How to explain the unusual, unique goodness of The T & T Project? The duo includes local artist and musician Timo Beckwith (vocals, harp, drums, flutes) and local musician and KCBX radio personality Tracy Morgan (handpan, djembe). They play a sort of world fusion folk music, and Beckwith sings in a language that sounds vaguely African but is known only to him. Remarkably, the sounds coming out of his mouth suggests meaning and spirituality. It’s quite a feat of creativity.
One of Beckwith’s instruments he calls a “Gourd Ennanga,” a harp-like stringed thing with a gourd base with a sound hole. It’s based on an instrument from Uganda, and Beckwith made it himself. When Beckwith gets going on the flute, he noodles along to Morgan’s rocksteady rhythm with a jazz-like improvisation.
The pair’s concerts are like nothing you’ve ever experienced. Beckwith describes the show as “a wild musical journey from deep chill trance to high energy grooves.” He says their all-original music “draws on influences from all over the planet.”
Experience it for yourself. The T & T Project plays Morro Bay’s The Luv Hub (550 Morro Bay Blvd.) on Sunday, Sept. 28 (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; all ages; $20)
Kindness rules
Baywood-based folk duo Bay Love is releasing their all-original new CD Songs From The Bay this Sunday, Sept. 28 (2 to 4:30 p.m.; all ages; $25 at my805tix.com), in The Cambria Center for the Arts (1350 Main St.).
The pair plays regularly, but as singer-guitarist Linda Martin explained via email, “We’ve purposefully kept our summer performance calendar light so that we have time for re-vamping our website, creating a streaming presence, promoting with local radio stations, and organizing our collaborative CD release party.”
One of the songs on the new album is their amazing tribute to Joan Baez, “The Lady From The House In The Tree,” and like Baez, these two are socially conscious and eager to spread a message of love and kindness. They like to quote Baez’s famous line (sometimes also attributed to Pete Seeger), “Keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’, keep on singin’, keep on swingin’, gonna build a brand new world!”
“We’ve been busy attending progressive rallies and gatherings as folk musicians and ‘sonic activists,’ playing peace anthems and protest sing-a-longs with attendees, and making musical ‘good trouble’ when we can,” Martin added.
Many of their original songs have deep local ties, like “Cambria (I Never Said Goodbye)” and “Nine Sisters” about the Morros.
“This collaboration is a musical tribute to the Central Coast, to the planet, and to humanity,” Martin said. “Some musical friends will be playing along.”
All songs are available to download at baylove.net, and CDs will be available for purchase at the venue. This one’s sure to sell out, so get to my805tix.com and buy yours now.
Traditional
Close your eyes and listen to The Horsenecks and you’ll be transported to an older, simpler time. Featuring multi-instrumentalists Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern, who are based in Astoria, Oregon, they both come from traditional music backgrounds and—as their bio explains—together “forged a sound that weaves through early Appalachian fiddle and banjo music, country, classic bluegrass, and original folk.”
They play the Milking Parlor at the Octagon Barn on Wednesday, Oct. 1 (old-time jam at 6 p.m., concert at 7; all ages; presale $23.18 general or $17.85 for under 12 at eventbrite.com).
Both of them are monster players. Macrae absolutely rips on the fiddle, and Southern (originally from Liverpool) shreds on banjo. Both are also deft guitar players and have warm and expressive voices and work well together. This one promises to amaze.
Come to …
Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX present Fruition with Sam Blasucci in The Siren on Sunday, Sept. 28 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.93 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The folk-rock outfit has been together 15 years and boasts three songwriters and five band members delivering “stacked vocal harmonies and collaborative, song-driven Americana,” as their bio explains. “How To Make Mistakes, the band’s first studio album in four years, showcases a reinvigorated group at the peak of its powers.”
“This is the first studio album that we’ve recorded entirely live,” co-frontperson Jay Cobb Anderson explained in press materials. “We recorded 17 songs in seven days, with everybody playing together in real time, and we didn’t overdub anything. The songs sound honest and real. They sound like us.”
Covers and indie rockers
The Siren has a bunch of freebies for you starting on Saturday, Sept. 27, with Jukebox Heroes (2 to 5 p.m.) and followed that evening by Leslie and the Soul Shakers (7:30 to 10:30 p.m.). The Jukebox Heroes features four veteran musicians performing hits from the ’60s and beyond. Leslie and the Soul Shakers play funky R&B, soul, and Motown.
Get a trifecta of free indie rock on Tuesday, Sept. 30, with Sun Colony, The Candies, and Inner Space Visitor (7 to 10:30 p.m.). According to the club, Sun Colony plays “airy, spatial melodies.”
Black masses
Nederlander Concerts, Good Medicine, and Numbskull have teamed up to present In This Moment: Black Mass Tour featuring special guests Dayseeker, The Funeral Portrait,and DED on Friday, Oct. 3 (doors at 5:30, show at 7 p.m.; all ages; $48 to $500.30 at ticketmaster.com), at Vina Robles Amphitheatre. In This Moment features charismatic frontwoman Maria Brink, and they’re touring in support of their eighth album, Godmode (2023).
House, a Little Silhouette, and funny Papa
Good Vibez has a trio of events at the Fremont Theater this week starting with a Shabang fest-center house music DJ show with Westend on Friday, Sept. 26 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $40.14 at prekindle.com). The New York native has been instrumental in shaping modern tech house music.
Queen tribute act Queen Nation plays on Saturday, Sept. 27 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $52.50 at prekindle.com). This live, costumed re-creation of ’70s and ’80s Queen plays all the hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “My Best Friend.”
Finally, stand-up comedian Tom Papa does his thing on Thursday, Oct. 2 (doors at 6, show at 7 p.m.; all ages; $39.11 to $63.32 at prekindle.com). Papa’s recorded six well-received stand-up specials including his most recent Netflix special, Home Free.
Funk
and indie
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock starts their week with soul and funk bands The Charities and The Sextones on Friday, Sept. 26 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). The Charities are known to bring some Motown, jazz, disco, R&B and rock ’n’ roll into their mix.
A trio of indie rockers—Beach Fossils, Launder, and Girlpuppy—play the club on Thursday, Oct. 2 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $36.46 at ticketweb.com). Girlpuppy is Atlanta alt-rocker Rebecca Alexis Harvey, who’s touring in support of her second album, Sweetness.
Jumping flea
Cal Poly Arts presents ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro at the Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Oct. 1 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $39 to $59 at pacslo.org). Shimabukuro is known for blending genres and pushing his instrument’s limits. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2025.