Doheny Event Has Eclectic Agenda

One thing you can count on at the annual Doheny Days music festival: an eclectic lineup with a few cool surprises. Leaving behind last year’s aggressive alt-rock and rap-rock, the fourth annual Doheny Days, taking place Sept. 16-17 in Dana Point, features a mix of 20 rock, blues and reggae acts.

The first day’s lineup of predominantly blues and rock bands includes the classic rock of the Steve Miller Band and the Dave Mason Band; the 83-year-old “Boogie Man” of the blues, John Lee Hooker; East L.A.’s Ozomatli, which combines Afro-Latin, funk, hip-hop and rock; singer-songwriter Sally Taylor, the daughter of James Taylor and Carly Simon; plus several worthy local acts, including Junior Watson, one of the most influential blues guitarists of his generation.

Ozomatli may seem stylistically at odds with the other bands, but event organizer Rich Sherman is delighted to have it on board.

“We’ve had everyone from Dick Dale to the Monkees to Sugar Ray, so it’s just another act that’s a bit different from the rest,” he said. “We’re thrilled Ozomatli is available because they have a rabid following and a history of winning over new fans.”

Similar to last year’s Spirit of Unity lineup, Day Two features reggae, but with more stylistically diverse strains of the genre.

Dubbed the ultimate “rude boy” because of frequent run-ins with the law, prolific recording artist Gregory Isaacs headlines a bill that includes New York-based Shaggy. Also on the bill: South Africa’s top recording artist, Lucky Dube, who in 1984 switched from his native Zulu mbaganga to reggae in protest of apartheid; the dance-hall music of Kingston native Barrington Levy; and Big Mountain, the San Diego group that scored a crossover hit with a cover of Peter Frampton’s “Baby I Love Your Way.”

Among local bands scheduled are ska-driven General Public and Laguna Beach-based Common Sense.

* The fourth annual Doheny Days Music Festival, presented by MyOC.com, is Sept. 16-17 at Doheny State Beach, 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. Noon-9:30 p.m. General admission, $28-$32; two-day pass, $45; children 3-12, $10. VIP passes, $60 per day. (949) 262-2662.

Tickets can be bought online, without service charges, at https://www.omegaevents.com. Partial proceeds will benefit the San Clemente chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.