Southern Acts to Grind By

Country music fans will have to wait until February for this year’s blockbuster country events to kick off. But you’ll find enough going on this week to keep your ears and feet engaged until some Nashville recording artists roll into town.

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Live country music: The four charismatic guys in Winslow play very danceable top-40 country tunes Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at Mixer’s, 2381 Tapo St., in Simi Valley. For details, call 520-7787.

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Mystery band, “Black Jack,” a coed country group from the Santa Ynez area, will make its Ventura County debut Saturday, 8 to 11 p.m., at the Camarillo Community Center. Instructors Dave and Esther Howells warm things up with a dance lesson at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for teens. This monthly event, open to all ages, is held at 1605 E. Burnley St. in Camarillo. For details, call 482-1996.

A smaller, more intimate dance atmosphere can be found at Cinnamon’s Restaurant, 4815 Calle Alto in Camarillo. Raywood and the Unseen, a popular one-man band, plays, sings and calls the dances Thursdays starting at 8 p.m. For more information, call 388-1436.

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Steve Hill, another one-man band worth your time, performs for dancing tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Logsdon’s Restaurant, 824 E. Santa Maria St. (at the airport) in Santa Paula. For details, call 525-1101.

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Ban-Dar Nite Club owner Johnny Mosby plays with the house band the Desperados. They remain a mainstay for country music classics and top-40 tunes, tonight and Saturday at 9 p.m. Located at 3005 E. Main St. in Ventura, the Ban-Dar features live country and country-rock music Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, call 653-9176.

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Up the coast, popular country-rock band Harvest will entertain the couples crowd at the Galleon Room tonight and Saturday at 9 p.m. And Thursdays at 9 p.m., Steve Woods and Kerri Wilson take the stage. The club is located at 5925 Calle Real in Goleta. For details, call 967-0128.

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Here’s a novel concept: Monday-night football and country dancing. The West Coast Supper Club for singles will hold a meeting Monday at 5:15 p.m. at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks for a televised football game kickoff followed at 6 by a variety of dance lessons. Popular instructor Jay Byam hosts.

At 6 p.m. it’s East Coast swing and introduction to two-step. From 7 to 9 p.m., Byam will teach beginning and intermediate West Coast swing, plus give an introduction to salsa. The $5 cover charge includes admission and buffet.

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The Borderline is at 99 Rolling Oaks Drive. For a schedule of events, call 446-4435. To reach the singles club about other country music and dance activities, call 388-5589.