Coco Montoya
March 23, 2024 · Doors open at 19:00
Coco Montoya
“’Just play what you feel, be real about it, and enjoy yourself.’ That’s what Albert Collins taught me,” says the award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul-deep singer Coco Montoya. The self-taught, left-handed Montoya mastered his craft under Collins’ tutelage. Incorporating lessons learned from his mentors, the iconic Collins (for whom he originally drummed), and UK legend John Mayall, Montoya puts his own stamp onto every song he performs. Since his first solo album in 1995 (which won him the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist), Montoya’s endlessly inventive guitar work and passionate, hard-hitting vocals have kept him at the top of the blues world. With his new Alligator Records album, Writing On The Wall (his sixth for the label), Montoya delivers what he is already calling one of the best records he’s ever made. For the very first time on Alligator, he decided to bring his road-tested band—noted keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Paris (Keb’ Mo’, Bill Withers), bassist Nathan Brown, and drummer Rena Beavers—into the studio with him. Between the camaraderie of the long-time bandmates and the sheer talent of all involved, the results have left Coco, in his words, “over the moon.”
Zavala Sol
Zavala Sol is a five piece Blues/Swing/Southern Rock/Funk band from San Diego, California whose members came together in 2022 and achieved almost instant musical chemistry. In less than six months together, the band released its first album of original music and has been nominated as Best New Artist 2022 by the San Diego Music Awards! In July 2023, the band won the San Diego edition of the International Blues Challenge and represents the city in 2024 competing against bands from across the U.S. and foreign countries as well.
Our primary focus is original music and our covers are always in our unique style. If you love funky blues with some rock thrown in, you’re in the right place! Supporting lead singer, Carrie Zavala, are Mike VanDuyn on lead, rhythm, and slide guitar, Karl Dring on guitar, blues harp and slide guitar, Bill Salisbury on bass, and Jon Price on drums.