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Live Five: Jesse Ray Smith, Jarred Matthew, Slum Summer, Big Time Operator, Little Hurricane
Americana, soul, rock, jazz, and dirty blues in Oceanside, Mission Beach, City Heights, Bay Park
Jarred Matthew on The Voice
Jesse Ray Smith Record Release at Sunshine Brooks Theatre
October 10
Jesse Ray Smith plays Americana with strong influences of soul, classic rock, heartland folk, and a touch of country. He cites influences such as Chris Stapleton, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, and Van Morrison. After releasing his debut solo album in 2018, he went on to record several more releases, as well as becoming a fixture on the local solo gig scene. He's a multiple San Diego Music Award nominee, with two nods at the 2025 SDMAS, for Best Americana Artist and Best Americana Song. His new digital album Keepers is being released over the course of the year in two parts, Side A and Side B. This Oceanside record release show for Side B is presented by the Six String Society and will feature Smith and his full five-piece band, with an opening set from the Whitney Shay Duo pairing the 5-time SDMA-winning singer with classical and jazz guitarist Aaron Lind.
Jarred Matthew at Mission Bay Resort
October 11
Jarred Matthew was raised in a family of singers and grew to be inspired by American soul music. He wears many hats, as a working musician, songwriter, and an amateur astronomer with a postdoc in high-energy particle astrophysics at UCSD. As an experimental astrophysicist, he teaches advanced math and physics and is currently working on a NASA-commissioned gamma-ray space telescope. As a contestant on season 15 of the television talent competition The Voice, both Blake Shelton and Adam Levine turned their chairs for Matthew, although the aspiring singer went instead with Team Adam.
October 12
Slum Summer features two European musicians and two native Californians. Hugh J. Noble (Séance Weather) grew up in England, where he played drums in an early incarnation of The Wave Pictures (Moshi Moshi Records), before moving on to writing and recording his own songs, self-releasing several records, and touring in the UK and USA under various names. After moving to San Diego, he used Craigslist to recruit DJ Anderson on drums, Jen Edwards on guitar, and Scotland’s own Grant Stewart on bass, all occasionally joining in on backing vocals. Their debut album ABABO was recorded at local Ursa Polaris studio, with additional tracking done at different members’ homes over the following weeks. A sophomore album Living in Milk was released via Jigsaw Records, along with a video for the title track. The bill includes Payback & Associates, the Jule Tones, and Pacifist Mascs, an all female Violent Femmes tribute.
Big Time Operator at Tio Leo’s
October 14
Big Time Operator is a big band led by trombonist Kevin Esposito featuring vocalists Draeh Jirnae and Andy Salmonsen and a 16 piece swing band. They are five-time winners of San Diego Music Awards, taking home the trophy for Best Big Band every year from 1997 to 2001. They also won the 1998 Jim Croce’s Excellence in Entertainment award. True to the past and yet completely contemporary, they’re known for their blend of classic swing with modern energy, covering the standards while also incorporating current arrangements and a lively jump, jive, and hepcat swing sound. In performance, they excel at playing classic big band music of the '30s and '40s, flavored with Latin influences and original arrangements that draw from the broader jazz tradition, including classic melodies and instrumentals.
October 15
In 2009, Chicago-born Celeste “CC” Spina (a cook and bartender) got back on drums after eight years away from the set and put an ad on Craigslist looking for like-minded musicians. Responding guitarist Anthony “Tone” Catalano (a former MTV/VH1 audio/video engineer) was working as a sound engineer at Carlsbad’s Le Mobile studio, and had tuned and recorded acts such as Gwen Stefani, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica. Tone relocated from Santa Cruz to North Park and the duo formed the bluesy, grungy shoegazing electronica band Little Hurricane. Since winning Best New Artist at the 2010 San Diego Music Awards, they’ve continued to earn local favor, taking home a trophy for Album of the Year at the 2014 San Diego Music Awards for their Gold Fever full-length. 2023 saw the release of the band's children’s album, Life Is But a Dream. A recent lineup change finds the group now featuring Ryan Kroney on drums and Hattie Craven on vocals and various instruments.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Live Five: Jesse Ray Smith, Jarred Matthew, Slum Summer, Big Time Operator, Little Hurricane
Americana, soul, rock, jazz, and dirty blues in Oceanside, Mission Beach, City Heights, Bay Park
Live Five: Jesse Ray Smith, Jarred Matthew, Slum Summer, Big Time Operator, Little Hurricane
Americana, soul, rock, jazz, and dirty blues in Oceanside, Mission Beach, City Heights, Bay Park
Jarred Matthew on The Voice
Jesse Ray Smith Record Release at Sunshine Brooks Theatre
October 10
Jesse Ray Smith plays Americana with strong influences of soul, classic rock, heartland folk, and a touch of country. He cites influences such as Chris Stapleton, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, and Van Morrison. After releasing his debut solo album in 2018, he went on to record several more releases, as well as becoming a fixture on the local solo gig scene. He's a multiple San Diego Music Award nominee, with two nods at the 2025 SDMAS, for Best Americana Artist and Best Americana Song. His new digital album Keepers is being released over the course of the year in two parts, Side A and Side B. This Oceanside record release show for Side B is presented by the Six String Society and will feature Smith and his full five-piece band, with an opening set from the Whitney Shay Duo pairing the 5-time SDMA-winning singer with classical and jazz guitarist Aaron Lind.
Jarred Matthew at Mission Bay Resort
October 11
Jarred Matthew was raised in a family of singers and grew to be inspired by American soul music. He wears many hats, as a working musician, songwriter, and an amateur astronomer with a postdoc in high-energy particle astrophysics at UCSD. As an experimental astrophysicist, he teaches advanced math and physics and is currently working on a NASA-commissioned gamma-ray space telescope. As a contestant on season 15 of the television talent competition The Voice, both Blake Shelton and Adam Levine turned their chairs for Matthew, although the aspiring singer went instead with Team Adam.
October 12
Slum Summer features two European musicians and two native Californians. Hugh J. Noble (Séance Weather) grew up in England, where he played drums in an early incarnation of The Wave Pictures (Moshi Moshi Records), before moving on to writing and recording his own songs, self-releasing several records, and touring in the UK and USA under various names. After moving to San Diego, he used Craigslist to recruit DJ Anderson on drums, Jen Edwards on guitar, and Scotland’s own Grant Stewart on bass, all occasionally joining in on backing vocals. Their debut album ABABO was recorded at local Ursa Polaris studio, with additional tracking done at different members’ homes over the following weeks. A sophomore album Living in Milk was released via Jigsaw Records, along with a video for the title track. The bill includes Payback & Associates, the Jule Tones, and Pacifist Mascs, an all female Violent Femmes tribute.
Big Time Operator at Tio Leo’s
October 14
Big Time Operator is a big band led by trombonist Kevin Esposito featuring vocalists Draeh Jirnae and Andy Salmonsen and a 16 piece swing band. They are five-time winners of San Diego Music Awards, taking home the trophy for Best Big Band every year from 1997 to 2001. They also won the 1998 Jim Croce’s Excellence in Entertainment award. True to the past and yet completely contemporary, they’re known for their blend of classic swing with modern energy, covering the standards while also incorporating current arrangements and a lively jump, jive, and hepcat swing sound. In performance, they excel at playing classic big band music of the '30s and '40s, flavored with Latin influences and original arrangements that draw from the broader jazz tradition, including classic melodies and instrumentals.
October 15
In 2009, Chicago-born Celeste “CC” Spina (a cook and bartender) got back on drums after eight years away from the set and put an ad on Craigslist looking for like-minded musicians. Responding guitarist Anthony “Tone” Catalano (a former MTV/VH1 audio/video engineer) was working as a sound engineer at Carlsbad’s Le Mobile studio, and had tuned and recorded acts such as Gwen Stefani, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica. Tone relocated from Santa Cruz to North Park and the duo formed the bluesy, grungy shoegazing electronica band Little Hurricane. Since winning Best New Artist at the 2010 San Diego Music Awards, they’ve continued to earn local favor, taking home a trophy for Album of the Year at the 2014 San Diego Music Awards for their Gold Fever full-length. 2023 saw the release of the band's children’s album, Life Is But a Dream. A recent lineup change finds the group now featuring Ryan Kroney on drums and Hattie Craven on vocals and various instruments.