Hi friends,
I won’t bore you with a lot of Oscars prognostications, because I know nothing — for me, Best Picture is a complete unknown. But I will say this, before the show on Sunday, find a moment to watch “Flow,” a nominee for Best Animated Feature Film and Best International Film. It’s a glorious experience, wordless and riveting, visuals that are stupefying, all told from the viewpoint of a housecat. Weeks after I saw it, I was still awed, and haunted, and enchanted.
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
Back in the 1970s, they were among America’s best rock boogie bands. It might surprise you to know that Little Feat is still around, and coming to Santa Cruz’s Rio Theatre on June 13. The brilliant singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra, who tours and records under the name Hurray for the Riff Raff, comes rolling into the Rio on May 14. Santa Cruz’s legendary eco-friendly Banana Slug String Band marks its 40th anniversary March 29 with a big celebration at the Rio. Eight-six-year-old jazz master Charles Lloyd is set for two shows June 15 at the Kuumbwa. The Scottish band Old Blind Dogs are at the Kuumbwa on June 25. And, on April 14 at Bookshop Santa Cruz, the county’s new poet laureate, Nancy Miller Gomez, will be introduced by the outgoing laureate, Farnaz Fatemi.
Be sure to check out Lookout’s carefully curated and constantly updated planning guide, Down the Line, for the staggering riches and amazing choices awaiting Santa Cruz audiences. It’s our look ahead at the best shows, concerts and events through the rest of the year at clubs, stages and venues all over the county.
CHECK THIS OUT
Best 9: Top events for the week ahead in Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, Feb. 20-27
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THIS WEEK IN A&E
The women’s walkout: Lessons from the 1980s Watsonville cannery strike
The Watsonville Film Festival will mark the 40th anniversary of the Watsonville cannery strike with a re-screening of Jon Silver’s 1989 documentary on the strike, and Silver’s new short film on the strike’s effect on one family.
Hidden no more: Crews push to debut Santa Cruz County’s first national monument trail network this summer
Tucked behind Davenport’s agricultural fields along Highway 1, the federal government has been working with locals to design and carve out 17 miles of hiking trails as part of Santa Cruz County’s own Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. Work is expected to wrap up in the […]
Farewell to Jeanne: Santa Cruz’s Houston told a story that Americans should never forget
Santa Cruz’s Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, who died in December, left behind a legacy of bringing light to a dark period in American history, with her landmark memoir, “Farewell to Manzanar.” A celebration of life is planned for March 1.
That’s all I got, friends. Come at me with comments, ideas, complaints, or thundering insights. Thanks to all Lookout members for your faith and support, and please, spread the word on what we’re doing.