Robert Plant and Allison Krauss play Vina Robles Amphitheatre 

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There's a pretty good chance that by the time you read this, your opportunity to score inexpensive tickets to the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss show on Saturday, Aug. 24 (7:30 p.m; all ages; $192 to $722.15 at ticketmaster.com) has dried up and blown away. The show was almost sold out as we went to press. If you're feeling rich, though, you can probably still score an overpriced resale ticket for the show, which features opening act JD McPherson, who'll also be doing double duty as Plant and Krauss' lead guitarist.

Plant, of course, was Led Zeppelin's lead singer and lyricist and is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. Multi-instrumentalist Krauss is a bluegrass and country singer. They're both multiple Grammy Award winners, and together, they're a vocal powerhouse. Their material is a rich mix of genres. A recent set list included "Rich Woman" by Li'l Millet and His Creoles, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "The Price of Love" by The Everly Brothers, some Zeppelin songs, and more. It'll be an amazing show if you can find tickets.

Also at Vina, The Beach Boys return on Thursday, Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $25 to $502.04 at ticketmaster.com). In case you're wondering, no, Brian Wilson doesn't tour with this Mike Love-guided incarnation of the popular '60s group, which includes longtime member Bruce Johnston, musical director Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, Jon Bolton, Keith Hubacher, Randy Leago, and John Wedemeyer. Even so, you'll hear amazing renditions of classic songs.

A recent set list included "Surfin' U.S.A.," "Surfer Girl," "Don't Worry Baby," "Little Deuce Coupe," "God Only Knows," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Good Vibrations," and "Fun Fun Fun." Legendary!

Numbskull and Good Medicine

As a fan of nostalgia, I dig bands that try to re-create the feel of a bygone era. The Carolyn Sills Combo is such a band, mixing country, hillbilly, and rockabilly in a sound they call "spaghetti western swing." The Santa Cruz-based band was named the 2024 Ameripolitan Award Winner for Western Swing Group in Austin, Texas. Sills (bass) has a deluxe voice that blends perfectly with backup singer Sunshine Jackson (percussion), and their steel guitar player Charlie Joe Wallace slays. See them on Saturday, Aug. 24 (8 p.m.; all ages; $12.57 at goodmedicinepresents.com) at Club Car Bar.

Of The California Honeydrops, Rolling Stone said they "evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone." High praise for the Oakland-based retro-soul act led by Polish frontman Lech Wierzynski, whose amazing energy drives the rest of his terrific band to ecstatic sonic heights. This Sunday, Aug. 25, they play at BarrelHouse Brewing (6 p.m.; all ages; $41.92 at goodmedicinepresents.com). They started playing in the echoey halls of Oakland's subway system but have graduated to be a festival mainstay, appearing at events such as Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, and Lightning In A Bottle. I hope you like horns, because they're coming in phat!

Enjoy a night of sparkling singer-songwriters when Jack Botts headlines a show on Wednesday, Aug. 28 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $19.26 at goodmedicinepresents.com) at The Siren with Ben Camden and Brock Vanpelt. Botts went from busking to being a major force in the global surf-folk scene with feel-good songs like "All Day," "18th Floor," and "Hold You." Think Jack Johnson-style breezy beach fire fun.

The Siren

In addition to the Jack Botts show, The Siren is also bringing funk fusion band Water Seed to the club on Friday, Aug. 23 (doors at 7:40 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.79 on tixr.com). This powerful ensemble "blends the melodic tones of classic R&B with the greasy grooves of Crescent City rhythms for a unique, masterful sound," according to their bio. "The group was founded by drummer Lou Hill, who was raised on a sonic diet of hip-hop and rock." Strange Cake opens.

Originally hailing from the small NorCal town Occidental comes The Dusty Souls, who'll bring a taste of '70s rock 'n' roll with hints of alternative, psychedelic, and indie to The Siren on Saturday, Aug. 24 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). Now based in SLO Town, the band says its influences include Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

Bluegrass ensemble Fog Holler pays homage to the old way, with matching outfits and serious string-picking chops. "Inspired by a range of influences from The Stanley Brothers to Buck Owens to Meshuggah, Fog Holler breathes fresh life into well-worn forms like the murder ballad and the power waltz," their bio explains. See them Thursday, Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com), with local folk duo The Turkey Buzzards opening.

SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock

As Son Little's title track on his newest album, Like Neptune, opens, it reminds me of the complex and eclectic instrumentation of Los Lobos 1992 song "Kiko and the Lavender Moon." It's immediately spellbinding, one unexpected sound following another. Likewise, each track introduces new sounds. The album opener, "drummer," is a deep head-swaying groove. The second track, "6 AM," is a woozy swirl.

Little has been described as R&B, blues, and soul, and his sound can contain all those elements, but his approach to these well-worn genres feels original and unusual. Earlier work was described as filled with existential dread, but on Like Neptune, it feels mostly joyful and cathartic. As press materials note, the album transforms "the chronic pain of self-doubt into a beautiful and freeing opus about overcoming generational trauma."

Son Little with opener Botchr plays on Saturday, Aug. 24 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com).

Stone Soup Festival

This home-grown festival is a local gem—two days of small-town community fun, with more than 50 vendors and entertainment for the whole family, on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24 and 25, in and around Ramona Garden Park in Grover Beach. For more than 30 years, the festival has created a space "to share the talents of a wide variety of local and guest musicians, artists, and food, craft and wares vendors, and to celebrate cultural and ethnic diversities of the people of this region," according to organizers.

This year, expect continuous live music by 14 bands on two stages: the Park Stage in Ramona Garden Park, and the Street Stage on Ramona Avenue adjacent to the park. There are too many great acts to list, but Saturday highlights include Gypsy jazz by The Big Sirs of Swing (noon to 1 p.m.); Chamamé, Latin American Baroque, and Southern Brazilian by The Alejandro Brittes Trio (4 to 5 p.m.); and '80s rock by The Spazmatics (7:30 to 9 p.m.). On Sunday, highlights include The Dusty Shoes Gospel Bluegrass Band (1 to 2 p.m.); Americana, roots rock, and blues by Tony Buck and Cadillac Angels (3 to 4 p.m.); and reggae by Ras Danny & The Reggae All Stars (5 to 6 p.m.).

As always, admission is free!

Fremont Theater

Don't forget Hawaiian reggae band The Green plays this Thursday, Aug. 22 (8 p.m.; all ages; $32 at prekindle.com) in the historic Fremont Theater. Expect dub-heavy roots reggae, lovers rock, and pop.

It's not music, but stand-up comedian Cristela Alonzo does her thing on Saturday, Aug. 24 (8 p.m.; all ages; $29.50 to $49.50 at prekindle.com). She made history when she became the first Latina to create, produce, and star in her own network sitcom, Cristela, for ABC. She also voiced the character of Cruz Ramirez in Cars 3. Her two stand-up specials, Lower Classy and Middle Classy, are screening on Netflix.

Debut performance

Local musician Ted Waterhouse is at it again. He plays with The DuoTones, Windsong & Waterhouse, The Jump Jax, The Quadratones, and now his newest endeavor is PTFS!

"The band name is, I guess, intended to be somewhat mysterious, kinda like NRBQ only more so," Waterhouse explained.

The band's bio reads, "The members of PTFS! first met on a mythic bus journey from Kickapoo, Kansas, to Paintlick, Kentucky, and since that day they have formed a deep bond and a remarkable mash-up of musical styles, creating a sonic palette that is uniquely fascinating. They draw from zydeco, tango, blues, Celtic, Caribbean, and American roots-rock as well as other influences. The lineup includes Duane Inglish on accordion, Anita Henry on rubboard and percussion, David Foster Evans on octave mandolin, Gary Steinmann on bass, and Ted Waterhouse on slide and standard guitars, performing both original compositions and an odd collection of covers. Collectively, they boast more than 200 years of performing experience with such aggregations as the Howlie Playboys, the Gillie Wheesels, Al Millan and the Robots, Neighbor's Complaint, and Cafe Musique."

They make their debut at Puffer's of Pismo on Thursday, Aug. 29 (7 to 10 p.m.).

"It's rumored that the group will be joined by a number of legendary guest artists including His Holiness the Dalai Lama on glockenspiel, Greta Thunberg on a trombone made entirely of brass recycled from old monkey statues, and Stephen King performing an especially inappropriate and frightening guitar solo," Waterhouse quipped. "It should be a night to remember. Don't miss it!"

A note about Nuttycombe

Last week in the film column, I told you about the documentary It's Just a Lifetime: A Portrait of Craig Nuttycombe, in which the local musician offers his memories and musings about his life in music, screening at the Cambria Film Festival on Saturday, Aug. 24. That show sold out, so the festival's adding a matinee on Sunday, Aug. 25 (2 p.m.; tickets at cambriafilmfestival.com). It's a terrific portrait of a charming and deeply creative talent. The screening will be followed by a concert with Nuttycombe, Bob Liepman (cello), and Nuttycombe's former Café Musique bandmates Brynn Albanese (violin) and Duane Inglish (accordion). Δ

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