Davis, being home to a world-class university (UC Davis) has a vibrant music scene. This includes shows at houses, clubs/bars/cafés, and UC Davis venues such as the Mondavi Center for the Arts, the Quad, the CoHo [Entertainment Council-run], Wright Hall [Dept. of Theatre & Dance], The Old Firehouse, Dept. of Technocultural Studies, Dept. of Music, etc.)

Most of the DIY-booked music events in Davis are organized by the on-campus freeform community radio station, KDVS, or KDVS-adjacent folks. These events are often titled " KDVS Presents..." Town establishments host to KDVS Presents have included Delta of Venus, Primary Concepts, and Sophia's. House shows also often operate under the KDVS Presents umbrella, as do the biannual Operation Restore Maximum Freedom all-day festivals, the most ambitious event of its kind anywhere in California north of San Francisco.

National-level acts are brought to the UC Davis Coffee House, Freeborn Hall (currently closed for renovations; Bill Graham Presents and other professional agencies occasionally book Freeborn shows), and the ARC Pavilion via the ASUCD Entertainment Council. Acts such as Beck, Tegan & Sara, Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, The Shins, and numerous other outfits recognizable to mainstream audiences have performed at these places. The Davis Live Music Collective presents up-and-coming national and local acts on a quarterly basis at events such as the annual Davis Music Festival and the My Funky Valentine's Dance Party. 

RockBand University presents concerts year-round at various venues featuring bands made up of the local Davis youth.

Because Davis is close to the bigger city, there is a lot of overlap with the Sacramento Music Scene.

There used to be an actual organization known as Davis Music Scene (defunct as of 2007). They organized and fliered for associated bands, and also put on Davis Music Scene shows. They weren't "all" of the Davis Music Scene, but it was convenient for them that their name was so inclusive.

The bi-weekly Farmers' Market in Central Park is another venue that is host to local acts. Special events in Community Park feature music acts as well.

Music stores such as Watermelon Music and Armadillo Music serve the Davis community with instruments, sheet music, CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and more.

Local Musicians and Bands

Current

Former

These are bands that have either broken up (a.k.a. "indefinite hiatus") or moved out of the area. See also: Significant Davis Bands.

Other Musical Groups

Local labels

Events

Venues

Clubs, Bars, & Restaurants

Coffee Houses

Houses

Also see House Shows

Theaters, Auditoriums

Other

Audio-Visual

Studios and for-hire musicians

Additional Resources

Shows and other events should be posted on the Events Board.

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