Hi friends,
Easter eggs, baseball games and dumb pranks. We’ve arrived at April. Cue George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun.”
Now, on with the show.
This Just In!
Fans of 1970s yacht rock might remember the exuberant Bay Area band Pablo Cruise (“Whatcha Gonna Do”). The original band is back together and they’ll drop in at Felton Music Hall on May 8. Also in Felton will be the Grammy-winning New Orleans group Rebirth Brass Band on May 11. Moe’s Alley, as it does every year, welcomes back Southern Culture on the Skids for a show Oct. 27. The pioneering British punk band The Damned drops into The Catalyst on June 11. And UCLA activist and author Jason De Leon tells the harrowing story of human smuggling in his new book May 2 at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
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.
Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the spring-in-my-step B9:
‘Stop Making Sense’ at Quarry
Maybe the greatest rock concert film of all time, Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense,” will be screened at the Quarry Amphitheater on the UC Santa Cruz campus May 18. And, hold on, it gets better … among the special treats for the screening will be a guest appearance by ex-Talking Head Jerry Harrison.
Also joining a post-screening Q&A, alongside Harrison, will be film archivist James Mockoski, a Santa Cruz native and UCSC grad, who was instrumental in tracking down and restoring a print of the film, directed by Oscar winner Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”), and originally released in 1984.
If you’re not familiar with the film, it captured with thrilling immediacy the 1983 “big suit” Talking Heads tour after the release of their landmark album “Speaking in Tongues,” and turned the band into rock royalty. The film is dazzling enough in a dark movie theater. Imagine in the wide-open space of the Quarry among the redwoods on a beautiful spring evening. That’s Saturday, May 18. Tickets are $8-$15 for general admission and $50 for gold-circle seating.
Best of the Rest
One more weekend remains for the “Best of the Rest” 10-minute play festival, presented by “8 Tens @ 8.” “Best of the Rest” represents what you might call the honorable mentions from “8 Tens,” those handful of plays that didn’t quite make it to the larger festival.
In this case, the plays are performed, but as “staged readings,” meaning the actors have script in hand and staging is scaled back to simple sets. It’s a great way to get a sense of the festival and the kinds of plays that it attracts every year. The mini-fest takes place at Actors’ Theatre downtown Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Mountain Winery lineup released
Lots of Santa Cruz County music fans are regulars at the Mountain Winery concert series in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Saratoga. The concert series for the summer of 2024 has now been announced, and as usual, it contains some of the biggest names in popular music and comedy including Ringo Starr (May 24), Jim Gaffigan (June 21-22), Rod Stewart (Aug. 13-14), Chelsea Handler (Aug. 24), Jerry Seinfeld (Oct. 6-7) and so many more. Peruse the full schedule and make your plans for the summer.
Remembering Santa Cruz characters
This month has been a body blow for the Santa Cruz County creative community, as we reflect on those we’ve lost. I mentioned last week the loss of Santa Cruz writer and journalist Amy Ettinger, who wrote a farewell column in the Washington Post, published just a couple of weeks before she died, that will take your breath away in its humanity and bravery. Even if you didn’t know Amy, the piece will resonate with a message that is both heartbreaking and hopeful for all us with the privilege of being human. What a soul she was.
Also, I want to acknowledge the loss of a couple of other local creatives who died this month. Rebecca Adams, you might remember, was a wonderful singer-songwriter who would perform at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center annually, usually on her birthday. She performed last November on her 74th birthday, in a show called “One More Time.” Rebecca’s jazzy sensibilities were well-known by local audiences going back to the 1970s.
Rebecca was a charismatic creative force in Santa Cruz for many years as a talented jazz guitarist and vocalist, as well as an actor in local theater in the long-defunct theater company Bear Republic. She played in an all-women’s band known as Sister Star, and even occasionally performed in drag, as a male jazz singer. “She played guitar and piano,” said her former partner Pipa Piñon, “and did arrangements for bands and vocals. She was a big part of several communities: She had the lesbian/gay community, she had the music community, the animal-rights community, the theater community, and she was a military veteran, too, so she had the veterans community.”
Her annual concert at Kuumbwa often functioned as a kind of reunion for those who formed the backbone of the creative community from the 1970s and ’80s. She lived a full, artistically courageous life.
Also lost in March was writer and musician Paul Wagner, another charismatic, larger-than-life figure in the local arts community. I worked briefly with Paul when he worked for me as a stringer at the Santa Cruz Sentinel (he had a byline in just about every publication in town back in the ’80s and ’90s, and there were a lot of them). A lifelong Buddhist, he was a knowledgeable advocate for low-income housing. But I mostly remember his passion about music as a songwriter, journalist, even band manager. When old-timers talk about classic “Santa Cruz characters,” Paul is one of those folks that come to mind.
Give a thought to Amy, Rebecca and Paul. Rest in power, friends.
Earworm of the Week
It might be the most resonant name in all of American history, but in synth-pop circles, Roosevelt means something else entirely. Though it’s attached to three of the most famous Americans of the 20th century (don’t forget Eleanor!), today that name belongs to a German-born millennial whose propulsive electro-pop has been lighting up the European charts for a decade now. Roosevelt’s big bright sound features both irresistible beats and a dreamy sense of ecstasy that works best in a big echo-y room with plenty of space for dancing. Synth-pop is an acquired taste, sure. But sometimes, the swirling sense of excitement can really get to you, even if you prefer something more organic. For a characteristic taste of what Roosevelt is all about, let’s go with the delicious track “Fever” from his 2016 debut album. Give it a spin, but be sure to move the furniture first. You’ll be glad you did.
Three Things
Here it is, our highly subjective, weirdly specific new feature, Three Things to Love in Santa Cruz County. And yes, we’re open to your suggestions:
- After a soggy winter, the green in the natural world these days is nothing short of ravishing. If you haven’t visited in a while, Arana Gulch on Santa Cruz’s Eastside has never been greener than it is at this moment. I’d recommend blocking out some time to count the poppies and ladybugs at Arana. Make it a priority.
- Picking your favorite sandwich at Seabright Deli is kind of like picking your favorite child. It really shouldn’t be done, but I must say I’ve got a soft spot for The Neptune. But ask me tomorrow and I’m sure I’ll have a different answer.
- So, there’s a metal sculpture of a cowboy on horseback in Scotts Valley? Bernie Jestrabek-Hart’s “Super Slide” steel sculpture is on Bluebonnet Lane across from the Scotts Valley Branch Library. Check it out. It could make a great selfie.
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.