Not yet an annual event, but the second LocoMojo Festival will be in the Plaza at the Grinstead Amphitheater on Saturday, June 25, kicking off at noon and going until 8 p.m. The festival, originally a vision of local musician Brian Ruff, was to be able to gather a community of artists and musicians and come together to showcase their work.Started as a project from his humanities class at Santa Rosa Junior College in 2002, the project and festival has lived on, with this Saturdays show being promoted as family friendly and “something you could bring your grandparents to…” according to SoundDrift manager Ryan Xavier. The show will feature, in no particular order, X-Man, Dan Littlefield, 100 Faces, SoundDrift, the Whiskey Thieves and Dirty Cello. There is no admission for the event.
Maya Restaurant will host the second “live rehearsal” of Trainwreck Junction, Nick Kardums new honky-tonk country western act. The big show will be on July 3, at the Swiss Hotel, but they will be getting their feet wet, minus a couple of band members, tonight, June 24, for a 10 p.m. start time.
HopMonk Tavern Sonoma has Vitamin Girl tonight, June 24, for a 5 p.m. show. The band features the father-daughter duo of Ralph and Aria Cetola, along with Rick Loheyde on violin, and Bill Bindewald on bass. There is no cover.
Sonoma Springs Brewery welcomes Dawn Angelosante to the room on Saturday, June 25, for a 7 p.m. show.
Sebastiani Winery and Vineyards has local bluesmen the Hellhounds in the tasting room tonight, June 24, for a 6 p.m. start. There will also be food available and specials on wine. There is no cover.
The Plaza Bistro will feature the Wanda Stafford Trio tonight, June 24, for a 7 p.m. show. Stafford has sung with many great jazz musicians, such as the Montgomery Brothers, Leroy Vinegar, Freddie Hubbard and more. Saturday, June 25, brings back jazz guitarist Terence Brewer, also for a 7 p.m. show. There is no cover for either night.
Murphy’s Irish Pub welcomes Dan Martin to the snug tonight, June 24, for an 8 p.m. show. Saturday, June 25, brings in High Country for a night of bluegrass; also at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 26, has an early show, kicking off at 6:30 p.m. that will feature Dave Aguilar and Peter McCauley, playing everything but Celtic music. There is no cover for any of the shows at the pub.
Local violin prodigy Nigel Armstrong has advanced, along with seven others, to the second round of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. By the time this prints, we will know if he has advanced further. For more info, point your browser to www.tchaikovsky-competition.com. Make sure to click the word at the top that says “English,” unless you can read Russian.
BackTrax classic rock band has enlisted the services of Ten Foot Tone’s drummer Luis A. Montes to play out the rest of the scheduled summer shows as they seek a permanent drummer. Ten Foot Tone will continue their summer schedule as well. BackTrax’s next show is set for July 3, at the B. R. Cohn car show and barbecue at the winery.
Jason Bodlovich had a last minute call to open for the legendary Diana Krall at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Friday, June 17. With him that night was James Stafford on drums and Steve Froberg on bass. Contrary to reports from when Krall played here in Sonoma, the star was “super nice too and made the effort to meet each of us backstage.” Nice to hear.
Readers Books will be hosting the Cork Pullers tonight, June 24, on the patio, for what band leader Tim Curley expects to be an acoustic performance. Showtime is 7 p.m.
The Blue Moon Saloon has the DJ sounds of XXXenos on Saturday, June 25, for a 9 p.m. show. The best kept musical secret in the Valley, the Sunday night blues jam, continues at the Blue Moon this Sunday, June 26, at 10 p.m.
Landmark Vineyards has Eric Symons in the patio for a 1 p.m. show on Saturday, June 25.
Sean Carscadden is on the road to the Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa on Sunday, June 26, for a 7 p.m. show.
Ten Foot Tone will be at Papa’s Taverna tonight, June 24, for a 7 p.m. show.
Mad and Eddie Duran will be at the historic Cliff House in San Francisco tonight, June 24, for a 7 p.m. Saturday, June 25, brings the duo to the Rose Pistolas in San Francisco for a 9 p.m. show.
Hot 45s – Shows within a 45 minute drive from the Island
Lucinda Williams– Friday, June 24.
Wells Fargo Center – Santa Rosa
546-3600
Red Molly – Friday, June 24.
HopMonk Tavern – Sebastopol
829-7300
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Saturday, June 25.
The Fillmore – San Francisco
415-346-6000
Ana Moura – Sunday, June 26.
Napa Valley Opera House
226-7372
Hank Williams Lost Highway – Saturday, June 25.
Uptown Theater – Napa
259-0123
Pride and Joy – Friday, June 24.
George’s Nightclub – San Rafael
415-226-0262
Shana Morrison – Saturday, June 25.
Southern Pacific Smokehouse – Novato
415-899-9600