Spring is in the air; later sunsets, blooming flowers, and cool evening breezes. In other words, the perfect setting for enjoying live music. Lucky for us, Claremont has an abundance of music happening around town and I'm here to fill you in.
In this quarterly music guide, a collaboration between Miss Claremont and Claremont Music Scene, we’ll highlight:
Where to catch live music
Friday Nights Live
A local musician
Where to watch theater performances
Claremont Music Scene updates
Line dancing in Claremont
Other music updates around Claremont
Let’s dive right into it, shall we?
Claremont Music Scene: Live Music Events Calendar
Want to know what live music is going on around the Claremont area at any given day? You can with the “live music events calendar” compiled (with much love!) by Claremont Music Scene (CMS). CMS is a volunteer-driven organization with the purpose of connecting people together through music.
Businesses, venues, and breweries can also promote their live music events by submitting an “event tip” and it will get populated on the events calendar.
Here are a short list of local business that regularly feature live music:
Pomona College - View their April & May calendar for Bridges Hall of Music
The Quarter Creole Cuisine (Claremont) - Gumbo Child every Tuesday
Walter's Restaurant (Claremont) - Every Thursday catch Selina & The Wolf
Rok House Brewery (Upland) - Every Wednesday is Open Mic Night 6-8 pm
We Olive & Wine Bar (Claremont) - Most Friday's catch Ray McNamara on the steel drums
Chase’s (La Verne) - View their monthly line up
Last Name Brewery (Upland) - View their monthly calendar
Piano Piano (Claremont) - Dueling Piano Show Tue, Wed, Fri, & Sat beginning 8 pm
The Canyon (Montclair) - View their full calendar schedule
Friday Nights Live Music is Back!
It’s that time again for Friday Nights Live Music in the Claremont Village. Starting May 6, 2022, you can catch live music throughout Claremont Village from 6-9 pm at 3 select outdoor locations: Chamber of Commerce, Shelton Park, and Village Plaza. Each week will feature a different musicians. Here is the schedule for May:
May 6
Shelton Park: The Dogs
Village Plaza: Roy Howdy
Chamber of Commerce: David Hostetler
May 13
Shelton Park: Jazz City
Village Plaza: Craic Haus
Chamber of Commerce: Alien Road
May 20
Shelton Park: Dynamite Dawson
Village Plaza: U.S. 99
Chamber of Commerce: Randy Miller
May 27
Shelton Park: Rewind Rockers
Village Plaza: Squeekin’ Wheels
Chamber of Commerce: Acoustic Universe
This awesome series of music events is made possible by the Village Marketing Group, Claremont Chamber of Commerce, Claremont Village Square, and the City of Claremont.
Download the PDF of the May Friday Nights Live schedule:
Local Musician Feature: Mark Dzula
Mark Dzula is an educator at The Webb Schools who writes and records as “dzuls” (pronounced like “jewels”). He has an album and several singles with dzuls and you should be able to find his work on your favorite streaming service.
Mark was able to use the library at The Webb Schools during the evenings to record his album. In a style he labels as folk, rock, indie, the stories and characters emerge through his blend of pop and folk sounds. Our familiar antagonist the10 Freeway makes an appearance too, a staple of local songwriting angst. Two standouts from the album are “Eau de Bain” and “Night”.
As well, in collaboration with his “in house” film crew, he’s made several videos, with some giving a nod to Wes Andersen style production.
Pelican Over The Bay https://www.instagram.com/p/CRXa8V7DvmC/
Hudson Gardens https://www.instagram.com/p/CWR_ushg3BP/
Begin Again / She Said https://www.instagram.com/p/CWAZf6rAs1E/
Brown Eyed Women https://www.instagram.com/p/CU_pHQ_g9QJ/
A modern renaissance man, he has a hand in raising a family, raising a tortoise, making pomegranate wine, refinishing old guitars and skateboards, building synths with his dad, and inspiring kids to learn in new ways.
You can follow dzuls on Instagram at @dzulsforsale
Line Dancing in Claremont
Let’s totally switch gears and talk about line dancing! I’ve been line dancing for a little over 3 months now and I can genuinely say its the most fun I’ve had in a long time. If you’re interested in learning, head on to Bonnie’s Country Western Line Dancing on Mondays from 6-8 pm at the Alexander Hughes Community Center - it’s where I got my start.
You can also head over to line dancing night at The Canyon in Montclair on Tuesday’s starting at 6:30 pm. There they teach about two dances and then DJ Nia spins line dance requests the remainder of the evening.
You can read about how to get started with line dancing here in my latest blog Line Dancing in Claremont: A Beginners Experience.
Ophelia's Jump: Inspiring, Thought-Provoking and Inclusive Theater
Ophelia’s Jump is a non profit theater company based out of Claremont with performances that aim to” create unending conversations, spark imagination, incite conscience, and elicit a visceral response.”
The Ophelia’s Jump Studio is conveniently located in Upland at 2009 Porterfield Way, Suite H, Upland, CA 91786. The theater space comfortably seats 49 people and is tiered so there is no bad seat in the house. Doors open an hour before shows begin so you can enjoy dinner at the Big Easy Food truck and grab a drink at the concessions bar.
Visit their website to purchase tickets for upcoming plays. Tickets are very reasonably priced, sometimes offering student discounts.
Goodbyes: Candlelight Pavilion & Rhino Records
The loss of Candlelight Pavilion delivered a major blow to the performing arts community and the Claremont community at large. Much like you, when I read the news on their website my heart sank, “After providing Broadway-caliber entertainment for over 37 years, the Bollinger family has made the difficult decision to close our doors in Claremont on March 20, 2022.” I had the great fortune of going to the Candlelight Pavilion one last time to watch DSB (a Journey cover band) and it was an unforgettable experience.
Another historic loss is Rhino Records. I’ve had so many memories sifting through records, CDs, and books. I’m relieved to know they will be relocating to Montclair but it’s still a big loss for Claremont considering they’ve been around almost 50 years. You can read more about Rhino Records in this Claremont Courier article.
If you missed last seasons music guide, you can view it here: Claremont Music Guide: Winter 2022 Issue
Thank you for your support in this blog and thanks for reading. So long!
What a great spring music guide post! I loved to read about all the happenings. I especially liked listening to Mark Dzula's songs: Hudson Gardens and Brown Eyed Women. Thanks for linking the PDF file for the May Friday Nights Live schedule.
Very informative list of what‘s going on around town 🙌🏼
I will truly miss the Candlelight Pavillion 😥 I’m glad to hear Rhino Records will still live on.