Last week was a tough one for the local music community with the loss of four people each of whom left their mark on the Bakersfield scene. The news sent shock waves of surprise and remorse reverberating throughout the community.

Sorting through music podcasts can be a daunting task. With more time at home, consider streaming this quintet, all hosted by actual musicians, guaranteed to keep your household happy.

Fifty years ago, Neil Young and his bandmates recorded “Ohio,” a haunting response to the Kent State shootings where Ohio National Guardsmen fired 67 rounds of ammunition into a crowd of anti-war demonstrators, taking four lives in the process.

What does a band do when a pandemic gets in the way of releasing its latest album?

Someone — I don’t remember who — once said a quote that’s stuck with me: Happy music doesn’t make sad people happy. Sad music makes sad people happy. I’ve found that to be true more often than not.

Like most of us here in Bakersfield, I’m most familiar with Scott Cox’s voice. Sure, he’s also known for his random lively cowbell playing, but if you’ve been in earshot of a radio over the past 20 years, chances are you’ve heard Cox’s voice coming from it — usually on his morning radio prog…

After the release of the promising single “Anthem of the Rich and the Bored,” Dane Forst, going by the vaguely “Dune”-esque moniker Baron Minker, has released his alter ego’s full-length self-titled debut.

How do you pay tribute to a friend to whom you owe the beginnings of your musical career?

Some new local and local-ish music releases have arrived to help alleviate the anxiety and uncertainty all around us. Music has been a saving grace for many of us and that rings especially true now.

Expect more additions to your favorite stay-at-home playlists with the arrival of new music from Isaiah Morfin and Hate Drugs this weekend.

Charles Dickerson couldn't be more different than the music he creates.

These hard times will try any Matchbox Twenty fan, especially with news that the band is putting its upcoming tour on hold.

Jimmy Phillips' roots in the sound of Bakersfield run deep.

For Dillon James, being on "American Idol" felt like a dream.

Take a sip of that Tennessee whiskey and brace yourself: The Chris Stapleton concert, set for June 11 at Mechanics Bank Arena, has been postponed.

One ray of light breaking through the clouds of gloom caused by this pandemic has been the uninterrupted release of new music from local indie artists of every genre.

Dillon James has turned tribulation into a triumph.

Let me be clear, rapper Lokust Luciano isn't for everybody. In fact, the Bakersfield performer with the great name is bound to anger and offend some with his unapologetic, irreverent sense of humor and his blunt, unfiltered and sometimes divisive point of view. He's also fascinating, driven,…

One of the benefits of living life online at the moment is in broadening our scope of what “local” is. Recently two artists with ties to Bakersfield but who live in other states have put out new releases.

Dillon James has all of the makings to become a star.

Musicians aren't the only ones jumping into the livestream entertainment game, as DJs are also proving to be an equally effective ally against boredom during the COVID-19 quarantine.

One of the few bright spots to come from our global shutdown is the surge in streaming concerts and the awareness that even in this time of physical distancing, we're probably more connected than we've ever been.

Born and raised in Bakersfield but baptized in East Los might be the way to describe the artistic upbringing of Marvin Lemus, co-writer and director of the new Netflix Latinx dramedy “Gentefied.”

“My Universe,” the cosmically funky debut by Lucid Child is a long-in-the-making labor of love by Jonah Gallon, the 44-year-old former singer/guitarist of the innovative electronic rock group Lango and the experimental trio Minds of Boggle.

The Bakersfield music community is feeling the crunch of the COVID-19 virus.

Leave it to Shooter Jennings to zig when everyone else is zagging.

Few albums leave as powerful of an impression as "Led Zeppelin IV."

Over the last few months, some Bakersfield-based artists have put out some fascinating new releases. All of these can be streamed on all the major music-streaming sites like Spotify, with the exception of NineFingers’ “Broken Hearts and False Starts,” which will be out in wide release on Mar…

JoJo Siwa knows why her biggest fans are pre-teen and tween girls. She's one of them, or, now that she's 16, she just used to be.

Lent is a season that is “observed,” rather than celebrated. A time of prayer, fasting, penance and works of charity, the season of Lent is observed by most Christians, who often have to struggle to find time to pray and reflect in our modern world.

To local author Lily Hirsch, "Weird Al" Yankovic is no joke.

Country-music vocalist LeAnn Rimes will headline a show at the Fox Theater on May 14.

Flashback ...

Concerts bring some of life's great pleasures. How fun it is to have a magnet holding tickets on your fridge for an upcoming show, to tell people you are going to a concert or tell them about a great show you just saw, or to be at a concert having such a great time that you all lose track of…

More than 1,000 Kern County students have been treated to an evening "on the town" by the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, demonstrating the power of a good idea.

Unlike rock ’n’ roll, bluegrass music's boundaries are often defined in very narrow terms, and that has caused some bands to carefully consider their place within the genre. But, in order to survive, everything must evolve ... even bluegrass. Enter The Infamous Stringdusters, the very model …

For those of you planning on attending the upcoming Kiss concert at the Mechanics Bank Arena on Monday, be on the lookout for a very distinctive vehicle.

As Kiss delves further into farewell tour that is booked into fall and may continue from there, lead singer and guitarist Paul Stanley knows what he'll miss most about the band he co-founded with bassist/singer Gene Simmons in 1973 in New York City. 

Frank Vignola has too much fun onstage to be as serious about his music as he obviously is. After all, calling Vignola a virtuoso is something of an understatement. Recognized primarily as a world-class jazz guitarist, but well versed in every genre, his resume includes work with a range of …

Eager to place his long awaited self-titled release into the hands and hearts of country fans across Bakersfield, singer-songwriter Noah Claunch would love to see a full house partake in all the festivities Friday at his EP release party and show at The Well.

There's a reason for the sunshine sky and there's a reason why the Bellamy Brothers are coming to Bakersfield.

For anyone wanting to add a bit more ’zazz into their Valentine’s Day than just watching some Netflix and eating pizza — not that there’s anything wrong with that — here are a few options. All shows are on Friday and are 21-and-over unless otherwise mentioned.

Nellie McKay's music is where heartfelt cabaret meets biting wit. Her lyrics are often firmly tongue-in-cheek and usually accompanied with the pleasant sound of her ukulele.

Although 38 Special advises you to "Hold On Loosely," fans will be holding on tightly to news the Southern rock band is returning to Bakersfield.

The buzz surrounding Sunday’s concert at Temblor Brewing Co. with sludge metal heroes the Melvins is what happens when disbelief and excitement clash.

Musician Brett Young will bring his blend of Southern sound meets West Coast charm to Bakersfield this spring.

Hey, Bakersfield, you can't fight this feeling anymore. REO Speedwagon is returning to town Feb. 12 with a show at the Fox Theater.

The alt-rock band Blue October will return to Bakersfield this spring at the Fox Theater.

It always comes back to Elvin Bishop.