Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
ALLAH-LAS
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for” the saying goes. But suppose the proverbial harbor is Los Angeles — a place not particularly known for being the origin of adventures. From the Spanish Conquistadors to the countless starry-eyed nobodies hoping to make it big, LA is usually the destination.
So it’s no wonder the Allah Las became fascinated with both the carefree spirit and glitter-in-the-gutter lifestyle of their hometown. After three records mining its lore and lure (from the desert to the sea) they have become global ambassadors of not just a place but a location.
Having taken their compact California on the road across the world (making stops in North, Central, and South America, Europe, South Africa, Australia, Russia, East Asia and beyond), they couldn’t help but peek through the other end of the telescope.
On their fourth LP, drummer Matt Correia, bassist Spencer Dunham, and guitarists Miles Michaud and Pedrum Siadatian turn their collective gaze outward and toward the horizon. Simply titled LAHS (a reference to a common misspelling of the band’s name), their forthcoming release on Mexican Summer finds the band turning in their most cohesive and ambitious work yet.
The Allah Las seem to be transmitting from a place not found on any map. Those familiar with the band’s work will recognize their skillful melding of melodies and moods, but through that lens we see them venturing into new, exciting territories. Indeed, their growth not just as songwriters, but as performers, arrangers, and producers — is clearly audible.
Correia sings in Portuguese on “Prazer Em Te Conhecer” (Nice to Meet You), which evokes George Harrison while also sounding like a rare 45 from a Brazilian flea market. The breezy sweetness of “Pleasure” could pass for a song by Spanish folk darlings Picnic, were it not for the wistful wisdom in Dunham’s delivery. “Polar Onion” takes us through the inevitable lows one encounters on a long journey, as Michaud laments “drown in the sea, I fill my cup - but it’s not enough”- a caricature of the lonesome cowboy seeking and occasionally glimpsing enlightenment.
One of the most notable evolutions from their previous work is a razor-sharp focus on the groove. We hear the rhythms of Krautrock influencing songs like “Houston” and “Electricity,” with steady and precise drumming that create complexity from repetition. Whilst both “Roco Ono” and “Star” incorporate elements of disco and soul into Allah Las universe, highlighting an airtight rhythm section unafraid to tap their toes.
Opener “Holding Pattern” conveys what the title suggests; you’ve almost arrived, you can see the ground, but you’re not quite there yet. Airy, ethereal harmonies chant the title, holding you in suspense- and eventually give way to an entirely different mood just before the fade- as if telling the listener “we’ve landed safely.” The persistent shuffle of “In The Air” drives the song forward, while Siadatian’s echo slapped voice bounces along on top, describing “images that can’t compare to the real thing in the air.” Electric guitar and mellotron trade licks, mirror each other's kinetic ascending and descending lines and calling to mind the playful jubilance of Kevin Ayers in his prime.
“We’ve been traveling a lot the past couple years and I think that played a role in influencing the broader variety of songs on this record” Correia explains. And this is precisely what sets LAHS apart from its predecessors -- a record inspired less by time, but by place. “LAHS to me feels like a soundtrack to the past 5 years or so. A sort of audio postcard to anyone who wants to listen.” This sentiment is echoed in the album’s artwork — a collection of exotic postcards, postmarked from equally exotic locals (designed by Matt Correia & Robbie Simon).
Tracking was done mostly by the band at their own studio in Los Angeles, allowing them more time and space to experiment with tunes and tones. Producer/Engineer Jarvis Taveniere (Woods) was brought in to help polish it off, resulting in a sound both crisp and clear while keeping with the warmth and atmosphere the band are known for.
The Allah Las have left the harbor. The infectious wanderlust that fuels these thirteen songs continues to propel the group forward across new frontiers, as they collect and catalog all they find and return with plenty of inspiration in tow. With LAHS we not only discover what souvenirs they’ve brought back for us; they’re inviting us aboard and taking us along for the ride.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
COLLIE BUDDZ
with HECTOR ROOTS LEWIS
Colin Patrick Harper hails from the tiny island of Bermuda. In the music industry, he is known as the reggae artist Collie Buddz. Buddz was born on August 21, 1984 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After graduating from high school, he attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL, where he decided to study studio engineering. Upon graduating from the top in his class at Full Sail in 2006, Buddz began looking for work in the recording industry as a performer or producer. One of his first major gigs was working with recording star Shaggy on the single "Mad Mad World" from Shaggy's new album at the time entitled Intoxication, which was released in 2007. That was the same year Collie released his self-titled debut album with Sony Music with tracks such as ‘Come Around’ and ‘Blind To You’. The album was a success and well-received by critics. WWE (World Wrestling Enterprises) fans would immediately recognize Buddz's voice from the entrance theme ("SOS") for WWE superstar wrestler Kofi Kingston, which was included on the 2008 compilation WWE The Music, Vol. 8. Over the next year, he would continue making guest appearances on the works of many other artists.
It is no small coincidence that his stage name "Buddz" is slang for marijuana. There have been photographs taken of the artist holding bongs and other pot-smoking paraphernalia over the years. Of course, other reggae artists such as Bob Marley have made weed seem an essential part of the reggae lifestyle. When not working in the studio, Collie found himself selling out venue after venue on one of his many exhaustive tours. Now with new music being released and a good reputation under his belt, Buddz finds himself playing at some of the biggest reggae music festivals all across the world such as, Reggae Rise Up, One Love New Zealand, and California Roots Music Festival
At the end of the decade, Buddz started his own record label called Harper Digital. In 2011, he would finally release his second album entitled Playback followed shortly with the Blue Dreamz EP. Buddz would then go on to release his next album, Good Life, fully independently through Harper Digital with features from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Jody Highroller, and the Bay Area’s very own, P-Lo.
More recently, he has finished up his fully self produced album Hybrid which came out in the spring of 2019. Hybrid is Collie Buddz's third full-length album. The album is fully produced by Buddz and features two tracks with Russ, as well as tracks with Tech N9ne, B Young, Stonebwoy, Dizzy Wright, and Johnny Cosmic. The first five songs on the album have been released and highly praised as singles. The FADER called "Love & Reggae" a "quintessential reggae jam," and Billboard praised "Bank" feat. Russ & B Young, claiming "Buddz effortlessly [flowed] on the self-produced melody." Meanwhile, "Bounce It" featuring Ghanian Grammy nominee Stonebwoy has gotten radio play around the world including on Sirius XM Pitbull's Globalization channel, and Buddz's latest single "Show Love" has quickly earned radio play on Sirius XM The Joint and was added to Spotify's elite New Music Friday playlist.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
THE SKATALITES
with THE STEADIANS
2024 marks the 60th Anniversary of The Skatalites. The original members played on hundreds of recording sessions before forming the band in 1964. Backing most of the vocalists in Jamaica at that time, including Bob Marley, Toots and The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe and many more The Skatalites secured their place in musical history early on. After disbanding in 1965 the individual members continued playing in various groups as the music evolved from ska to rocksteady to reggae.
In 1983 The Skatalites reunited to play Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay and subsequently in London at The Crystal Palace for the U.K version of The Sunsplash event. A few years later they began emigrating to the U.S.A and in 1986 the first US shows began at The Village Gate in NYC. The band supported Bunny Wailer on The Liberation Tour in 1989 and followed it up in 1990 embarking on their first-ever headline tour of The U.S.A. The Skatalites have not stopped touring the world ever since and continue to be available for festivals, casinos, and intimate venue settings. Their unique infectious brand of authentic Jamaican ska excites audiences of all ages across the globe year after year.
“We hope you will enjoy listening to our music as much as we enjoy performing it for you.”
Show 8:30pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
GIMME GIMME DISCO
If you can’t get enough of ABBA, boy do we have THE dance party for you! We are a DJ based dance party playing all your favorite ABBA tracks, plus plenty of other disco hits from the 70s & 80's like The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Cher, & so much more. So honey honey, take-a-chance and you’ll be dancing all night long. Grab tickets, put on your best disco attire, bring your friends, and have the best night of your life! 🪩🎤✨🕺💃❤️🫶
Show 7:30pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
The Hard Times & Ventura Music Hall Present:
LAURA JANE GRACE & THE MISSISSIPPI MEDICALS
with ALEX LAHEY, RODEO BOYS and HEAD CUT
Laura Jane Grace is a major figure in today’s rock scene as both a solo artist and the front person of Against Me!, which she founded in Naples, FL in the late 1990s. As a working artist, she has released six solo offerings and seven albums with Against Me!, and in 2012 went public with her gender transition in the pages of Rolling Stone. In her music, she continues to detail her journey all while staying true to her earlier themes of outspoken political critique – environmentalism along with personal and social liberation – with a base in American music including country and folk-rock, with a penchant for noise and anarchy. Laura Jane will be joined by her band "The Mississippi Medicals" featuring Matt Patton of Drive-By Truckers (bass), Mikey Erg of The Ergs (drums) and Paris Campbell Grace (vocals, percussion).
Show 9pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
TWISTED GYPSY - FLEETWOOD MAC... REIMAGINED
Join us as TWISTED GYPSY celebrates and REINVENTS the timeless music of the legendary FLEETWOOD MAC. “MORE THAN JUST A TRIBUTE”, Twisted Gypsy takes you back to the early days of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and the heyday of 70’s Rock ’n Roll. They will transport you back in time to memories you forgot you had with their passion, ULTRA HIGH ENERGY, stellar all-live harmonies, fun stage banter AND RAW, TRACK-FREE performances! Close your eyes and you'll be blown away by our modern interpretation of the beloved Mac, whose music and vocals dominated the hearts of the planet. Not just another tribute band... TWISTED GYPSY is a surreal EXPERIENCE that will forever fill your soul …..
Show 9pm
FULLY SEATED
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ
with ALEX SIEGEL
Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006. Ali Farka Touré came from a historical tribe of soldiers, and defied his parents in becoming a musician. When Vieux was in his teens, he declared that he also wanted to be a musician. His father disapproved due to the pressures he had experienced being a musician. Rather, he wanted Vieux to become a soldier. But with help from family friend the kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually convinced his father to give him his blessing to become a musician shortly before Ali passed.
Vieux was initially a drummer / calabash player at Mali’s Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. Ali Farka Touré was weakened with cancer when Vieux announced that he was going to record an album. Ali recorded a couple of tracks with him, and these recordings, which can be heard on Vieux’s debut CD, were amongst his final ones. It has been said that the senior Touré played rough mixes of these songs when people visited him in his final days, at peace with, and proud of, his son’s talent as a musician.
In 2005, Eric Herman (still Vieux’s manager today) of Modiba Productions expressed an interest in producing an album for Vieux; this led to Vieux’s self-titled debut album, released by World Village in 2007. Ali Farka Touré’s work to tackle the problem of malaria is continued as 10% of proceeds are donated to Modiba’s “Fight Malaria” campaign in Niafunké through which over 3000 mosquito nets have been delivered to children and pregnant women in the Timbuktu region of Mali. On this first album, Vieux pays homage to his father and follows Ali’s musical tradition, giving new versions of the West African music that is echoed in the American blues. The album features Toumani Diabaté, as well as his late father.
On his second record, Fondo on Six Degrees (2009), Vieux branched out and presented his own sound: while remaining true to the roots of his father’s music he uses elements of rock, Latin music, and other African influences. The album received a great deal of critical acclaim from across the globe, and Vieux was clearly moving out of his father’s shadow.
By June 2010, Vieux was performing at the opening concert for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. That month Vieux also released his first live album, LIVE. His live performances are highly energized and Vieux is known for dazzling crowds with his speed and dexterity on the guitar, as well as his palpable charisma and luminous smile, both of which captivate audiences from all audiences in spite of any language barriers (though Vieux does speak 8 languages).
In 2011 Vieux released his 3rd studio album, The Secret, so named because the listener will hear the secret of the blues with a blend of generations from father to son. It was produced by guitarist Eric Krasno (of the Soulive trio) and features South African-born vocalist Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks on electric slide guitar and jazz guitarist John Scofield. The title track is the last collaboration between Vieux and his late father. With the heralded release of The Secret, Vieux Farka Touré has clearly established himself as one of the world’s rare musical talents and guitar virtuosos with a distinct style that always pays homage to the past while looking towards the future.
Vieux released The Tel Aviv Session (Cumbancha) in April 2012, a collaborative project with Israeli superstar Idan Raichel dubbed ‘The Touré-Raichel Collective’ that has been hailed by fans and critics alike as a masterpiece and one of the best collaborative albums in the history of international music, drawing comparisons to Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder’s legendary Talking Timbuktu album.
In 2013, Vieux Farka Touré’s beautiful and critically acclaimed album Mon Pays was released as an homage to his homeland. Being that his native Mali had recently been splintered by territorial fighting between Tuareg and Islamic rebels since January 2012, Mon Pays was devoted to reminding the world about the beauty and culture of his native Mali. Translated as ‘My Country,’ this predominantly acoustic undertaking transformed into an artifact of cultural preservation. Two songs on the project - ‘Future’ and ‘Peace’ feature Sidiki Diabate’s kora leading an emotional charge complemented by Touré’s spectacular guitar work. Both tracks represent an important generational “passing of the torch” as Sidiki’s father, Toumani is considered one of the greatest living kora masters and was a close friend of Vieux’s father Ali. Mon Pays has been widely hailed as the most mature and lovely record yet from one of this generation’s most exciting artists to come out of Mali and one of world music’s true rising stars.
Vieux reunited with Idan Raichel in Paris to record, release and subsequently tour their 2nd collaborative album as The Touré-Raichel Collective in 2014. The result was yet another musical and critical triumph, titled 'The Paris Session' (Cumbancha) revered by many as not just a musical gem for the ages, but a powerful testimonial to the power of art and fraternity to transcend vast cultural and political divides. In 2015, Vieux released another unexpected, genre-bending collaborative album, this time with New York-based singer Julia Easterlin, aptly titled 'Touristes'. The album shot to the top of the iTunes World chart and earned critical acclaim, including that of John Schaefer (NPR) who called it "brilliant." On April 7, 2017, Vieux released his next album 'Samba', recorded live in front of a small audience at Applehead Studio in Woodstock, NY.
When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020 and all touring ground to a halt, Vieux stayed focussed on his craft at home. He worked tirelessly in the studio he built at his family's compound (which he named 'Studio Ali Farka Toure' in honor of his late father) to record his debut album for World Circuit Records/BMG, the prestigious UK-based record label with whom his father recorded and released most of his own work. The resulting album, 'Les Racines' (released June 2022), sees Vieux masterfully return to the deep roots of the Desert Blues music that his father introduced to the world and Vieux spent most of his career to date exploring, experimenting with, and expanding. 2022 also saw the release of a long-awaited collaborative album between Vieux and Houston-based psych-rock superstars Khruangbin called ‘Ali’ - an album on which the artists join forces to pay homage to Ali Farka Toure by reimagining eight of his songs together. The album was an instant hit around the globe, immediately getting millions of streams, enormous critical acclaim and even earning the praise of Sir Elton John who called it "one of the albums of the year - absolutely wonderful music." With each new project Vieux broadens his horizons, embraces new challenges and further entrenches his reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.
As a passionate champion for the people of Mali and The Sahel, Vieux founded the charity Amahrec Sahel in 2012. As part of Amahrec Sahel’s mission to support humanitarian reconstruction and culture, the charity has provided school supplies for children, supported an orphanage in Bamako and provided musical instruments for young musicians in Mali. Vieux is also the director of The Ali Farka Touré Foundation, an international organization dedicated to the preservation of Ali’s legacy and the cultural growth of Mali.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
YAIMA
YAIMA is often described as timeless and unmistakable, offering a balanced synergy of masculine and feminine expression. Their melodious soundscapes, featuring Multi-Instrumentalist & Producer Masaru Higasa and Vocalist Pepper Proud, showcase instruments from all over the world.
Inspired by the Majesty of Nature, their musical musings encompass the listener with driving and revitalizing organic rhythms, transcendent electronic production, soothing female vocals, and heartened lyricism.
YAIMA creates a bridge between Nature and Humankind as an expansive experience, encouraging growth and graceful passage for the hearts and minds of their listeners.
The name YAIMA comes from the Mapudungun language, which means "that which water runs through,” and the culturally preserved Yaeyama District of Okinawa, Japan.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
STEEL PULSE
with F.Y.A.H
Bearing witness to the accelerating negativity of global affairs, British reggae powerhouse Steel Pulse exemplify musical vengeance to halt the disarray of humanity. The band's twelfth studio production, titled Mass Manipulation, reflects four decades committed to bettering mankind through music. Steel Pulse songs and lyrics continue to engage controversial topics of racial injustice and human rights on a global scale. Themes are as potent and relevant today as they were at the beginning of their career. Hailing from Birmingham, England, Steel Pulse emerged in 1975 with music that provokes thought toward global unification. Songs like “Chant a Psalm” have landed on Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Best Songs list of the 1980s, and the six-time Grammy nominated group won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for Babylon the Bandit. Lead singer and guitarist, David Hinds’ creativity, human persona, and visionary views are revealed through inspiring compositions that capture the effects of the African Diaspora. As reggae revolutionaries, Steel Pulse is revered by the younger generation of artists and remains a powerhouse on stages around the globe. Through the example of Mass Manipulation, Steel Pulse demonstrates the endless possibilities that come from breaking down the walls of systemic greed and nurturing the fellowship of mankind.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
STEEL PULSE
with F.Y.A.H
Bearing witness to the accelerating negativity of global affairs, British reggae powerhouse Steel Pulse exemplify musical vengeance to halt the disarray of humanity. The band's twelfth studio production, titled Mass Manipulation, reflects four decades committed to bettering mankind through music. Steel Pulse songs and lyrics continue to engage controversial topics of racial injustice and human rights on a global scale. Themes are as potent and relevant today as they were at the beginning of their career. Hailing from Birmingham, England, Steel Pulse emerged in 1975 with music that provokes thought toward global unification. Songs like “Chant a Psalm” have landed on Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Best Songs list of the 1980s, and the six-time Grammy nominated group won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for Babylon the Bandit. Lead singer and guitarist, David Hinds’ creativity, human persona, and visionary views are revealed through inspiring compositions that capture the effects of the African Diaspora. As reggae revolutionaries, Steel Pulse is revered by the younger generation of artists and remains a powerhouse on stages around the globe. Through the example of Mass Manipulation, Steel Pulse demonstrates the endless possibilities that come from breaking down the walls of systemic greed and nurturing the fellowship of mankind.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
TYCHO
Tycho is embarking on their first headlining tour since 2020. Following the release of Weather in 2019, the band returns to their roots, delivering their signature blend of electronic dance music and melody-driven instrumental post-rock. Scott Hansen’s creative vision, delicate melodies, and mesmerizing soundscapes take on new energy in the live setting, thanks to the incredible drumming of Rory O’Connor and an immersive visual experience. With guitarist/bassist Zac Brown and multi-instrumentalist Billy Kim rounding out the lineup, Tycho has been captivating fans for over a decade.
Show 9pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
THE MOSS
with MICHIGANDER (DUO)
In a musical landscape with fewer boundaries than ever before, THE MOSS’s exuberant brand of alternative rock spans genres, eras, and even oceans.
The Utah-via-Hawaii group was born on the shores of Oahu in 2015, as teenage buddies Tyke James (vocals/guitar) and Addison Sharp (guitar) picked up a gig serenading diners at local taco trucks in between surf sessions. Naturally, their songs took shape in the spirit of the island, imbued with the joyfulness and breeziness of reggae culture yet cut with the introspection and communal spirit of mainland indie acts like Pinegrove and Cage the Elephant.
By 2018, the duo had grown, enlisting Willie Fowler on drums and Addison’s brother Brierton on bass, and traded in beaches for the Great Salt Lake. They hit the stage at spots like local cornerstone Kilby Court, live-testing their modern-indie-meets-’60s-blues with a wide-eyed exuberance that translated effortlessly into their 2019 self-released debut, Bryology.
Colored by the sound of Stratocasters jamming through reverb-cranked Fender amps, all backed by bouncy rhythms, Bryology marked a big step for the still-young quartet – but, true to The Moss’s nature, was still hard-coded with a DIY ethos. “We basically had no budget,” James remembers fondly. “We bought some nice mics and an interface and I ended up learning how to mix while we were recording.”
The follow-up, 2021’s Kentucky Derby, brought a more aspirational, blue-sky tilt to the foundation they’d laid on Bryology, expanding the group’s sonic arsenal while keeping the relatable lyrical style and sun-soaked sentiment at the forefront. “I’m really proud of how we’ve evolved as a band over time,” Addison Sharp says. “It feels like we’ve taken every different influence and mashed them all together to create something that feels really special.”
“Bryology seemed like a collection of separate songs we put together to make an album, whereas Kentucky Derby is a similar thought and story coming together to collectively make a more cohesive album,” adds Brierton Sharp says, noting the album’s tracks are sneakily arranged in pairs of two that seamlessly flow into one another. “Each song could be listened to on its own, or you could listen to them all and get a broader sense of our intention.”
No matter how listeners choose to interact with The Moss’s music, the band just hopes they feel something. It’s that kinetic relationship between band and audience that makes their live performances – including a pitch-perfect recent set for Audiotree – so compelling. “No matter what we do, we want to make sure the songs are fun to play live,” says Fowler. “We pride ourselves on being a band people want to see live.”
“There’s something special that happens when you get an immediate reaction to a song,” says James. “Whether it’s during a live show or even just a songwriting session, if there’s a reaction from people in the room, you know you’re on the right track.” XX
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR
with MAT BALL
Godspeed You! Black Emperor released a string of albums from 1997-2002 widely recognized as redefining what protest music can be, where longform instrumental chamber rock compositions of immense feeling and power serve as soundtracks to late capitalist alienation and resistance. The band’s first four releases—especially F#A#∞ (1997) and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000)—are variously regarded as classics of the era and genre. Godspeed’s legendary live performances, featuring multiple 16mm projectors beaming a collage of overlapping analog film loops and reels—along with the distinctive iconography, imagery and tactility of the band’s album artwork and physical LP packages— further defines the sui generis aesthetic substance, ethos and mythos of this group. GY!BE has issued two official band photos in its 25-year existence (the second, left, a 2010 recreation of the first from 1997) and has done a half-dozen collectively-answered written interviews over that same span. The band has never had a website or social media accounts. It has never made a video. Few rock bands in our 21st century have been as steadfast in trying to let the work speak for itself and maintaining simple rules about minimising participation in cultures of personality, exposure, access, commodification or co-optation.
Following a seven-year hiatus that began in 2003, Godspeed returned to the stage in December 2010 (curating the UK festival All Tomorrow’s Parties) and the band’s post-reunion period has now lasted over a decade, marked by hundreds of sold-out live shows and three additional albums, all of which have been met with high acclaim.
G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END! – the band’s fourth post-reunion album (and eighth overall) – was released on April 2nd, 2021.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
ZIGGY ALBERTS
with STEPH STRINGS
Ziggy Alberts is no stranger to success, having built a dedicated global following through a combination of steadfast touring, captivating songwriting, and an independent ethos that has seen him thrive without the backing of a major label. An artist who has mastered the acoustic charm of busking and intimate venues to the electrifying energy of sold-out world stages - all as a solo act - Alberts is now entering a new phase of his artistic journey with his seventh studio album, ‘New Love’, set for release in February 2025.
From his early days busking on the streets of Byron Bay, Alberts has understood the power of direct connection with his audience. His rise has been driven not only by his emotionally resonant folk songs but by his determination to bring his music directly to fans. Now a decade into his career, he’s grown his fanbase the old-fashioned way: by playing show after show, year after year, turning small rooms into sold-out venues across the globe.
In 2024, as part of his New Love World Tour, he has delivered standout performances, including headline sets at Bluesfest Byron Bay and co-headlining Australia’s SummerSalt tour with Matt Corby and James Bay. His tour has taken him across Europe, the UK, North America, Indonesia, and even into new territories like Mexico and Japan. This momentum follows his 2023 Rewind World Tour, where he performed for over 110,000 people and sold out iconic venues like London’s Eventim Apollo.
Notably, Alberts has achieved all of this as an independent artist, without the support of a major label. His commitment to creative autonomy led to the founding of his own label, Commonfolk Records, through which he’s continued to release music and grow his career on his terms. This independence has allowed Alberts to stay true to his artistic vision, taking risks that have paid off. His discography has garnered over a billion streams, with hits like “Runaway” and “Love Me Now” earning millions of listens, while as of October 2024 his singles ‘Laps Around The Sun’ and “Runaway” achieved ARIA Triple Platinum status. Fan favourites like ‘Days In The Sun’ and ‘Gone’ and his EP ‘Four Feet In The Forest’ have also now received Double Platinum status; ‘Hands I Can Hold’ and ‘Together’ reaching Platinum status and another seven tracks plus his ‘Land & Sea’ album reaching Gold status (‘Don’t Get Caught Up’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Letting Go’, ‘On Hold’, ‘Start Over’, ‘Together (Instrumental)’, and ‘Worn Out’). Alberts has also won two APRA Music Awards for Most Performed Blues and Roots Work in 2022 and 2024, solidifying his impact on the Australian music scene.
Now, Alberts is on the verge of releasing his most ambitious project yet: 'New Love'. Born from extensive touring and crafted for live performance, this album underscores his commitment to delivering music that deeply resonates with his audience. Written during his Rewind World Tour and completed in Northern Rivers, NSW, the album captures spontaneity and authenticity, shaped by Alberts' habit of testing songs live during soundchecks, a practice dating back to his early busking days. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Garrett Kato, 'New Love' builds on the journey that began with Laps Around the Sun, which Ziggy describes as its "spiritual follow-up."
For Alberts, 'New Love' is a return to simplicity — reflecting themes of second chances, joy, and navigating modern life’s complexities. The album's structure, split between a warm, folk-inspired Side A and a more expansive, rock-and-country influenced Side B, mirrors the duality of life. Alberts and Kato’s organic production approach preserved the raw emotion of the songs, allowing listeners to join him on an adventure of self-discovery, both through the album and the live performances that will follow.
The release of 'New Love' and the ongoing New Love World Tour showcase Alberts at the peak of his powers as a seasoned performer. His determined touring has cultivated a loyal, global fanbase, turning his live shows into shared experiences that unite people through music. With a devoted following and an impressive catalogue, the 'New Love' era promises to make one thing clear: Ziggy Alberts isn’t just an artist you should know - he’s the one you need to know.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
JOHN MARK MCMILLAN & CITIZENS
John Mark McMillan - John Mark McMillan is something of an anomaly: an artist and Platinum-selling songwriter bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet’s eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each of his albums over the past decade have continued to explore new territory, it’s McMillan’s ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
THIEVERY CORPORATION
Twenty-five years into their genre-defying electronic music career, Thievery Corporation's founding principles of D.I.Y. and inclusion have become key themes in mainstream social conversation. After a dozen highly acclaimed full-length albums, remix LPs, concert recordings, and over two decades of incendiary live performances that have thrilled audiences worldwide, Thievery Corporation's music and message is more relevant and important now than ever.
That lack of filter enabled Garza and Hilton to mine their musical inspirations and create one of the most unique bodies of work in electronic music, respectfully incorporating tastes of international cultural styles, without ever falling into the trap of cultural appropriation. "We always wondered: with so much incredible music in the world, why would anyone limit themselves to one genre? Well, we found out — it's far easier to stay in one lane than to genre hop!" laughs Hilton. Garza elaborates: "When we started, we were influenced by music from all over the world, flipping through bins in second hand record stores for LP's from Brazil, India, Iran, Jamaica, jazz records…..we wanted to make music where you didn't know whether it was recorded today or a decade ago." Thievery Corporation's music has always looked toward the future while paying homage to the past, starting with their groundbreaking debut LP, 1996's "Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi," which both introduced the world to Garza and Hilton as producers and set their course as pioneers of song-based electronic music with wildly diverse vocalists.
The band's legendary D.C. headquarters, the Eighteenth Street Lounge, became an epicenter for a diverse group of people and staff from all over the world, which in turn had a profound influence on their musical output. "D.C. was very cosmopolitan, lots of places to see international live music and jazz," says Garza. "We'd run into people from all over the world and invite them to play with us — so Thievery became an extension of that, both on our records and in our live performances." Indeed, Hilton and Garza's "Outernational" approach created a world reflected by the artist's ideals of diversity and acceptance. "25 years after we started, it seems like the world is catching up," Garza opines. "Social consciousness is more mainstream, awareness of the importance of inclusivity…it's so encouraging to see so many people working towards these goals in America." Hilton agrees. "Thievery is a reflection of who we are, it evolved from our musical tastes. Artists who were for the people, like The Clash, Fela Kuti, Manu Chao were so important to us, and engaging in social ideas has always been a part of what we've tried to do." People don't refer to Thievery Corporation as "World Music," but it's safe to say that their music and ethos is global in its scope and ahead of its time at every turn.
In a live setting, Thievery Corporation avoids any electronic dance music tropes. Yes, you'll dance, sweat and put your hands in the air….but their concerts are true performances, with a killer band of players and an array of vocalists from diverse global cultures. No two shows feel the same. "Our shows are VERY live, lots of energy, the com-bination of multiple instruments and singers that take you on a musical journey," says Garza. "We have a sitar player, songs are in different languages — it's a multicultural experience, people connect to the band and to each other, it's beautiful." With a world cautiously beginning to emerge from isolation and towards communal events, Garza is eager to return Thievery Corporation to live performance. "I feel like people have been waiting to celebrate together after being forced apart for too long. We're all craving that."
Eric Hilton's presence at Thievery gigs, however, has become an increasingly rare event. "I never really embraced touring; some of the world tours were interesting, seeing new places and cultures," he says. "For me, touring was tourism. The creative process of making music is more my thing." And Thievery Corporation have brought the sounds of the world to listeners throughout each of their albums. "There are so many highlights for me. 2014's Saudade is my favorite record that we've done, a real creative stretch for us. Quiet music is hard to make! Symphonik also. To hear our music done with an orchestra was incredible." Hilton concedes that over time live performance influenced the studio records. "After Cosmic Game (2011), we orchestrated jam sessions and built the records from those. For Temple of I and I (2014), we went to Jamaica to jam and record, which gave that record a different feel and authenticity."
Looking back over their career, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton acknowledge that what drives each of them may be different, but the mashup of personalities, sounds, cultures and experiences birthed something wholly unique. "We love all kinds of music, which is why Thievery Corporation sounds the way it does," the founding partners agree. "We couldn't possibly incorporate all our tastes into the music, but we do it more than most." By not following trends or the whims of major labels, and embracing the cultural diversities that make the world such a wondrous place, Thievery Corporation has created a legacy that runs deep and continues to expand.
"Over 25 years, we've left nothing undone. We far exceeded what we thought we would do," Hilton and Garza agree. And Thievery Corporation's music will continue on to reverberate and influence the next generation of listeners with an ear toward a global musical experience.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF
with MERCE LEMON
Alynda Segarra is 36, or a little less than halfway through the average American lifespan. In that comparatively brief time, though, the Hurray for the Riff Raff founder has been something of a modern Huck Finn, an itinerant traveler whose adventures prompt art that reminds us there are always other ways to live.
Born in the Bronx and of Puerto Rican heritage, Segarra was raised there by a blue-collar aunt and uncle, as their father navigated Vietnam trauma and their mother neglected them to work for the likes of Rudy Giuliani. They were radicalized before they were a teenager, baptized in the anti-war movement and galvanized in New York’s punk haunts and queer spaces. At 17, Segarra split, becoming the kid in a communal squat before shuttling to California, where they began crisscrossing the country by hopping trains. They eventually found home—spiritual, emotional, physical—in New Orleans, forming a hobo band and realizing that music was not only a way to share what they’d learned and seen but to learn and see more. Hurray for the Riff Raff steadily rose from house shows to a major label, where Segarra became a pan-everything fixture of the modern folk movement. But that yoke became a burden, prompting Segarra to make the probing and poignant electronic opus, 2022’s Life on Earth, their Nonesuch debut. Catch your breath, OK? We’re back to 36, back to now.
During the last dozen years, these manifold tales of Segarra’s voyages have shaped an oral folklore of sorts, with the teenage vagabonding or subsequent trainhopping becoming what some may hear about Hurray for the Riff Raff before hearing the music itself. Segarra has dropped tidbits in songs, too, but they always worried that their experiences were too radical, that memories of dumpster diving or riding through New Orleans with a dildo dangling on an antenna were too much. But on The Past Is Still Alive, Segarra finally tells the story themselves, speckling stirring reflections on love, loss, and the end or evolution of the United States with foundational scenes from their own life. “It felt like a trust fall, or a letting go of this idea of proving something to the music industry—how I can be more digestible, modifiable, sellable,” Segarra says. “I feel like I’m closer to what I actually have to share.”
There is, for instance, sex and communal musicmaking on an island of San Francisco trash during “Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive),” a charged attempt to reckon the erosion of our childhood innocence with a belief that a worthwhile future is still possible. Or there are the cops and the trains and the long walks down empty Nebraska highways to escape said cops during “Ogalla,” the cathartic closer that tries to maintain the spirit of the past while actually surviving in the now. The Past Is Still Alive is the record of Segarra’s life so far, not only because it chronicles the past to understand the present but also because it is the most singular and magnetic thing Hurray for the Riff Raff have yet made. A master work of modern folk-rock, The Past Is Still Alive resets the terms of that tired term.
In March 2023, when Segarra returned to the North Carolina studio of producer Brad Cook to cut The Past Is Still Alive, they weren’t so sure about the session, if they could even handle it. Only a month before, their father, Jose Enrico (Quico) Segarra, had died. A musician himself, he had long been fundamental to Segarra’s songs, a point of inspiration and encouragement. What’s more, Segarra had made Life on Earth with Cook, and drummer Yan Westerlund had long toured in Hurray for the Riff Raff. But much of the band they’d assembled for these sessions—guitarist Meg Duffy, fiddler Libby Rodenbough, saxophonist Matt Douglas, multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook—were unknown quantities. At the edge of catastrophe and in the headlock of grief, could Segarra share these bone-deep songs among strangers? “The songwriting is what drove me. I didn’t feel the need to try to transform,” Segarra reckons. “It felt like the truth of where I was at in my life—very vulnerable, very fair, very raw.”
Segarra simply let those complex feelings lead the way, hurling themselves into these excavations of memory and blueprints for what’s to come. Witness, for instance, the tensile resolve in opener “Alibi,” a yearning reflection on addicted childhood friends that pleads with them to join the land of the living while they still can. As the pedal steel moans beneath the snappy country shuffle, their voice frays, a testament to the way they’re bearing difficult witness. That call to survival returns in “Snake Plant,” a song so stuffed with specific childhood memories—scenes from family road trips to Florida, snapshots from discovering oneself on the edge of the world—that Segarra feels like an actual tour guide. “Test your drugs/remember Narcan,” they sing toward the end. “There’s a war on the people/What don’t you understand?” The demand is graceful and winning, not pedantic, lived-in advice from someone who has managed to live when so many friends have not.
This quest to live in spite of outside attempts to kill us off animates “Colossus of Roads,” at once the most devastating and uplifting entry in the entire Hurray for the Riff Raff catalogue. Written like an urgent dispatch after the Club Q shooting in Colorado, it is a paean to the outsiders, a love song for the vulnerable—the queer, the homeless, the radical. Their voice taut as a piece of barbed wire, Segarra deploys poet Eileen Myles and boxcar artist BuZ blurr (the Colossus of Roads himself) to suggest a sanctuary of solidarity for the dispossessed. The United States as we know it can and probably should dissolve, they seethe; as it all comes down, though, Segarra asks to “wrap you up in the bomb shelter of my feather bed.” Brilliantly written and rendered, it is an anthem for a dawning age of collective liberation. “I’ve only had this experience a couple of times, where a song falls on me—it’s all there, and I don’t do anything,” Segarra admits. “It felt like creating a space where all us outsiders can be safe together. That doesn’t exist, but it exists in our minds, and it exists in this song.”
Throughout The Past Is Still Alive, Segarra suggests the profound ability to navigate all this pain, chaos, and trauma, or at least to meet it with senses of wonder and want. To wit, the delightful “Buffalo” uses the iconic American mammal that Americans almost drove to extinction as a metaphor for a new love; can it survive the pressures of society? A duet with Conor Oberst, “The World Is Dangerous” is a heartbroken waltz that still offers to hold someone close, if and when they’re ready.
And even as Segarra tells the tale of the first trans women they ever met, Miss Jonathan in New Orleans, and the beatings they took during “Hawkmoon,” they seem to beam, advocating for a better world yet to come. “I’m becoming the kind of girl that they warned me about,” Segarra sings at the end with devilish aplomb, proud to be carrying on Miss Jonathan’s work of upending norms, whether by sharing Miss Jonathan’s story or simply taking up space for themselves and their own multitudes.
It is especially fraught these days to speak of art in terms of national identity, to flirt with a jingoism that has led to new autocrats and rekindled old wars. But in the best ways possible, The Past Is Still Alive is a distinctly American record, built on twin pillars of peril and promise that have forever been foundational to this country.
The wanderlust that leads to piñon fires near the pueblos of New Mexico’s high desert and all-night escapades in New Orleans. The independence that shapes communities of like-minded outcasts, looking after one another. The inequality that makes such enclaves essential, that makes one of us eat out of garbage and the other with a silver spoon: It is all tragically and beautifully bound inside The Past Is Still Alive. Just as Louise Erdrich has done of late with Native Americans, Lonnie Holley with African-Americans, and Julie Otsuka with Asian-Americans, Segarra expands the scope of American stories here, stretching a long-safeguarded circle to encompass outsiders forever on the fringes. “The past is still alive/The root of me lives in the ballast by the mainline,” Segarra sings at one point, sweeping their days of riding rails directly into whatever success they have found now. Hurray for the riff raff, indeed.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! PRESENTS: "HALLELUJAH": AN EPIC ANTHEMS SING-ALONG
“Why see a show when you can BE the show!”
Choir! Choir! Choir! is the fully interactive, participatory show that turns audience into performer! So get ready to laugh, dance and SING! your hearts out with hundreds of other music-lovers just like you. It’s like a big birthday party for the greatest songs of all time and you’re invited!
So grab a friend (or ten), and come out ready to GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT! - all voices welcome, no experience necessary. They Teach, You Sing! Everyone Wins!
This time, Choir! Choir! Choir! Presents: “Hallelujah”: An EPIC Anthems Sing-Along!
EPIC anthems unite the world and are the soundtrack to our lives. And there is none more EPIC than Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” When a room, filled with hundreds (thousands?!) of strangers, starts to harmonize, you’ll feel it deep in your soul. And that’s not all! Get ready to sing your way through the greatest songs of all-time; from Leonard and Joni, to Whitney and Shania, you’ll wanna SING them all!
Since 2011, Choir! Choir! Choir! directors Daveed Goldman + Nobu Adilman have blurred the lines between performer and audience, traveling the world to create harmony with strangers and friends alike. They’ve collaborated with renowned artists like Patti Smith, David Byrne, Brandi Carlile, Rick Astley, Rufus Wainwright, and even Kermit The Frog at New York’s Lincoln Center, creating memorable videos that have garnered views in the millions. Now it’s your turn to SING!, so grab your friends, get your tickets and we’ll C! you there! #NeverStopSinging
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
Landon McNamara can feel it. Big things are coming. The singer-songwriter and guitarist from Hawaii’s North Shore is on the cusp of a major swell- familiar waters for this accomplished surfer- but this wave is one of song and soul.
McNamara’s newest drop, the laid back yet deeply spiritual “If You Only Knew,” renews the artist with strains of acoustic reggae and Hawaiian soul, underpinning a thoughtful recitation on the value of life, and ultimately, the power of love. “The only promised thing to us all is death. And at the end of our life, when you're taking that last breath, would you be satisfied with how you spent your time?” asks McNamara. “I wanna motivate people to realize life isn’t about money, or shiny things, or social status. It’s about experiences; creating beautiful memories; family; friends; finding out who you truly are and living that existence to the fullest. Above all, it’s about love.”
“Well its inevitable that one day we all gotta go drift away, but if you had to die tomorrow what would you do today, would you take that last breath, would you feel content with how that time was spent?” - Landon McNamara “If You Only Knew”
“The original seeds of inspiration behind this song came from way back, since a young kid I’ve always been aware and at time consumed by the big questions of life, where we came from, where we will go, and that death is inevitable for us all. At the moment I made the song, it was inspired by my Drummer and good friend Kimo (who also produced this song). His father had just passed away and he shared that sad news, it filled me with the feelings that this song was born from. As for if it’s part of a bigger protect we got going on, there’s nothing set in stone but we have a lot of songs we are waiting to figure out what we are gonna do with.”
As the scion of one of the Islands’ esteemed surfing families, McNamara’s earliest experiences came baptized by the power of the ocean. Yet, music, from a young age, proved as magnetic as the heavy current of the Pacific; home video of McNamara as a toddler captures him grooving to a Ziggy Marley performance in Turtle Bay.
In elementary school he established a basic foundation of music theory, gleaned tips from a friend with an acoustic guitar, and endlessly studied songs on YouTube that he wanted to master. As a teen, McNamara devotedly retreated to his basement, honing his guitar chops and developing his voice. He shared early efforts with friends hanging at his place- an affectionately self-proclaimed “house of hoodlums”- who encouraged McNamara. Soon, he was a regular at neighborhood open-mic nights.
Music was meditative; a release. It felt good for the socially anxious musician reared on the reggae poetry of Bob Marley and the psychedelic majesty of Jimi Hendrix. He collaborated with local reggae group, The Late Ones, filming an impromptu take of his original, “Jam With You,” and posted the fledgling video on YouTube.
The track would surface on McNamara’s 2016 debut LP, A Dollar Short & A Minute Late. Success came swiftly. The album bowed at #1 on iTunes and #5 on Billboard’s Reggae chart; a seemingly overnight rise for the relatively unknown from the North Shore.. A mature follow-up album, Still Kickin’, followed the hotly performing debut, while McNamara centered his focus, dropped his high-profile modeling gig with the Ford Agency, and outfitted his home with proper gear and a production space. early success wasn’t without time and effort. There was also his two-year surfing/songwriting sabbatical in Tahiti. And finding his own signature vocal tone. The world around him became his muse. He wrote hundreds of songs, simply tucking them away in his mind, waiting for the ideal moment.
“To write, I just have to be passionate- in any direction- or have something hit me in my heart,” he explains. “Which, for me, is everyday life.” In addition to the new single “If You Only Knew,” Landon has also completed an adventurous EP with highly regarded up n’ coming California artist /producer, singer, and songwriter, DENM. Recorded on the North Shore of Oahu, the collection is a result of McNamara and Slum Beach Denny mixing it up and having too much fun at Landon’s home studio, all while under the influence of the many gifts of nature from Hawaii’s royal landscape. The experiment yielded 5 new gems, including the next up n coming summer drop, “Wild Trip”, a heady biographical account of the duo’s exploits on the island!
“Early on I got a little taste of the trajectory I was on,” McNamara says. “Now, my biggest fear is not living up to my potential. I’m driven to live up to it and doing the work to get it to where I know it can go.”
Now, you know. Big things are coming.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
TUNE-YARDS
Formed by Merrill Garbus in 2006, Tune-Yards has become a name synonymous with creativity and forward motion. Known for explosive performances, surprising song structures, and danceable rhythms, their music also highlights connections between song and social consciousness. The New York Times praised their debut album, BiRd-BrAiNs, as “a confident do-it-yourselfer’s opening salvo,” and relentless touring established Garbus as a commanding live performer.
Garbus stepped into the producer role with 2011’s w h o k i l l, a bold and sonically inventive album that earned critical acclaim, including the #1 spot on The Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop poll. By 2021’s sketchy., Garbus and bassist Nate Brenner had solidified their partnership, creating a fully collaborative work. The duo has announced their sixth studio record, Better Dreaming, to be released on May 14, 2025 on 4AD.
Tune-Yards has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to supporting Street Spirit and their work as an independent newspaper dedicated to covering homelessness and poverty from the perspective of those most impacted. The paper is sold on the streets of Berkeley and Oakland by unhoused people, who keep 100% of the donations they receive.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
iDKHOW & PHANTOM PLANET
iDKHOW - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (iDKHOW) is the professional moniker of singer/songwriter Dallon Weekes. Formerly a contributing creative member and bassist for Panic! at the Disco, He also fronted Salt Lake City cult favorite indie band The Brobecks, where he honed his signature blend of retro-inspired alt rock and witty, introspective lyricism. As a multi-instrumentalist and producer, Weekes draws from a variety of influences, blending elements of 70s new wave, glam, 90s Brit-pop, and indie garage rock into his music.
iDKHOW formed secretly in 2016, and quickly gained a cult following despite Weekes spending it’s first year denying the project even existed. With his theatrical aesthetics, infectiously sharp songwriting and charismatic stage presence, iDKHOW has earned not only a Certified Gold Record with the independently produced “Choke”, but has also received critical acclaim, as well as commercial success solidifying Weekes’ place in the alternative music scene and beyond.
Phantom Planet - Formed in 1994, Phantom Planet is a Los Angeles band that has released five albums of melodic, energetic Alt Rock. Helping to define the early 00s music landscape, they’re best known for writing anthemic hits like “California,” (theme of the TV series: The O.C.) and their wildly exciting live shows with deep fan engagement. The band has entertained the masses through a combination of stellar musicianship & compelling song writing which now spans over 30yrs.
After a hiatus in 2008, the band reunited in 2019, continuing to evolve their sound while maintaining their signature energy and melodic sensibilities. Phantom Planet is comprised of Alex Greenwald, Sam Farrar, Darren Robinson, and Andrew Parker. Phantom Planet is no longer missing; they are ready to reclaim their position in the music industry.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
LAKEVIEW
Tattooed, rural, and blue-collar country duo Lakeview (Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy) are among Nashville’s hottest newcomers. Garnering 130M+ streams and amassing a loyal following of 550K+ across social media, these “weekend warriors-turned-Music Row favorites” (The Tennessean) have managed to carve their own, niche lane in the country genre – thanks to a hard-charging, signature sound that effortlessly bridges the gap between metal-core and mainstream country. Fresh off the release of their self-titled debut album, Lakeview has been busy crisscrossing the nation, opening for the likes of Breaking Benjamin, Staind, Chase Matthew, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mitchell Tenpenny, and more. Coming up, the breakout duo will kick off 2025 touring with their “Blue Collar Country” headline tour. Fans can keep up with what’s to come by visiting lakeviewofficial.com or downloading the “Lakeview Crew” app.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
BABE RAINBOW
They say it ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at. But for Angus Dowling, Jack ‘Cool-Breeze’ Crowther and Dr Elliot ‘Love Wisdom’ O’Reilly, the character of their home, Australia’s idyllic Gold Coast, permeates every atom of the dreamlike, joyful, psychedelic music they create together as Babe Rainbow. “The old Aquarius hippie connection is everywhere around here,” singer Angus says. “We tap into it, and absorb it all.” And their new album, Slipper Imp And Shakaerator, is their most “homegrown” project yet – a suite of maverick, zephyr-light acid-pop following its own north star and chasing subtle, slippery, subterranean grooves to delirious destinations.
The trio grew up in Rainbow Bay, later relocating to nearby Byron Bay. An area of breathtaking natural beauty, where the waves are always strong, the magic mushrooms grow freely, and old, abandoned farm buildings abound. It was and remains the perfect locale for young dudes to play their music as loud as they want. “We were 16 and 17 years old, working at Tropical Fruit World in Duranbah, cruising around the kiosks and listening to the Nuggets compilations,” remembers Angus, of the group’s earliest days. “Jack and I met in the Australian youth choir as junior songbirds years before that, and he was still the only technical musical guy I knew, but I had the feeling we could all play this music we loved in our own way. We lived on an avocado farm up around then, in the macadamia orchard of the property. And it was so much fun making random noise while surrounded by the mangoes and the bush.”
The trio jammed tirelessly in those abandoned shacks, and as their sound began to develop, they booked shows in Brisbane, the nearest city, a two-hour drive away. While playing Brisbane, they crossed paths with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, who began to book the embryonic Babe Rainbow as opening band at their shows. “This is before Gizz’s ‘stadium-rock’ period,” Dowling grins.
The Gizz connection would prove fortuitous for Babe Rainbow, who signed to the group’s Flightless label for their 2015 eponymous EP, and whose 2017 self-titled debut LP was produced by Gizzard King Stu Mackenzie. The album established a loyal following for Babe Rainbow, one which has only grown over the records since. And Babe Rainbow’s music itself has evolved across those years, as the band have travelled, toured the world and connected with new friends in faraway places. “Early on, we got to play in California, came early, stayed late, caught a ton of good waves and met some of the best people in the world,” Angus says. “We began rolling around the world, picking up new styles and collaborating with everybody.”
This creative sprawl reached its apotheosis with 2022’s The Organic Band, which Angus remembers as coming together “on the road, a lot of friends together. We met [drummer] Miles Myjavec from Sydney and began chucking ideas down. We were meeting amazing people in California and London and Paris just jamming and singing, everyone’s so happy, having the best time ever.”
For the new album, however, Babe Rainbow have opted for a different approach – one Angus says “keeps to the powers of the Rainbow”. The collaborations with all the free spirits they encounter along the way have been curtailed this time. “We’d done a few albums of us experimenting with people we met on the road and bringing in influence from everywhere,” says Angus. “This is the first record since our debut EP where it’s just the ‘original Gs’, pushing the songwriting in the direction we want, without any groove geniuses around helping us in those really deep and special moments of writing a song.” This back-to-basics, back-to-the-source vibe explains the album’s enigmatic title, the (Bunyip) Slipper Imp and the Shakaerator, aka the Yeoman plow, a sub-soiler chisel plow designed for the more extreme conditions found in Australia, the “revolutionary new ripper of great strength – haha!” says Angus.
The trio took over a massive warehouse on an old banana farm where they could get to work alongside friend and producer Timon Martin and magical Miles Myjavec on percussion and flute. The roots of the tracks often lay in riffs and figures cooked up by guitarist Jack Crowther. “‘Cool Breeze’ has always got something going on” says Angus. “He’s always keen to jam, and Timon’s so good with helping to realise the potential of a song.” The key this time was not to overwork these early ideas, to give them space “to flow, to grow”, he explains. “Keeping a loose feeling to the music is so important. An idea develops together outside but it doesn't take its wings until you take it into the studio. Every step of the way, I'm always trying to stay connected to Jack’s original moment of inspiration. We experiment with synths and drum machines and overdubs, and we love that, but we never wanna escape too far from the hippie power of the music. We're made of rainbow.”
That looseness and that true essence are key to the pleasures within Slipper Imp And Shakaerator. The album rambles gleefully wild, the jams running long but with purpose, lysergic harmonies loosely tethered to deftly funky rhythms loops and fragments of guitar that channel the lyricism of high-life (What Is Ashwagandha), the flash of 80s funk (Like Cleopatra, a glorious, sun-soaked pop banger in disguise), the white-heat of acid-rock (When The Milk Flows). There are haunting instrumental vignettes (Apollonia), nuggets of lo-fi introspection (Now And Zen), even a massive, ground-quaking, reggae-informed excursion starring old friend Stu Mackenzie (the woozy, wonderful Mt Dub), who also mixed the album.
Indeed, while the connection between the core Rainbow Babes here is crucial to the character of Slipper Imp And Shakearator, they weren’t working entirely alone. One key collaborator was singer Camille Jansen, who the group met through their friend and old band mate Maria Benz, and who joined them onstage on their recent US tour. “Cami sang on all the songs on the album, but I feel we haven’t fully tapped into our connection together yet,” says Angus. “She brings an insane new flavour, which is stupendous. It feels really cool and powerful to add her to this lineup.”
But ultimately, Slipper Imp And Shakearator is a celebration of all the colours of the Babe Rainbow – the milk, Angus jokes. “I love the fact that, with all the touring and the changing tides, and hair, the creative relationship within the band still feels so strong. I feel so lucky to have this psychedelic family, which is really the essence of the band. We’re just a bunch of laid back surfers, cattlemen’s sons.”
But as Slipper Imp And Shakearator proves, these babes have access to powerful, home-baked psychedelic magic, and they aren’t reluctant to share. Come grab some – all are welcome.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE
Formed in 1992, Seattle’s Sunny Day Real Estate are known as the godfathers of Emo. The four piece of Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner, William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel released their debut album, Diary, on Sub Pop Records in 1994 to critical acclaim (including topping Rolling Stone’s “40 Greatest Emo Albums Of All Time”) and followed up with 1995’s LP2, which was released after their breakup. 1998 saw the reunited band (not including Mendel) release How It Feels to Be Something On, followed by 1999’s Live and 2000’s The Rising Tide before they disbanded for the second time. The original four piece band reunited for touring in 2009 and 2010 including their first ever European shows (debuting at Spain’s legendary Primavera Sound) and Coachella. Sunny Day Real Estate’s only new recorded output since The Rising Tide was 2014’s “Lipton Witch,” released on a split 7” with Circa Survive for Record Store Day. In 2022, Enigk, Hoerner and Goldsmith returned to the road on a sold out 24 city tour with the band rounded out by Greg Suran and Chris Jordan. 2024 sees the band celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album with a tour, a re-recorded version and their first new song in 10 years.
Show 8pm
GA tickets are standing room only, with very limited seating available first come, first served.
Ventura Music Hall Presents:
Y&T
Before Mötley Crüe, before RATT, even before there was a Metallica, Y&T was slogging away in sweaty rock clubs around America. When the band formed in the early 1970s, little did they know they would set the standard for hard rock bands that trailed. Many of the biggest acts of the ’80s became popular opening for headliners Y&T—and cut their teeth on the band, as evidenced by the Y&T mentions in tell-all books by acts such as Metallica and Mötley Crüe.
Born in Oakland, California, Y&T is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s own innovators of the hard rock sound. Whether performing to a festival crowd of fifty-thousand or in an intimate nightclub, Y&T’s high-energy set and passionate performances still captivate legions of fans around the globe, proving Y&T’s music timeless.
Originally formed as Yesterday and Today, the initial powerhouse quartet—featuring Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), Phil Kennemore (bass), Leonard Haze (drums), and Joey Alves (rhythm guitar)—tore through the ’70s and ’80s with their own brand of hard rock. After two ’70s albums on London Records, they shortened their name to Y&T and released eight albums on A&M in the ’80s. Two more albums with Geffen Records marked an era of change with Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth) on drums and Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Berlin, Huey Lewis) on guitar.
With a discography of 18 albums, three greatest hits collections, plus a boxed set, Y&T has sold over four million albums since their 1974 inception. The band’s most recent single I’m Coming Home has climbed to roughly 1.5 million views on YouTube. Y&T received extensive airplay with hits such as Forever, Rescue Me, Mean Streak, Don’t Stop Runnin’, and Summertime Girls—which played in heavy rotation on MTV. Y&T songs have been featured in a multitude of movies and television shows, including Real Genius, Out of Bounds, Baywatch, and Hunter. After five top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the 40s, two Bammie Awards, and many international television appearances, Y&T’s hits are still played on VH1 Classic and classic rock radio stations worldwide.
With the passing of Kennemore, Haze, and Alves, it’s Meniketti who carries on the legacy that is Y&T. Y&T continues to tour the world, featuring the dynamic original frontman Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), John Nymann (guitar/vocals), Aaron Leigh (bass/vocals), and Mike Vanderhule (drums/vocals), playing songs that span the band’s five-decade career and including all the hits and fan favorites. Prepare to have your face melted.