Vol. 17, No. 04 – Nov 15 – Nov 28, 2023 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the tradition of getting out the evening before and hanging with friends taking in live music continues with several venues offering up live music. Many are calling it “Friendsgiving” though that is typically reserved for Thanksgiving-themed feasts eaten with friends (as opposed to family). I look at it as a way for people to decompress preemptively before hanging with the fam.

Now if you were to go to VenturaRocks.com calendar of events and sorted by the date 11/22/23, at press time, you would find 14 venues in Ventura County with live music. Here now, just the Ventura venues I’ve found with live music on Wednesday the 22nd:

  • Vaquero y Mar with Tribal Me
  • The Cave with Bobby Apostol
  • Winchesters with The Van Allen Twins
  • Boatyard Pub with Frank Barajas
  • Leashless Brewing with Mark Masson
  • Aqua Beachfront Bar with Déjà vu Too
  • The Twist on Main with a “battle of the bands”
  • Tony’s Pizzeria with The Stoneflys and Johnny Knows No One

On to other music related matters starting with the River Bottom Sessions Inaugural Bluegrass Music Festival. This one will be held on Saturday, November 18 from noon to 7 pm at Las Palmas de Ojai. Artists scheduled to perform include Tarantula Banjo, Ellie Rollins Band, The Van Allen Twins and Chris Murphy followed up with headliners Mark Masson’s Jam Grass and Moonsville. This event is part of raising funds and awareness for local nonprofit, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC). This promises to be a family-friendly event, children 12 and under are free. Tickets available on EventBrite.com.

On sale recently: Ventura Theater added Nekromantix for Saturday, December 2 and tickets for The Third Mind featuring Dave Alvin on February 3 have gone on sale for the Ventura Music Hall.

Quick Notes: 4th Impact at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center has been postponed; Neon Blonde featuring covers from the 80s plays an early show (3-6) at Bombay’s on Saturday November 18; Tony Bennett’s Pianist for the last five years, Tom Rainier, will play an intimate show at the Beatrice Wood Centers for the Arts on Sunday, November 19; Barrelhouse Wailers is the guest band for the next House of Dance Sunday afternoon show hosted by Channel Cities Jazz Club on November 19; Fear with Lower Class Brats play the Ventura Music Hall on Saturday, November 25; Tommy Quayle returns to Namba for a show on Saturday, November 25.

If you’ve ever thought about hosting your own radio show on CAPS Media’s KPPQ here in Ventura, the station is back to hosting open houses and training sessions making it easier than ever for you to do so. Please contact Elizabeth Rodeno at [email protected].

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to [email protected], and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.