Going It Alone

There won’t be a caravan of big rigs lining the street outside the venue, nor will there be an army of roadies, groupies, managers or people selling overpriced T-shirts. There probably won’t be much of a guest list either, so save your breath trying to get your girlfriend’s cousin’s boyfriend in for nothing.

Usually these affairs are cheap, if not free, often transacted at eateries or more likely coffeehouses, where “jangle”--as in the thing that happens to nerves from great quantities of caffeine--is spelled with a capital “J.”

These are the solo artists, the owner-operators, the one-man or one-woman bands who, however little they get paid, at least don’t have to divide the take each night. These low-budget artists have certain advantages over the more traditional groups. Solo artists are seldom bothered by creative differences, and they may go away, but they never break up.

Here then, is an alphabetical, opinionated guide to some of the more fashionable, formidable, ubiquitous, and in some cases, pretty darn cool, solo artists to be found on any given evening in any part of Ventura County. Check our listings pages to find exactly when and where their performances will take place.

* Babette: Much like Madonna, Sting or Godzilla, Babette has achieved one-named fame. A solo acoustic guitar singer-songwriter type, she put out a tape a few years back, “Rough Cuts,” although there’s nothing rough about those pipes of hers.

* J. Peter Boles: These days, he usually has a backup band, but as a solo performer, Boles is an engaging folkie with a million stories to tell.

* Wendy Bucklew: A former Santa Barbarian, now residing in Ventura, got it going in the Atlanta folk scene a decade ago and ended up touring with Indigo Girls. Doing the coffeehouse tour these days, the acoustic-guitar-carrying Bucklew has recently released her third album, “Asleep in the Swing.” She does mostly Serious Girl Stuff about relationships--the good, the bad, the ugly or the lack of same. Bucklew has Big Hair and a voice to match.

* Ken Clench: He’s an acoustic guitar kind of guy with a pleasant voice. Clench does covers and originals, usually at Latte 101 in Ventura.

* Sus Corez: She does the folky thing with a clear, pretty voice that should please those who wax ecstatic over Joni Mitchell.

* Chuck Crews: Crews is a guitarist out of Simi Valley whose main job is providing backup music for a variety of oldies acts, which kids today use to gauge grandpa’s Ratio of Lameness. Crews has backed numerous Latin acts, several versions of the Coasters and the likes of Lee Greenwood, Lacy J. Dalton and Ann-Margret. As a solo player, Crews seldom sings, but he plays up a storm. He knows more than 300 tunes, and yes, he even takes requests.

* John DeYoung: Formerly a rock ‘n’ roller with the Dots, DeYoung is now a mellow folkie dude playing relationship songs.

* Tim Frantz: Frantz plays acoustic music from a Christian perspective.

* Chuck Grogg: Grogg’s CD is “The Dumb Hours,” during which he chronicles that endless emotional hurricane, and fortunately, he took good notes. A writing teacher by day, Grogg does his acoustic relationship songs at a variety of local venues by night.

* Hippie Mark: Jerry Garcia may be Dead, but Hippie Mark isn’t even sick. He’s got a ton of material, most of it familiar. Jimmy Adams calls him “a musical encyclopedia.” Just a guy, a guitar and a guitar case with more stickers on it than a VW van.

* Catfish Hodge: A big bear of a man, the Catfish has a repertoire only slightly smaller than Moby Dick and has just released his 22nd album, “Bare Necessities.” The L.A.-based Catfish hoots, howls and hollers, plus he can hold a note for a long, long time. It’s acoustic blues and Catfish--his mom calls him Bobby--has a lot of stories to tell.

* Bob Jones: Long a player on the local scene, Jones used to run the Back Door on Front Street in Ventura. In those silly ‘60s he brought in the likes of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Canned Heat. Usually he works with a band, but as a solo artist Jones is a master of acoustic blues. Oh, and nice hat.

* Bryan Kelley: His wife is from Ojai, but Kelley lives in Santa Monica, and appears here several times a month playing his mellow folkie stuff.

* Milton Kelly: Kelly provides campfire-style country songs that offer familiarity and likability that’s hard to argue with.

* Tom Kwake: This guy is a solo guy with a band--that being the Java Heads. As a one-man band, Kwake does the acoustic folk-rock-jazz thing. His latest album is “Wind Blown Days,” which is very appropriate lately.

* Doug MacLeod: An L.A.-based blues-man MacLeod plays in our area every month or so. He’s a masterful performer with a million songs and stories that could enthrall a room full of statues. His latest is “Unmarked Road.”

* Robbie McClain: McClain does rock, blues, jazz with some originals thrown in for good measure. A guy and a guitar.

* Paul Miller: Generally a punk-rock type of performer, Miller has been in such bands as Narthex Structure and recently, Still More Later. As a solo artist, it’s Miller, an acoustic guitar and a ton of original, albeit quieter, songs.

* Melborne Moon: He may not have the energy of Keith Moon and he probably can’t hit like Wally Moon, but Melborne Moon can sing better than both. Accompanying himself on keyboards or guitar, Moon is the master of the tortured-relationship song, somewhere along the lines of Elton John and Harry Nilsson. With over 60 original songs, Moon’s latest and fourth album is “Planet Earth.”

* Frank Morgan: Here’s another singer-songwriter type who has a band but can also appear on his own. Morgan and his band have a CD coming out at the end of March.

* Sonny Mone: This is a guy and a guitar and a repertoire of classic rock songs in the Neil Young style.

* Stuart Orlinsky: Now, no one I know has actually witnessed this mother of all badly timed gigs: 8 a.m. Saturday at the Cafe Coffee Company in Ventura. At that hour, everyone I know is still feeling the effects of Friday night. This I do know: Orlinsky is one of the guitarists for Southern Cross and can get an acoustic jam going.

* Mike Power: A folkie with a dozen albums to his credit, Power has been playing at just about every coffeehouse between the Bay Area and the border for the last 20 years. He has even played multiple weddings and the Disneyland Ballroom. So did Mickey and Goofy buy an album?

* Rob Rio: Rio, one of the Valleyites who hasn’t moved up here yet, is a boogie-woogie piano player who plays our area occasionally. His latest album is “Swingtrain.” Rio is worth seeing just to hear “Fat Girl Boogie.”

* Teresa Russell: Perhaps the most overwhelming solo performer, Russell has a number of friends, all of whom are machines, and with their help, she can sound like a whole band. She has enough material for 10 bands--she knows, probably 500 songs. This guitarist with the big hair plays classic rock, country and blues, plus a few originals. Russell is among the busiest local players--she has four or five gigs a week.

* Tina Sicre: Formerly the voice in the rock band, Twelve Stories, Sicre is going solo these days. This Santa Barbara local may by small, but her voice is big enough to register on the Richter scale.

* Ryan Sullivan: This youngster plays acoustic classical guitar usually accompanied by the whir of cappuccino machines at Latte 101 in Ventura.

* Jennifer Terran: Hip-hop dance teacher by day and alluring eclectic songstress by night, Terran has just released her second CD, “Rabbit.” This Santa Barbara-based pianist writes weird songs and has the voice to pull it off.

* Alan Thornhill: Not only does Thornhill have a life as a husband, father and carpenter, but he still manages to play some acoustic gigs, usually on weekends. No one sings better, and he has a number of originals and a lot of covers including his daughter’s favorite song, “Puff the Magic Dragon.” In a band setting, Thornhill sings for the Rincon Ramblers.

* John Wisda: Yet another acoustic guitar player with other stuff gong on. Wisda was the driving force behind the recent Solimar Cafe compilation, a collection of acoustic music by local players.