Concert series set for Los Banos

Five concerts featuring everything from urban bluegrass to Celtic harps is part of the lineup for the upcoming concert season, the Los Banos Arts Council announced this week.

The fall and spring series is a staple in Los Banos, where the performances all take place at the Ted Falasco Arts Center, 1105 Fifth St., a re-purposed church. Tickets are sold individually at the door, but a season pass for all five shows is also available for $80.

The first show features Hookslide, a four-part a capella group from San Francisco. The quartet has been together for more than a dozen years and has worked with disco-era mainstays Kool and the Gang and Tower of Power.

They’ve also sung on television shows “Mythbusters” and “America Sings,” as well as for the San Francisco Giants.

Adrian, aka “The Buckaroogirl,” is a singer-songwriter who writes about growing up on ranches in the American West. She describes her music as a combination of country, Western, rock and folk.

Originally from Southern California, she’s a Texas convert that touts her ability be a real cowgirl, and not just play one on TV.

“Urban bluegrass” is on the docket when Morgan Canyon Band comes to town. The Fresno area quartet uses traditional and modern bluegrass instruments to blend the sounds of groups like the Eagles, Rolling Stones and Jimmy Buffett.

The banjo, mandolin, guitar and electric bass make up the sound that combines the energy and carefree spirit of early rock with the vocal harmonies and acoustics of bluegrass.

The end of the year offers holiday music played by Celtic harpist Patrick Ball, who will play “A Winter Gift.” The show weaves Irish and English literature into the performance of traditional instruments.

Originally from California, Ball fell in love with the harp when he enrolled in graduate school in Ireland. He’s gathered the stories and history he learned and blended them with the music of the Emerald Isle.

Joe Craven rounds out the series with his one-man-show of music from instruments he’s made from found objects. He picks through thrift stores, yard sales, the outdoors and even dumpsters to come up with new sounds.

“The Joe Show” also puts Craven’s sense of humor and audience participation to use. Craven, who is also a music educator, plays with the sounds of jazz, roots, folk and other worldly music.

For tickets or for more information, call 209-826-6132 or 209-826-6022. The council’s website is www.losbanosarts.org.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Concert series set for Los Banos."