For most musicians, playing at Carnegie Hall would be the highlight of their careers. For trumpeter Shane O’Brien— who has played Carnegie twice—, it is just another stop on the tour for the Benicia native. However, it was still a great experience for him. “Every musician dreams of playing Carnegie Hall,” he said. “It was […]
Big band tributes to duke it out at Empress
This Saturday, the Empress Theatre in Vallejo will be hosting a Battle of the Bands competition, but the acts featured are not your typical upstart bands. Instead, two acts will be paying tribute to two of the great bandleaders of the 1940s and audiences will get to vote on which ones they like best. It’s […]
Bruno Mars, The Killers, Muse to headline BottleRock 2018
So you’ve seen the Coachella lineup this year, right? This star-studded bill is headlined by Eminem, Beyonce and The Weeknd, but three-day passes are already sold out, and the tickets aren’t cheap for a potential excursion to the Coachella Valley. Fret not, Benicia music lovers! The BottleRock Napa Valley music festival just announced its lineup […]
BMS, Henderson receive $1,000 music grants
(This post has been updated from the print edition.) Benicia Middle School and Joe Henderson Elementary School were among 13 schools in Solano County to receive a Wong Music Mini-Grant from the Solano Community Foundation. The grant was established in 2011 by Donald and Rose Marie Wong who were concerned by the amount of schools […]
Diablo Regional Concert Band returns for winter library gig
Like Christmas itself, the Benicia Public Library’s Winter Concert– starring the Diablo Regional Concert Band–comes once a year. It’s a free event and all ages are welcome to enjoy some festive music played by a band with a long history. The Diablo Regional Concert Band was formed in 1910 when it was called the Martinez […]
Killer Queens will rock Vallejo
All-female Queen tribute band to perform at Empress Did you know that there exists an all-female tribute to the band Queen, and that you can see them at Vallejo’s Empress Theatre the day after Thanksgiving? No, this is not fantasy. This is real life. The Killer Queens are a group of five Bay Area women […]
Sir Stryker concert at Empress will benefit local charities
With hurricanes battering the Atlantic and other parts of the world experiencing tragedies, the spirit of giving is on a lot of people’s minds. To help with this giving, Vallejo’s Empress Theatre will be hosting a concert with acclaimed entertainer Sir Stryker in which the proceeds will go to two local charities that serve Solano […]
Digisaurus to bring past, present and future sounds of music to Vallejo on Saturday
When creating music, James Allison looks to what is popular in the present while also taking cues from the past and even looking to where he thinks music will be in the future. That is the philosophy behind his musical project Digisaurus, which audiences can get a taste of when Allison performs this Saturday at […]
In Harmony Music enriches children’s lives through song
Babies: they laugh, cry, brighten our world, keep us up at night and are our future. Parents always want the best for their kids and for them to excel in whatever they choose to do in life. Justine Chadly, founder and owner of In Harmony music, is a mother who had– and certainly still has– […]
Penny Stell: Benicia can be a music city too
By Penny Stell Special to the Herald Music City, yes, Nashville. My husband and I recently went with friends for a short four-day trip. We had heard so much about the city. Even if you do not like country music, there is a lot to like about the city. We found Nashville to be so […]