At the end of July, I was lucky enough to attend a Moonshiner Collective outdoor show at Tolosa Winery, and it was one of those magic Central Coast nights where we were treated to a glorious sunset as multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Dan Curcio led his bandādrummer/percussionist Ryan House and eight-string guitarist Gary Wootenāthrough their paces. Curcio has a warm, distinctive voice, and all three members are monster players. This is Cali-folk-pop at its finest.
This Friday, Aug. 26, Moonshiner Collective will play an Under the Moon concert at The Siren El Chorro, out by Dairy Creek Golf Course, and I can’t guarantee a spectacular sunset, but chances are it’s going to be a beautiful night (doors at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7:45; $100 per “pod,” which seats up to four people, available at eventbrite.com).
Moonshiner has played more than half a dozen of these sunset shows at various locations this summer, and they’ve all sold out. At the beginning of summer they released the EP Galactic Sailors, and this Friday comes Galactic Sailors Part Deux.
From the live-in-the-moment message of the jangle pop and boogie title track “Galactic Sailors” to the celebration of transitory living in “Passin’ Through” to the positive-vibes emanations of “The Rhythm,” all three new tracks are uplifting. This should be another magical evening, but you never know how low the temp can go, so layer up!
“Our breathtaking views at El Chorro Regional Park are unmatched with panoramic views of the Seven Sisters and a sunset to complement it all,” organizers said. “Please bring your own blanket or low-back chairs to help make your special spot nice and cozy. We’re introducing a pre-show cocktail hour at the bar and grill with some amazing appetizers and dinners as well as craft cocktails.”
No outside food and beverage, folks. Slide into those last rays of summer.
The Siren Morro Bay
El Chorro’s sister venue has a quartet of terrific shows this week starting with Ruzz Guitar’s Blues Review this Thursday, Aug. 25 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). This is one of the UK’s premier big band blues acts led by Gretsch-endorsed guitarist Ruzz Guitar, whose goal is a sound that brings together the swing of The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Jimmie Vaughan’s Texas blues, and other influences such as B.B. King, Ray Charles, and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.
Billy Idol tribute act Idol X plays The Siren on Friday, Aug. 26 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $17 presale at eventbrite.com), bringing the sights and sounds of Billy Idol and Generation X to life. This is the band’s first trip to the Central Coast. “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without A Face”āyou’ll hear the hits.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, The Siren presents folk-fusion and looping act Tim Snider & Wolfgang Timber (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 presale at eventbrite.com), with local favorites Surfeza opening the show. Snider has toured the world as the violinist for Nahko and Medicine for the People.
Roots legends The Wailing Souls play The Siren on Thursday, Sept. 1 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 presale at eventbrite.com). The three-time Grammy nominees promise a soulful and funky reggae show.
The showman
Brooks Nielsen is best known as co-founder and lead singer of Southern California surf-psych act The Growlers, but with the release of One Match Left, his debut solo album, he’s reinvented himself as a “carnival barker, lullaby crooner, and rock ‘n’ roll priest,” as his bio reads. Indeed, his ambitious 20-track projectācurrently available on cassette and digital download and accepting preorders for a vinyl double-album shipping in Januaryāis a diverse mix of songs laced with comedy and tragedy.
“There’s happiness in there,” Nielsen said in press materials. “The bands that I like have a sense of humor, like Television Personalities or Jonathan Richman, but there’s tragedy too. That’s the old theatrical tradition.”
SLO Brew Rock hosts an evening with Brooks Nielsen on Saturday, Aug. 27 (7 p.m.; all ages; $32.50 presale at ticketweb.com).
Folk and rock
Indie-pop-folk singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers plays Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Saturday, Aug. 27 (7:30 p.m.; $54.50 at ticketmaster.com) with Christian Lee Hutson opening. Bridgers got her start busking at the Pasadena Farmers Market, became a member of the band Sloppy Jane, and started her solo career in 2017 with the release of her well-received debut Stranger in the Alps. Her 2020 follow-up, Punisher, led to a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. One dollar of every ticket sold is donated to The Mariposa Fund, which helps pay for undocumented people trying to obtain reproductive health services.
Eighties superstar and her guitarist husband Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo play Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Sunday, Aug. 28 (7:30 p.m.; $49.50 to $79.50 at ticketmaster.com). They’re responsible for some of rock’s biggest anthems: “We Belong,” “Invincible,” “Love Is A Battlefield,” “Promises In The Dark,” “We Live For Love,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Hell Is For Children.”
Stone Soup returns
The Clark Center presents the free Stone Soup Festival in Grover Beach’s Ramona Garden Park and surrounding streets on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 27 and 28 (visit clarkcenter.org for the entertainment schedule). Entertainment includes The Young Dubliners, Mariachi Divas, Ramana Vieira, The Molly Ringwald Project, The Tipsy Gypsies, Lewis & Rose, the James Way Band, Garden Party, Cincopate, Mofunk, Ka Lau Liko Lehua, and Forever Greenāon two stages, with a Kidz Zone, food, crafts, wares, and the annual Mardi Paws Dog Parade on Sunday.
Honky-tonk hero
Numbskull and Good Medicine present country rocker Jesse Daniel at BarrelHouse Brewing on Thursday, Sept. 1 (6 p.m.; all ages; $18 presale at goodmedicinepresents.com), with Stephen Styles opening. His new album, Beyond These Walls, is “a love letter to country music in its many forms,” press materials claim. “It will leave you with a sense of knowing Jesse Daniel better, both as an artist and person.”
More music …
The season’s very last Concerts in the Plaza happens this Friday, Aug. 26, with headliner Imua playing at 5:30 p.m. in the Mission Plaza. This Hawaiian soul act plays mostly original songs and describes itself as “backyard Hawaiian fun,” so expect some aloha vibes. Local singer-songwriter Steve Key will open at 4:30 p.m. Ī
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 4, 2022.