Kali Yuga—We Hear the Hissing of Cobras: Risa’s Stars Oct. 23-29

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October 22, 2019

Kali Yuga—We Hear the Hissing of Cobras: Risa’s Stars Oct. 23-29

Esoteric astrology as news for the week of Oct. 23

Sun entered Scorpio Wednesday, a sign of things hidden, dark, mysterious and underwater. And so we continue the study of the cycle of the Kali Yuga, a winter of darkness in our world today. Its manifestation—unconcealed, deliberate and brazen—can clearly be seen in the havoc, chaos, destruction, and decay of values, and continual loss of the “rule of law.” Rulers no longer promote morals, ethics or a spiritual way of life.

As virtues cease to flourish, humanity becomes exhausted, unstable and vulnerable. An ocean of darkness, an ocean of space descends. Even valor can’t seem to stop the darkness. We hear in the shadows the rustling and hissing of cobras.

In Kali Yuga, life has granted permission for darkness to fall. Many ask, “How can all this happen, and what hope is there?” Libra tells us, “Let choice be made between the darkness (Kali Yuga) and the light of the new world. Align with the Will to Good and Right Choice will be made.” The meditative keynote of Libra during this dark time is, “I choose to stand with the forces of light. And in the midst of this darkness, I will be one light shining brightly. I light my lamp.”

When we invoke the Will to Good, we are aligned with Right Choice. We are Arjuna, under Krishna’s tutelage, choosing which side to battle on. Do we choose the personality ways (Kali) or the ways of the soul (light)? Either choice is correct. When the latter is chosen, the Dweller on the Threshold becomes the Angel of the Presence. Our lamps, filled with starlight, shine brightly in the darkness. A light of hope for humanity.

ARIES: For many weeks, all things mysterious, secret and deeply psychological catch your attention. You develop strategies and a specific philosophy that influences your choices, profession, finances, health, relationships, and way of life. It’s important to research and investigate everything with integrity. No shortcuts. For Halloween, your best costume would be Dr. Freud or Jung, dressed in symbols.

TAURUS: You see both sides of a discussion, listening carefully so right decisions can be made. You need lots of time to think before making definite decisions. Sometimes, you take the other side, and this can frustrate the one attempting to be listened to and understood. Try to stand on the side of the speaker. You’re able to bring new ideas to all conversations. For Halloween, be the two Mercury brothers, Castor and Pollux.

GEMINI: Your life becomes a list of detailed agendas and how to make plans come true. This is different for you; usually you have quick thoughts that fly away in the wind. Now those ideas seek order and organization, making you feel useful and practical. Careful with health. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods and herbs (turmeric). For Halloween, be your favorite author, book, flower, herb or root.

CANCER: I don’t think you know this about yourself, but your friends do. You’re creative, humorous, engaging, funny and trustworthy. You’re intelligent, clever and keep promises. You’re curious, can tend to gossip (a form of communication), very strong in your beliefs, and proud of your children (cats, dogs, fish, goats, etc.). You’re a good teacher, too, with a green thumb. For Halloween, be a kale or parsley deva.

LEO: In the coming weeks, great imagination takes hold, and big dreams, too. Maintain a journal of these ideas, ideals, visions and dreams, unusual and important for your future. How is your home? Does it emanate an aura of intelligent living with psychology, history and religious books all around? What is traditional in your home? For Halloween, channel an ancient relative. We are our relatives.

VIRGO: You are very curious and interested in things in print, in exchanging ideas, reading news articles, and perhaps talking with others, either in a salon-type setting or over fences and berry bushes. Everything in your life is varied and variable. So you find yourself with a shorter attention span—useful at times. But after a while, you get nervous. For Halloween, the butterfly suits you best.

LIBRA: How was your birthday? Did angels appear? Did you receive secret unexpected messages? You often realize things before they are apparent to others. Tell everyone not to ask what your plans are. You cannot be pushed into any situations, ideas or agendas. All must be done within your own timing, one step at a time. For Halloween, be Venus, humanity’s next stop in the cosmic ladder evolutionary arc.

SCORPIO: Father Saturn and Pluto are in Capricorn. They are joined together, creating a feeling both restrictive yet freeing, a discipline and an opportunity. Everyone needs discipline and structure, and everyone needs freedom and liberty for growth. You feel restless, changeable, smart and versatile. You may talk more than most—and add a bit of mischief, too. For Halloween, be Pluto, bringing about mysterious transformations for everyone just by your presence.

SAGITTARIUS: You’re redeveloping trust in yourself and your communication. Many place their trust in you due to your virtues of discretion and confidentiality. Stop analyzing motives, dreams or hunches, making you think incoherently. Instead focus on the fact that life’s a paradox, everything’s a symbol, and most ideas challenge us into a state of unknowing. You will communicate more clearly soon. For Halloween, dress as a question mark.

CAPRICORN: You’re endlessly curious about others and how they interact, why they group together, all things community, new ideas and new books. You need to be with forward-thinking, equanimity-minded people. Where are they, you ask, as you go about seeking companionship and friendship. Call them to you from your heart and soul. They will come on little cats’ feet. For Halloween, the underworld your playground, Pluto’s your man. Be Persephone.

AQUARIUS: Language is your gift, and you use it in various ways. It’s a talent to communicate with the multitudes on different levels. You have talent writing, speaking, negotiating and interacting with authority. Often you have two or more jobs in different areas of life always on the move. You need freedom, challenges and stimulation. You bring a fresh breeze to all situations. For Halloween, be anything from the future. Starlight or cold fusion are good.

PISCES: You’re skilled at seeing into people, the depth of all situations, the causal reality behind appearances. Always curious, you’re always learning. You want to exchange ideas, celebrate different philosophies, share, teach and present different cultures to the world. The time is almost here for those dreams to come true. For Halloween, be one of the Magi astrologer kings bearing gifts.

Mannequin Pussy Pushes the Boundaries of Punk

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October 22, 2019

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Mannequin Pussy Pushes the Boundaries of Punk

When Philadelphia punk rockers Mannequin Pussy were getting ready to record their third full-length record, they were excited that Epitaph was interested in releasing it. The only problem was that old label Tiny Engines was holding up the process. The negotiations were long and brutal, and ended up stalling the release for a couple of years.

When the record was finally released in June, it was a huge leap forward for the band, stretching its previously dissonant, confrontational punk sound to include more pop, emotive ballads and mid-tempo New Wave rockers, as well as a bit of discordant punk still in the mix. It’s a hodgepodge record that flows surprisingly well and pushes the boundary of what a punk band can be.

“I don’t want to live in a world where punk is only one very particular thing,” says singer/guitarist Marisa Dabice. It’s punk “as long as there’s anger there, or really intense emotions.”

During the long two-year delay, the band came up with the perfect name for the album: Patience—as in, what they needed a lot of to not go crazy during the wait to release it.

“Every time we expressed what we were going through with someone, all anyone could say was, ‘You have to have patience.’ Which is an infuriating thing to say,” says Dabice. That became the inside joke that we would say in that dumb valley girl voice to each other.”

The band made the record a few years ago, then scrapped it and later re-recorded it. The first version was recorded with the same producers that handled their sophomore record, 2016’s Romantic.

Like that album, the first stab at Patience was washed out and compressed, which worked brilliantly with the noisy and pissed-off songs on Romantic. But these new songs were different. At times, Dabice found herself singing yearning pop melodies over almost-rock ballads. They wanted a more polished sound, and to have the vocals elevated above the instruments—not buried within them.

“We knew we wanted to push these songs into a new place,” Dabice says. “I didn’t want to hide behind anything. I wanted to be clear what was trying to be communicated on this record.”

The album benefited from this type of care. Dabice covers some vulnerable topics, including abuse she’s suffered in previous relationships, as well as poor decision-making in her twenties that led to some unhealthy patterns. As she processed these experiences, she felt more than just anger. She wanted to present the full gamut of her emotional state and have the music reflect that.

“It’s important to find a way to transform those painful experiences. If you don’t, it eats away at you, and then you find yourself releasing that anger in ways that are usually to the detriment of yourself and people around you,” Dabice says. “It really helped me to understand myself as the person I am after that experience.”

The pain and honesty in the lyrics can be a challenging listen. And with the polished recording, the lyrics do jump out unlike on the band’s prior two albums. But she does close on the positive “Love Again,” which is about self-love, which she’s hoping to leave people with.

“When you have an album that’s full of emotional storms and torment and anger, to end an album on something that feels more optimistic is important,” Dabice says. “Everything that led up to this point, and now you can begin those processes of learning to love yourself and allow love into your life again.”

INFO: 9pm. Thursday, Oct. 24, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12 adv/$14 door. 423-1338.

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology Oct. 23-29

Rob Brezsny

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October 22, 2019

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Free will astrology for the week of Oct. 23, 2019

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Singapore has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates. A few years ago, this state of affairs prompted the government to urge Singaporeans to have sex on an annual holiday known as National Day. A new rap song was released in hopes of pumping up everyone’s libidos and instigating a baby boom. It included the lyrics, “Let’s make fireworks ignite / Let’s make Singapore’s birth rate spike.” I have a different reason for encouraging you to seek abundant high-quality sex, Aries. According to my analysis, tender orgasmic experiences will profoundly enhance your emotional intelligence in the coming weeks—and make you an excellent decision-maker just in time for your big decisions. (P.S. You don’t necessarily need a partner.)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the 1530s, explorer Jacques Cartier led expeditions from France to the New World. As Europeans often did back then, he and his team were rude and brutish to the indigenous folks who lived there, stealing their land, kidnapping some of them, and slaughtering herds of great auks in a bird sanctuary. Yet there was one winter when Cartier’s marauders got crucial help from their victims, who gave them vitamin C-rich pine needle tea that cured their scurvy. I suspect you Tauruses will embark on quests and journeys in the coming months, and I’m hoping your behavior will be different from Cartier’s. When you arrive in unfamiliar places, be humble, curious and respectful. Be hesitant to impose your concepts of what’s true, and be eager to learn from the locals. If you do, you’re likely to get rich teachings and benefits equivalent to the pine needle tea.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many software engineers have enjoyed The Pragmatic Programmer, a book that helps them develop and refine their code. One popular technique the book offers is “rubber duck deprogramming.” Programmers place a toy rubber duck in front of them, and describe to it the problems they’re having. As they explain each line of code to their very good listener, they may discover what’s amiss. I recommend a similar approach to you as you embark on metaphorically debugging your own program, Gemini. If a rubber duck isn’t available, call on your favorite statue or stuffed animal, or even a photo of a catalytic teacher or relative or spirit.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Read the following passage from Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. “Gaston was not only a fierce lover, with endless wisdom and imagination, but he was also, perhaps, the first man in the history of the species who had made an emergency landing and had come close to killing himself and his sweetheart simply to make love in a field of violets.” I admire the romantic artistry of Gaston’s dramatic gesture. I applaud his imaginative desire to express his love in a carefully chosen sanctuary filled with beauty. I praise his intense devotion to playful extravagance. But I don’t recommend you do anything quite so extreme in behalf of love during the coming weeks. Being 20% as extreme might be just right, though.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his song “Diplomatic Immunity,” rapper Drake disparages tranquility and harmony. “I listen to heavy metal for meditation, no silence,” he brags. “My body isn’t much of a sacred temple, with vodka and wine, and sleep at the opposite times,” he declares. Is there a method in his madness? It’s revealed in these lyrics: “All that peace and that unity: all that weak shit will ruin me.” In the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you to practice the exact opposite of Drake’s approach. It’s time to treat yourself to an intense and extended phase of self-care.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s a favorable time to refresh your relationships with your basic sources and to make connections with new basic sources. To spur your creative thought on these matters, I offer the following questions to meditate on: 1. If you weren’t living where you do now, what other place might you like to call home? 2. If you didn’t have the name you actually go by, what other name would you choose? 3. If you had an urge to expand the circle of allies that supports and stimulates you, whom would you seek out? 4. If you wanted to add new foods and herbs that would nurture your physical health and new experiences that would nurture your mental health, what would they be?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Mushrooms have spores, not seeds. They’re tiny. If you could stack 2,500 of them, they’d be an inch high. On the other hand, they are numerous. A ripe mushroom may release up to 16 million spores. And each spore is so lightweight, the wind can pick it up and fling it long distances. I’ll encourage you to express your power and influence like a mushroom in the coming days: subtle and airy, but abundant; light and fine, but relentless and bountiful.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Sometimes the easiest way to get something done is to be a little naive about it,” writes computer engineer Bill Joy. I invite you to consider the value of that perspective, Scorpio—even though you’re the least likely sign in all the zodiac to do so. Being naive just doesn’t come naturally to you; you often know more than everyone else around you. Maybe you’ll be more receptive to my suggestion if I reframe the task. Are you familiar with the Zen Buddhist concept of “beginner’s mind?” You wipe away your assumptions and see everything, as if it were the first time you were in its presence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Is it always a bad thing to be lost? To wander in the unknown without a map? I’d like to propose a good version of being lost. It requires you to be willing to give up your certainties, to relinquish your grip on the comforting dogmas that have structured your world—but to do so gladly, with a spirit of cheerful expectancy and curiosity. It doesn’t require you to be a macho hero who feels no fear or confusion. Rather, you have faith that life will provide blessings that weren’t possible until you got lost.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Worrying is the most natural and spontaneous of all human functions,” wrote science educator Lewis Thomas. “Let’s acknowledge this, perhaps even learn to do it better.” I agree with him! And I think it’s an ideal time for you to learn how to worry more effectively, more potently, and with greater artistry. What might that look like? First, you wouldn’t feel shame or guilt about worrying. You wouldn’t regard it as a failing. Rather, you would raise your worrying to a higher power. You’d wield it as a savvy tool to discern which situations truly need your concerned energy and which don’t.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Some wounds go so deep that you don’t even feel them until months, maybe years, later,” wrote Aquarian author Julius Lester. Pay attention to that thought, Aquarius. The bad news is that you are just now beginning to feel a wound that was inflicted some time ago. But that’s also the good news, because it means the wound will no longer be hidden and unknowable. And because you’ll be fully aware of it, you’ll be empowered to launch the healing process. I suggest you follow your early intuitions about how best to proceed with the cure.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you’ve been having dreams or fantasies that the roof is sinking or the walls are closing in, you should interpret it as a sign that you should consider moving into a more spacious situation. If you have been trapped within the narrow confines of limited possibilities, it’s time to break free and flee to a wide open frontier. In general, Pisces, I urge you to insist on more expansiveness in everything you do, even if that requires you to demolish cute little mental blocks that have tricked you into thinking small.

Homework: You don’t have to feel emotions that others try to manipulate you into feeling. You are free to be who you want to be. freewillastrology.com.

Music Picks: Oct. 23-29

Amy Bee

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October 22, 2019

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Santa Cruz County live entertainment picks for the week of Oct. 23

WEDNESDAY 10/23

HIP-HOP

KOOL KEITH

No one knows the exact moment alt-rap became an official subgenre, but whenever it was, Kool Keith had already been cranking out some of the weirdest rap music that existed, and will likely ever exist. He’s created countless bizarro hip-hop personas: Dr. Octagon, Black Elvis, Dr. Dooom, Papa Large, and … well, way too many more to list here. He practically invented the surreal sci-fi-infused hip-hop beat, and spits surreal non-sequiturs that casually drift into the sexually explicit zone. Even in 2019, releasing his 17th solo album, Keith, he still sounds as weird and out of step with mainstream hip-hop as ever. AC

9pm. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $16 adv/$18 door. 423-1338.

WORLD

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ

Known as “the Hendrix of the Saraha,” Vieux Farka Touré is a serious force on the guitar. His is a sort of cosmic, kaleidoscopic Afrobeat, led by his blazing fretwork and keen songwriting. On “Bonheur,” the opener from 2017’s Samba, Touré kicks things off with a scorching trip across the fretboard, tearing through melodic passages like so much wet tissue. Then, when the band comes in behind him, “Bonheur” takes off at a gallop, conveying listeners across a landscape of stars, sand and the gentle lick of hot wind. MIKE HUGUENOR

8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $27 adv/$29 door. 335-2800.

THURSDAY 10/24

INDIE

LOUIZA

Indie band Louiza’s blend of ’70s-pop-melody dramatics and theatre-nerd arrangements are reminiscent of cinematic soundtracks of yore and Broadway showtunes. Just picture a grainy image of a young woman in a tan trench coat, new to the Big Apple, throwing her beret into the air and twirling around joyously. Now picture a stage set of the Big Apple, where earnest young artists dance their way through life’s struggles and lack of rent control. Now put them all in cat costumes and have them break the glass ceiling before breaking out into song. Congratulations! You’ve now correctly imagined the music of Louiza. AMY BEE

9pm. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $6. 429-6994.

FOLK

TODD SNIDER & JACK ELLIOTT

Todd Snider is no stranger to Santa Cruz. His infamous song “Beer Run” was written in town at a Robert Earl Keen concert and features cameos by native fauna like hippies, college kids and radio station KPIG’s “Sleepy” John Sandidge. Another local institution joins him: kindred tale-teller and road dog “Ramblin” Jack Elliott, a historic monument to modern folk tunes. As Halloween quickly approaches, let the dusty spirits of America come alive when these two stalwarts cast their haunted spells on your hungry ears. MAT WEIR

8pm. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-8209.

JAZZ

NICOLAS BEARDE

Describing San Francisco vocalist Nicolas Bearde as a journeyman isn’t inaccurate—it doesn’t capture the spectacular nature of his journey. At Kuumbwa alone, he’s performed as a member of three groundbreaking a cappella ensembles: Linda Tillery’s field-hollers-to-hip-hop Cultural Heritage Choir, Bobby McFerrin’s improvisation-laced Voicestra and Bay Area spin-off SoVoSo. Bearde earned an avid following as a solo act crooning sophisticated R&B, but he’s evolved into a captivating jazz singer. Celebrating the release of his confidently swinging new album I Remember You: The Music of Nat King Cole, Bearde makes his Kuumbwa debut under his own name. ANDREW GILBERT

7pm. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $21 adv/$26.25 door. 427-2227.

SATURDAY 10/26

COMEDY

BRENT WEINBACH

Brent Weinbach is an awkward guy. So much so that in his ironically titled Appealing To The Mainstream special, he proposed that he could be for reals creepy, and did a couple minutes of jokes as a blood-thirsty Igor-type monster. As stiff and alien as his normal voice is, he switches naturally into oddly cool characters, focusing his humor on the sound of words and phrases. On the same special, he pondered the phrase “Hell nah” and did his impression of R&B Lazy Eyelids, which actually makes sense if you follow his logic. AC

7 & 8:30pm. DNA’s Comedy Lab, 155 S River St., Santa Cruz. $20 adv/$25 door. 900-5123.

POST-PUNK

THE GARDEN

Proving the phrase “when you’re here, you’re family” applies to more than one Garden, Orange County duo the Garden are, in fact, twins. Since at least 2015, when the duo signed to Epitaph, the Garden has mixed a kind of nervous, artsy post-punk with a humorous, absurdly empty lyrical approach (their second album begins: “Take your sunglasses off, and then put them on again”). What, if anything, are the songs about? Search me. Nonetheless, last year’s Mirror Might Steal Your Charm is a truly weird punk-pop outlier worth experiencing. MH

9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $16/adv, $20/door. 423-1338.

AMERICANA

MATT THE ELECTRICIAN

Hard work and blue-collar jobs are romanticized in Americana music, and it’s easy to fall under the spell of such sentiments when someone like Matt the Electrician pulls out his acoustic guitar and begins to croon in a sweetly earnest, delicate voice. His vocals soothe the weary soul, gently offering plaintive perspectives and promises of a better life found within the trials of the day to day, rather than the illusions of material ease. Maybe success is measured best by effort. Maybe the struggle is the goal. Maybe it’s all about the little things. AB

8pm. Lille Aeske, 13160 Hwy. 9, Boulder Creek. $25. 703-4183.

SUNDAY 10/27

REGGAE

LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY

Some musicians never seem to age. Even as fans watch the wrinkles form, the hair frost over from salt and pepper to snow, the artist’s spirit burns just as brightly as it always has. Living legend Lee “Scratch” Perry is one of those artists, and not just because he actually has a burning candle lit during performances. At 83, the reggae artist and world-renowned producer continues his prolific career, releasing mounds of music and somehow finding time to tour. This year, Perry has already released two albums, Rootz Reggae Dub and Rainford, and just dropped a new song, “Magik,” this month. MW

9pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $25 adv/$30 door. 479-1854.

Far West Fungi Plants Santa Cruz Roots

Lauren Hepler

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October 22, 2019

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Far West Fungi’s new downtown Santa Cruz outpost isn’t just an intriguing retail and restaurant hybrid, or the latest example of the culinary migration underway from San Francisco to the Central Coast.

It is both of those things, but it’s more about stepping into a devoted subculture of fungi aficionados.

The family-owned mushroom company’s Laurel Street storefront, which opened on Oct. 12., is full of jarred specimens and scientific posters reminiscent of an apothecary. On one wall, tinctures of Cordyceps and Turkey Tail that promise to boost energy or the immune system are neatly arranged alongside mini-fungus-farm kits.

The centerpiece is a deli-style counter that showcases the dozens of mushrooms Far West sources from around the world or grows at its farms in Moss Landing and San Martin. They range from $3-a-basket Wood Ears to Black Pearl Oysters, Shiitakes and King Trumpets, all the way up to imported $31-an-ounce Burgundy Truffles.

“Let me show you something crazy,” says Ian Garrone, who owns Far West Fungi along with his parents and three brothers. He reaches behind the glass and pulls out a model of a brain made from white mycelium, or the base element of fungus. “Our farm did this for Halloween.”

SHROOM TO GROW Ian Garrone and his family are expanding mushroom business Far West Fungi. PHOTO: ANDREW FAIR — **SHROOM TO GROW** *Ian Garrone and his family are expanding mushroom business Far West Fungi.* PHOTO: ANDREW FAIR

The decor is just one of many eccentric touches in the store, where the cash register is flanked by candy cap cookies ($2) and Shiitake jerky ($8)—two examples of a bid to creatively counteract phobias of slimy or otherwise alienating textures.

“It’s the gateway mushroom,” Garrone says of the jerky, which is peppery, smokey and only slightly chewier than meat alternatives like turkey jerky. “All these great things that mushrooms have to offer, we’re kind of hoping to facilitate that.”

Santa Cruz may seem like an unlikely expansion market after Far West’s flagship store in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. But Garrone says there was good reason to move here instead of bigger cities like L.A., New York or Seattle. For starters, he’s a long-time participant in the annual Fungus Fair put on by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz.

“This community is so into mushrooms,” Garrone says. “We really would like to be a resource for others.”

One expanded offering at Far West’s Santa Cruz location is cultivation supplies, like spawn plugs for aspiring home growers. There are also mushroom knives, mushroom tea towels and a shelf full of foraging guides.

At the end of the shop’s sleek counter, a few visitors last Friday afternoon sampled a café menu of prepared items that range in umami intensity, from entry-level mushroom avocado toast ($7) to a seafood-less Lion’s Mane lobster roll with enough funk to make up for the missing crustacean ($10).

The recipes have been developed over more than 30 years, since Garrone’s parents—his father a retired police officer and mother a former school teacher—started growing mushrooms as a hobby with a business partner in Moss Landing during the ’80s.

Through Bay Area farmers’ markets, deals with specialty grocers and online sales, the operation has grown significantly in recent years. Far West Fungi now has 60 employees and produces 40,000 pounds of mushrooms per week, Garrone says, but there are still plenty of cousins and other family members involved.

“My grandmother was still doing farmers markets like a year ago,” Garrone says. “My parents still do a couple of markets a week. They’re in Japan right now at a mushroom conference.”

With the Santa Cruz store, he also sees an opportunity to supply new and existing restaurant clients, such as the San Francisco transplants behind new local tapas restaurant Barceloneta.

“We’ll do pop-ups and other events,” Garrone says, in part to showcase fungi as a sustainable alternative to meat. “A big part of it is really kind of trying to raise the level of the mushroom scene around here.”

Far West Fungi, 224 Laurel St. Suite A101, Santa Cruz. farwestfungi.com.

Love Your Local Band: Harbor Patrol

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October 22, 2019

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Two years ago, guitarist Dan Vosko saw local group Wooster play a reunion show at Moe’s Alley. Vosko was always a fan, and he loved the performance. What really got him was the sense of community at the show.

“Everybody was dancing and grooving,” Vosko says. “We were in the same room at the same time with a lot of friends. That led to a really fun evening.”

When he bumped into old bandmate and drummer Ben K at the gym the next day, they agreed it was time to play together again. They assembled a group that included vocalist Chris Huff, guitarist Zach Nutty and bassist Rob Atkinson. They had played in local bands like Epicure, Fire Peach—and yes, Wooster.

There was no goal in mind for the project, other than to enjoy music and feel that sense of community. The group naturally took the primary components of Epicure (reggae, hip-hop, rock) and fine-tuned them a bit.

“What came out was a return to those three core genres,” says Huff. “At the same time, there’s some maturity that’s happened with everybody since then.”

The friends called the band Earthquake Weather initially, but changed it to Harbor Patrol when they saw a patrol boat cruise past during a mid-practice break.

“Most of us actually live in the harbor. It identifies a feeling and a vibe, definitely a location. It creates a brand recognition that people connect to pretty easily,” Atkinson says. “On our Instagram, we’ve even gotten tagged by a couple law enforcement agencies. Without a shadow of a doubt, it has a sense of authority to it.”

9pm. Friday, Oct. 25. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10 adv/$15 door. 479-1854.

Film Review: ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’

Richard von Busack

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October 22, 2019

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Zombieland 2: Double Tap has the soul of a shooter game.

It first reunites us with the four apocalypse survivors from the original film; now they’re not getting along, even with their fine new HQ at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The mad-cow-disease-ridden zombies have evolved into subspecies: plodding dumbos nicknamed “Homers,” and crafty “Hawkings”—as well as a new breed that’s super-fast and hard to kill.

Holing up in the White House, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is happy to be the king of America, digging up such artifacts as the .45 automatic Elvis gave Richard Nixon (this time, it’s Elvis that Tallahassee is besotted with, not Dale Ernhard). Wichita (Emma Stone) can’t handle the nerdiness and neediness of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg). Even if he is more or less the only man in the world, she can’t accept the Hope diamond he presents as an engagement ring. Interestingly, no one in the film seems to know that the gem is supposedly cursed.

Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, her Little Miss Sunshine days behind her forever) is now the bitter former-child-actor type incarnate: stocky, husky-voiced, seething and looking for a boyfriend.

The restless ladies steal “the Beast,” Tallahaees’s antlered death truck, and race off for places unknown. The menfolk pursue. On their respective roads, the separated gangs encounter two new stereotypes: one is Madison (Zoey Deutch), a pink-clad and moronic blonde mallrat. Little Rock meets Berkeley (Avan Jogia) a Namaste-ing hippie who, now that society collapsed, can pretend he wrote “Blowing in the Wind.” Berkeley knows of a refuge called Babylon where people can be cool, vegetarian and nonviolent. It’s a tower-top fortress that once was a 20-story hotel; of course they eventually need rescue by a John Wayne-like figure who is no stranger to violence.

On first sight, Little Rock almost ‘murrays’ Berkeley—we learn that’s the slang for killing a human when you think they’re a zombie. (“Murraying” references the best scene in the first Zombieland, if you don’t count Little Rock’s impatient explanation about how Miley can be both herself and Hannah Montana. In that scene, Breslin made the post-apocalyptic drive across a zombie-blighted U.S. the same as any other family car trip, asking “Are we there yet?”)

Before the gang gets back together, there’s a detour to a pseudo-Graceland, a tourist motel run by Nevada (Rosario Dawson). Dawson’s million-candlepower smile is a glad sight in a sunless and sour movie. Here also is an expansion of a keen gag in Shaun of the Dead (2004), where the squad of survivors, crossing through the North London backyards, sees their doubles heading in a different direction on their own zombie hunt. Director Ruben Fleischer (who did the original Zombieland) spins this one shock of recognition into 15 minutes of deadzone yack. A macho Luke Wilson (as Alburquerque) bumps his cowboy-shirted chest against Tallahassee, while his sidekick Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) hangs with Columbus, comparing and contrasting their fussy rules, which appear in gold letters above them.

Those are the jokes, along with the alleged comedic-relief “Zombie Kill of the Week” awards, demonstrating creative way of mangling the walking dead. One, set in Italy, almost displays some wit while destroying a 846-year-old monument.

Nihilism and the movie’s referential mania wear you out. There wasn’t enough energy in the first Zombieland to channel into a sequel, and there was little left undone. Moreover, it hasn’t been 10 marvelous years of travelling that got us to this weedy Midwestern wasteland, with its ambulatory corpses spilling pixilated glore.

It’s natural that Zombieland: Double Tap gives all its characters capital city aliases. The film is the product of a pissed-off and divided nation which can view the mindless, useless eaters as symbols of either the Demon-craps or the Trumptards: zombies, fit for nothing but two in the skull.

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Directed by Ruben Fleischer. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. (R) 99 minutes.

Loma Prieta: A Look Back

Local News

Lauren Hepler

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October 17, 2019

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It was early evening when the ground started to shake 30 years ago today.

Within 15 seconds, the facades of shops on Pacific Avenue had crumbled, Earth under fertile farmland in Watsonville had ruptured, and homes in remote reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountains has been destroyed.

The impact of the Oct. 17, 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake extended to almost every corner of Santa Cruz County. Even now, the legacy of the disaster lives on in local cities that were reimagined in a long and sometimes-contentious rebuilding process.

[Click here for GT’s full coverage of the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake.]

In many ways, the issues most important to the people who live here have come full circle, too. When the quake hit at the tail end of the ’80s, the Central Coast, in particular downtown Santa Cruz, were on edge about how to deal with familiar issues like unaffordable housing, unaddressed homelessness and drug use, and anxiety about public safety.

But in photos that captured the devastation, the collective rescue efforts and unique cultural moments in time—like the tent city that sprung up off Pacific Avenue—there are also reminders of the scrappiness, the camaraderie and the beauty that have helped weather turmoil before.

DOWNTOWN IDENTITY CRISIS Volunteers and rescue workers flocked to Pacific Garden Mall when the earthquake struck just after 5 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989. The downtown shopping district expanded during the ’70s and ’80s, but by the time of the disaster, it had become a battleground for debate over issues like homelessness, crime and public safety. PHOTO: C.E. Meyer, U.S. Geological Survey — **DOWNTOWN IDENTITY CRISIS** Volunteers and rescue workers flocked to Pacific Garden Mall when the earthquake struck just after 5 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989. The downtown shopping district expanded during the ’70s and ’80s, but by the time of the disaster, it had become a battleground for debate over issues like homelessness, crime and public safety. PHOTO: C.E. Meyer, U.S. Geological Survey

CROP BUSTING In agricultural areas of Santa Cruz County, strong shaking during the 7.1 earthquake caused cracks and “sand volcanoes” near fields that farmers were preparing for the fall planting season. PHOTO: S.D. Ellen, U.S. Geological Survey — **CROP BUSTING** In agricultural areas of Santa Cruz County, strong shaking during the 7.1 earthquake caused cracks and “sand volcanoes” near fields that farmers were preparing for the fall planting season. PHOTO: S.D. Ellen, U.S. Geological Survey

SHAKY FOUNDATION Anxiety about increasingly unaffordable housing also came to a head after the earthquake destroyed more than 11,000 homes across the Central Coast and Bay Area. Here, a house in the Santa Cruz mountains moved laterally off its cement foundation. PHOTO: J.K. Nakata, U.S. Geological Survey — **SHAKY FOUNDATION** Anxiety about increasingly unaffordable housing also came to a head after the earthquake destroyed more than 11,000 homes across the Central Coast and Bay Area. Here, a house in the Santa Cruz mountains moved laterally off its cement foundation. PHOTO: J.K. Nakata, U.S. Geological Survey

STILL SEARCHING Emergency responders and volunteers searched for victims at the collapsed Pacific Garden Mall. In the years after Loma Prieta, efforts to redevelop the downtown commercial district became a flashpoint for anxiety about who still had a place in post-counterculture Santa Cruz. PHOTO: C.E. Meyer, U.S. Geological Survey — **STILL SEARCHING** Emergency responders and volunteers searched for victims at the collapsed Pacific Garden Mall. In the years after Loma Prieta, efforts to redevelop the downtown commercial district became a flashpoint for anxiety about who still had a place in post-counterculture Santa Cruz. PHOTO: C.E. Meyer, U.S. Geological Survey

TALE OF TWO CITIES Santa Cruz and Watsonville took different paths to rebuilding after the earthquake. Many Santa Cruz shops set up in tents while a planning commission convened to map out a path forward. In Watsonville, a huge effort was undertaken to reopen the downtown Ford’s department store, pictured here, two years to the day after the earthquake. “Watsonville’s been searching for its identity of late,” local farm bureau President Jeff Brothers told the L.A. Times. “Ford’s is a harbinger of things to come. It’s done first class.” [H.G. Wilshire, U.S. Geological Survey] — **TALE OF TWO CITIES** Santa Cruz and Watsonville took different paths to rebuilding after the earthquake. Many Santa Cruz shops set up in tents while a planning commission convened to map out a path forward. In Watsonville, a huge effort was undertaken to reopen the downtown Ford’s department store, pictured here, two years to the day after the earthquake. “Watsonville’s been searching for its identity of late,” local farm bureau President Jeff Brothers told the L.A. Times. “Ford’s is a harbinger of things to come. It’s done first class.” [H.G. Wilshire, U.S. Geological Survey]

POPPING UP Pavilion tents, by Phoenix Pavilions, set up to house displaced Pacific Avenue businesses. ©Regents of the University of California. Courtesy Special Collections, University Library, University of California Santa Cruz. Vester Dick Collection. — **POPPING UP** Pavilion tents, by Phoenix Pavilions, set up to house displaced Pacific Avenue businesses. ©Regents of the University of California. Courtesy Special Collections, University Library, University of California Santa Cruz. Vester Dick Collection.

An Aptos Outpost for Greek Wine

Josie Cowden

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October 16, 2019

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I couldn’t resist buying this wine when I saw the bottle at Deluxe Market in Aptos. The word sofos—ΣΟΦΌΣ—means “wise one” in Greek, which jumped out at me. I lived in Greece for 12 years and drank a lot of Greek wine back in the day. I’m glad to say it has improved greatly over the years, and some excellent wines are now being produced in the land of the fair Hellenes.

Made by Domaine Gioulis in the mountainous area of Klimenti Corinth, grapes enjoy the higher altitudes of the Peloponnese. A blend of 60% Moschofilero (an aromatic white grape of Greek origin) and 40% Chardonnay, it’s a tasty pairing to enjoy with salads, seafood and pasta dishes. With its richly aromatic bouquet and a crisp, long aftertaste, this organic dry wine is a good buy at $13. Plus, you get to try white wine from Greece without having to go there to find it. dionet.gr.

Hospice Fundraiser at Sockshop

The Sockshop and Shoe Company will hold its annual fundraiser for Hospice of Santa Cruz County at their new Aptos location. The event will run 5:30-8:30pm on Friday, Oct. 18, with live music and a raffle. Sockshop is also donating 8% of sales to Hospice from Oct. 19-20.

Sockshop & Shoe Company, 154 Aptos Village Way, Aptos. 612-6495, sockshopandshoeco.com.

Soquel Vineyards at Seascape

Seascape Sports Club will host Soquel Vineyards for a wine tasting from 6-7:30pm on Friday, Oct. 18. Cost is $20, which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres. Event open to non-members.

Seascape Sports Club, 1505 Seascape Blvd., Aptos. 688-1993.

Mindful Eating Series

Dietician and acupuncturist Laura Casasayas, a native of Spain, is putting on a series about healthy eating called “Finding Peace with Food and Your Body.” The first one will be from 6-7:30pm on Oct. 24 at Alliance Physical Therapy, 7887 Soquel Drive, Aptos. 515-9659. Donation.

‘Emotional Baggage’ Exhibit Unpacks Childhood Trauma

Wellness

Lauren Hepler

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October 16, 2019

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‘Emotional Baggage’ Exhibit Unpacks Childhood Trauma

A delicate doll with a face that has started to chip away after years of abuse. An unnerving action figure to represent the creepy uncle dubiously picked to babysit. Rows of small, detached arms reaching out of a suitcase to symbolize how young immigrants are ripped away from their parents.

These are some of the unnerving scenes inspired by real-life stories of childhood trauma in a new art exhibit by Santa Cruz doctor and acupuncturist Dawn Motyka, known locally as “Dr. Dawn.” Her found-object assemblages are on display in the Emotional Baggage exhibit at the Westside Habitat for Humanity store through October.

“I’ve been kind of haunted by these images,” says Motyka, who runs Westside functional medicine practice Optimage Health. “It’s like a mushroom, where it just kind of grew over time.”

The objects that populate the pieces, collected mostly at flea markets over many years, reflect stories that Motyka has heard from patients over her three-decade career focused on pain management. Though stories are “very disguised” to protect patient privacy, they’re inspired by real-life details.

Take the “Fred Munster-looking” doll that reminded her of a patient who described years of sexual abuse by an uncle. “I thought, ‘That’s Uncle Bob,’” Mytoka says. “Tall, creepy, thin, striped PJs.”

Motyka sees the project as part of a bigger conversation in medical research and the media about how childhood trauma manifests in physical symptoms like chronic pain, insomnia or anxiety.

It’s a topic that has gained attention since the late ’90s, when researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that children who experienced adverse childhood events—abuse, domestic violence, an addicted or incarcerated family member—are more likely to struggle with obesity, addiction, depression or other high-risk behaviors.

The findings were stark: “There is a strong graded relationship between the breadth of exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults,” the study concluded.

The concept is perhaps best distilled in Motyka’s mixed-media piece “Papered Over,” where a ragdoll gripped by a plastic hand is partially obscured by a torn sheet of paper—a nod to how repressed traumatic memories can rear up suddenly and disrupt life years later.

“This stuff gets buried,” Motyka says. “It’s emotional baggage locked away in the closet.”

She didn’t always have such a holistic view of how patients end up at the doctor’s office. By the late ’90s, Motyka says, she’d grown frustrated with Band-Aid pharmaceutical solutions to pain, and the financial pressure put on doctors to get through patients quickly.

“I was so sick of writing prescriptions for Vicodin, because that’s all I could do for pain for primary care,” she says.

After starting her own practice and expanding to include acupuncture and other functional medicine, Mytoka had more control over her time and capacity to get to the root issues of pain. Still, she says, she tries not to pry.

“If someone opens the door, I will go through the door,” Mytoka says. “We’re trained not to do that in medicine.”

While she hopes to work with local art groups to bring a version of the exhibit to surrounding areas, Mytoka has so far avoided parlaying her pieces into explicit activism. Employees at Habitat for Humanity are equipped with a resource list for anyone who seems to react strongly to the artwork, but Motyka says her priority is recognition rather than recommending any one treatment.

“I didn’t want to make it an advertisement for mental health services,” Motyka says. “The message is, ‘You are not alone.’”

‘Emotional Baggage’ is on display through October at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 719 Swift St. Suite 62, Santa Cruz. jivamedia.com/dawnart2.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

WEDNESDAY 10/23

HIP-HOP

KOOL KEITH

WORLD

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ

THURSDAY 10/24

INDIE

LOUIZA

FOLK

TODD SNIDER & JACK ELLIOTT

JAZZ

NICOLAS BEARDE

SATURDAY 10/26

COMEDY

BRENT WEINBACH

POST-PUNK

THE GARDEN

AMERICANA

MATT THE ELECTRICIAN

SUNDAY 10/27

REGGAE

LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Hospice Fundraiser at Sockshop

Soquel Vineyards at Seascape

Mindful Eating Series