When the Town Clock was dedicated in 1976, it represented Santa Cruzans’ hopes for the future and recalled memories of turn-of-the-century Pacific Avenue when trolleys lumbered by and the clock sat atop the Odd Fellows Building.
On March 4, the day before the primary election, the local developer Workbench submitted a pre-application plan to the City of Santa Cruz for a massive 18-story, 260 apartment building at the former site of Santa Cruz County Bank and the Rush Inn.
The Clocktower Center would be the tallest building in the county and most likely the tallest building ever submitted to the city, according to Planning Director Lee Butler.
The next morning the clock rang and voters quashed Measure M by a 60-40 margin. The measure would have required an election for buildings taller than the city’s current limit of 5 to 8 stories depending on where they are located, and would have raised the number of affordable units from 20% to 25%.
The failure of Measure M points to the public’s appetite for more housing, according to electeds, city officials and developers.
“The critical and pretty utter defeat of Measure M showed us that we are not alone in our effort to solve this crisis,” said Tim Gordin of Workbench. “There are so many people in the city who are supportive of new projects and whose voices were really heard through that vote.”
Others disagreed. They went to reddit and Nextdoor to say they felt misled by the opponents of Measure M who promised no 18-story buildings in the run-up to the election. Former Mayor Don Lane accused proponents of Measure M of “scaremongering.”
Largely missing from the public debate over Measure M was the issue of the state’s density bonus law which makes local zoning codes seemingly impotent to stop high-soaring projects if certain affordability requirements are met. In Santa Cruz, almost all tall projects could be permitted because of the city’s 20% affordable-inclusionary rate, according to Butler. This would have almost certainly made Measure M ineffective to stop this project.
California law incentivizes affordable housing through density bonuses which allow developers to build taller than the city’s height limits. Every city is required to submit to the state a Housing Element that shows how the city expects to reach its housing goals as set by the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA). This process is done in cycles and a new cycle started in 2023.
For the Clocktower Center, Workbench is applying a new density bonus law, effective January 1, which allows it to build 100 percent more units because it will reach the 24% requirement for affordable units. This is why the project can reach 18 stories.
The Clocktower Center is symbolic of the new era of development in the city.
There are currently 2,830 housing units in 47 proposals, plus as many as 260 Clocktower units, proposed for the city in various stages of approval. This is approximately 75% of the city’s RHNA goal set by the state that ends in 2031.
Two other significant projects have been proposed for the Westside in recent weeks, both on Almar Avenue. One submitted by Workbench at 831 Almar is for a six-story, 120 apartment commercial and industrial space for “students and workers” who will be able to use the rail-trail. A 50% density bonus is being invoked. Also because projects located within half a mile of a transit stop don’t have to include parking, Workbench doesn’t have to comply with minimum parking requirements.
At 844 Almar, a three-story 42 low-income unit rental building is proposed by CRP Affordable Housing. The triangle-shaped lot across from Safeway is owned by the Rittenhouse-Melrose family. Plans request a 54% density bonus for the site.
The change to Santa Cruz’s streetscape from Downtown to the Westside will be immense.
“Whatever settles out on this Town Clock project and other projects around town, may it be the Food Bin, wherever it may be, what is undeniable is that Santa Cruz will change rather substantially, buildings will be taller, buildings will be denser,” said Mayor Keeley.
Projects like the ones on Almar are mainly due to the new regulatory environment, according to Butler. Almost as important are the high rents caused by the housing shortage that make landlords salivate.
This new era of development is characterized by developers overwhelmingly proposing rental projects instead of condominiums, according to Butler, the planning director.
“From the early 2000s to 2017 or so the only rental projects that were coming through the city were 100% affordable and all the other projects were ownership. It has very much flipped,” said Butler.
The city will look at encouraging developers to build more owned condominiums to balance the increase in rental housing.
Developers are confident their projects can get built because of the city’s need to fulfill state housing requirements. High rents don’t hurt either. At the Anton Pacific that is set to begin leasing in June, a 500 square foot studio is asking for $2,977.
Ironically, Santa Cruz was part of the 6% minority of California cities to fulfill the state’s last housing requirements.
According to the Downtown Plan, updated in October 2023, building height is limited to 35 feet in the North Pacific Area of Downtown. Development may be allowed “to a maximum height of 50 feet (4 stories)” where the Clocktower is proposed if approved by the city council. The 18-story proposal could be almost 200 feet tall.
“It is somewhere between naive and irresponsible to put that 16 or 18 story proposal out there,” said Doug Engfer, ex-water commissioner and homeless garden board member. “I guess charitably the big building is more of a red herring and the eight story building is really what they intend to build.”
Gordin insists it is a serious proposal to alleviate the housing crisis and contribute to urban lifestyles that are more fun and less detrimental to the planet. Moreover they could still go 20% larger.
“Hopefully people understand our viewpoints. Measure M or not we could have submitted two days later, two days before, one month before, one month later it doesn’t matter. This is the project we can do currently,” said Gordin.
THE POLITICAL RESPONSE
The Clocktower project has not been evaluated to see if it fits “city design and site development standards,” per the request of Workbench, however it meets the requirements of SB 330, a law that prevents the city from trying to alter the project.
When the city passed the South of Laurel expansion to the Downtown Plan in June 2022, the change allowed for buildings of exceptional height. A single building could have risen 225 feet by the Warriors arena. The furor from the city’s perceived overreach led to the “Housing for People initiative.” In response, Keeley, who had recently been elected as the first at-large mayor in Santa Cruz history, led a political compromise to shrink maximum building heights from 18 to 12 stories.
Keeley has gotten emails about the Clocktower building but this time around he is not sure there is much the city can do. In the big picture, the state has taken power from cities on zoning issues. Still the city can meet its housing needs without towers, according to Keeley.
Council member Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson agreed and said that the project “is out of scale for the community” and “we can meet our goals without towers and we have outlined how in our recently certified housing element.”
Susie O’Hara, who will represent District 5 when she is sworn in November, doesn’t think “anyone in Santa Cruz reasonably believes that the proposed project fits the scale of that corner.” When she is on the council she will “proactively engage with developers like Workbench to propose projects that don’t completely upend the progress we’ve made as a community.”
Johann Sebastian Bach sits at the top of every musician’s forever playlist. And Bach’s B Minor Mass is widely considered the apex of his work for voice and instruments.
A dazzling summary of Bach’s technical genius, the B Minor Mass overflows with stylistic variety, intricate composition and crystalline counterpoint. Finished late in his life, Bach considered it to be a legacy work, an electrifying summary of his countless innovations, his gift to the future of Western music.
As Picasso is to visual art, so Bach is to music—everyone who came after him was influenced by his vision. A performance of this ultimate work for chorus, soloists and symphonic orchestra is rare. But we have two chances to hear it, at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium on May 4 and at Watsonville’s Mello Center on May 5.
MAJOR MINOR MASS Santa Cruz Symphony conductor Daniel Stewart leads his first B-Minor Mass. Photo by Kevin Monahan
The Conductor: Daniel Stewart
A ten-year contract with his Santa Cruz orchestra and a new residence in the Bay Area demonstrate music director Daniel Stewart’s commitment to local audiences. The maestro is now adding to his résumé his first-ever B Minor Mass. No stranger to massive musical works, Green recently guest conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the San Francisco Symphony at the invitation of Esa-Pekka Salonen, and he is passionate about the upcoming Bach performances.
Good Times: How do you approach something this big?
DS: I haven’t had the pleasure of doing the B Minor Mass and the upcoming concerts are more special for that reason. So I made sure to really immerse myself in the operatic and the choral repertoire. Working with the Metropolitan Opera, for example, I have learned truly what it is to bring disparate forces together over a great physical space.
A non-musician might think of it in terms of coordinating a complex choreography on a big physical scale. I mean, when you see something happening, at halftime at a football game, there’s a lot of space involved and a lot of things going on. But they’re coordinated to one very metronomic beat yet with subtlety and nuance and flexibility.
I have to ask: why the excitement over the B Minor Mass?
DS: Well, Bach is such a singular force of musical, cultural influence. If you were to look for a similar figure in the world of painting, you’d almost have to roll Leonardo and Michelangelo, plus some others, into one. It’s just astonishing how influential and how visionary this one particular person is. And then you have to realize that the B Minor Mass is literally the summation and culmination of Bach’s work.
The material was taken from so many different parts of his life. He wrote five new pieces of material and he reworked some from 20 years before. It really is a summation of genius.
The music is so transformational, inspiring and brilliant, and it works so well in so many different arrangements, from small ensemble to symphony. This conversational, give-and-take counterpoint is the study of balance between musical ideas. And that makes it universal, enduring and so just astonishingly simple—deceptively simple.
How will this piece appeal to a younger audience? A first-time listener?
DS: To be in the presence of wonderful music, there’s no way you’re not going to find delight. And surprise, and wonder. We just have preconceptions, and that’s why I think we need our open rehearsals so that people come in and see the process. We can tie ourselves in knots over how to repackage classical music, but the essential aspect of it is there’s nothing that needs changing. It’s just the perception of it and access to it. If you hear magnificent classical music, it’s resonant. Because music itself speaks so eloquently for itself.
What size orchestra will you be using?
DS: We’ll be using close to our regular complement of musicians, probably about 60 positions. The majority of instruments will be strings, so you’ll see a slightly smaller version of our orchestra than normal.
Can you talk a little about the particular challenges of producing the B Minor Mass?
DS: The main factor is rehearsal time. We have such a very limited amount of time available to rehearse and so that’s always the greatest challenge. But as far as stamina and energy and all that goes, certainly you have to prepare the singers. The time involved—it’s over two hours—brings athletic challenges. But then again there are operas that last five hours! Musicians are more than capable and remarkably athletic in terms of their stamina, their preparation, their focus and their behind-the-scenes magic, creating a seamless and elegant presentation.
Have you discovered some special pleasures that you didn’t anticipate?
DS: Everyday, everyday, overwhelmingly beautiful, overwhelmingly inspiring, it’s the kind of experience that you get in the best moments in nature. You’re just absolutely in awe of the majesty of this. It makes you feel grateful to be alive.
Do you audition the soloists?
DS: Yes, yes, that’s one of my great privileges because I get to not only design the menu for each concert and for each year, you know, in terms of what, what we’re going to offer, but I very, very carefully cast all of the soloists and all of the performers involved. Coming from the Metropolitan Opera, I am fortunate to have many friends among leading musicians. So we’ve brought in some of the world’s greatest singers, and it’s just such a joy to introduce them to our lovely town.
We’ll have a superstar soprano, Hera Hyesang Park—her career is really taking off. And two other dear friends, Andrew Stenson and Sarah Couden, will join us, and Christian Pursell. Cheryl Anderson brought him to my attention. I was just absolutely delighted to see what an accomplished young artist he is. And so I could not miss that opportunity to really tie in his very special local origin story to this performance.
Do you ever get stressed about whether it will all come together?
DS: No, because I plan it so meticulously. And I don’t want to leave anything significant up to the risk of not being ready, but that being said, I think Picasso said have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it. But we’re always striving towards that. This is how we bring about transformative experiences, life-changing moments.
And you’re working once again with Cheryl Anderson.
DS: How wonderful it is to have a collaborator of her caliber, of her vision, of her heart. She’s one of my favorite musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and I’ve enjoyed more than I can say our many collaborations.
So it’s a special relationship that the chorus and the symphony have with one another and so much of that is because of the tremendous cultivation that Cheryl has put into the whole vocal world here. It’s been a rich relationship and a rich collaboration.
DO RE MI Cheryl Anderson, director of Cabrillo College’s Choral and Vocal Studies program.
The Choral Director: Cheryl Anderson
Cheryl Anderson has had her expert hand in all phases of Monterey Bay area musical life. As director of Cabrillo College’s Choral and Vocal Studies program, she works in concert with the Santa Cruz Symphony for a major concert each spring. This year she has prepared her chorus of 85 voices for the B Minor Mass, the ultimate thrill for choral singers.
Tell me a little bit about your history with this piece.
CA: We did the B Minor at the Cincinnati Conservatory. We did every major Bach work. And then we had the pleasure of having Robert Shaw conduct us at the Conservatory, and that was so life-changing. It’s your north star really, but not just the music—the whole experience. Basically it’s embedded in my DNA. Coming to Cabrillo was the first time I had the kind of depth of personnel that I felt could really handle it. We did it at Holy Cross, and at the Mission and then at Peace United. Maybe 15 years ago. When Danny took me aside and said, “What would you think about the B Minor with the Symphony,” I just screamed! Wow!
Will you need to edit this piece?
CA: We don’t cut anything. It’s one of those pieces, for people who know the work, it would be like cutting off the bottom six inches of the Mona Lisa.
How do you prepare for something this huge?
CA: It’s not ostensibly different from other pieces that we do. We begin rehearsals with a warm-up, of course, and then we do about two hours of singing together. Then we split up, and anything that was egregiously difficult, we work on, in sectionals. We spend about an hour in sectional, so about three hours and 15 minutes.
At what point will your chorus begin working with the musicians?
CA: Danny generally comes the week before we start working with instrumentalists, about two weeks before concert. Then a week before, we get together for the first time with the orchestra at the Civic. So four meetings with musicians and conductor before concert.
Are you looking forward to this epic event?
CA: Oh, my God. I am so thrilled. I’m just beyond elated. I will hate for it to be over.
Is it hard to give the directing over to the conductor?
CA: No—that’s why I work with people that I adore and have faith in. And I get to sing. I always try to sing with them. I love it.
What are your favorite parts?
CA: Well, I love the Gloria—the Gloria’s where I learned that Bach dances.
And when the tenors and basses come in at the et aeternum—it’s a game changer. There’s nothing like it—nothing. As a group, they take over for four pages in this melismatic firestorm of beauty. [A melisma is an ornamental vocal technique involving one syllable sung across multiple notes.] It’s spectacular. That’s the first thing I rehearsed. What in the world caused him to write that for a bass section that just like a train came through the middle of the mass. It sounds like, “Now we’re celebrating!”
HARMONIC CONVERGENCE Cheryl Anderson will lead the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus through Bach’s B Minor Mass, the ultimate thrill for choral singers.
Any special vocal exercises for this work?
CA: They need the vocal agility to be able to sing that many fugues with that many melismas—it’s a huge deal for singers. We do a lot of agility exercises. This may be too technical, but I like to do a tongue trill on a very fast passage of so fa mi re do on the solfeggio and up to re and all the way back. And we do that once and then you take a breath and do two of them and then 3, of them, 4,5,6 of them to test the ability of your breath to manage the notes that are coming up. The management of breath that allows the tone to remain alive.
I’m there for coaching soloists often on a Tuesday afternoon of the first rehearsal. I have to mention the bass soloist, Christian Pursell, who graduated from Cabrillo. And then Cincinnati Conservatory. He’s been at the Met; he sang in San Francisco Opera, with the Mormon Tabernacle and the Montreal Symphony. He’s really been all over the world. He is very young. And he’s just brilliant.
What is the biggest challenge of presenting the B Minor Mass?
CA: I think endurance. And it’s physical and it’s mental and emotional. And so, we try to front load every single note so that it becomes almost second nature. You turn the page and you already know what’s going to be on the next page.
Do you ever have fearful moments about readiness?
CA: I would be lying if I said, no, no, I never have. But then I just look at a particular angle or what I might not have prepared well enough. At this point in my life, having done this as long as I have, I realize that when people come to work on this music it’s because they want to be there. They’re there to learn and to participate in something they couldn’t find in any other life experience.
BONO VOX Bass/baritone Christian Pursell began his musical studies at Cabrillo College. Photo by Riccardo Riccio
The Soloist: Christian Pursell
Bass/baritone Christian Pursell, who began his musical studies at Cabrillo College under the tutelage of Cheryl Anderson, now travels across the country developing his career in opera. The critically acclaimed singer recently made his Carnegie Hall debut in The Grapes of Wrath with MasterVoices. Delighted to be coming home to sing his very first B Minor Mass, Pursell talked about his hopes for the upcoming performance.
What’s exciting about this concert?
CP: I love doing Bach. Ever since high school when I was one of the Young Artists winners at Carmel Bach Festival. This piece is Bach’s version of the complete artwork. There’s amazing four-part harmony in Bach’s choral writing that just can make you cry. There’s really nothing like his harmonic progression. That’s the reason why in school students learn all about Bach, because his composition level is unmatched.Such stunning, beautiful music. I have two arias in the work, my chance to contribute. It’s a big project and I’m just one piece in it.
How do you prepare for a concert like this?
CP: Well, I scale my voice to each unique situation. In this case, I know the Santa Cruz Symphony, and the Civic Auditorium is a large, wide space. So I’m going to be aiming my voice toward various areas, using power in my voice. But the acoustics are very much in the favor of singers. I’m surprised at how good the acoustics are at the Civic. So the audience can hear everything. I would treat this as any opera gig with an orchestra. I’m going to be projecting my voice, and within that projection I will add as many colors as possible. This is kind of gesamptkunstwerk, a very grand piece of music that is bringing all these musical forces together.
At what point will you work with the orchestra?
CP: We will be just a couple of days in rehearsal. And it’s a large work so there’s going to be limited opportunities for me to run the piece. Typically what happens with a symphony gig is there’ll be a meeting with the conductor and the soloists to go over all the solo material with a pianist and run technical details. Tempi, where a rubato or fermata will be—all those details are taken care of with the orchestra. And as with all professional musicians, we’re ready to go at the first orchestra rehearsal. Then it’s just fine-tuning. So if we’re all prepared, then the better chance we get to be artistic and musical and make the Bach even more special.
How do you prepare for your solos? Do you sit at a keyboard and work through the material?
CP: Yes, absolutely. I grew up a pianist and so I’m able to self accompany myself to a certain extent, but usually you need another pair of ears. So I’ll work with a coach. In this case, I know the piece very well since I actually performed it last year in San Francisco. So this is a piece very familiar to me and close to my heart. And so I’ll review it, make sure that I’m pronouncing everything well and not missing any notes, and then just show up ready to perform.
And what’s next? Are you working in an opera this summer?
CP: Yes, that will be at Cincinnati Opera, where I’m singing in Don Giovanni, the role of Leporello. This is my first time doing it. I spent over a week this last month in Milan coaching the role with three different Italian coaches. So I’m feeling prepared. Not memorized yet. But prepared.
Are you looking forward to coming here to Santa Cruz to sing?
CP: I feel very close to Cheryl [Anderson]. She was a great mentor and a big supporter. I’ve always wanted to perform with my hometown symphony. And this is my first time doing it. So I’m so excited. A coming home moment!
The Santa Cruz Symphony presents Bach’s B Minor Mass in collaboration with the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus and four renowned vocalists. Saturday, May 4, 7:30pm at the Civic Auditorium and Sunday May 5 2pm at the Mello Center for Performing Arts.santacruzsymphony.org
As the end of the first quarter of the 21st century nears, creating and consuming music is easier and cheaper than ever.
Despite the resurgence of vinyl records over the past decade or so, streaming is still the number one way people around the world get their music. And why not? In this age of streaming content, people don’t want to wait days or weeks to buy the new hot record when they can hear it the day it’s released.
But what very few people know is that the online music market was created right here in Santa Cruz.
The Internet Underground Music Archive, or IUMA (pronounced “Eye-You-Ma”), was founded in 1993 by two UC Santa Cruz students, Rob Lord and Jeff Patterson, along with UCSC alumnus Jon Luini. It was the first online source not only for independent, unsigned bands but for online music anywhere.
On April 27, the original founders are reuniting in Santa Cruz with their friends, family and former co-workers to celebrate the 30th anniversary of an idea that was years ahead of its time.
How did a few idealistic UCSC students literally change the world? And why don’t more people know about it?
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a nonprofit that has represented the recording industry’s interests since 1933, streaming represented 67.3% of global music revenue in 2023. That’s not accounting for pirated music, which roughly 30% of global listeners use to get their tunes.
Billboard.com reports that 2023 also saw the streaming industry continue to grow. On-demand audio and video streams rose 14.6% last year, improving on the 12.2% in 2022. Last year also saw the global market reach a record-breaking 4 trillion streams fueled by more non-English-speaking artists creating music and—of course—the global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift.
But in 1993, the idea of downloading or streaming music from the computer seemed like technology from a Ray Bradbury novel—inevitable but still in the distant future.
“One quote from Rob I always liked was ‘the bleeding edge,’” Luini says. “It captures the essence of what it was all about. It was beyond the cutting edge.”
For those who don’t remember or weren’t even born yet, 1993 was a time of great change around the world culturally and politically. Anything seemed possible, and the future looked bright.
The world was still restructuring itself after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. at the end of 1991. A spry and saxophone-playing-but-not-smoke-inhaling Bill Clinton started his first year of what would be an eight-year presidency. Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard soundtrack was the chart topper, but that chart also included names like Madonna and Nirvana. Amazon.com was still a year away from creation.
And this thing called the internet was slowly seeping its way into the public forum.
OVER THE ELECTRIC GRAPEVINE
Though the groundwork for the internet was laid in the 1960s, when ARPANET created the first true computer network, in the early 1990s most people didn’t have home computers. And if they did, they used a dial-up network, with its screeching, dying-robot noises. It wasn’t until 1993 that the hyperlinks of the World Wide Web began to form the modern internet.
This was the world that IUMA was birthed into.
“Rob and I went to high school together in Southern California,” Patterson explains. “He and my sister worked at the cool record store in town—Tempo—and I worked at the commercial record store, Music Plus.”
Though arriving at UC Santa Cruz at different times, the two reconnected. At the time Lord was studying computer science under the late Professor David Huffman. It was Huffman who first invented minimum data encoding—essentially, data compression.
DEMOCRATIZATION OF MEDIA Jeff Patterson and Rob Lord back when they worked out of their bedrooms. Photo courtesy Jeff Patterson
“That’s when things started coming together, music and digital signal processing,” Lord says.
“It was also exciting because I had used dial-up networks but not on the internet proper before coming to UC Santa Cruz. There was an open standards global data network that I had heard about, but it blew my mind we got it in school.”
The problem, or possible blessing: With the internet still in its swaddling clothes, nobody really knew what to do with it. With no search engines, techies would write codes, each person having their unique signature, and put it out into the digital abyss.
“I would go through every FTP [file transfer protocol] site*, any site that was online,” Luini laughs. “If you stayed up all night you could scour them all?”
Yes, that’s right. Three decades ago, someone could actually absorb the whole internet.
“You would do your best to find things by connecting with other people,” Lord confirms. “Going from one hyperlink to the next without a resource to guide you.”
Both Lord and Patterson always wanted to combine music with tech. For Lord’s high school senior quote, he said he “wanted to make robots that sing.” Prior to transferring to UCSC, Patterson attended UC Berkeley at the Center for New Music and Audio Technology. He was also in a local band called the Ugly Mugs (which came before the favorite Soquel coffee shop), who were in the process of recording a demo tape but had no means of distribution. That’s when Patterson remembered an email Lord sent about a 10 to 1 audio data compressor he created.
“So we started talking about what we could do with it,” Patterson remembers. “And Rob had the idea that this could change the world.”
Despite living on a student’s budget, Patterson bought the proper encoding equipment and set Lord’s idea to work, compressing audio into MP2 files.
“I still remember him coming over to my house and us recording This Mortal Coil and Primus,” he states.
Testing the demos on tiny Logitech speakers, the duo knew they were on to something but needed a bigger field to ignite their idea.
Enter Jon Luini.
A UCSC graduate and musician, Luini also volunteered at the university managing resources like the FTP server.
“I got an email one day from these guys saying, ‘Hey, can we get some space on the UCSC FTP server?’” Luini recalls. “I said, ‘Probably, but what do you want to use it for?’”
They shared their idea and he was immediately on board.
“Jon was further along in computer science than either of us,’” Lord admits. “And he was in three bands, so he was the perfect match for what we were doing.”
He pauses to laugh before adding, “I remember telling Jeff, ‘He’s in three bands! That will double our archive!’”
They named the project the Internet Underground Music Archive and posted a call-to-arms for local bands to start digitizing their music. The idea was simple: bypass the major labels to encode and distribute music from underground, independent, underrepresented acts.
“There was a hotbed of activity in Santa Cruz at that time,” Luini explains. “Especially for such a small town.”
“Like a lot of the early internet, there was a notion of what became known as the democratization of media,” Lord explains.
It was this ethos behind IUMA that grabbed the attention of local musicians. Plus, advertising it as a way to reach millions of potential fans probably didn’t hurt either. Soon IUMA was converting music from local and Bay Area bands the Fucking Champs, the Groove Pigs and the Himalayans.
Soon they received solicitations from countries around the world such as well as small indie labels across the U.S.
Basically it was as do-it-yourself as one can get.
“There was definitely an issue of ‘your computer wasn’t where you listened to music,’” Luini says. “But there wasn’t a pushback of ‘you guys are crazy.’ Instead people were saying, ‘you guys are ahead of your time’—even if it took all night to download one song.”
THOSE DAMNED BLUE-COLLAR TECHIES
Within two months of launching, IUMA had already caught the attention of big media with ex-MTV veejay Adam Curry offering to promote the archive on MTV’s website. Lawyers who saw the potential in the future of music offered legal advice pro bono in the event of any cease-and-desist letters from record companies.
After all, as Lord told the Mercury News in a front-page article published January 31, 1994, “We want to kill the record labels.”
IUMA received another national boost on March 9 of that same year when it was featured on the CNN program Showbiz News, featuring a 23-year-old Lord and 20-year-old Patterson.
In those early days IUMA was operating more like an anarchist group instead of a company. For example, they took donations from bands to keep the archive going. Lord, Luini and Patterson would often go back and forth on whether or not IUMA was a business, a collective or something else.
As IUMA grew larger, with other programmers joining their cause and more checks from artists coming through, they decided to officially realign the archive as a business. Soon after, they moved from the UC Santa Cruz campus to an office above the Blue Lagoon on Pacific Avenue. At the time they were next to Cruzio, so the area received the affectionate nickname of “Silicon Alley.”
OFFICE SPACE Jeff Patterson and Jon Liuni in IUMA’s headquarters on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz.
“It was the realization that just because you’re a for-profit company doesn’t mean you can’t do good things,” Luini states. “If we wanted to move forward we had to restructure.”
For a bunch of creatives, however, the business end wasn’t the easiest.
“All of that was not only foreign, but largely distasteful,” Lord says.
For the next two years IUMA would continue to grow and showcase underground artists while generating revenue to keep the archive alive. They also moved a second time, relocating to the Old Sash Mill on Potrero Avenue, near the current Woodhouse Brewery, where IUMA will be hosting its 30th anniversary party.
Through it all, IUMA kept its DIY ethos alive and maintained a practice of always paying their artists for whatever online revenue they accrued via banner ads.
“We would pay bands something like 50% of the ad revenue generated by their page,” Patterson says with a laugh. “And we didn’t have minimums; we’d pay you regardless. We didn’t hold onto any of the money. So even though nobody was making any real money, it was at least legitimate.”
Allen Whitman, ex-bassist and founding member of local surf rocker band the Merman and a former** bassist for guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, was one of those artists who received an IUMA check.
“I saved it because it was nine cents,” he chuckles. “I was like, ‘This is beautiful.’ I was so happy with it because it was perfect. They were doing it correctly.”
Whitman first met Luini through a mutual artist friend who used to make posters for the Mermen. Luini already knew about the band and IUMA began working extensively with the Mermen.
“We both wanted to see everybody win,” Whitman remembers. “We were all on fire; there was nothing we couldn’t do.”
The Mermen even headlined the IUMA Fest in October 1995, held at the now-defunct Palookaville.
“That was a special and unique time when people gave a shit,” Whitman says. “The concept that we could connect to anyone around the world while cutting out the middleman of the existing record industry.”
Like so many independent artists today, Whitman continues to carry the torch of DIY music with last year’s self-released solo album—Monogatari no Fūei—and his new band, Five Day Miracle Tent Crusade.
FROM THE ARCHIVES A screen shot of the early website, a concert poster, and an ad for IUMA.
As IUMA continued to grow and make waves in the record industry, Lord, Luini and Patterson were invited to meet with representatives from Geffen Records and Warner Brothers (now Warner Music Group).
“There were people visionary enough to realize this was coming and wanted to understand it, so they did do stuff with us,” Luini explains.
That led IUMA to be the first company to put music online from some of the biggest names in the ’90s, like Madonna, Eric Clapton and Soul Coughing.
However, just as Kurt Cobain wrote, “It’s better to burn out than fade away” during his final moments, IUMA’s star began to implode.
THE TOYS GO WINDING DOWN
Only two years after forming the company, Luini left in 1995 and Lord would be gone by the beginning of 1996.
Along with the organizational and financial models, Luini says he felt he was drawn in too many directions. In addition to the archive, he was heavily involved in IUMA working with the House of Blues to create the very first internet livestream. Luini also spent much of his time focused on the music magazine IUMA and journalist Michael Goldberg launched called Addicted To Noise. It all became too much, too soon.
“I think it became obvious that my attention was not in one place,” he admits. “My memory is that it didn’t seem like the right place for me to continue being at.”
The internet was also growing at a rapid pace.
In 1995, an estimated 15 million users were on the internet worldwide. Within a year, the number tripled to 45 million people. This also meant more coders were creating their own algorithms and software, often copying certain parts of IUMA’s model. The introduction of search engines and browsers furthered the technological advancements.
To adapt to the speed of these advancements, IUMA would have to make changes. Lord says, “I think that was a lot to ask of UCSC college students with a good idea, a lot of heart and sweat … to change the organizational model every three months.”
In 1999, IUMA was bought by online music company eMusic, which moved the central office to Redwood City. Ideally it would’ve been the perfect way to keep IUMA alive and well in the long term. However, that was also the same year a new, unforeseen competitor was launched onto the world: Napster.
Still, IUMA seemed to thrive during the year 2000. That year they launched a campaign to give $5,000 to the first 10 couples who named their baby “IUMA,” and surprisingly—or maybe not—several families took them up on the offer.
That was the same year IUMA threw its “Music-O-Mania” NCAA-style tournament. It was the largest online Battle of the Bands, with winners flown to San Francisco to open for Primus.
By 2001, Napster was at the height of its popularity. Much of the media’s attention became focused on the legality of online music, with artists like Metallica’s Lars Ulrich leading the charge to shut it down.
“eMusic’s stock went from like $31 a share to 17 cents a share in like a one-week period,” Patterson says.
“Napster was coming up and all these lawsuits were hitting, plus congressional hearings with people from the record industry talking about copyrights.”
Unfortunately for IUMA, the rapidly changing environment and eMusic’s massive losses led to the parent company being bought by Universal Music. However, Universal wouldn’t complete the acquisition until eMusic cut IUMA’s funds.
“We brought everyone into the conference room and said, ‘Hey, guys, eMusic is shutting us down but we have a plan to resurrect it,’” Patterson reflects.
“So basically everyone just started working for free to keep the lights on. It felt like the old days, where everyone just wanted to keep going.”
In 2002 IUMA was purchased a second time, now by Italian music company Vitaminc. Yet, the writing was already on the wall and that year Patterson—the last remaining founder—decided to walk away.
“After I left, that’s when things sort of went into autopilot,” he says. “I don’t know if after 2002 anyone touched the servers again.”
By 2006 IUMA had completely disappeared from the internet, symbolic of the way a once public web was quickly becoming privatized. But like all good ideas, there were still some true believers.
In 2012, Jason Scott the founder of Textfiles.com—a website that’s dedicated to preserving the digital history of early code writers—announced much of IUMA’s discography was reposted on the nonprofit digital library, Internet Archive. On his personal blog Scott said the collection represented a staggering “25,000 bands and artists and over 680,000 tracks of music.”
IS IT LUCK?
On the eve of their 30th anniversary meetup, the original IUMA founders look back with mixed feelings at their idealistic adventure.
Patterson sees IUMA as an inevitable step in progress. They just happened to jump on it first.
“Something we did caused a spark to speed things up, and that feels good,” he states. “We played an essential part in getting the conversation happening.”
“I think the spirit of IUMA lives on in so many different places and in so many different ways,” Luini adds. “The same things that drove me to care about what we were doing there are the same things that drive me to care about now. The sad thing is there are still the same problems out there to be solved. It’s not just music. There needs to be an ecosystem where people can do what they are passionate about and still survive without selling their soul to a job.”
Lord agrees. In 1998 he launched Pioneers of the Inevitable, a software development company that created an open-source music jukebox called Songbird, which—not surprisingly—has an updated resemblance to IUMA.
“I’ve made a career out of doing innovations in digital media,” he says. “But there’s still a lot of innovation to be done. A lot of big companies don’t give us the best implementation of what digital music can be. [IUMA] kicked something off. We didn’t finish it, and who knows if it will ever be ‘finished.’”
Lord, Luini and Patterson invite all past IUMA employees and friends to join them at Woodhouse Brewery on April 27.
* References changed to FTP post-publication. ** Joe Satriani’s current bassist is Bryan Beller.
You won’t be able to purchase plants from this longtime location soon. The Live Oak Sunday Farmers Market location ends the last Sunday in April. It’s a place I’ve shopped for years where all economic strata meet: suburban and rural; the elderly, the young with families and babies to purchase from the farm cornucopia of Central Coast California presented. A place where acoustic musical ensembles perform and people meet. Without it, the local area becomes a food as well as diminished cultural and social desert. No proactive plan from the well-paid County District Supervisor?
Marc Parry
TAKE A HIKE
I was excited to read Richard Stockton’s recent article “Take a Hike,” anticipating an insightful piece about local trails from a seasoned hiking expert. Instead, I was subjected to the cringeworthy ramblings of a self-important man-child.
At his age, Stockton’s antics are simply undignified; his aggressive harassment of a homeowner is especially embarrassing. He perfectly fits the unflattering stereotypes the outside world holds about entitled, narcissistic Santa Cruzans, especially those of a certain vintage.
Though I have no skin in this game, the political and legal questions around beach access are far from settled, despite his biased portrayal. But Stockton’s self-indulgent need to make the story about himself turned what should’ve been a debut column sharing his wisdom and expertise with the community into a platform for his own projections and political babblings.
And such hypocrisy—we all know full well how Stockton and his “boys” would react if they were subject to their own juvenile behavior—they clearly wouldn’t appreciate strangers walking into what they considered their backyard just feet from their living room, or mocking them as a “Karen” for sticking up for their rights.
Topping it off with his throwaway lines about being stoned and letting his dog run off-leash, this article represents the worst of Santa Cruz boomer narcissism, xenophobia and self-serving delusionalism. In their pot-pickled minds, they think they’re sticking it to the Man, but by their actions it’s clear how much they revel in play-acting as agents of the Man, as a self-ordained Commission Police, gleefully wielding the power of the state as they finger-wag like hall monitors up and down the coast, high off their own supply.
Mark and Nancy Nicholson stand behind a chain link fence outside of their condominium on Wharf Rd, near the entrance to the Capitola Wharf. Large stacks of treated wood have been staged on the other side of the fence, blocking entry to the garage of the unit—the only vehicle access to the dwelling.
The construction material belongs to the City of Capitola and was staged by Cushman Contracting Corporation, the contractor working on the Wharf Resiliency and Public Access Improvement Project. The roughly $5M project is in its first phase of a months-long repair to the wharf, which was severely damaged during the historic winter storms in 2023. The Nicholsons have been in a dispute with the city to get the material removed and regain access to their rental property.
“We knew there would be construction, but in doing the construction there was never any plan or mention of the city blocking our garage. But one day, construction companies started moving stuff in front of our garage,” Mark says.
According to project plans dated August 2021, the first phase of repairs would use three staging areas for material; one at the end of the wharf, a second on the beach west of the wharf entrance; and a third a entrance of the wharf between the Capitola Venetian and a row of condominiums. The Nicholson’s garage entrance sits on that row, just north of the wharf entrance, an area that in a photo diagram of the staging areas is not marked as such.
Capitola Assistant City Manager Chloe Woodmansee says in a phone interview that it’s unfortunate that some units have restricted access, but that “it’s part of doing a big project like that for public use.” She added that the city had worked with residents on alternative parking arrangements.
“I know that our public works and our police teams worked with owners and residents, and gave free parking passes for their use because of the restricted access,” Woodmansee says.
Mark Nicholson says that the garage is the only off-street parking they have. He claims the city did not offer parking permits to him and his wife, as Woodmansee noted. Mark did say that the city’s public works department at one point offered to create a designated parking space, with signage and all, but that it never materialized.
The core of the dispute here, Nicholson says, is that the city’s contractor continues to block access to his property—after promising it would only be for three weeks last October— and that it amounts to government overreach by the City of Capitola.
“[The city] hasn’t even implemented eminent domain, which is where […] if the city wants to block access to your home, they legally have to go get a court order, or work out a deal with you,” Nicholson says.
Nicholson also argues out that although there is a public easement agreement, the obstruction violates that. And he notes there is an open space suited for the materials directly across the street from him that is unused.
Woodmansee declined to comment on the specifics of the Nicholsons’ allegations, but says that all property being used by the contractor is on public right-of-way.
City staff have recommended that the Nicholsons file an official complaint, they say, and that there will be no change in the location of the staging areas for the foreseeable future. Phase 1 of the project is due to run through the fall of 2024.
Mark feels he has hit an impasse with the city.
“I always loved the city, and we always thought that the city was so easy to work with, but their responses have been atrocious,” he says.
Almost 20 years ago, and two days before Noe Ortiz was born, his grandparents Maria and Ventura opened El Alteño restaurant in downtown Watsonville. Noe started working there three years ago and says he really loves being a server, meeting a lot of people and having new experiences every night. He defines the atmosphere as colorful and cozy, soft lighting cast against bright colors, completed by a spacious and verdant patio.
The menu is authentic Mexican, best begun with appetizers like the chicken and cheese flautas with mango papaya sauce and the spicy aguachile. Entrée favorites include the molcajete with mixed proteins and bell peppers, and the filete empanizado, a deep-fried breaded filet of white fish topped with mango pico de gallo. Shrimp lovers can enjoy the bacon-wrapped prawns and the spicy camarones a la diabla.
Both their corn and flour tortillas are homemade from scratch, and the dessert is a locally sourced classic flan. Popular, delicious frozen margaritas and homemade aguas frescas highlight the beverage offerings. Dark on Mondays, hours are 11am-8pm (Sundays from 9am).
What makes El Alteño a local favorite?
NOE ORTIZ: We get nothing but compliments on the food, beverages and service. People rave about our cuisine and often say they plan to return soon. Guests really love our homemade tortillas, which they say are the best they’ve ever had and really set us apart. And our carnitas are also a great family recipe, authentic to Michoacan, the region of Mexico where my family is from. It is a weekend special, and I see many guests come back just for it. We have many regulars that I’ve gotten to know personally.
Tell me about the parties you host.
NO: They range from birthday parties to large weddings, celebrations of life, anniversaries, quinceañeras and everything in between. Our outdoor patio makes for a great venue because it’s very private, they can hang their own decorations, play their own music and really customize the space to their liking. And we offer diverse dishes and an extensive menu to meet the guests’ needs. I love serving these big parties.
323 Main Street, Watsonville, 831-768-9876; elaltenomexicanfood.com
“The mouthfeel is balanced with a luscious fig introduction,” say the owners of Kissed by an Angel, Larry and Lisa Olivo, of their 2019 Cabernet Franc ($60). “It explodes in richness on the back of the tongue of earthy rose splendor.”
Enjoy the wine’s sweet floral aromas of violet blackcurrants, cassis and red plum. Hints of anise and some cherry and chocolate notes all lead toward a very interesting cab with a firm structure.
I first came across KBAA wines when they had a small tasting room set up in the Scotts Valley-based Heavenly Roadside Café—a haven of celestial breakfasts and lunches. Fortunately, the Olivos now host customers in their own tasting room.
Check out other wines they produce, and their upcoming music events.
Kissed by an Angel Wines, 75 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley, 831-234-6253; and 2535 7th Ave., Santa Cruz (by appointment). Kissedbyanangelwines.com.
A Day of Merlot
Join Aptos Vineyard and Blue House Vineyard for a day of wine and barbecue, all to celebrate merlot. Head to an 11-acre property in Scotts Valley for a delicious afternoon—complete with tastings of past, present and future releases, including 2022 and 2023 barrel tastings with remarks from expert winemaker Brandon Armitage. Cost is $45 for non-members; $35 for members. The event is 1-5pm on Sunday, April 28. Visit aptosvineyard.com for info.
Winemaker Dinner
A spring winemaker dinner at Silver Mountain, with both owner Jerold O’Brien and winemaker Tony Craig, features fine cuisine by Colectivo Felix paired with Silver Mountain wines. The event is April 26 at Silver Mountain Vineyards, 269 Silver Mountain Drive, Los Gatos, 408-353-2278. Silvermtn.com.
Starting this week (April 26), Food Truck Fridays rolls back to Skypark in Scotts Valley for its monthly roundabout of foodie-friendly trucks, local beer and wine, kids diversions, live music and more every final Friday of the month, through Oct. 25.
This installment’s participating vittles vehicles include Kuki’s Bowl, Epoch Eats, Taquizas Gabriel, Mattia Pizza, Pesce Veggie and Aunt LaLi’s Ice Cream.
That comes complemented by Brenda’s Face Painting; eclectic rock, blues and R&B covers by Identity Problem; and a beer and wine garden that channels proceeds to nonprofit Scotts Valley Educational Foundation.
Teresa and Josh Swart took over Food Trucks a Go Go last summer, which makes 2024 their first full year as the event’s organizers. In addition to the dog-friendly FTF monthly series, the Swarts also steer the Aunt Lali’s truck—soon to be the more snack-focused Uncle Josh’s Rollin Snack Shack (with all the LaLi’s ice cream goodies)—and Taco Tuesdays 5-8pm every second Tuesday, also at Skypark through October, featuring taco trucks and the charity-boosting adult beverage zone.
“We are thrilled to continue the tradition of community events,” Josh says, “supporting small businesses, fundraising for local organizations and creating fun times.”
Teresa adds that the vibe is less festival and more “small town.”
“Everyone comes out with friends and family and kids and pets, dancing, eating food, meeting your friends and making new ones in a park on a Friday night,” she says. “A lot of dancing. It’s super fun bringing people together.”
On the heels of last week’s column on openings and closures, more where that came from: Humble Sea Tavernin Felton (6256 Highway 9) is back open with S.C. Bread Boy doing the food Friday 4pm until sell out and Saturday-Sunday noon until the goods are gone.
The organic wonderland Whiskey Hills Farmin Watsonville (371 Calabasas Road) is currently on the market for $6.95 million.
And Cafe Sparrow in Aptos Village (8042 Soquel Drive) has announced it will fold its wings after the last morsels of sous vide artichoke, braised rabbit and calamari piccata are served on April 28.
POURING IT ON
A double-barreled dose of popular—and roving—local wine events materialize on the same weekend in May, which means planning and/or ticket buying would be wise right about now. Santa Cruz Mountains Passport Days (May 18) invites ticket holders to adventure from winery to winery to enjoy tasting flights, and also extends access to exclusive events and discounts throughout the rest of the year. Integrity, Inversion, Left Bend, La Honda, Muns, Martin Ranch, Saison, Storrs, and dozens more participate.
A day later, theDowntown Santa Cruz Spring Wine Walk (May 19) pairs local wineries with the district’s boutiques and other businesses, who throw open their doors for stroll-sip-stroll connectivity.
TURBO TASTES
After 20 years at Lot 4 on Cedar Street, the adored Wednesday downtown Santa Cruz Community Farmers Markethas to find a new home, and seeks community thoughts on where might be good, with a survey that’s open through today, April 24, via santacruzfarmersmarket.org. … California Roots Music and Arts Festival cometh May 24-26 across Monterey Bay, with a lot of great food to pair with world-class roots, reggae and hip hop headliners, californiarootsfestival.com. … A restaurant named Al Condominio in Verona, Italy, the setting for Romeo & Juliet, has done something to love, even more than I love taking food photos: Diners who turn over their phone get a bottle of wine…Arrivederci.
A treatise on the importance of spirituality might not be the first thing that comes to mind when most people picture Rainn Wilson; they will more likely remember a man obsessed with beet farms who once accidentally recreated a famous speech by Mussolini. Wilson had infinite memorable moments as Dwight Schrute on The Office, but he’s moved on from Scranton. His new book, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, incorporates humor and pop culture into his exploration of the spiritual practices that might save the human race. Not bad for an assistant [to the] regional manager. JESSICA IRISH
INFO: 7pm, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $27. 423-1854.
FRIDAY
METAL | ASEPTIC
When the pandemic hit, the vibrant, diverse metal scene that had risen in the Central Coast like an army of the damned was quickly eviscerated. Some bands disbanded, while others moved out of the area or state. Then there were the vicious ones who stayed, survived and continued to rain audio hellfire on starving ears. San Jose’s death metal duo Aseptic was one of those bands. Aseptic delivers old-school, extreme death metal for fans who like their metal brutal and their imagery delightfully disgusting. This Friday, prepare for an all-night cavernous showcase with the unholy assault of Sakrificer, Trencher, Phantasmal Abyss and Celestial Force. MAT WEIR
INFO: 8pm, Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $15. 423-7117.
POETRY | IN CELEBRATION OF THE MUSE
Poetry enthusiasts won’t want to miss In Celebration of the Muse for a rare encounter with outstanding new poems created by regional poets. They’re guaranteed to be blown away or at least emotionally intrigued by the annual no-holds-barred reading produced by The Hive Poetry Collective this year. Eighteen women readers—each selected under blind jury conditions—will offer musings on the deep and delightful aspects of life, the Bardo, eternity, love, death, rites of passage, past heartache, present epiphanies, animal guardian spirits, the whole nine yards and beyond. CHRISTINA WATERS
INFO: 6:30pm, Cabrillo College HORT Building 5005, Aptos. Free.
BLUEGRASS | BROTHERS COMATOSE
It’s unclear whether the Brothers Comatose ever leaves the road. Legend has it they’ve even shown up at gigs on horseback. As far as string groups go, however, these guys really bring the rock ‘n’ roll. Brothers Ben and Alex Morrison grew up in Petaluma, jamming nonstop with friends and family in their living room to ’60s and ’70s rock favorites. They have continued covering those songs and performing originals throughout the country well into adulthood. Guitar Magazine calls their style an “upbeat brand of Americana with lots of twang, a dash of wit and a splash of surrealism.” ADDIE MAHMASSANI
The Polish Ambassador has nothing to do with piroshki or diplomatic embassies; he’s an artist building beats and creating danceable tracks to keep his audience moving. Hailing from San Francisco, the Polish Ambassador blends hip-hop, electrofunk and chill soundscapes that create dreamlike visions in the heads of those who listen. Songs like “Skiff Rider” start with an ’80s-inspired, Tron-like track that transports its listeners to a neon-lit past, while other songs evoke the sounds of the best eras of hip-hop. Polish or American, the Polish Ambassador is a man of many talents. JI
The Polish Ambassador crafts chill soundscapes at the Felton Music Hall.
FOLK | THE LILAC AND THE APPLE
Maya McNeil and Ben Pearl comprise the Lilac and the Apple. As a folk artist, McNeil fuses her songcraft, medicine and holistic health background to bring out music’s healing power, like a contemporary bard. The music conveys specific moments of Maya’s life as well as ancient, universal experiences of humans. Ben Pearl is the talented multi-instrumentalist backing Maya. Together, they play folk music inspired by the genre’s connection to social movement and the human experience—connections that foster a healing environment for the audience. Joshua Lowe and Patti Maxine are supporting acts for the Lilac and the Apple. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
MUSICAL | KAREN WITH A K – A MUSICAL TEMPER TANTRUM
Karen with a K is a satirical garage-rock musical (named after a certain viral Internet meme) created by Santa Cruz-based singer-songwriter Laura February Strange. According to the creator, the protagonist Karen is stumbling through a terrible day, and her various tribulations are spelled out in about a dozen songs written by Strange and performed by Strange Bedfellows. The group comprises veteran local musicians Strange, Scott Kail, Jojo Fox, Jack Hanson and Orbrad Darbro, and vocalists Stephanie Madrigal, Bonny June and Judy Appleby. One local critic says the show should be on Broadway and he meant it. DAN EMERSON
INFO: 5pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $35-$45. 427-2227.
SCREENING | STRANGER AT THE GATE
The year is only four months in, and the world’s Doomsday Clock looms at 90 seconds till midnight. People now need love, understanding, and a way to see the humanity in each other by sharing common feelings, dreams and goals across seemingly different cultures. And that’s precisely one of the themes thread throughout the 2022 film Stranger at the Gate. This amazing documentary follows Afghan refugee Bibi Bahrami and her mosque when they discover Richard “Mac” McKinney—an ex-Marine with severe PTSD—has a secret plot to blow up their community center. Through kindness, grace and communication, this would-be tragedy transforms into a powerful message of hope. Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month after the screening and join a live stream discussion with Bahrami and McKinney. While this event is free, attendees are encouraged to register on the library’s website. MW
There’s no better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a bunch of punks-turned-mariachi musicians. The alter-ego of LA-based rock band the Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx periodically surfaces for a night of traditional Mexican tunes with punk infusion. Their transformation is near total, with sombreros, a glorious horn section and colorful charro suits taking center stage. Since recording their first album under the name in 2009, Mariachi El Bronx has evolved into a force just about as powerful as the Bronx, even performing between segments on the El Rey Network wrestling program Lucha Underground. AM
You probably know Rainn Wilson as the dim but hilarious Dwight Schrute on NBC’s The Office. So you might be surprised to learn that Wilson has a long-standing obsession with world religions and sussing out god in the strangest of places. Wilson’s newest book, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, dives into Wilson’s upbringing, and his vision for the future. Rainn Wilson, in conjunction with Bookshop Santa Cruz, will be at the Rio Theatre on April 25 at 7pm.
Wilson grew up in the Baha’i faith, in Seattle. Both of his parents welcomed all denominations into his house, which was always a hub of deep discussion, but with little personal emotional support for young Rainn. So, early on, Wilson began searching for something more, a deeper reason of why we are here, and a more comprehensive belief system.
Like most disaffected youth of the 1980s, Wilson fell into drug and alcohol use. “Because you can’t fix internal imbalance with alcohol or chocolate chip cookies or video games or weed or sex or Instagram, Candy Crush and Amazon shopping sprees,” says Wilson in Soul Boom.
This descent into avoidance strategies and addiction parlayed into serious mental health issues and depression and debilitating anxiety attacks that continue to this day. Which to say, the real Rainn has been dealing with much deeper issues than his TV counterpart ever did.
The eclectic actor found sobriety in his 20s. And Wilson’s one saving grace was a natural curiosity, or obsession, about world religions, humanities, cosmologies and what makes humans tick. Over the last 30 years this passion culminated in Wilson’s organization, SoulPancake. Founded in 2008, SoulPancake was created to encourage open-hearted dialogue about what it means to be human. One of its most recent forays is an incredible biopic about Shirley Chisholm, which strikes hope in the heart of anyone who watches it.
Wilson also stars in Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, a show on Peacock in which the intrepid actor travels the globe, searching for the secrets of the happiest societies on earth. Dwayne would never have had the follow-through, but Wilson is on a roll, systematically sifting through the sands of time for secrets that have been left unnoticed.
Soul Boom takes us through the fundamental building blocks of Wilson’s early years, namely TV and Star Trek. “The idea of understanding the other—finding empathy with species different from your own—was a recurring theme in the show. Wherever they go in the galaxy, the crew of the Enterprise is called on to deepen their compassion and understanding of the ‘alien,’” Wilson says.
And Soul Boom is about looking through as many windows as possible. The book is chock full of quotes. From Joseph Campbell to Jesus, and Muhammad to the Beatles, Wilson is thorough on turning over every leaf and stone, looking for inspiration and signs that the universe is not a mechanistic set of happenstance, but a deliberate function of beauty. “We are watching the birth, more than the death, of a world,” according to Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Wilson doesn’t have blinders on. Think less woo-woo and more activism. Wilson doesn’t avoid tackling all the conflicts and unresolved dilemmas of the world. He lays them out and examines them. From immigration policies, to the housing crisis and the unhoused population, to the staggering tuition and student debt that young people face, Wilson understands our moment in history.
Yet, he has a core belief that things can work out. And the path forward is Radical Compassion. “It’s somewhere between the divine and the practical. It’s a pragmatic and commonsensical way to build emotional bridges between parties that normally wouldn’t intersect,” Wilson says.
America is too obsessed with celebrity culture. Take a chance and see the human behind the character. Rainn Wilson has some valuable insights and just might bring a smile to your face.
Rainn Wilson will appear at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., April 25 at 7pm. Wilson will sign copies of Soul Boom, available from Bookshop Santa Cruz, at the sold-out event. Info: riotheatre.com.
