Coco Montoya When: 7:30 p.m. Friday Where: World Records, 2815 F St. Admission: $45; call 661-325-1982 for tickets

In December, I described the Fairfax Grange as such: "The dance hall, with its hardwood floors, raised stage and church steeple architecture — a church converted into a honky tonk, a perfect vessel for spreading the gospel of the original Bakersfield Sound — is an artifact from another time."

Experience "The Great Classics" this month with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra.

Musicians looking to beat the heat but not the gigs this summer are invited to play in the mountains.

Get a musical start on the season with the latest Spring Soulstice.

We're all born drummers. Because by the time we arrive we do so with our own beat.

Describing Vanessa Collier, one can use several of descriptors: singer, songwriter, saxophonist, guitarist and bandleader.

Acclaimed violinist Eunice Kim will join the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra on March 21 for its tribute to beloved composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

I firmly believe that the 3 Days in Space music festival, an annual collaboration between Killer Kern Records and The Empty Space, is Bakersfield's musical rite of spring.

In this busy Lenten season, First Presbyterian Church is back to offer a midweek respite with its annual Lenten Organ Series.

Country music in its varying forms will fill the stage at Ovation Theatre this Saturday. As part of its latest Concerts at the Ovation, the downtown venue will host three acts for a special night of music.

Country trio Midland is headed back to Bakersfield.

In terms of his creative depth and personal longevity, relevance, proficiency and output, Bakersfield’s pedal steel icon Norm Hamlet merits profound respect and admiration.

Critically acclaimed soul group Durand Jones & the Indications is ready to jam in downtown Bakersfield next month.

Fans will be “Sailing” later on the waves of award-winning smooth ballads this June when Christopher Cross plays the Fox Theater.

BarrelHouse Brewing is geared up to let the good times roll this Fat Tuesday. Local band Mento Buru will host its annual celebration at a new venue.

Writing about Paul South's album "Monsters in Love" in my 2024 year-end recap of that year, I described his "gonzo time warp to the best music of the 1980s" as what it would sound like "if you put The Bears-era Adrian Belew, Todd Rundgren, The Tubes, Peter Gabriel and XTC in a blender" (minu…

There’s no doubt that Ron Kean has made a big impact on the local music community.

Temblor Brewing Co. will roll out the red carpet to celebrate the king of reggae on Saturday with the help of Mento Buru. For the 11th year, the band will head up the Bob Marley Jamdown in celebration of the iconic musician.

Tehachapi band Blue Mountain Tribe is looking forward to playing a benefit concert in Los Angeles for struggling victims of last year's Palisades Fire.

If the list of live music events this weekend were any indication, it would be safe to say that the currently prevalent styles of music being performed around town were country, Americana and, to a lesser extent, Southern rock.

Christian hip-hop artist Miles Minnick will bring his New Mainstream Tour to the Nile Theater on April 15.

The rafters will ring with a joyful noise on Friday evening when Cal State Bakersfield hosts the eighth annual Gospel Fest at Harvey Auditorium at Bakersfield High School.

Prepare to head back to the rockin’ 1950s with the high-energy show “Pianomania!” this Sunday at Harvey Auditorium.

When I last wrote about the Songwriter's Soapbox in February, I described it as "a consistent showcase for local singer-songwriter talent."

In what must be sweet music to the ears of symphony fans is news that Stilian Kirov will continue his role with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra through 2032.

Looking for a great way to begin the new year of 2026? Longing to wash out old worries and fill your mind and soul with good vibrations? Nothing works better than an afternoon of inspiring live music!

If it’s January, you know it's time to jam at the Great 48. This first big local music event of the year will bring hundreds of performers from all over the state to jam at the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center.

Walking through the work in progress that is set to be the Well Comedy Club's new home on 18th Street, I can still see the bones of the venues that came before it.

Expect chaos, catharsis and connection when Hail The Sun comes to play the Nile Theater on May 7.

There may be “Heartache Tonight,” but there’s no need to worry come Feb. 5 when Take It To The Limit returns to the Fox Theater.

Internationally acclaimed soprano Lauren Jelencovich will bring her talents to Bakersfield for a concert on Sunday.

Award-winning blues and rock artist Tommy Castro returns to World Records with his band, The Painkillers, for a show on Friday.

Hands down, the most significant change that happened to live music in 2025 was the closing of Buck Owens' Crystal Palace.

Prepare for an unforgettable night of R&B and soul at the Nile Theater with Eric Roberson.

Enjoy a new spin on the Bakersfield Sound with Los Hermanos Mendoza, who will play the Nile Theater on Feb. 15.

We are now in the final stretch of 2025 and full-on in the thick of the holiday season.

Looking for some face-melting drops in 2026? Then prepare for Sploinky Rave, coming to the Nile Theater on Feb. 6.

Lift your voices and your spirits this Tuesday with the Bakersfield Master Chorale.

It really is the closest we musicians have to a fairy tale: being plucked from obscurity and given a shot at the big time. From busking on the streets for pocket change to playing large arenas in front of adoring fans.

In a season of treasured traditions, the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra provides the soundtrack.

Don’t stop believin’ that Journey USA will be back in town next fall.

The Southern California-based Beatles tribute The Fab Four bills itself as "The Ultimate Tribute" and the band has the skills, acclaim and experience to back it.

Tennessee-born troubadour Larry Fleet knows what it takes to bring the music to the masses with his aptly named Hard Work & Holy Water Tour, which hits the Fox Theater on Dec. 11.

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite country music fan? The Fox Theater is offering a great deal on tickets to see Clint Black this spring.

Jeff Plate sat behind his massive drum kit on a platform high above the stage in the Mid-America Center outside of Omaha, waiting for another run through of the concluding segment of "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO And More."