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Hi friends,
So, uh, there’s a huge new Halloween store now open on Pacific Avenue. And we’re about three months away from Halloween. Am I the only one annoyed by this? What happens when Santa shows up in swim shorts on Labor Day and the Valentine’s Day displays appear right after Thanksgiving? Is there a way to put an end to this “holiday creep”?
And, because we’re all such good friends here in the Weekender Lounge, we’re giving away freebies for this year’s Santa Cruz Shakespeare season. The first three people to purchase an annual subscription to Lookout – and receive all of the great journalism we produce here every day – will each receive two tickets to the Santa Cruz Shakespeare production of their choice; just go to this link and use the promo code SHAKES at the register. The SCS season ends on August 28, so there’s no time to hang around.
Now, on to the show:
It just happened!
Whoa, do we already have dates in 2023? Yes indeed. The Great Bay Area Metal Band YT is (again) coming to The Catalyst for a concert on January 7th (happy new year!). Also at The Cat, brilliant comedian Hari Kondabolu (December 20). A great show at Rio as a great southern rock band small feat teams up with singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm (December 12), draftsman/engineer Randall Munroe appears at the Paradox Hotel (September 22) and the famous Christian group Rend Collective occurs on September 25 at the Rio.
Check out my carefully curated and constantly updated planning guide, all along the line, for the staggering riches and incredible choices that await Santa Cruz audiences. It’s our rundown of the best shows, concerts and events from the rest of the year at clubs, stages and venues across the county.
B9
Here they are, nine pieces of information needed for the week ahead. In honor of one of August’s biggest music events, we’re calling it B (Sector) 9 this weekend:
- Hey, do you wanna be on an album? You had a lot of hits when the comatose brothers record three shows consecutive nights this weekend at Moe’s. Pass it.
- Looking to soar through inner space on the wings of soaring live music that defies the laws of time? Sound Tribe Sector 9 is ready to take off at UCSC Quarry.
- And if that’s not enough for you, how about STS9 After the party?
- A sweet sunday explore the best of Santa Cruz winemakers? Yes please.
- The excellent young performer from Santa Cruz, Anthony Arya, is calling on all his friends to join him on stage at Rock-a-Palooza at Michael’s on Main.
- It’s all there in the name: The Sisters of Sin are a female-led burlesque group who indulge in a bit of, uh, carnal transgression on stage.
- Be sure to see live theater at Santa Cruz Shakespeare before “Twelfth Night” becomes the last night.
- There is a hard and deep soul to be found in the remarkable songs of John Moreland. Now we all have a chance to see it in Felton.
- It’s the latest free movie to the summer walk (insert weeping, moaning, sighs of disappointment here). Luckily it’s the classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
➤ WANT MORE B9 CHOICES? Find recommendations from the BOLO team – Wallace, Max Chun and Will McCahill – here
“The Show Must Go On” (COVID Edition)
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is over for another year, but festival fans will long remember the 2022 event. It was the year COVID came to the festival, and the year the festival emerged triumphant. against the virus.
The Cabrillo Festival played in front of an in-person audience for the first time in three years this summer. But after an exciting opening weekend, several COVID-positive cases have begun to emerge within the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra itself. Midweek, ahead of its final weekend, the festival announced it was pivoting in the wake of the mini-outbreak. The entire woodwind and brass sections of the orchestra – essentially anything that could be considered a horn – were sent home, although only a few of them tested positive (the winds and the brass constituted almost half of the orchestra of more than 70 members).
Music Director Cristi Macelaru moved quickly to make some changes to the lineup to minimize the effect of having no woodwinds or brass. The remaining musicians – the orchestra was reduced essentially to strings, percussion, harp and piano – took on the challenge of sight-reading new material a few days before performing. Spectators arrived at the Civic knowing that the musicians of the Festival Orchestra were valiantly trying to react to a blow that could have shaken them. And the public was shooting for them.
“The audience was blown away,” said the festival’s executive director, Ellen Primak. “And (the musicians) were so proud of themselves, as they should be. There’s something about triumphing over adversity and meeting the moment that made the energy in the room phenomenal. It really uplifted everything.
The musicians who tested positive were ultimately fine, and many brass and woodwind players stayed on for support. It’s worth mentioning that the woodwinds and brass were the only musicians to perform without a mask (out of necessity, of course).
“The sad thing was that our brass and woodwinds couldn’t play, especially if they were healthy,” Primack said. “But they were all such soldiers.”
‘Candid’ is finished
There’s a different story coming out of Cabrillo Stage, which announced that the upcoming final weekend of performances of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” has been canceled amid a COVID outbreak in the cast.
It’s really a pity. I happened to see this production last weekend and was impressed by the spirit and professionalism of the show.
“Candide” is, of course, based on Voltaire’s 18th century French satire. At first glance, it looks like a tough show to sell to audiences these days and, sure enough, when I saw the play at the Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College, the house was maybe half full.
In fact, the theme of “Candide” is about how the chaos and corruption of the world can, and often does, override our carefully thought-out philosophies of how society is supposed to work, and how we cling to those illusions anyway. . I would say that is damn relevant for today.
Cabrillo Stage, in general, is an under-recognized gem in the Santa Cruz County community, and “Candide” was further proof that the performers and crew at Cabrillo Stage shoot to the highest standards of professional theater. The presentation was particularly breathtaking, and the designer of the show, Skip Eppersonis still one of this county’s most accomplished artists. Cheryl Anderson and his orchestra gave Bernstein’s score some bounce, and many of the vocal performances were top-notch.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Candide”. It’s not the curtain call that any of them wanted. And they definitely could have used more community support. But they lived up to the standards set at Cabrillo Stage.
Three-point Gazette
The Santa Cruz Comedy Festival returns. The director of the festival, DNA, announced last week that the SCCF will come to town on Saturday October 1, with an all-star headlining show taking place in the afternoon outside in Laurel Park, behind the London Nelson Community Center from downtown, and free shows taking place at all venues on Santa Cruz, including Rosie McCann’s, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Woodhouse Blending & Brewing, and 11th Hour Coffee on the same night. Additionally, as part of the festival, Greater Purpose Brewery will host a traveling show called Comedians With Disabilities Act Showcase. Learn more and get your price …
The Museum of Art and History will host a new traveling exhibit, beginning in September, that will focus on California’s agricultural heritage, particularly its application to the land and culture of Mexico. “The Land of Milk and Honey” explores everything from the environmental impacts of agriculture to the mythical and spiritual connections to food with the work of more than two dozen artists. It opens September 1 and runs until the end of the year at the MAH…
Earworm of the week
The Doobie Brothers are of course now firmly entrenched in the pantheon of classic rock. But there was a time when they were just a bunch of guys from San Jose who had a special love for Santa Cruz. The Doobies had already scored with several hit singles in 1975 when they released the album “Stampede”. On that record was a nostalgic and infectious boogie number called “Neal’s Fandango” which names both Santa Cruz and “Loma Prieta, my mountain home.” The name in the title refers to Neal Cassady, an icon of rough hiking across the American landscape. The song is about the tension between a Cassady-esque impulse to wander and an even stronger urge to return home to the Santa Cruz Mountains. What the song doesn’t convey, but surely the Doobies must have known at the time, is that Cassady spent a lot of time in Santa Cruz, even tending to the cash register at the old Hip Pocket bookstore. at one point.
Where am I in Santa Cruz County?
So how well do you notice the little things when you walk around Santa Cruz County? We will be posting images of publicly accessible locations somewhere in Santa Cruz County. You tell us where it is, as accurately as you can…or better yet, send us your own picture of the same.
This lovely reminder (above) of how to communicate “peace” in Braille and American Sign Language came out in the “public square,” but do you know which public square?
Last week’s response: What you see above is the Chaminade Resort & Spa logo icon. Where you might encounter it the most – especially if you’re a local who doesn’t visit the resort often – is on the public hiking trails behind Chaminade.
There are three color-coded trails on the property (red, blue, green) that wind through 300 acres of eucalyptus and redwood forest. If you are particularly adventurous, you will find trails and side roads in the area. And during this time of year, the poison oak is particularly helpful in shouting its malevolent intent at you with its red coloration. Thanks PO!
That’s all I got, my friends. Come to me with comments, ideas, complaints or amazing ideas. Thank you to all Lookout members for your faith and support, and please, make known on what we do.
