Quick Take
Santa Cruz's Coffis Brothers are hoping to develop an annual music festival, with their two-day event "Coffis Space" taking place March 23 and 24 at Moe's Alley.
The pun doesn’t instantly connect when you only look at it in print. But say it aloud, then “Coffis Space” makes sense — you know, like that 1999 film classic?
Whether you get it or not, Coffis Space is now officially an annual event, an only-in-Santa-Cruz kind of entertainment/arts festival, hosted by one of Santa Cruz’s most popular bands, The Coffis Brothers.
Just as they did last year, Kellen and Jamie Coffis and their bandmates are hosting the two-day event, this year taking place Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, at Moe’s Alley. It’s a Coffis Brothers show, yes. But it’s more than that. It’ll have stand-up comedy, arts and music vendors and lots more — kinda like a festival.
“We’ve been wanting to create our own music festival for a while now,” said Kellen Coffis, “and a couple of years went by when we were just trying to figure out how to do it. So we just decided, let’s bring some of those ideas to Moe’s.”
Coffis said that the band was inspired by what the Bay Area band Mother Hips have been doing at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco for decades with “Hipsmas,” their annual holiday series of weekend shows. In 2023, they sparked the “Coffis Space” idea with a performance, as well as guest artists (including Kellen and Jamie’s mom, Vicki, who was a popular local performer in the 1980s and ’90s), comedy, some well-known food vendors, and even “Sleepy John” Sandidge selling some classic old vinyl.
This year, Coffis Space is a back-to-back affair, with a Saturday night bleeding into a Sunday afternoon. The Coffis Brothers will play both dates, but Saturday will feature an opener by accomplished singer-songwriter Mike Viola and stand-up comedy from DNA. Then, on Sunday, the Coffises will welcome vocalist Adrea Castiano and the Santa Cruz country band Kentucky Mule, with other attractions including vendors and food.
The Hipsmas event spills over into three days, Friday and Saturday night, followed by a Sunday afternoon. “Maybe in Year 3, that’ll be the plan,” said Kellen Coffis. “But we like the idea of a yearly event for fans of ours in and outside of Santa Cruz where they can know ahead of time, and put it on their calendar — and that there are some special things they can expect, and just hang out together. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
He said that Redwood Records in Santa Cruz will be there selling some classic vinyl, and Chubbs Chicken Sandwiches will also be on hand, as well as visual artists showcasing their work.
If all goes according to plan, Coffis Space will become a calendar touchstone in the earliest days of spring. Coffis said that summer and winter are both tough times to schedule this kind of event, for different reasons, and that late March is likely a time when many live-music fans are getting antsy after a long winter and looking forward to the summer.
“Once the weather gets better and it gets light later,” Coffis added, “people are looking for something fun to do.” March also happens to be the birthday month of both Coffis parents, Jim and Vicki: “Maybe that’s part of the celebration going forward too.”
Coffis Space 2 takes place March 23 and 24 at Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz.
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