By Matt Weir
First, for anyone who’s reading this, congratulations. We made it through 2025, not an easy task. The year stands as a tabula rasa, an empty white board with a fresh pack of dry erase markers. So, what better way to kick it off than with a whole bunch of new, local music?
Thankfully, Event Santa Cruz is here to guide the way. Since 2013 Event Santa Cruz has been a leader in the community when it comes to featuring all things cool about our little piece of the map. Stewarded by Matthew Swinerton, Event Santa Cruz’s main focus has always been the deep well of local music the city has to draw from, which is why they launched New Music January five years ago.
Each year local artists are invited to submit one new music video that Event Santa Cruz features throughout the month on their social media platforms. This year’s New Music January kicks off on the 6th and is one of their biggest yet with 30 artists dropping new and never-before-seen videos.
But look, this is Santa Cruz. We prefer quality over quantity and this year’s featured artists are chock full of high quality, organic, local goodness.
Want to feel the weathered, dusty roads of Americana? Then look out for the San Lorenzo Valley’s own Taylor Rae–with her sometimes catchy, sometimes introspective but always personal blend of the genre–the soulful swing of the Alex Lucero Band and Billy Reese’s solo acoustic sound.
Feeling more like having a sit in the feels? Grab a big sweater, a cup of tea and light a scent candle because Swan Porter, Sarah Songbird and Alecia Haselton will all be releasing videos this month perfect for holding space with.
Or for those who want to feel the beat, shake their groove thing, and keep their third eye open, New Music January has some hip hop favorites. From OG’s who have been spitting bars on the block for years like Lyrical I and Alwa Gordon, to more recent heads like Amp Melo, Santa Cruz’s hip hop scene is alive and reppin’.
Of course that’s just a small sampling of what Event Santa Cruz has in store.
Personally, I’m looking forward to all of those artists plus two more: Ripatti Rose Band–who are premiering a video and song dedicated to their friend and longtime local musician Tammi Brown who passed away in April 2025–and the mighty Slow Gherkin. Yes, that’s right, the legendary Santa Cruz ska band will be releasing never-before-seen footage from their 1998 Shed Some Skin album release show at the Catalyst. Combined with their incredibly killer performance at the final 2025 Midtown Friday Summer Block Party, I’m crossing my fingers this means they might, maybe, perhaps, pretty please, record some new music this year. It goes without saying but we could all use a little more ska in these trying times
As if that all isn’t enough to start 2026 off right, this year’s New Music January is also a campaign to raise funds for Event Santa Cruz’s new series, Legends: Live & Local. The premise is to connect local musicians and audiences with major recording artists. Each month a nationally–and internationally–known artist is invited to come to town and speak about their art, beliefs and life. After the Q&A is done, each artist plays a short set with hand picked local musicians previously selected.
The project is a collaboration of Swinnerton’s with friend and fellow Santa Cruzan Jennifer Otter Bickerdike. An award-winning author and born and raised local, Bickerdike spent much of her career as a marketing director for Interscope Geffen A&M Records working with artists like Nirvana, No Doubt, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam and so many more.
Last year the duo brought Jane Wiedlin, the distinctive guitar player and founding member of the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame, punk turned pop, genre defying band The Go-Go’s to a sold out audience at the Museum of Art & History.
It was so well received the two decided to outdo themselves this year and launch it as an on-going series. I was privy to the list of artists either booked or in talks with and–let me say–it’s going to be a hell of a year for music lovers. While I can’t say everyone they plan to bring to Santa Cruz, I can talk about the first two announcements which are huge.
First up are David J of Bauhaus/Love & Rockets and Lol Tolhurst of The Cure performing together on February 27th. Legendary is a word that gets thrown around a lot with not much weight behind it these days, but both of these artists are absolutely legends. They’ve written some of the most iconic mainstream and underground music of the past five decades that continues to entertain music fans and permeate the punk and goth scenes. And for one night they will both be in Santa Cruz with some local musicians playing six songs you definitely know by heart. How cool is that?
The second announcement is the one and only lost boy himself, Corey Feldman! It goes without saying that along with being a huge film star with some of the most iconic 1980s films on his resume, Feldman’s connections with Santa Cruz goes back to 1987 with our favorite cult classic, The Lost Boys. Be prepared for an unpredictable evening of stories, music and all the d@#n vampires!
New Music January and Legends: Live & Local are just two examples of why I love Santa Cruz so much. After 24 years as a county resident the music scene continues to excite me with new bands and innovative ways to showcase them. Because of people like Bickerbike, promoters like Event Santa Cruz, and the endless musicians, artists and fans that flow through the city’s veins, our music scene is constantly growing and evolving with something awesome always on the horizon.
Which is also why it’s so important to participate and donate. Liking and sharing the videos and information is essential for getting the word out about all the cool things happening in the community but donating whatever amount available is the best way to keep cool things happening for years to come. Each donation goes towards ensuring a mainstream artist can come to town and mentor our local musicians in a unique, hands-on experience most across the country can only dream about.
So take up the New Music January challenge, don’t forget to donate, and keep those eyes peeled for Legends: Live & Local announcements throughout the year. You’re not only guaranteed to find at least one new artist who’s music you’ll love for years to come but it will also bring you one step closer to the soul of the city. After all this is what we mean when we say “community.” Things change. Buildings come and go–which is easy to see from almost anywhere in the county. But community goes so much deeper than that and it takes all of us to keep it healthy, sustainable and alive for future generations of artists, musicians and Santa Cruzans to come.
Huge thank you to our partners for making this series happen: City of Santa Cruz Economic Development Department, Lookout Santa Cruz, Capitola Mall, Bay Federal Credit Union, Hotel Paradox, and Schooner Realty.
