Sure, it might be better to win an Oscar, a Tony, a Grammy, an Emmy, a BET, a Teen Choice, or even a Razzie Award, but a Newtie's nothing to sneeze at, people!
This Friday, Nov. 2, the 10th annual New Times Music Awards fills the Fremont Theater with live music and a night celebrating our local music scene (6:30 to 10 p.m.; all ages; $15 general, $10 students at my805tix.com—free for active duty military and veterans!).
- Photo Courtesy Of Trevor Bluhm
- BATTLE! Arthur Watership (pictured) will compete against Izara, Rogue Status, the Cimo Brothers, and Brass Mash for Best Live Performance at the New Times Music Awards at the Fremont Theater, on Nov. 2.
The evening will begin with performances by Youth Category winners Sacha Carlson, Escaping Monochrome, and Rio Fleming. Genre finalists Arthur Watership, Brass Mash, the Cimo Brothers, Izara, and Rogue Status will compete for Best Live Performance. In between, awards will be given for Best Albums, Best Songwriters, and Best Recordings in Rock/Alternative, Hip-Hop/Rap, R&B/Blues, Country/Folk/Americana, and Open categories.
Readers' Choice—who you voted for—will receive their award, and we'll also give out our Local Legend Award to someone who's been an instrumental part of the local music scene. If you love live music and our local scene, you won't want to miss it!
The live music lineup is on point this year! Izara, who's getting an award in the R&B/Blues category, has a crazy-beautiful, soulful, elastic voice. Her track "Fight to Survive" has sparse but effective instrumentation—the perfect showcase for her amazing pipes!
- File Photo By Steve E. Miller
- IN IT TO WIN IT! Seven of these bronze Newties will be presented along with a slew of plaques to this year's New Times Music Awards winners!
Rogue Status, a finalist in the Hip-Hop/Rap genre, creates deftly produced tracks with perfectly incorporated samples. You'll hear some Auto-Tune for effect, not because these emcees can't sing in tune. Their winning track "Peaceful" is a deep groove about being in the recording studio: "That's where I find some kind of peace of mind, leave the problems of this world behind in the studio."
The Cimo Brothers, finalists in Country/Folk/Americana, are amazing local musicians—go-to guys for studio and session work with groups such as Moonshiner Collective. Their truly spectacular musicianship is on display in their song "The Good Times," which is classic back porch or around-the-campfire music.
Brass Mash is a finalist in the Open category. They play amazing horn-driven sounds—and I mean phat wall-of-sound horns played with percussive thunder—on tracks like their "Toxicity From a Rose," a mash-up of Seal's "Kiss From A Rose" and System of a Down's "Toxicity."
Also, Arthur Watership, a finalist in the Rock/Alternative genre, will perform live, with their emotive vocal harmonies, unusual instrumentation and arrangements, and cool quasi-psychedelic Laurel Canyon '70s vibe on songs like their award-winner, "Holy Lighter."
It's going to be a blast! Come on down, have a beer or some wine, hang out with your favorite local musicians, grab a photo or two in front of our New Times Music Awards banner, and celebrate this year's winners!
- Photo Courtesy Of Yung Pinch
- YUNG BLOOD Electronic artist Yung Pinch plays the Fremont Theater on Nov. 1.
Also this week in the Fremont Theater, see electronic artist Yung Pinch this Thursday, Nov. 1 (9 p.m.; 16-and-older; $27.31 at Boo Boo's or fremontslo.com), with Tyla Yaweh & Daghe.
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, electronic dance DJ Jauz rolls through on his Bite This! tour (9 p.m.; 18-and-older; $36.69 at Boo Boo's and fremontslo.com), with Holy Goof and Skepsis.
Blindingly good!
In the 1960s and '70s, LA was a hotbed for soul/jazz sounds—acts such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Charles Earland, and Jimmy McGriff would light up the nightlife. The scene's heyday may have passed, but there's still a tight-knit community keeping the flame alive.
- Photo Courtesy Of White Blinds
- FUNKY ORGAN World-class organ-driven jazz, funk, and soul outfit The White Blinds play The Siren on Nov. 1.
Traffic Records, Atascadero's coolest record store, in conjunction with local public radio station KCBX, hosts world-class organ-driven jazz, funk, and soul outfit The White Blinds at The Siren this Thursday, Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $10 presale at Boo Boo's and eventbrite.com; $12 at the door).
Led by drummer and percussionist Michael Duffy (Jungle Fire, Ozomatli), with organist Carey Frank (Tedeschi Trucks) and guitarist Matt Hornbeck, The White Blinds are touring in support of their new LP Get To Steppin, available on vinyl on F-Spot Records. It features nine originals and a cover of McGriff's classic "Blue Juice."
Traffic Records proprietor and SLO Record Swap founder Manuel Barba will spin an all-vinyl set of funky soul jazz ahead of the show.
Straight outta Milwaukee!
Americana/folk act Dead Horses plays downtown SLO Brew this Sunday, Nov. 4 (7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $12 at slobrew.com), with Benjamin Jaffe (of HoneyHoney) opening.
- Photo Courtesy Of Dead Horses
- TRIUMPH FROM DISPAIR Americana/folk act Dead Horses plays downtown SLO Brew on Nov. 4, touring in support of My Mother the Moon, which chronicles frontwoman Sarah Vos' overcoming youthful adversity.
Dead Horses was born out of turmoil. When lead singer Sarah Vos was 15, "she and her family were expelled from the rural Wisconsin church where her father had long served as pastor," according to her bio. "What happened next is the story of Dead Horses' stunning new album, My Mother the Moon, a record full of trauma and triumph, despair and hope, pain and resilience."
Imagine being raised in a strict fundamentalist home only to have your world turned upside down?
"My older brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and my twin had mental illnesses and cognitive disabilities," Vos explained in press materials. "When the church kicked us out, they basically told my dad, 'If you can't lead your family, how can you lead your church?'"
They were forced to leave the church's parish house, and with no home, income, or insurance, care for her siblings wasn't forthcoming. Her family struggled for years, and though this is all in the past, she finally processed it enough to create My Mother the Moon.
Don't miss this show!
More music ...
For the Folks music series caps off their year on Friday, Nov. 2, at Bang the Drum Brewery (6:30 p.m.; all ages; $10 with kids under 12 free), with Reno funk band Mojo Green headlining and Arthur Watership opening (I guess Watership will be running between gigs since they're playing the NTMAs later that night!). Proceeds will support Bang the Drum as they look for a new location.
- Photo Courtesy Of Amber Zbitnoff
- RED BARN BOUND Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons play Nov. 3 in Los Osos' Red Barn, delivering acoustic blues, a cappella field hollers, fiddle and banjo breakdowns, and early jazz.
The Red Barn Community Music Series presents Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons this Saturday, Nov. 3, in Los Osos' Red Barn (5 p.m. potluck, 6 p.m. show; all ages; $15 at the door; BYOB). These roots revivalists play acoustic blues, a cappella field hollers, fiddle and banjo breakdowns, and early jazz.
The SLO Blues Society has two terrific LA blues bands lined up for their Saturday, Nov. 3, show at the SLO Vets' Hall: the Kara Grainger Band and the Dennis Jones Band (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $25 at the door). Australian native Kara Grainger mixes fierce vocals and ripping slide guitar in her R&B sound. Dennis Jones delivers smooth vocals and sizzling hot guitar licks in his rock and blues style. Two bands means double the fun!
- Photo Courtesy Of Kara Grainger
- SHE COMES FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER Australian native and R&B artist Kara Grainger and her band play the SLO Blues Society show on Nov. 3, in the SLO Vets Hall.
James Lee Stanley—who Tom Robbins, author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, called "probably the last great undiscovered singer-songwriter in America"—returns to Música Del Río in Atascadero, on Saturday, Nov. 3 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $20 at the door with reservations and directions at (805) 466-6911). Δ
Keep up with New Times Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey via Twitter at twitter.com/glenstarkey, friend him at facebook.com/glenstarkey, or contact him at [email protected].
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