Music Scene

Local Musicians and Bands Current Former Other Musical Groups The 80's Music Scene Local Record Labels Events Venues Clubs, Bars, and Restaurants Coffee Houses Houses Theaters, Auditoriums Other Sound Technicians Studio and for hire musicians Additional Resources

Davis, being the home of a world-class university (UC Davis) has a vibrant music scene. This includes house shows, clubs/bars/cafes, and UC Davis (Technocultural Studies Dept., Music dept., Mondavi Center for the Arts, and the Entertainment Council (student-run).

Most of the DIY-booked music events in Davis are organized by the freeform community radio station KDVS -look for "KDVS Presents...", including virtually all shows at the Delta of Venus and freelance house shows and the biannual Operation Restore Maximum Freedom all-day festivals, the most ambitious event of its kind anywhere in California north of San Francisco. National-level indie acts are brought to the UC Davis Coffee House or ARC Pavilion via the ASUCD Entertainment Council. Bill Graham Presents or other professional agencies occasionally provide major or mid-major touring acts at Freeborn Hall. RockBand University presents concerts year-round at various venues featuring bands made up of the local Davis youth.

Because we are close to the bigger city, there is a lot of overlap with the Sacramento Music Scene.

There used to be an actual organization known as Davis Music Scene (defunct as of 2007). They organized and fliered for associated bands, and also put on Davis Music Scene shows. They weren't "all" of the Davis Music Scene, but it was convenient for them that their name is so inclusive.

Local Musicians and Bands

Current

• Akimbo

• Aaron Brown
  

• AdamFlowers
  

• Adam Hancock
  

• AfterShocker
  

• Alex Koutzoukis
  

• Alex Levin
  

• Antlers
  

• Autumn Sky
  

• Automatic Rival
  

• The Bearkeys
  

• Ben Lewis
  

• Eve West Bessier, Jazz Vocalist
  

• Beta Blocker
  

• Bidwell
  

• The Bongo Furys
  

• Bottle of Violins
  

• Brilliant Red Lights
  

• Brother G (Reggae)
  

• Calling Morocco
  

• Chris Webster
  

• Christian Kiefer
  

• Christina Antipa
  

• Cold Shot
  

• Crossings
  

• Crow Canyon
  

• Dave Nachmanoff
  

• Davis Joint Unified
  

• DCOI
  

• Desario
  

• The Descolada Virus
  

• Diciembre Gris
  

• Dick Livingston Trio
  

• DJ Michelle
  

• dj skil'D
  

• Doodle
  

• Duval Speck
  

• earthly
  

• Echoes Fade formerly Doug Douglas
  

• Elizabeth Busch
  

• Eluminati
  

• The Essentials
  

• Flowerss
  

• Gaarth
  

• G. Whilliker's Six-String Band
  

• Garrett Pierce
  

• Gary Lee Yoder
  

• Gary's Ukulele
  

• Giacomo Fiore
  

• The GingerSnaps
  

• Glug
  

• Guide Dogs
  

• Matthew Grasso
  

• The Happy Boys
  

• Hand Turkey
  

• Hardwater
  

• Heather Mori (Violin)
  

• Hotwire--now Smack Jupiter
  

• Idiom Creak
  

• Joseph Samuel
  

• Katie Jane
  

• Keep on Trawlin'
  

• Keith Richman
  

• Keystone Eyes
  

• The Keystones
  

• Life on Mars
  

• Lis Harvey
  

• Mad Cow String Band
  

• Magi-Kool Doods (See MickMucus)
  

• Taylor Mahrer
  

• Matt & George and Their Pleasant Valley Boys
  

• Matthew Torres
  

• Michael Abbott
  

• mile signs
  

• Mister Metaphor
  

• Mortal Forever
  

• MudLark
  

• Mumbo Gumbo
  

• The Musical Drum Key
  

• Music Matt
  

• The Naders
  

• Narwhal
  

• Nate Mezmer
  

• The Nothing
  

• Olive Drive
  

• The Painkillers — With Jack Armstrong of Armstrong and Getty
  

• PBUHKGHGH
  

• Phydeaux
  

• Poetic Justis
  

• Prison Shank
  

• Psypheria
  

• Pucker
  

• Keith Richman
  

• Ricky Berger
  

• Rita Hosking
  

• Sabrina Simonton
  

• Sap
  

• Sea of Bees
  

• Sexy Prison
  

• Shattered Landscape
  

• Shayna and the Bulldog
  

• The Shirtless Wonders
  

• Smack Jupiter
  

• The Souterrain
  

• Soup Da Jour
  

• Spacehook
  

• The Speed of Sound in Seawater
  

• Squish The Bad Man
  

• Stirling in the Sun
  

• Strangelove Doctrine
  

• Sudden Oak Death
  

• Tig Wallis
  

• Tony Bataska
  

• Topshelf
  

• Tor House
  

• Tree-O
  

• Tryte
  

• Uncle Tony
  

• Urban Sherpas
  

• Unless
  

• Unidentified
  

• Well Known Secret
  

• Whomever
  

• Yolo Mambo

Former

These are bands that have either broken up (a.k.a. "indefinite hiatus") or moved out of the area. See also: Significant Davis Bands.

• Abdominizer
  

• ACME Rocket Quartet
  

• All Catatonic And Like...
  

• Amaranth
  

• Anal Mucus (See MickMucus)
  

• Anchor String & Whistle Band
  

• Anonymous Clay
  

• Blackalicious
  

• The Blow Kings
  

• Boss the Big Bit
  

• Bottle of Violins
  

• Brian Ang (Personal Entry)
  

• Broken Society
  

• B.U.I.
  

• Buick
  

• Buildings Breeding
  

• The Bunny
  

• The Buttonflies
  

• Compassion in Action
  

• ChoadBot
  

• Julie Chow
  

• Corrupt Execution
  

• Crap Duvet
  

• Dead Last
  

• Didley Squat
  

• The Ditty Bops
  

• The Divide
  

• Feces Munchers (See MickMucus)
  

• Filthy Pete and the Moustaches
  

• Fiona Wong
  

• Game Theory
  

• Ghost Dad
  

• Gift of Goats (See MickMucus)
  

• Girls Soccer (See MickMucus)
  

• GnarToon
  

• GSquared
  

• GTA
  

• iDeaLiSTiK
  

• Latryx
  

• Kak
  

• Keep Your Distance
  

• Kilgore Trout
  

• Knapsack
  

• Lawsuit
  

• Legubitron
  

• The List
  

• Natalie Cortez & The Ultra Violets
  

• Oxford Circle (1960's)
  

• Papercut Revery
  

• The Playboy Millionaires
  

• Popealopes
  

• Punch the Clown
  

• Railroad Bill and the Straight Laces
  

• Retired Fish
  

• The Seditions
  

• Sex, Funk and Danger
  

• Sholi
  

• Some Assholes
  

• Spider Friends
  

• Squid Hickeys
  

• Sterling Riot
  

• The Suspects
  

• There's No Crying in Baseball
  

• Thin White Rope
  

• Thumper and the Booty Groovers
  

• Tobia Seeger
  

• Token Yoko
  

• True West
  

• Turdwrenchers (See MickMucus)
  

• unkuT:Hunks (See MickMucus)
  

• Village Vanguard
  

• Water For Free
  

• the Zim-Zims

Other Musical Groups

• Davis Community Jazz Band — A course offered through UCDavis Extension for adults wanting to learn to play jazz.
  

• Davis Music Teachers Association
  

• Harmoneo Funky Styles
  

• Impressario — A club of musical students coming together to teach children about music.
  

• Koala Productions
  

• Law Cappella — Legally considered to be an a'cappella group
  

• Liquid Hotplates — A co-ed a'cappella group at UCD
  

• Lounge Lizards — UCD's oldest a'cappella group
  

• N Street Jam — An informal folk jam session group
  

• RockBand University — A school of rock 'n' roll for musicians ages 10 to 18 (with concerts year round)
  

• The Spokes — An all-female a'cappella group
  

• The Afterglow — An all-male a'cappella group
  

• Vocal Art Ensemble — A'cappella group (Renaissance madrigals to modern choral works)
  

• Woodland Community Band — Musicians from Woodland, Davis, Dixon, Winters, Esparto and other local communities, students through retired

The 80's Music Scene

In the 1980 a compilation called "Out Among the Cows" highlighted the quality and diversity of the music coming out of the Davis in the 1980. Bands such as Thin White Rope, Popealopes, Game Theory, True West, The Suspects and others were on the scene and some band members are still playing (ACME Rocket Quarter, for example). Visit the Davis80sMusic web site to learn more. Make sure you check out their rough timeline.

Local Record Labels

• Crossbill Records

• Crying Nihilist Records
  

• Gearhead Records
  

• Gunk Records
  

• KDVS Recordings
  

• Mushpot Records
  

• Omnibus Records
  

• Out Of Order Records
  

• Peace Sign Records
  

• Precipitate Records
  

• Samplistic Records
  

• Silver Sprocket Bicycle Club - Based out of Cupertino, but they have a huge presence in the Sac/NorCal music scene.
  

• Squirty Records

The California Aggie did an article on some of our local labels.

Events

• Operation Restore Maximum Freedom - KDVS' quasi-quarterly all-day music festival
  

• Picnic Day
  

• Whole Earth Festival
  

• Picnic In The Park
  

• Timna Tal Music

Venues

Clubs, Bars, and Restaurants

• Mondavi Center where world class music comes to students at half the price.

• Delta of Venus
  

• G Street Pub
  

• The Graduate
  

• Monticello Seasonal Cuisine LoShon often pops in on Tuesdays during wine tasting to play piano, Open mic hosted by Jan "Ironcloud" Peters every Wednesday at 8pm, house musician Bob Wren playing octave mandolin and violin on Friday nights from 5:30-7:30pm, Ken Kemmerling on piano on Saturday nights from 6-8pm, and Bob and Donna Wren playing Mozart piano & violin sonatas on the first and third Sunday brunch of every month from 11:30am – 1:30pm
  

• Odd Fellows: Thursday Live! First Thursday of each month 7:00 p.m.
  

• Rominger West Winery free events "Happy Thursday" from 4-7 weekly & "Last Saturday" of every month 12-5
  

• Silo Pub and Cafe: Pub Live Fridays 5:30-7:30 pm
  

• Sophia's Thai Kitchen
  

• Village Homes Community Center Village Homes Performers Circle, acoustic open mic., 4th Monday of every month except December 6:45-9:00 pm
  

• Woodstock's Pizza Saturday Evenings

Coffee Houses

• ASUCD Coffee House: CoHo Live Mondays 5-7 pm
  

• Common Grounds

Houses

Also see House Shows


• 1604 Pole Line
  

• The Attendance Office
  

• Bill Wagman's House - Traveling folk musicians
  

• The Bomb Shelter
  

• Bunny House
  

• The Cake House
  

• Charred Dog House
  

• Chillanova
  

• Club Colgate
  

• DAM Haus
  

• Empty House
  

• Fort Douglass
  

• The 'KDVS Is My Life' house
  

• Loyola House (R.I.P.)
  

• Mars Barn
  

• N-Street Common House
  

• Pirate Ship
  

• Robot Rocket Residence -laying low due to neighbor complaints
  

• Turtle House
  

• Womb House

Theaters, Auditoriums

• Freeborn Hall
  

• Instructional Performing Arts Center
  

• Mondavi Center UC Davis' premiere concert hall
  

• Palms Playhouse
  

• Varsity Theatre
  

• Veterans Memorial Center -theater and multipurpose room
  

• Wyatt Pavilion

Other

• Bike Forth
  

• Davis Community Church
  

• Odd Fellows Hall

Sound Technicians

• Classroom Technology Services — on campus only
  

• E. Brattesani Enterprises
  

• Electron proAudio
  

• Gil Medovoy-TimnaTal Music
  

• Impulse Recording Studio
  

• ASUCD Entertainment Council provides sound reinforcement to UCD campus organizations at low cost.
  

• Talon Entertainment

Studio and for hire musicians

• Eve West Bessier, Jazz Vocalist
  

• Karla Mahoney
  

• Alex Koutzoukis
  

• Carla Penner Atallah, Operatic Soprano

Additional Resources

• Two compilations of Davis Music have been created for Wiki fundraisers: Davis Wiki Dot Org Slash Music in 2006 and Audioversity in the Little Tomato in 2010. But compilations include over 20 tracks of songs from Davis artists. The 2010 edition can be heard here: soundcloud.com/DavisCa
  

• Cliff Gamble - Producer of Nexus Stage, a live music show that airs live every Saturday night from 6-8pm on cable? TV? Channel 15 and sometimes simulcasts on KDRT 95.7 FM.
  

• Davis Hip-hop scene
  

• Davis Music Scene
  

• Electronic Music
  

• Entertainment - Other forms of live entertainment.
  

• KDVS
  

• LJ community - If you're into LiveJournal, this is a DMS-inspired site where you can post about upcoming shows, discuss music, look for band members, etc.
  

• Mondavi Center
  

• Music Department
  

• Musical Instrument Repair
  

• In C Major — Classical Music Calendar
  

• Out of Order Records - A show guide that includes resources, links and information on how to be a respectful show-goer.
  

• Redwood Lane Studios - In town studio that offers recording as well as live music production and engineering. Recording rates start at $20 an hour for students.
  

• RockBand University - a school of rock 'n' roll (and band rehearsals) for musicians ages 10 - 18 yrs
  

• Significant Davis Bands
  

• You See Davis Hardcore - An organization that puts on hardcore shows.

Shows and other events should be posted on the Events Board.