ON Culture | Plaza Palooza, Studio Tours, and Sting!

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on October 11, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

ON the Stage

Admittedly, most music festivals are a mixed bag; even in the glampiest of circumstances, there’s a lot of schlepping from stage to stage and waiting in long lines for icky restrooms, overpriced drinks, and underwhelming food — not to mention crowds of people paying no attention whatsoever to where they’re walking. But that being said, where else, in the course of a long weekend, can you see amazing music from huge names like Sting, Pearl Jam (twice), Alanis Morissette, Maren Morris, Devo, Crowded House, and so many more. Needless to say, the Ohana Festival in September (just south of us in Dana Point) was totally worth every single bit of inconvenience. Just to hear Sting playing every single song I would have put on my own playlist for him was amazing. Fun fact, my very first concert was Bob Marley and the Wailers — with THE POLICE as the opening band! In any case, my favorite plus one will be writing a full review of the festival at independent.com, but take my word for it and keep an eye on ohanafest.com for next year’s updates.

I had the pleasure of attending Santa Barbara Symphony’s season preview recently, and I was struck once again by how fortunate we are to have such a robust and collaborative orchestra in our midst. Not only do CEO Kathryn Martin and Maestro Nir Kabaretti have an excellent season on the way — starting with a Tchaikovsky Immersion program at the Granada October 19-20 — they are also performing with State Street Ballet for their 30th season opener, Scheherazade and The Firebird, October 26-27 at the Granada (read my story about that here). Also coming up is another fabulous collaboration with Doublewide Kings. On the heels of last year’s Van Morrison show (video here), this time they’ll celebrate The Last Waltz by The Band on November 9 at the Granada (information here).

Continuing to honor her family’s legacy by harmonizing the worlds of music and wine, Ashley Parker Snider performs an eclectic set with her band Ashley and the Winos (also featuring Tim Snider on drums, joined by Gunther Baumgartner, Bern Baumgartner, David Pritchard, and Don Logan) on Sunday, October 13 from 3-6 p.m. at her family’s Fess Parker Winery. As many people know, Ashley is the daughter of Fess Parker, who was a man of many talents, including a deep passion for music that he shared with his wife, Marcy, who was a professional singer. Together, they instilled this love of music in Ashley, who is now doing select performances. I’ve known Ashley for years, but the family’s Perini Ranch celebration event (see story here) was the first time I’d ever heard her sing (a Patsy Cline song to boot) and she’s definitely got some pipes! The event is free. Click here for more info.

---

ON the Page

Chaucer’s Books has been celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a series of special events at the beloved store (see story here) and one of the celebratory activities is a a “Tell Us Your Story” Contest, inviting people to share their favorite memories and experiences related to the bookstore, as well as how reading and books have impacted their lives. Participants can submit their stories, poems, photos, or artwork that capture any of these elements with a deadline of October 23. Winners (one youth and one adult) will each receive a $100 Chaucer’s Books gift certificate. You can enter in the store or online here. Winners will be announced October 28.

Still to come is a Storytelling Through Zines workshop with Dez Alaniz on October 13 (click here to register), Storytime with Miss Angel on October 19, Spook-Tacular After-Hours Storytelling with Craig Clevenger on October 23, and a 50th Birthday Bash for Chaucer’s & 80th Birthday Celebration for founder Mahri Kerley on November 1. See chaucersbooks.com for all the details.

---

ON the Studio Circuit

The Mesa Artists Studio Tour is back on November 2-3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Art aficionados can visit the working studios of Santa Barbara artists at this free event, which features well known names, such as Wanda Venturelli, Karin Aggeler, and more. There are 11 studios and 13 artists in total. See sbmesaartists.com for more details, including the map.

And if you like studio tours (who doesn’t), this weekend the Ojai Studio Artists tour is back October 12-14 with a three-day “choose-your-own-adventure” extravaganza sure to delight collectors, decorators, and the merely curious. More than 60 artists open their private spaces over the course of the long weekend in a tour that features paintings, sculptures, fiber arts, collage, jewelry, glass, prints, mixed media, and all manner of artworks, all experienced in a variety of intimate and idiosyncratic spaces by members of a community-based nonprofit devoted to celebrating Ojai arts.Tickets are $20 which grants access to all studios over the three days. Click here for details.

ON the Streets

The pianos are back on State Street this month, and it’s always so much fun to see them come alive. Walking to my car on Tuesday night after an amazing A&L evening with Mavis Staples at the Arlington (we’ll have a review up at Independent.com soon), a talented young pianist paraded down the street and serenaded us on three different pianos in just a few blocks. In addition to the spontaneous performances, there’s all kinds of great Pianos on State programming coming our way. There are student recitals on Friday, October 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Tondi Gelato; Saturday, October 12 at 4 p.m. at Old Navy and at Tondi Gelato; Sunday, October 13 at 4 p.m at Tondi Gelato; and Sunday, October 20, at 3 p.m. at Old Navy.

We’re also in for a moveable feast when the Fourth Annual Masq(p)arade! performance progressive makes its way up State Street with shows every 15 minutes on Friday, October 18, between 5:30 and 8 p.m. Check this impressive lineup: 5:30 – 5:45 p.m., Out of the Box Theatre Company @ State/Figueroa (Pacific Premier Bank);  6 – 6:15 p.m., Jackson Gillies & Connie Gillies @ State/Anapamu (Old Navy);  6:30 – 6:45 p.m., Brasscals! @ State/Anapamu (Sama Sama Kitchen); 7 – 7:15 p.m., Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus @ State/Victoria (Starbucks); and 7:30 – 7:45 p.m. Zach Gill & Friends @ The Arlington Theatre. Originally a pop-up conceived in 2021 as an interactive complement to Pianos on State and as a means of fostering connection as the community began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, this roving performing arts showcase is now a deservedly beloved Santa Barbara tradition. See masqparade.org for more info.

Coming our way this month is the 14th annual “Thrill the World,” a Halloween for Humanity, World Dance for Humanity global event where more than 100 Thriller Dancers will perform at the Courthouse Sunken Gardens on Saturday, October 26, at 3 p.m. with a costume party before that, starting at 2 p.m. Practices have already begun on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the Oak Park Stage and Saturdays at 9:45 a.m. at the beach (Chase Palm Park between Garden and S. Calle Cesar Chavez. Dancers can register online here with a suggested donation of $50, all of which goes to World Dance for Humanity’s Rwanda Education Program. Such a fun event and such a great cause.

---

ON the Town

I’m so excited for Library Plaza to finally open downtown on November 3. The entire community is invited to “Plaza Palooza” from noon to 4 p.m. that day, where there’ll be a whole slew of fun activities for all ages. This includes performances by Santa Barbara Poet Laureate (and Independent Poetry Connection Columnist) Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet, Franklin Academy of Folklorico, and Flamenco! Santa Barbara; as well as fun activities like face painting, the S.B. Bubble Guy and more.

The following Saturday, November 9, Library Plaza will host Mercado Raíces y Sueños (“Market of Roots and Dreams”) as part of the celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month. There is currently an artist call for that event which states: “Santa Barbara Public Library invites local Hispanic and Hispanic-background community member artists who would like to reserve a vendor booth at the Michael Towbes Library Plaza on November 9. This is a wonderful opportunity to sell and showcase your work, support holiday gift-giving, and share your unique talents with the community.”

This is an opportunity for artists to enjoy a day on the Library Plaza while selling original artwork, building relationships with patrons and fellow artists, and sharing their art with hundreds of people. Vendors must be residents of Santa Barbara County, all work must be handmade by the applicant, and all need to obtain a seller’s permit from the City of Santa Barbara. Registration here for people under 17 and here if you are 18 or older. (The deadline for registration is October 20.)

Featuring a food court, live music, story-telling, art projects, trivia, giveaways, and a Chopped-style competition, Rooted in Community takes place on Sunday, October 13, from 2-7 p.m. at SBCAW. This bilingual event (thanks to simultaneous interpretation by Bridging Voices-Uniendo Voces) celebrates the role of plant-centered nutrition in equipping our community with more health-care options.

Rooted in Community will showcase local partnerships, fun activities for kids, live music and story-telling, trivia, giveaways, and delicious plant-powered bites from local restaurants from 2-5 p.m. The event will also feature an educators’ table with five-minute meal plans, tips, and recipes. Participating restaurants include Rascal’s Vegan, Café La Fonda, Nimita’s, and Farm to Bar serving plant-based mocktails. This portion of the festival is free and presented in partnership with the Greater Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The Chopped-like competition will take place from 5-7 p.m. Tickets for that are $20 and can be purchased here.

---

ON the Calendar

The SOhO 30th Anniversary celebrations continue on Saturday, October 19, with a special night of music with Cornerstone, an acoustic performance by Soul Majestic and a reunion set by The Goodland. Expect a full night of great music, vibes, food and bevs, and local nonprofit tabling! The show is FREE to the public as a thank you for 30 years of support for Santa Barbara’s favorite music venue, SOhO. Visit sohosb.com for dinner reservations and more info.

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