Redondo Beach 4th Of July Fireworks Shines As Does Singer Shari Puorto

Hearing A Blues But Not Feeling The Blues With Seaside Lagoon’s Headliner

The fireworks rattled the sky, the flares shining brightly through the overcast conditions, and the band played on, into the night.

And the beer flowed freely and often, the drinkers being able to enjoy their cold beverages in the open without worry of a citation, as happened to a few unfortunate (and careless) souls a mile to the north in Hermosa Beach.

Seaside Lagoon in 2013 once again proved to be the best place to see the Redondo Beach 4th of July fireworks show up close, and it provided spectacular entertainment. But the entertainment I liked the best took place before and after the fireworks, and that was the music of the Shari Puorto Band.

While she looked fetching in a low-cut, full-length, brightly colored retro-style dress, one thing overcame all other factors: The gal can sing!

Shari “El” Puorto, as I call her in a nod to the North Manhattan Beach neighborhood, has a rapsy, Janis Joplin-type of voice and a range that hits all the notes, from low to fist-pumping high. She combines originals with covers, all with a bluesy tone.

What the girl is doing singing in Redondo Beach on the 4th of July instead of, say, New York City, Philadelphia or the National Mall in Washington, D.C., I can’t really say for sure, but I was sure glad I got to hear her.

On this night, she was backed by an incredible band that brought out the best in everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

It was the type of entertainment that had me headed back to the Budwieser stand every few minutes for more beer, because it with this kind of performance the beer was going down far smoother than any of my pickup lines during the day. And this was at the end of the 4th of July, where I had a few beers earlier at house parties in the aforementioned Hermosa Beach.

Fortunately, the Shari Puorto Band plays at more places than the Redondo Beach fireworks. They play all up and down the California coast, in fact, including the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas, one of LA’s famous bars. Here’s where to find the band’s next gig:  www.bluesrockmusic.com.