Posts by Garrick Rawlings
Saturday with the Doobie Brothers, Marc Ford, Tyler Bryant
by Garrick Rawlings The crowd was still buzzing about the set earlier in the day by 2021 BeachLife veterans Larkin Poe, led by Georgia sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, when fellow Georgians Blackberry Smoke took the stage Saturday afternoon. They proudly take their musical and visual cues from Southern rock originators like the Allman Brothers,…
Read MoreMusic review: James McMurtry at Saint Rocke last of the originals
by Garrick Rawlings James McMurtry returned to Saint Rocke last Thursday (July 20), continuing his COVID-interrupted tour in support of his latest, very positively reviewed album, The Horses and the Hounds (2021 on New West), his 10th studio release. During the lockdown, he continued to entertain with much-appreciated live streams from his Lockhart, Texas home.…
Read MoreStock hits high notes on sax, ‘Finally’
After deciding as a Redondo High junior to pursue a career in music, Carly Stock earns a jazz studies degree and releases her debut single by Garrick Rawlings This past May, Carly Stock received her degree in Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas (UNT), which launched the first college jazz program in the…
Read MorePunk meets country in One Square Mile, at Tower 12
by Garrick Rawlings When lead vocalist/guitarist Nick Oreskovich’s previous punk band (Part of the Problem) was breaking up, he formed Hard Rooster with bassist/vocalist Bryan Stone and some country began seeping into their repertoire, which they punked up a bit. The inaugural Punks & Hillbillies show concept, coming to Tower 12 in Hermosa Beach on…
Read MoreSousa concert, album to come
by Garrick Rawlings Following the memorial paddle out for Kevin Sousa Saturday, an afternoon concert in his memory was held on Pier Plaza featuring musicians from the Kevin Sousa Band (KSB), along with some very special guests. Acoustic duo Mike Longacre and Jeff Baker, aka Mike & Jeff, kicked off the show with a set…
Read MoreSaint Rocke hosts inaugural original songwriter showcase
by Garrick Rawlings The inaugural Mic Drop Media’s Songwriter Showcase at Saint Rocke two Wednesdays ago was a heartwarming success, according to producer Michelle Crispin. “The feedback has been amazing, I already have a ton of submissions for the next one,” she said. The evening, which I emceed, began with a moment of silence, and…
Read MoreFriendship forged on Cypress Avenue
As told to Garrick Rawlings Kevin Sousa and Mike Collins are two of the people responsible for Hermosa’s light industrial district on Cypress Avenue becoming a center for artists and musicians. Following Sousa’s death last week, Collins reflected on their work together. “He and I were partners in my psychotherapy practice, in the ocean, and…
Read MoreSaint Rocke resurrection
by Garrick Rawlings Saint Rocke, Hermosa’s venerable live music club, which closed at the start of COVID in early 2020, celebrated its reopening last Monday, May 15. Following a Chamber ribbon cutting, by general manager Michele Gutierrez, Hermosa Beach Mayor Raymond Jackson introduced the club’s new owners, Dani Grant and her business partner, Larry Little.…
Read MoreSaint Rocke to host music showcase
by Garrick Rawlings The newly reopened Saint Rocke will host a monthly songwriter showcase featuring local musicians performing original songs. The opening showcase is Wednesday, May 31. Musicians wishing to perform may submit samples of their music at MicDropMedia.me. Michele Crispin, the showcase creator, and curator, said she was motivated to produce the showcase by…
Read MoreDylanfest 33, no symbolism intended
60 songs, 40 musicians, 8 hours, no repeats by Garrick Rawlings From humble backyard beginnings Andy Hill and Renee Safier’s annual Dylanfest has reached its 33rd edition, to be held Saturday, May 27 at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, from noon to 8 p.m. Dylanfest was founded in 1991 to celebrate Bob Dylan’s 50th birthday.…
Read MoreBeachLife Sunday a show of force
Mavis Staples, and the Black Crows deliver memory-making performances by Garrick Rawlings In a truly righteous world Mavis Staples would have headlined Sunday night in Redondo, the final night of this year’s highly successful Beachlife Festival. Righteous in the sense of accomplishment, talent and ongoing relevance, rather than nostalgia. Staples began singing in her family’s…
Read MoreNew Lighthouse All stars draws new jazz audience
La La Land fans and a new house band lead local jazz resurgence by Garrick Rawlings In the early 1950s, the Lighthouse All Stars helped the downtown Hermosa Beach night club establish its reputation as the center of West Coast jazz. The Lighthouse All Stars were led by club manager and bassist Howard Rumsey. Its…
Read MoreSmall room, giant sounds at Collage, San Pedro
by Garrick Rawlings “We opened in 2020 with Victor Krummenacher (co-founder of Camper Van Beethoven) and (composer/multi instrumentalist) Eugene Chadbourne. It was utterly fantastic. We were really off to a running start. Two days later the pandemic shut down everything,” Richard Foss said of Collage: A Place For Arts and Culture, an imaginative performance venue…
Read MoreSaint Rocke rock’s back
A veteran management crew brings back the best of the old Saint Rocke, and reimagines it by Garrick Rawlings Saint Rocke is under new ownership, and new management. But they are picking up where the previous regime left off. Through the end of March and into April Saint Rocke is presenting a variety of soft-opening…
Read MoreMusic review – Ayline Artin ‘Heaven in Hell’
by Garrick Rawlings Redondo Beach based singer/songwriter/musician Ayline Artin, who is full of rock and roll and bluesy soul, recently released her second album “Heaven in Hell.” This project came together over COVID, taking advantage of all the great musicians who were stuck at home with nowhere to perform. She also recently released a beautifully…
Read MoreBootlegger Blues Band at Redondo Beach VFW post
by Garrick Rawlings A nationwide trend of rock n’ roll shows for seniors has reached Redondo Beach. The Wednesday night “geezer shows” begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m., or about the time rock shows for younger people begin. The venue is the Redondo Beach VFW Post 2828, a club long favored by…
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