Reggae act Rebelution plays Avila Beach on Aug. 7 

Rebelution sure has come a long way from their early days as a college band living in the party-centric college town of Isla Vista. The original five members—Eric Rachmany (vocals, guitar), Matt Velasquez (vocals, guitar), Rory Carey (keyboards), Marley D. Williams (bass), and Wesley Finley (drums)—were all students at UCSB in 2004, and despite their early success, they all stuck with their studies and graduated (Velasquez left the band in 2007).

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• Photo Courtesy Of Otter Productions Inc.
• REGGAE OVERLOOKING THE PACIFIC Otter Productions Inc. present Rebelution at the Avila Beach Golf Resort on Aug. 7.

They've released eight studio albums to date. Their self-released debut, Courage to Grow (2007), was one of iTune's most downloaded reggae albums and was named iTunes Editors' Choice: Best Reggae Album 2007. Their fifth album, Falling Into Place, was nominated for the Best Reggae Album Grammy Award in 2017. Five of their albums have reached No. 1 on the reggae chart, and their newest album, Reflections, is now available on all streaming platforms.

They're hotter than a pepper sprout, and they're headlining the Good Vibes Cali Tour with a stop at the Avila Beach Golf Resort on Wednesday, Aug. 7 (gates at 4 p.m., with music starting at 5; all ages; $70.26 at tixr.com), with openers DJ Mackle, Cydeways, Collie Buddz, and Kolohe Kai. Ticket sales for this Otter Productions Inc. show are brisk, so get on it.

Vina Robles Amphitheatre

So much of the Western United States' culture is influenced by Latino culture—from food, to dance, to music, to art. This Friday, Aug. 2, Vina Robles Amphitheatre will showcase music that represents the melding of U.S. and Mexican cultures when Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys share the bill (8 p.m.; $51.20 to $181.15 at ticketmaster.com) with Mexican fusion band Son Rompe Pera opening.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Nederlander Concerts
• LATIN FACTOR Nederlander Concerts presents Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys at the Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Aug. 2.

Los Lobos is known for their mix of rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, zydeco, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music. The Chicano band famously came out of East LA and hit super stardom when they provided songs for the soundtrack of the 1987 Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba. Their 1992 album, Kiko, remains a personal favorite. All told, they've been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards and won four.

Hailing from San Angelo, Texas, Los Lonely Boys are also Grammy Award-winners and are known for their mix of what they call "Texican Rock 'n' Roll," mixing rock, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano music. The family band features three brothers: Henry, Jojo, and Ringo Garza.

Son Rompe Pera is another family band formed on the outskirts of Mexico city by the Gama Brothers—Jesús "Kacho," Allan "Mongo," and José Ángel "Kilos" Gama—along with Raúl Albarrán and Ricardo "Ritchie" López. According to their bio, "Their live shows are a sweaty mess of dancing fans, and this garage-cumbia-marimba-punk band (the only band of its kind in the world) never disappoints."

Also at Vina, see Comedian Nikki Glaser on her Alive and Unwell tour Sunday, Aug. 4 (8 p.m.; $59.10 to $230.10 at ticketmaster.com). The podcaster is known for her HBO specials Good Clean Filth and Someday You'll Die.

Get your '80s rock fix when Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo play on Thursday, Aug. 8 (8 p.m.; $46.10 to $352.80 at ticketmaster.com), with opening act The Vindys. Benatar is known for massive hits such as "We Belong," "Love is a Battlefield," "Promises in the Dark," "We Live for Love," "Hell is for Children," and many more. She and Giraldo married in 1982 and together have created two multi-platinum, five platinum, and three gold albums, as well as 19 Top 40 hits. They recently were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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• Courtesy Photo By Olivia Wolf
• ART ROCKERS Good Vibez presents Spoon at the historic Fremont Theater on Aug. 6.

Fremont Theater

Austin-based indie art rock and post punk act Spoon plays the Fremont on Tuesday, Aug. 6 (8 p.m.; all ages; $49.50 at prekindle.com) with Joy Downer opening. Spoon formed in 1993 and now has 10 albums under their belts, most recently Lucifer on the Sofa. They have so many amazing songs, from "The Underdog" to "The Way We Get By," "Don't You Evah," "Everything Hits at Once," and "I Turn My Camera On."

Washington, D.C.-based alt-rock, blues rock, and soul singer-songwriter Citizen Cope plays on Thursday, Aug. 8 (8 p.m.; all ages; $22.25 to $99.50 at prekindle.com). A lot of his songs seem to end up on film soundtracks including for the films Coach Carter, The Lincoln Lawyer, Fracture, and more. He's currently touring in support of his new album The Victory March.

Numbskull and Good Medicine

Singer-songwriter Sean Rowe has a voice like a low rumble of thunder heard in the distance but growing closer. NPR's All Songs Considered said, "He can just crush granite with that voice. It's so powerful." The Wall Street Journal wrote, "Mr. Rowe's ringing baritone is as timeless as his approach, recalling the ecstatic intensity of late-'60s Van Morrison and stark subtlety of late-era Johnny Cash."

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• Courtesy Photo By Sarah Bachinger
• VOX KNOX Numbskull and Good Medicine Present Sean Rowe at Club Car Bar on Aug. 6.

His song "To Leave Something Behind" ended up in the film The Accountant, but I think one of the most interesting things about him is he's a wild food forager. As his bio notes, "After a long fascination with nature as a kid and finding inspiration from naturalist Tom Brown Jr., Rowe fueled his passion first through several week-long courses at Tom Brown's Tracker school. He later went on to spend a year as an immersive student at Hawk Circle before his 24-day survival solo trek through the Catskills in 2007, where he lived in a primitive shelter and harvested wild plants and small game."

See Sean Rowe at Club Car Bar on Tuesday, Aug. 6 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $24.41 at goodmedicinepresents.com).

Australian-born, Jamaican-based musician Nattali Rise returns to play The Siren on Wednesday, Aug. 7 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $17 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Her sextet features members from Australia and Jamaica, and according to her bio, they channel "a deep reggae influence in a New Era Style." Socially positive lyrics and hooky melodies make her sound irresistible.

Santa Cruz duo Poi Rogers says you'll find their sound "somewhere in-between the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles and the honky-tonk beer joints of rural 1950s California," but this Thursday, Aug. 8, you can find it at Club Car Bar (7:30 p.m.; all ages; free). They play original and vintage country and Western swing, Hawaiian steel guitar ballads, and cowboy tunes.

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• Photo Courtesy Of The Siren
• HAVE A SAD Hear your favorite hits by Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, and other emo bands when Emo Kids plays The Siren on Aug. 2.

The Siren

In addition to the Numbskull and Good Medicine show, The Siren also hosts Emo Kids on Friday, Aug. 2 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $17 at tixr.com). From My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, The All-American Rejects, Blink-182, and more, join the Emo Kids will cover all you favorite emo hits.

As usual, The Siren also has a bunch of free offerings this week such as jump-swing act MarciJean & the Fever on Thursday, Aug. 1 (7 p.m.). Danceable rock, pop, and blues act Scratch plays on Saturday, Aug. 3 (2 to 5 p.m.) followed by classic rock with Legends Band (7:30 p.m.). All shows at The Siren are 21-and-older.

Rod and Hammer Rock

After Concerts in the Plaza, Rod and Hammer Rock invites you to head over for Boogie Funk Friday, a funk-disco-house dance party on Friday, Aug. 2 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $10 at the door), featuring DJs Jose Madre and Grambo spinning your favorite tracks. Disco dress is encouraged.

More music ...

This week at Concerts in the Plaza on Friday, Aug. 2, in Mission Plaza, award-winning singer-songwriter Natalie Haskins opens the show (5 p.m.), delivering her memorable and heartfelt songs. She's followed by headliner Rose's Pawn Shop (6 to 8 p.m.), an LA-based Americana, country, rock, folk, and bluegrass band.

Conductor Michael Nowak and Orchestra Novo proudly present Pops Heard 'Round the World, featuring guest emcee Gil Stork, on Sunday, Aug. 4, in the Madonna Expo Center (doors at 2:30 p.m. with music at 4; all ages; $40 at my805tix.com). Other special guests include violinist Brynn Albanese and vocalist Talia Ortega. Picnic lunches are encouraged, and the "program includes traditional favorites from Italy, France, Ireland, and Australia along with music made in America by Gershwin, Copland, and Grofe plus a sampling from the Far East, Middle East, and south of the border," according to organizers. Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].