Attendees are going to be in for something very special when KCBX, Numbskull, and Good Medicine present Grammy-nominated Valerie June in concert on Wednesday, Oct. 4, in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center (7 p.m.; all ages; $37 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Born Valerie June Hockett, she’s a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist tour de force who envelopes a mix of folk, Appalachian, gospel, bluegrass, soul, blues, and country into her incredibly compelling sound.
Hailing from Jackson, Tennessee, she grew up with gospel in church and R&B and soul through her father, Emerson Hockett, who owned a construction company but dabbled in concert promotion, booking the likes of Prince, Bobby Womack, and K-Ci & JoJo. She can play guitar, lap steel, banjo, and ukulele, but her voice is an instrument in and of itself. She’s released three solo albums and written songs for legends such as Mavis Staples and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
She’s also now an author, having released Maps of the Modern World in 2021, a collection of poems, artwork, and homilies concerning mindfulness, and in 2022, the children’s book Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June’s Sweet Little Baby Banjolele. Her third book, Light Beams: A Workbook for Being Your Badass Self, was just released this month. It’s “an interactive workbook that builds on themes of mindfulness, harmony, and healing through her one-of-a-kind mystical excerpts, prompts, and positive affirmations,” according to press materials.
Whoever gets to go will be in for a treat. Her originals are so fresh and unique, and she also plays some select covers, bringing a fresh perspective to songs such as Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You,” Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon,” and Joe South’s “Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home.” This is the good stuff, and Caitlin Jemma opens.
Numbskull and Good Medicine are also bringing The Dustbowl Revival back to the area to play Castoro Cellars on Sunday, Oct. 1 (6 p.m.; all ages; $22 at goodmedicinepresents.com). This is a terrific roots band with a great horn section and an amazing new singer in Lashon Halley, who sings beautifully with band leader Z. Lupetin. Great band to see live. Local act Hot 45 opens.
“Maybe we don’t know where this journey will take us or how long it will last,” Lupetin acknowledged in press materials. “That’s my take on the importance of what we try to do. Music elevates us, lifts us up, makes us change our minds, takes us out of our comfort zones. If just one person can be moved by just one song, that’s enough.”
Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Speaking of compelling and engaging roots music, Nederlander Concerts has Shakey Graves on his Movie of the Week Tour playing the Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Thursday, Oct. 5 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $39.50 to $69.50 at vinaroblesamphitheatre.com).
Shakey Graves was born Alejandro Rose-Garcia, and I only recently learned the origins of his stage name. In 2007 at the Old Settler’s Music Festival, a stranger high on LSD called him “spooky wagons,” and later that night when Rose-Garcia and his friends were around a campfire, they jokingly gave each other Native American guide names, and Rose-Garcia liked his so much he began performing under it.
Before he was known as Shakey Graves, he had acting roles in Friday Night Lights and the Spy Kids franchise. He began his music career as a so-called one-man band, playing guitar and a modified suitcase that acted as kickdrum and tambourine stand.
His music is cool as hell, and Flipturn opens the show.
Fremont Theater
There’s a full slate of shows this week starting with Traffic founding member Dave Mason making a stop on his Endangered Species Tour on Thursday, Sept. 28 (8 p.m.; all ages; $37.50 to $72.50 at prekindle.com). A few of his hits include “Feelin’ Alright,” “Hole in My Shoe,” and “We Just Disagree.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is a legit rock icon.
Singer-songwriter Matt Maeson on his A Solo Experience: That’s My Cue Tour plays on Friday, Sept. 29 (9 p.m.; all ages; $29.50 at seetickets.us). The 29-year-old Virginia native has had No. 1 alternative radio hits with “Hallucinogenics” and “Cringe.”
“The reason I make music is I want my songs to help people feel justified in whatever they’re feeling, especially if they’re going through hard times,” Maeson said in press materials. “When I was 17, I started performing in prisons as part of my parents’ prison ministry, and I realized what music could do as far as helping people feel dignified and less alone. It was a way of bringing light into one of the darkest possible places, and right away I knew I wanted to do that for everyone. Keeping that in mind has always motivated me to write as honestly as possible, without filtering anything out.”
German singer-songwriter Roosevelt plays on Saturday, Sept. 30 (doors at 8 p.m.; all ages; $25 at seetickets.us). He’s touring in support of his fourth studio album, Embrace, released earlier this month. Discovery Zone opens.
Prepare yourself for the Emmy Award-winning Spanish guitar and dance spectacular that is Benise—Fiesta! on Sunday, Oct. 1 (7 p.m.; all ages; $25.20 at eventbrite.com). The concert showcases songs from his seventh PBS special and takes “the audience on an unprecedented and epic adventure through Spanish flamenco, Cuban salsa, Brazilian samba, Parisian waltz, exotic drumming, and more!”
Rebels & Renegades and (((folkYEAH!))) present Kurt Vile and the Violators with the Rose City Band and Farmer Dave & the Wizards of the West on Wednesday, Oct. 4 (8 p.m.; all ages; $35 at prekindle.com). Vile nods to everyone from Pavement to John Prine to Neil Young to Dinosaur Jr. as influences, and his tracks like “Pretty Pimpin'” and “Bassackwards” have made him an alt-rock darling.
Finally, Australian psychedelic rock act Psychedelic Porn Crumpets play Thursday, Oct. 5 (8 p.m.; all ages; $23 at seetickets.us). They’ve been compared to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala, but you can also hear the influences of classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and the Beatles. Orion’s Belte and Pancho & The Wizards open.
The Siren
I used to love The Beat Farmers live show. It was loud, beer soaked, and when Country Dick Montana came out from behind the drum set to unleash his baritone voice on songs like “Baby’s All Liquored Up” or “Happy Boy,” the club would go wild. Sadly, Country Dick Montana died onstage during a show in Canada in 1995, effectively ending The Beat Farmers, but now they’re back and about to play their first Central Coast show in 30 years on Friday, Sept. 29, in The Siren (doors 7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $27 at tixr.com). I don’t know what it will be like without Dick, but I’m expecting a mix of roots rock, cow punk, and rockabilly. Apparently, the band has been playing yearly shows in their hometown of San Diego, but this mini tour also includes shows in Novato, Santa Cruz, and Menlo Park. Yee haw! The Bonneville Phantoms open.
The Purple Ones (An Insatiable Tribute to Prince) returns to The Siren on Saturday, Sept. 30 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at tixr.com). This 11- or sometimes 12-piece act features a phat horn section and Prince’s irresistible funk vibe.
Portland rock act The Shivas play on Sunday, Oct. 1 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). “This one is for fans of Shannon and the Clams, Levitation Room, King Kahn & BBQ Show, Allah-Las, White Denim, Detroit Cobras, The Growlers, and Death Valley Girls amongst others,” the club announced.
SLO Brew Rock
Hailing from Brooklyn, dance-oriented percussion and saxophone band Moon Hooch plays on Saturday, Sept. 30 (doors at 8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $18 at ticketweb.com). It’s just a drummer and two sax players ripping it up.
Dirtwire brings their “blend of ethnomusicology and the psychedelic trance state, gut-bucket Delta blues and what the band variously dubs ‘back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang'” on Thursday, Oct. 5 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $23 at ticketweb.com). “The band spreads its message by building bridges across musical cultures in their own unique way,” press materials say.
The Clark Center
Don’t forget about The Bee Gees Gold, a tribute to the Bee Gees, at the Clark Center on Thursday, Sept. 28 (7:30 p.m.; $30 to $40 at clarkcenter.org). Hear early songs like “Massachusetts” and “I Started a Joke” as well as later classics like “Stayin’ Alive” and “How Deep Is Your Love.”
More nostalgia awaits when Yesterday: The Beatles Las Vegas Show comes to the Clark Center on Saturday, Sept. 30 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $29 to $55 at clarkcenter.org). According to press materials, the show is “endorsed by none other than Sir Paul McCartney himself.” This is apparently a note for note re-creation of the Fab Four.
Grammy-nominated Nashville hitmakers Thompson Square plays on Sunday, Oct. 1 (7 p.m.; all ages; $39 to $69 at clarkcenter.org). The dynamic husband-and-wife duo of Keifer and Shawna Thompson exploded onto the scene a decade ago with their multi-platinum mega-hit “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?” They’ve also had hits with “If I Didn’t Have You” and “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About,” and appeared on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s TODAY show, and more.
More music …
The first Twang N Bang Presents show in almost four years happens this Thursday, Sept. 28, in A-Town’s Raconteur Room when Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman headline a show with British punk act Pet Needs and local openers Dave, Brian and the 40 Hour Work Week (the remnant of American Dirt) and alt-country band Longstraw (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $5 at the door).
“Micah [Schnabel] still plays with the Ohio-based [alt-rock act] Two Cow Garage but puts most of his time into his solo exploits,” promoter Patrick Hayes explained. “He puts out solo albums as well as collaborations with his partner Vanessa Jean Speckman. He carries on a long tradition of truth tellers blending the best parts of folk and punk with killer melodies that could be pop hits.”
Local rock act Suburban Dropout will release their debut EP this Friday, Sept. 29 (6 p.m.; all ages; $15 at eventbrite.com), in the SLO Vets Hall as part of Channel Frequencies’ Alternative Music Arts and Community Fest. Other performers include Couch Dog, Repeater, Plywood Love, Tiny Plastic Everything, Joone, and Flip the Phaze (which, full disclosure, features New Times staff writer Adrian Vincent Rosas on bass and vocals).
The 84th annual Arroyo Grande Valley Harvest Festival returns to the Village of Arroyo Grande this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29 and 30, with a parade, performances, history displays, contests, and vendors. See ’60s-style rock band Unfinished Business on Friday and ’70s through ’90s classic rock cover band Rock Odyssey on Saturday. Visit agharvestfestival.com for details.
The Damon Castillo Band will bring their jazz-informed rock, funk, and soul to Sea Pines Golf Resort this Saturday, Sept. 30 (2 p.m.; all ages; free). Their most recent single, “My Kind of Jam,” is a funky R&B track that feels just right for an end-of-summer outdoor concert.
You’re invited to an old-time country barn dance at the historic Octagon Barn Center next Thursday, Oct. 5 (6 p.m.; all ages; $25 presale at eventbrite.com or $30 at the door), hosted by the Seven Sisters Folklore Society. Enjoy an evening of square dancing and two-stepping during this fundraising concert for The SLO Land Conservancy with music by local string band the SLO County Stumblers and North Carolina country and honky-tonk band Hearts Gone South.
“Don’t know how [to square dance] but want to learn? Don’t worry! Caller Mike Lewinski will walk everyone through the dances,” organizers said. “Love music but aren’t sure about dancing? With eight sides to lean against, the Octagon Barn has plenty of room for wallflowers.” Δ
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2023.
