VENTURA COUNTY WEEKEND : UP THE COAST

One of the leading reggae groups to emerge from Jamaica in the mid-’70s, the Meditations, will perform at 9 p.m. Friday at The Underground, 110 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara. The trio’s hits include “Woman Is Like a Shadow,” “Running From Jamaica” and “Do Mamma Do.” Tickets: $10 advance, $12 at the door. Information: 965-2231.

* Acclaimed flutist G.S. Sachdev--a veteran of classical Indian music--will present “An Evening of North Indian Music” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the UC Santa Barbara Multicultural Center Theater. The India-born Sachdev has performed for 40 years, touring across Europe, Asia and the United States. Performing on the bansuri --a bamboo bass flute with seven open finger holes--Sachdev will be joined by tabla player Agriman Kaushal. Tickets: $12, $8 students. Information: 893-8411.

* The Santa Barbara Symphony ushers in a new concert season with two performances this weekend at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St. Now in her second year at the podium in Santa Barbara, conductor Gisele Ben-Dor will lead the orchestra through a program that includes “A Gathering of Angels” by Robert Xavier Rodriguez, plus Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. Concerts: 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $11 to $36. The Santa Barbara Symphony League on Saturday will host a 5:30 p.m. opening party ($65), “Symphony Carnivale: An Evening With Masks and Mischief,” in the theater court. Information: 963-4408.