Author Archive: Monica Barber

5 Questions with Joshua Barragan of Stinging Nettle
5 Questions with Joshua Barragan of Stinging Nettle By Monica Barber Stinging Nettle is quite possibly one of the freshest acts to arise out of the Modesto area in recent years. Already meeting with some success both locally and on the touring circuit, Nettle has caught the interest of larger labels. With the release of […]

BargainView – Hello July!
BargainView By Monica Barber Hello July! Hope you’re ready for the Summer, Modesto because it’s ready for you. Today finds Ms. M by the pool sipping iced tea and reading a murder mystery. She’s been trying her hand at the Summer Reading Challenge at the Downtown Modesto Library this year. Good news dolls, the challenge […]

5 questions with Josephine Johnson
5 questions with Josephine Johnson Written by Monica Barber As a singer-songwriter, Josephine Johnson has continued to create music that resonates with the hearts of her listeners. Josephine is a talented instrumentalist switching between ukulele and guitar in her live performances. More often than not her songs are an insight into her life and tell the tales […]

5 Questions with The Spicy Latina, Serena Gamboa
5 Questions with The Spicy Latina, Serena Gamboa By Monica Barber Some people have a better knack at being completely comfortable with themselves than others are. They’re the types who are at ease instantly in a new situation, and seem as natural to the environment the way the sun looks perfect no matter where […]

5 questions with Zodiac Gallery’s Dustin Carpenter
5 questions with Zodiac Gallery’s Dustin Carpenter by Monica Barber Six to eight months ago, Dustin Carpenter was playing an art walk at Colossal tattoo in Turlock and I might’ve have overlooked him, but the music & beats he was playing caught my ear and blew my mind. Musically known by the moniker, Zodiac […]

BargainView – April Showers
BargainView By Monica Barber April Showers of Savings! April Showers Bring May Flowers and with generous amounts of rain lately and intermittent sunshine, this month may start off a bit irregular. However, the recent rain has brought many beautiful things with it, rainbows, flowers that keep on poking through the dirt and all the beautiful […]

March BargainView Spring Into Savings!
Spring Into Savings by Monica Barber There’s something magical about the month of March that makes it a special time of year. It marks the end of the long winter days and warmly welcomes the shorter days of Spring. Admiring the new blooms, Ms. M thinks it’s a perfect time to get out of the house and see the town. It’s […]

Looking to the future of music with Mr. Mumfest: Aaron Rowan
Looking to the future of music with Mr. Mumfest Aaron Rowan By Monica Barber ”We could look back and say, ‘Oh, my it’s come that far in that short a time?” Yet in the last 6 years since the start of MUMfest and the frenzy of change it’s hard to argue that Aaron […]

BargainView- New Year’s Savings
BargainView By Monica Barber Start the New Year by Saving! Start off the New Year with a fresh mindset and fill it with new experiences. The month of January welcomes great ways to embrace & spread positivity and joy as brightly as you can. Ms. M finds herself slinking into an oversized chair in a […]

5 Questions with Mattéa Overstreet
5 Questions with Mattéa Overstreet By Monica Barber Mattéa Overstreet’s soothing voice and songs are loved by many fans in the Central Valley and growing in numbers every day, but she seems to have a very quiet and earthly presence to herself and her life out of the spotlight. Mattéa is foremost a singer and […]

BargainView: The Holiday’s don’t have to be expensive!
Watching the winter fog rolls in this evening, makes Ms. M question, “Where did 2017 go?” and smile. I hope it’s been as good to you as it has been to moi. The holidays bring home the friends and family we haven’t seen most of the year and it’s wonderful to share all our […]