Barley

Rock for Tots will reach a milestone with its fifth year at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach Friday, Dec. 10, generating holiday cheer for needy children.

Jeremy Buck, a fixture in the South Bay with his band The Bang, started the fund-raiser for Toys for Tots. From 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., nine bands will take the stage, and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, who will be in attendance in full military dress uniforms, will collect toys. Attendees are encouraged to bring toys worth at least $5 in value.

I'm thrilled at the amount of money and toys we collect for this great cause, Buck said. It's a pleasure to be able to give back to the community through the music, and bring all these amazing bands together to support each other.

From 4 to 7:30 p.m., all ages are welcome at the fund-raiser. The bands performing during that time are Fallen Rain, featuring an 11-year-old lead singer and guitarist, at 4 p.m.; Justin Hopkins at 5 p.m.; Jeremy Buck and The Bang at 6 p.m.; and Quactus at 7 p.m. Taking the stage later is The Working Hour at 8 p.m.; Barley Legal at 9 p.m.; Songs of the Lawless featuring Gary Busey's son Jake at 10 p.m.; Gorgeous Got a Gun at 11 p.m.; and Buck returns to the stage to close out the evening at midnight.

The event also features raffle prizes donated by local businesses and concert T-shirts with proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots.

The Lighthouse is located at 30 Pier Ave. - The Beach Reporter

Jason Carver, Brent Reger, Chris Shea, Nate LaPointe, Jay Constable, Stephen Herring and Mike Morano are very busy men these days. Together, they make up the South Bay-based Americana/country/pop group Barley Legal. Although the band has been performing less than two years, it has quickly garnered a lot of respect from local fans.

The Beach Reporter caught up with Redondo Beach resident Carver, guitarist and principal songwriter, to discuss the bandÕs quick rise and what 2011 will hold in store.

The Beach Reporter: When did you pick up the guitar and start songwriting?

Carver: I started playing around 2000. All of the songs we perform right now, I have written. It wonÕt always be about my work though, Jay and Nate write a lot too, and we will start incorporating their material into the project along with my own. The group's sound is described as a mix between Springsteen, Petty and even Wilco. Our sound is really kind of a happy accident. I was influenced by Dave Matthews in both playing and writing, but everyone has their own influences whether it is folk or something like the Grateful Dead, it's in there. Our guitarist/pedal steel player, Nate, actually plays in the popular Dead cover band Cubensis.

Is it true you met lead singer Brent Reger at a random backyard party?

We already knew one another through mutual friends, but had never played. He came to my 30th birthday party and as the night went on, I started playing guitar and he started singing. After that jam, we put the band together and performed our first show at Suzy's in Hermosa.

Local success has been very strong?

Yes, it's been great. We were given a weekly spot at On the Rocks in Redondo and people just kept coming out every week to check us out. Our recent CD release party for our debut, All Your Stories, at Brixton's Dive was sold out. We have been gaining fans all over the area and across the country as well. We plan to record another record in 2011 and continue the process.

Can you touch upon your benefit show, RegerFest?

We did it last year for Brent's family. His brother was a helicopter EMT and we lost him unexpectedly when the copter he was in crashed. The band put together an amazing bill of 12 local bands, including Paul Lemire, and raised a bunch of money for the Reger family. We hope to do another one in the coming year when we have more time to put it together. - The Beach Reporter

Jason Carver, Brent Reger, Chris Shea, Nate LaPointe, Jay Constable, Stephen Herring and Mike Morano are very busy men these days. Together, they make up the South Bay-based Americana/country/pop group Barley Legal. Although the band has been performing less than two years, it has quickly garnered a lot of respect from local fans.

The Beach Reporter caught up with Redondo Beach resident Carver, guitarist and principal songwriter, to discuss the bandÕs quick rise and what 2011 will hold in store.

The Beach Reporter: When did you pick up the guitar and start songwriting?

Carver: I started playing around 2000. All of the songs we perform right now, I have written. It wonÕt always be about my work though, Jay and Nate write a lot too, and we will start incorporating their material into the project along with my own. The group's sound is described as a mix between Springsteen, Petty and even Wilco. Our sound is really kind of a happy accident. I was influenced by Dave Matthews in both playing and writing, but everyone has their own influences whether it is folk or something like the Grateful Dead, it's in there. Our guitarist/pedal steel player, Nate, actually plays in the popular Dead cover band Cubensis.

Is it true you met lead singer Brent Reger at a random backyard party?

We already knew one another through mutual friends, but had never played. He came to my 30th birthday party and as the night went on, I started playing guitar and he started singing. After that jam, we put the band together and performed our first show at Suzy's in Hermosa.

Local success has been very strong?

Yes, it's been great. We were given a weekly spot at On the Rocks in Redondo and people just kept coming out every week to check us out. Our recent CD release party for our debut, All Your Stories, at Brixton's Dive was sold out. We have been gaining fans all over the area and across the country as well. We plan to record another record in 2011 and continue the process.

Can you touch upon your benefit show, RegerFest?

We did it last year for Brent's family. His brother was a helicopter EMT and we lost him unexpectedly when the copter he was in crashed. The band put together an amazing bill of 12 local bands, including Paul Lemire, and raised a bunch of money for the Reger family. We hope to do another one in the coming year when we have more time to put it together. - The Beach Reporter

Saturday, November 13th was the official release date of Los Angeles Southbay based Beach Rock band, Barley Legals ALL YOUR STORIES album. The band kicked off the debut of their first album in their hometown of Redondo Beach, CA at The Dive at Brixton on Redondo Pier. Playing their version of Beach Rock just steps from the Pacific Ocean waves crashing on the sand, Barley Legal showed the world why they are the band to watch in 2011 as they rocked out to a sold out house.

Barley Legal took the stage at 10pm to a room filled with 270 people anxiously awaiting the performance of the new album and they were not disappointed. BL opened the show with a tease of an original song from their bass player, Jay Constable, called Maggie Cassidy as one by one the band took the stage and filled in their musical parts eventually going into the Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Bring on the album.

With guest musicians Chris Payne (percussion) and Chris Murphy (Violin), both who contributed to the BL album, Barley Legal wove all of the tracks from the new album into the, nearly 2 hour, set of music, delighting the packed house of fans. With a closer of Vagabond off the new album, BL took a bow and exited the stage.

That wasnt enough for the crowds as they cheered them back on stage for an encore. They encored with Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline and Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations as the entire room sang along.

An impressive album, a fantastic band and a hell of a good time! Everyone went home with a copy of the new disc and listening to the buzz in the crowd after the show, theres a whole bunch of brand new Legalites.

Pick up your very own copy of ALL YOUR STORIES at www.barleylegalband.com or on iTunes. - Shakedown News

If you're hoping Barley Legal is a band of scantily-garbed 18-year-old temptresses a. Get your mind out of the gutter. b. It's way better than that. c. You might want to take another look, because it's spelled b-a-r-l-e-y. Yup, as in barley and hops of golden delicious beer. Nope, Barley Legal is no voyeuristic operation.

Barley Legal is a 7-piece outfit, setting out to produce feel good Americana music with a beach vibe. The outcome is a smooth, rock 'n roll sound that has been compared to Tom Petty, Wilco, and the E Street Band, while communicating a Southern California, South Bay feel. I could see fans of Latch Key Kid enjoying Barley Legal.

Judge for yourself this Saturday with the release of their debut album All Your Stories at Brixton's Dive.

The album attempts to capture the feel and flavor of the South Bay unlike any other recording, says RUHS alumn and acoustic guitarist Jason Carver. We opted to go old school with the album, recording mostly live in the studio to analog tape, and with very few overdubs resulting in an earthiness that reminds the listener of old LP's from the 1970s.

I'll tell you what, the finished product comes across with such clarity you'd think the LP was made of flawless quartz crystal played under a flawless diamond needle. At the very least, a super thick limited, Japanese pressing that's never been spun around the player.

The boys from the band spent a couple of months laying down the tracks at John Baffa's TV Tray Studios in Simi Valley. It was produced by their own multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Nate LaPointe, and mastered at Capital Records in Hollywood.

Barley Legal is: Brent Reger on percussion, trumpet, ukulele, and vocals; Chris Shea on drums and percussion; Jason Carver on acoustic guitar; Jay Constable on bass guitar and vocals; Mike Morano on accordion, piano, keyboard, organ, and Wurlitzer; Nate LaPointe on electric guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, and vocals; and Stephen Saxy Herring on flute and saxophone.

The three singers share an uncanny knack for harmony, evoking the sounds of the Everly Brothers or Simon & Garfunkel, says Carver. The rest of the band is filled out by acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, trumpet, saxophone, bass, and drums. On a few songs we're helped out by a string quartet.

That's the case with notable track Sunshine, where strings dance with flute and pay perfect compliment to the layers of sound coming from the band; all carried by a strong, yet reassuring vocal lead that's reminiscent of Cat Stevens. Cello lends its emotive effects to the wistful cut Willow Tree, while the harmonizing vocalists slap cathartic bruises into your abdomen and throat.

A band of this size and instrumental breadth doesn't happen overnight. It happens over beer. Barley Legal formed in 2009, when, following some sunny afternoon BBQ and brews, songwriter and guitarist Carver picked up a guitar and was unexpectedly joined by long time friend Reger's melodic voice. Carver suggested they do something. The unveiling took place at Suzy's Bar and Grill in Hermosa Beach.

They'd recruited South Bay drummer Shea and Philadelphia keyboardist Morano to help round out their sound. A Sunday residency at On The Rocks in Redondo Beach followed, where the fates would find them a bass player, Constable.

An accomplished singer/songwriter, Constable was one of many local musicians who would stop by to jam with the band. They were gaining steam, and a following, which attracted guitarist LaPointe. He officially joined as lead guitarist and producer of the debut album.

While work on the album persisted, the band hosted the first annual Regerstock. The event promoted local talent and goodwill while observing the recent passing of beloved brother Clinton Reger. During the fading hours of the festival, local sax player Herring joined the band for a ripping set, which established him as the seventh member of Barley Legal.

So what's with the name?

Reger brews his own beer, which we are looking to get out there at our shows at some point, Carver divulges. He brought a keg over to my birthday a couple years ago and we named it Barley Legal. A few months later (two years ago next month, and 133 shows later), we went to an open mic to play together for the first time and we called ourselves Barley Legal.

Barley Legal is throwing an Album Release Party this Saturday, Nov 13, at the Dive at Brixton. A DJ opens the doors at 8 p.m. Midnight Screening opens for BL at 9 p.m. Legal takes the stage at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 and includes a copy of All Your Stories

They'll also be performing Dec 2 at Saint Rocke with Still Time, and Jan 14 at The Key Club with Toad The Wet Sprocket. You can check out their video for the standout track California on their at www.BarleyLegalBand.com. You can preview select tracks from All Your Stories at www.DirtyHippieRadio.com. ER - Easy Reader

Just one week to go before the much anticipated debut album from Hermosa Beach, CA's BARLEY LEGAL hits the shelves and I have the pleasure of having a copy in my grubby little hands. After nearly two years of development, Barley Legal took to the studios at TV Tray in Simi Valley and laid down an album that is chock full tunes that after your first run through you'll be singing along in the car to.

Barley Legal founder and rhythm guitarist, Jason Carver, penned all of the songs for All Your Stories bringing musical life to Los Angeles Southbay (Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo Beaches). A laid back lifestyle as sung about by the Beach Boys but for the 2010s.

Kicking off the album is the track California. Fresh and new sound, California should be the anthem for Southern California tourism. It paints musical pictures with acoustic guitar (Jason Carver) and saxophone (Stephen Herring) mixed with lyrics that teleport you to a sandy beach and Californias endless Summer.

Track 2 is Birds In Flight. This is my pick for favorite track of the album. From the first line, Ride this caravan with me, down the rabbit hole, Birds is a fun song that is hot out of the gates and holds that pace throughout. Mixed with a sweet guitar lead from Nate LaPointe, lead singer, Brent Reger harmonizes exceptionally well with bass player, Jay Constable for a sweet tune.

Sunshine is up next and there no questioning why this track took an award at the Malibu Music Awards in September. Jay Constables melodic voice cradles you as the music, complete with a string quartet, will lift you on a musical breeze in this truly beautiful song, its orchestral.

Vintage 1977 slows the pace down. Like a margarita in a beach hammock, Vintage will relax you Jimmy Buffett style as itÕs slow melody and easy sax licks play. DonÕt relax too much, Brody's Song is up next.

Brody's Song named after Reger's dog, will take you back up to the rockin pace with screaming guitar licks, punchy sax and hard starts and stops. Warning, this song will stick in your head for a long time!

The next two songs, 10th Avenue and Willow Tree take the tempo back down and deliver glorious harmonies and layered vocals focusing on the lyrical genius of Carver. Willow Tree has a great violin addition to subtle acoustic guitar that gives it a nice flavor.

Constable's vocals return again for New Years. This mid-tempo track has a catchy beat and stirs your personal memories of New Years Eves gone by but the key is Constables vocals. I can listen to Jay Constable sing anytime. Something about his voice, once you hear it, you're hooked. Like a good beer or wine, it's unforgettable and you know it the moment you hear it.

Sunday Afternoon is BLÕs first foray into a country beat. Indicative of those country rockers a la String Cheese Incident, Sunday Afternoon will get your toes a tappin and before long youÕll be on the dance floor if you werenÕt already there.

Closing out the album is Vagabond, the exclamation point at the end of a fantastic album wrapping it up with nice neat bow and sending it off to their fans, The Legalites, with musical love.

From California to Vagabonds Barley Legals debut album tells me that we can expect lots more from this fun group from LAs Southbay. All Your Stories will take it's place permanently in your playlist.

Favorites: California, Birds in Flight, Brody's Song, Sunday Afternoon. Sunshine stands alone as a orchestral epic, it deserves it's own catagory, AWESOME!

Barley Legal will kick off their CD BL style at the Dive at Brixton in Redondo Beach, CA on November 13th. Tickets are $10 and include a copy of All Your Stories. www.brixtonsouthbay.com for tickets. You can purchase of copy of All Your Stories via the Barley Legal website, www.barleylegalband.com. - Shakedown News

Last night, the South Bay's favorite beach rock band, Barley Legal, moved one rung up the ladder when they opened for national touring act, Griffin House at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. With anticipation of their upcoming All Your Stories CD release party on November 13th, their fans, the Legalites, came out in force to support this debut at Saint Rocke.

We were stoked to be asked to open for Griffin House. What an amazing show of support from our fans tonight, said Jason Carver of Barley Legal.

The set included California, Sunshine, Birds in Flight, Brody's Song and Sunday Afternoon off the new album. Other tasty nuggets were the cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and the always entertaining cover of I Touch Myself.

The door guy at Saint Rocke may not know their name (he kept calling them Barely Legal) but it's clear that soon everyone else will. - Shakedown News

Last night, the South Bay's favorite beach rock band, Barley Legal, moved one rung up the ladder when they opened for national touring act, Griffin House at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. With anticipation of their upcoming All Your Stories CD release party on November 13th, their fans, the Legalites, came out in force to support this debut at Saint Rocke.

We were stoked to be asked to open for Griffin House. What an amazing show of support from our fans tonight, said Jason Carver of Barley Legal.

The set included California, Sunshine, Birds in Flight, Brody's Song and Sunday Afternoon off the new album. Other tasty nuggets were the cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and the always entertaining cover of I Touch Myself.

The door guy at Saint Rocke may not know their name (he kept calling them Barely Legal) but it's clear that soon everyone else will. - Shakedown News

Hermosa Beach’s BARLEY LEGAL has been selected to receive an Honorable Mention Award in the ROCK category at the 2010 Malibu Music Awards to be held in Malibu, CA on September 25. The award will be for the song Sunshine off their upcoming album, ALL YOUR STORIES, due out on November 20th.

Barley Legal’s beach rock sound has been called The Beach Boys for the 2010’s with their songs about California and Southbay beach living. After just over a year playing as a band, Barley Legal is anxiously anticipating the release of their first album, ALL YOUR STORIES, which was recorded at TV Tray Studios. Barley Legal has released 4 singles off the new album California, Sunshine, Brody’s Song and Vintage 1977 which are all available for download on their website, www.barleylegalband.com.

Barley Legal is Jason Carver (acoustic guitar), Jay Constable (bass, vocals), Stephen Saxy Herring (Saxophone), Nate LaPointe (electric guitar, vocals), Mike Morano (keyboard), Brent Reger (vocals, trumpet), and Chris Shea (drums).

The Malibu Music Awards was created to honor music artists, composers, songwriters, lyricists and those who are connected to the music industry. The MMA honors the achievements of successful entertainers, songwriters, publishers and others who contribute positively to the music industry and community at large. In addition to honoring national and international music artists, the MMA also recognizes new and emerging musical talent and supports musical education in schools.

For more information on Barley Legal visit www.barleylegalband.com. - Shakedown News

The legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame venue, The Whiskey A Go Go, was the setting for a standard Hollywood showcase night. Lots of bands with fantasies of having that guy in the audience who will make them famous. All with visions of record deals dancing through their heads. All but one, that is…Barley Legal. Barley Legal knows they’ve got something special to show off and the Whiskey crowd stood up and recognized that this wasn’t just another strip band.

Normally playing a 7:30 gig on the strip draws enough people to fill a phone booth. Not when Barley Legal took the stage. They came prepared with a luxury motorcoach filled with fans and coolers stocked with ice cold Bud Lights to make sure that the dance floor was full for their Sunset Strip debut.

Our fans want a good time and we brought our kind of good time to the Whiskey, commented Barley Legal’s guitarist, Jason Carver.

Preparing for the release of their debut album, All Your Stories, the set was heavy with songs from the album. Highlights like California, Sunshine and Brody’s Song took the high spots in the set list. The “All Along the Watchtower” closer, however, brought the house down with a monkey like Jason Carver climbing to the top of the stacked stage speakers above the drum kit to rock out Sunset Strip style.

Download California and Sunshine from the Barley Legal website at www.barleylegalband.com. - Shakedown News

The Southern Callifornia Deadhead Family got together at the beautiful Irvine Lake Campgrounds to celebrate what would have been the 68th birthday of Jerry Garcia, the man who many of the attendees spent (or misspent) their youths following around. A weekend of reminiscing about previous Jerry moments, past birthday celebrations and catching up with old friends set the tone for the weekend. It was just like a Dead show.

Highlighted by the two night headlining Grateful Dead tribute, Cubensis, the Jerry Jam was not just a celebration of the life and legend of Mr. Garcia but rather a celebration of the music he inspired others to play. While the line-up did include the Jerry Garcia tribute, The Maykers featuring previous members of JGB David Kemper, Cheryl Rucker and Shirley Starks and Cubensis, the rest of the entertainment was a mix of original music and eclectic covers. All the artists had one thing in common, a love for the man who inspired a generation to break down musical boundaries and learn to JAM!

The first under-card standout at the festival was the always impressive GrooveSession. Hailing from the inland empire of Riverside, CA, the funk-tastic threesome of brothers Ronnie and Manny Sanchez with Sarven Manguiat kicked off the weekend by telling the audience “Don’t you threaten me with a good time.” They played a total of three sets over the course of two days and every set blew away the crowd. I got a chance to talk to Sarven and we can all look forward to a new GrooveSession CD this fall. They’ve got plans of heading to Europe, Australia and Japan in the not too distant future. Is the rest of the planet ready for a Session? I sure hope so.

Another Friday afternoon surprise, Old Californio, brought out an amazing set of original music. Highlighted by the amazing guitar work of Woody Aplanalp, Old Californio weaves a musical tapestry that blends the styles of Phish, Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic and String Cheese into a brand new blanket of unique jam rock. Nate LaPointe of Cubensis calls Woody his inspiration for pushing his guitar limits while they attended Cal Arts together. I don’t know where Old Californio has been hiding but I’m looking forward to seeing them again soon.

Friday night was night one of Cubensis’ triple header weekend. The Friday night crowd was treated to a fantastic two sets that included a killer Help->Slip->Franklin’s Tower, a tasty Whart Rat and finally culminating with a tear bringing Standing on the Moon encore. Setting the crowd up for a killer weekend of music, Friday at the Jerry Jam was a fantastic start.

Saturday’s day was kicked off early with the Dupp Brothers bringing out some morning bluegrass. Fiddle and Mandolin highlighted an otherwise overloaded band. Lots of musicians, not a lot of layers. While the songs they played were great and their musical talent was not in question, also not a question why they got the early main stage slot in the day. Rumble Fish filled the gap on the Cafe Stage while they got the main stage ready for the tribute to Jeff Beck, Business Hours. Featuring the amazing bass work of George Malek and the experimental keyboard work of Chris McKinney, Business Hours takes the incredibly challenging instrumental jam music of Jeff Beck and delivers it with a unique flair.

The Cafe Stage started to heat up following Business Hours with Barley Legal. Featuring the jammy guitar riffs of Cubensis’ Nate LaPointe and the Dylanesqe vocals of Jay Constable, Barley Legal has been moving up the musical ranks rather quickly rockin’ regular shows in Hermosa, Redondo and recently debuting in the OC at the Marlin Bar & Grille. A mix of catchy beach rock originals and covers of everything from Bob Dylan to Michael Jackson, Barley Legal knows how to have fun. The Jerry Jam performance included a special guest of Steve “Shag” Aguillar on keys/organ. Steve currently plays with D3 on a regular basis.

GrooveSession drug the crowd back to the main stage for yet another rockin’ set. Everyone in the place was ready for some Grateful Dead music. A beautiful Saturday at the lake. Temperature in the mid 70’s and a nice breeze, the crowds started to roll into Jerry Jam. Kicking off Saturday’s “Dead Set” was the Mo Gypsys feat. the weekend’s musical pimp, Nate LaPointe on guitar and the lovely and talented CeCe Sherman belting out the vocals. While the Gypsys mixed some Dead into their set, it really didn’t matter what was being sung, just that CeCe was delivering it with her soulfully buttery vocals.

Christine Vierra of Mama Pearl took the main stage next with her fabulous delivery of Janis Joplin music. Paying tribute to Jerry, Christine performed a smokin’ Smokestack Lightning. Vierra delivers Janis with the passion of the original. Time for some Hempstring Orchestra on the Cafe Stage. Fronted by the man behind the Jerry Jam, Ted Tesoriero, Hempstring Orchestra got the crowd warmed up with some JGB and classic rock standards. Receiving a rousin - Shakedown News

Last night I finally got a chance to get out and check out a band I’ve heard good things about but keep missing their shows. I went to On The Rocks in Redondo Beach, CA to see Barley Legal. And I’ll never be the same again.

What do you get when you mix a backyard brew master with a group of talented musicians? A band named after a beer... arley Legal.

When Brent Reger, amateur beer maker, cooked up a batch of beer for his friend Jason Carver’s birthday, he let Jason name the concoction. Jason came up with Barley Legal. It (the beer) actually wasn’t very good, says keyboardist, Mike Morano. Then we played an open mic night and they asked what our name was. Jason told them, Barley Legal and it’s been that ever since. Brent’s beers have gotten better since then too.

How do you make a Barley Legal? Well, first you throw in the animated guitarist, Jason Carver to make sure the mixture is stirred frequently. Second you layer in some healthy doses of Mike Morano’s keyboards. Toss in a handful of Chris Shea’s drums. Finally you add a heaping pile of Jay Constable’s vocals and bass playing and top it all off with a crowd engaging front man, Brent Reger.

But what does it sound like? It sounds like the best wedding band you’ve ever heard. With a musical repertoire ranging from Bob Dylan to Paula Abdul, Barley Legal will, over the course of a night, play every song you’ve ever wanted to hear from just about every genre. And they nail them to such near perfection that I had moments of is that them or the jukebox? Adding their own flavor to familiar covers, Barley Legal is a must see if you love to drink and dance. - Shakedown News