THURSDAY 1/15
REGGAE SCIENTIST
Jamaican born Scientist, also known as Hopeton Overton Brown, is reggae/ dub royalty, having served as an esteemed member of the court of dub pioneer King Tubby who took him under his wing in the ’70s. Scientist quickly impressed with his remixing skills, leading to Bunny Lee giving him his moniker, before moving on to Channel One studios where he’d have more tracks to play with. Scientist continues to adapt to greater tech, incorporating sound while carrying forward his analog roots. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, $35.46. 479-1854.
FILM FIVE MINUTE FILM FEST
A call went out to Santa Cruz artists in Santa Cruz working in art, film, documentary, animation and experimental media to submit films. One caveat: the submissions must be five minutes or less. In the blink of an eye, filmmakers have created films that compel and delight, and weave stories that let the viewer escape for a moment. The top fifteen of these films will be screened and the top three films will be awarded at the end of the night. The jurors of this inaugural festival include Paul Kmiec, Consuelo Alba, and Ginger Shulick Porcella, three local lauded artistic innovators and culture nurturers. SHELLY NOVO 6pm, The MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. $5. 429-1964.
FRIDAY 1/16
THEATER
8 TENS @ 8 FESTIVAL Hosted by the Actors’ Theatre, 8 Tens @ 8 captures the excitement of the stage with eight, short plays no longer than 10 minutes each. This year, judges read over 300 scripts to choose 16 stories by local playwrights, starring and directed by a who’s- who in local theatre like Karen Babbitt, Susan McKay and Peter Gelblum. The festival is split into two parts: the first eight plays will be shown on Friday, January 16th with the second eight the following day. It will continue to show every Thursday through Sunday until February 15th with parts one and two showing on Thursday and Friday respectively, and both parts showing every Saturday and Sunday. MAT WEIR 8pm, Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. $32-$35. 431-8666.
AMERICANA
SCROGGINS AND ROSE Although young, duo Tristan Scroggins and Alisa Rose, reach into the past, brilliantly bringing new life to Western classical and traditional Americana music. Each measure is a display of raw talent as the second- generation bluegrass mandolinist, Scroggins, and the Grammy-nominated composer and fiddler, Rose, impress with thoughtful arrangements and play off each other with exciting improvisation. Compositions are delightfully conversational, telling the listener a story of sacred traditions and an awakening future. The two have skillfully harmonized classical and folk music together, not just musically, but culturally, and offer an invigorating, world class performance. SN 8pm, Lille Aeske Arthouse, 13160 Highway 9, Boulder Creek, $30/adv, $35/door. 309-0756.
SATURDAY 1/17
DARK WAVE
HAUNT ME Let the Redditors debate whether the band is Dark Wave, Dark Wave Adjacent, Post Punk, Goth, or some other niche subgenre. In their Spotify bio, Haunt Me describe themselves simply as Romantic Music From Texas. Their 2025 album, Watch You Bleed, is full of ’80s synth sounds, references to the spooky and macabre, a definite flair for the dramatic and yes, plenty of romance. Their current tour brings them to Santa Cruz where they’ll share the bill with tourmates Holy Water, and The Discussion. KLJ 8pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $28.72. 713-5492.
AMERICANA
BRISCOE Songwriters Truett Heintzelman and Philip Lupton launched roots band Briscoe when they were still teenagers in Austin. The band’s debut album, 2023’s West of it All was a well- received set that leveraged the group’s strengths and showcased their Texas roots. In 2025, the band released a follow-up, Heat of July. That collection featured songs inspired by life on the road, combined with vignettes inspired by real life in the American heartland. The band’s expansive “guest list” lineup—the duo plus seven additional musicians—gives Briscoe a wide sonic palette upon which to paint their songs. BILL KOPP 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton. $22. 705-7113.
TUESDAY 1/20
LITERARY
ANN PACKER After nearly a decade, Ann Packer returns with a powerful novel, Some Bright Nowhere. After nearly four decades of marriage, Eliot and Claire prepare for the inevitable. Claire’s time is running out and she makes a request of her husband Eliot. This request shakes their marriage. In Claire’s last days, Eliot needs to grapple with how this wish breaks his heart, the man and husband he has been. In discussion, Meg Waite and Ann Packer will dive into the intimacies of marriage discussed in her novel. Eyes full of tears, while reading the novel, readers are encouraged to think about what can be asked of loved ones? What can we give to a loved one? ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
WEDNESDAY 1/21
INDIE
STEVE GUNN Smooth, introspective and verging on the edge of pop without toppling over into the void, Steve Gunn’s songwriting is a hidden diamond in the rough of an oversaturated market. For years he spent his career as the guitar player for Kurt Vile’s The Violators until branching off to focus on his solo career. Like his work with Vile, Gunn’s music is a lucid dream, stylized and soft, but with enough trippy energy to keep the listener engaged with the moment instead of floating away. This prolific writer’s discography impressive and just last year he released not one, but two albums: Music For Writers in August and Daylight Daylight in November. MW 7pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $24/adv, $28/door. 429-6994.
JAZZ
BLAQUE DYNAMITE It’s no hyperbole to apply the “prodigy” label to drummer and band leader Blaque Dynamite. Born Michael Mitchell, he started playing at age 2, got into jazz at 14, and while still in his teens worked with Erykah Badu, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. Nominally a jazz player—he’s the recipient of 14 DownBeat Music Awards— Dynamite’s work moves seemingly effortlessly beyond that genre’s boundaries. To date he has released several albums including WiFi (2015), Killing Bugs (2017), Time Out (2020), and two in 2023: Stop Calling Me and Blaque Dynamite. His most recent release is 2024’s Hard Pan. BK 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $34.97/adv, $36.75/door. 427-2227.
