This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on August 1, 2025. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.
ON the Stage
I’m excited to see what Maren Morris has cooking at the Bowl on Sunday night (August 3). She charmed us in Santa Barbara in 2022 (read my review here), and then I saw a more sophisticated and world weary Maren at Ohana Festival last year and liked that show even better. Her fourth album, D R E A M S I C L E, came out this spring and she sounds stronger than ever. As she has said, “It’s about appreciating and respecting the beauty and nuances of life while it’s happening, not after it’s too late.” Click here for tickets.
Yächtley Crëw is also on my dance card this month. They’re playing on August 16 at the Arlington, and it should be a blast! I had a fun interview with the drummer, Rob Jones (who goes by stage name of Sailor Hawkins) about the sweet grassroots success story of this oh-so addictive cover band — so keep an eye out for that one next week.
The One805LIVE! Fundraiser keeps adding great artists to the show that takes place on September 20 at Kevin Costner’s seaside backyard, as it has for the past few years. An updated note from the group said that this year’s lineup now includes: country music legend Trisha Yearwood, Good Charlotte, Sammy Hagar (from Van Halen), Kevin Cronin (from REO Speedwagon), Gavin DeGraw, a once-in-a-lifetime all-star band performance by Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) and Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, The Cult), Donavon Frankenreiter, and Santa Barbara’s own indie sensation Plastic Harpoons. Tickets are on sale now at one805.org.
The first-ever West Coast edition of Shadow of The City Festival is coming south this year to the Great Park Live Amphitheater in Irvine on October 25. The lineup for Shadow City West includes Bleachers (fronted by globally celebrated, eleven-time Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, musician, and producer, Jack Antonoff), Remi Wolf, The Maine, Hemlocke Springs, Bartees Strange, Chris Fleming, and Cassandra Coleman. Tickets are on sale here.
ON the (State) Street
There’s a new live music venue on the 600 block of State Street. Union — in the former Wyle Works space and now owned by Clare Carey and her husband Seth — that filled the space to the rafters last weekend with a very fun set by Spencer (the Gardener) and the Wedding Band. The Mesa Dads and other old friends were out in force for this reunion of sorts for the eclectic cover band that played Joseppi’s back in the day.
Clare, who grew up in town (and is one of the zillion lovely Carey sisters who graduated from Santa Barbara High), says Union will specialize in showcasing local bands and they’re in the process of building out the stage a bit more as well. Coffee is also on the way, so expect the funky, cool space to channel the old Muddy Waters vibe (fingers crossed). For more information, and a list of who’s playing, check out their Instagram here.
ON the Page
Santa Barbara Public Library On the Go 2.0 Van (SBPL) recently got some nice fuel in the metaphorical tank (it’s actually an electric powered vehicle) with a $250,000 grant from the James M. Cox Foundation. This van will double the reach of SBPL’s original mobile library and serve up to 15,000 additional community members per year, with a focus on early childhood literacy, digital access, and educational opportunities. In addition, it will be fully equipped with a high-powered Wi-Fi system, computers, printers, and educational tools such as Chromebooks, internet hotspots, telescopes, and STEAM activity kits. It will also support school-aged children and their families through pop-up STEAM activities and vital community programming.
ON the (Big) Screen
Santa Barbara filmmakers have a unique opportunity to receive up to $10,000 each to help fund their film, thanks to a partnership between SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund and The Veraison Fund. Applications are now being accepted through September 29, and a jury of industry professionals will review all submissions and invite selected finalists to pitch their projects at SBIFF’s Education Center.
The 2025 winners were Santiago Bailey-Musacchio, If You Only Know Where to Look; Joy Bronson, The Fight to Fight: the Battle For Gender Equality in the U.S. Military; Julia Kupiec, Only Child; and Nicole Noren, The Conception. For 2026, four filmmakers will be selected to receive up to $10,000 each to help fund their film, and the 2026 winners will be announced during the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival, taking place February 4-14, 2026. Click here for more information and the application form.
ON the Walls
Talk about the right theme at the right time. Mark your calendars for Creative Resistance: The Artist Perspective on Our Changing World. It’s a two-day exhibition and community art protest taking place August 8–9 at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop (SBCAW). The exhibit brings together 40+ artists and performers, each presenting one powerful work reflecting their personal vision, reaction, and creative resistance to the times we’re living in. I met with the organizer Laura Walker Ragan and Diane C. Mackenzie and will have lots to report in our next issue; but meanwhile, don’t miss out on what’s sure to be a powerful and fascinating gathering of artists using their talents to comment on, well, just about everything that’s going on these days.
It’s lucky number 13 for Robin Gowen, who is back at Sullivan Goss for her 13th solo show, opening with a reception on Thursday, August 7. Gowen has the distinction of being the first living artist that the gallery began representing more than 25 years ago and, as a note from Sullivan Goss stated, “She continues to wow us with her kaleidoscopic use of color, magnificent vistas, and quiet moments of the natural world.”
That show will be on view through September 22, along with “The Fateful Eight,” featuring work from Oskar Fischinger, Joseph Goldyne, Sidney Gordin, DJ Hall, Wosene Worke Kosrof, R. Kenton Nelson, Hank Pitcher, and Alex Rasmussen.
ON the Map
As Hana-Lee Sedgwick previewed in her story “Mapping Santa Barbara’s Public Art” (read here), 100 Years of Santa Barbara Public Art is a series of events this summer commemorating Santa Barbara’s transformation into the American Riviera. With an aim to enhance community engagement in the arts and foster a deeper appreciation for the city’s rich tradition of public art, a centerpiece of the program is the digital map of all public art in the city and a public outreach campaign to encourage the community to visit the works and vote for their favorite. Check out the interactive map that is being created with the help of the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, Santa Barbara Beautiful, and Irene Hoffman Design, and stay tuned for more information.
ON the Web
“If The White Lotus was set in Santa Barbara”: One of my favorite recent web memes came from the Montecito Group real estate team. As always, Jennifer Coolidge steals the show, but Parker Posey is a close second. Check it out here.
ON the Calendar
I’m looking forward to writer/performer Elaine Gale’s new one-woman performance Trash Club, which plays at Center Stage Theater August 6-7. With comedic storytelling that explores a range of emotions and experiences through the lens of trash, one of Gale’s previous collaborator Rod Lathim describes it as “a metaphoric journey into the harsh realities of our collective existence since the lockdown, with light at the end of the tunnel.” Read Maggie Yates’s preview here and see centerstagetheater.org for tickets.
For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.
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