On: September 25 at 09:50 AM
ABOVE: Get your Friday night laughs with Ernesto Lopez.
ERNESTO LOPEZ
“Placing that word ‘Christian’ does not make you anymore Christian no more then placing the word "Apples" makes me a fruit,” Ernesto Lopez says in his blog. Seriously, you should check out the blog at www.myspace.com/ernestolopezcomedy, because there’s plenty more gems like that in there. The Modesto native comedian is a Christian, but he’s no “Christian performer.” He’s not afraid to crack jokes about stuff like Latino stereotypes or, shall we say, self-inflicted pleasures of the flesh. There’s a true honesty to Lopez’s delivery. He’s not slapping on a character or any sort of forced persona on stage; he’s merely a guy who is being himself, with hilarious results.
6 p.m. Friday. Fat Cat Music House & Lounge, 930 11th St., Modesto. (209) 524-1400; www.fatcatmodesto.com.
“LADIES NIGHT OUT”
“Cause this is ladies’ night, and the feeling’s right...” Whoops, sorry, Kool and the Gang digression there. Life won’t really be about the funk on Saturday night; Mindi Abair came up a a jazz and R&B musician from a young age, and before she knew it, she was doing studio sessions with the likes of Adam Sandler, Mandy Moore and the Backstreet Boys, which let to her own solo debut album “Love” in 1999. She never really achieved superstar status, but with a stock of pop rock and jazz tunes a la Meredith Brooks or Sheryl Crow and the ability to rock the piano, sax and other instruments, she’s become a veteran performer. Pair her up with a performance from guitarist Joyce Cooling, and yep, it’s Ladies Night!
8 p.m. Saturday. Bob Hope Theatre, 242 E. Main St., Stockton. $35-$55. (209) 337-HOPE; www.bobhopetheatre,com; www.myspace.com/mindiabair.
SANDRA D
It’s a good night to kick back at the Blackwater, as local songstress Sandra Dolores (a.k.a. Sandra D) sports a solo acoustic performance, along with opener Monica Marie Fimbrez.
8 p.m. today. Blackwater Café, 912 N. Yosemite St., Stockton. Free. (209) 943-6938; www.myspace.com/sandradolores.
LATHROP DAYS HARVEST FESTIVAL
Two words: Corn Maze! It’s become a local fall tradition to tromp around and get lost on the corn at Dell’Osso farms; and you can do it while enjoying a variety of food, fun, and music from the likes of Mike Torres Band and many others.
I know, that means summer’s over, it sucks! But, there’s plenty of fall fun to be had as well!
10 a.m. Sat. & Sun. (corn maze open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m. through Oct 31.). Dell’Osso Family Farm, 26 Steward Rd., Lathrop. www.pumpkinmaze.com; www.lathropdays.net.
DJ BOBBY SANCHEZ
Just in case anyone didn’t get enough of our man Bobby Sanchez hitting the ones and twos last weekend, he’s spinning a no-cover event with plenty of all-night specials on adult beverages, like the “reverse happy hour.”
10 p.m. Friday. Ryderz Restaurant, 875 East F St., Oakdale. Free. (209) 847-9800; www.myspace.com/ryderzrestaurantandbar.
Oh, And Don’t Forget…
JOHNNY WINTER
Simply put, this is blue rock the way it ought to be heard, courtesy of possibly the coolest Albino that ever lived.
8 p.m. Saturday. Grand Theatre, 715 Central Ave., Tracy. $38. (209) 831-6858; www.atthegrand.org.
