CASH GETS CREDIT: One of the greatest bits of Johnny Cash lore takes place during his Ojai Valley days. Cash moved to Southern California in the late 1950s, where he eventually settled with his family for a time in Casitas Springs between Ojai and Ventura. In 1965, Cash’s truck caught aflame near today’s Sespe Wilderness, turning the forests of Los Padres into a veritable ring of fire, condors and all. Ever the outlaw, Cash spat at the hefty settlement, saying, “I don’t care about your damn yellow buzzards.”
Though his 805 days were famously among his darkest, the Man in Black shines now in history as one of country’s deepest poets, bard for the underdogs and under-loved. The 7th Annual Roadshow Revival: A Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash (roadshowrevival.com) celebrates the man and his music this Saturday-Sunday, June 27-28, at Mission Park in Ventura. Featured acts include Reverend Horton Heat (reverendhortonheat.com), the Texan champions of rockabilly, punkabilly, psychobilly — any damn -billy you could imagine, really; Billy Joe Shaver (billyjoeshaver.com), a whole different kind of Billy, the outlaw legend hailing from the same country glory days as Cash; and The Blasters (theblasters.com), who many may know from their hit “Dark Night.” Along with them play country mile after country mile’s worth of area and traveling bands, all to revere one of this past century’s greatest musicians.
TRUE BREW: For those who like their live music on the tipsy side — i.e., almost everyone — a few fine area establishments are pairing their pours with performances at summer’s onset. Pure Order has kicked off its Rhythm & Brews series this June, with an upcoming show from The Mustangs (mustangssb.com) on June 26. Also on June 26, Zodo’s Bowling & Beyond explores the Beyond with a Red Cross Blood Drive and live music from The Kinsella Band (facebook.com/thekinsellaband) alongside a wide selection of beers, which poses the question, how high can your BAC be to donate? Bowl responsibly.
On June 27, Standing Sun Winery, out in Buellton, welcomes California country cowgirl trio Calico the Band (calicotheband.com) — nice music to soundtrack the sweeping ranch landscapes of the Santa Rita Hills. With an admittance price lower than many restaurants’ corkage fees, it’s more than worth the trip to the Santa Ynez Valley. Also on tap at Standing Sun is the artwork of Felipe Molina (molinaart.com), who recently contributed artwork to The Counting Crows’ newest album. ’Round Standing Sun, something radiates.
GOINGS-ON ELSEWHERE: The summer solstice has officially struck, and this week provides numerous other opportunities to enjoy the still-steady sunlight streaming beyond the borders of 8 p.m. What better time to catch a show than when you still have that remaining daylight energy to carry you to the venue?
On Saturday, Santa Barbara standby SOhO Restaurant & Music Club rings in its 20th anniversary with a special deejay set and fundraiser from Depeche Mode mastermind Martin Gore (martingore.com), the chief songwriter behind many of their greatest hits. He recently released an instrumental album of his own, MG, recorded in Santa Barbara’s Electric Ladyboy studios.
Also on Saturday, Sings Like Hell mainstay John Fullbright (johnfullbrightmusic.com) returns to the Lobero Theatre with his critically lauded songwriting and performance. And since the weekend tends to start around Thursday night these days, you can also head out to the BIKO Garage the night of June 25, when Seattle-born indie rockers Dozer play with lovable “poppy navelgaze” act Honey Maid.