Holy guacamole, Batman, SLOfolks is bringing an incredible Québécois folk act to Castoro Cellars that is absolutely essential viewing for fans of string music. Since forming in 2002, Le Vent du Nord has toured five continents, won two Juno Awards (Canada’s Grammy) and a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros, and been named Artist of the Year at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala.
You can experience the super folk group this Saturday, Sept. 24 (7 p.m.; $25 at castorocellars.com/events), and if you’re on the fence, check out their videos online—they’re astoundingly good! It’s also going to be a lovely, warm Paso evening.
You’ll also witness firsthand “chair dancing”—aka foot clogging—the group’s percussion technique that legend says developed “during evening gatherings over a hundred years ago in French Canadian urban dwellings, where the tight quarters made real step dance impossible,” according to SLOfolks. “We spent years trying to book these guys and now we’re proud to be part of their 20th anniversary world tour!”
Expect hard-driving soulful music rooted in the Celtic diaspora.
Guy’s the man!
Blues guitarist Buddy Guy is a real showman. I remember the first time I saw him in a small SLO Town nightclub about 35 years ago. It was before wireless technology, and Guy jumped off the stage, leapt onto the bar, walked its whole distance while ripping on the guitar and dragging a long cord. He jumped off the bar, walked right out the front door, into the middle of the street, turned around and played toward the club. People went nuts!
Buddy Guy is 86 now, so I’m guessing his bar leaping days are behind him, but he’s still a masterful blues guitarist and living legend who’ll be joined by new-generation blues guitar master Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Sunday, Sept. 25 (6:30 p.m.; $59.50 to $140 at ticketmaster.com), where they’ll play together. Tom Hambridge opens.
Swinging for the fences
A quick glance at the full slate of shows at the Fremont Theater is all you need to confirm Cal Poly’s back in session. There’s a ton of stuff this week.
Comedian Tom Papa performs on Thursday, Sept. 22 (8 p.m.; all ages; $30 to $45 at eventbrite.com). He recently released his second book, You’re Doing Great!—And Other Reasons To Stay Alive.
SoCal’s newest ’60s-style surf rock act Sun Room plays the Fremont Theater on Friday, Sept. 23 (9 p.m.; all ages; $18 at seetickets.us).
Rap fans can check out MC Magic with Lil Rob and Jay Roxxx on Saturday, Sept. 24 (7 p.m.; $40 at seetickets.us).
Queen tribute act Killer Queen plays on Sunday, Sept. 25 (8 p.m.; all ages; $35 to $42 at seetickets.us). The band of London musicians formed just two years after Freddie Mercury’s death and have been going strong ever since.
New Zealand dream pop star Benee (née Stella Bennett) plays on Monday, Sept. 26 (8 p.m.; all ages; $23 to $30 at seetickets.us), with KALI opening. Twenty-two-year-old Benee is “the dreamy voice of a disaffected generation, breaking through in 2020 with ‘Supalonely,’ her irresistible, 4 billion-streams alt-pop banger that practically defined the pandemic experience,” according to her bio.
Comedian and former Minnesota senator Al Franken brings his comedy stylings on Wednesday, Sept. 28 (8 p.m.; all ages; $66.50 to $91.50 at seetickets.us). Pretty sure Franken is the only U.S. senator who was also one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live.
Finally, pop rock star Christopher Cross plays the Fremont next Thursday, Sept. 29 (8 p.m.; all ages; $47 to $67 at seetickets.us). Cross’ 1980 self-titled debut won five Grammy Awards!
Country, folk, and fun
Numbskull and Good Medicine have a trio of shows this week starting with country star Tyler Rich at BarrelHouse Brewing this Friday, Sept. 23 (6 p.m.; all ages; $25 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with Kylie Morgan opening.
They also present singer-songwriter Sunny War at Atascadero’s Bristols Cider House this Friday, Sept. 23 (7 p.m.; all ages; $15 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The LA-based street singer, guitarist, and roots music artist addresses social injustice and emotional turmoil.
I’m especially excited for the return of singer-songwriter and raconteur Steve Poltz. He was amazing at Live Oak this year, and now he plays at The Siren on Sunday, Sept. 25 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $22 at goodmedicinepresents.com). He’s an amazing performer, but what’s intangible about him is his spirit, generosity, and soul, which makes his music and show sparkle in unexplainable ways.
Also at The Siren
Old-school rockers Jocelyn and Chris play The Siren on Friday, Sept. 23 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 at eventbrite.com) with Dead Magic opening. “Volume … Loud. Hair … Long. Apologies … None. Think rock is dead? Meet siblings Jocelyn & Chris,” screams their bio.
Foreigner tribute act Foreigner Unauthorized plays The Siren on Saturday, Sept. 24 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $17.50 at eventbrite.com). So many great songs: “Hot Blooded,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold as Ice.”
Three at SLO Brew Rock
Don’t forget SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) presents soul act Drugdealer on Thursday, Sept. 22 (7 p.m.; all ages; $22 at ticketweb.com) with Swede & Skogen opening.
The Allah-Las plays on Saturday, Sept. 24 (7 p.m.; all ages; $29 at ticketweb.com). The band was formed from by record store employees “with a love for laid-back ’60s sounds that verged on somnambulant psychedelia.”
Mild High Club plays next Thursday, Sept. 29 (7 p.m.; all ages; $25 at ticketweb.com). This act has been a hit at festivals like Coachella and Tropicalia.
More music …
Billy “The Guitar Wiz” Foppiano plays SLO Cider Co. this Friday, Sept. 23 (7 to 9 p.m.; free). This guy can play every genre and has an encyclopedic list of covers as well as originals that will get you moving.
It’s time for the 83rd annual Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 and 25, in the Arroyo Grande Village. The free event features a parade, displays, vendors, and performances by ’60s-style nostalgia group Unfinished Business, bluegrass and beyond act Cuesta Ridge, and ’60s to the present cover act Critical Mass. There’s too much to list, so visit agharvestfestival.com for more details.
The Basin Street Regulars host the Little Lizzy Combo this Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Pismo Beach Vets Hall (1 p.m.; all ages; $10), with The Talia Ortega Quartet opening. You can get in on an 11 a.m. hot jazz jam, with the concert starting at 1 p.m. The Little Lizzy Combo is an offshoot of 10-piece swing band Lizzy and the Triggermen. Ortega is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.
SLO Winds presents Bernstein and Sondheim at the Movies in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Sept. 25 (3 p.m.; all ages; $10 to $30 at tickettailor.com) with music from West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Wonderful Town, Into the Woods, and On the Waterfront. Δ
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2022.