Posts by L. Paul Mann

The historic Lobero theater in Santa Barbara was buzzing with excitement on during the world premiere of the rock documentary about the unlikely rise of the band Kansas to superstardom in the film – Kansas: Miracles Out of Nowhere.  Three members of the band, Phil Ehart (drums), Richard Williams (guitar) and Robby Steinhardt (violin) were […]

Last June, the Avett brothers had the unenviable task of playing the main stage at the prestigious Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee on the final afternoon of the four day festival. After listening to nearly non-stop live music for the previous three days and partaking in round the clock celebrations, the audience traditionally becomes near […]

The mother of the original New York Punk music scene sauntered into Santa Barbara Tuesday night, January 27th, to play a very special concert downtown, at the elegant Granada theater. The concert began shortly after the red carpet opening of the 32nd Santa Barbara International Film festival, just across the street at the Arlington Theater. […]

Iconic British blues rock guitarist Kim Simmonds rolled into the sedate central California coastal town of San Luis Obispo, with his seminal rock group Savoy Brown, to perform at the SLO Brew Company. The Brew House, is a gem of a venue, offering an upstairs restaurant and bar, and a downstairs live music room. The […]

Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker brought a loud, indie rock infused finale to the 2014 concert schedule at the historic Lobero Theater, in Santa Barbara December 29th. The Northern California (originally from Redlands) band Camper Van Beethoven opened the show with a spirited 75 minute set, showcasing new music, as well as their original classic […]

Melissa Etheridge led her funky rocking blues band through a ninety minute set of old and new music at the Chumash Casino Resort on one of the stormiest nights in recent memory. The evening started with a seasonal ceremony honoring the “Toys For Tots” program administered by local Marines. The concert was a fundraiser for […]

Dave Stewart, the mercurial English rock guitarist best known as half of one of the most successful pop duo’s of the 1980’s, the Eurythmics, brought another magical night of music to Hollywood on December 8th at The Roxy. Stewart has been a regular fixture in the Hollywood music scene over the last several years, playing […]

In what may be an unprecedented set of concerts, Peter Hook and The Light performed six New Order and Joy Division albums in their entirety, during four concerts across Southern California, on the week leading to the Thanksgiving holiday. The band began their week long odyssey with a concert on November 22nd at The Fonda […]

The Southland’s biggest live music Halloween party took place Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2, moving this year to the Fairplex in Pomona. The Hard Day of The Dead is one of the largest EDM festivals in the country, featuring some of the biggest names in Electronic music playing on five stages over the […]

The English synth pop duo known as Erasure that formed in London in 1985, brought their Electronic Dance roots music to an adulate full house at the Ventura Majestic Theater, on a warm Sunday night, October 26th.  Although the duo had only three hits on the US charts, A Little Respect”, “Chains of Love”, and […]

American folk singer Dave Rawlings brought his new super group quintet to Santa Barbara to play what it would sound like if speed metal went bluegrass. California’s oldest continuous concert venue, the historic Lobero Theater was sold out for the much anticipated show. The recently remodeled theater, benefiting for near perfect natural acoustics was the […]

The legendary lead singer of Led Zeppelin brought his latest version of the Sensational Space Shifters to play some songs from their new album, Lullaby…and the Ceaseless Roar, as well as some old classics, to the Hollywood Palladium. The old Los Angeles ballroom, which holds no more than 2500 people, with standing room only, was […]

A small army of  veteran rockers assembled for a rare performance inspired by the music of Big Star, joined by an orchestra led by master collaborator and conductor Van Dyke Parks. Big Star, for the uninitiated was, perhaps, one of the first non commercial rock bands who helped form the sub genre “power pop” prior […]

A near sell-out crowd packed Soho restaurant and nightclub in downtown Santa Barbara, on a sleepy Monday night. The reggae genre has long been celebrated in the local community here, with a tradition of special nights dedicated to the dance trance rhythms inspired by the Caribbean beat. In the last few decades, a new younger […]

The Baseball Project, one of the best kept secrets in Indie music, came to Santa Barbara to play on a sleepy Sunday night at Velvet Jones nightclub. The band is the brainchild of former R.E.M. guitarist Scott McCaughey, and Steve Wynn, who is most well known as the leader of the 1980s “Paisley Underground” band, […]

Humphreys, one of the most spectacularly beautiful and most relaxing outdoor concert venues in the country, was invaded by a small army of English retro rockers, Thursday night, Sept. 5th. The Retro Futura tour, featured five acts that saw their biggest hits in the 1980’s New Wave movement. The show began early, just before a […]

If “Exit Only” is any indication of their newest direction, ‘La Isla Bonita’ may be one of the year’s most interesting albums.

One of the most innovative guitarists associated with the original British Invasion in the 1960s, teamed up with an iconic southern blues rock trio, to perform together and separately at the Greek theater in Los Angeles, on Wednesday night, August 13th. The pairing of master guitarist Jeff Beck and Texas rockers ZZ Top  felt a […]

  Bonnaroo 2014 headlined by Elton John, Lionel Richie and Kanye West took place June 12-15, 2014 in Manchester, TN. Photos by L. Paul Mann.

Photos from Moogfest 2014 that took place April 23-27, 2014 in Asheville, NC.  Photos by L. Paul Mann