Newsletter: Punk Rock at Napa Fair! + Ladies of indie rock invade Sonoma County!
Hello friends and welcome to SmartMouth! I did a subscription drive this last week and had a number of folks sign up either through our Old 97s ticket giveaway (congrats to Robin B & Vincent C for winning) or through the online form. Welcome to those new subscribers!
For you newbies: Every Wednesday I send out a weekly email newsletter about that week's up and coming "alternative" and more punk rock leaning events. I include the occasional commentary, contests, profiles, interviews, news and more! This thing is still in it's "demo tape" phase, but everything has been coming together quite nicely!
I celebrated my 45th birthday on Monday! I woke up early and interviewed Tim Kasher from the band Cursive! Kasher is going on tour with the film he's recently directed called Who's Watching! We talked about this filmmaking experience and what folks can expect from his upcoming appearance at the Roxy Movie theater in Downtown Santa Rosa when he appears with the film for a musical performance and Q&A on August 27, 2026. We'll have that interview in next week's email so be on the lookout for that!
Last night we went and checked out The Old 97s at my old stomping grounds of the Napa Music Hall. My knees actually hurt from all my bad "dancing" to their rip-roaring punk tinged rock n roll americana! We had a blast and my brain hurts a bit today from the excessive beers. (In case you missed it, I interviewed Rhett Miller of the Old 97s and shared it last week.)
I expected to use this space to write about how when I was 17/18 years old I ran a regional music news website in my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana called ShrevePUNX and how the more things change, the more things stay the same because here I am once again in my 40's still plugging away at writing about a local music community.
But then today I woke to the news that the ever popular mainstream music blogs BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, Revolver, and Goldmine have all had significant layoffs and people are predicting it to be the end of these long running websites.
This news will have very little effect on the local North Bay music community I'm covering with SmartMouth. Instead it reminds me just how important LOCAL coverage can be. There's so many absolutely talented folks in Sonoma County, Napa Valley and the surrounding areas that are not getting written about.
When I was actively booking concert events in Napa, I felt local music community coverage was the missing component we needed to build up the local music ecosystem. It's not enough to book the shows, you need someone to help spread the Word Of Mouth about the events and that's what I've aimed to do with my Napa Valley Register coverage and now with this newsletter/website.
As I said above, I'm still in the Demo Tape phase of this thing. I'm still building the routine and figuring out what works and what doesn't work.
But I've been blown away by the response. I've been writing about music off and on my entire life and I've never felt this fulfilled by my work.
I wrote for Vice Magazine's Noisey blog for a hot minute in the '10s, but the pay was terrible ($75 an article from a billion dollar company), and I decided to just keep it DIY and make things for myself. I probably should have kept with it, as I imagine I would have built up much better contacts, but that's not who I am. I'm DIY till I die, I guess. ;)
I make way more money with my local music news column for the Napa Valley Register and also, there's just something special about writing about a new to you local band, spread the word and see that it matters to folks. I've been getting lots of great messages from all the artists we've been covering (and some hate mail from a band that sounds like Linkin Park... haha)
This is hard work, but I love it. I fucking love it. Each and every week I get a few more subscribers to the email list. It's growing slowly, but it's growing the right way.
I got turned down for an interview with the one time local band, CEREMONY. They have an album coming out this Friday and I was told by their publicist that we were "too small" a platform. Their publicist Matt Grimm forgot his own early small town radio station roots.
Small outlets grow to become big ones, and as the corporate machine keeps buying up all the indies and crushing them for every ounce of worth and throwing them away - I'll be here championing for the little guys and the locals.
Also, I desperately need an editor. But I've been reading a ton of grant pitches for a local film non-profit I work for, and half the pitches feel as though they've been written by A.i. So I'm slowly starting to embrace and kind of love all the typos and misspellings. haha. You know I'm not fucking A.i.
I've come so far in the last 52 weeks! Who would have thought I'd end up in Sonoma County! Who knew I'd be doing this a year ago? I sure as hell didn't. I can't wait to see what the next year brings.
I'm going to start planning our own SmartMouth shows and parties in the next year! Thanks for joining me on this journey. I couldn't do this without you.
Just announced:
Wednesday 9/23: Carsie Blanton at Mystic Theater, Petaluma. $38.72.
Carsie Blanton has already sold out the Sweetwater Music hall for her 9/24 show, but I don't think this one is on many folks radar! Check out this new rising voice of Alt-Country/Americana in these small venues while you can now! She's on a rocketship the the next level! Jump on now.
For fans of Dolly, Sierra Ferrell & Tammy Wynette meets THE MUPPETS! Seriously, a large amount of her videos on YouTube contains puppets! She's so much damned fun and highly political. I can't wait to see her live!
THIS WEEKEND'S RECOMMENDED EVENTS:
I've been building a curated calendar of local events happening in and around the North Bay that I feel should be on your radar. I've been slacking on it lately, putting all my work into the actual writing, but I hope to get back to it very soon. Check out that work in progress at smartmouthcalendar.com.
Please submit any upcoming events for consideration at: https://smartmouthcalendar.com/submissions/
August 6-9: Napa County Fair: Locals Live! Stage
This weekend the Town and Country fair returns to Napa fairgrounds! There's a lot going on this weekend and while the main page lists the main events, which I personally find to be pretty MID... It's hard to find details about the local acts performing. So here are a few of the highlights we wanted to make sure you were aware about:
Thursday August 6th: Locals Live Stage:
5:15pm eggcorn: Indie/Alt-Rock goodness with a symphonic & cinematic edge in the vein of Big Thief, The Breeders & Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Friday August 7th: Locals Live Stage:
4:45pm: Jealous Zelig - Original Jazz Soul from Napa. Jealous Zelig reminds me of a New Orleans style ragtime band, but from the vineyards of the Napa Valley.
7:00pm: Sam Devine: Sam Devine is a local Napa character. He's part comedian, part vaudeville act, part musician and 100% unique original musician. Expect a set full of "humor, heartache, and plenty."
Friday 8/7 - Bandstand Stage: Fierce and Fabulous Drag Review
Featuring Sasha Devaroe, Bionka Simone, Tila Pia, Hera, plus special guest LADY CAMDEN from RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE Season 14! Music by DJ Rotten Robbie!
9:00pm: The Fierce and Fabulous Drag Review will be followed by a DJ Rotten Robbie Dance Party on the Bandstand Stage! I dislike most DJ stuff, but I love a Rotten Robbie party! He knows how to get people on the dancefloor and moving with his eclectic mix of 80's era mixed with modern pop tunes.
Vallejo's 707Punk has teamed up with Repossessor and the Napa Fair to throw one hell of a punk rock party at the fair this year! I'm actually pretty jealous of this one as I spent years thinking I was the only punk rocker in Napa only to discover that there were dozens of us in the shadows! ha!
I caught Repossessor at the SoFi Battle Of The Bands a couple weekends back and they were by far my favorite band of the day! Super cool three piece Bay Area/ Gilman Street punk that will remind folks of Crimpshire, Groovie Ghoulies and super early Green Day. They play from 5:45-6:30pm.
None of the other acts are from Napa as far as I can tell (PLEASE PUT WHERE YOU LIVE IN YOUR BAND BIOS!) but come from all over the North Bay. Those acts include:
Legal Disaster from Petaluma playing Ska/Punk from 1:30-2:00pm. Damned cool stuff that takes me back to the 90's Third wave ska explosion.
Pro-Pain was an absolute surprise! No clue where they're from, but they play really catchy emo fueled punk rock that reminds me of Joyce Manor and Jeff Rosenstock. I dig the hell out of this. They play 2:30-3:00pm
Necessary Noise: Will bring the Emo/Alt/Puppy-Punk stylings to their set. The two singles they have on Spotify give me more Joyce Manor style goodness, but I'm also picking up a lot of Blink 182 or Yellowcard kind of vibes as well. 3:30-4:00pm
Knights of Molino: One of the most unexpected treats of this line up are the Knights of Molino, who are a bunch of middle schoolers playing punk originals and covers. I watched a lot of their Instagram reels with my mouth wide open. These youngsters are better than a lot of old-sters I know. Hot damn! This is cool as hell. I'll say it again.. The Kids are alright.
Sunday August 9: Amplifi Launchpad Takeover of the Locals Live Stage!
Amplifi is a Napa based non-profit that works with local artists to help give them the tools they need to build a successful career.
From the press release: Featuring performances by Amplifi's Emerging Musician Fellows, the afternoon showcases the next generation of independent talent across genres including reggaeton, hip hop, pop, indie folk, and soft Latin rock.
The lineup includes:
2pm-2:30pm: Richie Bridges who blends R&B, hip-hop, Reggaeton into something wholly unique.
2:45pm -3:00pm: Yadhira Torres is a Napa Valley singer, songwriter, and pianist.
3:15 - 3:45pm: Andrea Barrera & Susy Guzman as BUGAMBILIA. They'll be performing intimate latin/hispanic inspired acoustic songs. Barrera is a fantastic, young, vocalist and guitarist from Napa by way of El Salvador.
4:00- 5:00pm - Oke McFly - Straight outta Napa, Oke McFly brings his hip hop sensabilities to a full band that's a mix of rock n roll, r&b, afropop and more! McFly has seen his star rise on a national level in recent years and he's been making quite the name for himself. Can't wait to see what he does next.
Saturday Aug 8: La Luz & Spacemoth - HopMonk Sebastopol: The Abbey, Sebastopol. $38
I caught La Luz opening for Shannon and the Clams at the Jam Cellar's Ballroom, know known as the Napa Music Hall on New Year's Eve 2024! The ladies of La Luz play dreamy psychedelic and surf influenced indie rock. Listening to them I keep getting Beach Boys meets The Cardigans vibes. I can't get enough of them!
Spacemoth are opening!
Wednesday Aug 12: The Beth's & Beach Bunny - GunBun, Sonoma. $92 (Plus $16 Parking)
Two of my favorite bands, playing at one of my favorite places to see a concert! Holy hell this show will be fantastic. Both Beach Bunny & The Beths have been touring the world super hard with their infectious brand of pop-influence indie/punk.
The Beths have been one of my favorite bands for a few years now. Really great New Zealand indie power-pop that makes me think of The Cardigans.
Beach Bunny are a punk rock leaning indie band from Chicago! They come from the same world as Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail and Alvvays.
I've seen both bands in tiny rock clubs and gigantic festivals. GunBun's natural amphitheater is one of the best spots in the North Bay to catch a concert! We caught Waxahatchee there a couple of years ago and I still think of it as a top ten concert experience. It's just so damned beautiful. Just be prepared for a ton of sun in your face before the sun sets, and then be prepared to have a jacket cause it gets COLD out there!
I just wish this show wasn't so damned EXPENSIVE. Tickets are $92 plus $16 for parking. I know touring is expensive, but god damn that's a lot. These bands are both fantastic, but for that kind of price point and at this time where we're all feeling the squeeze, I feel like that price is going to be a hard sell for most folks. (Myself included.)
LOOKING FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS?
Make sure you visit SmartMouthCalendar.com! Also, let me know what I'm missing! What shows and events are you looking forward to in the North Bay? Send them my way and let me know! SmartMouth707@gmail.com!
There is a TON of stuff happening in the area, and many venues, promoters and bands do not advertise much more than an instagram post or two. So there's so much happening off the radar. What cool shows are you planning on going to in the near future? Sound off in the comments!