Bakersfield.com Music

SCOTT COX: This Foo Fighter would do his honky-tonk heroes proud

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:06:39 PDT

I went to the Crystal Palace last Thursday to see Foo Fighters guitar player Chris Shiflett. It seems Chris and some friends decided to devote a year to proper honky-tonk music. The tour they're on is obviously to get comfortable with the material in advance of their album, "All Hat and No Cattle," which comes out in July. I've only heard a few rough cuts of the songs on the record, but they're fantastic, and it was great seeing them play live at the Palace. Their set list was a virtual who's who of country greats, from Hank Williams to Buck and Merle, with some Waylon thrown in for good measure. The combination of reverence for the material combined with their very personal spin on the songs is fantastic. Buck would've loved this band. Also cool was seeing Chris chatting with folks after the show, and even better was watching him tearing down and carrying his own gear. I'm guessing that he doesn't do much of either when touring with the Foo Fighters.

Helping history

MATT MUNOZ: Making most of her big break

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:35:11 PDT

When iconic rock vocalist Pat Benatar gave Brynn Marie a chance, the aspiring artist went out and hit it with her best shot every night.

"I had the chance to open for Pat last summer in Oklahoma and was asked back again and again," said the 28-year-old singer of landing the coveted gig that brings her to Rabobank Theater on Friday night, opening for Benatar and Cheap Trick. "Then one evening in February, I got a phone call for an offer to open this summer tour. I really owe it all to Pat, who really gave me a shot and told me to always stay true and to never give up."

Baritone-deaf to his comic appeal? Not Michael McDonald

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:50:59 PDT

It's a voice so unique and soulful that it has the power to take millions of baby boomers to the streets while triggering uncontrollable fits of laughter in the children of said baby boomers.

But no one is happier than Michael "Yah Mo B There" McDonald that his baritone still has cultural currency as a popular punch line in comedies like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Family Guy" and countless YouTube videos poking fun at his genre of music, affectionately dubbed "Yacht Rock."

Clogging sets the preshow mood

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:59:27 PDT

The Centre Stage dancers, led by owner and instructor Pat Gosch, will perform in Sunday's Beale Band concert preshow.

The performers, whose ages range from 15 to "70-ish," will perform tap and clogging routines that took about six months to learn.

CSUB (finally) honors Buck, Merle

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:03:05 PDT

The only diploma Merle Haggard ever earned was at the school of hard knocks.

Until now.

Johnny Cash family, friends celebrate new stamp

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:54:02 PDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- "I've been everywhere, man," Johnny Cash once sang. Now, an iconic image of the Man In Black will continue to travel the globe through a new limited-edition "Forever Stamp" issued by the U.S. Postal Service. As the stamp went on sale Wednesday morning, family, fans and friends of the late country legend gathered at theRyman Auditorium to celebrate and pay musical tribute.

It was an emotional morning for Cash's children in attendance, and as they spoke to the audience, John Carter Cash and Kathy Cash believed it would have been a moving moment for their father, too.

Foo for thought: Rocker explores country side

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:22:25 PDT

When Foo Fighters returned from their latest tour around the globe, guitarist Chris Shiflett didn't just go home.

He went country.

Cheap Trick still wants us to want them -- and we do

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:12:09 PDT

When the four members of Cheap Trick stepped onstage in front of 12,000 screaming fans that hot night in Tokyo to record the landmark live album "at Budokan," little did they know the lasting impact of six slowly spoken words strung together to form what would become one of the most forceful commands in rock history:

"I want you to want me."

JOHN COX: Streaming away your blues at WWOZ.org

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:24:34 PDT

Welcome to This Week's Obsessions, a regular feature that touches on what has us buzzing in Eye Street.

The St. Charles Streetcar is entirely too far away anymore for me to just hop aboard, lower the window and enjoy a gloriously muggy evening admiring the antebellum mansions.

CSUB music students end year on high note

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:34:48 PDT

CSUB's newest music professor said he's had a great first year as a full-time faculty member and he's looking forward to showing off what his students have accomplished at their final performance of the 2012-13 academic year this weekend at the Dore Theater.

"The students and community members have been very supportive; they were very enthusiastic," said Leo Sakomoto, who conducts the community concert band and the chamber orchestra. "They have performed well."

MATT MUNOZ: Indie band festival still rockin'

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:18:55 PDT

Bakersfield's annual gathering of eclectic musical tribes and vibes known as Rockin' Roots returns to Stramler Park this weekend.

Headlining Friday's event will be indie rock heroes Circa Survive, I See Stars and Hyper Crush. On Saturday, metal core quintet Of Mice & Men, pop punkers New Found Glory, electro sister duo Millionaires and more cap off a daylong extravaganza of music and noise, all scheduled on eight strategically placed stages.

Fiddle player helped shape Bakersfield Sound

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:55:39 PDT

Though the Fender Telecaster was the undisputed star of the show when it came to the Bakersfield Sound, playing guitar wasn't necessarily a job requirement for every kid with an Okie tan and dreams of a music career back in the 1940s and '50s, when the music that would make the city famous was being forged.

And Oscar Whittington knew it.

MATT MUNOZ: Does 3-D work with live bands?

Fri, 31 May 2013 11:56:49 PDT

Remember the disappointment of watching "Amityville 3D," "Comin' at Ya!," and even worse, "Jaws 3D," in the '80s?

It was all a cheesy waste of technology, sent away to the vaults for decades.

SUSAN SCAFFIDI: Masters passed the baton - and I took it!

Wed, 29 May 2013 16:19:18 PDT

We have a lot to learn from the people who have come before us -- the people I call "the legacy people."

I got to spend last weekend with some "legacy people" -- specifically, conductors Daniel Lewis and Donald Thulean, along with Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra conductor John Farrer. The three men are the founders of the California Conducting Institute, a multi-day workshop for classical music conductors that takes place each May in Bakersfield. I was one of 10 participants in this year's workshop.

Outdoor concerts: We've got 'em down

Wed, 29 May 2013 16:11:13 PDT

The popular Silver Creek Music Fest and Marketplace Concerts by the Fountain return next week with a full schedule of local music.

Held every Tuesday and Thursday from June through August, the music showcases feature bands specializing in everything from rock and reggae, blues, Celtic, old- school and jazz. Both series attract some of the most fun-loving crowds in Bakersfield.