ON Culture | Patti Smith on Stage and on Air, Back to the Future on Broadway, the Queen of King Bee’s Last Show, and More!

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on July 28, 2023. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

ON the Stage (Music)

We’ve had some excellent music around here lately, including a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young revival of our own, with Neil Young (review here) and Graham Nash (review here) in the hood this month, and the upcoming David Crosby Tribute on August 20. Playing under the name Stand and Be Counted, that show will gather together the band and set list Crosby assembled for a Lobero anniversary show that never happened in February 2023, with a supergroup that includes Shawn Colvin, Colin Hay, Richard Page, Steve Postell, James Raymond, Steve DiStanislao, Dean Parks, Chris Stills, Andrew Ford, Lara Johnston, and Ken Stacey.

Speaking of supergroups, Jason Mraz had a pretty super band at the Bowl the other night (review here). Also coming up soon is all of that wonderful and mostly free Fiesta music (see Independent.com for an extensive calendar of events put together by our very own Fiesta Queen Terry Ortega).

I’m also quite excited for King Bee’s (sniff) last show with guitarist Shawn Fabian and lead singer Rachel Sarah Thurston on August 8 at Stow House. It’s a freebie, starting at 5:30 p.m. Bring a picnic or hit up the food trucks, and don’t worry, the Bees will continue to buzz around town with some new members and guest stars on stage.  

Also on the horizon in the next few weeks are Patti Smith at the Lobero (Aug. 9), Father John Misty and The Head and the Heart at the Bowl (Aug. 13), Peter Frampton at the Arlington (Aug. 16), and Young the Giant at the Bowl (Aug. 18), not to mention some cool smaller shows like Glenn Annie with Seventies Tuberide at SOhO (Aug. 10).

ON the Walls

One of the many ways to get into the Fiesta spirit right now is Project Fiesta: 99 Years, featuring 99 photographs spanning 99 years at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Drawn from the museum’s extensive archive, the photographs capture the spirit of the celebration, which began in 1924 to celebrate the reopening of the Lobero Theatre. Admission is free; for more information, see sbhistorical.org.

Also note, in honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of Old Spanish Days, the museum is seeking memories from the public. Those interested in helping add to the collection should contact archivist@sbhistorical.org.

Now located in La Cumbre Plaza, The Arts Fund Gallery has an intriguing show on view called Nurturing the Youth: An Exhibition of Established Artist Mentors, in honor of its 40th birthday and 30 years of the Teen Arts Mentorship. Artists featured are the established artists who were leaders of the mentorship program, and they include Nell Campbell, Terra Cobian, Susan M Connors, Michael Irwin, John Hood, Angelina LaPointe, Oscar Pearson, Ron Robertson, Laura-Susan Thomas, and Joyce Wilson. The show is on view through September 8, and the gallery is open to the public Wed.-Sun. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here to learn more about the Teen Arts Mentorship program.

ON the Stage (Theater)

Currently a big success on Broadway, Back to the Future: The Musical has some strong Santa Barbara connections, with Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis (co-writers of the film Back to the Future), and Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown in the film) all living in the area. As you may recall, Gale recently spoke to writer Alex Scordelis about his film 1941 for our recent cover story, “Goleta History or Myth?If the Shrapnel in These Walls Could Talk” about a WWII bombing in Goleta. Gale not only shared his filmic inspiration and bought Alex lunch, but he also sent me this fun picture of himself sandwiched between  a “pair of Docs.” That’s Lloyd on the left, Gale in the middle, and Roger Bart (who plays Doc Brown in the musical) on the right. If Bart looks familiar, not only has he been in dozens of films, but he also played the murderous pharmacist on Desperate Housewives, a show for which I have a deep affection.

Speaking of things I have a deep affection for, I love musicals, and the Solvang Festival Theater is such a great place to see them. Bright Star — which I quite enjoyed, as did our reviewer Maggie Yates — just ended its run, and American Mariachi is up next. I’m looking forward to seeing this story of an all-girl mariachi band in the ’70s, which was pretty unheard of.

Also on my calendar this weekend is the SBCC Theatre Group’s production of Guys and Dolls, another one Maggie recommended.

ON the Page

While our favorite bookworm Emily Lee is out on maternity leave, our staff has been enjoying guest writing the biweekly All Booked newsletter, with Tessa Reeg sharing her favorite thriller recommendations, Ryan P. Cruz spotlighting contemporary Latin American authors, Jackson Friedman taking a ride with audiobooks, and yours truly showcasing books to read before you watch the movie or TV show. Stay tuned to read more All Booked guest columns by subscribing at independent.com/newsletters.

Speaking of books, in case you missed it, the new mystery novel With a Kiss We Die, by Matt Dorff and Suzanne Dunn, who write under the name LR Dorn, takes place in the UCSB Theater Department. Read more in this story by Maggie Yates, and we also have an interview with the authors on the The Indy: A Podcast.

In other book news, Ann Patchett has a new novel coming out next week, which is always a cause for joy in my book. Tom Lake is a story about a mother sharing the story of a youthful romance with her three grown daughters, and according to the publisher’s blurb: “As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.”

ON the (Big) Screen

The Unbroken Sky, a new 24-minute film based on the memoirs of Francisco Jiménez’s migrant life in Santa Maria in the 1950s, recently had its premiere in Santa Maria. The film dramatizes the true story of a Mexican family’s journey — one of faith, hope, backbreaking work, and an unrelenting determination to realize the universal dream of a better life. According to a story in the Santa Maria Times, dates for screenings will soon be released. See _{theunbrokensky.com} for more information, and click here to view the trailer.

ON the Air

Worth the listen at any time, but especially since she’s coming to the Lobero on August 9, musical icon Patti Smith’s guest spot on Arman Naféei’s podcast ARE WE ON AIR? is particularly worthy of your attention. She discusses the music that made her love music (hint: It was opera), among other things, with Naféei, formerly the Directeur d’ambiance at the Chateau Marmont in L.A., among other cool credentials. The podcast itself has an interesting angle, encouraging guests to tell the tales of their life and career through song choice.

ON the Calendar

Whether you’ve been filling in your passport or not, I hope to see many of you at the Indy Hops Passport Drop Party on Monday, July 31, from 5-7 p.m. at Validation Ale in the Funk Zone (a k a “Funk Town,” as Jason Mraz dubbed it last week at his show). Stop by and have a cold one, or just come by to say hi. Here are all of the details.

For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.