BOLO Best Bets: No supply-chain woes with the gift of local music
Need a last-minute gift idea? Forget stuff. Think experiences. Buy a ticket for a loved one to any of the beautiful holiday-themed presentations ahead of us this weekend — “The Nutcracker” at Cabrillo’s Crocker Theater, “A Celtic Christmas” at the Rio, Anthony Arya‘s “Home for the Holidays,” and, if you’re yearning for a touch of the sacred, the Santa Cruz Chorale at Holy Cross Church. No gift wrapping involved, and no assembly required.
— Wallace Baine
Quick Take
Lookout Santa Cruz’s BOLO (Be On the Lookout) calendar is “your place to go for things to do” in Santa Cruz County.
See our full BOLO calendar listings for events in Santa Cruz here. And as if that isn’t enough, we have you covered for all the MAJOR events coming up into the next year with Down The Line, a listing assembled by Wallace Baine that’s your key to getting tickets before they sell out.
Now, here’s what Team BOLO thinks you should know for the weekend and beyond:
(Click category headers for full BOLO listings in that category.)LIVE MUSIC
FRIDAY
“A Celtic Christmas”: This touring show hitting the Rio Theatre on Friday has been on the road for 25 years, presenting a spirited and warm brew of Irish song, dance and tradition. Presided over by charismatic Irish storyteller Tomaseen Foley, the show features a live band, led by Santa Cruz guitarist and Gourd recording artist William Coulter, and a couple of fine Irish dancers as well. It’s all to weave a distinct picture of Christmas with Celtic music at its center. An opportunity for an immersive holiday experience at the Rio on Friday. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Lyrics Born: East Bay rapper and producer Tom Shimura has been performing under the stage name Lyrics Born for close to 30 years, emerging in the early 2000s as a solo recording artist after a decade of collaborating with some of the Bay Area’s most adventurous artists. He’s known for a rollicking, deliciously funky sound best exemplified in his signature song “Callin’ Out.” Most recently, the Japanese-born rapper teamed up with the South Bay’s Cutso to record a song aimed at racist attacks against Asian Americans called “Anti.” Lyrics Born plays a big show Friday at Moe’s Alley, with local rapper Alwa Gordon opening. Showtime is 9 p.m.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Santa Cruz Chorale: After not performing in 2020, the vocalists of the Santa Cruz Chorale return to Holy Cross Church for two concerts, Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The concert’s repertoire features everything from Gregorian chanting, one of the oldest known forms of Christmas music, to contemporary standards, and the chorale will join with the Monterey Bay Sinfonietta to perform carols from around the world. To be responsible in the age of COVID-19, the church will be sold only partially full, and there will not be tickets available at the door. Saturday’s show is at 8 p.m., Sunday’s at 4 p.m.
SATURDAY
“Love Is What We Need”: Watsonville-born singer Andy Vargas, world famous for his stint as primary vocalist with Santana, is the driving force behind this holiday show at the Rio featuring Vargas and the great Los Angeles band Ozomatli. The evening will also feature dancing, comedy, and special guests (including Vargas’ dad, Javier), all to benefit the Andy Vargas Foundation to serve and mentor historically underserved young people in the Pajaro Valley. All proceeds from tickets, merchandise and drinks go to the Andy Vargas Foundation scholarship fund. The fun begins early at the Rio at 6 p.m. Saturday.
SATURDAY
Anthony Arya’s “Home for the Holidays”: Santa Cruz singer-songwriter Anthony Arya and his band rekindle the holiday spirit Saturday at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center with a big show called “Home for the Holidays,” a return engagement of his popular 2019 performance. The repertoire includes many beloved goodies of the season from the “Peanuts”-inspired “Christmas Time is Here,” “Silver Bells,” “Blue Christmas,” “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” and many more. No grinches allowed. It all gets started at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
SUNDAY
Thievery Corporation: Anyone familiar with 1990s-era electronica from acid jazz to chillwave is going to be familiar with Thievery Corporation, the acclaimed duo out of Washington, D.C., made up of inventive producers Eric Hilton and Rob Garza. For more than two decades now, TC has been known for its wild eclecticism, blending everything from Indian to Latin jazz to bossa nova to full-on psychedelia. The duo’s most recent recordings embraced symphonic orchestration, and both Garza and Hilton have also explored their own muses as solo artists. This legendary twosome comes to the Catalyst on Sunday. Opening is rapper and singer Dessa.
— Wallace Baine
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
“Nutcracker” performance by the Santa Cruz City Ballet: A holiday favorite returns to the Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College. With two shows each on Saturday and Sunday – at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – you’ll have plenty of opportunity to get a good dose of holiday tradition with this famous performance.
— Max ChunFOOD & DRINK
SATURDAY
Holiday Artisan Food and Gift Market: Shop local for the holidays with art, clothing, jewelry and food at Santa Cruz Food Lounge’s Holiday Artisan Food and Gift Market. The Food Lounge bar and 11th Hour Coffee shop will be open during the market for warm holiday drinks and cocktails.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Iveta Holiday Market and Wine Tasting: Sip, stroll and shop through locally made items at Iveta Gourmet’s Westside event Saturday and Sunday. The ticket price of $30 per person includes a tasting of eight wines, appetizers and chocolate.
— Haneen ZainRECREATION
SUNDAY
Downtown Santa Cruz Makers Market: It’s your last chance to put the finishing touches on this year’s gift shopping by heading to the Downtown Makers Market. Find items including jewelry, art, food and various other crafts produced by artisans from around the area. Grab a warm beverage and take a stroll around the Pacific Avenue festivities.
— Max Chun
Quick Take
New Music December brings the gift of music to you every day this month. Discover local musicians, with 2-3 new videos...
ONGOING
“Indicators”: Surfing and art slam together for an exhibit at the R. Blitzer Gallery on the Westside of Santa Cruz, featuring the artistic creations of well-known figures in the Santa Cruz surf world, including Stan Welsh, Margitta Dietrick-Welsh, Vince Broglio, Nancy Broglio, Ed Dickie, Tessa Hope Hasty, Dave Anderson, Boogie Bill, Gary Hughes and more. It’s all up at the Blitzer through Jan. 28, at 2801 Mission St. in the old Wrigley Building.
ONGOING
“Gifted”: The downtown gallery Curated By the Sea is packing its Front Street space with a wide variety of artworks from more than 30 of the most prominent names on the Santa Cruz art scene, rotating the content regularly throughout the gift-giving season. Curated is open Thursday through Saturday noon-4 p.m., or by appointment, at 703 Front St., Santa Cruz.
ONGOING
PATT Group Show: Printmakers at the Tannery (PATT) are hosting their latest group show, featuring the work of 13 local fine-art printers at the PATT studio at the Tannery Arts Center. Among the artists showcasing their fine prints and cards are Andrée Lebourveau, Frank Trueba, George Newell, A.V. Pike, Jane Gregorius, Lynne Simpson, Janis O’Driscoll, Cindy Haug, Bob Rocco, Mary Neater, Lu Lee, and Ann Miya. The show runs through Dec. 26 at PATT’s Tannery studio 107.
ONGOING
“Small Works 2021”: More than a dozen Santa Cruz area visual artists are showing their finest wares in Radius Gallery’s invitational show “Small Works 2021,” featuring jewelry, photography, pottery, you name it, all priced with gift-giving season in mind. Artists include Shelby Graham, Margaret Niven, Elisabeth Foster, Maha Taitano, Todd LeJeune, Gazelle Walker, Jenny James and many more. Open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., through Dec. 23.
— Wallace BaineCOMEDY
THURSDAY
Stand-up comedy at Abbott Square: In an event produced by Dope Show, comedians from across the Bay Area featured on late night TV, Comedy Central, SF Sketchfest and more will be performing in Abbott Square — for free, though you’re welcome to make a donation that goes straight to the comedians.
FRIDAY
Greater Purpose Brewing Comedy Night: DNA’s Comedy Lab brings comedians from the Bay Area and beyond to Greater Purpose Brewing each Friday for a weekly showcase. This week’s headliner, direct from Los Angeles, is stand-up Aviva Siegel, a contributing writer for sites including The Hard Times and Reductress whom the East Bay Express named among the San Francisco area’s top comics.
WEDNESDAY
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Comedy Night: Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing welcomes comedians from the Bay Area and beyond for shows every week. Regulars from The Punch Line San Francisco, Cobb’s Comedy Club, Rooster T. Feathers bring the laughs to the Westside.
— Haneen ZainKIDS & FAMILY
SUNDAY
MAH Winter Family Day 2021: Head to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History for a free admission day for the whole family. Explore all of the displays as well as specially curated exhibits such as the popular annual toy train display, button-making and other arts and crafts stations.
— Max Chun
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF BOLO
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