American roots music band, Patchy Sanders, brings its unique style to Coalesce Bookstore Chapel in Morro Bay at 7 p.m. Friday, May 8. Tickets are $20 a person and available at Coalesce, 845 Main St. Call 772-2880 to reserve tickets. Patchy Sanders’ sound is influenced by traditional Irish, and old-time Americana music genres, but the band has managed to weave a new musical tapestry from these roots.
Comedienne, Amy Ashton, will perform a benefit comedy show Saturday, May 2 at Lido Restaurant, 2727 Shell Beach Rd., Pismo Beach. Tickets are $30 a person and available online at: www.jccslo.com or call Lauren Bandari, Jewish Community Center Federation of SLO executive director at: (805) 426-5465, . Ashton is a stand-up turned executive producer for several TV shows that she wrote and created that air on E! Television. Chosen by Mitzi Shore to develop her standup act, she’s became a favorite at the Comedy Store opening for Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Joe Rogan, Caroline Rhea, and Carlos Mencia. There will be a Catskills-themed dinner at Lido for major donors. Limited seating available.
Fiddle music phenoms, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, will play a powerhouse Celtic showcase, “Visions of Cape Breton and Beyond” at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 3 at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly. Student and adult tickets range from $24 to $48 and may be purchased in advance at the PAC Box Office, Mondays–Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m, The box office also opens at noon on performance days. Or call (805) 756-4849 or online at: www.calpolyarts.org. MacMaster is a globally-acclaimed fiddle player from Cape Breton and has appeared on numerous TV shows and sold over 200,000 albums. Leahy is the musical leader of double platinum-selling, festival-headlining Celtic family group, Leahy. The two musical prodigies met as teenagers, found individual massive career success, and eventually reconnected, married, and have become known as the “First Couple of Celtic Music. A free, pre-concert lecture will be held by Cal Poly professor Mitchell Wolf, at 6 p.m. in the PAC’s Philips Lecture Hall. Show sponsored by Linda McGregor, Dr. Marianne and Mitchell Wolf, KCBX 90.1 FM.
Brian Jeffrey’s second album, “Living the Dream,” is available now for digital download and the CD will be released on May 9. The album features 11 new songs and some of the finest musicians on the central coast including: Michael Claire from The Kicks, Josh Barrett and Brianna Lee from Girls & Boys, Jimi Macon from The Gap Band and The Gardners (Hayden and Bart), who perform regularly with Brian Jeffrey. A CD Release Party is being held on Saturday, May 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Branch Street Deli in Arroyo Grande. Everyone is welcome.
The St Petersburg Men’s Ensemble returns to St Benedict’s Church in Los Osos for a free acapella musical performance, set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 9. The first half of the show will feature Rachmaninov’s “Vespers,” considered his finest work, The second half of the 4-man musical vocal ensemble’s performance includes a program full of Russian folk songs, secular and ecclesiastic music, and modern compositions. The group’s repertoire encompasses various epochs and styles – from ancient Russian chants, to Western European chorales, to modern music. For a sample see: https://sfcrook.com/steve_project/music.html. St Benedicts Episcopal Church is at 2220 Snowy Egret Ln., Los Osos (across from the cemetery).
Cal Poly music faculty member and percussionist, John Astaire, will present a recital featuring jazz vocalist, Inga Swearingen, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, in Rm. 218 in the Davidson Music Center (Building 45) on campus. Admission is $5 at the door. The recital is the culmination of a song cycle project in which Astaire and Swearingen gathered songs spanning centuries and genres. Titled, “Dear I of That Day: Remembered Songs of a Distant World,” includes songs by Schubert, The Beach Boys, Merle Haggard, and others — songs separated by time or genre but linked by mood and memory. Astaire will accompany Swearingen on the cimbalom, a Hungarian hammered dulcimer. Both Astaire and Swearingen are Cal Poly music alumni. The recital is sponsored by Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts and Music Department. For more information, call the Music Department at 756-2406.
The Bluegrass Music Society of the Central Coast presents the 17th Annual Parkfield Bluegrass Festival, set for Mother’s Day weekend, May 7-10 in the “Earthquake Capital of the World.” For advance ticket purchases and other details, see the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival’s new website at: www.parkfieldbluegrass.org. Tickets are also available by mail or call (805) 994-0929 with questions. Check out the Festival on Facebook as well. See: www.bmscc.org for Bluegrass Music Society information.
The festival includes four days of concerts, workshops, children’s activities, camping and round-the-clock music jams. Attendees are welcome to come for the weekend with their RVs or tents. Single day admissions are also available for day-trip outings.
Headlining is Joe Craven and the Sometimers and the internationally-known Bluegrass, Etc. Also playing will be Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, and The Hay Dudes, with Kenny Blackwell, Mike Mullins and Wally Barnick. Others include The Sonoran Dogs, Next Generation, Steep Ravine, Bean Creek, The Honeysuckle Possums, The Brothers Barton, Sidesaddle & Co., Amaya Rose, Amber Cross and a reunion show with Wild Sage.
Cuesta College drama students will present an evening of one-act plays, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 8-9 at the Cuesta PAC.’s Experimental Theatre. Seating is Limited. All seats $5. Buy tickets online at: www.cpactickets.cuesta.edu or call 546-3198. Free parking in Parking Lot 2. These plays may be short, but they pack a ton of fun and laughs into a small span of time. Directed, performed, produced, and sometimes even written by Cuesta College students, these shows will leave you laughing, crying, for more.
The next Downtown Brown Bag Concert at SLO’s First Presbyterian Church features singer/guitarist Les Beck, at noon Friday, May 1. The free show will be in the church’s Wilson Hall, corner of Marsh and Morro streets. Fair trade coffee and chocolate available. Call 543-5451 for more information.
Los Osos’ Back Bay Betty has its first original music CD being released soon and the band has several special dates in May. They play Barrel House Brewing Co., 3055 Limestone Way in Paso Robles from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 1; a CD release party is 7:30-10 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at D’Anbino Cellars, 710 Pine St., Paso; 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15 is 97.3 The Rock’s fundraiser at Central Coast Music, 365 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay; Saturday May 23 BBB plays Morro Bay High School’s Bands On The Run music booster fundraiser at the school football field, 235 Atascadero Rd. See: www.backbaybetty.com or friend the band on Facebook.
Community Radio, 97.3 FM The Rock, is celebrating the end of its annual fund-raising drive with a free concert featuring some of the great local bands set for 6 p.m. Friday, May 15 at Central Coast Music, 365 Morro Bay Blvd. Admission is free and they’ll have beer and wine for sale plus an auction of cool stuff. The show will have live performances by Kenny Taylor, Robert Herrera, Mud On The Tire (with Frankie Paredes, Tommy Nunes, Bruce Sorensen, and Alberto Parra); Back Bay Betty, Vincent Bernardy, and Travis Warren of Blind Melon and his band, Texas Lights. So bring a valid ID and your best friends and support SLO County’s only commercial free public radio station.
GNP Crescendo Records and Cheap Thrills are sponsoring a special showing of “The Seeds: Pushin’ Too Hard,” a Rock-u-mentary film by Neil Norman, at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at the Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St. The film follows The Seeds’ rags to riches to rags again odyssey and the pioneering band’s rediscovery by new generations of garage rock fans. The film uses vintage TV and concert performances, rare photos and recent interviews with the members, fans and fellow artists. See: pushintoohard.com or GNPCrescendo.com for more information.