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1. 

   MATT MUNOZ: Making most of her big break

   By MATT MUNOZ, Californian columnist

   Wednesday, Jun 12 2013 05:36 PM

   When iconic rock vocalist Pat Benatar gave Brynn Marie a chance, the aspiring artist went out and hit it with her best shot every night.

   "I had the chance to open for Pat last summer in Oklahoma and was asked back again and again," said the 28-year-old singer of landing the coveted gig that brings her to Rabobank Theater on Friday night, opening for Benatar and Cheap Trick. "Then one evening in February, I got a phone call for an offer to open this summer tour. I really owe it all to Pat, who really gave me a shot and told me to always stay true and to never give up."

   Her latest EP, "Things Change," showcases her blend of country and rock influences. "I'm inspired by artists who have taken risks, from Shania Twain, Faith Hill, the...

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2. 

   Baritone-deaf to his comic appeal? Not Michael McDonald

   It's a voice so unique and soulful that it has the power to take millions of baby boomers to the streets while triggering uncontrollable fits of laughter in the children of said baby boomers. But no one is happier than Michael "Yah Mo B...

3. Clogging sets the preshow mood

   The Centre Stage dancers, led by owner and instructor Pat Gosch, will perform in Sunday's Beale Band concert preshow. The performers, whose ages range from 15 to "70-ish," will perform tap and clogging routines that took about six months...
4. 

   CSUB (finally) honors Buck, Merle

   The only diploma Merle Haggard ever earned was at the school of hard knocks. Until now. The celebrated poet of the common man and one of the city's most distinguished sons will accept the highest honors Cal State Bakersfield can bestow:...
5. 

   Johnny Cash family, friends celebrate new stamp

   NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- "I've been everywhere, man," Johnny Cash once sang. Now, an iconic image of the Man In Black will continue to travel the globe through a new limited-edition "Forever Stamp" issued by the U.S. Postal Service. As the...
6. 

   Foo for thought: Rocker explores country side

   When Foo Fighters returned from their latest tour around the globe, guitarist Chris Shiflett didn't just go home. He went country. Shedding his hard-rocking persona for a project dear to his musical roots, the busy musician set his...
7. 

   Cheap Trick still wants us to want them -- and we do

   When the four members of Cheap Trick stepped onstage in front of 12,000 screaming fans that hot night in Tokyo to record the landmark live album "at Budokan," little did they know the lasting impact of six slowly spoken words strung...
9. 

   JOHN COX: Streaming away your blues at WWOZ.org

   Welcome to This Week's Obsessions, a regular feature that touches on what has us buzzing in Eye Street. The St. Charles Streetcar is entirely too far away anymore for me to just hop aboard, lower the window and enjoy a gloriously muggy...

10. CSUB music students end year on high note

    CSUB's newest music professor said he's had a great first year as a full-time faculty member and he's looking forward to showing off what his students have accomplished at their final performance of the 2012-13 academic year this weekend at...
11. 

    MATT MUNOZ: Indie band festival still rockin'

    Bakersfield's annual gathering of eclectic musical tribes and vibes known as Rockin' Roots returns to Stramler Park this weekend. Headlining Friday's event will be indie rock heroes Circa Survive, I See Stars and Hyper Crush. On Saturday,...
12. 

    Fiddle player helped shape Bakersfield Sound

    Though the Fender Telecaster was the undisputed star of the show when it came to the Bakersfield Sound, playing guitar wasn't necessarily a job requirement for every kid with an Okie tan and dreams of a music career back in the 1940s and...
13. 

    MATT MUNOZ: Does 3-D work with live bands?

    Remember the disappointment of watching "Amityville 3D," "Comin' at Ya!," and even worse, "Jaws 3D," in the '80s? It was all a cheesy waste of technology, sent away to the vaults for decades. Now, the return of 3-D has given Hollywood a...
14. 

    SUSAN SCAFFIDI: Masters passed the baton - and I took it!

    We have a lot to learn from the people who have come before us -- the people I call "the legacy people." I got to spend last weekend with some "legacy people" -- specifically, conductors Daniel Lewis and Donald Thulean, along with...