Indie rock veteran Bill Callahan plays Thanksgiving Day at the SLO Guild Hall 

If you need to escape the family for a few hours or work off that massive holiday meal or stave off the inevitable tryptophan high by staying off the couch until bedtime on Thanksgiving Day, then the Poetry Church series has you covered when indie rock hero Bill Callahan plays the SLO Guild Hall on Thursday, Nov. 24 (6 to 10 p.m.; $16 presale at eventbrite.com).

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• Photo Courtesy Of Hanly Banks Callahan
• YTI⅃AƎЯ Drag City recording artist Bill Callahan presents "Uncle Callahan's Thanksgiving Parade" at the SLO Guild Hall on Nov. 24.

Billed as "Uncle Bill's Thanksgiving Parade," the event will start with several opening acts including Nashville-based folk singer-songwriter Ziona Riley, followed by a simple pig (Eric Douglas Alexander, a wandering mystic poet), Portland art-pop and neo-psyche act !mindparade, Martha's Vineyard-based classically trained viola player Nina Violet, then Dia (Danielle Birritella's experimental baroque-pop project), and then SLO expat Carver Cordes (formerly of Dedications, the Shants, Night Jerks, the Khans, and the Levi Valentines), who's "coming down from Oakland to play some local favorites with my Unboyfriendables bandmate Adam Dietz and special guest Joel Lewis Tolbert," he wrote.

After those openers comes the opener, Texas songwriter Jerry David DeCicca, formerly of The Black Swans, who's released four solo records. He lives in Bulverde "with his partner, his dog, three cats, and five toads," and he "owns and operates a vocational rehabilitation agency that serves the Hill Country and surrounding areas."

Finally, the headliner! Bill Callahan, who used to perform under the name Smog, is touring in support of his eighth solo record, YTI⅃AƎЯ, another lo-fi gem filled with intimate songs bristling with inner turmoil. Melancholic, musically spare, and deeply personal, "his painfully intimate songs ping-pong wildly through a scrapbook of childhood recollections, failed relationships, bizarre fetishes, and dashed hopes," his bio explains.

His deep, elastic, rumbling voice is extraordinarily emotive, and the lyrics never fail to surprise. This should be a terrific evening of artistry.

"There's also a charity aspect in that a free meal will be provided to folks in need in the dining hall," Cordes noted. "Also, a portion of the proceeds will go to Lumina Alliance and Transitions-Mental Health Association."

The Siren

Obviously with Cal Poly and Cuesta on break and Thanksgiving afoot, things are somewhat slow out there for live music, but Morro Bay's The Siren has a full slate.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Kareeta
• SWAMP COUNTRY Kareeta plays The Siren on Nov. 25, touring in support of their self-titled debut.

Kareeta with opener Casual Coalition plays on Friday, Nov. 25 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). "Kareeta rose from the swamps and Southern Delta heat during the uncertain spring of 2020," according to press materials. "Emerging as a fully formed amalgamation of the music that shaped its core, the band assembled in California and recorded their debut LP in Oakland with producer and musician Greg Loiacono (Mother Hips, Green Leaf Rustlers) at the controls."

On Sunday, Nov. 27, check out The Siren Sunday Jazz hosted by Tracy Morgan (4:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). Come to watch and listen or come to join in and play. Expect to hear funk, soul, jazz fusion, and more.

On Tuesday, Nov. 29, come down for the Tuesday Blues Jam hosted by Ted Waterhouse (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). This is a popular showcase, and if you want to join in, get there early to sign up because it fills up fast.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Agent Orange
• PUNK-O-RAMA Old skool punk act Agent Orange plays a Numbskull and Good Medicine show at The Siren on Dec. 1.

Coming up at The Siren next Thursday, Dec. 1, Numbskull and Good Medicine host Agent Orange (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at goodmedicinepresents.com or $22 day of show), with openers Freewill and Carry The 9. Agent Orange formed in 1979, scoring their first hit with "Bloodstains" in 1980 off their self-released debut 7-inch EP. Famed LA DJ Rodney Bingenheimer put a demo version of the song on his 1980 compilation album Rodney on the ROQ, and the power punk trio was on the musical map. They put on a great live show, and original singer-guitarist Mike Palm still fronts the band.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Deorro
• DANCE OFF LA-based Mexican American DJ and producer Deorro brings his dance hits to the Fremont Theater on Nov. 28.

Fremont Theater

Deorro plays the Fremont on Monday, Nov. 28 (8 p.m.; all ages; $45.90 with fees at seetickets.us) with special guests Ookay and Redtape. Los Angeles-born and bred Mexican American producer and DJ Deorro (aka Erick Orrosquieta) has scored a bunch of dance hits such as "Yee," "Freak," "Five Hours," and "Bailar." Expect to be on your feet at this show.

SLO Brew Rock

California folk rockers The Mother Hips plays next Thursday, Dec. 1 (7 p.m.; all ages; $25 at ticketweb.com) at SLO Brew Rock. Formed at Chico State about 30 years ago, they caught the interest of super producer Rick Rubin before they'd even finished college, signing to his American Recordings label.

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• Photo Courtesy Of The Mother Hips
• QUINESSENTIAL CALI The Mother Hips bring their breezy psychedelic folk to SLO Brew Rock on Dec. 1.

"In the decades to come, the group would go on to release 10 critically acclaimed studio albums and cement themselves as architects of a new breed of California rock and soul, one equally informed by the breezy harmonies of the Beach Boys, the funky roots of The Band, and the psychedelic Americana of Buffalo Springfield," their bio accurately describes.

New record store in Paso

Paso Robles now has something it hasn't had for a while—a bona fide record store. Manuel Barba, owner of Traffic Records in Atascadero, recently opened Traffic Records Paso Robles at 610 109th St., and this Saturday, Nov. 26, they're hosting a grand opening.

"This event will take place in the parking lot from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.," Barba explained. "Tacos and burritos will be on-site and provided by Taqueria Don Jose while beer and seltzer will be poured on-site by Ancient Owl Beer Garden."

This is also a fundraiser for Boys and Girls Club of America. Bring an unwrapped toy, large or small, and get a raffle ticket.

Barba decided to expand to a second location because he simply had more inventory than he could fit in his Atascadero location at 5850 Traffic Way.

"We have tens of thousands of records, and we really needed another store to showcase them, and I think Paso is ready for it," he noted.

Friday, Nov. 25, is also annual Record Store Day, so Barba's having a similar event the day before his Paso grand opening at his Atascadero location.

"The day will also see used records on sale, as well as a blowout of our backstock LPS, 45s, DVDs, CDs, tapes, movies, and more," he said.

Don't miss it, audiophiles and vinyl lovers! Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].