Sound of Success

The biggest party in the Conejo Valley will kick off at the Hyatt Westlake tonight at the very reasonable hour of 6:30.

If the Reggae Fest ’99 unfolds as its previous incarnations have, expect hundreds of well-dressed young locals dancing about the patio and the pool area of the swanky hotel. Imagine urban bread (the clientele) meeting Urban Dread (the band).

Promoter Dave Hewitt of DMH Enterprises, who’s to blame for the event again this year, knows what to expect from this summer-long reggae rager.

“Last year it was great and we had a really good crowd,” Hewitt said. “We expect around 400 people for the first one this year. By the time we ended the thing last year, we were getting between 600 and 700 people each week.”

That’s because there aren’t that many venues for live music hereabouts, paired with the fact that this event has been going on for several years, so it has a built-in fan club. “The outside vibe is important,” Hewitt said. “The first thing you do here is build a patio, and they will flock to it, especially when we get some summer weather.”

There will be plenty of signs directing the dancers-to-be to the pool and party area. Since the venue doesn’t want a bunch of people clogging up the hotel lobby, the event has its own entrance. Gates open half an hour before the show.

The patio area of the Hyatt is quite spacious and surrounded by a lush backdrop of pine trees, giant oleanders and a few philodendrons, all of which combine to completely screen the parking lot. A large concrete slab serves as the dance floor in front of the stage, and a waterfall flows off to one side. The pool is used depending upon the weather and, apparently, the level of consumption of alcohol.

Since the show begins long before dark, most of the people wear shades and summer wear as they celebrate Happy Hour in lawn chairs in front of the stage, chatting it up. By the third set, the dance floor is packed.

A good part of this gig’s success is due to the band. Urban Dread has been around for more than a decade. The band’s first gig was in Westlake Village in April 1988 at Sergio’s, which is now the Yucatan Cantina. The band knows hundreds of reggae covers, as well as numerous originals.

Hewitt, too, has learned a thing or two during his 15 years promoting shows.

“It’ll be pretty much the same as last year, except we’ve added a couple of horn players to the band to give them a bigger, more danceable sound,” he said. “Urban Dread is the band and all the Conejo Valley locals know them. Last year we made a mistake by stopping this event [too early in the summer], then starting it again, and the crowds were down when we restarted the thing. Memorial Day to Labor Day--that’s the time frame.”

DETAILS

Reggae Fest ’99 with Urban Dread at the Hyatt Westlake, 880 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village; 6:30 tonight, $8; 557-1234.

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If really rockin’ blues is your thing, then the newly expanded Cafe Voltaire in Ventura should be atop your itinerary for Saturday night when the Guy Martin Group records a live CD.

Martin’s brand of the blues is a far cry from those basic blues that deliver that endless, mindless and senseless one-song, one-beat cry-in-your-beer brand. In short, Martin rocks. Ably assisting Martin, who is one of the best local guitarists, are Tony Trigueiro on bass, Jason Dinkler on drums and the latest member of the group, Greg Godfrey on keyboards. The band hopes to record at least a dozen Martin originals, maybe more, depending on how it goes.

Martin is a self-taught player, inspired by a pair of the musically missing, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Martin, in fact, usually ends his set with the Stevie Ray version of the Jimi biggie, “Voodoo Child.”

A few years after high school, Martin actually survived a year playing with local legends Raging Arb & the Redheads. In the early ‘90s, Martin formed Rude Mood, a band named after a Stevie Ray Vaughan song they didn’t even play.

The bottom line is simple: Martin plays loud Texas-by-way-of-California blues. “Oh man, it’s hard to describe, but there’s some really funky beats with strong Guy Martin rhythms,” said Martin. “These days, there’s a lot of people jumping on that rockin’ blues train, but I’m just trying to do my own thing.”

The scenario is the usual for a Cafe Voltaire live recording. Pay more now, get a CD later and your name will be listed on the liner notes as an Executive Producer.

Opening will be the much quieter Cory Sipper, a Santa Barbara singer/ songwriter who has thus far released three CDs of original, alternative folk songs. The calm before the storm, her show begins at 7 p.m.

DETAILS

Guy Martin Group at Cafe Voltaire, 34 N. Palm St., Ventura; 9:30 p.m. Saturday, $15 (includes CD) or $5; 641-1743.

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Controversial rocker Courtney Love and her band, Hole, will bring their high-decibel brand of rock to the tree-lined Santa Barbara County Bowl for a concert tonight. No longer playing with Marilyn Manson after a contentious recent tour, Hole will headline with the Queens of the Stone Age opening.

Love has survived a number of personas from Punk Goddess to Kurt Cobain’s Widow to Queen of All Media to sellout, standout or maybe just a far-out and slightly damaged rocker. Cruel or cool, Love’s brassy manner and her numerous tell-all interviews seem to invite respect or disdain. People either love or hate Love, and she pretty much could care less.

Right now, many more seem to love her. Hole has been touring for months, working its third album, “Celebrity Skin,” the follow-up to 1994’s platinum release, “Live Through This.” The new album is all about California, a place that has to be seen to be disbelieved, complete with plastic people, impossible dreams and eternal hope. Or not. Depending.

DETAILS

Hole and Queens of the Stone Age at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas, 7 tonight; $29, $27 or $22; 962-7411.