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Well-Composed Pride
New Music Works’ final concert of the season, 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride in Santa Cruz, is special for several reasons. First, it’s part of a much bigger month-long celebration (visit santacruzpride.org...
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There’s Going to Be a Test?
Few people’s names are associated with “tests.” There’s the (Hermann) Rorschach Test, which gauges people’s pareidolia, finding meaning in nebulous patterns. The (Alan) Turing Test, where one can...
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Serendipitous Sounds
Redwood Mountain Faire is comin’ round the mountain, again, and if you haven’t been, you should. It is literally a community in action, as everyone working there is a volunteer. All proceeds have gone...
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Musical Mischief
Levitating with clever ideas, Opera Project won us over in April with a cabaret version of Bach’s saucy Coffee Cantata, performed by three singers and a trio of instrumentalists in the intimate (i.e.,...
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Just Can’t Stop It
When the British ska movement launched in the late ’70s, great ska/rock-steady acts like the Skatalites, Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker were founding influences. Inspired by the rebellious nature of...
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Big Sound
In the annals of American rock bands, Little Feat is one of the more criminally underrated acts to arrive on the scene. Launched by the initial quartet of vocalist/bassist Lowell George and bassist...
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Southern Oracle
In the 2000 film Songcatcher, the title character is a turn-of-the-century musicologist who collects folk songs. In a way, Valerie June is a modern-day version of that. But rather than curate...
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Delta Blues Master
Though named after the King of the Cowboys, guitarist Roy Rogers isn’t a country and western yodeler. The Bay Area resident and Redding native is an acclaimed Delta blues musician and producer. His...
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Even the Crawfish Got Soul
A tribute album dedicated to the musical pioneer of zydeco music, Clifton Chenier, arrives on a platter (there are other options, besides vinyl), on June 25. Twelve deep grooves by some of the...
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Honky-Tonkin’ and Boot Scootin’
Across the nation all forms of country music—from pop to honky tonk, Western swing to outlaw—have been wranglin’ more and more listeners and are once again rising in popularity. Whether it’s from...
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