There comes with spring a spirit of warmth and renewal. Although our winter rains were late in coming, it’s anybody’s guess whether true spring will appear at its appointed time. Nonetheless, I’m inspired to spread the love and warmth around this week, starting by highlighting a couple nights at Barmel, the little Bohemian bar tucked away in one of those lovely Carmel arcades off San Carlos Street.
Thursday night features Chico-based singer/songwriter Lee Simpson, who appears as frontman in the trio called The Friendly Viking. Simpson is a native Californian whose family has a history of musical endeavors, primarily in bluegrass. At its core, bluegrass is a form of American roots music, defined by its Appalachian background that goes further back into the realms of traditional British Isles music. Being that he’s also into country music, the outlaw kind defined by artists like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, Simpson delivers a potent mixture of American roots music that has come to be connected to California, most likely because of Jerry Garcia and his bluegrass contributions to the Grateful Dead. Subsequent hippie jam bands and bluegrass fusions melded all that is Americana into one big batch of good vibes music.
Simpson was a founding member of the Southern California-based aggressive jam band Blue Dye Fire. Years later, he became guitarist and one of the main contributing songwriters for the San Francisco-based bluegrass/roots rock band King Harvest. Both bands released a number of albums, but Simpson found his greatest success from his work as a solo artist. In particular his collaborative effort with John McGaraghan titled “Summertime in California.” When he’s not focused entirely on his music or sharing the stage with headliners like Steve Earl, Lucinda Williams, Tedeschi Trucks, Yonder Mountain String Band and Rosanne Cash, he’s busy with his King Harvest medicinal marijuana business, a collective that is dedicated to providing patients with safe, lab-tested, whole molecule CBD and THC Cannabis Oil medications.
Friday evening another Americana-styled collaboration comes to Carmel under the name The Salty Licks. The Bay Area-based duo consists of Arkansas native Alex Kidd and Portola Valley denizen Todd Johnson. I think these guys do mostly covers, offering up as examples Tom Petty, Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt. With the name Salty Licks and their gig at Barmel, where cocktails, wine and beer are cheerfully served, the musicians offer their songs as inspiration to drink by. Hey, that’s one way to sell your art.
There is never a cover charge at Barmel, and the live music is offered generally Thursday through Sunday, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with weekend nights offering a DJ spinning cool tunes to follow up. On tap for Saturday night is Bruce Guynn & Big Rain, a Santa Cruz-based rock’n’roll band sure to get you out on the dance floor.
You know, I haven’t had the opportunity to get much info out about a couple of the annual outdoor Big Sur music festivals presented by Folk Yeah! Ticket sales started in February, so if you hadn’t been aware back then, you may have missed out. Even though the May 18-20 Hipnic X, at Fernwood Resort has already sold out, there is still the Freaks for the Festival to look at later in the year, September 21-22, at Fernwood as well. Hipnic X celebrates 10 years of bringing together music loving campers for a weekend of festivities in Big Sur. Ten years says a lot, a milestone that bolsters high expectations this festival is a keeper. As long as Tim Bluhm and Greg Loiacono of Mother Hips maintain their interest, and Britt Govea of Folk Yeah! keeps bringing it all together, while Diana Ballentyne and Andrew Carlson at Fernwood provide the perfect campground and wilderness lodging options, then what’s to say there won’t be a 20 year celebration?
There’s a great lineup, including headliners The Mother Hips, Jackie Greene, Jay Farrar (of Son Volt, who also plays a night at Henry Miller Library, but that looks to be sold out as well), Flamin’ Groovies, Gospelbeach, and Marc Olson (of the Jayhawks). There’s quite a bit more music planned for the campground stage and the late night pub shows, and you can find out about them all at www.folkyeah.com.
As far as Freaks for the Festival, it is similar to the Hipnic because it’s also a collaborative effort with alternative rock music. Slated for late September, the two-day festival has Govea and Chris Robinson Brotherhood as the curators who bring together hand picked artists that resonate with the scene they want to create. Robinson came to international attention in the band The Black Crowes, a rock aggregate that’s no longer active, but with great music recorded for posterity and a reputation as a stoner band stemming from the early 1990s. CRB is also of the same ilk and so far on the lineup there’s Beachwood Sparks and Once & Future Band. If you want to do the weekend campout music thing right down the coast, then this is one to get in on before the full lineup is announced and the ticket sales pick up steam. Once again, visit www.folkyeah.com or call Fernwood Campgrounds directly for reservations at 831-667-2422.
Also, if you find yourself in Big Sur on Friday, Henry Miller Memorial Library is hosting The Wandering Reel Traveling Film Festival. With 22 short films from 12 different countries divided into four different thought provoking programs, the festival strives to stir the viewer’s conscious and hopefully inspire action around a wide range of issues. At Henry Miller Memorial Library, Program A: You. Me. We. will be shown. The six short films in the program ask: What tears us apart? What brings us together? The 7:30 p.m. screening is followed by a Q&A discussion with the festival director, filmmaker and former Big Sur resident Michael Harrington.
A second screening takes place Saturday at The Lab, located in The Barnyard, Carmel. Showing will be Program B: In Between Us. It also starts at 7:30 p.m. A $10 donation is suggested for both nights.
Have a local arts and entertainment event you want to tell us about? Contact Beth Peerless at beth@2bpeerless.com