Life of the Party, Man About Town
Santa Barbara’s Veteran Party Royalty Spencer the Gardener Prepares for its Annual Fiesta Party Duties, with a Film and Album in the Offing
By Josef Woodard | July 21, 2022
Spencer Barnitz, a k a the wily epicenter of Spencer the Gardener (STG), is literally a man and a bandleader about town. By one measure, last year, Barnitz was a rare musician inducted into the Independent’s roster of Local Heroes, but Barnitz, longtime king of DIY operations, needs no “official” approval or status. The people have spoken — and partied with him. He is “officially unofficial,” as heroes go.
As an annual centerpiece of the Fiesta festivities, Barnitz’s upcoming gigs — including the climactic set at El Mercado De la Guerra on Saturday night, Sunday afternoon at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mercado, and a Wednesday “Official Unofficial Kickoff” show at a location to be announced — will have extra-special firepower. Consider this rush of gigs another important, even ceremonial, community send-off to the COVID years (despite the pandemic’s stubborn lingering tendrils).
Speaking of the pandemic, there he was a year ago, leading the charge of his nearly three-decades-plus-old band as they dished up a potent, party-stoking set at the Lobero Theatre, just before the Delta variant (remember that one?) set us back into hermit mode.
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