Clik here to view.
The Gospel According to Rev. Billy C. Wirtz
With a stage name like Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, you’d expect that the man would be an evangelist of some kind. And you’d be right. But Wirtz—born William Wirths in Aiken, South Carolina, just up the road...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Andy Frasco Shows His Grown-up Side
Could it be that Andy Frasco is maturing? He returned to touring this winter, and fans can expect Andy Frasco and the U.N. to bring the party on stage (or somewhere in front of the stage when Frasco...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Donny McCaslin returns home
As an elite-level saxophonist and composer, Donny McCaslin plays in many different jazz clubs and other venues all over the world. But Kuumbwa Jazz Center, where he and his quartet will perform on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shemekia Copeland — Soul Truth-Teller
Shemekia Copeland isn’t sure what to make of the Blues Music Award for Instrumentalist Vocals that she received recently. Does it mean she’s the best singer in blues, male or female? Or was it another...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dance and Music Share Stage on Night of the Living Composers
New music, new moves, what better way to celebrate spring? NewMusicWorks and Tandy Beal & Company join together for an extraordinary coupling of music and movement featuring premiere scores by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beyond the Lullaby
The chance to sing one of the great oratorios in the Western musical canon is a thrill. Choral singers live for these experiences. Singing with a large group of accomplished musicians, accompanied by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rayland Baxter Flys into Rio Theatre for May 14 Concert
Rayland Baxter maps melodies like a hopeful scout surveying an ever-expanding territory of sound. A legacy artist (his late father Bucky Baxter was a multi-faceted guitarist whose resume includes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Serving the Servants
For a majority of its 92-year-history, the Downtown Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building has provided a gathering place for veterans and the community. From Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polyrhythmics crafts its own genre
The band’s name suggests a sound that draws from the complex and intricate rhythms of the Africa. But while Seattle-based Polyrhythmics began with Afrobeat as a musical starting point, the group has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Blues Notes
When guitarist Coco Montoya takes the stage at the Redwood Mountain Faire in Felton on June 1, the respected blues guitarist can draw on nearly three decades as a solo artist, with a deep catalog and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Big Moth Forever
On Feb. 19, 2023, local musician Daniel Lamothe died while training with CalFire at an obstacle course in Ben Lomond. “Every single day my heart breaks,” writes Dan’s mother, Kathy Lamothe, in a text...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Damned go ‘Darkadelic’
When punk took off in and around London, three bands were in the vanguard of what came to be known as the “punk class of ’77.” Sex Pistols and the Clash would be the highest profile acts who broke...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Santa Cruz Symphony rocks John Williams
Film-goers of all ages can easily hum the opening bars of half a dozen movie scores written by legendary composer John Williams, a man whose flair for the cinematic has created memorable soundtracks...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Santa Cruz Scene Celebration Festival Showcases New Bands
It’s no secret that since the pandemic the Santa Cruz music scene has been going through a major revival. Along with the reopening of the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building—aka Vets Hall, one of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Big Return
John Craigie, a KPIG favorite, known for his hilarious stories and sorrowful ballads, is making his return to Santa Cruz for one special night, put on by KPIG and the Catalyst Club on June 14 at the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Gringo’s Stage Dive into Rock en Español with Alex Lora’s El Tri
It never fails. Whenever a foreign interviewer questions Alex Lora, the leader of Mexico’s oldest and most famous rock band, they ask the same thing. “So, you are the Mexican Rolling Stones?” “No,”...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Instrumental Peace
Jake Shimabukuro doesn’t want to take any credit for the ukulele boom that, over the last decade, has seen thousands pick up the four-stringed Hawaiian instrument. But the “Jimi Hendrix of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Diggin’ Trails Weight of Waiting
Sometimes it’s good to wait, exclaims Johnny Dodd to the Zoom camera. The singer, guitar player and songwriter and his bandmates are discussing why it’s sometimes better to sit on a creative...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jake Nielsen Setting the Pace
STRUMMING ALONG Catch Jake Nielsen on Fourth of July at Junction Park in Boulder Creek. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula What do you do when you’re a young rodeo rider, your whole family is known for professional...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alejandro Escovedo Reinterprets Himself
As a recording artist, if you hang around long enough, you get to look back at your body of work. And if you’re really lucky, you not only get to revisit your canon, but even get a shot at...
View Article