The San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra Chamber Ensembles will perform a concert set for 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8 at Santa Rosa Catholic Church of Cambria, 1174 Main St. Tickets at the door are $15 general admission and $10 students. Ensembles include the SLO Winds Clarinet Choir, Low Brass Duet, Horn Duet, SLO Winds Woodwind Quintet, Trumpet Septet, and more. For more information see the website at: www.slowinds.org or call 464-9434.
Jazz drummer, Stanley Stern and his pianist partner, Marti Lindholm, will present, “Tango!” at noon Friday, Feb. 6 at San Luis Obispo’s Presbyterian Church, part of the Downtown Brown Bag Concert Series. Free. The duo will play Argentine, American and the “Death Tango” aided by accomplished SLO tango community dancers. The church is at the corner of Marsh and Morro streets in SLO. Fair trade coffee and chocolates available. Call 543-5451 for more information.
Chicago’s powerhouse comedy troupe will celebrate 55 years of laughter with The Second City’s 55th Anniversary Tour coming to the Performing Arts center at Cal Poly at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8. Student and adult tickets range from $20.80-$36 and may be purchased in advance at the PAC Box Office, Tuesdays–Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Call 756-4849 or online at: www.calpolyarts.org. Take a peek behind the curtain, as the superstars of tomorrow present the legendary theatre’s “Best of the Best,” created by some of the biggest names in the business. It’s the perfect fusion of Second City’s hysterical history, its comically cutting-edge future and world-famous improv.
The Great American Melodrama kicks off its 2015 season with the hilarious “Bullshot Crummond,” a parody of a low-budget 1930s British detective movie. The play opens as German villain Otto Von Brunno (Sam Hartley) and his evil mistress Lenya (Meggie Siegrist) crash their plane in the English countryside, yet still succeed in their plot to kidnap famed Professor Rupert Fenton (Alex Sheets), who has discovered a formula for making synthetic diamonds. Distraught by the disappearance of her father, his daughter Rosemary (Sierra Wells) calls upon the WWI ace fighter pilot, racing driver, part-time sleuth and all-round spiffing chap Bullshot Crummond (Toby Tropper), to aid in his rescue. Dangers await our heroes at every turn, including a car chase, sword fight, giant tarantula, as well as weapons used against them called “Cranial Stimulant X” and “The Converse Force Field.” The show is directed by Melodrama Artistic Director, Eric Hoit. Following “Bullshot Crummond” is the “Coffeehouse Vaudeville Revue,” which takes a look at our national obsession with coffee. Highlights include a jazzy quartet singing the classic, “Black Coffee,” a flashback to the time when coffeehouses were a venue for hippie folk music performers, as well as sketches about a barista job applicant and a look at why some of our favorite “Friends” hang around in a coffeehouse. The “Coffeehouse Vaudeville Revue” is also directed by Hoit, with musical direction by Kevin Lawson and choreography by Hoit and Leah Kolb. The show runs Thursdays-Sundays through March 8. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 6. Tickets are $19 to $25, with discounts available for groups, seniors, students, active military, and children. For more information and to purchase tickets call the Melodrama Box Office at 489-2499, or see the website at: www.americanmelodrama.com.
The Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa welcomes comic magician Andy Gross and comic juggler Fred Anderson to San Luis Obispo for its annual fundraising event. This magical evening will be held Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets range from $28 to $75 and can be purchased at the PAC Box Office, online at: www.pacslo.org or by phone at 756-4849. Sponsors are Cathy Francis and David Fuentes of Coast & County Brokers, Kevin Main Jewelry, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Debra Trout Professional Fiduciary Services. Gross, one of the hottest standup comic, magician and ventriloquists working today performs over 150 sold out shows a year at comedy clubs, Las Vegas, cruise ships, fortune 500 corporate events, colleges and performing arts theaters everywhere. Add veteran comic juggler Anderson to the mix and you have the alchemy for a captivating evening.
Judge Mike & The Lawless country music band is holding a CD release party at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 at The Monday Club, 1815 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $27.50 and available in advance by calling: 545-0777 or at Boo Boo Records down Monterey Street, and include a CD. Doors open at 2:30 and there’s a meet and greet after the show. Retired Superior Court Judge Mike Cummins is embarking on a new musical career, playing his favorite artists, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and Kris Kristofferson, plus a good dose of Hiz Honor’s original music. The seven-member, Lawless band is an all star bunch — Kenny Blackwell (guitar, mandolin); Wally Barnick (bass, vocals); Art Dougall (drums); Corine Manroe (guitar, bass, vocals); Alex Kizanis (keyboards); Bob Hamilton (pedal steel), and Julie Beaver (fiddle, vocals).
Cal Poly’s Winter Band Concert featuring the 65-member Wind Ensemble and 70-piece Wind Orchestra is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly. Tickets are $12 and $14 for the public and $9 and $12 for senior citizens and students. Pricing includes all fees, and parking. Tickets are sold at the PAC Box Office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. To order by phone, call 756-4849. The bands will present their biennial “pops concert,” featuring entertaining works from all areas of pop culture written and arranged for the modern concert band. The concert features guest artist and 2012 music alumnus, Jonathan Withem, who will perform a work by composer John Mackey titled, “Strange Humors” with the Wind Ensemble on the djembe, a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet hand drum originally from West Africa. Cal Poly director of bands Andrew McMahan and Christopher J. Woodruff, associate director of bands, will conduct the concert.
Indie-folk band, the Shook Twins, are bringing their unique sound to SLO Brew, opening the show for another indie-music star, Gregory Alan Isokov on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tickets are $20 a person and available in advance on SLO Brew’s Facebook page (see: www.facebook.com/events/1406291999662703). Identical twins, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, are based in Portland, Ore., and will be in the midst of a nationwide tour, playing in more than a dozen states through the end of April. The Shook Twins retool the American roots genre with their idiosyncratic indie-folk song craft, lush harmonies, foot-stomping gospel and swing ballads with a deep groove.
The Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria presents John Van Druten’s classic comedy, “Bell, Book and Candle,” running weekends from Feb. 6 through March 8. Preview Night is Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17. A gala Champagne opening is at 7:30 Saturday, Feb. 7. Tickets are $30 and include a special after-show party with Champagne and desserts. Performances continue on Fridays and Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees, 3 p.m. through March 8. Tickets are $22 general admission, students with ID $17. Groups of 10 or more get 10% discount if paid with single payment in advance. Call the PPP Box Office for reservations at 927-3877 or see: www.pewterploughplayhouse.org.
The play is about love and witchcraft. Young witch, Gillian, cannot fall in love, but that doesn’t stop her from casting a spell on Shep, so he will fall in love with her. The production features Makayla DuBois, Gryphon Strom, Cory Schonauer, Jean Miller, and Larry Barnes. Director is Chrys Barnes. Photo by Iain Macadam
Pop singer-songwriter, Jann Klose, will be performing a Valentine’s Day show at Last Stage West at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. Free admission and there’ll be a tip jar passed around for the band. Klose’s new album “Mosaic,” is being played on 100 radio stations, and is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Pandora. He has released a special edition of the album that includes songwriter demos of favorite originals on the album, plus a new song, “Anything.” Klose won the Vox Pop (People’s Vote) in four categories at this year’s Independent Music Awards. Born in Germany, raised in Kenya, South Africa, and Hamburg, Klose came to the U.S. as an exchange student in Cleveland. He’s performed in touring productions of Broadway shows — Jekyll & Hyde and Jesus Christ Superstar. He also did the Pinball Wizard part in a production of The Who’s Tommy. The link for Klose’s website is at: www.laststagewest.net. Last Stage West is at 15050 Morro Rd., (Hwy 41), Atascadero. Call LSW at 461-1393.
