Showtime:
Saturday
March 13

Doors Open
6:30 PM

Show Starts
7:00 PM

Tickets
$18.00

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Flower Power Concert

Arena Theater and the Point Arena Merchants Association will present a Flower Power Concert on March 13 at 7:00 PM. The concert is part of the Annual Flower Power Festival and Daffodil Explosion on March 13 and 14 and will feature three live bands, The Vapor Brothers, Montana 1948 and The Ralph Woodson Experience.

The Vapor Brothers, a local band, will open the evening at 7:00 PM.

Montana, 1948, a band based out of San Francisco, just recently released their debut EP, Tiny Drawings. Comprised of Ryan Lafferty (vocals/rhythm guitar), Dan Prull (guitar), Charlie Maynard (drums), and Raza Malik (bass), the group has made an extremely swift jump into the west coast music scene. This talented band showcases immense potential, playing a melodic yet explosive blend of indie/alternative rock. Montana 1948 is currently touring the West Coast from LA to Seattle and will take the stage in Point Arena at 8:30 PM.

The Ralph Woodson Experience, a Jimi Hendrix tribute band, will be headlining the evening and perform two sets beginning at 10:00 PM. Ralph Woodson- lead guitar, vocals- has studied his idol Jimi Hendrix to the point of being able to play the guitar behind his back, and with his teeth.

The youngest of nine, he grew up in Richmond, CA, and was initially struck by the sound of the Band of Gypsys record. His first band, Togetherness, won a Battle of the Bands highlighted by a 12-string acoustic version of Jimi’s Hear My Train A Comin, and went on to open for the likes of Sly and the Family Stone and Buddy Miles.

Ralph then toured with Hedzoli Sounds as well as The Mighty Diamonds, Lady Bianca, Faye Carol, and a Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead)/Sy Klopps (Herbie Herbert) collaboration called the Trichromes. With the Trichromes and later with the Sy Klopps Blues Band, Ralph played on big stages opening for Tower of Power, James Brown, ZZ Top, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others.

He is an active musician in the North Bay area of California, regularly doing session work and playing solo dates throughout the Bay Area. He’s appeared at the College of Marin and on KFOG-FM with author/Hendrix expert Steve Roby, demonstrating the sound and techniques of Jimi Hendrix.

In 2001, Ralph formed the Ralph Woodson Experience, focusing on Jimi Hendrix material. The band has gained a steady following in the Bay Area and Ralph’s showmanship and command of the Hendrix material is second to none. The lineup includes Pete Roberts – bass, backing vocal and Dan Cueva – drums, percussion. Pete’s solid bass playing is ‘the heartbeat of the band’, according to Ralph. Dan brings his diverse swatch of music styles to every project he’s involved in.

Tickets for the concert are $ 18.00. They will be available at local ticket vendors shortly. The show starts at 7:00 PM and doors open at 6:30 PM. The Arena Theater Bar and the snack stand will be open.

Showtime:
Saturday
April 3

Doors Open
6:30 PM

Show Starts
7:30 PM

Tickets
$28.00
($5.00 additional at door)

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Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers

Arena Theater presents Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers on Saturday April 3, 2010 at 7:30 PM as part of the Eighth Annual Redwood Coast Whale & Jazz Festival from April 1-22, 2010. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers are considered one of the top swing and jump blues, jazz bands in the country, as her 4 star review in Downbeat Magazine will attest. The sultry vocals of chanteuse Lavay Smith and her all-star band perform a large repertoire of classics by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Louis Jordan. They're an instant recipe for good times, and dancing!

Lavay Smith's 7-piece band features some of the finest musicians in the world and is comprised of Bill Ortiz (trumpet), Danny Armstrong (trombone), Jules Broussard (alto sax), Howard Wiley (tenor sax), Chris Siebert (piano), Ron Belcher (bass), and Darrell Green (drums).Truly an all-star ensemble, Lavay's musicians have performed or recorded with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole, Ray Charles, Big Mama Thornton, Erroll Garner, Charles Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Sy Oliver, Esther Phillips and many more.

Lavay approaches her material from the standpoint of an independent woman, combining world-class singing and musicianship with hilarious, provocative lyrics. Her musical stance is echoed in her real life role as owner of her own record label, Fat Note Records. Her debut CD, One Hour Mama received widespread critical acclaim and her second CD, Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! received a prestigious 4 1/2 Star review from Downbeat Magazine. Her red-hot stage presence and high musical standards ensure that this diva will continue to light up stages all over the world.

Tickets for the concert are $28.00 in advance, $5.00 more at the door. They are available online at www.arenatheater.org and at local ticket vendors. The show starts at 7:30 PM and doors open at 6:30 PM. The Arena Theater bar and the snack stand will be open.

Showtime:
Saturdays

Doors Open
7:00 PM

Show Starts
8:00 PM

Tickets
$95.00 for the entire series

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Series Overview

Total of five concerts:

February 20, 2010 Tommy Castro
April 24, 2010 Terry Hanck
June 5, 2010 Shane Dwight
August 28, 2010 Tom Rigney and Flambeau
October 9, 2010 Curtis Salgado

Arena Theater will present Tommy Castro and his band on Saturday February 20, 2010 to open the annual, five-part Blues on the Coast series sponsored by Gualala Chevron and the Pier Chowder House and Brew Pub. Blues on the Coast 2010 continues with Terry Hanck, April 24; Shane Dwight, June 5; Tom Rigney, August 28; and Curtis Salgado, October 9. Season tickets for the complete Blues on the Coast series are $95.00 and subscribers receive reserved seating and a Blues on the Coast T-shirt.

R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist Tommy Castro and his band open the blues series on Saturday February 20. Castro is famed for his soaring guitar work as well as his striking, original songwriting and exhilarating stage show.

Terry Hanck, one of the most formidable saxophonists in the blues and soul business, well known for his incredible range and gusty vocals, takes the stage on Saturday April 24.

Shane Dwight, a young American Roots Music artist and killer blues player who rocks the house with the best of them, brings his version of the blues to Arena Theater on Saturday June 5.

Tom Rigney and Flambeau, a hot roots music band playing Cajun, zydeco, blues, and New Orleans music perform on Saturday August 28.

Curtis Salgado, one of America's finest blues and soul singers, will close the 2010 Blues on the Coast series on Saturday October 9.

All shows are at 8:00 PM. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the Arena Theater Bar and snack stand will be open.

Tickets for the series are available online at Brown Paper Tickets. Series tickets are also available through the sponsoring businesses; contact Tracy DuPont at 882-3017.

Tom Rigney and Flambeau

Showtime:
Saturday
April 24

Doors Open
7:00 PM

Show Starts
8:00 PM

Tickets
$15.00

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Terry Hanck

Terry Hanck is well known for his hard blowing sax, incredible range and gusty vocals. Born in Chicago, Hanck was heavily influenced by the blues, soul and jazz music of the 50s and early 60s. After moving to California in 1965, he toured with Elvin Bishop through most of the 70s and 80s and Bishop gave him plenty of opportunities to hone his craft on stage. Terry Hanck is a fine vocalist, an amazing showman, and my favorite sax player, says Bishop. Terry Hanck left the Bishop band to tour under his own name in the late 80s playing a signature mix of New Orleans Gumbo, West Coast Jump and East Bay Funk, all delivered with a heavy dose of blues and soul.

He draws on a vast repertoire of songs, including many originals and his energetic performances spotlight an artist at the peak of his craft. His topnotch band includes Johnny "Cat" Soubrand on guitar, Tim Wagar on bass, and Butch Cousins on drums.

Terry Hanck's Always is a 2008 release from the premier saxophone player in the blues today. Although the CD contains all original material, the sound is familiar because it is based on retro blues styles from the early 1950s to the 1970s. The music is highly influenced by Chris "Kid" Andersen (ex-Musselwhite) who plays guitar and bass on several songs and co-produced the CD with Terry. Other guest appearances include Elvin Bishop on guitar, Los Lobos Steve Berlin on baritone sax, Jimmy Pugh on keyboard, and Tracy Nelson on vocals. If you are a fan of blues saxophone, this CD is an excellent choice for fans of blues saxophone.

Showtime:
Saturday
June 5

Doors Open
7:30 PM

Show Starts
8:30 PM

Tickets
$20.00

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Shane Dwight

Northern California native, now Nashville-based, Shane Dwight is a young American Roots Music artist for the 21st century a killer blues player who can rock the house all night long with the best of them, and an introspective singer-songwriter whose voice rings true at alt-country, Americana, R&B, and flat-out Rock N Roll. There is no pigeonhole for Shane Dwight, and no single corral can hold this bucking bronco. Shane's talent is so fierce and his inspiration so strong that his music draws in equal measure from classic blues and urban R&B, from alt-country and modern rock without compromising his integrity or missing a beat.

Shane Dwight cut his teeth on the rough and tumble East Side of San Jose California, where his natural talents were influenced by the neighborhoods diverse musical undercurrents. He became proficient at various styles, and played in jazz and rock bands before finding his groove with the blues. Shane's popularity spread quickly, and in 2002 he easily won the Monterey Blues Festival Battle of the Bands. Since that time Shane has released several self-produced CDs and kept up a hectic schedule, appearing at countless clubs and festival Main Stages including Floridas Springing the Blues Festival , Monterey Blues Festival, the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, the San Diego Blues Festival, and many more; Shane's energetic performances and charismatic appeal have made him a repeat performer on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruises; Shane provided the house band for the nationally televised Microsoft Insider Live, appeared twice as a featured guest on Elwood Blues House of Blues Radio Hour, and received airplay on hundreds of radio stations worldwide.

Recently, Shane moved to Nashville, Tennessee and signed with the prestigious Intrepid Artists booking agency. This year hell be performing over 150 shows throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. On June 23, 2009 he will be releasing his first TWO internationally-distributed CDs. Shane Dwight's rocket is definitely on the rise, and this is shaping up to be a one hell of a year for this genre-busting artist.

Showtime:
Saturday
August 28

Doors Open
7:00 PM

Show Starts
8:00 PM

Tickets
$20.00

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Tom Rigney and Flambeau

Tom Rigney, the fiery, electrifying violinist/composer, joins forces with some of the finest musicians on the San Francisco roots music scene to form Tom Rigney and Flambeau, a band that will tear the roof off of anyplace that has one and raise the spirits of everyone around. Rigney, after fifteen years at the helm of The Sundogs, has stepped out into the spotlight with a vengeance. Flambeau showcases his passionate, virtuoso fiddling, his commanding stage presence, his range, depth, and originality as a composer, and of course, those notorious red boots. His bandmates are veterans of the great bands of Charles Brown, Queen Ida, Roy Rogers, Clifton Chenier, and others, and together they generate enough heat and energy to ignite a dance floor or lift an audience to its feet.

Flambeau specializes in fiery Cajun and zydeco two-steps, low-down blues, funky New Orleans grooves, and heartbreakingly beautiful ballads and waltzes. Most of the repertoire is composed by Rigney, but they also mix in a few classics from the Cajun/zydeco/New Orleans songbook. And if, along the way, you pick up a trace of Rigneys Irish roots or a little Swing and roots Rock and Roll, it just makes the musical gumbo that much tastier. In the past few years Rigneys skills as a composer have broadened and deepened, and he is today writing some of the most evocative and uplifting music you will hear anywhere. And Rigneys charismatic stage presence and high-energy delivery draw the audience into his performances and make them feel that they are an integral part of the music and the show.

Voted Best Cajun/Zydeco Band of 2004 by the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame, Tom Rigney and Flambeau are making some serious noise on the American Roots Music scene. Flambeau has been tearing things up at festivals, dances, and concerts all over the continent--from the Ft. Lauderdale Cajun Crawfish Festival to the Edmonton Blues Festival to the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee to the Alaska State Fair. Their debut CD, Red Boots and Rice, was released on the Parhelion label in early 2000, following up Rigneys critically acclaimed 1998 solo album, Chasing the Devil. In June of 2002, Tom released Metamorphosis, a brilliant and eclectic collection of new instrumental pieces. The next Flambeau CD, Happy to be Here (2003) has sent happy listeners into serious dance frenzy. In 2004, Tom released A Blue Thing, a great new disc of blues violin that has received buckets of airplay and rave reviews.

Showtime:
Saturday
October 9

Doors Open
7:00 PM

Show Starts
8:00 PM

Tickets
$20.00

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Curtis Salgado

Curtis Salgado's musical journey began with his birth in Everett, Washington, in 1954. His family moved to Eugene, Oregon when he was one and he grew up there listening to jazz, and to his father, an aspiring singer of classical music. His ambitions coalesced when, at age 12, he saw Count Basie's band perform in Eugene. Curtis became a part of the burgeoning Northwest blues scene starting in 1972 with a band called Three-Fingered Jack. Eventually he hooked up with up-and-coming guitarist/vocalist Robert Cray, and recorded the album Who's Been Talking. In six years with Robert, the higher level of visibility enabled Salgado to sit in with the likes of Muddy Waters, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Albert Collins and Bonnie Raitt. Aside from being a tremendous vocalist, Curtis is one of the finest blues harmonica players in the country. In 1979, when John Belushi was in Eugene filming Animal House, he caught Curtis' act and liked what he heard and saw. Curtis took the actor under his wing and schooled him on blues and R & B history, which Belushi soaked up like a sponge, and used a good portion of Curtis' show as the basis for the Blues Brothers act he and Dan Akroyd put together. The first Blues Brothers album was dedicated to Curtis.

Curtis left the Cray band before it broke through nationally and from 1984 - 1986 he fronted Boston's Grammy-Winning Roomful Of Blues before returning to Portland where he formed The Stilettos, touring nationally with such acts as Steve Miller and The Doobie Brothers. He even did a stint as lead vocalist with Santana in the 1990's. Curtis released three albums (the first with The Stilettos, followed by one with his own band and the third, an acoustic gem, featuring guitarist Terry Robb). After three critically-acclaimed solo albums with Shanachie Entertainment, he released Clean Getaway in 2008, only two years after he had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

Clean Getaway, produced by Marlon McClain & Tony Braunagel, is a seamless mix of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll all held together by the organic grooves of world class musicians and Curtis' superlative singing. He has a gift of digging into the essence of a song without histrionics or gratuitous displays of vocal chops--though he certainly has more than enough of those. It is also a celebration of having overcome his illness and a new lease on life.