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Live Five: Ashley E. Norton, Julia Sage, Rip Carson, Dave Gilbert Band, Sutton James
Americana, Chilean folk, rockabilly, classic rock, and indie roots in El Cajon, Poway, Clairemont, Little Italy
Jimi Hendrix playing "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock — a key influence on a young Dave Gilbert.
Ashley E. Norton at Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs
April 9
Beginning her career in the Arizona music scene with folk-rock band Delcoa, Americana singer-songwriter Ashley E. Norton moved to Nashville in 2010 to pursue her love for country music. She ended up in San Diego, eventually settling in Ramona, fronting Dolly’s Revenge (formerly Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth) and earning multiple San Diego Music Award nominations, for Best Americana Or Country Artist and Best Americana Album. Her 11-song solo album Call of the Void was recorded in Nashville by Johnny Garcia, the producer and lead guitar player for Garth Brooks, reaching the number 20 slot on the Euro Americana charts where it sat for two months straight in 2024. The following year, she released her acoustic EP The Red Guitar, further distilling her blend of country, folk, rock, blues, and Americana music with storytelling songs such as the title track, the true tale of a WWII soldier's personal guitar named Dusty that was carried throughout the war.
Julia Sage at Templar’s Hall at Old Poway Park
April 10
A songwriter since early childhood, Julia Sage plays Chilean Folk, blues, and Americana. She performs bilingual songs as a solo artist, and with her band the Bad Hombres. Nominated Best New Artist at the 2019 San Diego Music Awards, she’s known for her distinct voice, musical style, and honest, raw songwriting, with her soulful vocals, witty bilingual (sometimes trilingual) lyrics, and a cheeky stage personality. The Poway bill includes two-time San Diego Music Award winner Lindsay White, formerly of the duo The Lovebirds and a vet of prestigious events like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Kerrville Folk Festival. Her Lights Out album debuted at number two on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, garnering accolades as the number one Album of the Year by Global Texan Chronicles, and earning her a San Diego Music Award for Best Singer-Songwriter. Subsequent singles have also charted on iTunes and scored her additional SDMA nominations, including a 2022 win for Best Folk/Acoustic Song, for her track “Peace of Quiet.”
Rip Carson at Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs
April 11
Rip Carson and the Carcinogenics is fronted by Rip Carson, who was born in Shawnee Hills, West Virginia and is currently based in La Mesa. Citing influences such as Buddy Holly, The Ventures, The Smiths, and The Ramones, he first earned local notice with the Bonneville 7. He’s gone on to become a staple in the Southern California rockabilly scene and has toured throughout Europe and the U.S., as well as operating a La Mesa recording studio called Trashland where the multi-instrumentalist has also been producing and playing on records since the early 2000s. His band delivers a sound they describe as “extreme rockabilly,” incorporating raw garage rock with punk energy and catchy hooks. In concert, Carson — who has been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame — is known for stage antics such as lighting his clothes on fire, hanging from rafters while singing, and getting into physical altercations with inanimate objects like barstools and trash cans.
The Dave Gilbert Band at Fast Times
April 12
Dave Gilbert's late 1970s KISS tribute band once got a friendly but firm cease and desist letter from Kiss mainman Gene Simmons. Guitarist Gilbert went on to play with Big Toe, whose bassist, the late Mark Goffeney, was born without arms and played with his feet. They appeared as contestants on the TV show Star Tomorrow in 2006. Gilbert has also played with Claire Monsters, Rhythm Ranchers, Touchy Subjects, and with West Coast Iron Works, one of the longest continuously-operating rock band in San Diego, having formed in the mid-1960s. He also sometimes performs in a duo with Tim Butler. Among the influences he cites is Jimi Hendrix, particularly the guitarist’s Woodstock performance. “As a very young kid,” he told the Reader, “it really cemented where I come from as a musician.”
April 15
Sutton James (Neighbors to the North, Shaggin Wagon, Help I'm Alive, Stallion) relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona in December 2015 and began recording solo within the indie-folk/alt-country genres, though the spirit of rock 'n' roll remains alive and well in his songwriting, as well as his live shows. His album High Country Hiatus was released in 2018. After an 18-month coast-to-coast tour supporting its release, he moved back to his home of San Diego. By 2025, he had earned Diego Music Award Nominations for Best Folk or Acoustic Song (2021), Best Country or Americana Artist (2024), and Best Country or Americana Song (2025). His sophomore LP, Tombstones & Travel Plans, dropped last September. The Little Italy bill includes Gayle Skidmore, whose set also serves as a single and music video release party for her new track “The Road to Nowhere,” and bass-heavy trio Dead Ohm.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Live Five: Ashley E. Norton, Julia Sage, Rip Carson, Dave Gilbert Band, Sutton James
Americana, Chilean folk, rockabilly, classic rock, and indie roots in El Cajon, Poway, Clairemont, Little Italy
Live Five: Ashley E. Norton, Julia Sage, Rip Carson, Dave Gilbert Band, Sutton James
Americana, Chilean folk, rockabilly, classic rock, and indie roots in El Cajon, Poway, Clairemont, Little Italy
Jimi Hendrix playing "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock — a key influence on a young Dave Gilbert.
Ashley E. Norton at Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs
April 9
Beginning her career in the Arizona music scene with folk-rock band Delcoa, Americana singer-songwriter Ashley E. Norton moved to Nashville in 2010 to pursue her love for country music. She ended up in San Diego, eventually settling in Ramona, fronting Dolly’s Revenge (formerly Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth) and earning multiple San Diego Music Award nominations, for Best Americana Or Country Artist and Best Americana Album. Her 11-song solo album Call of the Void was recorded in Nashville by Johnny Garcia, the producer and lead guitar player for Garth Brooks, reaching the number 20 slot on the Euro Americana charts where it sat for two months straight in 2024. The following year, she released her acoustic EP The Red Guitar, further distilling her blend of country, folk, rock, blues, and Americana music with storytelling songs such as the title track, the true tale of a WWII soldier's personal guitar named Dusty that was carried throughout the war.
Julia Sage at Templar’s Hall at Old Poway Park
April 10
A songwriter since early childhood, Julia Sage plays Chilean Folk, blues, and Americana. She performs bilingual songs as a solo artist, and with her band the Bad Hombres. Nominated Best New Artist at the 2019 San Diego Music Awards, she’s known for her distinct voice, musical style, and honest, raw songwriting, with her soulful vocals, witty bilingual (sometimes trilingual) lyrics, and a cheeky stage personality. The Poway bill includes two-time San Diego Music Award winner Lindsay White, formerly of the duo The Lovebirds and a vet of prestigious events like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Kerrville Folk Festival. Her Lights Out album debuted at number two on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, garnering accolades as the number one Album of the Year by Global Texan Chronicles, and earning her a San Diego Music Award for Best Singer-Songwriter. Subsequent singles have also charted on iTunes and scored her additional SDMA nominations, including a 2022 win for Best Folk/Acoustic Song, for her track “Peace of Quiet.”
Rip Carson at Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs
April 11
Rip Carson and the Carcinogenics is fronted by Rip Carson, who was born in Shawnee Hills, West Virginia and is currently based in La Mesa. Citing influences such as Buddy Holly, The Ventures, The Smiths, and The Ramones, he first earned local notice with the Bonneville 7. He’s gone on to become a staple in the Southern California rockabilly scene and has toured throughout Europe and the U.S., as well as operating a La Mesa recording studio called Trashland where the multi-instrumentalist has also been producing and playing on records since the early 2000s. His band delivers a sound they describe as “extreme rockabilly,” incorporating raw garage rock with punk energy and catchy hooks. In concert, Carson — who has been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame — is known for stage antics such as lighting his clothes on fire, hanging from rafters while singing, and getting into physical altercations with inanimate objects like barstools and trash cans.
The Dave Gilbert Band at Fast Times
April 12
Dave Gilbert's late 1970s KISS tribute band once got a friendly but firm cease and desist letter from Kiss mainman Gene Simmons. Guitarist Gilbert went on to play with Big Toe, whose bassist, the late Mark Goffeney, was born without arms and played with his feet. They appeared as contestants on the TV show Star Tomorrow in 2006. Gilbert has also played with Claire Monsters, Rhythm Ranchers, Touchy Subjects, and with West Coast Iron Works, one of the longest continuously-operating rock band in San Diego, having formed in the mid-1960s. He also sometimes performs in a duo with Tim Butler. Among the influences he cites is Jimi Hendrix, particularly the guitarist’s Woodstock performance. “As a very young kid,” he told the Reader, “it really cemented where I come from as a musician.”
April 15
Sutton James (Neighbors to the North, Shaggin Wagon, Help I'm Alive, Stallion) relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona in December 2015 and began recording solo within the indie-folk/alt-country genres, though the spirit of rock 'n' roll remains alive and well in his songwriting, as well as his live shows. His album High Country Hiatus was released in 2018. After an 18-month coast-to-coast tour supporting its release, he moved back to his home of San Diego. By 2025, he had earned Diego Music Award Nominations for Best Folk or Acoustic Song (2021), Best Country or Americana Artist (2024), and Best Country or Americana Song (2025). His sophomore LP, Tombstones & Travel Plans, dropped last September. The Little Italy bill includes Gayle Skidmore, whose set also serves as a single and music video release party for her new track “The Road to Nowhere,” and bass-heavy trio Dead Ohm.