Rarely has an artist summed up both their sound and philosophy as succinctly as Gene Evaro Jr. does on his album, song, and video for “Like It’s 1965.” Nearly everything he says, does, sings, and wears evokes the ‘60s folk scene, with particular fealty to California singer-songwriters like Stephen Stills. However, rather than settle into mere retro, most of his tunes tend to dial up both the electronic noise and rubber soul quotient a la more urban inspirations such as Earth Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder. The result is an unusually funky folkie, as if Paul Simon traded in Art Garfunkel’s afro for Marvin Gaye’s, often infused with a rambling western twang common to other Joshua Tree acts. He mostly remained overlooked when touring as an opening act for more energetic live outfits like Blues Traveler, but the last couple of years have seen him turn up on the rosters of quite a few notable music festivals, including Lightning in a Bottle, High Sierra Music, Lucidity, Guitarfish, and the Hangtown Music Festival. Like It’s 1965, released last year, is his third full-length, with an ongoing support tour due to hit Soda Bar on March 15. The bill includes San Luis Obispo-based rhythm and soul rockers Proxima Parada, whose single “Time in a Circle” racked up over a million and a half plays on Spotify and earned them a New Times Music Award for Best R&B/Blues Song