Summer of Love 2026: A Benefit Concert

It’s Summertime! It’s time for Love! (Read that in your Barry White voice, or Lauren Bacall, as appropriate.)

In case we needed a reminder, here’s another example of the exuberantly rich music scene we are blessed with in San Diego. The San Diego Troubadour has teamed up with the good folks at San Diego Folk Heritage to present a starry-eyed collection of performers making music with their significant others. One afternoon only, on July 18, in University City. See below for a rundown of the performers.

This is a benefit concert, with the proceeds going to help these two organizations navigate this challenging financial climate. Both organizations are largely staffed by volunteers, but there are still bills to be paid (web hosting, insurance …) and what has worked in the past isn’t quite keeping up with today’s ballooning costs. (If you can’t make the show but still want to show support, you can reach out to volunteer or donate.) The show will be fabulous (have I ever lied to you?). The beneficiaries are significant who we would like to see carrying on their missions into the misty future.

The San Diego Troubadour
For 25 years, the Troubadour has published issues overflowing with news, reviews, and hullaballoos relevant to our local roots music scene. Every month includes album releases, columns, an up-to-date calendar, and a deep cover article on a deserving local artist. The annual year-end music party is not to be missed. They haven’t yet gotten around to putting ME on the cover yet, so I’m VERY motivated that they keep the presses rolling at least until I earn that honor. 🙂 (You will see other past and likely future cover artists on this bill!)

San Diego Folk Heritage
For over a generation SDFH has helped keep folk music (very broadly defined) alive in San Diego County. (I’ll use the “we” pronoun because I’m on the Board.) We put on monthly contra dances, twice-monthly concerts, and twice-yearly music festivals. We’ve hosted folks from Bully Strings to Tom Paxton, and given local artists a good-sounding mix, an appreciative listening audience, and the lions’ share of the door proceeds. We’ve helped support other deserving arts efforts, from the Julian Fiddle Camp, to Yale Strom documentaries, to our Java Joe Reunion Show series. We recently had to renegotiate one of our venue contracts from “free” to “not-free,” which has made this year’s finances unexpectedly challenging.

THE ARTISTS
The concert was envisioned and brought into existence by “The Love Bunch,” consisting of Liz Abbott, Cara Cormier, Abby Polin, and Carina Wheatley, and is presented as part of the ongoing SDFH concert series, with their excellent volunteer support staff. I expect some magic! The artists are donating their time and artistry for the to show some love to the sponsoring organizations, to the audience, and to each other.

Stucky Leigh

Big Boss Bubeleh

The Garners

Nathan & Jessie

JT Morning & Mary Jo Preti

Blue Healers

Yale Strom & Elizabeth Schwartz

The Beard & the Bird.

Lisa Sanders & Brown Sugar

Stucky Leigh
What started as a shared song became a shared life. Stucky Leigh is the musical partnership of San Diego singer-songwriters Lauren Leigh and Will Stucky, whose soaring harmonies, honest lyrics, and undeniable chemistry create a sound that is equal parts tender, witty, and soul-stirring.

Big Boss Bubeleh
Big Boss Bubeleh is a shifting gypsy band, sometimes three sometimes four or five gypsies/musicians, sometimes only two: Yael and Vlady. Original songs shift into Beatle medleys, Edith Piaf, and other classics as old as “Hava Naguila” appear into the mix. The experience is joyful and never two the same.

The Garners
The duo plays Jazz Manouche, aka Gypsy jazz. Two Guitars. Two Voices. Lorelei is a stunning chanteuse, who will take you back in time. Jon channels the spirit of Django Reinhardt with his guitar wizardry. This music is both sweet and hot. Gypsy jazz and standards from the American songbook.

Nathan & Jessie
From the foothills of Southern California, comes the jazzy folk duo Nathan & Jessie. Born of the individuals Nathan Rivera and Jessie Andra Smith, this duo is a unique blend of jazzy folk and blues on resonator guitars and accordion, along with interesting interplay between male and female vocals. Their performances not only include unique all-original music, but also stories of their travels and interaction with the audience make for an unforgettable experience. Love of sharing music has taken Nathan & Jessie all over the world, frequenting places like Mexico, Canada, France, New Orleans, and the Pacific Northwest. The upbeat tunes they write reflect the cultural, emotional, and inspirational images of their life experience and are rooted in the spirit of jazz, improvisation, storytelling, language, and humor.

JT Moring & Mary Jo Preti
Mary Jo and I have been partners most of our lives and have shared experiences from motorcycle exploits in the Australian Outback to long days and nights at Scripps ICU. Years ago, South Carolina Justice of the Peace Peewee Peagler told us we would support each other “for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,” and dadgum it, he was right! (We told him not to say that, but he was in a hurry to drink his champagne and go do a funeral.) Our team motto is “the adventure continues,” and lately we’ve been collecting and sharing some of those adventures on stage, with inspiration from the Storytellers of San Diego, Encinitas Toastmasters, and Todd Snider.

Blue Healers
Blue Healers is a roots music duo that incorporate elements of folk and blues with aural landscapes. They were voted Best Duo, Female Vocalist 2024-2025, and Best New Band by the Washington Blues Society. They released the album Transmissions in 2023 and the EP Astro Blues in 2024. The duo recently relocated to their hometown of San Diego after spending the last three decades in the Pacific Northwest.

Yale Strom & Elizabeth Schwartz
Yale Strom (violin) is one of the world’s leading ethnographer-artists of klezmer and Romani music and history. With a master’s degree in Yiddish Studies, he has conducted extensive ethnographic research across Eastern Europe on Jewish and Romani musical culture. His fieldwork shaped the repertoire of his klezmer band Hot Pstromi and informed his work directing 10 award-winning documentary films, including Recordially Yours: Lou Curtiss (2023), which explores the life of San Diego audiophile-ethnomusicologist Lou Curtiss. He is currently developing a musical on Marc and Bella Chagall. Strom was Artist-in-Residence in Jewish Studies at San Diego State University (2006–2020) As a writer, he has just published his first historical novel, The Autobiography of the Offenbacher. A singer in her own right, Elizabeth Schwartz has been called the “Edith Piaf of Yiddish” and “a revelation” with a superb mastery of klezmer ornamentations. As the vocalist for Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi and as a soloist, she has performed at festivals, synagogues, and concert halls on every continent except Antarctica (she’s working on that).

The Beard & the Bird
The Beard and the Bird is the bi-coastal duo of Jon Hasz and Cat Curry Hasz, blending upbeat swing, folk, and outlaw country-inspired rockabilly. Rooted in punk scenes, their music evolves from 1920s western swing to modern pop-folk with a definitive rockabilly twist. Known for high energy and signature slap-bass percussion, they captivate audiences on both coasts. They are currently touring in support of their upcoming debut full-length album, Kick It Out Summer 2026.

Lisa Sanders & Brown Sugar
Lisa Sanders and Karen “Brown Sugar” Hayes are a celebrated San Diego–based folk/Americana duo whose partnership began by chance and blossomed into a harmony-rich musical force. Touring across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and at sea, they’ve earned devoted fans and industry acclaim alike. Sanders, a two-time San Diego Music Award winner and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, is a nationally recognized songwriter and Telluride Troubadour finalist. Hayes, a nurse by day, brings warmth, soul, and lyrical collaboration to the stage. Their connection is unmistakable. Sanders’ forthcoming album Daughters of the Rising Tide, produced with JT Nero and featuring Allison Russell, arrives September 2026.

Bonus Feature
If you’ve read this far, here’s a brand new little love song to get you in the mood.

Summer of Love 2026, Saturday, July 18, 4pm.
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
4321 Eastgate Mall, University City
Tickets: Members$30/nonmembers $35
Advance ticket sales: sdfolkheritage.org/events

To make a donation: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/summer-of-love-2026-good-samaritan-episcopal-church-tickets/14947473