One of the nice things about the holidays is they frequently bring far-flung former locals home to visit family and friends. Such is the case with vocalist Sarah Pillow, a SLO native now living and performing in New York City.
She studied jazz and improvisation at SLO High, Cuesta College, and then Cabrillo College under Ray Brown with fellow students famed saxophonist Donny McCaslin and renowned percussionist Kenny Wollesen. She took a sharp right turn into classical music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory, but she continues to sing jazz whenever the opportunity arises.
“I’ve performed all over the world as both a jazz and classical vocalist with various jazz formations, as a classical soprano soloist, and with my Baroque music ensemble, Galileo’s Daughters,” she noted.
Her husband, Swiss-born vibraphonist and composer Marc Wagnon, has performed and recorded with jazz and jazz-fusion luminaries such as Percy Jones, Mike Clark, Dave Douglas, and the late great Paul Jackson. He most recently produced and performed in a series of jazz concerts titled Incarnate Jazz in NYC’s Church of the Incarnation.
West Coast bassist Tony Green plays with groups such as the Well Pennies and does sound engineering and music production at his LA-based studio, Ear Gallery Music.
Berkeley-born Jim Mussen has performed internationally as a drummer and percussionist with a wide variety of performers, including Ashford and Simpson, Joan Osborne, Mary J. Blige, Medeski Martin and Wood, and Billy Porter. He lived in New York for many years but is now back on the West Coast.
The four will convene in SLO Town at The Mark, where Sarah Pillow and The West Origin Trio play on Tuesday, Dec. 2 (7 p.m.; all ages before 9 p.m.; free). Expect an evening of jazz standards, inventive takes on familiar tunes, crossover sounds, and original music. Oh, and Sarah’s wildly inventive scat singing!
Holiday classics!
Spike & The Gimme Gimmes come to SLO on their Hot for Christmas tour, playing the Fremont Theater on Monday, Dec. 1 (doors at 6, show at 7 p.m.; all ages; $40.14 at prekindle.com). The supergroup is “made up of a revolving door of globetrotting gentlemen and women of punk rock led by Sean ‘Spike’ Slawson, who has been breaking hearts and winning over Abuelas since ’95,” according to their bio. “Along with members of The Ramones, Black Flag, Social Distortion, Rocket from the Crypt, The Damned, Strung Out, and No Doubt to name but a few who make up this troupe of lovers not fighters.”
The current lineup may include CJ Ramone, ‘Swami’ John Reis, Andrew ‘Pinch’ Pinching, Jake Kiley, Dez Cadena, Stacey Dee, Jonny 2 Bags, Dave Hidalgo Jr., Andrew McKeag, and Adrian Young.
Expect a “harmonious blend of country crooner meets punk rock distortion.” LA-based reggae act The Aggrolites and punk rockers Greg Antista and the Lonely Streets open.
Also at the Fremont, see Comedian Jimmy Failla on Friday, Nov. 28 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $39.11 to $57.14 at prekindle.com). The last I checked, it was almost sold out, with fewer than 25 seats remaining.
Runnin’ with the Devil
Numbskull and Good Medicine present Van Halen tribute act Fan Halen at The Siren on Friday, Nov. 28 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.41 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Known as “The World’s Most Authentic Tribute to Van Halen,” the SoCal quartet has been together a decade and toured the globe including Europe, Japan, South and Central America, Canada, and Mexico.
“You won’t believe your eyes or ears when you come to a Fan Halen show as you’ll feel like it’s 1984 all over again!” the band’s bio gushed. “From the look of the band, the choreography, the note-for-note reproduction of the greatest rock songs ever written, to the sonic energy of the performance, nothing is overlooked … in other words, while Fan Halen is onstage, they are Van Halen!”
Numbskull and Good Medicine also present country singer-songwriter Stephen Styles at Club Car Bar on Saturday, Nov. 29 (7 p.m.; all ages; $18.23 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The Plow House recording artist is the son of Wayne Moore, bassist for the ’60s musical group, Nashville West, whose other members went on to form The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Feel the Heet
The Heeters play The Siren on Thursday, Dec. 4 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.26 at tixr.com). The Bay Area soul, R&B, and funk group delivers deep grooves and tight three-part harmonies. Featuring Tom Quell (vocals/guitar) and three members of The California Honeydrops (Lorenzo Loera on keys, Miles Blackwell on bass, and Beaumont Beaullieu on drums), the band’s songs have a classic soul sound. The Groove Collective opens.
The Siren also has a couple free shows on Saturday, Nov. 29, starting with country rockers JAM and the Buttered Biscuits (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older) and then classic rock cover band Rock Odyssey (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older).
Music finds a way
SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) are bringing Mdou Moctar (playing solo) back to town on Wednesday, Dec. 3 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $33.39 at ticketweb.com). He plays modern rock music inspired by Tuareg music, also known as desert blues, and sings in the Tamasheq language.
What’s crazy is he became known through a trading network of mobile phones and memory cards in West Africa. He also just released his seventh studio record, Tears of Injustice, on Matador Records.
Also this week at Rod & Hammer Rock, see homegrown brass powerhouse Brass Mash on Friday, Nov. 28 (doors at 6 p.m., show at 7; all ages; tickets at my805tix.com).
“Brass Mash is turning 10 years old, and they’re celebrating where it all began—right here on the Central Coast,” announced bandleader and trombonist Colin Dean. “The band will light up Rod & Hammer’s with their signature high-energy mashups, a few holiday tunes, as well as some Brass Mash throwbacks. Voted Best Band in SLO County, Brass Mash has spent the past decade creating unforgettable moments across the coast—from Live Oak to Concerts in the Plaza—turning every show into a community dance party. This 10th Anniversary Holiday Spectacular honors both the band’s wild ride and the local fans who’ve helped keep the mash alive for a decade.”
These boots were made for struttin’
Cal Poly Arts presents the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots in the Performing Arts Center on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 1 and 2 (7:30 p.m.; $79 to $128 at calpolyarts.org).
The musical, created in 2012, is based on the 2005 British dramedy of the same name about Charlie Price, who inherits his father’s failing shoe factory but finds a way to turn things around when he’s inspired by Lola, a drag queen, to begin manufacturing reliable footwear for drag performers.
It’s a hoot, with a Tony-winning score by pop legend Cyndi Lauper, a hilarious book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, and original direction and Tony-winning choreography by Jerry Mitchell. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 7, 2025.