The first time I saw Southern Culture on the Skids (SCOTS) was when SLO Brew was on Garden Street upstairs. It must have been the early ’90s, probably around when SCOTS released their third album, For Lovers Only (1992). The record that really cemented that band as one of my favorite live shows was when they were touring for Dirt Track Date (1995).
The band’s mix of Southern rock, swamp rock, rockabilly, and surf rock is a hoot, and their lyrics are hilarious as they poke fun at Southern stereotypes, like in “Doublewide” off their Mojo Box (2004) album: “Quittin’ my job, gonna grow myself a beard/ Sit in the La-Z-Boy and drink some beer/ Cause the dog needs a yard and the cat needs a tree/ I’m staring at the garbage sittin’ in the street// Hey baby, why don’t we try/ To make a break to the country side/ Where the stars at night still shine/ Wake up to a clear blue sky and the smell of those pines/ We’re going doublewide.”
Other memorable songs include “Fried Chicken and Gasoline,” “Liquored Up and Lacquered Down,” and “My House Has Wheels.” You get the idea.
The band formed in North Carolina in 1983, and after some personnel changes settled on the current trio that’s remained the same since around 1990. Founding member Rick Miller is on guitar and lead vocals, with Mary Huff on bass and vocals (and awesome wigs!), and Dave Hartman on drums. Leaning into their campy and raucous show, their rider requests a bucket of fried chicken, pieces of which they throw to the audience. Eat at your own risk.
The band’s most recent record, their 18th, is At Home with Southern Culture on the Skids (2021), a pandemic recording.
Numbskull and Good Medicine present Southern Culture on the Skids at The Siren on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $29,56 at goodmedicinepresents.com).
Also from Numbskull and Good Medicine, see Celtic rockers Young Dubliners in The Siren on Thursday, Nov. 6 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.41 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Fronted by Keith Roberts (vocals and guitar), who moved to SLO County several years ago, the band continues to tour the world.
“We want to be the band who reminds the world how important a good gig can be to our sanity after what we’ve all been through,” Roberts said in press materials.
Also this week at The Siren, see Shane Hall’s Coup D’vlle Show Fuzz Funk Voodoo Blues on Wednesday, Nov. 5 (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $8.45 at tixr.com). Hall is an award-winning singer-songwriter based in Oceanside, whose sound mixes blues, soul, funk, Americana, rock, and alternative.
“Music isn’t just something I do; it’s who I am,” Hall said in press materials. “I refuse to be confined to a single sound. Even if I create the box, I won’t stay in it.”
Booty breaks and raps
Meanwhile over at the Fremont Theater, Good Vibez has a couple of shows teed up for you starting with Boiler Bang featuring Grammy nominated producer and DJ Wuki (aka Kris Barman), on Saturday, Nov. 1 (doors at 7, show at 7:30 p.m.; 18-and-older; $40.14 general or $71.04 VIP at prekindle.com). He’s known for tracks such as “Sunshine (My Girl)” and “Edge of Seventeen.”
Texas rapper That Mexican OT plays on Wednesday, Nov. 5 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $18.53 to $233.01 at prekindle.com). Born Virgil René Gazca, That Mexican OT mixes contemporary trap, Texas blues, and country with hints of ’90s New York boom bap, mariachi, and chopped and screwed rap. His songs are raunchy, often misogynistic, but also about life’s challenges.
“Being a rapper is damn near impossible,” Gazca said in his bio. “With the luck that I got, I know I’m not making. What am I going to do in life? I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, so it just had to happen.”
He’s touring in support of his new record, Chicken & Sauce, that was released last April. DRODi and Mg Lil Bubba open.
Ripping blues rock
Argentina-born guitarist and singer David M’ore has had quite a life. He came to Hollywood to make it, became the director of a program helping families affected by domestic violence, and even served at a law enforcement agency for a while.
These days he plays a shredding blues-rock guitar and sings with the grit and conviction of Tom Waits with a sore throat. This is raw, emotive music, and you can hear it when The David M’ore Band brings their high-octane blues-rock to Frog and Peach on Thursday, Nov. 6 (9:30 p.m.; 21-and-older).
They’re touring in support of M’ore’s new album, Holy Sinners & Sinful Saints, that’s been riding Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Blues Rock Albums chart for weeks.
Tripleheader
Rod & Hammer’s got a trio of shows coming to the club near the airport starting when SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present The Brian Jonestown Massacre on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $41.11 at ticketweb.com). The eclectic rock band led by Anton Newcombe spans multiple genres including psychedelic, electronic, folk, and more. Alex Nicol opens.
Gitkin brings—according to their bio—their “intoxicating gumbo of global soul, surf noir, and psychedelic funk, all filtered through a vintage, analog haze” on Wednesday, Nov. 5 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). “Listening to Gitkin feels like stumbling across a forgotten reel-to-reel in a dusty Havana pawn shop or a smoky Marseilles speakeasy. There’s a deep sense of wanderlust baked into every groove—part spaghetti Western, part funk exotica, with twangy guitars that slither like snakes through a desert bazaar.”
Finally, Willis plays on Thursday, Nov. 6 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $32.36 at ticketweb.com). Formed in Alabama by five childhood friends, the indie rock band has garnered more than 350 million streams thanks in part to their 2023 breakout track, “I Think I Like When It Rains.” Winyah opens.
A sonic trip to Spain
Cal Poly Arts presents Spanish Night with Pablo Sainz-Villegas & Friends at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $39 to $65 at calpolyarts.org). Sainz-Villegas, an internationally renowned Spanish guitarist, takes listeners on “a musical journey through Spain to explore its incredibly rich and diverse culture,” organizers announced. “Along with fellow musicians, Pablo and friends will perform iconic, evocative, and romantic pieces from his homeland in a program of the most fiery pieces ever written for guitar.”
Get ready for the “Cell Block Tango” when Cal Poly Arts presents Chicago the Musical at the PAC on Wednesday, Nov. 5 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $75 to $129 at pacslo.org). The Jazz Age story follows the rise and fall of Cook County Jail’s most notorious murderesses—vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart.
What’s that sound?
If you’re near SLO High School on Saturday, Nov. 1, between 6 and 9 p.m., and you’re wondering, “What’s that sound?” It’s the fourth annual The ROAR, the Marching Band Field Show Competition.
A panel of judges will decide who’s the best among the Righetti Warrior Band, Arroyo Grande High School Band and Color Guard, Paso Robles High School Band and Color Guard, Orcutt Academy Marching Band, and the Templeton Talon Marching Band. The San Luis Obispo High School Tiger Band will perform an exhibition show.
Gates open to spectators at 5:15 p.m. Tickets are $10 general and $5 for children 5 to 12. Children under 5 are free. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 9 2025.
I love So Culture & The Skids! Seen them many times years ago in LA. I told Jeffrey Halford the first time I saw him that he reminded me of them. Swamp rock rules!