Teresa Tudury at Occidental Center for the Arts. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see the magnificently talented and witty comedic chanteuse Teresa Tudury, with special guests! Teresa is visiting from New Mexico and we’re thrilled to welcome her back to our stage. This performance will be in our outdoor amphitheater. Please bring your own seat cushion or low-back chair. Front row seating (chairs) available for patrons unable to maneuver the amphitheater stairs. OCA is wheelchair accessible. Fine refreshments for sale, art gallery open during intermission. This will be a sell out so get your tickets early ! @ www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. Tickets are $25 GA, $20 for OCA members. Become an OCA member for free and reduced event admission. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-
Sunday October 9 at 4 pm. Abbie Gabrielson & Carol Anne Bosco at Occidental Center for the Arts. Pianist Abbie Gabrielson returns to OCA, bringing with her the multi-talented cellist Carol Anne Bosco. Since meeting in graduate school at the University of Maryland, Abbie and Carol Anne have shared a passion for musical collaboration.Though now located in California and Washington D. C. respectively, they have developed a bi-coastal project, kicking off with a series of October shows here in Sonoma County. Enjoy vibrant classical and contemporary selections by these accomplished young musicians at our acoustic sweet spot on Bohemian Highway! Tickets are $25 General/$20 OCA Members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. Fine refreshments available for sale, Art Gallery Exhibit open. Accessible to patrons using wheelchairs . OCA is following Sonoma County public health rules for optional masking. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-9392
Friday September 30 @7 pm. Four Shillings Short at Occidental Center for the Arts. Rooted in Celtic and American folk, inspired by Indian raga and ethnic idioms, Four Shillings Short brings their diverse and inventive traditional music experience back to our OCA stage! The husband/wife duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama from Cork, Ireland, and Christy Martin from California have been performing together since 1995.They tour the U.S. and Ireland and are independent folk artists with 12 recordings who perform 150 concerts a year, traveling as troubadours of old from town to town performing at music festivals, theaters & performing arts centers, folk & historic societies, libraries, museums and schools.Tickets to this event are $25 GA/ $20 for OCA members. No charge for patrons age 14 and under. Fine refreshments for sale. Art Gallery open during intermission. Accessible to patrons with disabilities. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-9392. Become an OCA Member and get free/reduced admission on all events.
Sunday September 18 @ 4 pm. Juanito Pascual Trio at Occidental Center for the Arts. OCA is pleased to welcome back internationally renowned flamenco guitarist Juanito Pascual, performing with bassist Brad Barrett and percussionist/ singer Jose Moreno at our outdoor amphitheater! American born ‘flamenco phenom’ Pascual has appeared world wide on concert stages and in film, television and radio. He offers a mesmerizing blend of masterful traditional and contemporary flamenco, infused with elements of jazz, pop, and rock. Juanito Pascual Trio creates a unique and exciting world music experience, delivered with passion and virtuosity that is not to be missed! Tickets are $25 General/$20 OCA Members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; or at the door. Bring your own seat cushion or low-backed chair for outdoor seating. Fine refreshments for sale. Art Gallery open during intermission. Accessible to patrons with disabilities. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-9392. Become an OCA Member and get free/reduced admission on all events.
Saturday, August 13 @ 7:30 pm. Mimi and the Moonlights at Occidental Center for the Arts. Enjoy an evening of fine jazz from the 1930’s, with a dash of blues. Vocalist extraordinaire Mimi Pirard will be stepping outside her French cafe repertoire to sing some sultry early jazz standards in our acoustic sweet spot on Bohemian Highway. She will be accompanied by a stellar ensemble of talented Bay Area musicians : Jan Martinelli, Issac Vandeveer, Kendrick Freeman, Jeff Pierce, and Chris Amberger. Not to be missed! Tickets are $25 General/$20 OCA Members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; or at the door. OCA is following current Sonoma County masking guidelines. Fine refreshments for sale, Art Gallery open during intermission. Wheelchair accessible. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-9392. Become an OCA Member and get free/reduced admission on all events.
Sunday July 31 at 4 pm. Samba Noma at Occidental Center for the Arts Amphitheater. Samba Noma, a talented ensemble of accomplished Bay Area musicians performs in our outdoor amphitheater, showcasing a jazzy, eclectic mix of Brazilian compositions including works by Toninho Horta, Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonte and Antonio Carlos Jobim, plus original compositions. SambaNoma is Ruth Ahlers – sax and flute, Christian Foley-Beining – guitar, Jim Passarell – bass, and Kendrick Freeman – drums and percussion. Tickets are $25 GA / $20 for OCA members @ www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org, or at the door. Outdoor event – please bring your own seat cushion or low back chair. Disabled patrons may reserve seating at ground level @ info@occidentalcenterforthearts.org . Fine refreshments for sale, art gallery open during events. Become an OCA Member and get discounts/free admission. Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental,CA. 95465. 707-874-9392.
Saturday July 30 @ 8 pm. David Rosen in Concert at Occidental Center for the Arts. Singer/songwriter/guitarist David Rosen has toured across the globe as a member of Peter Tork’s band and the Elvin Bishop Band. He’s been featured on recordings by Steve Seskin, Tom Paxton, David Rea, Grant Baldwin, Doug Closson, Mary Miché and many others, and on The Best of Blasphemy album alongside Tom Lehrer. In 40+ years of touring he has shared the stage with Buddy Guy, Boz Skaggs,Taj Mahal, Joan Jett, Greg Kihn and Marty Balin. On his debut album ‘Ordinary Miracles’ David played over 15 different instruments, and the album features legendary drummer Joe Vitale . Now a Sonoma County resident, David’s solo show features a diverse range of original songs touching on very real themes in a unique and deeply personal way. Tickets $20 GA, $15 for OCA members @ www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. Fine refreshments available for purchase, art gallery open during intermission. OCA is wheelchair accessible. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-9392
Sunday July 24 at 4 pm. 3 Acre Holler at Occidental Center for the Arts Amphitheater. 3 Acre Holler was founded by Occidental’s beloved meter reader Cori Wood and singer/multi-instrumentalist Layne Bowen. Joining Cori and Layne are Paul Shelasky on fiddle and mandolin, Cary Black on bass and Michael Capella on dobro. 3 Acre Holler offers Appalachian inspired material, with a penchant for songs with darker themes such as unnrequited love, moonshine, tragedy and death. In addition to their own songs, 3 Acre Holler covers songs by contemporary writers including guys named Hank. They do like to sing a few happy songs, so you will likely leave with a copy of their new CD in your hand! Tickets $20 GA, $15 for OCA members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org, or at the door. Outdoor event – please bring your own seat cushion or low back chair. Disabled patrons may reserve seating at ground level @ info@occidentalcenterforthearts.org . Fine refreshments for sale, art gallery open during intermission. Become an OCA Member and get discounts/free admission. Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental,CA. 95465. 707-874-9392.
Would it be Pride without a truly fabulous playlist? While there are some great Pride anthems out there that we all know and love (“I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross or “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga), you can never have enough queer goodness on your playlist.
One wonderful thing about Pride is it allows us the opportunity to celebrate artists from the community itself, so let’s shout about seven queer artists you need to be searching for and adding to your playlists. Because whether you want a timeless bop that will have you singing hairbrush karaoke or a power ballad that’ll get you in your feelings, they’ve got you covered.
Fletcher
Known mononymously by her last name, Cari Elise Fletcher is an American singer-songwriter who makes bops for the girls and the gays. You might know her from her breakthrough single “Undrunk,” which was a hit in 2019.
The singer, who identifies as queer, makes no secret of her love for women, both online and in her music, previously stating that she is “attracted to strong feminine energy which just so happens to more likely than not be women.”
If you want to start off with a bop, listen to “Cherry,” a seductive pop banger in collaboration with the lesbian Jesus herself, Hayley Kiyoko.
The Aces consists of guitarist Katie Henderson, bassist McKenna Petty, and sisters Alisa Ramirez and Cristal Ramirez. Three out of four members of the alternative band are lesbians, and they make beautiful and authentic queer bops.
The band has two albums to their name: their debut When My Heart Felt Volcanic and their latest Under My Influence. However, it’s taken them a while to get to a place of releasing unapologetic women-loving anthems, after initially avoiding pronouns in their music after being told their songs “wouldn’t sell.”
Thankfully, that changed, and now we have them to thank for bangers like “Bad Love,” “Don’t Freak” (which tackles the issue of anxiety and panic attacks), “Kelly,” and more.
If you don’t know Years & Years, get to know them! Now the solo project of British singer Olly Alexander, the band originally formed in 2010. Alexander makes electropop, mixing R&B and 1990s house elements to create anthems that will have you sprinting to the dance floor.
Alexander has collaborated with gay icons like Elton John and Kylie Minogue, to name just two, and his music is a breath of fresh air for the queer community. It’s unabashedly him and what shines through is the care he has for others and the responsibility he feels to be a voice for his community. If you want to start off with a timeless bop, listen to “Starstruck” or “All For You.”
Kehlani garnered a legion of fans following the release of their debut record, SweetSexySavage, in 2017. They’ve been making open and honest music ever since, documenting the ups and downs of their life, from sexuality to pregnancy and depression, offering visibility and representation for non-binary people in the process.
After updating their pronouns on Twitter to she/they, the singer shared with Byrdie Magazine in 2021 that they prefer “they” because “something feels really affirming when people say they” and that “it feels like you really see me.”
Kehlani has become a staple in R&B music for LGBTQ people and it’s easy to understand why.
Baby Queen—real name Arabella Latham—is a South African singer whose work was taken into the hearts of millions after she wrote her hit “Colours of You” for Netflix’s coming-of-age series, Heartstopper. But she’s no one-trick pony. Baby Queen’s discography is bursting with fun, thrills, emotion, and pride. She’s got songs about unrequited love, the angst of being in your early twenties, and just stumbling through life. She even penned a track about Killing Eve star Jodie Comer (“Want Me”).
Latham has said she wants her music to be “uncomfortably honest,” and that’s certainly what it is. If you want a starting point, try “Dover Beach.”
When Muna members Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson first started their band in 2014, they carefully considered whether they wanted to be an “out” band or not. Fortunately for their queer fans, they chose to be loud and proud, with all members being queer and McPherson non-binary.
Muna said “gay rights” when they collaborated with Phoebe Bridgers for “Silk Chiffon,” which is basically a sweet and tender love song about how soft girls are. They also offered a safe space for their community with “I Know A Place,” which has become something of an LGBTQ anthem.
All of their songs are so carefully crafted with such heart and feeling, whether they’re singing about how the world could be ending and all you’d be thinking about is that one person (“Everything”) or tackling dark matters like sexual assault (“Loudspeaker”), listening to their tunes offers communion and catharsis.
Lisa Lynne & Aryeh Frankfurter: Celtic Harp, Swedish Nyckelharpa and more! at Occidental Center for the Arts. Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter are an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist duo playing Celtic harps, Swedish nyckelharpa, Ukrainian bandura, bouzouki, cittern and more. They hail from Oregon and tour extensively, both having successful recording and performing careers built from years of street performing and a background as rock musicians.They have performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in folk and acoustic music, and have sold well over a million albums combined. Don’t miss this spellbinding concert! Tickets are $25 General/$20 for OCA Members @ www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. OCA follows current Sonoma County Public Health guidelines. Fine refreshments including wine and beer for sale. Art Gallery exhibit will be open for viewing. OCA is a non profit performing and fine arts center accessible to persons with disabilities. Become an OCA Member and get discounts/free admission. Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental,CA. 95465. 707-874-9392.
