Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza set to return Aug. 4-7: Trombone Shorty, Taj Mahal, Allen Stone, Eric Gales, Donavon Frankenreiter & more!

Summer is just around the corner. The lineup and related details for the forthcoming Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza have just been released. This sounds like an amazing event and Mammoth is one of the most beautiful places on the planet...Robert Kinsler

Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza set to return, August 4-7, 2022

Eric Gales performing at Doheny Blues
Festival in May 2018.
Photo credit: Bob Steshetz

Line-up includes Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Taj Mahal Quartet, Allen Stone, Eric Gales, Donavon Frankenreiter and many more!

Donavon Frankenreiter performing at The Coach House
in May 2021. Photo credit: Bob Steshetz

The Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza, the largest and longest-running music festival in Mammoth Lakes, CA, is proud to announce its line-up for the 26th Annual Event, set to take place Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 4-7, 2022.

In addition to the great and wide-ranging lineup, there will be multiple choices of craft beer available from more than 80 craft breweries including Mammoth Brewing Company. Cocktails will also be sold on all four days of the event.

Carolyn Wonderland at The Coach
House in March 2022.
Photo credit: Bob Steshetz

Festival tickets are now available in multiple price levels that include beer tasting and festival ticket combinations, early entry to the festival grounds on all four days, and grand beer tasting on Saturday and Sunday. All ticket types are available for purchase online at www.mammothbluesbrewsfest.com.

Tommy Castro will perform at the festival on Aug. 6, 2022.
Photo: Bob Steshetz

August 4 —     Donavon Frankenreiter, Ana Popovic, Jelly Bread, Brother Yusef

August 5 —     The Taj Mahal Quartet, Eric Gales, Sugaray Rayford, Beaux Gris                             Gris & The Apocalypse, Dirty Cello, Brother Yusef

August 6 —   Allen Stone, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers featuring Deanna                                Bogart, Ron Artis II & The Truth, Carolyn Wonderland, Chris Cain,                             The Atomic 44s, Sixty Grit Band, Dano Forte's Juke Joint Freak                               Show, more

August 7 —    Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Main Squeeze, Jackie                               Venson, Deanna Bogart, Chris Cain, Sixty Grit Band, more    

Tickets and more information: www.mammothbluesbrewsfest.com.

Concert Review: The Delgado Brothers bring cool sounds to The Coach House

On May 6, 2021, I ventured back out into the world and caught my first concert in more than a year, making the trip to The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano to review a memorable show featuring Donavon Frankenreiter and Matt Costa.

The Delgado Brothers headlining at The Coach House
on Friday, June 11, 2021.

Last night (Friday, June 11, 2021), I found myself back at The Coach House to see enduring East L.A.-spawned troupe The Delgado Brothers; the talented quartet features brothers Bobby Delgado (bass), Steve Delgado (lead vocals, drums) and Joey Delgado (lead vocals, guitar) and David Kelley (keyboards). 

Joey Delgado enjoying every minute
of the band's return.

Throughout their winning 90-minute set the band showed no sign of rust as they revisited terrific original material from their rich discography and even premiered new material.

Guitarist Joey Delgado and drummer
Steve Delgado at The Coach House.

Blending blues, Latin soul, roots rock and and Americana, the band is gifted with two great lead vocalists who also happen to be masters in singing harmonies that essentially add another voice to their arsenal. One of my favorite selections of the night, "If Only I Could Sing," blended many of The Delgado Brothers' strengths; Steve's soulful vocals  may have been front and center but the outstanding work of Kelley's keyboards and sweet harmonies collectively elevated the song. 

Keyboardist David Kelley of the Delgado Brothers.

Some of the other standouts in their set also came off the group's most recent album, 2018's "Two Trains." The jazz-tinged "The River" and more acoustic mining "Ohana Tennessee" impressed with their song craft and musical chemistry of the players.

Bassist Bobby Delgado.

Bobby Delgado.

Joey Delgado is an amazing guitar player, and his skills were not wasted on the classic rock-flavored "Man Without a Plan," where his fretwork dazzled as the song built to its roaring close. The song's environmental message was especially poignant for our times (hey folks, can you please throw the masks in the trash, and not on the ground where many will end up in the ocean?!).

Steve Delgado behind the kit.

Other highlights of the set included the guitar-anchored blues gem "Fair Warning," the debut of the jazz-blues original "All Alone" and the night-ending dance rocker "Live For Today."

Family Style performing at The Coach House on June 11, 2021.

Opening the night was area favorites Family Style, a five-man band that delivered energetic covers of class rock, blues and funk favorites. Displaying a clear ability to perform a diverse number of styles, standouts included a take on Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride and Joy," a mostly-faithful version of the Jimi Hendrix Experience recording of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and the David Bowie classic "Let's Dance."

Review by Robert Kinsler

Photography by Bob Steshetz   

Believe it or not: a concert review! Donavon Frankenreiter, Matt Costa, and Iris and The Shade at The Coach House

Donavon Frankenreiter and his terrific band at
The Coach House on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

Before arriving at The Coach House last night, Thursday, May 6, 2021, it had been 420 days since I was last at the concert venue - or any concert house for that matter! Way back on March 12, 2020, I caught legendary bluesman Buddy Guy at the San Juan Capistrano, CA venue (you can read a review of that concert event HERE). That was my last taste of live music before the coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on live entertainment and just about everything else for more than a year in Southern California.

When ace photographer-good friend Bob Steshetz alerted me that we were good to go to cover the first night of singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter's four-night highly-anticipated run at The Coach House, needless to say he didn't have to ask me twice. While the Coach House has to currently limit the capacity to approximately 250 concertgoers a night, it was wonderful to say "Hi" to owner Gary Folgner (who has owned and operated the venue since its opening back in 1980) and many of long-time employees who work there. Dating back to its first decade of operation, I have witnessed some of the best concerts of my life at The Coach House. Performances featuring guitar hero Alvin Lee (of Ten Years After fame), The Smithereens, The Call, Fountains of Wayne, Peter Frampton, Americana great Michael Ubaldini, singer-songwriter-guitarist Walter Trout, Rosanne Cash, dada, Aimee Mann, Bruce Cockburn, The Grays, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Zombies and Leon Russell, and aforementioned Buddy Guy immediately come to mind. 

Donavon Frankenreiter at The Coach House.

Just getting to catch an actual concert after 14 months was exciting enough, but the fact that the music making was so strong made the night all the more special. Having been raised in Mission Viejo, surfer-turned singer-songwriter Frankenreiter knew he had the hometown crowd behind him when he took the stage with his two-man band (bassist-harmonica master Matt Gundy and drummer Jara Harris). Blending rock, pop, blues, folk, jam rock and even jazz, Frankenreiter and company's sonic approach soared throughout a 90-minute set.

From left, Donavon Frankenreiter, Matt Gundy and
Jara Harris at The Coach House on May 6, 2021.

Many of Frankenreiter's most beloved originals filled the set; early highlights included the lovely jazz sortie "On My Mind," the jazz-rock-funk fusion "Move By Yourself" (featuring Frankenreiter delivering up an extended guitar solo), the affecting folk rock cut "It Don't Matter To Me" (bolstered by Frankenreiter's guitar lines artfully mirroring his vocal melody and sweet blues harmonica play from Gundy) and the infectious rocker "You're High."

The momentum of the set continued to pick up speed, with the in-tune audience cheering on the trio. The playful "Big Wave," Southern rock-mining "Could Be One Of Those Days," surf rock jam "Heading Home" and funk-blues gem "That's Too Bad" were late-set standouts.

His energetic set ended with him inviting both of the night's opening acts on stage to join in for a spirited cover of The Band's 1968 classic "The Weight."

Iris and The Shade performing at The Coach House.

Orange County duo Iris and The Shade features, from left,
Alexandra Davis and Chase Perkowski.

Concertgoers attending the event were treated to not one, but two compelling openers. Kicking off the night was the rising young duo from Dana Point, CA, Iris and The Shade. The lead singer Alexandra Davis has a soprano that conjures up the mystery and reflective grace of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval while the twosome's sound blends Laurel Canyon folk, surf music and dream pop. Among the memorable songs that served as my introduction to the duo (Davis and singer-guitarist Chase Perkowski) was the evocative opener "Carry Me Home" and lovely duet "Moonlight."

Matt Costa performing at The Coach House on May 6, 2021.

Celebrated singer-songwriter Matt Costa — who I criminally hadn't reviewed since 2007 (read my review of that concert HERE) — performed a solo performance showcasing his marvelous songcraft and absorbing performance style. Opening with the soulful "Call My Name," his acoustic guitar and poignant vocals came in the service of the song's refrain. 

Matt Costa impressed throughout a
45-minute set at The Coach House.

The Huntington Beach native's probing songs continued to play out wonderfully, as evidenced by the crowd's strong reaction. The hopeful "Make That Change" with its timely message to "You gotta make that change / To see a brighter day soon" seemed magically aimed at overcoming an extended period of lockdowns, masks and restrictions.

Matt Costa at The Coach House.

Iris and The Shade (left) joining Matt Costa during his
set at The Coach House on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

He brought up Iris and The Shade to add emotional heft to a short medley featuring old and new material before going it alone again for the soaring genres-blending "Slow," breezy folk track "Pacific Grove," eloquent "Savannah" and several other great originals. He ended his set with "The Road," a song that speaks to the freedom of wanting to leave home and experience the adventure of discovery.

That song likely summed up a special night with the audience tapping into Costa's lyrics, that read in part: "The road is calling, so I've got to go."

The night ended with, from left, Donavon Frankenreiter, Chase Perkowski, Alexandra
Davis, Matt Costa, Matt Gundy and Jara Harris joining forces for a version of 
The Band classic "The Weight."

Donavon Frankenreiter, Matt Costa and Iris and The Shade perform at The Coach House May 7, May 8 and May 9. Call 949-496-8930 or visit the venue's official website HERE for more details.

A super special thank you to Bob Steshetz for his wonderful photographs taken at the concert! Great to see that the "Adventures of Bob and Robert" picked up right where they left off in early 2020!

Review by Robert Kinsler

Donavon Frankenreiter brings breezy sounds to extended Coach House stand

My review was originally posted in Soundcheck on The Orange County Register site on Saturday, June 16, 2012. Special thanks to Bob Steshetz for the use of his photo taken at the show.

Summer may not officially arrive for a few more days, but don’t tell that to the 500 or so family members, friends and fans of singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter who packed into the Coach House Friday night (June 15, 2012).

Given his mix here of surf grooves, folk and ’70s rock via a fast-paced, 90-minute set of mostly original material, it was easy to imagine Frankenreiter and his sharp five-man band playing the same set at Doheny or Huntington Beach on a perfect day under a summer sun.

The longtime O.C.-based artist, who now primarily lives in Hawaii, has increasingly been able to craft shows in tune with his audience. He set things in motion with laid-back soft-rock like the inviting ukulele-anchored “Free,” a song that captures the noted surfer’s free-spirited musical blend and positive lyrical themes. Subsequent offerings such as “Glow,” “West Coast Fool” and “Shine” also reflected that casual style without forfeiting tight melodies or polished songcraft.

Over the course of a 20-song set, Frankenreiter gathered steam while bringing more range and depth to his pieces, many of them pulled from his latest album, Start Livin’. “You” surprised with its Appalachia-style folk sound, well-suited to the singer’s warm baritone vocals. The strains of soul, pop and rock amid “The Way It Is” tangled together into another standout moment.

Frankenreiter’s stuff may get branded as soft, yet that wasn’t always the case at this first of two shows at his old San Juan Capistrano haunt, a place oft-frequented by Sunchild, the local band that first brought him attention. Several times during this set he kicked things up a notch with more hard-hitting blues-rock, while a heavy version of the song “That’s Too Bad (Byron Jam),” from his album Move by Yourself, added a dynamic shot near the end of the show.

Even when playing acoustic material, Frankenreiter is no folkie. More than a decade into his successful solo career, he has become a genuine musical artist who has far outdistanced the tired stories of being merely a professional surfer who happens to sing and play guitar. Coming out for his encore, he walked on stage alone and delivered a mighty version of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” With the audience singing along at key points, he continued to find power in each line, as slowly the other members of his band joined in and the song took on unexpected hints of modern Americana.

The performance almost came full circle after that, as Frankenreiter delivered “It Don’t Matter,” another gentle tune with an infectious singalong chorus. This time he asked for a volunteer, and young Mission Viejo resident Mika Honda got on stage to add some crowd-pleasing vocals for an extended rendition.

“Thank you so much for such a beautiful night,” Frankenreiter said before exiting.

Opening was singer-songwriter Kevin Miso, who shares a similar love of the Jack Johnson-esque surf/folk/rock sound. His impressive ability to play a variety of instruments, often during the same song, came in the service of potent originals such as “Home” and “Smile.” The highlight was “Finally,” an R&B ballad featuring wonderful vocals and piano play.

Donavon Frankenreiter plays the Coach House again tonight, June 16, and also just added another date at the venue on June 22. Tickets are $26. Call 949-496-8930 for more information.