Chris Barron

SOhO GOES POP: Chris Barron has come a long way since bursting onto the mainstream music scene in the early ’90s as the lead singer of Spin Doctors. From being nominated for a Grammy and gracing the cover of Rolling Stone to overcoming a vocal paralysis that threatened to end his singing career, Barron has truly seen all that rock stardom has to offer. Now he’s bringing his mature brand of pop rock to Santa Barbara as a solo artist, performing along with Hollywood-based indie singer/songwriter Curtis Peoples. Influenced by John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, and Pearl Jam, Peoples delivers an upbeat, acoustic-driven rock sound. Both musicians, along with folk rocker Skyler Stonestreet, will perform at SOhO on Tuesday, June 19 at 7:30 pm. -Michael Baker

Kyle Gass

TRAINSPOTTING: Kyle Gass will be performing in Santa Barbara for the second time this year, but not as the second half of comedy folk duo Tenacious D. Gass will be returning with his southern-rock-meets-alt-rock group, Trainwreck, at Velvet Jones on June 17. The Lynyrd Skynyrd-inspired quintet comes complete with tasty guitar riffs, Jack Black-esque vocals, the occasional flute solo, and even some train whistles. They are definitely a group of performers, all going by ridiculous pseudonyms and sporting even more ridiculous wigs. And even if the music were awful-which it isn’t-they’d still be fun just to watch. The show will be the first on Trainwreck’s Pacific Rimjob Tour and they will be sure not to disappoint. -Kevin Spracher

WORK YOUR MOJOW: You’d be hard-pressed to find many jazz-funk bands these days as it is, let alone one that features socially conscious lyrics, white-boy beat boxing, outlandish costumes, and a six-foot, eight-inch tall, redheaded saxophone player. That’s why Mojow and the Vibration Army-a husband-and-wife duo consisting of Santa Barbara native Moriah (Mo) and John (Jo) Whoolilurie-are such an anomaly. Together, the quirky pair manages to create a full funk sound by sampling and looping their beats while Jo adds vibrant sax riffs and Mo drops rhymes promoting self-respect, environmental responsibility, and political involvement. The band will celebrate the release of their latest album, Work With What You Got, with a positive vibe you’ll find only at SOhO on Monday, June 18 from 8-10:30 p.m. -Joel Aurora

SAMPLES SET EXAMPLE: There won’t be any free samples on June 17 at SOhO, but there will be a chance to witness music history in the making. The Samples have endured two decades of togetherness, making the seemingly backward leap from a major record label to an independent one. Now The Samples may be able to teach other bands a lesson: You don’t have to sell out to do what you love. Maintaining a loyal fan base since the ’80s, they are an example of success without overexposure. With comparisons to the Grateful Dead, The Samples give the younger generation a chance to experience good old granola-eating, folk music fun. The band goes on at 8:30 p.m., the price is 15 bucks, and the music is priceless. -Jessica Small

GIRL, UNINTERRUPTED: On soulful crooner Jane Monheit‘s seventh album in as many years, the raven-haired beauty proves once and for all that the talent that garnered critical raves after her first album was no flash in the plan. Now signed to Concord Records, Monheit’s newly released album, Surrender, is her most personal to date and continues to explore her fascination with Brazilian musical influences. She takes the SOhO stage tonight, Thursday, June 14 with bandmates Michael Kanan (piano and Fender Rhodes), Miles Okazaki (acoustic and electric guitars), bassist Orlando Le Fleming, saxophonist Ari Ambrose, and drummer Rick Montalbano. It’s sure to be an enchanted evening. -Sarah Hammill

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