Hi friends,
Every year, right about this time, I succumb to the urge to dig out an old CD from a talented Santa Cruz singer-songwriter named Bryn Loosley I first met back in the 2000s when he was my daughter’s teacher at Mission Hill Middle School. The album was released in 2013, and it’s called “Blood Year,” and its conceit is simple: It features 12 songs, each inspired by a different month of the calendar. Song No. 6 is “Making It Feel Like June,” the chorus of which fills me with a rush of warmth and longing that always intoxicates me, year after year. There’s something magical about the time of year when the daylight lingers impossibly late and the summer awaits like a promise. Check out the song, and give your June just a little bit more sweetness.
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
The great Santa Cruz Mountains Sol Festival, a late-summer live music tradition in the San Lorenzo Valley for years, will not take place in 2025. The festival made the announcement on social media, adding that it hopes to return next summer. Texas-born troubadour Ruthie Foster comes to Moe’s Alley on Sept. 18. Also at Moe’s Alley, the elegant neo-country duo Chaparelle on Sept. 23. Writer Meg Waite Clayton brings her new novel, about a link between Carmel and Hollywood, to Bookshop Santa Cruz on July 10. Instagram-famous poet Whitney Hanson is also due at Bookshop with her new collection July 8. Versatile Tennessee-based singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah is set to perform at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Nov. 10. And the musically ambitious SoCal indie band Young The Giant is the latest band to play live at the Quarry Amphitheater on the campus of UC Santa Cruz, on Sept. 9.
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, June 5-12
THIS WEEK IN A&E
‘Something that scares me’: Santa Cruz Shakespeare wanders ‘Into the Woods’ in ambitious 2025 season
Santa Cruz Shakespeare follows up its historic 2024 season of expansion with another new wrinkle in 2025: a musical. Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” is paired with Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Pericles” in a bold new summer season.
Japanese Cultural Fair returns to Santa Cruz on Saturday with food, art and tradition
The annual Japanese Cultural Fair is back in Santa Cruz this Saturday at Mission Plaza park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Santa Cruz Pride’s 50th-anniversary celebration culminates in vibrant parade down Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz Pride capped off its 50th-anniversary celebration with a downtown parade Sunday morning. Hundreds of Santa Cruz residents lined up along Pacific Avenue decked out in Pride colors to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
When are America’s artists going to answer the call to protest? June 14 would be a good time to start
A small Santa Cruz theater troupe called Dangerous Neighbors is putting on a show of sketch comedy called “Deflating Fascism,” on the same day that Donald Trump will preside over a showy military parade on his own birthday. It’s a tiny step, but a sharp […]
FINAL WEEKEND: Strong lead performance grounds MCT’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’
In Mountain Community Theater’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Wyatt Troxell delivers a masterful portrayal of a neurodivergent teen detective, though the production’s minimal staging fails to match his nuanced performance.
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.