Take Shelter For the past four years, an event aimed at reducing homelessness in Santa Cruz County has focused its efforts on north county. But Project Homeless Connect, which has held an event each spring in the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, will host an event for the first time ever in Watsonville on Wednesday, Nov. 5....

On-stage meltdowns aside, Foxygen discusses their recent new album Live performances and studio recordings have always been two entirely different art forms, but Southern California-based psychedelic rockers Foxygen have spent the last year and half traversing the extreme differences between the studio and performing. Their second LP, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and...

The Spanish Godello grape, plus arancinis, tender butter lettuce and pork schnitzel at Soif Those of us living in and around Santa Cruz know just how lucky we are to have a treasure trove of distinctive and unusual wines—Soif—in our midst. Turns out, so do the folks at OpenTable, who, for the third year in a...

Austin Kaye on backyard dinners and why it’s his favorite time of year to be a chef It was the last lamb slider of the day and a duo of pulled-pork tacos, dabbed with homemade chimichurri sauce and topped with purple slaw, that turned Back Porch into a weekly habit. Serving at the Downtown, Westside and...

The 2012 Pinot that winemaker Vann Slatter produced was good, but the 2013 is even better. Not surprisingly, it has become a top seller at the winery. Made entirely from estate fruit and aged for a year on American oak, I think the 750 cases that Slatter made will not be around for very long. Deep...

Watsonville City Council contest opens amid huge challenges for downtown Watsonville City Council candidate Jimmy Dutra, a realtor and small-business owner, has a vision for his hometown of Watsonville. He says he wants it to be more “business-friendly.” He wants to develop incentives and seek out suitable businesses for the city that will provide sustainable jobs....

One French pop star is out to change the music industry by making Katy Perry dance Yelle’s latest music video opens with her riding a giant cob of corn. She then steps on some broken glass, and lies down in a bed of popcorn. Maybe that’s what she means by “complètement fou?” Not exactly, explains Yelle...

Founder John Orlando has guided the Distinguished Artists series through 30 years of performances When John Orlando started the Distinguished Artists Concert and Lecture Series, he didn’t know it would still be going 30 years later. He didn’t even intend to create a series, exactly. The pianist and longtime teacher just wanted to provide a performance...

A look at five proposals for the future of Santa Cruz water Water conservation is the new norm for the foreseeable future, at least in the city of Santa Cruz. The city council is now reviewing Stage 3 water restrictions on a month-by-month basis, and the city’s recently approved hike in water rate, which includes a...

Local musician Randy Masters to teach course integrating sound with massage While the Army, the CIA and even the City of Santa Cruz are studying ways to use sound to repel enemies, former jazz and world beat musician Randy Masters is among a group of scholars learning how to use sound to heal. Masters, who taught...