Hollister
– A four-month series of free concerts begins tonight with
Somos, a Latin-funk band from San Juan Bautista.
Hollister – A four-month series of free concerts begins tonight with Somos, a Latin-funk band from San Juan Bautista.
The show starts at 7pm at the Veterans Memorial Plaza on San Benito Street. Bring chairs, blankets, picnic dinners and your dancing shoes. But forget the alcohol and don’t bring any dogs. The show ends at 9pm.
“You can go to Johnny’s and get a beer and a burger before,” said Brenda Weatherly, executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association, the event’s organizer.
Like all HDA events, Weatherly said, the concert series will hopefully help local businesses
“We want to give people a good reason to come downtown,” she said.
Three more shows are booked through October on the first Friday of each month. The lineup includes Extra Large from Santa Cruz in August, Gilroy’s Pearl Alley in September and Naked in Vegas, a local cover band, in October.
The six-member Somos, which means “we are” in Spanish, will play two sets of mostly original music, ranging from rock to funk to jazz.
“It runs the gambit of all styles of music,” singer and guitarist Emiliano Valdez said. “It’s got that old flavor with a new edge. It’s very positive.”
Somos is almost a family affair. Valdez’s younger sister sings, and his uncle, David Silva, plays lead guitar.
“We play some covers,” Silva said. “Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, a band called The Big Heavies, and a Colombian folk song we have kind of turned into our own.”
The HDA is organizing the event with financial backing from Pulte Homes, a developer, and Maddux Jewelry on San Benito Street.
“We are sponsoring the whole concert series because it’s a great community,” said Wendy Elliott, land acquisition and entitlements agent for Pulte. “What Pulte does when we come into any community is we become part of the community. That’s what this is.”
Pulte subsidiary Del Webb announced plans in February for a 4,400-house senior community on the northern edge of Hollister. The company is seeking exemption from voter-approved growth restrictions, and Elliott said the county verified the necessary signatures to put the issue on the November ballot.
Weatherly said a good turnout at the concert series might pave the way for more concerts in the future
“I’m hoping for a good time and a good turnout,” Weatherly said. “I’ll be there dancing if my kids let me.”
Banks Albach covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335.
