THURSDAY 11/6
ELECTRONIC
LUMASI Denver-based producer Lumasi has gained a widespread following with his TikTok videos, sharing his remixes of his girlfriend’s favorite songs with her. Centering songs around rich, rhythmic bass lines and flipping popular tunes by artists spanning from Ariana Grande to SchoolBoyQ, Lumasi creates sets that anyone can dance to. From bedroom productions to festivals and stadiums, tracks like “Mourning Dub” and “Transformation” showcase wobbly wubs and hypnotic soundscapes that immerse listeners into danceable vibes. His live performance presents addictive melodies and nostalgic remixes that will transport audiences to new sonic dimensions that feels oddly familiar. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $17. 704-7113.
ART
MAKIN MAK WAREP Makin Mak Warep seeks to respond to and reconnect with “American Indians.” Tapestries woven with the intention of fostering a connection with Muwekma Ohlone descendants, the land, and their histories. As a reply to the Chochenyo texts written by Monica V. Arellano and Gloria E. Arellano-Gómez, and their dance ceremony, Kalie Granier created the tapestries with pigments from lichens harvested on the Djerassi lands. While calling back to Ohlone ancestry, these pieces illuminate a new generation of First Nation descendants by layering tradition with the experience of inhabiting contemporary American society. SN
INFO: 6pm, MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz, Free. 429-1964.
FRIDAY 11/7
ROCK
TOJO, KEHOE & GREINER This evening of music features a trio of acclaimed Northern California musicians joining forces. Yuji Tojo is a world-renowned fingerstyle guitarist inspired by flamenco to create a hybrid of classical jazz and rock. Gary Kehoe is a Bay Area drummer who has been part of the Santa Cruz music scene for more than four decades. He has known and worked with Tojo since the 1980s. Percussionist Jim Greiner has won multiple awards for his work and has been heard on countless recordings and motion picture soundtracks, including films featuring Susan Sarandon, David Spade, and Willem Dafoe. BILL KOPP
INFO: 7pm, Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Dr., Soquel. $25/adv, $30/door. 477-1341.
INDIE POP
LAEL NEALE Sub Pop artist Lael Neale has recorded four albums over 10 years as she’s gone from her family farm in Virginia to the life of an indie musician in Los Angeles and then back to the family farm once again during the pandemic, getting back in touch with her own rhythms, and then answering the industry pull, returning once again to LA. Her pace is quickening; three-quarters of her discography has come out in the last four years, and she has a unique, non-abrasively piercing voice that does the storytelling work with support from her dreamy and roomy guitar playing. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $23.60. 429-6994.
SATURDAY 11/8
INDIE
UNPOPABLE Ever wonder what a bass made from a balloon sounds like? Wonder no more because Unpopable will be performing songs featuring Addi Somekh playing a balloon bass. For decades, Addi has been finding new ways to bring joy through balloons. Earlier this year, his group Unpopable put out an album, Angels and Aliens, that features this whimsical instrument. To see them live is to experience a night of fun. When combined with an electronic bass, drums, and a lot of fuzz, the balloon bass creates a mesmerizing show. Audience members will find themselves subconsciously swaying along the aethereal sounds. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
HIP HOP
EARL SWEATSHIRT Rapper Earl Sweatshirt got the world’s attention by joining Tyler the Creator’s collective Odd Future, and then catching the world’s attention once again with his mixtape EARL, all before he reached adulthood. He might have blasted off even faster if he hadn’t taken a year and a half break from recording to sober up while attending a boarding school for “at-risk” teens in Samoa. This son of a law professor and critical race theorist mother, and a South African political poet father, is all grown up now. Boarding school and Odd Future are both behind him, and he’s still one of the most exciting voices in hip hop. KLJ
INFO: 9pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $62. 713-5492.
SUNDAY 11/9
PUNK
APRICOT COURT Ever since the world reopened in 2021, there’s been quite a resurgence in the local punk scene. It began with the hardcore scene getting a defibrillator to the heart with bands like Gulch, Drain, Scowl, Sunami and others. Then came the second wave of punk bands such as Outpatient X, Terra, and Apricot Court. Hailing from Pacific Grove, this trio keeps the early days of California punk alive with long hair and ripping tracks. For the last couple of years, they’ve been hitting the area hard by playing everywhere they can, and this week they’re giving back to the people with a free show at Streetlight Records. MAT WEIR
INFO: 3pm, Streetlight Records, 939 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 421-9200.
TUESDAY 11/11
JAZZ
L’ECLAIR Calling the six-piece instrumental band L’Eclair “jazz” is to truly understate their sound in an (almost) insulting way. Yes, there’s definitely an element of jazz, but there’s also soul, funk, African, and lots of cosmic space. Led by Bulgarian brothers Stef and Yavor Lilov, L’Eclair has–what the internet calls, “relentless grooves,” meaning these guys can jam. Their fifth and latest, Cloud Drifter, released this year, is spontaneous and airy while still keeping the grooves, well, groovin. For fans of Khruangbin who want their music a little weirder and synthier. MW
INFO: 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20adv/$25door. 479-1854.
WEDNESDAY 11/12
AMERICANA
PATTERSON HOOD & CRAIG FINN This unique tour is a pairing of two acclaimed songwriters, both of whom have thriving careers leading acclaimed bands of their own. Scion of legendary Muscle Shoals musician David Hood, Patterson Hood leads the Drive-By Truckers, nominally a Southern rock band but truly something much deeper. Craig Finn is the singer and lyricist in Brooklyn, New York rock sextet The Hold Steady, a leading light on the alt-rock scene. Both bands are critics’ favorites, and this tour showcases the musical storytelling work of their primary songwriters in an intimate, stripped-down setting. BK
