Remember how much you enjoyed being read to when you were a kid? How hearing them read brought you close to poets across time and space? Well the Hive knows and understands. After two plus years of Zoom poetry readings, we’ll soon get a taste of the real thing.
The Hive Poetry Collective, founded three years ago, provides a swarm of poetry interviews and readings every Sunday on KSQD. And starting Tuesday, July 5, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, the busy Hive entrepreneurs will start a new bi-monthly poetry reading series, in-person, with Amanda Moore and Dion O’Reilly as the first guests. Abuzz with anticipation, members of the group provided insight into what the Hive Live will mean to poets and listeners. I spoke to Hive Collective members Farnaz Fatemi and Dion O’Reilly, as well as Danusha Lameris (a co-founder who calls herself “a friend to the Hive rather than an active member right now”) and recent Hive addition Julia Chiapella about the group’s plans.
When did the Hive begin?
DANUSHA LAMERIS: The Hive was a dream first dreamt by Farnaz, Lisa Allen Ortiz, and me back in the pre-pandemic years. When I became the Santa Cruz Poet Laureate, we took that opportunity to pitch the idea of a radio show to KSQD and plant the seeds of the Hive as a radio show/podcast as well as an event hub. We envisioned an organization that would enliven the local poetry scene by making new connections between disparate literary groups, united by the desire to hear great poetry. We hoped to bring in more younger people, for example, and to provide a welcome to the faces not always seen at Bookshop events. More people! More poets!
We aim to keep growing the web of well-attended events, new talent, established poets and overall good times and to be a part of expanding Santa Cruz’s reputation as an artistic mecca.
A lively community is key to everything: the key to a great town, a good night out and an enriching literary life. So, here’s to that!
FARNAZ FATEMI:The Hive has been actively buzzing since our first KSQD show at the beginning of 2019, our first season of weekly radio shows and podcasting. Later that year, we hosted our first live reading featuring Patricia Smith at the MAH, and we were deep into producing an event with Natalie Diaz when the pandemic arrived. The active Hive members are Dion O’Reilly, Julie Murphy, Julia Chiapella, Victoria Bañales and Farnaz Fatemi.
What are the goals of the Hive?
FARNAZ FATEMI: Our aspirations are to produce poetry-related events—radio, workshops, readings—that include and reflect the diversity of the county of Santa Cruz, our main constituents and listeners. That diversity of the entire community and the world of poetry continues to drive us. Santa Cruz has always been rich with literary activity, and we are part of that tradition.
JULIA CHIAPELLA: I see it as advancing the unspoken voices. The canon has always been white and male. It’s important to give airplay to more voices from other communities. Women’s voices are now emerging. It shifted with Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, and now it’s shifting into other colors.
What are some of the future events planned?
FARNAZ FATEMI: As venues have committed to hosting live events again this summer, we have scheduled three bi-monthly poetry events for the second half of 2022. The event on July 5 at Bookshop Santa Cruz celebrates two Covid-time debut books from one of our founding members, Dion O’Reilly, and the San Francisco-based poet Amanda Moore. On September 6, also at Bookshop Santa Cruz, we will celebrate my debut collection, and on November 8, at the Museum of Art and History, we will host Shelley Wong and David Baker.
Why is poetry powerful?
DION O’REILLY: Listening together to the same words, the same rhythms is an activity that humans have craved for millennia. It seems to be essential to happiness. We cannot all love the same poetry; we have diverse tastes and tolerances, but we love being in the same room as we open to the lyric moment. Also, the more the world challenges us, the more people turn to poetry. It helps sort out complex emotions in the face of climate change, war and epidemics. But poetry also helps us celebrate beauty. The Hive wants to be part of the celebration.
Will the Hive radio show continue now that there will be a live series?
JULIA CHIAPELLA: The Hive broadcasts will continue on KSQD 90.7 FM every Sunday at 8pm. We’re just adding in-person live readings to our repertoire. We’re richer when we gather in service of the word. Not a collection of saccharine words, real poetry teaches us about ourselves. The Hive is devoted to bringing the community together.
The Hive Live will be presented Tuesday, July 5, at 7pm. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. Free registration required at bookshopsantacruz.com. Farnaz Fatemi’s debut poetry collection, Sister Tongue, will be released in July.
Everyone has that missing piece of pop culture that surprises other people. The one that makes them ask, “What, you haven’t seen that?,” even though you just told them that, indeed, you haven’t seen that.
For me, one of those things was the movie Grease. I get that it’s the most popular movie musical of all time. And yeah, having grown up in the ’80s, I knew all the words to “You’re the One That I Want” and “Summer Nights.” I even have a particular fondness for early John Travolta movies (particularly his unforgettable lead role in Brian DePalma’s Blow Out, four years after Grease).
So I don’t know why I avoided Grease for my entire life, but when I admitted that to fans of the movie, they would usually tell me something like, “You have to see it! It’s funny, and the music is great!”
Well, last week I saw Cabrillo Stage’s version of the musical on which the movie is based, and I’m here to tell you … you have to see it! It’s funny, and the music is great!
No, seriously, I’m all in now, and my longtime resistance seems a little ridiculous. Maybe part of it was feeling there was a dated quality I wasn’t going to like, plus I had read that it was pretty crassly sexist. I can attest that Cabrillo Stage’s version has fixed the most problematic lyrics—it was appropriate for my 12-year-old, who loved it—and having since listened to the cast albums from different versions of the Broadway musical (which first opened in 1971), it’s clear that the 2007 update paved the way for this more enlightened take.
I also finally checked out the movie, and while it’s pretty awesome—and no one has ever looked better in a black t-shirt than Travolta does in it—there’s actually one scene I think Cabrillo Stage does better: Jennifer Taylor Daniels as the Teen Angel delivers a hilarious version of “Beauty School Dropout” that crushes even Frankie Avalon’s film take.
I like how director and choreographer Cassie Nordgren has conceptualized her production; there’s a dreamy quality to the whole thing that’s in sharp contrast to the stark, saturated colors of the film. The way she has incorporated the live band and DJ Vince Fontaine above the stage is brilliant, and David Jackson as Vince is note-perfect. The cast as a whole is excellent, in fact, especially Peyton Turowski as Rizzo—all the Pink Ladies are a blast—Scott Boynton as Kenickie, Ella Curie as a gender-switched Sonny and Haley Clarke, who really comes through in what is sometimes a thankless role as good-girl Sandy. At first, I wasn’t totally buying Jack Bloome as arrogant-but-secretly-sweet Danny—probably because even those of us who didn’t see Grease associate the role indelibly with Travolta—but wow, when he got his showcase moment in “Alone at a Drive-In Movie” (a song which is handled much differently, and better, in the musical than it is in the movie), he knocked it out of the park. He let the character’s hidden goofiness and vulnerability show through, and I was sold.
I’ve only got two criticisms of this production: first, some of the ensemble action could be further downstage, closer to the audience—when we get up-close moments with this cast, we can’t help but love them. Second, the closing “You’re the One That I Want” feels a bit tacked on. Written for the movie, it wasn’t in the original musical, but I understand that fans of the film will expect it. Still, we all know “We Go Together” is the only way to end Grease.
See? Spoken like a true fan.
Cabrillo Stage’s ‘Grease’ runs through July 10 at the Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College in Aptos. Times and tickets at cabrillostage.com.
A letter in your June 22 issue that attacked an excellent GT article in the previous week’s issue succeeds in getting everything wrong. The writer explains that if a train were viable, it would already be in operation. In his view, capitalism and its markets deliver the most efficient goods and services, including in the transportation sector. All he leaves out is the massive subsidies that governments at all levels have delivered to make the automobile our primary means of transportation: subsidies to roads, parking, housing and the automobile industry itself, dysfunctional urban and suburban planning and a transportation system that is responsible for at least 30% of the worldwide climate change crisis that threatens our very existence on the planet. Rail systems disappeared across America because of a systematic conspiracy (yes, conspiracy) by the automobile, tire and oil industries to replace well-functioning streetcar and train systems with the private automobile. Everywhere else around the globe, public transit, primarily based on rail, is the primary means of transportation.
Mike Rotkin
RTC/Former Santa Cruz Mayor Santa Cruz
These letters do not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@go*******.sc
I am writing in response to Aiyana Moya’s coverage of the CORE Funding situation (GT, 6/15). The nonprofit I run, Eat for the Earth, was recommended for funding. Many other organizations providing critical services were also recommended. Grey Bears, Food What?!, Jacob’s Heart, Community Action Board, the Boys and Girls Club and Dientes are just a few of the agencies that may be familiar to your readers. Community Bridges, the main organization profiled, was actually recommended for $436,221.72 for their Meals on Wheels program, though CEO Ray Cancino apparently did not reference that. By leaving the voices of funded programs entirely out of the article, Moya failed to give the full picture of the CORE Investments situation and may have inadvertently added to the “Hunger Games” mentality initiated by Ryan Coonerty and reinforced by Cancino.
Although Eat for the Earth is celebrating the opportunity to have adequate resources to support community members with diabetes, heart disease and other diet-related conditions to reclaim their health, our sense of elation was deflated upon hearing about all the losses. Clearly there is a need to reconsider a process that ends up not recommending funding for any of the five family resource centers and only recommending funding for one of nine currently funded childcare centers. Similarly, there is a huge opportunity cost when the process fails to consider the value of leveraging state and federal dollars with a smaller local match. But sensationalized coverage of what was lost with no reference to what was gained or deep analysis into the process that favored some projects over others does a disservice to the community. There are many aspects of the story that have a bearing on what happened. For example, it seems significant that one organization that was not previously funded (United Way) was recommended for the biggest single award, about $760,000, which is over 13% of the total pool.
I am concerned that your coverage, along with the testimony of many clients of programs not recommended for continued funding, may contribute to a “resolution” that undoes the entire month’s long CORE RFP process. If that happens, you will have made it easier for the County and City of Santa Cruz to take money away from recommended programs rather than inspiring the staff and elected officials to find ways to honor the process, fund the programs that rose to the top in that process as recommended and also find a way to insure that critical services for people in need are sustained.
Rev. Beth Love
Executive Director, Eat for the Earth
These letters do not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@go*******.sc
Good Times’ former news editor Jacob Pierce and I had a long-running debate about which local band had the best name. It went on for years, and eventually we whittled it down to two finalists: the D’oh Bros, and the Joint Chiefs. We even planned to do a point-counterpoint article where each of us would argue the case for one of them.
We never did it, but I have to say that, to me, Joint Chiefs is the clear winner. Also, it’s impressive how long those bands had to stick around to be an ongoing part of that debate.
But once you read Aaron Carnes’ story on Joint Chiefs leader Don Caruth, you’ll understand why the band has become an institution on the Santa Cruz music scene. This guy is all talent, and no quit. He’s the classic workingman’s musician, who’s built a following over decades. I took a spin through the GT archives, and though we’ve written about the Joint Chiefs here and there over the years, this appears to be the first time Caruth has been on the cover—and they’ve been a band since the ’80s!
Here’s to correcting that oversight, and to celebrating the Fourth of July—which Caruth and the Joint Chiefs will be doing at two different performances over this three-day weekend—at the same time.
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
STRIKING IMAGERY The Capitola Wharf at night, with lightning in the distance. Photograph by Joseph L. Geist II.
Submit to ph****@go*******.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.
GOOD IDEA
GIRLS RUN THIS TOWN You can join in on the Fourth of July festivities and support young women while doing it at the Firecracker Run. Register for one of the three courses—10K, 5K or a Kid’s 1k—and afterwards enjoy brunch, music and more at Harvey West Park. Proceeds from the race will benefit Girls, Inc., a non-profit that supports girls’ college and career dreams. Learn more at: SantaCruzFirecracker.org.
GOOD WORK
RIGHTS AND REPRESENTATION Among the protests against the overturning of Roe v. Wade last weekend in Santa Cruz County was the Womb Sovereignty Walk organized by women of color. Organizers were compelled to act when they felt Friday’s courthouse protest lacked representation. The walk on Sunday specifically honored Indigenous, Black and other women of color, and focused on women’s rights in general rather than just abortion rights.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”
In 2006, Don Caruth was delivering and installing windows and doors by day, and gigging regularly with his Santa Cruz funk/soul/R&B band the Joint Chiefs at night. The popular local group had gained a loyal following covering tunes by artists like Stevie Wonder, Kool & the Gang and Michael Jackson, with a delivery so perfect and so polished that they could get the grumpiest of curmudgeons to shake their butts on the dance floor. But after a gig, it was back to delivering doors and windows the next morning.
One day, Caruth and a partner loaded a heavy door on a cart, intending to load it onto a semi. But the cart toppled over, trapping him underneath. His co-workers rushed over to lift it off him, but when Caruth tried to stand up, he couldn’t move. He was rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance.
It turned out his legs had been forced backward, snapping his right ACL. His left leg and ankle were smashed. He needed surgery.
“I’m lucky that’s all that happened. It could have been worse—I could have got my wrist broken or glass in my face,” says the guitarist and vocalist. “Who knows?”
After a month and a half of bed rest, he asked his doctor if he could go back to work. The doctor gave permission, but only if he worked at a desk. His boss, on the other hand, didn’t think he was injured all that bad and started having him take deliveries. When he was unable to do it, Caruth says, he was fired.
Caruth was in his 40s at the time, and had played music his entire life. He didn’t want to go back to his day job. After suing his former boss, he realized he had a window of about a year to finally make music his full-time career.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to see if I can do this for a living,’” Caruth says. “I gave myself a year because state disability is not going to last forever. [I thought], ‘I can always go back to another window company.’”
His return to music wasn’t easy, but he was determined. Less than a week after his surgery, he played a gig at Agnew’s State Hospital in the South Bay, which brings in musicians to perform for the patients. He walked to the stage on crutches, had a pain pump around his neck, and played with his leg propped up to keep the swelling down.
“By the end of the gig, I was dying. I don’t even know why I did it, but I did it,” Caruth says. “I was doing gigs with crutches, and then a cane for a long time.”
But during that year, he booked gigs for the Joint Chiefs with a different perspective.
“I didn’t care if I was playing for a big artist or not. We just had to get paid, because now it’s a business,” Caruth says. “So I had to hustle.”
Though the Joint Chiefs had been a band since the late ’80s, Caruth spent the next decade-and-a-half building it into a local institution. Most clubhounds in this area have probably danced at one of their shows at some point. Before the pandemic, they were playing all over the Monterey Bay, 4-5 nights a week at clubs, fancy restaurants, weddings, private corporate events and festivals. With all those shows, and several one-off gigs as a guitarist, Caruth never had to go back to his job.
“What I love about him is he took his own thing and put his own band together. And he’s got his own groove,” says former Santana vocalist Tony Lindsay. “He gets deep into the R&B stuff. If you see the Joint Chiefs, you’re going to be dancing all night.”
As live music has returned since the shutdowns of the pandemic, Caruth and his band have returned to regular shows, too—with some impressive gigs. This Fourth of July weekend, they’ll be busy, playing from 4:30-6:30pm on Sunday, July 3 at Scotts Valley’s Fourth of July celebration at Skypark, and then playing after Aptos’ “World’s Shortest Parade” (outside Betty’s Burger) from 11am-1pm. Later this summer, aside from their multiple regular weekly gigs, the Joint Chiefs will play Capitola’s Twilight Summer Series on Wednesday, July 13, from 6-8pm, and the Boardwalk’s Thursday night summer music series on Thursday, Aug. 11, from 8:30-10pm.
But even with all of this success, what has been missing for Caruth was an outlet for his own, original music. During the pandemic, Caruth wrote and recorded his debut solo album, Under Open Skies, an instrumental jazzy, funky, soulful record. Its release flew under the radar, but he’s got a second album of original music in the works. This one will have vocals, and he’s hoping it’ll make a bigger splash.
“I had all these ideas, and I wanted to get them off my chest,” Caruth says. “Now I got the bug.”
Caruth’s guitar skills have won him gigs with artists like the late Sista Monica, who became a mentor.
FLIPPING EXPECTATIONS
Caruth’s original musical inspiration was the church. Specifically, his grandfather’s church, True Holiness Church of God in Christ in East Palo Alto. His dad, the church’s minister, played the Hammond B3 organ, and his mom played the piano. But it was his uncle’s guitar that intrigued him the most. After enough pestering, he took young Caruth to buy a cheap guitar at a pawn shop. His dad gave him a little lamp and set him up by the choir to play with the church band.
Caruth, who’s left-handed, flipped the guitar over, with the low strings at the bottom and the high strings at the top. Sometime later, his cousin Tony Harris, who played in an R&B band in Compton, told him he was playing it wrong, but it was too late.
“He said, ‘You need to flip the strings around,” Caruth says. “I’m like, ‘This is just for fun.’ I left the strings the way they were because I was used to playing it that way.”
Just a small group of guitarists play left-handed upside down, like Albert King and Dick Dale. But then, everything Caruth has done has been on his own terms.
“I’ve mostly played by ear. I know how to read a little and know what chords are, but it’s mostly by ear,” he says. “I started playing for hours and hours, sitting in my room playing records. I had to come home, and I wasn’t really allowed to hang out. My mom was strict.”
His family moved to Los Gatos when he was 16. There he met a new group of friends that introduced him to rock ’n’ roll, which eventually led him to the genre’s foundation: blues.
When his parents divorced, he moved out and lived with friends. For the next eight years, he devoted a lot less time to music, and a whole lot more to cutting loose and partying. A strict upbringing will do that.
“I hardly even picked up my guitar. I was too busy picking up beer bottles,” Caruth says.
That changed when, at 28, he found out his girlfriend was pregnant. He quit messing around and got a better-paying job. While working construction, he ran into an old high school friend, Ken “KC” Colby, who was driving a tow truck, and invited Caruth to come jam at his house. He hadn’t played in a while, but it sounded fun. It was a strictly blues-only jam. They played lots of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King and Freddie King.
After a few jams, they decided to make it a band. Colby even had a name in mind. He’d just watched the news and heard the joint chiefs of staff were meeting to deal with Operation Desert Storm. The Joint Chiefs. It was perfect.
BEYOND THE BLUES
The Joint Chiefs’ first show was at old downtown San Jose punk club Marsugi’s. Somehow, they impressed the punks enough with their blues songs that they were invited back. However, they found their market for later gigs by playing blues-focused clubs like Moe’s Alley, and eventually even landing on the Santa Cruz Blues Festival a few times.
The lineup changed a bit in the early years, but the constants were drummer “The Flash,” Colby on bass and Caruth on guitar. They started with a harmonica player, but he was soon replaced by sax player Bill Biala.
“We’re kind of like Spinal Tap, we’ve gone through 15 drummers and maybe 10 bass players in the span of 35 years,” Biala says. “When I met Don, we were both single, young, aspiring musicians. He started having kids, I started having kids. We were both working during the day and playing music at night. It was our aspiration to play music full-time.”
In the mid-’90s, Colby complained about having a headache and blurry vision during a show. After the gig, his girlfriend took him to the doctor. After a series of tests, the doctors found two brain tumors. They removed one, but said the other was inoperable. Five months after the release of their album In Session with The Joint Chiefs, Colby passed away.
“In honor of KC, I couldn’t let the band go,” Caruth says. “I keep the name alive, so I keep him alive. He’s the one that started it.”
After recruiting bassist Daniel Lewis, who played in the band for 20 years, they moved toward more funk, soul and R&B. Suddenly, the Joint Chiefs were playing everywhere, and soon festivals and private events. Rather than a niche band in the narrow blues scene, they were becoming a dance band that everyone could enjoy.
“If you play one style of music, you’re not going to be playing that much,” Caruth says.
In the early 2000s, he decided to record a second Joint Chiefs album, Smoke Signals, which had all original tunes. The group had occasionally written songs for fun, and by that point, they had several lying around. It was exciting for Caruth, yet he didn’t give it too much attention. There wasn’t even a CD release show for it. They just kept grinding.
Caruth has been playing with the Joint Chiefs since the ’80s but only recently started to pen original tunes.
“I don’t usually do those [originals] unless I’m doing a show at Kuumbwa or something,” Caruth says. “When you’re playing at bars and clubs, people come to dance. They want to hear cover tunes.”
Caruth went on tour with local blues/gospel legend Sista Monica in Europe but couldn’t be a full-time member because he still had a job. But then in 2006, he no longer had to worry about that. As soon as he’d healed, he joined her group and toured with them whenever they went out of town.
Sista Monica, who passed away in 2014, had a huge influence on him. She taught him how to up his performance game, and how to hustle on the business side.
“Sista Monica was a self-made musician. She did all her own promotion,” he says. “She pretty much called her own shots and booked her shows. She built her career.”
Caruth also occasionally played with Tony Lindsey’s band Spang-a-Lang, and other artists like Dale Ockerman, Lou Pride, Buddy Miles, Terence Blanchard and others.
And the Joint Chiefs kept on keeping on. In 2009, the band recorded its third CD, Back In The Day, an album of funk/R&B covers like “Lonely Day” by Bill Withers, “Cut The Cake” by Average White Band and “Breezin” by George Benson.
Every year, Caruth got better and better at creating a full schedule of paying gigs, and he kept getting invited to play guitar in others’ sets. The work kept coming.
“The year that Covid came, that was the one year where we were in March, and we were booked solid through almost the whole year,” Caruth says. “We were in high demand. Overnight, it was all gone.”
RETURN OF THE CHIEFS
The first show Caruth played after the lockdown was in January 2021, in front of an old gas station on the corner of 41st and Portola. People were excited for live music again.
There were a few more gigs in the months to follow, but they didn’t become regular until that spring.
Playing gigs now has a new layer of stress that wasn’t there before. What is safe, and what isn’t? For their most recent New Year’s Eve show, the Joint Chiefs played Coffee Bank in Carmel. The gig was sold out, but was supposed to be indoors. Due to the Omicron spike, that didn’t seem like a good idea. Caruth asked the owner if it could be moved outside.
“I said, ‘It’s going to be a little chilly, but we’re going to have to suck it up.’ I don’t want my band to be the band that has a superspreader event,” says Caruth. “They put heaters everywhere. And coverings. People had to wear jackets. But everybody danced outside.”
Even though he lost momentum in the pandemic, the time off also helped him realize how important writing and sharing original music was to him.
“I told my wife, ‘I can’t just sit here. I’ve got to do something. I’m never going to have time like this in my life again,” Caruth says. “So I just sat down and started writing songs.”
On Under Open Skies, he collaborated with his friend Jesse Barbosa, who lives in San Paulo, Brazil. They sent tracks back and forth until it was finished; Caruth played guitar, Barbosa played keys, drums and bass. They both contributed to the songwriting. Another friend, Luis Lenzi, contributed saxophone to a few tracks.
The album shows Caruth’s heart a bit more than he’s used to. It’s a funky record, but you can feel the emotion bubbling up—a strong feel-good vibe in tough times that everyone needs right now.
“It was great. I had a lot of time on my hands,” Caruth says. “Just trying to make something positive out of something negative.”
Obviously, he couldn’t do a CD release show for Under Open Skies when it was released in 2020, but he would still like to have a show to celebrate it. And thinking about that makes him realize that the original songs he wrote on the Joint Chiefs’ Smoke Signals are also long overdue for a special celebration.
It’s one more project for the quintessential working man’s musician, who never seems to slow down, let alone stop.
“We sold a bunch of CDs, but we never actually did a show. I’m going to have to; I got to get that off the bucket list. That’s bothering me,” Caruth says. “I probably will do the Joint Chiefs CD. I’ll probably do songs from that and combine it with my solo CD. I’m going to sit down and look at my calendar.”
The Joint Chiefs play from 4:30-6:30pm on Sunday, July 3 at Scotts Valley’s Fourth of July celebration at Skypark, and then Monday, July 4 after Aptos’ “World’s Shortest Parade” (outside Betty’s Burger) from 11am-1pm. The band will play Capitola’s Twilight Summer Series on Wednesday, July 13, from 6 to 8pm, and the Boardwalk’s Thursday night summer music series on Thursday, Aug. 11, from 8:30-10pm. All of these dates, plus their weekly regular engagements and other gigs can be found at thejointchiefsband.com.
Esabella “Bella” Bonner started Black Surf Santa Cruz in 2020, intending to break down systematic barriers to surfing. The club aims to “promote physical and spiritual wellness through surf for our local BIPOC Community,” and provides no-cost lessons and equipment rentals.
On Juneteenth, the club hosted its second annual Liberation Paddle-out at Cowell’s beach. Participants gathered together to laugh, play and honor loved ones. Bonner spoke to GT about the impact BSSC has had over the last two years.
What inspired you to found Black Surf Santa Cruz?
BELLA BONNER: In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, and after organizing a series of protests locally, I found myself super burned out. I saw a flyer for a couple of paddle-outs that were happening, and I realized, “Why have I never been in the water before? Why have I never been in a wetsuit?” So I reached out to one of the organizers and asked her, “How are we going to make sure that we’re centering our Black and Brown community at these paddle-outs, since they’re for the murder of George Floyd? How are we going to make sure that we’re able to have good representation and have BIPOC folks be a part of the mourning or the events?” And the organizer hadn’t quite had a plan in place, so she asked if I could help her bridge that gap. We put a feeler out on social media, and got a bunch of equipment rentals for the day. It was my first time on a surfboard. And it opened up this feeling of belonging I had never felt here in Santa Cruz and a sense of community. I felt restored. I’d never found that in the ocean, and it’s because I don’t think I’ve ever felt like I belong. It was really special. And I wanted to share that experience with others so that they can decide for themselves whether or not something is for them.
Has the response been positive?
Overwhelmingly positive. It’s been so apparent that this is a gap within our community that needs to be met. There are so many community members, whether it be our BIPOC community or allies at large, that want to be a part of something like this. And there just wasn’t that medium before. Over the last two years, we’ve grown, and have over 180 members signed up. It’s amazing, but it’s also hard to scale. We’re learning as we go, and seeing how many people want to be a part of this community is incredible.
What have been the main challenges to meeting that need?
There are quite a few challenges, especially since I didn’t grow up surfing or in the water. One of the biggest challenges at first was building programming that makes sense for the capacity that we have. And then actually getting people involved. How do we find coaches? How do we bring in water safety? How do we bring in all of the equipment? How do we make all of these things meet at one moment? So, some of it is pure logistics, and some of it is, in a very positive way, being able to keep up with the pace we’re scaling. Not pushing ourselves to do too much too fast just because there’s a certain demand, but making sure we do it all super intentionally to create safe opportunities for people to try this experience. It’s amazing and super exciting, but it is a little overwhelming at times, just wanting to keep everyone safe and be able to reach everyone at the same time.
Has anything surprised you about bringing this community together?
One thing that surprised me was how many people were missing out on an opportunity like this purely because of access. I knew it as I was walking into it, but it still blows my mind to know that the only thing that was really needed was an intentional space. That’s all it took to get so many BIPOC folks into the water.
One of the things that continues to surprise me is how normalized the generational aspect of it all is—how much trauma there is embedded in this. It’s crazy how one sentence can encompass so many generations of harm. And that sentence is something like, “Oh, Black people don’t surf,” or “Black people don’t swim,” or “You’ll never catch me out there in the water.” I’m always fielding people responding in that way. And at first, I would laugh and go, “Oh yeah, I hear you. I feel you on that.” But as more and more people from different places would say that same sentence to me, it started to sting. Why? Is it because we need to address the root of making you feel safe in a swimming pool and teach you how to swim? Is it because that’s what your parents passed down to you? That always still surprises me, and I don’t want to let myself get into a moment where that becomes normal. Because I think that statement alone holds the root of it all—of why we exist.
More than 150 people joined Black Surf Santa Cruz’s Liberation Paddle-out on Juneteenth. PHOTO: Erin Malsbury
Have you watched people’s relationship with the ocean change?
Yes. It was a paddle-out that changed my relationship with the ocean and the water, because it’s the perfect access point. You’re in the community. Over the last two years, as we’ve done our two liberation paddle-outs, I’ve seen so many people have the experience shift their life, or make them feel welcome here in Santa Cruz. They’re able to experience all that this beautiful place has to offer. One of our founding board members, Keisha Browder, had never been in the ocean her entire life—never been in a wetsuit. And I think that’s why, for me, the focus has been on adults. I want to target those people that have gone so much longer without seeing themselves represented or seeing the ocean as a space for them.
How did you organize the Liberation Paddle-out?
It was hard. It’s so fun to see and feel the support from people, but it has a lot of moving parts. And it very much was a community push, in that none of this would be possible without the organizations like Club Ed Surf School, Cowells Surf Shop and Venture Quest Kayak Adventures, who donated their equipment for us to eliminate that access barrier.
What did you think of the turnout?
I was so stoked. It was so special. The week leading up to it, I was panicking. I was looking around online, trying to get a pulse of how many people to expect. We had our equipment rental checkout form, which was getting high in numbers, and I knew we would have walk-ups. The week leading up to it, I had thought, “Oh, maybe like 100 people total throughout the day.” And one of my board members was like, “You realize it’s gonna be at least double or triple that, right?” We made some shifts last week to better accommodate a bigger group of people. Honestly, it was like a dream to see that many folks—specifically, since it was Juneteenth, that many Black folks—out in the water.
“I know it’s funny to say, but it felt truly liberating,” says Bonner about the Paddle-out. “The atmosphere was pure joy.” PHOTO: Erin Malsbury
What were some of your favorite moments?
When we were all in the water together, you could hear so many people exclaiming that it was their first time in the ocean or their first time this far out in the ocean. Their first time on a surfboard. Being able to share that beginner’s newness and community with people and be reassured that what we’re doing will have a lasting impact was super special. On a personal note, it was also Father’s Day and Juneteenth, and I lost my dad a few years ago. It felt like everything zoomed out—I was able to say what I needed to say, and throw my flower in his honor, and watch everyone else throw their flowers; and know how loved, not only we all were together in that moment, but our ancestors, our Earth, our ocean.
What are you looking forward to for the future of the club?
The week leading up to the event, we got our nonprofit exemption letter in the mail. I would say being here for this next chapter, leaning into being an emerging nonprofit, strengthening our programming and setting up this organization to have a steady foundation so it can last for years. Continuing to set that intentionality behind the whole thing and let it do what it’s supposed to and evolve on its own.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her poem “Two Skins,” Bahamanian writer Lynn Sweeting writes, “There is a moment in every snake’s life when she wears two skins: one you can see, about to be shed, one you cannot see, the skin under the skin, waiting.” I suspect you now have metaphorical resemblances to a snake on the verge of molting, Aries. Congratulations on your imminent rebirth! Here’s a tip: The snake’s old skin doesn’t always just fall away; she may need to take aggressive action to tear it open and strip it off, like by rubbing her head against a rock. Be ready to perform a comparable task.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Imagine a world 300 years from now,” writes Japanese novelist Minae Mizumura, “a world in which not only the best-educated people but also the brightest minds and the deepest souls express themselves only in English. Imagine the world subjected to the tyranny of a singular ‘Logos.’ What a narrow, pitiful and horrid world that would be!” Even though I am primarily an English speaker, I agree with her. I don’t want a world purged of diversity. Don’t want a monolithic culture. Don’t want everyone to think and speak the same. I hope you share my passion for multiplicity, Taurus—especially these days. In my astrological opinion, you’ll thrive if you immerse yourself in a celebratory riot of variety. I hope you will seek out influences you’re not usually exposed to.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Imagine you’re not a person, but a medley of four magical ingredients. What would they be? A Gemini baker named Jasmine says, “ripe persimmons, green hills after a rain, a sparkling new Viking Black Glass Oven and a prize-winning show horse.” A Gemini social worker named Amarantha says she would be made of “Florence and the Machine’s song ‘Sky Full of Song,’ a grove of birch trees, a blue cashmere knee-length sweater and three black cats sleeping in the sun.” A Gemini delivery driver named Altoona says, “freshly harvested cannabis buds, a bird-loving wetlands at twilight, Rebecca Solnit’s book Hope in the Darkness and the Haleakalā shield volcano in Maui.” And now, Gemini, what about you? Identify your medley of four magical ingredients. The time is right to re-imagine the poetry of YOU.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard believes there’s only one way to find a sense of meaning, and that is to fill your life to the bursting point; to be in love with your experience; to celebrate the flow of events wherever it takes you. When you do that, Godard says, you have no need or urge to ask questions like “Why am I here?” or “What is my purpose?” The richness of your story is the ultimate response to every enigma. As I contemplate these ideas, I say: wow! That’s an intensely vibrant way to live. Personally, I’m not able to sustain it all the time. But I think most of us would benefit from such an approach for brief periods now and then. And I believe you have just entered one of those phases.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I asked Leo readers to provide their insights about the topic “How to Be a Leo.” Here are responses that line up with your current astrological omens. 1. People should try to understand you’re only bossing them around for their benefit. —Harlow Hunt. 2. Be alert for the intense shadows you may cast with your intense brightness. Consider the possibility that even if they seem iffy or dicey, they have value and even blessings to offer. —Cannarius Kansen. 3. Never break your own heart. Never apologize for showering yourself with kindness and adoration. —Amy Clear. 4. At the moment of orgasm, scream out your own name. —Bethany Grace
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s your birthright as a Virgo to become a master of capitalizing on difficulties. You have great potential to detect opportunities coalescing in the midst of trouble. You can develop a knack for spotting the order that’s hiding in the chaos. Now is a time when you should wield these skills with artistry, my dear—both for your own benefit and for the betterment of everyone whose lives you touch.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One of my heroes died in 2021: the magnificent Libran author bell hooks (who didn’t capitalize her name). She was the most imaginative and independent-minded activist I knew. Till her last day, she articulated one-of-a-kind truths about social justice; she maintained her uncompromising originality. But it wasn’t easy. She wrote, “No insurgent intellectual, no dissenting critical voice in this society escapes the pressure to conform. We are all vulnerable. We can all be had, co-opted, bought. There is no special grace that rescues any of us. There is only a constant struggle.” I bring this to your attention, Libra, because I suspect the coming weeks will require your strenuous efforts to remain true to your high standards and unique vision of reality.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You now have the power to make yourself even more beautiful than you already are. You are extraordinarily open to beautifying influences, and there will be an abundance of beautifying influences coming your way. I trust you understand I’m not referring to the kinds of beauty that are worshiped by conventional wisdom. Rather, I mean the elegance, allure, charm and grace that you behold in old trees and gorgeous architecture and enchanting music and people with soulful idiosyncrasies. PS: The coming weeks will also be a favorable time to redefine the meaning of beauty for yourself.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): It’s the Season for Expressing Your Love—and for expanding and deepening the ways you express your love. I invite you to speak the following quotes to the right person: 1. “Your head is a living forest full of songbirds.” —E. E. Cummings. 2. “Lovers continuously reach each other’s boundaries.” —Rainer Maria Rilke, 3. “You’re my favorite unfolding story.” —Ann Patchett. 4. “My lifetime listens to yours.” —Muriel Rukeyser.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the coming weeks, make sure you do NOT fit this description articulated by Capricorn novelist Haruki Murakami: “You’re seeking something, but at the same time, you are running away for all you’re worth.” If there is any goal about which you feel conflicted like that, dear Capricorn, now is a good time to clear away your confusion. If you are in some sense undercutting yourself, perhaps unconsciously, now is the time to expose your inner saboteur and seek the necessary healing. July will be Self-Unification Month.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A Tweeter named Luxuryblkwomen articulates one of her ongoing goals: “bridging the gap between me and my ideal self, one day at a time.” I’d love it if you would adopt a similar aspiration in the coming months. You’re going to be exceptionally skilled at all types of bridge-building, including the kind that connects you to the hero you’ll be in the future. I mean, you are already a hero in my eyes, but I know you will ultimately become an even more fulfilled and refined version of your best self. Now is a favorable time to do the holy work of forging stronger links to that star-to-be.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A blogger named Lissar suggests that the cherry blossom is an apt symbol for you Pisceans. She describes you as “transient, lissome, blooming, lovely, fragile yet memorable and recurring, in tune with nature.” Lissar says you “mystify yet charm,” and that your “presence is a balm, yet awe-inspiring and moving.” Of course, like all of us, you also have your share of less graceful qualities. And that’s not a bad thing! We’re all here to learn the art of growing into our ripe selves. It’s part of the fun of being alive. But I suspect that in the coming weeks, you will be an extra close match for Lissar’s description. You are at the peak of your power to delight and beguile us.
Homework: Make amends to a part of yourself you have neglected, insulted or wounded. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.
We popped into Ser Winery’s welcoming tasting room for a late afternoon sampling of new releases, including a genuinely delightful Vermentino. Winemaker Nicole Walsh has nailed it with this crisp white wine, producing a beautiful, easy-drinking dry vino ideal for your Fourth of July table.
Grapes are harvested from Cedar Lane Vineyard in the Arroyo Seco appellation of the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. With its cool climate and river-bed gravelly loam, the Vermentino Italian grape, widely grown in Sardinia and Liguria, thrives.
“Citrus, minerals with slight marine character define this wine,” Walsh says. She explains that Cedar Lane’s impeccable farming produces balanced vines and incredible fruit. Aged in French oak, the 2021 Vermentino ($28) is mouth-watering and refreshing; it’s different from the usual white wine suspects.
Empanadas by Collectivo Felix and charcuterie boards by Taking Pure Joy are available if you get the munchies.
Ser is Spanish for “expressing identity or origin,” but in my book, it also means “excellent wines to be found in Aptos.”
Ser Winery, 10 Parade St., Ste. B, Aptos, 831-612-6062; serwinery.com.
Concert with KRTY at Clos La Chance Winery
The reimagined Gilroy Garlic Festival continues to support local charities. In conjunction with KRTY, the Nashville Songwriters series will feature Wendell Mobley and Lee Thomas Miller, performing live among the vines at the picturesque winery.
Wednesday, July 13 (doors open at 6pm). Clos La Chance Winery, 1 Hummingbird Lane, San Martin. gilroygarlicfestivalassociation.com.
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
I stopped by the recently opened Bruster’s to check out their assorted flavors, taking home a delectable coffee toffee and some delicious vanilla. Premium ice cream, sherbets and sorbets are made fresh daily—non-dairy, vegan and no sugar added/fat-free options are also available. Canine friends are treated to free doggie sundaes—good news for Fido!
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, 150 Rancho Del Mar, Aptos; brusters.com.
Former strategy consultant Isaac Javed recently returned to his hometown to help with his dad’s namesake business, AJ’s Market. Thirty-six years ago, AJ, a Pakistani immigrant, transformed a junkyard mechanic shop into a locally loved, one-of-a-kind Santa Cruz market/restaurant. Javed says his father’s story is fueled by the American Dream of making something out of nothing. Gyros, chicken shawarma and falafels, all prepared with housemade seasonings and sauces, are among the most popular offerings. The eclectic menu also features a best-selling burger, sandwiches, teriyaki bowls and even sushi. The market is known for its local produce, bread, local wine and beer selection and high-quality meat and seafood. Isaac defines the place as a “unique one-stop-shop,” with things you need plus things you didn’t know you needed—or know existed—but are happy to have. AJ’s is open every day, 7am-8pm. Recently, Isaac talked to GT about the market’s vast selections and working with his father.
What are some of AJ’s most diverse offerings?
ISAAC JAVED: We have a large Marianne’s ice cream selection, and we were one of the first places to offer bread from Aldo’s, a well-known local bakery. And I also hear so much about our beer selection, much of which is made locally. It’s well-curated and insanely good, people go on and on about it, and we really are an unspoken mecca for beer connoisseurs. We also carry a bunch of hard-to-find Asian spices as well, and our pre-made food is perfect for a quick bite.
How does it feel to be working side-by-side with your dad?
It feels like this is the beginning of where I am supposed to go. I enjoyed strategic consulting, but this is much more fulfilling. Not only do I get to help my family grow their business, but I also get to pursue my own passion for business. My dad and I share a passion and love for helping others through entrepreneurship. It’s nice to help people, and business is a great opportunity to do that. A healthy business is measured by how much value you give to people, and we have built a business that reflects this and supports the community.
