“I started out down around Dallas, Texas/ I was making a living until I up and left it/ Rags to riches is what it’s all about/ But running through the money’s how the money runs out// And every time things start to go my way/ I burn it down like a temple on Judgment Day.”
Ah, self-sabotage. That’s just one of the themes that pop up through the music of Mississippi-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Jason Eady. Now based in Texas, he’s embraced the honky-tonk sounds of the Lone Star State while retaining a hint of the Deep South blues. Some of his songs seem autobiographic.
“After a while I made my way to Texas, I learned how the poets did it their own way,” Eady sings on “Way Down in Mississippi.” “But I wouldn’t be here making this music if it weren’t for the sound of my younger days.”
Numbskull and Good Medicine present Jason Eady at Club Car Bar on Thursday, March 20 (7 p.m.; all ages; $24.41 general or $101.66 meet-and-greet at goodmedicinepresents.com), with Natalie Del Carmen opening.
The Jeff Livingstone Band plays Club Car Bar on Saturday, March 22 (8 p.m.; all ages; $12.56 presale at goodmedicinepresents.com), with Katie Chappell opening. Livingstone, a soulful singer-songwriter, returns to Club Car with a full band. The Americana, folk, and country performer draws influences from legends like John Prine, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon.
Spanish fire
I find Hinds‘ music pretty irresistible. Each song feels like an honest exchange between best friends, and indeed, the Spanish indie band is fronted by besties Carlotta “CC” Cosials and Ana GarcĂa Perrote, who formed their duo in 2011 as Deers, later adopting the German word for female deer, Hinds.
Their new album, Viva Hinds, is their first in four years, finally coming together after a creative rut, and its opening song—”Hi, How Are You”—reflects the duo’s struggles: “Hey, you ok?” Perrote sings to Cosials, who responds, “I’ve been better tbh.”
The duo eventually became a quartet, but as COVID hit, their new bassist and drummer departed the band, and Hinds also “split with their management team, lost touring revenue due to lockdowns, and were without a label for the first time,” their bio explained.
What they did have was each other. They call themselves “millionaires in friendship,” and so they carried on and finally released their fourth album last September.
“We started the band because we are so safe and comfortable with each other. Our relationship is unbreakable,” Cosials says. “This connection between us hasn’t changed since the very beginning. We still finish each other’s ideas, laugh at each other’s jokes, and rhyme each other’s lines. Maintaining that enthusiasm for music and for Hinds through the years may seem extremely difficult to find, but it’s something that only can happen with your very best friend.”
SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present Hinds on Saturday, March 22 (9 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com). They’re touring with bassist Paula Ruiz and drummer Maria Lázaro. Tri-coastal indie rock quartet Mamalarky will open the show.
The best way I can describe Mamalarky’s sound is pretty dissonance. Featuring Livvy Bennett, Noor Khan, Michael Hunter, and Dylan Hill, they’re touring in support of Hex Key, their Epitaph Records debut coming out on April 11.
“In making their third record, Hex Key, Mamalarky spent entire seasons hunched over guitars and obscure synthesizers, their long hair sweeping over strings or covering concentrated eyes,” their bio explains. “The band recorded takes in between the sounds of passing ice cream trucks and yowling stray cats in their Los Angeles home studio, a tight but prolific living room. Hex Key is a document of perseverance, of going for the gold while somehow remaining totally aware of one’s own vulnerabilities.”
Also at Rod & Hammer Rock, catch some comedy with David Nihill on Thursday, March 20 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $39.05 at ticketweb.com). The Dublin, Ireland, comic is an avid traveler, and his shows draw on his wide journeys, “cultural observations, attempts at language study, (occasional) international drinking session(s), and being a mildly confused immigrant,” his bio explained.
Western swing king
Are you itching for some ripping Western swing music? Because ready or not, here comes Asleep at the Wheel, a band frontman Ray Benson has kept moving forward for more than 50 years.
“I’m the reason it’s still together, but the reason it’s popular is because we’ve had the greatest singers and players,” Benson explained in press materials. “When someone joins the band, I say, ‘Learn everything that’s ever been done, then put your own stamp on it.’ I love to hear how they interpret what we do. I’m just a singer and a songwriter, and a pretty good guitar player, but my best talent is convincing people to jump on board and play this music.”
More than 100 musicians have “passed through the Wheel,” and over the decades, they’ve recorded more than 30 albums, won 10 Grammy awards, and logged literally millions of miles on the road.
The Clark Center presents Asleep at the Wheel on its Happy Trails Tour Tuesday, March 25 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $39 to $65 plus fees at clarkcenter.org).
From Notre-Dame Cathedral to the PAC
Cal Poly Arts and the Forbes Organ Series presents Vincent Dubois in the Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 23 (3 to
4:30 p.m.; $34 at pacslo.org).
“Titular organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, and newly appointed professor of organ interpretation and improvisation at the Hochschule fĂĽr Musik (University of Music), SaarbrĂĽcken, Germany, Vincent Dubois is one of the finest concert organists in the world today,” Cal Poly Arts announced.
Learn by doing
This Saturday, March 22, a USC-formed alt rock act called bigfish (all lowercase because, I dunno? e.e. cummings?) will play The Bunker (doors at 6 p.m.; $7 presale at my805tix.com or $10 day of show), and what’s extra cool is the group’s tour is part of a program to help bands get touring experience.
“I’m a senior in the USC music industry program, about to graduate in May,” Lyra Steiner emailed, “and I’m reaching out on behalf of SoCal SoundSCape, a student-led DIY touring initiative. Our goal is to provide more students the opportunity to go on the road and gain experience booking, planning, promoting, and managing tours. bigfish is a USC band known for their infectiously fun energy, vivid songwriting, and country-inspired alternative rock sound.”
Sounds like a worthy endeavor. bigfish is touring in support of their EP Punchlines.
Straight outta Oakland
Fremont Theater and Good Vibez hosts Bay Area rapper Mike Sherm on Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22 (9 p.m.; all ages; $80.31 to $92.16 at prekindle.com). He’s best known for tracks such as “Asshole,” “Baby,” and “Hot Nigga.” He’s also known for getting caught in a crossfire and shot in the face, which he references in his 2017 single, “Cookies”: “I don’t mess with these people for a reason, got hit up in the face and I’m still good shout out Jesus.”
Metal meets mariachi
The world’s only metal mariachi band, Metalachi, returns to The Siren on Thursday, March 20 (7 to 10 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.30 at tixr.com).
“They combine the humor of Steel Panther, the flamboyance of Gwar, and the eclectic rawness of Rob Zombie,” according to organizers. “There’s also a little dose of Spinal Tap and a hit of Cheech & Chong. The music is classic metal covers from artists like Metallica fused with classic mariachi by Vicente Fernández and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Their set list is punctuated by comedic interludes and skits.”
The Siren also has a bunch of free shows this week, so check their website at thesirenmorrobay.com. Δ
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2025.
