Singer and guitarist Chester “Chet” Hogoboom is a real staple of the local music scene, starting way back in 1975 with an acoustic group called Cooncreek that played places like The Dark Room, The Network, 1865, Sebastian’s, and The Outside Inn.
Later he sang with the Fat and Sassy Band, a 7-to-9-piece horn band. When it folded, he started his own band, Chester, and later Fast Mickey, and then Fatz. All this happened before I started writing for New Times in 1991 and discovered CT and the Detroit Power, his Motown and Memphis-style R&B ensemble. Over the years, he’s also had side projects such as The HeartThieves with Doug Tamooka, CT & Tommy Lee, and Soulsauce.
But for the last few years, Hogoboom has fallen off my radar, so I was happy to hear that his current band, The Earls of Tuesday, will play a free matinee show at The Siren on Saturday, Jan. 31 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older).
The band’s online sizzle reel demonstrates amazing vocal harmonies and crisp musicianship as they play a mix of danceable folk rock covers and originals from the band’s 2019 album Backroads.
The lineup includes Hogoboom (guitar and vocals), Alex Kizanis (keyboards and vocals), Martie Echito (guitar and vocals), Kathy Hornbaker (bass), and Dale Moon (drums).
“We’re going to be shooting video and introducing some new material,” Hogoboom said of the upcoming gig.
“Having three lead singers and great harmonies is a real strongpoint,” he continued. “We’re all lifetime musicians that really enjoy hanging out and making music together. The group came together a few years back when Martie Echito, a high school friend of Alex’s from down south, and his bass-playing wife, Kathy Hornbaker, made the move from LA to Cambria. We finished up the Backroads album that Alex and I had been working on and began getting out and playing live.”
In addition to their originals, they cover songs by Keith Urban; Chris Stapleton; John Hiatt; the Beatles; and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, among others.
“On another note, Doug Tamooka and I are finishing up our follow-up album to our long ago HeartThieves album,” Hogoboom added. “It’s been fun working with Doug again.”
Come on out for an afternoon of stunning vocal harmonies on some familiar folk rock tunes.
The Siren also has country western queen Jenny Don’t and the Spurs on Monday, Feb. 2 (7 to 9 p.m.; 21-and-older; $6.32 at tixr.com). I saw her open for … I think it was Charley Crockett at BarrelHouse … and she was awesome. She sews her own costumes, which are throwbacks to another era.
“Jenny Don’t, known for her strong-willed and independent nature, embodies the authentic outlaw spirit of country western music,” her bio explained. “Her songwriting, influenced by the contrasting landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern desert, forms the bedrock of their sound. The band skillfully merges their garage-rock origins with a distinct Western flair, characterized by driving tempos, gritty fuzz tones, and a high-octane, rockin’ Western delivery that sets them apart from the herd.”
Bluegrass and/or punk
Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX present award-winning Santa Cruz-based roots music act AJ Lee & Blue Summit at The Siren on Saturday, Jan. 31 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $28.02 at goodmedicinepresents.com).
This group met as teenagers and jammed at local bluegrass festivals until they decided to become a band.
Featuring AJ Lee (mandolin), Jan Purat (fiddle), Scott Gates (guitar), and Sullivan Tuttle (guitar), “the band carries that youthful, festival-parking-lot energy with them still today, but at the same time there’s a genuine ease and confidence to their music making.”
They’re touring in support of their third full-length album, City of Glass, filled with “country soul and gritty, bluesy Americana.”
Good Medicine and Numbskull also host punk extravaganza Homesick Fest in the Alex Madonna Expo Center on Sunday, Feb. 1 (doors at 4, show at 5 p.m.; all ages; $49.65 at goodmedicinepresents.com), with Ceremony, Mareux, Big Boy, Automatic, Snooper, and Midwife performing.
Credit: COURTESY PHOTO BY JAY GILBERT
Try a little tenderness
The English Beat are back to deliver another night of high-energy two-tone, ska, and new wave at the Fremont Theater on Friday, Jan. 30 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $40.14 at prekindle.com). Fronted by Dave Wakeling, now 69, his current lineup miraculously captures the energy and infectious fun of the band in its late-1970s and early-’80s heyday.
With hits like “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Twist & Crawl,” “Ranking Full Stop,” “Tears of a Clown,” “Stand Down Margaret,” “Jeanette,” “Ackee 1-2-3,” and many more, it’s impossible to sit still when The Beat plays.
Good Vibez presents comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones at the Fremont on Saturday, Jan. 31 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $44.78 to $63.32 at prekindle.com). He’s known for playing Luis in the Hulu show This Fool. He also has a reoccurring role on FX’s What We Do in the Shadows.
Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Star Orchestra plays at the Fremont on Tuesday, Feb. 3 (doors at 6:30, show at 7:30 p.m.; all ages; $54.56 at prekindle.com). Formed in 1997, they’ve played an estimated 3,300 shows based on actual Grateful Dead set lists or “unique sets from the Dead’s extensive catalog,” their bio explained. “This approach allows fans both young and old to share in the experience while offering a continually evolving artistic outlet within this musical canon.”
Horizon expanders
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock is bringing back a personal favorite of mine, Pokey LaFarge, who instead of performing with his band will be offering an intimate solo show on Friday, Jan. 30 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $39.05 at ticketweb.com), with Julian Davis opening.
LaFarge is following up on the international success of Rhumba Country and its breakout hit, “So Long Chicago.” His solo tour continues through March, and according to press materials, “He’ll be reimagining songs from his nine-album catalog as well as new interpretations of gospel, rock ’n’ roll, and country classics.”
SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present Melbourne-based experimental art punk act Tropical Fuck Storm (TFS) at Rod & Hammer Rock on Sunday, Jan. 31 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $29.27 at ticketweb.com). J.R.C.G. opens.
TFS is touring in support of their newest, Fairyland Codex. According to the band, its songs “immerse us in the chaos of a fateful landslide, picking out the characters that litter the impending collapse of society.”
Hall of Famers
In the early ’70s, Heart was an unstoppable hitmaker. “Crazy for You,” “Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie,” “Heartless,” “I’ve Got the Music in Me,” “Barracuda,” “Kick it Out,” “Little Queen,” “Straight On,” “Dog & Butterfly,” “Bébé le Strange,” “Even It Up”—they were everywhere. In 2013, Heart and its core founding members were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This weekend, the Clark Center presents Heart by Heart with founding members Steve Fossen (bass) and Michael Derosier (drums) of Heart on Sunday, Feb. 1 (7 p.m.; all ages; $45 to $75 at clarkcenter.org).
Vocalist Somar Macek, multi-instrumentalist Lizzy Daymont, and guitarist Chad Quist round out the band.
“Their mission is simple: perform Heart’s iconic songs with passion and authenticity,” the Clark Center announced. “Heart released six top-10 albums and landed 20 hit singles on the Billboard Top 40 Chart. Come out and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Heart’s first album, Dreamboat Annie, with some of the original musicians that made it.”
You can expect to hear the songs as they were originally recorded. According to Fossen, “We don’t see it as our task to modify or update these classic tunes that Heart fans love and have listened to all these years.”
Jazz by way of the African American experience
Cal Poly Arts presents Keyon Harrold at the Spanos Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 4 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49 at pacslo.org). The Grammy-winning trumpeter, vocalist, and producer blends jazz with Afrobeat, soul, hip-hop, rock, and American folk, and “his music pushes boundaries while staying rooted in this African American musical tradition,” Cal Poly Arts announced.
Harrold gained international recognition when he provided the trumpet sound in Don Cheadle’s Grammy-winning Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead. His newest album, Foreverland, garnered the 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 5, 2026.