Summer

Jams Concert Series Kicks Off with Night of 1950s-Inspired Rhythm & Blues

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

Vicky Tafoya remembers being exposed to R&B by listening to the radio growing up.

“I used to sing along with those songs,” Tafoya said. “But a lot of R&B, you found later on, because it’s a little bit harder to find that music.”

Recalling how she would visit record stores with her mom, Tafoya said she would buy R&B compilation albums and 45s.

“Sometimes, you would find a James Brown, Little Willie John. You were lucky if you found some of that stuff,” said Tafoya. “That’s how I got interested in (R&B).”

That interest has stayed with her to this day, as Tafoya now serenades audiences with 1950s-inspired R&B doowop as part of the band Vicky Tafoya and the Big Beat.

Concertgoers enjoyed an evening of their tunes at the Dana Point Harbor on Friday, July 7, when the Ocean Institute hosted the Music Preserves Foundation’s Summer Jams Concert, the first of a three-night series that melds music education with live music from local bands.

Before Vicky Tafoya and the Big Beat took to the stage, Patti Compton, president of the Dana Point-based music education nonprofit, led a pre-concert discussion about the band’s genre and musical influences.

During the discussion, Compton shared a brief history of the 1950s rhythm and blues as a post-World War II genre based on early R&B and gospel. Big Beat lead guitarist Matt Beld emphasized the importance of studying the history and influences of any art form.

“With any art form, whether you’re studying art or music or dance, there’s something inherent about knowing about the history of it,” Beld said. “Everybody wants to get down to the heart of the matter. They want to find out, where did this start? Where did this come from?”

“Inherently, in any kind of modern music, you can see the kind of rock and roll-based music going back to the ’40s and ’50s, because that’s where all the transitions started moving from big bands,” Beld continued.

Beld added that it’s important to preserve the history of music to under- stand from whence it came.

“Vicky’s an epic talent, and she’s always been really keyed into the songs that maybe weren’t on the radio, artists that maybe people don’t know much about, like Little Willie John or a lot of those folks,” Beld said.

“She’s always gravitated toward that, not just because of the quality of the music, but because when something doesn’t have a light shined on it originally, it’s nice to be able to lift that up and to show them. Everybody knows the hits,” Beld continued.

Tafoya added that while everybody knows the hits, many songs over the years have fallen through the cracks.

Touching on the resurgence in popularity of vinyl records, Beld said, “Everything old is new again.”

“Everything was getting so far away from the physicality of that medium,” Beld said, noting that people can stream or download music without purchasing a physical copy of the album or song.

“I think people were missing that physical experience of playing records again,” Beld continued. “So, there’s been labels for the last 20 years that that’s all they’ve done is release vinyl, and it’s the same thing that the world is kind of catching up.”

As the younger generations begin collecting vinyl, Beld noted it can spark curiosity in learning about the history of the musical genres.

Ocean Institute Director of Education Riley Russell said in an email that “Summer Jams Night One was a hit all around.”

“Vicky Tafoya and The Big Beat raised the roof and everyone on their feet to support Music Preserves and Ocean Institute,” Russell said. “It’s great to bring the best of our resources together to bring the community a night of ocean education and music. We look to bring the community together again for two more nights of fun this summer.”

During Friday night’s concert, Music Preserves Executive Director Anthony Small said he was happy with the event’s turnout.

“I’m so happy with the crowd; everybody seems to be having a great time, and we’ve received so much love from the community and people thanking us for bringing this music to our community,” Small said.

“It’s important to share the different genres of music and, specifically, the cultural stories behind them,” Small continued.

Small added that Summer Jams could not happen without its sponsors: Ohana Festival, the City of Dana Point, Clean Juice, Orange County Fifth District Board Supervisor Katrina Foley, Delahunt Brewing and Station Craft.

“We would not be able to do this without their support,” Small said. “But the individuals of the community, to have them turn out for this, that’s really the support that says, ‘Hey, let’s do it again.’ ”

“So, we’re going to do it again in two weeks with some Americana music and then two weeks after that with Marc Ford from Black Crowes fame,” Small continued. “Just looking forward to having more people enjoy this, and it’s very important to me to amplify emerging artists and share unusual perspectives with our community.”

This year, those who attend more than one Summer Jams concert can enjoy drinks for a discounted price of $5 all night, with proof of purchase.

Proceeds from the series support both the Ocean Institute and Music Preserves Foundation.

The next Summer Jams concert, scheduled for July 21, will feature performances by Sage Escalante and Kareeta, and a discussion of the country and Americana genres.

Mojave Ghost will open for Marc Ford at the final Summer Jams concert of the summer on Aug. 4, featuring a pre-concert conversation on rock and roll.

NEWS NEXT DOOR: Passenger Rail Service to Restart Through San Clemente Following Construction of Protection Wall

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

For the second time in 2023, Metrolink and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner will resume passenger rail service through San Clemente following a landslide, as the Orange County Transportation Authority announced service is scheduled to start again on Monday, July 17.

The announcement on Tuesday,

July 11, came one day after the OCTA Board of Directors was informed about the upcoming completion of work to construct a track protection wall near the base of the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

“Metrolink and OCTA worked in partnership to build the temporary barrier wall on an emergency basis to protect the tracks, so passenger service could safely resume as soon as possible,” Metrolink said in a press release. “The city of San Clemente continues work to stabilize the hillside for the long-term.”

The Casa Romantica property experienced landslides on April 27 and June 5, with both prompting the railroad entities to suspend service between South Orange County and North San Diego County after debris fell into the track’s right of way.

Construction crews contracted by OCTA, which owns the track through Orange County, began work on June 27