Week of 9/25
THURSDAY 9/25
JAZZ
DAYRAMIR GONZALEZ
Havana-born pianist Dayramir Gonzales boasts a sterling pedigree. He began his musical journey at age 16 as a member of Diákara, the Afro-Cuban jazz outfit led by Oscar Valdés. Gonzales released his debut Dayramir & Habana enTRANCe in 2007, winning several awards. Attending Berklee on a Presidential Scholarship, he graduated summa cum laude in 2013. A veteran of high profile performances at venues including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, he continues to return to Cuba to play the annual Jazz Plaza Festival. Gonzales is at the forefront of contemporary artists infusing today’s jazz with the lively musical traditions of his native country. BILL KOPP
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $40-$42. 427-2227.
AMERICANA
THE LONE BELLOW
The word vulnerable gets tossed around a lot these days. The Lone Bellow earn the descriptor. Founded when Zach Williams took the journal he was keeping while caring for his wife who was recovering from a serious horse-riding accident. He learned to play the guitar so that he could add music to his words. The core trio, often joined by additional musicians, trades off on vocal duties, harmonizing beautifully over three guitars strumming for an emotionally rich, sincere and vulnerable example of Americana. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $35. 704-7113
FRIDAY 9/26
MUSICAL
CINDERELLA
The Prince is giving a ball! Finish sweeping the floors and find the most elegant gowns because the show is about to start. The lovely Cinderella must leave by midnight. The Scotts Valley Performing Arts presents the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. This timeless fairy tale has been told countless times. Even so, the contemporary twist and iconic, original music added to this version breathe new life into the story. This musical continues to fill audiences with magic, love, and hope as they watch Cinderella and the Prince fall for each other. Goes until Oct 12th. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, The Landing, 251B Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley. $33.42. 566-9411.
REGGAE
BIG MOUNTAIN
Radiating with love and gratitude, reggae band Big Mountain brings their melodic, bubbly melodies and uplifting words to the stage with renowned releases like “Baby Touch my Light,” and their cover of Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way.” Though the lineup has been through a series of changes, frontman, Joaquin “Quino” McWhinney, has kept a passion for reggae and a joyful stage presence since the band’s creation in 1991. Big Mountain boasts international reputation, having performed at Reggae Sunsplash in Jamaica, Hornbill Festival in India, and Pol’and’Rock in Poland. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 9pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, $25/adv., $30/door, 479-1854
SATURDAY 9/27
SINGER-SONGWRITER
CLEM SNIDE
Clem Snide sounds like a stage moniker, but so does the given name of the artist, born Eef Barzelay. His songcraft has variously been characterized as indie rock and alt-country, but at his core, Snide is a singer-songwriter. He’s a prolific one as well, with 17 albums and five EPs to his credit. Snide’s lyrics—as showcased on the newest album, Oh Smokey (released September 2024)—explore themes such as God and death. It’s a slow burn of a record, one designed for close, contemplative listening. And that approach is well applied to Clem Snide’s live shows as well. Rye Valley opens. BK
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $24. 429-6994.
EXPERIMENTAL
RICK WALKER
Rick Walker is a drummer, percussionist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who was a major player in the world music/fusion scene that blew up in the ’80s and ’90s, but perhaps his biggest cultural contribution has been his early adoption of live looping. He founded the International Live Looping Festival, now in its 25th year, and himself been performing and recording with loops generated and layered on the spot, for over 30 years. He has created new hardware and software for himself and fellow loopers to utilize as they chase the ultimate collaboration of electronic music and improvisational ingenuity. KLJ
INFO: 8:30pm, Indexical, 1050 River St. #119, Santa Cruz. $16. (509) 627-9491.
SUNDAY 9/28
ROCK
FREAK FEST
Dubbed “An Evening of Strange, Wonderful Music” (with a really killer psychedelic poster to boot), Freak Fest features five of Santa Cruz’s most eclectic young bands: Carabeza, Mutt, Kook and Rio and the Soup. The headliners, Red 40, are the newest on the scene and have already made huge waves for themselves playing house shows around town. They’ve even already played the main stage at the Catalyst earlier this year, a feat that takes most bands years to accomplish. And it’s no wonder, their heavy, metal infused psych sound is like if Mr. Bungle, Primus and Black Flag had a baby then left it to “go get cigarettes” and never returned. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7pm, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $19-$24. 713-5492.
DARK FOLK
WAUL OF THE WEALD
One of the more unexpected metal subgenres is what can only be described as forest folk. Think a medieval bard strumming his lyre, while smoking a pipe underneath a canopy deep within the woods of time. Yeah, it’s like that. It’s the type of music that can be enjoyed by the elderly, Renaissance Faire enthusiasts and metalheads clad in black leather jackets with armored plating. Turn to The Jury Room this Sunday to see what all the clamor is about when local drone flutist Dean Fraser, Portland’s “darky hypnotic psych folk” Catal Huyuk and Whitehorn, California’s Waul of the Weald play mystic ballads. MW
INFO: 8pm, Jury Room, 712 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. $10. 426-7120.
WEDNESDAY 10/1
MARIACHI
MARIACHI HERENCIA DE MEXICO
Paying tribute to traditional mariachi music, while celebrating and creating its future, Mariachi Herencia De Mexico has made its mark with five chart-topping albums and two Latin Grammy nominations. Beginning in Chicago and performing across North America, this band performs with vibrance and technical poise. Fourteen musicians aged 18 to 32 electrify audiences with their sharp percussion, piercing and rich vocals, and singing strings. Mariachi has deep roots in Guadalajara and Mexico City, and many of these young talents have studied under and played with grandparents and relatives who passed the tradition down to them. SN
INFO: 7:30pm, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz. $47. 423-8209.
