retain all the spontaneous exploratory jamming for which the bands were renowned,” their bio explains.
The Garcia Project will play classic Jerry Garcia Band set lists from 1976 to 1995 on Tuesday, March 11 (doors at 6 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com). This isn’t a Grateful Dead tribute, but “a tribute to Jerry Garcia’s beloved other band, The Jerry Garcia Band, which toured in between Grateful Dead tours, and played original songs as well as great covers from many genres, including rock, Motown, gospel, bluegrass, and more,” their bio explains.
I love a well-written band bio, and Evening Elephants delivers: “Emerging out of an illegal backyard party in Los Angeles, the duo of Sam Boggs, a disgraced LA skit actor, and Brandon Leslie, a tarot card-reading hip-hop producer, bonded over the love of two things: music and cigarettes.
“With the sunrise approaching and cigarette butts piled up, a three-day bender had just started to take its toll on Sam, when he and Brandon (aka B) recognized one another as kindred spirits. They plotted a jam session within weeks of meeting, adopted the name Evening Elephants (inspired by Naruto), and began disrupting the norm around LA.”
Evening Elephants play Rod & Hammer on Wednesday, March 12 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com), with Jakobs Castle opening.
One of Australia’s up-and-comers is also heading to Rod & Hammer. Genre-fluid outfit The Grogans play on Thursday, March 13 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20.79 at ticketweb.com), with Gymshorts and Margot Sinclair opening.
The Grogans formed in 2018 while still in high school and started playing backyard gigs. It didn’t take long for their mix of surf, punk, blues, garage, psych, rockabilly, and reggae to propel the trio out of backyards and out on tours of Australia and New Zealand, and now the U.S.
I can go for that
The Clark Center presents an evening of songs and stories with John Oates on Tuesday, March 11 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49 to $79 plus fees at clarkcenter.org). Best known as one half of iconic rock duo Hall & Oates, Oates’ main role was as a guitarist, but he also co-wrote many of their hits, including “Sara Smile,” “She’s Gone,” “Out of Touch,” “You Make My Dreams,” “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” “Maneater,” and “Adult Education.” Δ
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Mar 6-16, 2025.