Luna Star Events

SARAH McCULLOCH

Sarah McCulloch is a Country/Americana Singer-Songwriter whose sweet, yet sultry, voice pierces right through the lush traditional country production on her latest album, Sawmiller’s Daughter. The songwriter’s emotive and nostalgic lyrics showcase her knack for timeless storytelling that transports the listener right into the center of the narrative.

Renowned journal of roots music, No Depression cited McCulloch as being, “one of the most memorable debuts in recent Americana music history,” and her sound as,  “genuine and sparkl[ing] with palpable emotion.” McCulloch’s style has also been described as being, “immensely human and emotive, bringing fine lyrical content to even more vivid life.” The lead singles releasing ahead of the album, including “Honey To A Bear” and “Half Crazy”, are steeped in country tradition and boast the kind of sentimental storytelling and tender vocal stylings that get under your skin. Fans of Dolly Parton, Lori McKenna, Miranda Lambert and Lee Ann Womack will surely connect with this evocative and timely song-wielding woman.​

Sawmiller’s Daughter was what McCulloch akins to a labor of love. The production of the album was postponed due to COVID, as well as McCulloch’s divorce and a cross-country move back to South Florida after living in the Western New York area for over a decade. “Like so many songwriters, I played the adversity to my creative advantage,” says McCulloch, “This album was written and rewritten… the songs weren’t done until I had the experiences I needed to have for completion.”

Born in Miami, Florida and raised in the Everglades, McCulloch grew up on her father’s sawmill, surrounded by the remote property that is now part of the Big Cypress National Preserve. “My father was a force of nature, he was a pioneer who was always growing spiritually,” says McCulloch. “He taught me the meaning of hard work and perseverance.” The title track of the album pays homage to that sentiment as well as McCulloch’s unique upbringing and country roots.

McCulloch’s debut album, Strawberry Moon (2018), received radio airplay in the U.S. and internationally, as well as amassed glowing reviews from many notable publications including No Depression Magazine and Gashouse Radio. In 2018, Strawberry Moon also gained top recognition as a nominee at the Independent Music Awards in NYC in the Country category, in which McCulloch was the only female artist to be nominated.

After living in upstate New York for over a decade, McCulloch has returned to her homeland of south Florida and has her feet firmly planted in the solid foundation she has built by sharing her life stories through song with a spirit of relatable honesty, fervor and warmth. “I became very serious about writing in my late thirties when I was at the end of a difficult time in my life,” says McCulloch, “I was very, very homesick for my home state of Florida. ‘Sugartown’ and the title track, ‘Sawmiller’s Daughter’ were written around that time. It was very healing for me and helped me transition into a new life.” ​

From listening rooms and theatres to gin-joints and festivals, McCulloch is enthralling audiences far and wide with her personable musical mosaic and unforgettable voice married with meaningful songs. In the Fall of 2021, McCulloch signed with Lady Savage MGMT & PR and will be releasing several singles with accompanying visual content leading up to the 2022 release of her sophomore album, Sawmiller’s Daughter. Follow @sarahmacsongs on Instagram and visit www.sarahmacmusic.com for all of the latest updates and info about upcoming releases!

The Pompous Queens are a middle-aged Surf-Folk trio born and raised in Miami. They sporadically appear at open mics and local venues , spreading joy, laughter, and a healthy dose of absurdity through original songs about the city they call home. ADREE3 and Paul Pennyfeather open the show.

Wednesday Song Swap + Jam 7pm-9pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

7:30pm – Cover Charge $10 per person

Voilá! Live in Concert. Parisian Classics – Timeless Chanson – Jazz Standards

Debbie Spring on Viola, Luke Williams- on Guitar + Vocals and Rusty Heck on double bass

Jazz is an art form that embraces a wide variety of musical styles performed on a wide variety of musical instruments that are less common in other genres. There have been a number of great jazz violinists, but there haven’t been too many jazz viola players, especially ones like DEBBIE SPRING who plays a five string viola. Spring’s playing is heartfelt and technically flawless, and her songs are inflected with Latin, Brazilian, straight ahead jazz, pop, and classical music, reflecting the cultural diversity of South Florida where she lives. She released her second album, TOCAMOS, in 2023 to rave reviews. Music Man blog said, “Technically flawless… her songs are very lyrical and accessible to the listener. Her tones on the viola produce a beautiful, warm and mellow sound.” When Spring was just five years old, her mother saw how much she loved music and began her on piano lessons. Although she was in her junior high school orchestra, she had become disaffected with the piano and started trying out other instruments. She immediately fell in love with the viola and had the opportunity to study with several renowned viola teachers. Although she pursued her musical education at the University of Miami, studying classical music, she had discovered jazz and fell in love with Jean Luc Ponty’s playing when she heard his early, acoustic jazz violin albums. The University of Miami has a world class jazz department, and her department head allowed her to take a jazz improvisation class in her senior year. After graduating, she set out on a career playing jazz with different groups in the South Florida region. She performed with the group Ira Sullivan Strings Attached for 10 years. They recorded an eponymous album in 1983, garnering Spring positive reviews. Spring went back to the University for a master’s degree and began writing music. She performed with her own group for a while and produced a Latin jazz fusion album, “Ocean Drive,” in 1990. Adept at numerous styles, she became one of the busiest viola players in the country. She played pop music, toured with a popular country group called The Mavericks, performed classical concerts with The Florida Grand Opera and the Santa Fe Opera, among others, and backed the famous Miami Sound Machine with Gloria Estafan. One of her favorite gigs was touring with Shakira, dubbed the Queen of Latin Music. Spring relates, “I loved playing with Shakira. Although I’ve played in all these styles, I found the formats very restricting. I’m a jazz musician at heart, and Shakira didn’t lay down what I was supposed to play. She let me improvise, and I had some of the most fun trading riffs with Shakira on stage.”

Join us for our monthly series with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue. Tonight we’ll also be celebrating Brie’s 42nd Birthday! It’s a HAT PARTY! The wackier the better!

Every last Friday of the month! Always a good time to be had with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue! Come listen and maybe even dance along with us. Acoustic, Funk + Soul, all sure to sweeten your evening! Start the early evening off with a free jazz show across the street at MOCA- the Museum of Contemporary Art, then head on over to enjoy Almost Blue with us! Hands-down the best night to hang in downtown North Miami!

8:00pm – DONATIONS ALWAYS ENCOURAGED

Jazz at MOCA details here -> https://www.mocanomi.org/events

ADE PEEVER- Presented in conjunction with the South Florida Folk + Acoustic Music Club!

Ade Peever is a fingerstyle acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter from the UK. A background in bucolic British folk runs parallel with a rocker streak nurtured by occasional reunions with Leeds’ loud r’n’b four-piece the Original Gravity Band. SoFlo-based since the 80’s, he’s alternated between folk (The Hautboys were residents at Linda Lou’s Cactus Cantina on SoBe in the 90s) and rock (Slide Area, another rock quartet, was named after a Ry Cooder album). In 2006 he released Green Man Said, an album of originals, featuring 28 players and a live-at-Leeds version of Bill Morrissey’s ballad “Robert Johnson.” Since 2007 he’s been singing with local Irish folk band Celtic Bridge. A rare acoustic set will highlight the story-element of the folk tradition.

Wednesday Song Swap + Jam 7pm-9pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

We are very excited to welcome Uncle Scotchy to the Luna Star Cafe stage!

Friday August 7th | 8pm | $10 Cover Per Person

Uncle Scotchy (given name, Eric Garcia) is a South Florida musician, storyteller, (pre-Covid) event coordinator, and band booker for Miami music venues. He fronts a four-piece progressive Blues band called Juke. Juke has toured and opened for such acts as Gary Clark Jr., The Revivalists, and G. Love and Special Sauce.

For his live performances, he’s now usually joined by the amazing Harold Trucco on guitar. Harold is a dynamic musician and performer. The two of them have captivated audiences in South Florida and are about to release an album, “Listen to your Uncle Scotchy – featuring Harold Trucco.”

With over 20 years of event promotion experience, cued up with over 25 years of performance experience, Eric Garcia AKA Uncle Scotchy creates meaningful work that every side of the industry can appreciate.

For more info visit https://www.unclescotchy.com/

Join us for an incredible evening with TWO of our favorite local musicians, Timothy LaRoque and Jacob George!

7:30PM | $10 Per Person

Timothy LaRoque is a young singer-songwriter from Hollywood, Florida (born and raised). Being raised on the classics (The Beatles, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens are some of his favorites) yet growing up in an evolving world with a wide range of taste, he’s come up in the South Florida scene as a leader, specifically in his groups The Summit and (more recently) The Def Cats. Having played all over Florida and surrounding states, he always brings an undeniable, spiritual energy to his live performances. Timothy released his latest album in October 2025, The Florida Effect. 

Jacob George was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he works as a teacher and singer songwriter. He has been writing and producing songs since he was 15 years old. He was the musical director for PAN, Performing Arts Network and Voices United, with whom he toured South Africa, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Greece, and Turkey performing original music.
George graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2015 where he majored in songwriting. At Berklee, he was offered an opportunity to work with Joe James, the head of Berklee’s A&R Dept, and recorded his first full length album. Jacob traveled to SxSW Music Festival with Grammy Award winner Bonnie Hayes where he  performed his original compositions, and was chosen to represent Berklee’s Songwriting Dept. 

After attending a master class with touring artist Patty Larkin, Jacob was invited to open for her at The Spire Center in Plymouth. In 2016, he released his debut album, Fight the Feeling. The album received positive feedback and it’s single, Cold Machine, was given a regular rotation on internet & college radio. Following the release of Fight the Feeling, George restructured his band in Miami, Florida, and began performing regularly throughout South Florida. He was featured on BalconyTV, WLRN Folk and Acoustic, Good Morning Emmerson and Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF). George released his first official music video for “Mama’s Girl” in 2021. In 2022 the Mama’s Girl music video was selected to be  included in Richmond International Film Festival.  George currently teaches music, and performs with his band. He plans to release new music later this year.

Wednesday Song Swap + Jam 7pm-9pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

8:00pm | $10 COVER – We are so thrilled to have this talented trio BACK for our Celtic Thursdays series! Join us in welcoming them back from their summer break.

Gaêlica, a three-person Celtic, folk, and world music band has a 20-year history. First formed in Venezuela, the band performs Celtic music with Venezuelan and Latin influences. (Or Latin music with Celtic and folk influences.) Now based in South Florida, Gaêlica’s members are Daniela Padrón on fiddle and vocals; Gabriel Figueira on bagpipes, woodwinds, percussion, and vocals; and Rubén Gutiérrez on guitar, percussion, and vocals. Gaêlica has released five studio albums and has been nominated for a Latin Grammy in the Best Folk Album category. The group has performed in the United States, Latin America, and Europe. They perform original music and successfully re-imagine traditional tunes to blend Celtic and Latin folk into a surprising new sound.

Watch this from start to finish! -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEpkUUs4XSE

Saturday, August 15th | 8pm | $10 Cover Charge

HARE O’ THE DAWG is BACK and we cannot wait to hear them! Join us for another incredible night of music!

Formed in 2016, Hare o’ the Dawg was spawned from a common love of improvisational string music. Drawing inspiration from old-time music such as swing, bluegrass and gypsy jazz, Hare o’ the Dawg has pleased crowds with original music as well as arrangements of tunes from the likes of Django Reinhardt, David Grisman, Jerry Garcia and anything with a bluegrass flavor. Most of the band are multi-instrumentalists, and instrument swapping is a common theme of our music.

JOHN CAMACHO
A fixture on the South Florida music and poetry scene for years, John Camacho brings his friends together for a farewell concert at one of the best venues to hear music anywhere, The Luna Star Cafe. His resume as poet and musician is considerable. Beginning with local heroes The Goods–the band he formed and co-fronted with his brother, Jim–through early 00s idiosyncratic human juke box cult faves, Mongo, to his current Christian band, Messiah Has Come, John has been writing and performing (with high-energy virtuosity), poetic and powerful pop rock songs with sometimes poignant, sometimes comical lyrics for the better part of two decades. He’s an award-winning poet whose work is published in literary magazines throughout the U.S. and Europe. A long-time paladin of our verse and music scene, John is saying goodbye to South Florida, and he’s asked some special friends to help him say sayonara in style. Don’t miss this very special night!

Wednesday Song Swap + Jam 7pm-9pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

Jimmy Robinson’s Luna Star Cafe Debut!

Thursday, August 20th | 8pm | $10 Cover Charge

Jimmy Robinson has been recording and touring for over 40 years. He has received critical and audience praise for his unique virtuoso approach to the guitar, and his rich compositional skill. Jimmy learned to play guitar in garage bands, later formed the fusion/prog group Woodenhead, studied classical guitar and composition at Loyola University in New Orleans and The Eastman School Of Music in New York. He combined these elements with his electric experience to forge the solo acoustic style that he now tours with. He has three solo albums to his credit, Vibrating Strings, Guitarworks and Three.

Jimmy first made a name for himself playing electric guitar and leading the psychedelic rock/blues band, Ejaculation (yes, you read correctly, it was 1968, after all…) at the Free Concert weekly series on New Orleans Riverfront.. He went on to front The Progrock band, Laugh In The Dark, in the 70’s, and in 1975 founded the celebrated instrumental rock fusion band, Woodenhead . Woodenhead performs today, and is celebrating their 50th anniversary with a special performance at  The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May, 2026 as well as releasing a recording of new material, and a retrospective CD “Woodenhead 50th Anniversary” and a reissue of their entire, remastered catalog. He also founded the New Orleans Guitar Collective  Twangorama , with guitarists Phil deGruy and Cranston Clements, and later, The New Orleans Guitar Masters.

Jimmy has worked with a number of incredible artists including Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea’s Elektrik Band, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, The MC5, Tuck and Patty, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Johnny Winter, and countless others! Find out more at http://jimmyrobinsonmusic.com/page-2.html

Darrell is an Americana singer- songwriter and country blues musician. He will be joined by Sarah Jacob, Debbie Spring and Rusty Heck. More information to come!!

Wednesday Song Swap + Jam 7pm-9pm

Bring your axe, horn, drum, whatever! Very laid back – a great way to meet some of the Café’s favorite performers & regulars in a supportive and comfortable environment! Novices & pros are welcome to come on down & join the jam. Try out new material or just participate in some sing-alongs. 

More details to come…

In the meantime, dust off your pirate attire and get ready for what is sure to be a great time!

Join us for our monthly series with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue.

Every last Friday of the month! Always a good time to be had with Amy Arlo’s Almost Blue! Come listen and maybe even dance along with us. Acoustic, Funk + Soul, all sure to sweeten your evening! Start the early evening off with a free jazz show across the street at MOCA- the Museum of Contemporary Art, then head on over to enjoy Almost Blue with us! Hands-down the best night to hang in downtown North Miami!

8:00pm – DONATIONS ALWAYS ENCOURAGED

Jazz at MOCA details here -> https://www.mocanomi.org/events

More details to come! Start practicing your favorite Paul Simon tunes! To play, contact Eric at info@lunastarcafe.com