Students seeking an alternative to the typical Isla Vista party scene can catch Grammy Award winners Steve Martin and Ziggy Marley in concert this weekend.

Although renowned as an iconic comedian, Martin will entertain the Granada one twang of his banjo at a time with his band Steep Canyon Rangers at 8 p.m. tonight. Additionally, Ziggy Marley — son of reggae legend Bob Marley — will give two separate performances on Sunday, the first a family-friendly reggae jam held at UCSB’s Campbell Hall at 3 p.m., followed by a full-length evening performance at the Arlington Theatre downtown at 7 p.m.

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Entertainers Steve Martin and Ziggy Marley will be performing this weekend in Santa Barbara. The bluegrass and reggae musicians will be playing songs from their latest Grammy Award-winning albums.

Martin’s appearance will offer attendees an evening of good ol’ bluegrass from a man known to grace his activities with a healthy dose of humor — and recently, award-winning rhythm. His first all-music album — The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo — won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album and spent 31 weeks at number one on the Billboard bluegrass chart.

Event coordinator Meghan Henry, Senior Writer and Publisher at Arts & Lectures, said the public has been waiting in anticipation for this event.

“If there’s any tickets left at all on Friday, it will be only a few,” Henry said.

Mario Vasquez, a first-year political science major, said he’s certain Martin’s comedic talent will be reflected in his musical performance.

“Who knows a better time than Steve Martin?” Vasquez said. “I’m expecting a show filled with great music from a very talented man. Maybe a few jokes thrown in there as well.”

Meanwhile, Marley’s on-campus concert will reflect his third solo album Family Time, which won this year’s Grammy award for “Best Musical Album for Children”. The show will also feature his brother Stephen Marley and Beninoise singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo, as well as family-friendly activities such as face painting.

[media-credit name=”Photos Courtesy of Arts & Lectures” align=”alignleft” width=”247″][/media-credit]According to Henry, each Marley performance will offer something for all his fans to enjoy.

“The show at the Arlington is a full-length concert,” said Henry said. “It will probably feature a mix of his older stuff and [music from his band] Melody Makers.”

Mia Giovanetti, a fourth-year business economics and global studies major, said she is looking forward to a retrospective of Marley’s work.

“I love Ziggy’s voice no matter what,” Giovanetti said. “But it will be nice to hear his older music again.”

Tickets for Arts & Lectures events can be obtained online at www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu or by calling (805) 893-3535.

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