Nick Lowe plays Rod & Hammer Rock on March 28

I’m pleased to report that Nick Lowe is still cool AF. I mean like the coolest cat that ever glided unannounced into a party and immediately charmed the pants off everyone in the place. When I connected with him on a Zoom call, he had a shock of white hair, chunky glasses, and a natty cravat. A cravat! He looked like Cary Grant.

Lowe rose to prominence in the late ’70s with a trio of pop and new wave albums—Jesus of Cool (1978), Labour of Love (1979, the source of arguably his biggest hit, “Cruel to be Kind”), and Nick the Knife (1982). In 1979, Elvis Costello covered his 1974 song “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” and made it a huge hit.

Early on, Lowe also was a notable producer working with Costello, Graham Parker, The Pretenders, and The Damned, among others. He was a big effing deal. He’s continued to put out well received records—15 in total now. While his career has evolved, it’s remained a curated affair designed for longevity.

Next week, Good Vibez presents British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe on Saturday, March 28 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $40.14 to $94.73 at prekindle.com). The show was originally slated for the Fremont Theater, but was moved to Rod & Hammer Rock. He’s still touring for his newest album, Indoor Safari (2024), which he recorded with Los Straightjackets, but if you go, expect to hear his hits, too.

Indoor Safari, for which Lowe penned 10 new tracks, proves he still knows his way around a pop song. 

“I did do a record a little more than a year ago, Indoor Safari, and that was with Los Straitjackets, so I’m going to be doing a few of those, and a few covers as well. I like doing cover songs. I think it sort of demonstrates that you’re not obsessed with your own shtick.”

“There are certain songs I’ve just got to do, you know? People would be disappointed if I didn’t. And they’re the usual suspects. ‘Peace, Love, and Understanding,’ ‘Cruel to Be Kind’—that sort of thing. And I really enjoy doing them. You know, I don’t roll my eyes and think, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t play this ever again.’ They’re good tunes, and people really enjoy them. That gives me a lot of pleasure.”

On Indoor Safari, he covered “A Quiet Place,” first recorded in 1964 by Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, and “Raincoat in the River,” recorded by Sammy Turner (1961) and Ricky Nelson (1965)—songs he says find their way to him.

“I kind of run into these tunes. It’s very hard to find really good tunes that people haven’t heard before. And I try and do that. You know, I’m not a snob about it. I mean, I’ll do a really well-known pop song. I do a Bee Gees song sometimes. Which everybody knows. So, there’s fun in doing that. As long as it surprises people, you know?”

‘There are certain songs I’ve just got to do, you know? People would be disappointed if I didn’t. And they’re the usual suspects. “Peace, Love, and Understanding,” “Cruel to Be Kind”—that sort of thing. And I really enjoy doing them.’
—Nick Lowe

For his show, he’ll be backed by The Cactus Blossoms.

“It’s a bit like a review, really. We come on together. I’ve been with them longer than any other band I’ve been with, and I’ve written songs specifically for us as well—we’ve been together that long.”

They arrive onstage together, but after about 40 minutes, Lowe steps off and lets them do a few instrumentals before returning.

“Seems to work very well, you know. It’s gotten very nimble, the show now. We can change it to suit all venues.”

In his early pub rocker days, Lowe was known as “the basher.” These days, he’s often described as the elder statesman of pop. It’s not a transition that many artists have made.

“It was sort of planned, yeah. It was quite a long time ago now, but I suppose sometime in the early ’80s, I sensed that my career as a pop star was on the way out. I had mixed feelings about that. I was quite relieved, in a way, because I got myself into a real rut. You know, the cliché. I was drinking, very heavily, taking lots of drugs and things, for very little return. And I thought, I’ve had enough of this, you know, and also, so has everybody else.”

He took some time out to clean himself up and “plan and plot.” He wanted to record himself in a new way and write songs in a new way.

“I’ve been able to use that as an actual advantage and actually make it work for me, so that people, younger acts, will say, ‘Oh, I wish I was as old as Nick Lowe,’” he laughed. “Well, that’s pushing it a bit.”

If you go, say happy birthday. Nick Lowe turns 77 two days before his March 28 show.

There was more from Good Vibez planned for the Fremont Theater this week, but after New Times went to press on March 18, those shows were canceled. The canceled shows include: Indie pop singer-songwriter Perfume Genius with artist Storefront Church on Wednesday, March 25, and Reggaeton Rave on Friday, March 27.

With the Fremont seemingly closed indefinitely, future scheduled shows could be subject to changed venues or cancellations. Check the Fremont’s website early and often if you’ve purchased tickets to any upcoming shows.

Indications say, soul!

Numbskull and Good Medicine have a ton of shows this week, all worthy, but I’m most excited about contemporary R&B and soul act Durand Jones & The Indications at the Alex Madonna Expo Center on Sunday, March 22 (doors at 6 p.m.; all ages; $51.19 general and $172.73 VIP at goodmedicinepresents.com). Wicked good music. Theo Lawrence opens.

Good Medicine and Numbskull join with KCBX to present Corb Lund at Club Car Bar on Friday, March 20 (8 p.m.; all ages; $35.74 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Expect outlaw country, Western, and indie-folk. Branson Anderson opens.

See Trish Toledo with Los Tranquilos at Santa Maria’s Presqu’ile Winery on Friday, March 20 (8 p.m.; all ages; $41.92 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Toledo’s got a dynamite voice. From Carson—a community south of Los Angeles—she was born into an Ecuadorian Guatemalan family and embraces Chicano art and culture. Great match with Los Tranquilos!

Cat Clyde & Goodnight, Texas play The Siren on Saturday, March 21 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $25.96 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Expect vintage blues, roots rock, and American sounds from a potent voice. She reminds me a little of Sallie Ford.

Mother Hips member Greg Loiacono & Stingray are at Club Car Bar on Saturday, March 21 (7 p.m.; all ages; $21.32 at goodmedicinepresents.com). His latest group is a genre-blending band that merges elements of soul, rock, R&B, and funk.

Southern rock and hair metal act Jackyl plays BarrelHouse Brewing on Monday, March 23 (7 p.m.; all ages; $35.23 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The multi-platinum Georgia band is loud, proud, and unapologetically rock. Angels Roost opens.

The Siren calls

Morro Bay’s stellar night club hosts Mistress of Reality—the world’s first all-female Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne tribute—on Friday, March 20 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.77 at tixr.com). Formed in 2002, these self-described dark goddesses have been touring for decades.

Peach and The Jam plays on Saturday, March 21 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older; free), featuring Leslie “Peach” Rogers, who local guitar shredder Burning James Scoolis calls “a dynamic newcomer vocalist” who’s “rocking out in some unique blues-adjacent territory—mining the vibe and talents of artists like Bonnie Raitt, Tedeschi Trucks, The Mavericks, the California Honeydrops, John Hiatt, Black Pumas, Shemekia Copeland, and Etta James.”

Finally, Sandollar brings its SoCal-inspired surf, reggae, and rock to The Siren on Thursday, March 26 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). The band’s album Under the Water won the 2023 Best World Music Album at the San Diego Music Awards.

Sweet sounds

Every time Dan Curcio of Moonshiner Collective releases new material, I’m always amazed by his hooky melodies and arresting voice. His new six-song EP, Power of Now, is pure bliss, even when he’s channeling a troubled character, like on the title track: “Walking downtown in the rain I’ll probably catch a cold or something but it’s my mumbling that’s gotten more concerning. See I can’t find the words to think I’m holding onto memories that have gone and left me because I can’t focus on them now.”

Curcio’s syncopation and phrasing are always inventive, and the choruses are dependably earworms. Hear Moonshiner Collective with special guests Carbon City Lights at Rod & Hammer Rock on Friday, March 20 (doors at 6 p.m.; all ages; $23.27 at my805tix.com), and pick up a copy of this killer EP.

Numbskull presents North Carolina indie rock act The Nude Party touring in support of their new album, Look Who’s Back, just released in February. See them at Rod & Hammer on Saturday, March 21 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $28.24 at ticketweb.com).

Legion of Groove, The Groove Collective, and Ezra Henderson play Rod & Hammer on Sunday, March 22 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; free but you can register for a ticket at ticketweb.com). Legion of Groove is a new band made up of veteran local players. Expect hip-hop with influences of R&B, soul, funk, pop, and more. 

The Dave Matthews Tribute Band is at Rod & Hammer on Wednesday, March 25 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). Expect “a time machine to a funky tea party in the ’90s—a boisterous era of tape trading, sing-alongs, and exploration into a new sonic landscape spearheaded by complex guitar riffs, soaring violin melodies, smooth sax lines, and explorative-explosive drumming,” the band’s bio explains.

Another new album

Local singer-songwriter Noah Colton is releasing Passion Out Of Fashion, a collection of songs he wrote with his now deceased former bandmate, Andrew Rubin, at Puffers of Pismo on Friday, March 20 (8 p.m.).

Rubin, a fantastic classical guitarist who collaborated with Jon Anderson of Yes on a concerto, played with Colton for years before his untimely death.

“The record is comprised of 10 songs engineered entirely on an iPhone10,” Colton explained. “These are the last songs I wrote with Andrew Rubin, my best friend and former bandmate from long-forgotten local band The Spaces Between, circa 2012-2016. The official release date for Passion Out Of Fashion is on what would’ve been Rubin’s 31st birthday, Sunday, March 15. It’ll be available on all music streaming sites.”

These are quirky, charming, mostly lo-fi acoustic songs, and Colton and Rubin’s voices work so well together. The harmonies are inventive and are clearly nodding to the Beach Boys. The songs boast Daniel Johnston-level charm.

All that jazz

 The SLO Jazz Federation presents The Brian Ho B3 Organ Trio on Saturday, March 21, at SLO’s Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church (doors at 7, show at 7:30 p.m.; all ages; $35 general, $25 Jazz Fed members, and $10 students at my805tix.com). Ho, a modern master of the Hammond B3, has been a longtime member of the Mimi Fox Trio and has played with Richie Cole, Billy Hart, and Gary Bartz, among many others. ∆

Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2026.

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