Staff Report
The impassioned, soulful voice of Lee Fields and the “post-modern barn dance” music of the Bryan Titus Trio are among the final additions to the lineup at this year’s Live Oak Music Festival, an annual fundraiser for public radio station KCBX over Father’s Day weekend.
Fields will perform with his band the Expressions. Born Elmer “Lee” Fields in 1950, the soulful singer was often compared to James Brown in the early years and was briefly the lead singer for Kool & the Gang, leaving the group just before the band broke through.
Titus also has a bit of soul in his voice, but his style of music channels the Southern sounds of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. A mix of bluegrass and American roots, his trio captures music from another era with toe-tapping melodies and locked-in instrumentation.
The Live Oak Music Festival, a three-day event beginning June 16 at Live Oak Campground near Lake Cachuma, features more than two dozen acts, with music ranging from bluegrass and indie rock to funk, Latin, gospel and jazz.
The festival features nightly headliners, including Jackie Greene, Ozomatli and Donovan Frankenreiter, plus scores of others acts throughout the weekend, including Sara Watkins, Langhorne Slim, Birds of Chicago, The Brothers Comatose and Nick Waterhouse.
In addition to the main stage performances, the festival features two other stages with music, plus yoga, a drumming circle, storytelling and a jamming workshop led by fiddler, Phil Salazar and accordion player Michael Gutin.
All Live Oak Music Festival proceeds benefit KCBX Public Radio, serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and southern Monterey counties.
For ticket and other information, go to liveoakfest.org.
