Giveaway: GARY MEEK QUINTET
Saxophonist Gary Meek spent two decades touring and recording with Brazilian jazz legends Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. His resume also includes collaborations with keyboardist and composer Jeff...
View ArticleMusic Picks May 30-June 5
Live music highlights for the week of May 30, 2018. THURSDAY 5/31 JAZZ SANTA CRUZ WOMEN OF JAZZ Reassembling the inviting cast of players from last year’s celebration of Ella Fitzgerald’s centennial,...
View ArticleGiveaway: Beres Hammond
In the 1970s, as rocksteady music made way for reggae, a music subgenre known as lovers rock was born. Popularized by artists like Ken Boothe, Johnny Nash and John Holt, lovers rock combined Chicago...
View ArticleMusic Picks June 6-12
Live music highlights for the week of June 6, 2018. THURSDAY 6/7 POST-PUNK ICEAGE Danish post-punkers Iceage got their start a decade ago when the members were still in high school. In the past...
View ArticleGiveaway: Eric Revis Quartet
Jazz bassist and composer Eric Revis is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished musicians of his generation and an important voice in the genre. Possessing a sound that legendary saxophonist,...
View ArticleMusic Picks June 13-19
Live music highlights for the week of June 13, 2018. WEDNESDAY 6/13 ALT-COUNTRY MARGO CILKER Margo Cilker makes “cowgirl music from San Francisco.” What’s the distinction here? Maybe it’s the fact...
View ArticleGiveaway: Bob Schneider
The son of an opera singer, Bob Schneider was born in Michigan and raised in Germany. Not quite the usual background of an Americana artist, but an Americana artist he is. A favorite among Austin roots...
View ArticleMusic Picks June 20-26
Live music highlights for the week of June 20, 2018. WEDNESDAY 6/20 LATIN-FUNK BROWNOUT When Public Enemy released Fear of a Black Planet in 1990, it was the perfect statement for the Reagan/Bush era...
View ArticleGiveaway: Abyssinians
It’s hard to write about reggae vocal trio the Abyssinians without mentioning “Satta Massagana.” A runaway hit song that was originally rejected by legendary Jamaican producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd in...
View ArticleMusic Picks June 27-July 3
Live music highlights for the week of June 27, 2018. WEDNESDAY 6/27 AMERICANA AMANDA PLATT & THE HONEYCUTTERS Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, the Honeycutters have been accused of making...
View ArticleLove Your Local Band: Practicing Sincerity
When Kevin Kaproff thought of the name Practicing Sincerity, he didn’t even have any songs yet. But he liked how it sounded, and felt like it was going to fit his next musical project. He’d been...
View ArticleMusic Picks July 4-10
Live music highlights for the week of July 4, 2018. THURSDAY 7/5 SINGER-SONGWRITER STEVE POLTZ “Hey god, I’ll trade you Donald Trump for Leonard Cohen!” So pleads singer-songwriter Steve Poltz in...
View ArticleMusic Picks July 11-17
Live music highlights for the week of July 11, 2018. WEDNESDAY 7/11 AMERICANA WILD & BLUE Back in 1991, local singer-songwriter Steve Bennett wrote a song about his then 18-month old daughter April...
View ArticleLove Your Local Band: Joe Kaplow
Joe Kaplow grew up on a farm in rural New Jersey, playing music, but not really knowing what to do with it. Eventually he went on a nine-month U.S. tour. Santa Cruz was one of the spots on that...
View ArticlePreview: Rhye at the Cataylst
Is Rhye the most romantic artist working today? Take a look at his performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk from earlier this year, where he and his band sit around a ridiculous number of dimly lit candles,...
View ArticleBe Our Guest: The Producers
Considered one of the funniest Broadway musicals of all time, the Producers is a laugh-out-loud stage show that raked in a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards and three Olivier awards. Based on Mel Brooks’...
View ArticleMusic Picks July 18-24
Live music highlights for the week of July 18, 2018. WEDNESDAY 7/18 ROCK LUNG This two-piece cello and drums combo delivers a unique and haunting sound that dreamily floats between beauty and menace....
View ArticleMusic Picks July 25-31
Live music highlights for the week of July 25, 2018. WEDNESDAY 7/25 ACOUSTIC QUITTERS Who wants to see a couple of quitters playing music? Well, the Quitters (Stevie Coyle and Glenn Houston) are actual...
View ArticleLove Your Local Band: Emmanuel Selassie
When reggae musician Emmanuel Selassie moved to Berkeley in 1993, it wasn’t long before friends told him about Santa Cruz. With his deep love for reggae and spiritualism—he’s a Rastafarian—and his...
View ArticleMusic Picks: August 1-7
Live music highlights for the week of August 1, 2018. WEDNESDAY 8/1 GARAGE SANTOROS One glance at Santoros and their combination of a Seeds-era psychedelic look and traditional Mariachi band outfits,...
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