Friends, family, fans and celebrity collaborators filled UC Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater to celebrate the life of Santa Cruz musician Oliver Tree in a three-hour memorial that blended music, comedy and heartfelt tributes. The emotional hometown farewell highlighted both Tree’s global impact and the lasting legacy he leaves in the community that shaped him.
Mat Weir
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Purrrrrrfest returns: Santa Cruz metal bands rock out to help black cats
Santa Cruz’s annual Purrrrrrfest returns Saturday to the Blue Lagoon, bringing four local metal bands together to raise money for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s Bogey Fund, which helps black cats find homes. The quirky benefit concert has grown into a beloved community tradition now in its sixth year.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
From Harbor High to global icon: Remembering the genius of Oliver Tree
Santa Cruz-based journalist Mat Weir, who has known Oliver Tree for 13 years, shares his thoughts on his tragic death and the legacy he leaves behind in his home city.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
From Westside workshop to world stage: Santa Cruz Guitar Company celebrates 50 years
A half-century after Richard Hoover co-founded Santa Cruz Guitar Company, the internationally acclaimed guitar maker is celebrating its roots with a museum exhibit, concerts and a one-of-a-kind guitar crafted from Santa Cruz redwood and sycamore.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
It’s ‘nerd Christmas’ in May as Free Comic Book Day returns to Santa Cruz
Downtown Santa Cruz’s comic hubs are rolling out the red carpet for Saturday’s national Free Comic Book Day, including an appearance by cartoonist Mike Kunkel of “Herobear and the Kid” fame at Atlantis Fantasyworld as it and Comicopolis celebrate the industry’s day in the sun.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Save the Bay event targets Trump plan for offshore oil drilling
A town hall and concert event set for Sunday at Vets Hall in downtown Santa Cruz will bring local politicians, environmental activists and musicians together to oppose Donald Trump’s plans to drill for oil and mine for minerals off California’s coast.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Nerd nirvana: Comics and kitsch fans turn out for Surf City Comic Con
Thousands flocked to the third annual Surf City Comic Con on Saturday, where cosplayers, vendors, and fans
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Return of the Comic Con: Games, presentations, vendor booths and, of course, comics coming back to Capitola Mall
Surf City Comic Con returns to the Capitola Mall for a third consecutive year on Saturday, April 11, featuring not only old toys, comic books and posters but a cosplay contest and special guests.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Local band Drain’s ‘MELT THE ICE’ tee raises $40,000 for immigrant community support
A T-shirt bearing punk band Drain’s logo and the slogan “MELT THE ICE!!” has been a big seller, with the Santa Cruz trio delivering nearly $40,000 for the Supporting Immigrants in Santa Cruz County Fund to Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios for sale: Changes coming for another beloved pillar of local music scene
Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios is for sale. Its longtime owner-operators, Jenn and Paul Gallacher, hope to sell to someone who wants to keep the music rehearsal spaces on Coral Street open and continue running the business.
