Woodstocked with Jocko

MohaviSoul

Founded in Ocean Beach seven years ago, MohaviSoul is an original, soulful contemporary bluegrass band rooted in folk and Americana. Their festival-friendly sound is anchored by the songwriting and singing of West Virginia-raised Mark Miller and fifth-generation Californian Randy Hanson, who met when both were attending a San Diego Songwriters Meetup group. Their debut ep Every Second contains two songs the duo collaborated on during that first meetup, both representing a fairly traditional excursion into contemporary bluegrass. They began to take on a more expansive, almost jam band approach to song construction with their second CD Blue Diesel. A followup, Home Town Blues, moves the group into more funky territory, with adventurous improv-heavy tracks recorded with Ben Moore at Singing Serpent studios. Full video productions can be found online for songs such as “Get Lucky,” “Full Moon,” and “Blue Side of the Mountain.” With a lineup currently filled out by Jason Weiss, Orion Boucher, and Dan Sankey, their live sets feature originals sampled from all of their releases, as well as traditional folk and bluegrass numbers and the occasional left-field rock and roll cover.

Lady Brain Presents Marie Haddad

The Lady Brain collective of local female creatives presents a packed bill that includes Carissa Schroeder, Chris Avetta, the Spiritual Motels, Dixie Maxwell with Paige Miller, Marie Haddad, and a video presentation by Mary Bee. Singer Carissa Schroeder is a vet of the hillbilly folk act Schroeder Kelly (with Astra Kelly), gypsy bluegrass band Rosa’s Cantina, and the High Gallery, which released its third album in May. Folk-pop singer Chris Avetta recently released her first music video (for “Sway”). The Spiritual Motels include dual lead singers Amy Day (the Local) and Omar Musisko (the Peripherals). Native San Diegan singer-guitarist Dixie Maxwell, whose song “Monster” was heard in the film Killer Holiday, released a new single in May, “Uncharted Territory,” and her “Stir Crazy” single features drummer Paige Miller. Singer-songwriter Marie Haddad, a 2007 and 2009 San Diego Music Awards nominee for Best Acoustic, cites Leonard Cohen as the biggest influence on her lyrics. In addition to her albums, she has landed several songs on the TV series Dance Moms, including “Why? Why Not” and “Wishing Well.”

Woodstocked with Jocko

The Woodstock 50th anniversary celebration includes Jimi Hendrix‘s brother Leon and Jimi’s cousin Riki, along with several all-star locals, including members of the Steve Miller Band (guitarist Greg Douglass), Blood Sweat & Tears (singer Thomas Connor), Meat Loaf’s band (bassist Rick Bozzo), Runaways songwriter Roni Lee, and a member of Sha Na Na, Jocko Marcellino. At 17, Marcellino got his start in the music biz when he joined the Pilgrims with Lennie Baker (sax), who also ended up in the famed ‘50s tribute vocal group. Jocko appeared with the band at Woodstock, in the movie Grease, and on Sha Na Na’s syndicated TV show. He later moved to La Jolla, where he has collaborated with a number of local players to stage oldies events paying tribute to the whole range of early rock and roll performers, not just the harmonic vocal groups. Proceeds from Woodstocked will go toward the Sky Alert Foundation, which helps locate missing people. Another Woodstock 50 celebration happens at Bar Pink on Saturday, August 17, where Jon Kanis will spin a summer-of-’69 themed set.

Boris

When the bombastic Japanese noise trio Boris embarked on a worldwide 25th anniversary tour in support of their newest album Dear, it felt like a farewell wave from an experimental band that’s been around in one form or another since 1992. With the core trio of Takeshi, Wata, and Atsuo intact since 1996, they’d already released over 30 albums, claiming in numerous interviews that the band members played together pretty much every day. During that quarter century of constant closeness, they managed to conquer most alt radio networks, become the darlings of countless tastemaker blogs, and they even landed music in films such as Confessions and The Limits of Control, as well as the animated TV show Ninja Slayer. Virtually anyone making loud and crunchy musical noise cites Boris as inspiration, with everyone from punk to metal, shoegaze, math rock, and doom-n-drone bands paying them sonic homage. Rumor is rife that this time will indeed be their final run around the touring track. But that’s been said of just about every tour they’ve launched since going from a quartet to a trio.

Justin Hayward

Another legacy act often rumored to be on the brink of retirement, once and future Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward arrives in Solana Beach with a massive back catalog of top-shelf songs from his tenure with that band. However, it’s his solo records, including duo projects with fellow Moody Bluesman John Lodge, where he tends to present the more one-on-one material suited for the intimate stages that host his approximately annual appearances in San Diego. Looking at recent setlists online, the handful of expected Moody hits are punctuated by deep cuts like “Forever Autumn,” his contribution to the soundtrack to Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds (a massive hit in the UK but nearly unknown in the U.S.). He’s also doing “Who Are You Now” (from his Blue Jays album with Lodge) and “The Western Sky” (off a 2013 solo album). Just last week in Minnesota, he apparently treated the crowd to his first live solo performance of the 1999 Moody Blues song “Haunted” (from their 15th album Strange Times), so it’s anybody’s guess what surprises he may have in store for area attendees. The seated show will be opened by Mike Dawes.