Hi friends,
Next week, your Weekender newsletter goes dark, like many of the county’s stages and venues, so have yourselves a very merry holiday season and then, let’s all jump on 2025 like a dog with a bone. Don’t let your heart get broken by this world. Love y’all!
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
He might be America’s most famous travel writer: Rick Steves comes to the Rio Theatre on March 16 in an event presented by Bookshop Santa Cruz. Steves brings with him his new memoir, “On the Hippie Trail,” chronicling his 1978 trip from Istanbul to Kathmandu. Singer-songwriter Jai Uttal and his kirtan-inspired sound come to the Rio on April 12. Kurt Cobain’s favorite band, the Melvins, are still jamming. They come to The Catalyst on March 4. The Zimbabwean music of the Chinyakare Ensemble comes to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Feb. 15. Also at the Kuumbwa, there’s a big show Feb. 24 featuring Martha High’s Funky Divas along with Fred Wesley & the New JBs, doing a tribute show to the legendary James Brown, from musicians who actually played with him.
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, Dec. 19-30
THIS WEEK IN A&E
Remembrance: Bruce Bratton was always part of the Santa Cruz conversation
Santa Cruz gadfly and film lover Bruce Bratton, who died Dec. 11, was always in the arena and always ready to offer his opinion, be it on the latest movie or the latest move by the political establishment.
Santa’s Seabright village: The wonders of Farley’s Christmas Wonderland
Longtime local surfer and shaper Pat Farley presides every December over an amazing neighborhood holiday lights display he calls Farley’s Christmas Wonderland, open until Jan. 1 in Santa Cruz’s Seabright neighborhood.
Which ‘Nutcracker’ is for you? Making sense of dueling productions of a holiday classic
In the 48-hour period this weekend, there will be no fewer than nine live performances of a 130-year-old classical ballet piece known as “The Nutcracker” taking place in Santa Cruz County. Curiously, all nine will begin with the sun still in the sky on what […]
What ‘A Christmas Carol’ can teach us about 2024
It’s been a trying year for many, with more ahead come January. But this December, Wallace Baine writes, you could do worse than leaning into the commonality of “A Christmas Carol” – on stage now in a Santa Cruz Shakespeare production – as “a compact dramatization of the journey to be […]
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.