One of the reasons I moved to Santa Cruz from San Jose was the music scene. There seemed to be only boring cover bands in San Jose and I craved hearing original music, not the same old tired 1970s disco hits.

We’ve got far more culture in our small town than in the giant city of almost a million people to the north. On almost any night you can find at least five shows, some by cover bands and many by those writing their own music.

But I’ve been surprised to see cover bands even here selling out theaters. Bands covering the likes of Journey, ABBA, the Dead and Tom Petty are packing houses.

As you’ll see in Richard Stockton’s cover story, the answer is in following the money. Bands playing tunes by other bands get paid big bucks; original bands earn pennies to the dollar (even though promoters have to pay fees for using other people’s music). People want to dance to songs they already know, both here and in San Jose.

To make matters worse for those living over the hill, Santa Clara County has passed an ordinance charging wineries as much as $14,000 a year for live music permits. Talk about killing the golden goose.

But it means more music over here, which is a good thing. My own prediction for the years ahead is that downtown will have even more music venues because all the new apartment residents will want more nightly entertainment.

Until I read Richard’s article, I had forgotten about how so many of the biggest original bands started by playing cover songs, even on record (like the Beatles). I generally have no interest in going to a cover band concert. I’d rather see the original artists, or if they aren’t around, I’d rather listen to their recordings.

But I’m in the minority there, as the crowds at our venues show. People love the hits, no matter who is playing them. That said, I have seen some big bands with only a couple of original members (Yes; Dead and Co). but my rule is I won’t go if there are no originals. What are your thoughts on it? Are you happy with cover bands, and if so why? Do you have patience for up-and-coming bands that only play original music? (Write us at ed****@*****ys.com.)

Other articles you need to read: Geoffrey Dunn brings us the story of the first surfers in Santa Cruz, who hit the waves in 1885. No wetsuits or fancy boards.

Mark C. Anderson clues us in on Mane Kitchen & Cocktails, the upscale fine dining downtown restaurant taking over the old Betty’s location. And a new cookie spot, Insomnia. We also get the lowdown on La Posta from Andrew Steingrube and the three-year struggle operating by a closed bridge that’s taking longer to finish than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge.

Thanks for reading and eating.

Brad Kava | Editor

PHOTO CONTEST

WHALE FAIL  Chanticleer multi-million-dollar project; short-term results. Photograph by Jan Gitler.

GOOD IDEA

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County and DoorDash today celebrated their 10,000th Healthy Food Box delivery through DoorDash’s Project DASH program, marking a major milestone in a partnership that has expanded access to nutritious food for local families in Santa Cruz County. Through this partnership, DoorDash delivers food to CalAIM members referred to SHFB Santa Cruz County via local health clinics.

At an event held in Watsonville, the milestone was commemorated with a symbolic handoff of the 10,000th delivery, followed by a DoorDash Dasher completing the delivery to a Santa Cruz resident. The delivery was part of SHFB Santa Cruz’s work, providing over 10 million pounds of fresh produce and pantry staples annually to hundreds of thousands of neighbors across Santa Cruz County, through over 100 distribution sites.

GOOD WORK

Community Bridges Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program remains fully funded and operational ensuring continued support for local families despite the ongoing federal government shutdown.

While some federal nutrition programs—such as SNAP (CalFresh in California)—may experience delays or pauses in benefits starting November 1, WIC participants will continue to receive their benefits without interruption. All scheduled appointments will proceed as normal, and participants can continue to use their WIC cards for healthy food purchases. For more information: communitybridges.org/WIC.

“Families depend on WIC to ensure their children have the nutrition they need to thrive,” said Dana Wagner, Community Bridges WIC Program Senior Program Director. “We want to reassure our participants that WIC is open and ready to serve, even during this uncertain time.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘The starving artist is alive and hungry in Santa Cruz. Music is not a career here, it’s an obsession.”
—Laura Strange