Rob Brezsnyโ€™s Astrology: Feb. 15-21

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries director Francis Ford Coppola was asked to name the year’s worst movie. The question didn’t interest him, he said. He listed his favorite films, then declared, “Movies are hard to make, so I’d say, all the other ones were fine!” Coppola’s comments remind me of author Dave Eggers’: “Do not dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one and do not dismiss a person until you have met them.” In accordance with astrological omens, Aries, your assignment is to explore and embody these perspectives. Refrain from judging efforts about which you have no personal knowledge. Be as open-minded and generous as you can. Doing so will give you fuller access to half-dormant aspects of your own potentials.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Artist Andy Warhol said, only half in jest, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art.” More than any other sign, Tauruses embody this attitude with flare. When you are at your best, you’re not a greedy materialist who places a higher value on money than everything else. Instead, you approach the gathering of necessary resources, including money, as a fun art project that you perform with love and creativity. I invite you to ascend to an even higher octave of this talent.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are gliding into the Season of Maximum Volition, Autonomy and Liberty. Now is a favorable time to explore and expand the pleasures of personal sovereignty. You will be at the peak of your power to declare your independence from influences that hinder and limit you. To prepare, try two experiments. 1. Act as if free will is an illusion. It doesnโ€™t exist. There’s no such thing. Then visualize what your destiny would be like. 2. Act as if free will is real. Imagine that in the coming months you can have more of it at your disposal than ever before. What will your destiny be like?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The ethereal, dreamy side of your nature must continually find ways to express itself beautifully and playfully. And I do mean “continually.” If you’re not always allowing your imagination to roam and romp around in Wonderland, your imagination may lapse into spinning out crabby delusions. Luckily, I don’t think you will have any problems attending to this necessary luxury in the coming weeks. From what I can tell, you will be highly motivated to generate fluidic fun by rambling through fantasy realms. Bonus! I suspect this will generate practical benefits.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t treat your allies or yourself with neglect and insensitivity. For the sake of your mental and physical health, you need to do the exact opposite. Iโ€™m not exaggerating! To enhance your well-being, be almost ridiculously positive. Be vigorously nice and rigorously kind. Bestow blessings and dole out compliments, both to others and yourself. See the best and expect the best in both others and yourself.ย 

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Is there a bug in the sanctuary of love? A parasite or saboteur? If so, banish it. Is there a cranky monster grumbling in the basement or attic or closet? Feed that creature chunks of raw cookie dough imbued with a crushed-up valium pill. Do you have a stuffed animal or holy statue to whom you can spill your deep, dark, delicious secrets? If not, get one. Have you been spending quality time rumbling around in your fantasy world in quest of spectacular healings? If not, get busy. Those healings are ready for you to pluck them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): There’s a weird magic operating in your vicinity these daysโ€”a curious, uncanny kind of luck. So while my counsel here might sound counter-intuitive, I think itโ€™s true. Here are four affirmations to chant regularly: 1. “I will attract and acquire what I want by acting as if I donโ€™t care if I get what I want.” 2. “I will become grounded and relaxed with the help of beautiful messes and rowdy fun.” 3. “My worries and fears will subside as I make fun of them and joke about them.” 4. “I will activate my deeper ambition by giving myself permission to be lazy.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How many people would fight for their country? Below I list the countries where my horoscopes are published and the percentage of their populations ready and willing to take up arms against their nations’ enemies: 11 percent in Japan; Netherlands, 15 percent; Italy, 20 percent; France, 29 percent; Canada, 30 percent; US, 44 percent. So I surmise that Japanese readers are most likely to welcome my advice here, which is threefold: 1. The coming months will be a good time to cultivate your love for your country’s land, people and culture, but not for your country’s government and armed forces. 2. Minimize your aggressiveness unless you invoke it to improve your personal lifeโ€”in which case, pump it up and harness them. 3. Don’t get riled up about vague abstractions and fear-based fantasies. But do wield your constructive militancy in behalf of intimate, practical improvements.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): By the time she was 33, Sagittarian actor Jane Fonda was famous and popular. She had already won many awards, including an Oscar. Then she became an outspoken opponent of America’s war in Vietnam. Some of her less-liberal fans were outraged. For a few years, her success in films waned. Offers didnโ€™t come easily to her. She later explained that while the industry had not completely “blacklisted” her, she had been “greylisted.” Despite the setback, she kept workingโ€”and never diluted her political activism. By the time she was in her forties, her career and reputation had fully recovered. Today, at age 84, she is busy with creative projects. In accordance with astrological rhythms, I propose we make her your role model in the coming months. May she inspire you to be true to your principles even if some people disapprove. Be loyal to what you know is right.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Charles V (1500โ€“1558) had more than 20 titles, including Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria and Lord of the Netherlands. He was also a patron of the arts and architecture. Once, while visiting the renowned Italian painter Titian to have his portrait done, he did something no monarch had ever done. When Titian dropped his paintbrush on the floor, Charles humbly picked it up and gave it to him. I foresee a different but equally interesting switcheroo in your vicinity during the coming weeks. Maybe you will be aided by a big shot or get a blessing from someone you consider out of your league. Perhaps you will earn a status boost or will benefit from a shift in a hierarchy.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Some people I respect regard the Bible as a great work of literature. I don’t share that view. Like psychologist Valerie Tarico, I believe the so-called good book is filled with “repetition, awkward constructions, inconsistent voice, weak character development, boring tangents and passages where nobody can tell what the writer meant to convey.” I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I believe now is a good time to rebel against conventional wisdom, escape from experts’ opinions and formulate your own unique perspectives about pretty much everything. Be like Valerie Tarico and me.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I suspect that arrivederci and au revoir and sayลnara will overlap with birth cries and welcomes and initiations in the coming days. Are you beginning or ending? Leaving or arriving? Letting go or hanging on? Here’s what I think: You will be beginning and ending; leaving and arriving; letting go and hanging on. That could be confusing, but it could also be fun. The mix of emotions will be rich and soulful.ย 

Homework: Imagine a good future scenario you have never dared to visualize. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

The Wait for Buzzo Wood Fired Pizza is Over

Buzzo Wood Fired Pizza in Soquel, next to popular craft beer destination Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, opens as soon as Saturday, Feb. 18, pending final arrangements.ย 

One way to know itโ€™s so breathlessly anticipated: When I walked into Beer Thirty to see what rotating taps they are featuring at the moment, two separate staffers almost jumped over the counter when they saw me holding a Buzzo menu. 

โ€œIs it open!?โ€ one beertender shrieked before I realized what she was talking about. โ€œWeโ€™ve been waiting sooo long.โ€ 

Buzzo itself looks ready to open any minute, with a welcoming atrium-like dining area, long marble bar, freshly stacked firewood and an imported Italian Mugnaini oven. 

The menu is simple but seductive. Eight โ€œappsโ€ ($5-$22) include house meatballs, crispy green beans, marinated olives and a big antipasto plate. The six pizzas star offerings like pancetta with white sauce, leeks and red onion; potato with bacon, chives and egg yolk; and house sausage with caramelized onions. 

The wine list balances between Italy and California, buttressed by a few local craft draft beers.

Manager Miguel Bibriesca is most excited to open the doors once and for all. 

โ€œIโ€™m just eager to be open for the community so they can enjoy great pizza, wine and appetizers,โ€ he says. โ€œThatโ€™s our driving force.โ€ 

ALD REALITY

Iโ€™m grateful for the Good Times reader response to last weekโ€™s Alderwood Pacific story. (Jump over to GTSCโ€™s Facebook for greater detail.) It went like this: How can you celebrate a place after helping expose a racist eventโ€”and mismanagement of it thereafterโ€”at its sister spot? I covered that incident in depth, and remain frustrated by the lack of information furnished by the Santa Cruz Police. (I called SCPD to see if there were any updates and havenโ€™t heard back.) The good news is the former Alderwood employee who took the brunt of the attack, Paul Suniga, is doing good things; check out @masarapthehomie on Instagram for more on his Pare pop-up and his thoughts on the fight. Alderwood chef-partner Jeffrey Wall, meanwhile, is ready to focus on positives. โ€œI donโ€™t think [the incident] is relevant [to Alderwood Pacific],โ€ Wall says. โ€œItโ€™s time to move on.โ€

FUSION FABULOUS

Thereโ€™s more happening at Beer Thirty than craft beer and backyard corn hole. On our visit, Hapa Bros. Food Truck was parked out front to serve its intuitive blend of Southern and Asian foodโ€”think bulgogi egg rolls, bacon-fried rice and buttermilk fried chicken sandwich on brioche with spicy garlic aioli, soy caramel and kimchi slaw. Though based in San Juan Bautista, Hapa’s Aaron and Jason Ricketts are making more and more adventures in the Santa Cruz area; more via @hapa.bros on Instagram. Meanwhile, Beer Thirty continues to welcome food trucks whenever its food partner Carpoโ€™s is closed (see Beer Thirtyโ€™s Facebook and Instagram for updates).

FLOUR POWER

While San Francisco Beer Week runs through Sunday, Feb. 19, at Santa Cruz area spots like New Bohemia Brewing Co., Lupulo Craft Beer House, Sante Adairius and Humble Sea Brewing Co., another S.F. export beckons. Flour + Water, one of my favorite pizza and pasta houses in San Francisco, has debuted a line of dried pasta, Flour + Water Foods, now available in Whole Foods Market. Itโ€™s certified organic and done with North American Semolina grains, with part of its proceeds directed to implement regenerative agriculture practices.

Smith & Hookโ€™s 2020 Proprietary Red: Top Quality on a Budget

Smith & Hook Winery has created a classic Bordeaux blend of primarily Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Winemaker Megan Conatser explains that the Proprietary Red Wine is crafted with fruit from โ€œthree prestigious appellations of the Central Coastโ€: Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley and Paso Robles.

This โ€œexpressive blendโ€ has a smooth palate; its intense aromas of red and black berries, plums and dark cherries are underscored by notes of lavender. It is rich with flavors of โ€œdark fruit, bramble berries and a touch of dried eucalyptus, and warm spice on a lingering finish.โ€ With its balanced structure and deep flavors, this 2020 Proprietary Red Wine Blend drinks like a bottle that costs much more than $25.

Smith & Hook was founded by the Hahn family four decades ago. There are two tasting rooms for you to visit and try their wines: their estate in Soledad and the delightful Carmel Plaza.

Smith & Hook Winery, 37700 Foothill Road, Soledad, 831-678-4555; Carmel Plaza, Mission Street, Carmel, 831-624-0138; smithandhook.com

El Vaquero Wins Big

Corralitos winery El Vaquero earned two Double Golds in the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competitionโ€”one for the 2019 Carignane and one for the 2018 Cabernet Franc. Kudos to winemaker Alex Prikazsky.ย 

El Vaquero Winery, 2901 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville. 831-607-8118; elvaquerowinery.com

Tortilla Flats Delivers a Smorgasbord of Flavors

Zolina Zerevica was hired as a hostess at Tortilla Flats 27 years ago. Sheโ€™s now the owner and managerโ€”Zolina purchased the Soquel restaurant with her mom and stepdad nearly two years ago. She says locals love the place for the same reasons she does; family vibes and the culinary fusion of influencesโ€”the recipes come from the original owner. Favorites include the Rio Grande carne asada, Baja fish taco and the enchiladas. But Zolina says the sauces set them apartโ€”there are as many as eight choices, ranging from red pepper to green to mole to yellow aji chili. The chocolate peanut butter pie is the crown jewel of the dessert menu. Customers also rave about the margaritas. Open every day, 11:30am-9pm (Fridays and Saturdays till 9:30pm)โ€”closed Mondays. GT asked Zolina more about the menu and her path to ownership.

How would you describe the blend of cuisines?

ZOLINA ZEREVICA: All the recipes are from the original owner, and she studied in Mexico, New Mexico and the French Quarter. Some of these recipes include enchilada sauces like our Santa Fe red and green that come from her time down there using Hatch chilis. The Durango sauce exemplifies her French Quarter influence because itโ€™s a light buttery cream sauce traditional to that style of cuisine. You wonโ€™t get these tastes or flavors anywhere else; they are unique to us. 

How did you become the owner?

The original owner and I had discussed the possibility for years. When she passed away, her partner took over, and he and I started negotiating my taking over. Then he died suddenly, and we purchased it from his daughter. 

Going from server to owner was a complete change in role and responsibility, but Tortilla Flats is my happy place.

Tortilla Flats, 4616 Soquel Drive, Soquel, 831-476-1754; tortillaflatsdining.biz

Santa Cruzโ€™s Waterfront Promenade Reaches an Inflection Point

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By Soumya Karlamangla, The New York Times

SANTA CRUZ โ€” West Cliff Drive is not a typical neighborhood thoroughfare.

High above the glittering blue waters of Monterey Bay, where surfers and seals bob in the waves, the small two-lane road hugs the surprisingly close edge of the cliffs. On a recent morning, a couple rode a two-seater bicycle along the roadway, soaking in the expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. A group wearing puffer jackets teetered on an impressive outcropping 40 feet above the water to snap a photo.

This 2.7-mile promenade attracts thousands of joggers, sightseers, cyclists and surfers each day. For many who live in Santa Cruz, the corridor feels like an essential part of the

identity of the funky beach city, about 75 miles south of San Francisco and home to 62,000 people.

โ€œItโ€™s so much more than a road,โ€ said Hilary Bryant, a former mayor of Santa Cruz. โ€œTourists come here and they go to West Cliff Drive โ€” itโ€™s like our front yard.โ€

But the recent high-profile winter storms in California hit the region particularly hard, splitting the Capitola Wharf in half and prompting mudslides that shut down two freeways. Along West Cliff Drive, 20-foot-tall waves dragged chunks of the roadway into the sea, closing parts of the road for at least another six months.

The extensive destruction has forced the city to think about how to adapt to an increasingly eroding coastline as sea levels rise and storms become more violent โ€” something many Santa Cruz residents had seen as hypothetical or as an issue to be dealt with in the distant future.

โ€œThis was sort of a wake-up call,โ€ said Gary Griggs, a professor of earth sciences who has taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz, since the 1960s. โ€œIโ€™ve never seen this much damage this quickly in my 55 years here. So itโ€™s time to step back and say, โ€˜This is whatโ€™s coming.โ€™โ€

A majority of the stateโ€™s coast is lined by cliffs โ€” and most of them are eroding. According to a study published in September, an average of two inches of Californiaโ€™s coast dribbles into the sea every year, though in some spots, like Eureka, it can be 10 times that amount.

This trend will only increase as oceans rise and storms become more powerful this century. That means many eyes are on Santa Cruz, as it decides how to tackle the problem of West Cliff Drive.

There arenโ€™t any easy solutions. Among the possibilities: further bolster the cliffside with seawalls or boulders to preserve the two-lane road; narrow it to one lane to make room for the retreating coastline; or close it to cars altogether.

No decisions, or even proposals, have been made yet, but the future of West Cliff has dominated chitchat around Santa Cruz lately, said Fran Grayson, who owns Steamer Lane Supply, a cafe on West Cliff Drive overlooking the water.

โ€œPeople are talking about it and stressing about it,โ€ Grayson told me. Thatโ€™s especially true among the surfers who treasure the breaks off West Cliff that helped make Santa Cruz a worldwide surfing destination.

The damage from the recent storms to West Cliff Drive will cost $13 million to repair, the city manager, Matt Huffaker, said, and without additional steps, the Santa Cruz coastline could sustain as much as $1 billion in erosion and other climate-related damage by the end of the century. โ€œWe canโ€™t simply build back in the same way,โ€ he said.

As I walked along West Cliff Drive recently, savoring the salty air, pedestrians peered over plastic barriers to get a better look at a spot where the asphalt had crumbled into the sea.

Gretchen Bach, who lives on a stretch of West Cliff that was among the hardest hit by the storms, said the impacts had not been all bad. True, closing one lane of the road has meant fewer parking options for her and her neighbors, but also less car traffic and more breathing room for people on foot.

โ€œPeople stop and talk to each other, thereโ€™s just more space โ€” itโ€™s like our community meeting place,โ€ Bach, who works as a real estate agent, told me. โ€œIโ€™d trade that for parking any day.โ€

Debates similar to the one around West Cliff Drive are likely to play out across California in the coming decades as the effects of climate change take their toll. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, some 200,000 Californians and almost $17 billion in residential and commercial buildings are at risk from coastal flooding alone. Without intervention, many highways, airports and recreational beaches will be damaged or destroyed.

In Santa Cruz, the reality of coastal erosion and climate change seemed to have sunk in among residents who treasure West Cliff Drive.

โ€œIf we do nothing, at some point, there will be nothing to protect and save,โ€ Bryant said.

Soumya Karlamangla is a reporter with California Today, The New York Times. Copyright, 2023, The New York TImes

Adam Scow Appointed Pajaro Valley Unified Trustee

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On Saturday, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Adam Scow to fill the seat vacated when former member Maria Orozco was elected to the Watsonville City Council.

โ€œNow the work begins,โ€ Scow said after the vote. โ€œI know itโ€™s going to be a hard job, but I really think this group of trustees, this community, is hungry for change. I feel optimistic and confident that working together, weโ€™re going to make some changes.โ€

Scow added he wants to look at the budget to increase wages for teachers and staff, which he says will help with teacher retention.

โ€œItโ€™s not just a matter of what employees deserve; itโ€™s whatโ€™s going to work to bring people here,โ€ he said. โ€œThatโ€™s just a cold hard economic fact given the cost of living.โ€

Scowโ€™s appointment came after an hour-long meeting during which the Board interviewedย four candidates, grilling them on their governing philosophy and how they would be influential board members.

About 30 members of the public spoke during the meeting, nearly all of whom spoke in favor of Scow. This support weighed heavily for the Trustees, who decided after a brief discussion.

Scow is a music teacher for El Sistema, a nonprofit after-school program that brings music to young people. He is a classically trained violinist who plays, among other things, in a mariachi band. Scow has worked as a strategist for Public Water Now, which works to win public ownership of the local water system. He has also worked as the California Food and Water Watch director, overseeing campaigns to promote clean energy and protect Californiaโ€™s water. He also helped pass legislation regarding water rights and overtime pay for farmworkers.

Scowโ€™s record of environmental work also earned him support from the audience, including Ann Lopez, who, as the Center for Farmworker Families director, advocates for a reduction in toxic agricultural chemicals around schools.

The Trustees voted in January to appoint a new member, reasoning that taking it to a special election would have cost $80,000 and left the seat empty until the next public election.

โ€œWe didnโ€™t want to see Trustee Area 6 go unrepresented until November,โ€ said Board Vice-President Georgia Acosta. โ€œThatโ€™s just not fair to the constituency base of that area.โ€

Trustee Area 6 covers the Freedom area from Watsonville Municipal Airport north to White Road.

Scowโ€™s seat will be up for reelection in November 2024.

Lieutenant Governor Visits Capitola

After California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis bought several slices from Pizza My Heart in Capitolaโ€™s storm-ravaged Esplanade on Wednesday for herself and the retinue of City, County and State officials accompanying her, she turned, slice in hand and quipped, โ€œThe only thing that would make it taste better is if I had gone surfing first.โ€

Kounalakis is the latest governmental official to visit the Mid-County tourist destination, whose staggering damage has become a backdrop for public officialsโ€™ efforts to bring the area federal and state recovery funds. 

โ€œCapitola is one of the jewels of the California coast,โ€ Kounalakis said. โ€œIt has an energy and a vibe and a community that draws people from around the world. And itโ€™s real important to us that Capitola has the tools to build back better.โ€

Those tools, she said, include providing evacuees a place to go, and providing emergency dollars to businesses so they can rebound. 

But the state also has a long-range vision to help mitigate the effects of climate change, which could lessen the impacts of sea level rise and future atmospheric river storms.

โ€œCalifornia is experiencing first-hand the impacts of a warming climate,โ€ she said. โ€œWe have followed the science for decades on this, which is why we have the most rigorous emissions reduction program in the country, and itโ€™s why we have the most progressive goals. Our 2045 goals to transition to a clean energy future are the gold standard in the world.โ€

Capitola Mayor Margaux Keiser said that she hopes the visit will help reignite the villageโ€™s image as a tourist destination, as the hardest hit restaurantsโ€”Zeldaโ€™s, Sand Bar, Paradise Beach Grilleโ€”struggle to rebuild.

The damage to the City is estimated at $2.6 million, with repairs to the Capitola Wharf ringing in at roughly $9 million.

The City was already planning on a massive renovation project on the Wharf, including possible widening, pylon repair and upgrades to the bathrooms, before the storm hit. That was paid for by a $3.5 million grant secured by Congressman Jimmy Panetta.

Now, with a much larger project on the horizon, the City has received an additional $1.9 million in state funding from the office of Assemblyman Mark Stone. Additional funding will come from Measure D, the Cityโ€™s quarter-cent sales tax approved in 2016 and reauthorized in 2018 to fund City Services.

The City will also look to FEMA and its insurance provider to fund the project, which City Manager Jamie Goldstein hopes will begin in August. 

Corralitos Drug Dealer Sentenced to Prison

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A man who provided illegal drugs to two female victims, 16 and 17, and committed sex offenses against them, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in state prison, Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell announced.

The parents of Emma Lace Price, the 16-year-old who was found dead of an overdose at Michael James Russellโ€™s Corralitos residence on Nov. 12, 2021 with four different narcotics in her system, have additionally filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Russell and his parents. The case will be heard in March.ย ย 

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz County Sheriffโ€™s investigators are being criticized for not considering Priceโ€™s death suspicious at first, and for treating it as merely an overdose.

Investigators discovered that, in the days leading up to her death, she had been getting illegal narcotics from multiple dealers, including Russell.

According to court documents, Russell met Price about a month before her death, and the two began a sexual relationship, which involved him giving Price Percocet laced with Fentanyl. Once she entered an unresponsive state, the lawsuit further alleges he failed to give her the medical attention she needed.

Court documents show that Russell instead called a friend, and removed Priceโ€™s clothes and put her in a cold shower. He and the friend then injected her with Narcan, and finally called 911 after 30 minutes.

Still, Rosell said that there was insufficient evidence to hold him responsible for her death. 

โ€œThis was an incredibly tragic case which has had a devastating impact on (the victimโ€™s) family, her loved ones, and many other concerned members of the community,โ€ Rosell stated in a press release. โ€œWhile nothing can bring back their daughter, nor does this sentence represent the pain and trauma of their loss, our office hopes this disposition will further protect the public by ensuring a defendant who takes advantage of underage victims is held accountable for his crimes.โ€

Russell, 24, will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.

Things to Do in Santa Cruz: Feb. 8-14

ARTS AND MUSIC

BITCHIN BAJAS Chicago psych trio Bitchin Bajasโ€™ Bajascillators might have only four tracks, but each of the 2022 releaseโ€™s four tunes surpasses the 10-minute mark. Layers of minimalist loops that peak into lush HiFi currents of ecstasy running concurrently. Keys, reed and woodwind instruments percolate, distending and hovering with purpose; this isnโ€™t the music of some kid messing around with a MIDI in the basement. Bajascillators might sound that way at first listen, but the Bitchin Bajas approach is calculated, and every move ensures that listeners will never grow bored. The trioโ€™s magic trick: unleashing epic tracksโ€”one song clocks in at 14 minutesโ€”that feel like they happen super quickly. Cooper Crain, Rob Frye and Dan Quinlivan are creative master mind-effers. Thatโ€™s not meant to be a negative thing. $20. Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7pm. The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. folkyeah.com

THE COMING OF AGE OF AMERICAN ART MUSIC: THE BOSTON SIX COMPOSERS The music is stunningโ€”described as โ€œMendelssohn with an American twistโ€โ€”ranging from dreamy, alluring and jokey to mighty and intense and the players include local luminary Kate Alm with members of Symphony San Jose. This unique performance will be one of the month’s most impressive live musical performances. $35 plus fees. Thursday, Feb. 9, 7:30pm. Peace United Church, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. distinguishedartists.org

MATT HECKLER WITH JOHNO LEEROY Matt Heckler is โ€œthe fiddle player you want to believe still exists. Veering from Appalachia to Romania, Ireland to the Catskills, his music is definitively unsafe and entirely his own.โ€ Meanwhile, Denver-based country/folk singer-songwriter Johno Leeroy opens. He describes himself as a โ€œsongwriter, story delivery artist and traveling T-shirt salesman, who crafts modern Americana, country and soul music while paying homage to the traditional roots style of writing and recording.โ€ $16/$19 plus fees. Friday, Feb. 10, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com

LEO KOTTKE Along with John Fahey, Leo Kottke is one of the most influential acoustic guitarists, bringing a unique sound and virtuosic flourishes to the instrument. His propulsive fingerstyle playing heard in his solo instrumental work has cemented his reputation as a true innovator. The two-time Grammy nomineeโ€™s inspiration can be found in everyone from Mississippi John Hurt to John Phillip Sousa. Such versatility has translated into collaborations with some of the most talented musicians in the world, including Lyle Lovett and Phish bassist Mike Gordon. Kottke’s 1971 major-label debut, Mudlark, positioned him as a singer-songwriter, despite his own wishes to remain an instrumental performerโ€”in the liner notes to 1972’s 6- and 12-String Guitar, issued on Fahey’s Takoma label, Kottke describes his voice as “geese farts on a muggy day.” $30-45 plus fees. Saturday, Feb. 11, 8pm. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. riotheatre.com

CYRILLE AIMร‰E Acclaimed singer Cyrille Aimรฉe is an improvisational wizard. The New York Times called her a โ€œrising star in the galaxy of jazz singers.โ€ The Grammy-nominated vocalist went from busking throughout Europe to dazzling audiences at some of the worldโ€™s most prestigious jazz festivals, performing on Broadway and wowing the infamously brutal audiences at the Apollo in New York City. Aimรฉe won the Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition and the Sarah Vaughn International Jazz Vocal Competition and co-starred with Bernadette Peters in a Stephen Sondheim tribute at the renowned City Center in New York. The performance inspired her to dig deeper into Sondheimโ€™s repertoire, resulting in her most recent album, Move On: A Sondheim Adventure. Pianist Sam Hirsh, bassist Max Gerl and drummer Anthony Fung will join Aimรฉe in Santa Cruz. $42/$47.25; $23.50/students. Monday, Feb. 13, 7pm. Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. kuumbwajazz.org

THE FRIGHTS WITH SAD PARK The Frights, an infectious West Coast surf-punk outfit, initially formed as a prank. The โ€œprankโ€ turned out to sound way better than expected, and the outfit found success. Almost despite themselves, moving from the tiny San Diego indie label Postmark Records, which issued their early EPs and their 2013 debut, all the way up to the revered punk label Epitaph, which released their 2018 record Hypochondriac. The Frightsโ€™ 2020 Everything Seems Like Yesterday represents the talent of โ€œhome studioโ€ singer and guitarist frontman Mikey Carnevale. Originally, Carnevale was going to release everything as a solo album but changed his mind after playing the new material during 2018 shows in San Diego and L.A., back when most of the material was written. If you like bands like FIDLAR, youโ€™ll dig the Frights. Los Angeles emo punk rockers Sad Parkโ€”vocalist and guitarist Graham Steele, bassist and backing vocalist Sam Morton and drummer Grant Bubarโ€”released two EPs, Sad Park and Good Start, Bad Endings. In 2018, they released their full-length debut, Sleep, which grew their fanbase exponentially. $25/$30 plus fees. Tuesday, Feb. 14, 8:30pm. The Catalyst Atrium, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. catalystclub.com

THE LONE BELLOW WITH TALL HEIGHTS โ€œOne of the reasons we went with Love Songs for Losers as the album title is that Iโ€™ve always seen myself as a loser in love,โ€ the Lone Bellow lead vocalist Zach Williams says. โ€œIโ€™ve never been able to get it completely right, so this is my way of standing on top of the mountain and telling everyone, โ€˜Itโ€™s okay.โ€™ The songs are looking at bad relationships and wonderful relationships and all the in-between, sometimes with a good deal of fun. Itโ€™s us just trying to encapsulate the whole gamut of experience that we all go through as human beings.โ€ Love Songs for Losers follows up the groupโ€™s 2020 chart-topping Half Moon Lightโ€”a critically acclaimed effort that marked their first outing with the Nationalโ€™s Aaron Dessner as producerโ€”which spawned the Triple A radio hits โ€œCount On Meโ€ and โ€œDried Up Riverโ€ (both hit No. 1 on the Americana Singles chart). After sketching Losersโ€™ 11 songs in a church, the band spent eight weeks at Roy Orbisonโ€™s home on Old Hickory Lake, carefully crafting their most sprawling and varied work. Note: This show has been moved from the Rio Theatre. All tickets purchased for the show will be honored. $30.50/$119 VIP plus fees. Tuesday, Feb. 14, 8pm. Moeโ€™s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. folkyeah.com

COMMUNITY

THE CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES DILLER LECTURE WITH GERSHOM GORENBERG: โ€˜THE SECRET WAR AGAINST THE NAZIS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST‘ At the midpoint of World War II, an Axis army under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was on the brink of conquering the Middle East. Historian Gershom Gorenbergโ€™s War of Shadows reveals the espionage affair that led to the British victory against Rommel at El Alameinโ€”turning the tide of the war and preventing the mass murder of the Jews of Egypt, Palestine and the rest of the Middle East. Gorenberg (Kresge โ€™76, Religious Studies), an American-born Israeli journalist, covers Middle Eastern politics and the interaction of politics and religion. He is currently a senior correspondent for the American political magazine The American Prospect. Free (Registration required). Wednesday, Feb. 8, 6pm. UCSC Cowell Ranch Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz. thi.ucsc.edu


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FIDLAR Unleashes Infectious Punk with a Surf-rock Twist

Zooming in from his girlfriendโ€™s place in Los Angeles, singer and guitarist Zac Carper of the SoCal punk band FIDLAR explains how the pandemic caused him to go down a dark path. โ€œThe pandemic happened, and I went hard,โ€ he says, wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt with the words โ€œI Not Lateโ€ emblazoned across the front. โ€œIt was one of those things where I could have either got my life together or completely destroyed it. I kind of went the latter.โ€

Inspired by attending a DMT ceremony in Malibu, Carper implemented his DIY psychedelic therapy on himself with decidedly mixed results. โ€œAfter that, it just got me into this crazy psychedelic trip,โ€ he continues and laughs. โ€œI started to microdose, but I realized I was just getting high the whole time. I wasnโ€™t doing it right.โ€

That experience led to Carper writing the new FIDLAR song โ€œTaste the Money,โ€ one of four new songs that will appear on an upcoming EP to be released in March of this year. The song initially comes on like polished pop punk before some thunderous riffs ensue that recall the pummeling punk anthems from their 2013 self-titled debut and lyrics that ask, โ€œam I tripping or is this trip tripping me?โ€

The confusing period of societal upheaval around the pandemic also led FIDLAR to question its very existence, says drummer Max Kuehn, who is on the same Zoom call from his apartment studio. โ€œWhat is even a band?โ€ he says he thought after the pandemic caused stages to become silent in 2020. โ€œIt was this thing where is music ever going to come back? Is this even a tenable career anymore?โ€

Carper says that the pandemic temporarily took away FIDLARโ€™s reason for existence. โ€œAll of the stuff for FIDLAR, everything revolves around playing live,โ€ he says. โ€œThatโ€™s why we wrote music, to play live shows. When that got taken away, it was like, what do we do now?โ€

Thankfully Carper, Kuehn and bassist Brandon Schwartzel decided to press on while founding member and guitarist Elvis Kuehnโ€”Maxโ€™s brotherโ€”had no desire to return to FIDLARโ€™s frequently grueling tour schedule. โ€œHe was like, I am just kind of over it,โ€ Kuehn says. โ€œI feel completely opposite. I want to go and fucking tour again.โ€

Elvisโ€™ departure left a noticeable absence in the group that FIDLAR has decided to fill with new guitarist Michael Crainโ€”who is in Dead Cross with vocalist Mike Patton among other projectsโ€”during their shows. โ€œMichael is playing guitar live because I donโ€™t think Zac could shred and sing at the same time,โ€ Kuehn says.

โ€œI canโ€™t hack it, man!โ€ Carper exclaims.

The other two songs that have been released from the upcoming EP explore the extremes of the bandโ€™s sound. โ€œFSUโ€ is a lurching grunge song about substance abuse, while โ€œSand on the Beachโ€ is a sunny, smirking pop punk nugget. โ€œI think those are our two modes,โ€ Carper says. โ€œItโ€™s kind of yin and yang in that way. I love fucking poppy, really simple shit, but I also love to scream.โ€

The EP was recorded at Rick Rubinโ€™s Shangri-La Studio and produced by Grammy-winning producer Dave Sardy, who has a dizzying amount of album credits to his name, from LCD Soundsystem to the Who to Oasis. โ€œI think good producers just instill this confidence in the musician and artist,โ€ Carper says of working with Sardy. โ€œI think he nailed that part.โ€

What is apparent from FIDLARโ€™s new songs is that they are taking a more straightforward approach than on their last album, 2019โ€™s overstuffed Almost Free. That final offering found the band straying far from their punk rock roots on songs including the Beastie Boys-inspired โ€œGet Off My Rock,โ€ the instrumental title track that employs horns, and most notably, the pop duet โ€œCalled You Twice,โ€ where Carper sings with Grammy-nominated vocalist K.Flay. โ€œI know itโ€™s pretty polarizing,โ€ Carper says of Almost Free. โ€œPeople that really like our first two records donโ€™t like that record, but then it also gained us this new level of fans that donโ€™t really care about the fucking punk rock cred thing.โ€

Almost Free was more of a studio confection, while the bandโ€™s newest songs were written to be played live. โ€œIt [the new EP] was all about using the limitations that we have, which in general is where we shine,โ€ Carper says

With the new EP coming out in the spring and a mini tour of 10 West Coast shows kicking off with their performance at The Catalyst on Feb. 17โ€”before a brief run through Australia and New Zealandโ€”FIDLAR are slowly gearing up for their next chapter. โ€œWeโ€™re microdosing being in a band now,โ€ Carper says. โ€œWeโ€™re microdosing some tours right now. Then weโ€™re going to macrodose.โ€

FIDLAR (Liily and Reckling opens) performs Friday, Feb. 17, at 9pm. $27 plus fees. The Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. catalystclub.com

Rob Brezsnyโ€™s Astrology: Feb. 15-21

Astrology, Horoscope, Stars, Zodiac Signs
Free will astrology for the week of Feb. 15

The Wait for Buzzo Wood Fired Pizza is Over

Pizza lovers and foodies have anticipated the arrival of the new Soquel restaurant for a long time

Smith & Hookโ€™s 2020 Proprietary Red: Top Quality on a Budget

Winemaker Megan Conatser uses grapes from Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley and Paso Robles to make magic

Tortilla Flats Delivers a Smorgasbord of Flavors

The popular Soquel spotโ€™s culinary fusion of influences is vibrant and satisfying

Santa Cruzโ€™s Waterfront Promenade Reaches an Inflection Point

After winter storms toppled bits of West Cliff Drive into the ocean, the seaside town grapples with how to fight erosion

Adam Scow Appointed Pajaro Valley Unified Trustee

The newly selected trustee aims to increase wages for PVUSD teachers and staff

Lieutenant Governor Visits Capitola

The damage to the City is estimated at $2.6 million, with repairs to the Capitola Wharf at about $9 million

Corralitos Drug Dealer Sentenced to Prison

Michael Russell gets 10 years for sexual assault, possession of illegal drugs; parents of 16-year-old who overdosed file wrongful death suit

Things to Do in Santa Cruz: Feb. 8-14

Bitchin Bajas, Leo Kottke, the Lone Bellow and More

FIDLAR Unleashes Infectious Punk with a Surf-rock Twist

The SoCal trio delivers a rowdy arsenal of catchy tunes laced with copious amounts of drugs
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