Santa Barbara’s beloved troubadour Spencer Barnitz can always be counted on to get the party started, and he’ll be doing just that at the Lobero on Friday, November 18. But this won’t be any regular old Spencer the Gardener show (as if there really is such a thing).
The festivities are the culmination of more than a year’s worth of work on a documentary film celebrating Barnitz’s journey from surf-fueled lead singer of the ’80s band The Tan to riding the waves of the music industry for the past 40 years.
In the documentary Hello Santa Barbara!, “we tried to not only tell the story of his life but also show what perseverance is and what keeps him going, and also show the power and beauty of music,” says Executive Producer Emile Millar, who is producing an album in conjunction with the film. The documentary addresses the ups and downs of Barnitz’s life — entertaining untold numbers of fans, but also surviving a major car accident, open heart surgery, and kidney failure.