I am surprised and gratified by the arts events occurring at the community level. Most often, these events are due to the moving and shaking of determined individuals who have day jobs. My latest surprise along this line is The Rock’n Blues Concert Series in Huntington Beach. This series is the brainchild of Diane Adams, a Huntington Beach-based insurance agent and autism activist who fronts her own rock band Diane and the Deductibles.
The first show in the 2017 series is Grammy-nominated, award winning blues chanteuse Janiva Magness on February 18. Ms. Magness has 11 albums under her belt and shows no sign of slowing down. Indeed, Diane Adams shows no signs of slowing down either. She produced five shows in the 2016 Rock’n Blues Concert Series and three shows in the 2015 series. Her band was the warmup act for each show and will be warming up for Ms. Magness. A youtube search will give you a good feel for both Janiva Magness and Diane and The Deductibles.
What strikes me about this series is 1) it is intimate. It is held at the Huntington Beach Central Library’s 319 seat theater. 2) Everybody is a VIP. All attendees are invited to the post-show meet and greet with the artists. 3) Price. Tickets start at $32 ($29 plus $3 service fee).
So, for a low price, you get great seats, a world-class singer, no crowd/parking issues and you can rub elbows with like-minded people. Too often I bellyache about how the Internet and telecommuting wrought a loss of community. It is events like this that bring the community back!