Hi friends,
From the Kuumbwa Jazz Center to Santa Cruz Pride, we’ve seen several local institutions hitting their big half-century mark this year. The next to celebrate 50 years in the community? Our good friends at Good Times, Santa Cruz County’s fine arts-centered weekly newspaper. Santa Cruz’s media history is rife with scrappy little papers that made big noises then quickly disappeared. Founded by the savvy writer and reporter Jay Shore in 1975, Good Times is the lone survivor of that bunch, having also surfed the subsequent digital age, the collapse of the print industry and all kinds of other challenges. The paper will be hosting a 50th birthday bash at its HQ on Dakota Street (at Soquel Avenue) on the afternoon of July 11. Congratulations to the GT crew. Long may ye wave.
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
Beloved stand-up veteran Paula Poundstone returns to the Rio Theatre with a show Sept. 19. The great Jamaican reggae artist Kabaka Pyramid has booked not one but two shows at Moe’s Alley, Nov. 28 and 29. Folk music legend Holly Near returns to Santa Cruz for the first time in many years. She plays the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Oct. 8. It’s best of both worlds for many music fans: Steely Dead, mixing you know which two bands, plays Felton Music Hall on Oct. 26. And four great local songwriters — Anthony Arya, James Durbin, Nick Gallant and Dylan Rose — are all coming together under the name Coastal Highwaymen for a songwriters roundtable concert at Kuumbwa on Aug. 22.
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
A Santa Cruz Fourth: Downtown Santa Cruz will be the scene on Friday for a big Independence Day celebration at Abbott Square. Cooper Street will be closed to cars all afternoon (that is, cars in motion; there will be a whole lot of classic and exotic cars parked for your ogling pleasure). Three live bands will be laying down the tunes into the evening, plus games for kids (and adult-aged kids) art, food and merriment. And it’s all free.
But Abbott Square is not the only hot spot for your Fourth revelry. Parties and parades all over the county will be waving the flag and passing the barbecue sauce. Here’s a guide to the Fourth of July countywide.
Thank God it’s Monday: For decades, Monday night has always been the off-night in the hectic summer schedule at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, but no more. Yes, the company will take a weekly break from its busy theater schedule on Monday, but, for the first time, the Audrey Stanley Grove will be activated for other goings-on on Monday. SCS has just announced its “Monday Night Revels” and it includes music, comedy, even Shakespeare-adjacent drag. Here’s what they’re planning:
July 21: Rockapella is a popular a cappella group known for its all-vocals renditions of tons of great songs from “Let It Be” to “Despacito” to “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” 7 p.m. showtime.
July 28: Stand-up comic Brian Kiley, perhaps best known as Conan O’Brien’s lead monologue writer, has won a couple of Emmys, and has appeared on all the big late-night shows. 7 p.m. showtime.
Aug. 4: Pink Ladies of the Sonnets is a Bay Area group of drag performers throwing a show inspired by Shakespeare’s sonnets. Attendees are encouraged to dress as outrageously as they can. 7 p.m. showtime.
Sept. 22: The Surf City All-Stars dive deep into the immortal catalogue of The Beach Boys. Every member of the group has played in the Beach Boys’ band. 7 p.m. showtime.
Could this be a new era for the Grove at DeLaveaga emerging as a new live performance space in Santa Cruz? Stay tuned.
DNA test: Longtime Santa Cruz stand-up comedian DNA has a new comedy album out. Back in the spring, shortly after he announced that he was moving away from Santa Cruz to pursue other opportunities, DNA recorded some live shows in Santa Cruz and Mill Valley with an intention to release the recordings as an album.
That album, “Dark Horse,” is now available, in which he explains his unusual name (which he was always reluctant to do): “I cater to the illiterate, because if you can say my name, you’ve already spelled it!”
Do the man a solid and download.
Best 9: What’s what in the week ahead
There are two moments during the year when the live entertainment scene takes a breath: the week before New Year’s, and midsummer around the Fourth of July. This week, the Kuumbwa Jazz Center is taking a short break. The Catalyst and Felton Music Hall are also dark (though the Crepe Place will be jumping). The B9 returns next week to keep an eye on the summer’s entertainment scene.
THIS WEEK IN A&E
In face of financial headwinds, MAH looks to expand revenue with new museum store
The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History is entering a new fiscal year with a new museum store. With that venture and others, the MAH is hoping to generate new revenue streams to offset a lingering post-COVID debt.
Watsonville planning commission OKs renovation plans for historic Porter Building
The Watsonville Planning Commission approved a design review permit for renovations to the historic Porter Building, located on Main Street in downtown Watsonville.
Community Foundation awards $280K in racial equity grants
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County has awarded $280,000 in grants through the Rise Together Fund for racial equity, supporting 14 BIPOC-led organizations.
Five years on, Santa Cruz Black leaders reflect on George Floyd’s legacy of activism and art
Black leaders came together Monday to discuss the lingering aftershocks of the summer of 2020 and how those pivotal days shaped Santa Cruz’s Black community.
Cocoanut Grove rebrands as ‘The Grove’
Santa Cruz’s iconic Cocoanut Grove rebrands as “The Grove,” to reflect its shift from mainly a ballroom to primarily a conference and event center, sparking a backlash among some locals.
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.