Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the here-comes-winter B9:
- If you haven’t yet discovered the soulful, whiskey-kick sound of Drive-By Truckers, do it now — I’ll wait. Now, the news: The Truckers’ frontman, Patterson Hood, is playing live in Felton.
- Experience the full-on power of the choral group Cantiamo! in the ideal venue for the holiday season, the sanctuary of Holy Cross Church.
- Another reason to resent Elon Musk. His rebranding of Twitter steals the thunder of L.A.’s greatest punk band. May X play on forever.
- The spirit of Christmas comes to vivid life from the magnificent voices of the Santa Cruz Chorale, two performances this weekend at Holy Cross.
- The brilliant comic actress Marga Gomez is presenting her seafaring solo play “Swimming With Lesbians” at … you guessed it, The Blue Lagoon.
- Santa Cruz comes out to celebrate one of its own: This one’s for Tammi.
- Gifts are not always things; sometimes they are experiences … such as “Destined for Grapeness,” a seven-course meal paired with women-made wines, all in the coolest boutique bookstore in the tri-county area.
- It’s not the holidays in Santa Cruz without a visit from the great jazz guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter, who this year shares the stage with the indie band Victoria Victoria.
- What a blessing for local audiences that L.A.’s wonderfully expansive dance band Ozomatli plays regularly in town.