The second half of February was especially jam packed with musical riches at the Lobero Theatre beginning with Portland Oregon’s eclectic electric folk band Blind Pilot, which launched its career as a guitar and drums duo with a bike(!) tour. They soon became a sextet adding diverse instrumentation including vibraphone and trumpet. Next up, Dianne Reeves applied her considerable chops to a celebration of Brazilian music in a spectacular jazz tour de force, followed the next night by something completely different: David Bromberg and band for a really good natured and fun set of blues, bluegrass and more in his idiosyncratic style, followed by headliners the Hot Tuna electric trio. Rounding out this cornucopia of musical good fortune was a laid back evening of singer song writers Joshua Radin and friends William Fitzsimmons and Ben Kweller who told stories and poked fun at each other between songs as they took turns in the spotlight. March is shaping up to be another month of musical delights in the best house to hear them in good ‘ol Santa Barbara, so check back again.
