Quick Take
Santa Cruz Public Libraries, bucking a longtime stereotype of libraries as places of enforced quiet, is bringing the noise with its latest in live free music concerts at the downtown branch on Saturday night, when the interior of the library will be transformed into a concert venue, welcoming rappers Mak Nova and Alwa Gordon.
Saturday night in downtown Santa Cruz promises to be jumping with live music for holiday revelers, particularly at — wait, is this right? — the library?
Turns out it’s true: The downtown branch of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries is hosting a live (free) concert with Santa Cruz hip-hop artists Mak Nova, DJ Father Taj and Alwa Gordon.
You read that right. The institution that has labored under the stereotype of strictly enforced silence at all times, for generations, is hosting a hip-hop show.
“It will be right there when you walk in,” said the show’s producer, David Addison, a librarian at the main branch. “We’re going to take over the main floor of the library.”
The concert is a promotion for SoundSwell, the SCPL’s program that collects the recordings of Santa Cruz County resident musicians, established a decade ago by the SCPL’s Diane Cowen and Jennifer Gallacher of Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios. The program collects the work of local musicians and makes it available to library cardholders – as a CD, download or streaming through SoundCloud – while paying a licensing fee to the artists.
Saturday’s show is a first at the downtown library, but not a first in the SoundSwell live music series. It is, in fact, the fourth concert this year, the first three taking place at Garfield Park, Felton and Boulder Creek, respectively. Those first three shows were all presented outside, so Saturday’s gig will be a first in another respect, as the first indoor show.
“We won’t have staff to check out books,” said Addison. “I might get a couple of questions, ‘Can I check this out?’ and I’ll have to politely say no. We’ll just be focused on the music.”
Mak Nova, the show’s headliner, is the reigning Musician of the Year as determined by the NEXTies awards. The goal of the program is to present as wide a picture as possible of the Santa Cruz County music scene by choosing different genres in the quarterly concerts.
“We invited Mak Nova for this one,” said Addison, “and she said, ‘Can I bring a couple of friends?’ And we said, ‘Of course.’ So we found a little bit more to pay DJ Father Taj and Alwa Gordon.”
Past shows have included Anthony Arya, Harpin’ Jonny, Dale Ockerman and Samba Cruz.
And the live music/library connection will continue into 2024. Addison said he is aiming at producing a show at the Capitola branch in March and then next summer in the yet-to-open Aptos branch. He’s also looking to add jazz and blues to the mix.
“For this one in particular,” he said of the Saturday show, “we wanted to find some kind of modern hip-hop or rap. And we were just really lucky to get Mak on board. But we’re trying to tailor the music to the community. Part of the idea is that we’re spread out throughout the whole county, right? And so every branch has a different flavor anyway, as far as the architecture and the patrons. So we’re trying to match that with the music.”
Mak Nova, DJ Father Taj and Alwa Gordon are performing live at the downtown branch of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries on Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It’s free.
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