ON the Beat | Grand News, Ojai Looms, Neo-Moody Bluesman

Shawn Thies at the Grand on State, May 30, 2026 | Photo: Josef Woodard

Saturday Night Fervor

The grand Grand on State story continues, now having surpassed its long “soft opening” phase and presenting its official grand opening night last Saturday. A happy and sold-out crowd flocked to the place, conveniently located next to The Granada Theatre, and soaked up the sounds of a round robin list of local musicians. They also soaked up the well-received menu of French food and beverages, adult and otherwise.

Although pressed for time on my Saturday agenda, I was able to catch a half-hour of the goings on. Shawn Thies wrapped her inviting vocals around “Cheek to Cheek” and Jobim’s “Dindi.” The band at this moment consisted of guitarist Craig Sharmat, pianist George Friedenthal (in the seat normally occupied by the grand pianist Brian Mann, also the co-owner, along with his wife Jenna Berg), bassist Randy Tico, and the commanding drummer Dick Weller.

On my way out, I spied Mann and trumpeter Jim Mooy checking out charts they’d soon be playing. In a suitably homey touch, Mann’s dog Goldie was there as well, checking out the checker-outers.

Next up on Grand on States agenda, an official ribbon-cutting event, featuring Mayor pro tem Kristen Sneddon, Councilmembers Mike Jordan and Oscar Gutierrez, and other city rep types, and in sync with first Thursday, tonight, June 4.

Neo-Moody Bluesman

Sun Kil Moon (Mark Kozelek) at Ventura Music Hall, May 30, 2026 | Photo: Josef Woodard

Then it came time for me to head down to the Ventura Music Hall, for a rare Mark Kozelek sighting in these parts. These days, Kozelek is mostly wrapped up in his current band identity Sun Kil Moon — named after a Korean boxer — Kozelek being a boxing fan and once an aspiring boxer. But his inspired brand of brazenly moody singer-songwriter content — call it shoegaze, slowcore or what have you — appeared on the scene in the persona of his ’90s band Red House Painters, which got its hooks in me for a few years.

Through it all, Kozelek has traversed the world but somehow dodged the 805. This was his first gig in Ventura, although he noted that some of his albums were mastered here. He also tapped into the vibe and culture of the place by launching into an impromptu run through America’s “Ventura Highway.” “I wish I could write a song like that,” he said afterwards. “Then I’d be playing in stadiums now.”

Over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour show — the length of which seemed to surprise even him — Kozelek unevenly spanned his musical career. He leaned into his newer phase of spoken word (including the dryly funny, alligator-meat-hunting in New Orleans piece “Alligator Song”) and more unabashed navel gazing, with free-association-spiced rambles over his hypnotic, open-tuned classical guitar parts. But his storied musical past was also in the blue house, with moody gems like “Katy Song,” “Carry Me Ohio,” and “Carissa,” reluctantly coaxed through requests from the crowd.

Part of the meditative-yet-edgy charm of the Music Hall show arrived through extra musical dramatic elements. Kozelek is a complicated creature, who repeatedly showed his deep love of his 90-year-old mother, even tearing up when talking about her, and yet unleashing his underscoring pugilistic side in moments when he chided and challenged members of the audience. At 59, the boxer in him is still bubbling down there.

(And, for the record, it didn’t seem like purely an act, such as when Josh Homme spewed his mock Brecht-ian tough guy persona in the great Queens of the Stone Age show at the Arlington last year.)

Kozelek’s softy side comes out in other ways, as when he steers his intimate vocal approach to the stuff of melodic covers, such as “Somewhere,” from West Side Story. Kozelek, an intriguing outlier in modern music, really ought to pop by the 805 more often. Our humble opinion.

Indian Music High on Chapala

Two weeks back, I had a happy but also embarrassing discovery moment. Somehow, despite the fact that I grew up in and have been a rabid music fan in Santa Barbara for decades, I didn’t know much about or hear any live music at the 50-year-old Institute of World Culture, on Chapala Street.

That sin was forgiven when guitarist and music-lover Joe Miller directed me to catch an amazing Indian Hindustani classical performance there, featuring Kunal Gunjai on santoor and Amit Kavthekar on tabla (a student of Zakir Hussain). Originally a folk instrument, the hammer-dulcimer-like santoor has been retooled by more serious musicians into a sophisticated tool capable of considerable subtlety and complexity, as Gunjai demonstrated here, in nuanced alliance with Kavthekar.

Must keep eyes and ears on this special place and resource.

America the Chorally Beautiful

Santa Barbara Choral Society featuring Christopher Tin and Becca Clarke | Photo: Josef Woodard

To finish off its propitiously timed Americana-themed season, the Santa Barbara Choral Society served up a suitably diverse program showcasing two American composers, Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church. American music is nothing if not a varied world, and this sampler ranged from a contemporary choral music staple, Morten Lauridsen’s profound Lux Aeterna, visits to the world of video game music, a brave Turandot update, and worldly music ventures to Poland and Uganda. All of the latter pile came courtesy of composer Christopher Tin, also conducting his music.

Joined by an orchestra this time out, the large group was also amended by bold soloists — tenors Jimmer Bolden and Felipe Prado-Caceres, soprano Christina Bristow, and mezzo soprano Becca Clarke.

Tin and longstanding SBCS leader JoAnne Wasserman have a strong and devoted musical ensemble to work with, and all involved delivered once again on Sunday. Next fall, it’s on to season number 79.

TO-DOINGS:

The big musical news in the area next weekend comes in the form of the Ojai Music Festival, doing up its milestone 80th anniversary right, with towering composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director, and a weekend full of modern/contemporary enticements. (See story here.)

SOhO’s line-up this week features such recommended high points as the stellar Steely Dan tribute band Dr. Wu on Sunday and masterful bluegrass from John Jorgensen and Herb Pedersen, with fiddler Gabe Witcher in the pack.

Speaking of which … progressive bluegrass fans and followers of the David Grisman family tree will want to swing by the Lobero Theatre tonight, June 4, to catch the next generation with the Sam Grisman Project. See sohosb.com/events.