Page 628 – Good Times

Be Our Guest: Danilo Brito

A&E
Music

-

March 19, 2019

Mandolin Magazine once described Danilo Brito as “supremely gifted.” I know what you’re thinking right now: there’s a Mandolin Magazine? Yes, and in fact, when you watch Brito’s fingers fly across the mandolin fretboard like a wizard summoning lightning, you will understand why someone would sit down and devote a full hour to reading tales of the mandolin.

Brito plays Brazilian choro music, an instrumental music that goes back to the 1800s that has elements of jazz and blues, but has its own energetic vibe to it. This Be Our Guest package includes dinner as well as the show.

INFO: 6 p.m. Monday, April 1. Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $31.50 adv/$36.75 door. Information: kuumbwajazz.org.

WANT TO GO?

Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Monday, March 25, to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Dream Inn Debuts Surf-Chic Dining at Jack O’Neill Restaurant

Christina Waters

-

March 19, 2019

0

Dream Inn Debuts Surf-Chic Dining at Jack O’Neill Restaurant

Jack O’Neill Restaurant is the smart new name for the ocean-view restaurant of the retro Dream Inn, and the new menu sparkles almost as much as the sun on the waves of Steamer Lane right outside the dining room. Menu items, too, announce a tighter link to the local region and purveyors: Mavericks Meatballs, Lighthouse Salad, Corralitos Sausage Sampler. Branding does a lot to set a tone in the inviting room with wraparound views of the beach, Boardwalk and atmospheric surfers.

The new menu is cleverly organized into land, sea and earth (for meatless dishes). Half of the entrees are gluten-free, many are vegetarian, and organic eggs are used throughout the menu—like the colorful fried egg that arrived atop the crisp garlic fries that came with my order of grilled hangar (sp) steak. Slathered with a wicked cilantro-serrano chimichurri sauce, the beef was wonderful. Dipping the thin fries into the oozing egg yolk multiplied the flavor richness. Plus it’s fun dipping anything into anything.

Our meal started with wine from Jack O’Neill’s all-regional wine list. For me, an excellent Santa Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 ($13) and for Katya a light, dry Sauvignon Blanc 2017 from Paso Robles’ Justin Winery ($9). Very accessibly priced wines, I have to say.

Next came a real treat. When was the last time house-made, non-generic bread arrived with dinner? Well, perhaps this is a sign of bread’s rebirth. A server came around to pour our sparkling water, and also produced a wicker basket lined with a cloth napkin, containing two rolls—one sourdough, the other a dark wheat molasses. Both wonderful! With the breads came a pretty, rectangular plate of two butters, one topped with a dark pink salt, the other a sphere infused with garlic and parsley. Great to look at, even better spread generously on the rolls. Wine, water, rolls, and the sun beginning to turn the waves gold. It’s good to be in Santa Cruz, we agreed, and toasted the dining room’s stunning location.

After a shared Lighthouse Salad ($10)—very visual, with chopped treviso and romaine sprinkled with marconas and blueberries (though not enough pomegranate dressing)—our entrées arrived. A bit too quickly, perhaps, but that can be smoothed out as the staff fine tunes.

Katya’s seafood trio ($35), served on a beautiful sea-green platter, was the size of the beach itself. A beautiful presentation of seafoods—succulent mahi mahi, a few jumbo gulf shrimp, and a nicely grilled Skuna Bay salmon filet—the dish was distinguished by a bed of outstanding pureed edamame and cauliflower that lay under the seafood. It was a welcome alternative to mashed potatoes or other root veggies. Crisp ribbons of squash and red peppers added color and crunch. A trio of beurre blancs proved nice but unnecessary.

Somehow, we managed room for dessert. Of course we chose Jack’s Molten ($11), a splendid homage consisting of a warm dark chocolate torte, filled with sea-salt caramel and topped with Marianne’s vanilla bean ice cream. Even better than it sounds, the dessert was irresistible, and included a tiny adornment of whipped cream and two fat olallieberries. The view got lovelier by the minute. Kudos to the kitchen and the smart recipe design of Jack O’Neill Restaurant.

Jack O’Neill Restaurant at the Dream Inn, 175 W Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. 866-205-4152, jackoneillrestaurant.com.

Ryan Bingham Brings ‘American Love Song’ to the Rio

Aaron Carnes

-

March 19, 2019

0

Ryan Bingham Brings ‘American Love Song’ to the Rio

After watching disturbing events in our country unfold during the Trump Administration, Ryan Bingham really wanted to write a political album. The thing is, the more he dug deep into social issues, the more his own personal stories came out.

For instance, “Wolves”—a from-the-gut, stripped-down folk song—is on one level inspired by the Parkland students and the backlash they’ve gotten for speaking up. But it also is about his own experience as a kid who moved around a lot and was bullied. He mixed all these elements into a really complex, multi-layered song.

“It brought up a lot of old feelings,” Bingham says. “I was always this new kid in town wherever I went, and dealing with people who start fights with you. It’s crazy how we fall back into things. A lot of my own personal stories started to be woven into this, and my experiences of growing up in this country.”

The record, American Love Song, is a diverse country-blues double album produced by Charlie Sexton, known for his work with Bob Dylan. It jumps back and forth between the personal and political—sometimes, as with “Wolves” landing on both. Perhaps part of the reason they intersect so much is that he grew up in the small rural towns of the Southwest, some of them right on the border.

“Those towns have depended on each other for a long time,” Bingham says. “I met a group of guys that lived in Mexico, and they started taking me to these rodeos down in Mexico in Chihuahua, in Monterey and all these border towns. I wasn’t down there as a tourist, just kind of going across the border for the night. All those guys were so warm and welcoming me into their families.”

This process of digging into his own history caused Bingham to feel both a very sincere love for this country, and to also feel deeply disturbed by the direction Trump has taken it. He captures that feeling on the album by juxtaposing the sometimes-dark lyrics with some upbeat Stones-sounding rock ’n’ roll.

“It was a love letter, but I was a bit frustrated, kind of confused at what was going on and what has been going on in our country,” Bingham says. “It’s been a tough record to talk about in a way, because it has a lot of layers to it.”

It’s also quite a rootsy and raw album. For a short while, Bingham had a flirtation with the mainstream world, with his work on the film Crazy Heart—particularly the film’s worn-torn theme song “Weary Kind,” which earned Bingham an Academy Award. He didn’t stay in that place for very long.

“Before that happened, I was in a van with a bunch of buddies touring around playing dirty rock clubs all over the country. I didn’t have much of a career other than that,” Bingham says. “When that thing hit, it put me into the mainstream, but at the same time I was still this punk-rock-with-an-attitude [guy] playing country music.”

It seemed like there was a big career on the horizon for him, but he wasn’t happy with how his management wanted to market him, so his wife took over as his manager. Together they run his own record label. It’s a decision he’s happy with, as a bigger label likely wouldn’t have been too happy about an album so rootsy and thematically complex.

“I didn’t write the songs to have big hooks or to be very pop driven. It’s not really who I am,” Bingham says. “We started doing things our own way, and doing things in a way that I feel comfortable with. It’s been like that ever since.”

There are moments on the record where the political edge becomes more overt, like when he calls out Trump by name. But overall, it’s a much more fluid experience.

Bingham is often asked if the songs on the new album are “protest songs.” “I don’t know if they’re necessarily protest songs, but they’re songs about trying to have a conscience and being aware of what’s happening,” Bingham says. “It’s having a rational conversation. All these things that everyone else is experiencing, I’m right there with everybody else.”

INFO: 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $30. 423-8209.

Film review: ‘The Wedding Guest’

Lisa Jensen

-

March 19, 2019

0

Dev Patel is having a moment. The Anglo-Indian actor, who stars in two new movies out this month, is quietly polishing his craft and his reputation with each new role. From the teenage hero of Slumdog Millionaire to the eager-to-please young proprietor of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to the adopted orphan searching for his roots in last year’s Oscar-nominated Lion, he’s proving himself equal to each new challenge.

Case in point: Patel’s solid, commanding turn in The Wedding Guest. Beneath this misleadingly benign title, filmmaker Michael Winterbottom fashions a thriller of skullduggery and deceit that stretches across the churning urban streets and vast, sun-baked rural landscapes of Pakistan and India. Through it all strides Patel’s mysterious protagonist, a soldier of fortune who finds himself on the wrong end of an increasingly bad deal.

Patel’s character Jay could only be considered a “hero” in the Sergio Leone sense—a solitary man with no name (“Jay,” of course, is an alias), who nevertheless sticks to an inner moral code if circumstances push him far enough. We know they will from the very first scene, when English-speaking Jay lands in Pakistan, rents a car, buys two guns, and hits the road.

Soon, he has slipped past an armed guard into a posh residence in the middle of the night and abducted a terrified young woman, Samira (Radhika Apte), on the eve of her wedding. Every action he takes is completely professional—when the first of many setbacks occurs, he even gives her the choice of going home to her family or staying with him one more day to follow an alternate plan. “I don’t want to be married,” she tells him.

All sorts of questions arise. Clearly, Jay and Samira don’t know each other, so who hired him, and why? Could Samira herself have had anything to do with helping arrange her own “escape?” Do they dare to trust each other?

The movie is like a travelogue of Pakistan and India. City streets throng with people hustling along on foot, bicycles or motorbikes, street vendors crying their wares, dilapidated cars and buses, pop-up market stalls, and animals of every description. The vastness of it all becomes a character in itself—the perfect place, as Samira observes, for a person to get lost forever.

Unfortunately, Winterbottom is not as adept at exploring the inner terrain of his characters. We never learn any more about Jay than we see in those first few scenes. He’s an archetype of the dangerous man with no past. Patel is skilled enough to convey checked emotions roiling beneath his stony surface; profound events affect him, but Winterbottom never gives him a chance to express them. He’s just as much a mystery at the film’s end as he was at the beginning.

Similarly, Samira is glad enough to be liberated from an arranged marriage in a country from which she emigrated at age 12. But that’s all we find out about her—not her relationship to her parents, her family or her betrothed, nor what it means to her personally to risk everything to be free of them. It’s as if Winterbottom sketched in his characters and premise, and then started filming before he’d properly developed them.

Still, Patel’s uncompromising presence gives the movie its backbone. It’s too bad he wasn’t given more of a part to play.

THE WEDDING GUEST

**1/2 (out of four)

With Dev Patel and Radhika Apte. Written and directed by Michael Winterbottom. An IFC Films release. Rated R. 97 minutes.

Hahn Keeps Wine in the Family

Josie Cowden

-

March 13, 2019

0

We moved our clocks forward over the weekend, so we can now officially start to celebrate spring. How about cracking open a nice bottle of Pinot Noir Rosé? I found one made by Hahn Family Wines for about $15 on sale in a local supermarket, and it’s delightful.

Although light and refreshing, there’s nothing wimpy about this Rosé. It’s bursting with flavors of strawberry, citrus and raspberry, and its crisp finish almost transports one to a sunny Greek isle. Also, this 2016 Rosé comes with a screw cap, so it’s perfect to take on a picnic—just in case you forget the corkscrew!

The Hahn estate is a big operation. They own and farm two vineyards in the esteemed Arroyo Seco viticultural area (AVA) of Monterey County, and four estate vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Since 1980, the Hahn family has produced fine wines with a goal of showcasing the unique varietal characteristics of the region.

Hahn has a tasting room in the newly revamped Carmel Plaza on Ocean Avenue, now a happening place to go for restaurants, gourmet shops, coffee, and wine tasting.

You can also visit the Hahn estate at 37700 Foothill Rd., Soledad. 678-4555, hahnwines.com.

VinoCruz: Now Serving Brunch

Fancy a fresh-squeezed mimosa or a glass of local Equinox sparkling wine with your crab cakes benedict or salmon waffle? Or maybe you want a handcrafted cocktail, such as a Kir VinoCruz, with your egg scramble or crepe and bacon plate with fromage blanc, mascarpone cheese and Grand Marnier.

The upbeat VinoCruz Wine Bar and Kitchen is now serving brunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Look for delicious poached eggs, Corralitos sausage, applewood smoked bacon, house-made buttermilk biscuits, and much more. The brunch choices are fresh and plentiful at VinoCruz—and packed with flavor, too.

Brave souls out there will try a Cassis Liqueur and aromatic bitters, or a Snake Bite, made with cider and dark stout. It that’s your poison, then go for it!

VinoCruz Wine Bar & Kitchen, 4901 Soquel Drive, Soquel. 426-8466, vinocruz.com.

A Winter Citrus Fix From Mountain Feed & Farm

Lily Stoicheff

-

March 13, 2019

0

A Winter Citrus Fix From Mountain Feed & Farm

Winter is often considered the season of “less.” Our days have less sunshine and warmth; our bodies desire to do less, preferring to hunker down in a warm place for the colder months; and, if we’re eating seasonally, there’s less to choose from compared to summer’s colorful smorgasbord of fruits and veggies.

But one thing Mother Nature offers in bounty during the winter is citrus. In Santa Cruz County, we are able to choose from dozens of varieties at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores, where boxes overflow with these golden globes. Even the most neglected lemon trees in our backyards decorate themselves with shining, rain-washed fruit, gleaming and defiant against the grey winter skies, edible emblems of the sunshine we all crave.

Although we have the opportunity to enjoy citrus year round, winter is the perfect time to indulge in tangerines, pomelos, Navel oranges, blood oranges, and kumquats. An excellent source of vitamin C, they help guard us against illness. Plus, their acidity cuts through heavy comfort foods: a squeeze of sour orange over braised pork, lemon on cannellini beans, or lime in a coconut curry complement these dishes’ richness and make the flavor come alive.

As always, head to the farmers’ markets to expand your citrus palate. Twin Girls Farms at the downtown market has a wide variety, but many other farms are offering delicious-looking fruit in both popular and boutique varieties. I enjoy indulging in the opportunity to take home as much as I can carry. Plus, a wide bowl of warm-colored fruit makes a beautiful, snackable centerpiece.

Those curious about new, interesting ways to use and preserve citrus might also enjoy the “Citrus Creations” class at Mountain Feed & Farm Supply in Ben Lomond on Sunday, March 24 ($30). Attendees will explore the many sweet, salty, tart, and savory preparations of citrus, “from citrus salts to preserved lemons, orange bitters to lemon cream.”

I, for one, think there’s no better way to rediscover the joys of winter than to find new ways to eat your way through it.

mountainfeed.com.

Opinion: March 13, 2019

Steve Palopoli

-

March 13, 2019

1

EDITOR’S NOTE

When we do profiles, we get to meet a lot of new people and introduce them to readers—and that’s one of the best things about this job. But it was fun this week to write a cover story about two people I’ve known for a long time. One of them is Joe Sib, who I’ve been writing about for about a decade now. I don’t mean to keep writing about the guy; it’s just that every time he takes on a new project, it’s something really interesting, and with his roots in Santa Cruz and San Jose, it always seems relevant to us. I’ve ended up kind of charting the history of his career over time, which has been a blast, because dropping yourself into Joe Sib’s world is never boring.

The second one is DNA, who I’ve known for years both as a local comedian and as a contributor to GT. As with Sib, it’s been kind of amazing to see DNA grow as an artist over the years—especially, for me, his evolution as a writer. I remember reading his GT cover story that ran at the beginning of 2018 about his memories of following the Grateful Dead, and marveling at how he’s learned to let his personality come through in his funny, bemused writing style—which is a totally different art to master than doing so on stage. I’m thrilled he’s opening DNA’s Comedy Lab and Experimental Theatre, and I hope you enjoy reading about how Sib’s and DNA’s paths have come together for the opening of the new venue.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

WHO WOULDN’T BE DISTURBED?

I know from past experiences that you will not act like a real newspaper and publish letters about, or corrections to, your news stories, so just take this as feedback regarding your reporter’s lousy (intentionally biased?) work.

The recent piece (GT, 2/6) with the two-page picture of the SC City Council and regarding the left/right schism on the council missed the key factor of the entire issue!

Yes, as described, Councilmember Glover was disturbed that his agenda items were refused by Mayor Watkins because they missed the deadline.

But the true story would certainly be that the deadline was moved by the Mayor—without notice! Should Glover not be disturbed by this action? Is the Good Times OK with this misreporting? I am certainly not OK with this latest of several breeches of responsible journalism and will not knowingly patronize any advertiser of such a publication as well as encouraging others to do the same!

You have a responsibility to your readers and advertisers, and are failing in it badly!

Fred J. Geiger
Santa Cruz

CLOAKING DEVICE

Thank you for last week’s GT article “Does Santa Cruz Have a Bullying Problem?,” which discussed the growing claims of harassment online, at City Hall, and during council meetings by Council members Drew Glover and Christopher Krohn.

Krohn, to his credit, offered an apology for his behavior and seemed to indicate a willingness to learn and change. Glover, on the other hand, doubled down. To defend himself, Glover, a self-described “avowed feminist,” pointed to his service on the Commission for Prevention of Violence Against Women as evidence of his feminism. But women know feminism isn’t a moniker someone can claim simply by sitting on a Commission. Feminism is evidenced by one’s actions, policies and especially how a person treats women publicly.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a pattern emerging of verbal abuse and harassment from Glover. So far from this article, we have learned that the mayor, a current council member and three women who protested Glover’s appointment to the CPVAW have all claimed some form of harassment. This doesn’t sound like the actions of a feminist to me. It is not good enough for Glover, and Krohn as well, to cloak themselves in the principles of feminism and claim solidarity. They must treat women with respect and dignity at all times in order to live up to the ideals they claim as core values.

Corrina Dilloughery
Santa Cruz

RE: BULLYING

As a democratic socialist, anti-racist feminist I’m disgusted to see Watkins play the poor, weak white woman act when her pro-landlord, pro-rich politics get challenged by a black man. I’ve heard way worse from the likes of Rich Boy Ryan Coonerty and Mike Rotkin, but they get a pass because they’re white. We need more real democratic socialists like Glover and Krohn. Sometimes people with great policy positions are women of color like AOC, sometimes they are white boys like Bernie Sanders. Regardless of their demographics, we need more of them and fewer pearl-clutching defenders of sky-high, racist rent costs like Mayor Watkins.

– Cecily Taylor

Mayor Martine Watkins is the daughter of former county schools Superintendent Michael Watkins, who is black. Mayor Watkins identifies as mixed-race. — Editor

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

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

Santa Cruz’s Loch Lomond Recreation Area reopened for public use after the end of its regularly scheduled seasonal closure, which lasts from October through February. The city’s water department operates Loch Lomond, a reservoir for drinking water serving 96,000 households. The recreation area is home to a range of activities, including boat rentals, picnicking, fishing, and hiking. Hours for the recreation area in the month of March are 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

GOOD WORK

Santa Cruz youth concerned with global warming have an opportunity to make their voices heard. On the afternoon of Friday, March 15, they’ll meet at the clock tower, joining the worldwide Youth Climate Strikes. Students from the elementary school level all the way up through UCSC take inspiration from Swedish 15-year-old Greta Thunberg, who protested alone for weeks before students around the world began emulating her actions.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Comedy is a tool of togetherness.”
-Kate McKinnon

5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: March 13-20

GT Staff

-

March 13, 2019

0

5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: March 13-20

A weekly guide to what’s happening.

Green Fix

Bikes of Wrath

This year’s “People’s Choice” winner of Banff Mountain Film Festival is coming to Santa Cruz. Five Australian friends attempt to cycle 1,600 miles from Oklahoma to California in honor of the westward migration undertaken by The Grapes of Wrath’s Joad family. Through chance encounters with everyday Americans, the cyclists explore the novel’s core themes—migration, inequality and the perceived land of opportunity—and how the nation has progressed some 78 years after Steinbeck’s Dust Bowl depiction was first published.

INFO: 7 p.m. March 15. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. 423-8209, riotheatre.com. $14.

Art Seen

‘Four Old Broads’

Four Old Broads is a new comedic play featuring four sassy, smart and savvy older women who are living at the Magnolia Place Assisted Living home. Written by Leslie Kimbell and directed by Kathie Kratochvil, the first show of MCT’s 2019 season promises plenty of laughs when a retired burlesque queen wants to go on vacation. She dreams of a trip through the Caribbean on a Sassy Seniors Cruise, but encounters obstacles along the way, including the evil Nurse Pat Jones. Mature themes, not recommended for children 12 and under.

INFO: 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. shows. Friday, March 15-Sunday, April 7. Park Hall, 9400 Mill St., Ben Lomond. 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. $17 senior or student/$20 general admission. Photo: Alie Mac.

Cabrillo ‘Out of the Dark’ Exhibit

The latest exhibit at the Cabrillo gallery pushes photographic boundaries. The show, Out of the Dark: Alternative Process Photography, delves into experimental innovation of analog photography and features an eclectic display of unusual photographic works that are visually intriguing and surprisingly abstract. Artists include Cabrillo photography lab technician Janet Fine and many others.

INFO: Show runs through Friday, April 12. Cabrillo Gallery, 6500 Soquel Drive, Room 1002, Aptos. 479-6308. Free.

Thursday 3/14

Behind The Cup

The average coffee drinker has three or four cups per day, and the majority of them don’t know about any of the processes, labor or techniques behind those cups. Join 11th Hour Coffee co-founder Brayden Estby in discussing the health impacts and brewing methods behind a morning cup of joe. Estby will going over what makes a really good cup of coffee, the health benefits and the roasting process of coffee.

INFO: noon-1 p.m. New Leaf Community Market, 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.

‘Pulsions’ Pop Up Exhibit

Coming from San Francisco’s 836 M gallery, Pulsion is a carefully curated exhibit of work from top contemporary French artists. It invites the audience to feel the impulse of the French art scene through a selection of established and up-and-coming artists, each engaged with science, social issues and politics. The first time an exhibit like this has visited the West Coast, Pulsions is coming to Santa Cruz for one week only.

INFO: Runs Monday, March 11-Monday, March 18. Museum Of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. 429-1964, santacruzmah.org. $10.

Music Picks: March 13-20

Aaron Carnes

-

March 12, 2019

0

Live music highlights for the week of March 13, 2019.

WEDNESDAY 3/13

AFRICAN

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

Paul Simon’s world beat-influenced Graceland was a huge and unexpected hit for the folk singer. But it also shined a light on some global musicians that most Americans were totally unfamiliar with up to that point. The all-male choir that opens “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” is one of the most iconic moments on the record. That group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, had been a group in South Africa since the ’60s, and now enjoy a much larger audience. The ever-changing members continue to record and tour and wow audiences with the joy, passion and subtly complex song-writing they are able to pull off just by utilizing their voices. AARON CARNES

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $36.75. 423-8209.

THURSDAY 3/14

FLAMENCO

GERMAN LOPEZ

German Lopez is a virtuoso on the “timple,” a traditional guitar from the Canary Islands. Playing on stage with Antonio Toledo (Spanish guitar), they pluck and flit their way through conventional island music, adding flourishes of West African rhythms and playful nods to Spanish Flamenco. Together, they have the frenetic energy of dueling strings without the feigned animosity, instead creating stirring soundscapes built on melodies coalescing into unity. They play like guitar brothers, weaving their tales in and out of each other, riffing up and down the chords, until one can no longer tell where one man’s story begins and the other ends. AMY BEE

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Flynn’s Cabaret & Steakhouse, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $12 adv/$15 door. 335-2800.

FRIDAY 3/15

EXPERIMENTAL

MOON HOOCH

Whoever thinks horns are dull hasn’t heard Moon Hooch. Like a grimy, bedraggled marching band at the big game that missed the bus home and now sleeps under the risers, Moon Hooch stomps into your world and leaves muddy footprints wherever it goes. Part rave, part jazz jam, and as indecipherable as an all-out orgy in your grandparents’ basement, be prepared to put earplugs in, rubber gloves on, and just go with the whatever happens next. AB

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12 adv/$15 door. 423-1338.

SURF

SHARK IN THE WATER

There you are, enjoying your favorite icy-cold cocktail, waiting for the next band to go on at the Blue Lagoon. It’s been a great evening full of head-bobbing, nostalgic surf tunes, guitar rolls and hang-ten highs. Suddenly, the person next to you lets out a spine-twisting scream as a trio of fins—literally, three musicians in shark costumes—circle the stage. The audience gasps in horror as the band lets out a toothy, distorted guitar riff swimming through a sludgy rhythm section. Just when you thought it was safe was to go back in the club … Shark in the Water. MAT WEIR

INFO: 9 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 423-7117.

SATURDAY 3/16

FOLK

DEREK BODKIN

A veteran of KPIG’s “Please Stand By” radio show, Derek Bodkin bakes a fair amount of humor into his folk tales. Apologies if you were thinking a performance by a man who calls his backing band the Hovering Breadcat Folk Ensemble would be a deathly serious affair. In his raspy baritone, Bodkin sings the stories of pirate tailors and animals, intermixed with moments of deep sincerity and personal reflection. He’s also a world-class whistler and won the 2017 Musical Whistling Competition. Part jazz ensemble, part folk raconteurs, the Bodkins and his Hovering Breadcats got a little something for everyone—everyone weird, that is. MIKE HUGUENOR

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.

SUNDAY 3/17

ROCK

WEBB WILDER

I predict that in 100 years, we’ll still be hearing about the latest “rock ’n’ roll revival” sweeping the nation. That’s just the nature of things, as rock will always sound good, and it’ll always take people back to a time of fun and simplicity. Webb Wilder has never been part of any official revival, though considering he started spitting out straight-ahead rockers in the mid-’80s, he probably should have been. Trends change fast, but he’s stayed the same. He’s almost like a relic from another era. In fact, he created this persona back in 1984 for a short film—a 1950s detective that’s also a musician. AC

INFO: 4 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15 adv/$20 door. 479-1854

MONDAY 3/18 & TUESDAY 3/19

JAZZ-FUSION

BRAND X

Though it emerged accidentally, there is a sort of kismetic charm to the name “Brand X.” Forever misunderstood by their pop-centric major label, the name stuck when a studio executive wrote the vague words “Brand X” on the studio calendar to keep track of the British fusion band’s recording sessions. Mercurial and virtuosic, it’s a high-flying, fretboard-shredding take on fusion, complete with psychedelic freakouts and musical bars blacked out with 32nd notes. Popularly known as “Phil Collins’ other band” (he was an original member), Brand X have all the pyrotechnics of their early days and come to Santa Cruz for two nights at Michael’s on Main. MH

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Michael’s On Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $35 adv/$40 door. 479-9777.

MONDAY 3/18

JAZZ

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER

An uncontainable force of nature, Dee Dee Bridgewater has unleashed her inner soul queen with her latest album Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready. The Grammy Award-winning NEA Jazz Master spent her adolescence surreptitiously soaking up Memphis R&B on her transistor radio when she was supposed to be sleeping. She spent several years in preparation for the 2017 album, connecting with musicians and honing a repertoire of vintage songs. Accompanied by soul-steeped horn players, expert backup vocalists and a skintight rhythm section with surging organ, Bridgewater dominates the stage, pouring so much energy into the tunes that they positively radiate pleasure. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 and 9 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $42 adv/$57.75 door. 427-2227.

Love Your Local Band: Jay Lingo

Aaron Carnes

-

March 12, 2019

0

Local Americana singer-songwriter Jay Lingo moved to the Santa Cruz area in 2005. When he first got here, he hit the ground running, playing as many gigs as possible. He’d already been playing music in Pennsylvania, originally hailing from a modest, working-class neighborhood in Philly, and later moving to a rural part of the state. He channeled various influences of rock ’n’ roll, country and punk rock into his music.

“I like many different kinds of music. Once you put a label on your music, all anybody wants to do is tell you that you’re not ‘outlaw’ enough, or you’re too ‘country,’” Lingo says. “If I want to write a rocker, I will. If I want to write a whiskey-and-steel-guitar-drenched country waltz, I’ll do that, too.”

Lingo, who’s a rancher in Aromas, is now a lot more selective about the gigs he takes. With two kids and a business to take care of, a show has to be worth his while. When he does play, it’s usually at the urging of other artists, like Jesse Daniel.

“It’s nice to be in a place in my life where I don’t have to go out and play bar gigs for next to nothing,” Lingo says. “I get to pick the ones I want to play, and luckily there are some great people in town who still think my music is worth it.”

Throughout his life, he’s used music as a means of therapy. He’s worked out some of his demons in his music. As a father, he views his creative output a little differently. No matter how often he plays, he’s still writing all the time.

“I had some really bad habits that I was writing about, and I was singing those songs in bars full of people who had similar habits,” Lingo says. “I’m really trying to write music that my boys will be proud to hear. I’m trying to keep it positive.”

INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, March 15. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10 adv/$15 door. 479-1854.

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

THE WEDDING GUEST

VinoCruz: Now Serving Brunch

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Bikes of Wrath

‘Four Old Broads’

Cabrillo ‘Out of the Dark’ Exhibit

Behind The Cup

‘Pulsions’ Pop Up Exhibit

WEDNESDAY 3/13

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

THURSDAY 3/14

GERMAN LOPEZ

FRIDAY 3/15

MOON HOOCH

SHARK IN THE WATER

SATURDAY 3/16

DEREK BODKIN

SUNDAY 3/17

WEBB WILDER

MONDAY 3/18 & TUESDAY 3/19

BRAND X

MONDAY 3/18

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER