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Life’s a Dream, the World Our Stage: Risa’s Stars Sept. 4-10

Risa D’Angeles

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September 3, 2019

Life’s a Dream, the World Our Stage: Risa’s Stars Sept. 4-10

We have a Virgo stellium (three or more planets in a sign) in the heavens at this time—Juno, Mercury, Sun, Mars, and Venus. When Mars comes into play, emotions heat up, making events and interactions passionate, sizzling and quite fiery.

We experience flare-ups, anger, frustration, criticism, judgments, and power issues in relationships. With Virgo, there’s a sense no one is living up to the Virgo standards of order, organization, communication, discernment, or discrimination.

This is the situation when considering Western astrology, which follows the seasons. Sun/Mars in Virgo equals a very “testy” situation indeed!

If we follow Vedic astrology, which follows the actual constellations, the Sun/Mars is in Leo (the “I”) and people may be saying, “I am angry, irritated, fuming mad, outraged, disappointed, and impatient.” Whichever astrology we follow, Mars and the Sun are making things hot under the collar, temperatures are rising, and people are in reactive states that could prove damaging. Couple this with transits of Saturn retro (restriction, restructuring) in Capricorn, Neptune (dreamy, delusional, deluded), and Pisces (under water), and we find everyone doing their best to anchor a reality one can live with.

Even though we have detail-focused Virgo energies all around us, we can still feel surreal, myopic and in a world of make-believe. The practical response to all of this is to daydream, think delightful thoughts, be uplifting and life-affirming, letting conversations run deep while we dilly-dally the days away. We remember life’s a dream, all the world’s a stage, each of us playing our part. Let’s all enjoy the play.

ARIES: Speak carefully and harmoniously to loved ones. Realize you may be more critical, including self-criticism. Allow others the benefit of understanding. Always ask for an explanation and listen carefully. What you know is best and what you feel emotionally (frustration, anger, etc.) may be at odds. Choose the right course of action. Then your consciousness, awareness and love expand. The 12 petals of the heart open.

TAURUS: Health events occur unexpectedly and healing people are contacted, both of which influence your future. Beware of anything you or others do that steps across boundaries where uncontrolled and disrespectful power may be an issue. In all communications bring forth Right Relations within yourself, so that the Right Relations of others can be summoned. In all endeavors maintain the highest of ethics, morals, values, and intentions. How one begins a project is how it ends.

GEMINI: You find you must change or shift your values and day-to-day ways of being. You find you must reach out to friends and loved ones and speak with them from your heart. You find you must alter your habits and ways of living so that health can be regained. You find that everything must change, and all of this is good. Each day, many are supporting you on inner levels. There is great love for you from the heavens, too.

CANCER: New ideas are presented, emerging on all levels and parts of your life. Learning is occurring at an accelerated pace. It’s as if you’re in a school, but the reality is you’re concentrating on the here and now. Extra energy is also being offered to you from Mars, the planet that initiates and leads us to action. You are strong, resourceful, intuitive, and actually an excellent gardener. You will teach those who are curious.

LEO: Let us spend a few moments in recognition and praise of you. Venus has asked us to honor you a bit more. And so, you’ve become more attractive and at times magnetic. Your heart is flowing with generosity. You offer support when needed, always tending to those more vulnerable than you (you understand vulnerability). You keep secrets, love to work alone, and what is it that I see coming down the road?

VIRGO: The words given to Leo soon apply to you. The sun is shining on your gifts and creative abilities, and all you’ve wanted to do now slowly comes into manifestation. You have everything you need in terms of energy, resources and time. Whereas much has been external, notice as you begin to withdraw more and more into yourself. It will be a time of composure, contemplation and peace. For a while.

LIBRA: You feel the need to be more social and find yourself at times in groups where everyone recognizes and loves you. And then there are times when you feel out of place, the odd one, not heard, seen, listened to, or understood. During the month you will assess your self-identity, see if you’re the same person from before, and realize new important needs for love, stability and for all things orderly and practical. Tread (act, speak) carefully at work.

SCORPIO: There may be conflict and collisions with other people’s ideas. There may be difficulty communicating and/or being understood. Before speaking, think first about your choice of words, intentions and tone. Dedicate yourself to intentions for goodwill, always making situations better than they were. These are important values to uphold. Careful with travel, be cautious, and take no risks. It’s not a good time to gamble, either.

SAGITTARIUS: During the month, traveling about here and there, you consider your base of operation, what your true foundations are, and how your family heritage has given you an identity that propels you forward into unknown territory. Do not be concerned if chaos becomes a companion. Chaos is the first step toward a new harmony. Chaos harbors the seeds of creativity, provides excitement and experiences, and shreds outworn ways of being. Gather walking sticks.

CAPRICORN: Subtle shifts and changes will continue in your life, growing ever more present as the days unfold. You are being gently and quietly transformed to become the person you were meant to be. Tend to all things financial. Create a schedule for money earned and spent. You will notice a return to previous realities. Assess them, record them, and find that they were always good. Share with the family what you are writing about. True history sustains us.

AQUARIUS: You may feel that all progress is stalled, movements forward take two steps back, and previous roads walked are walked upon again. This is not failure on your part. It’s a review, assessment, revisiting, and revision that must occur. It’s also the umbrella under which you will experience the coming autumn season. It will be a time of solitude, retreat and contemplation. Did you recently make a very difficult decision?

PISCES: Something comes to rest, and perhaps a completion occurs in the coming weeks. You will then prepare for new actions and activities that define the rest of the year. Notice your thoughts, impressions, ideas, and intuitions providing subtle signs concerning your next steps. Before anything new begins, some things come to an end. A farewell may be on your lips. In all things be disciplined, kind, loving yet structured. Eliminate all that’s unnecessary. Soon it will be time to move on.

Jazz Pioneer Bennie Maupin’s Next Chapter

Andrew Gilbert

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September 3, 2019

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Jazz Pioneer Bennie Maupin’s Next Chapter

Bennie Maupin doesn’t want to talk about the past. It’s not that the 78-year-old reed maestro has secrets to protect. He’s just more interested in where his music is going than where it’s been.

Maupin understands that writers want to ply him with questions about his epochal recordings with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, but “much has already been written about Bitches Brew and Head Hunters,” he says from his home in Los Angeles. “I don’t want to be redundant. Keep it in the moment. Our trio is what’s happening now.”

Happening is one word for Options, the extraordinary new ensemble that makes its only Northern California stop on Monday, Sept. 9 at Kuumbwa. Featuring the supremely talented drummer/composer Nasheet Waits, who recorded a series of acclaimed albums with pianist Fred Hersch’s trio, and bassist/composer Eric Revis, best known for his ongoing two-decade tenure with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Options spins open-form improvisations that unfurl like soul-bearing conversations.

Options is a confluence of Maupin’s present and his past, particularly the people in the project. Revis and Waits are longtime bandmates in the acclaimed collective combo Tarbaby (which has played Kuumbwa several times in the past decade). But Options’ roots go far deeper. Maupin came up on the Detroit scene in the late 1950s with Nasheet’s late father Freddie Waits, a widely esteemed drummer who worked with heavyweights like McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron and Andrew Hill.

“He’s like my nephew,” Maupin says. “I’ve known him and his brother all his life. When he called me about this, I immediately said yes. It’s a nice situation for some real sensitive playing without piano or guitar, a setting that opens up a completely different area in terms of sounds and colors. It’s going to be a very exciting adventure.”

Maupin’s past is so rich, it’s hard to not talk about it. He’s one of those rare players who actually changed the sound of jazz. He established himself as a rising force on tenor saxophone in the late 1960s via albums like Horace Silver’s Serenade to a Soul Sister, Lee Morgan’s Caramba! and McCoy Tyner’s Tender Moments. He plays soprano sax and alto flute, but his most profound role was in adopting the bass clarinet after Eric Dolphy introduced the horn in the late 1950s.

Maupin made his bass clarinet recording debut on Miles Davis’s seminal 1969 album Bitches Brew, adding an essential element to the trumpeter’s lean, sinuous fusion sound. And when Davis’ concept embraced denser textures and more intricate rhythmic patterns on Jack Johnson, Big Fun and On the Corner, Maupin’s reed work stood out amidst the kinetic sonic matrix.

He joined another brilliant aural adventurer as a member of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band. And when Hancock changed directions with a funk-infused sound introduced on the hugely influential 1973 album Head Hunters, one of the best-selling jazz albums ever, Maupin was the only Mwandishi player who made the transition.

In many ways, Maupin’s uncompromising path was set by his early encounters with Dolphy and Coltrane in Detroit. He met Trane first, and encountered Dolphy a few years later, when he came through town as a member of John Coltrane’s band, and was immediately inspired to start playing bass clarinet.

Dolphy was renowned for his generosity, and when Maupin introduced himself and mentioned he was starting to play the flute, “He just looked at me and extended his hand with his flute and said, ‘Play something for me,’” Maupin recalls.

“It was an open-hole flute, and I had never even held one. For the next half hour, he gave me a flute lesson right there in the club. He pointed out certain things to me—about my embouchure, how to keep the tone alive, supporting it with air. He was so patient. He kept guiding me and guiding me.”

In recent years, Maupin has embraced his role as a venerable elder of Southern California’s surging creative music scene, where he’s a faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts. When he talks about the music he’s been making lately, he’s more likely to mention a former student who invited him to record than namedrop a fellow luminary.

“There’s such a large cadre of young musicians who’ve finished their master’s doing interesting projects,” he says. “Working with these young musicians, it keeps me fresh. We need them, and they need us.”

Bennie Maupin performs with his trio Options at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $31.50 adv/$36.75 door. 427-2227.

Music Picks: Sept. 4-10

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September 3, 2019

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Santa Cruz County live entertainment picks for the week of Sept. 4

WEDNESDAY 9/4

ROCK

THE YAWPERS

You always know a band is gonna rock when its name is a Walt Whitman reference. The Yawpers are raucous, a little messy and thankfully not named after one of Whitman’s sex poems (they could have been named “Fruits of the Gushing Showers,” which … ew). Throughout the band’s latest album Human Question, the Colorado three-piece sounds a bit rockabilly, a bit punk and, on the maraca-rocking title track, a little bit like British post-rockers Clinic. Still, the Yawpers are very much American in spirit, roving and free enough to make Whitman proud. MIKE HUGUENOR

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $8 adv/$12 door. 479-1854.

JAZZ

THE HOT SARDINES

Like a hooch-fueled, wee-hours party that just keeps gaining steam as the sun comes up, the Hot Sardines infuses irrepressible energy and a boisterous spirit of fun into the pop songs of the 1920s and early ’30s. Co-led by French-born vocalist Elizabeth Bougerol and pianist Evan Palazzo, the New York combo has earned a huge and avid following with a theatrical approach to early jazz that avoids kitsch and naked nostalgia. Situated at the crossroads where vaudeville and Storyville collide, the New Orleans-inflected combo is touring in conjunction with its eighth release, the winningly rambunctious live album Welcome Home, Bon Voyage. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $36.75 adv/$42 door. 427-2227.

THURSDAY 9/5

REGGAE

YAADCORE

The roots of modern Jamaican music begin with the DJ, or the selector. Back in the ’50s and ’60, it was the DJ that was the rockstar, spinning all the latest and greatest tracks. Some DJs were so cautious not to be upstaged, they’d scratch the name off of the record so no competing DJ could steal their hot cut. The DJs may not dominate Jamaica the way they once did, but the respect for the craft is there, as is a high expectation that the selector will spin all the greatest tunes. Yaadcore is one of the island’s hottest right now, focusing on roots-reggae revival tracks. AARON CARNES

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $8 adv/$12 door. 479-1854.

INDIE

JEAN ROHE

Singer-songwriter Jean Rohe’s new song collection Sisterly is so well-produced, it’s like sweet honey for the ear. So easily digested, in fact, that one may initially miss the covert key changes, the offbeat arrangements and the biting lyrics that lie in wait—seemingly harmless, but ready to sting and leave a mark. Rohe’s album explores the power dynamics within intimacy and social structures, and the subtle shifts in her compositions mirror how acts of domination aren’t always so obvious and extreme. Sometimes they’re small, subtle maneuvers, like how a tossed cigarette can incite a forest fire. AMY BEE

INFO: 8 p.m. Lille Aeske, 13160 Hwy. 9, Boulder Creek. $20. 703-4183.

HIP-HOP

ARIES

Attention old hip-hop heads. If you rant and rave about how new rap is all garbage, you need to set aside your bias for a moment and give Aries a listen. I know you can’t stand that it’s all sing-songy, mumbled and emotional, but hear me out: those elements aren’t necessarily terrible if you hear an artist with skill do them. That’s why I suggest you set aside your deep belief that all rappers must spit like Nas, and check out Aries. He brings a complex set of emotions to the music: disaffected, tender, even a bit of braggadocio. Listen, rap has changed. These kids are turning the genre on its head. AC

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

FRIDAY 9/6

COMEDY

SARA JUNE

Sara June is currently doing the L.A. thing—which is to say, everything. Along with her own comedy, she writes and hosts shows while directing anything from short animations to other people’s music videos. It seems all that hard work has paid off. June has been featured on Indiewire, the Earwolf podcast, the CW, and SF Sketchfest. She’s even had some videos go viral, like “How to Cheat (With Your Favorite TV Shows).” She will be performing with funny man and provocateur Jake Flores, whose brand of comedy once got him raided by the U.S. government. MAT WEIR

INFO: 7 & 9 p.m. DNA’s Comedy Lab, 155 S. River St., Santa Cruz. $20 adv/$25 door. 900-5123.

R&B

KIANA LEDÉ

If you’re looking for soulful R&B that plunges the depths of personal struggle one moment, and swoops and swoons among the highest highs the next, Kiana Lede is your new obsession. Lede’s velvety smooth vocals add bounce to bubbly dance tunes too charming to resist. When things get real, Lede turns the bounce down to a low simmer for confessional takes on anxiety and past relationships. Her songs may undulate from upbeat to moody, but it’s a fun ride, and Lede maintains a core message of self-discovery and empowerment throughout the journey. AB

INFO: 9 p.m., Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-1338.

Love Your Local Band: Anthony Arya

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September 3, 2019

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Last October, after an amazing experience performing on The Voice for three rounds, local singer-songwriter Anthony Arya returned home and performed at the Food Lounge. A packed crowd was excited to see Arya—only 15 at the time—strum some tunes on his home turf.

“A bunch of people I never met before came and packed the Food Lounge out,” says Arya. “All that Santa Cruz support was incredible.”

He had started writing music just a year earlier, steeping his sound in blues, jazz and folk, and playing wherever he could. But after his post-Voice success, he reached out to Tom Miller at Michael’s on Main and started playing as much as humanly possible. In 2019, he’s played shows with his band, as a duo with girlfriend Emily Hough (also a Voice contestant), and with his Grateful Dead tribute band Chasing Ophelia. Right after The Voice, he also recorded his debut album Going To California, which featured 11 of his pre-Voice tunes.

“The Voice was a launching pad,” Arya says. “Now I’m getting to play a lot of amazing venues that I grew up going to, like Michael’s on Main.”

He may be doing a lot, but he prioritizes writing and performing original material above all else. Arya’s got a new album in the works of songs he’s written since his Voice experience. Like his first record, it’ll be diverse, but he also came back from The Voice having learned a few things.

“The Voice band is very dynamic. I really got it in my songwriting that I wanted to make music that had dynamics, that had a flow, but also energy that built up,” Arya says. “These new tunes, you’ll hear that there’s a lot of energy to them.”

INFO: 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 8. Michael’s On Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $10. 479-9777.

Soif’s Upscale Happy Hour

Christina Waters

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September 3, 2019

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Ah, the arancini! The mouth-watering mules!

Find those and more at The Hour unfolding at Soif each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5-6 p.m. A sophisticated happy hour without sawdust on the floor, this hour offers a special menu with special prices that will appeal to those who crave some action before the dinner hour officially gets underway.

Clever marketing to be sure, The Hour lets Soifists sample cocktails for $9, selected wines for $7, and nibble a Caesar salad for $8 while catching up on downtown gossip.

So Katya and I swung ‘round to see what Chef Tom McNary’s kitchen had going on last week. Priced between $7-15, The Hour’s menu tempted us with 21st-century bar food in the form of Vietnamese-style grilled quail ($11) accompanied by rosy leaf lettuce, pickled onions and slices of the best ripe tomatoes I’ve had all season.

The glazed quail was tender-chewy and wonderful, especially dipped in a tart and fiery “mignonette” sauce laced with chilis and shallots. Another choice combo we inhaled was an order of slender-cut french fries ($5), along with a substantial bowl of mussels in a broth of white wine, cream and shallots ($15). The fries were great dipped Belgian-style into the shellfish broth.

The Hour’s menu is not written in stone, so expect it to morph along with the seasons. I was impressed with one of the special cocktails dreamed up for The Hour by bar manager Matt Barron. The Ambrosia is a tall, complex cooler of gin, grapefruit liqueur, orgeat almond liqueur (think liquid marzipan), lemon, and soda. Seriously fine, thanks to mixologist Jon Bates, and faintly creamy-tasting (that’s the orgeat), the impressive cocktail was topped with a slice of preserved lemon ($9).

Katya enjoyed a $7 glass of mineral-intensive French Domaine de Menard Colombard, Ugni Blanc blend. The citrusy white wine was from a rotating list of wines—a sparkler, a red and a white—selected by retail manager Alexis Carr.

My favorite on the new menu was a trio of plump arancini ($7) filled with melting, oozing Gruyere and floating in a killer tomato sauce. Perfect Italianate rice balls, somehow made to go with a gin cocktail. Another highlight is an oyster shooter with tobiko ($5). Tastes like a 60-minute warm-up for whatever comes next. Terrific idea.

Soif, 105 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz. 423-2020, soifwine.com.

Bank It

The annual Santa Cruz Chef’s Dinner will be held Sept. 12 from 6-9 p.m. at 126 High St., near downtown. Always an unforgettable chance to dine well with friends and community to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank’s award-winning Food For Children program. After the 6 p.m. champagne reception and silent auction, this year’s six-course meal starts at 7:15. The menu, paired with local wines, will be prepared by chefs Peter Henry from The Cremer House, Ella King from Ella’s at the Airport, Steve Wilson of Cafe Cruz, Brad Briske from Home, Jeffrey Wall of Alderwood, and Anthony Kresge of Chef Anthony. For prices, go to thefoodbank.org.

Staff Does Wine

Here’s a chance to sample wines and meet the winemakers at Staff of Life Natural Foods’ “Taste the Best Fest” on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 3-6 p.m. on the patio at 1266 Soquel Ave. Pouring at the event will be winemakers Ian Brand, Marty Mathis of Kathryn Kennedy Winery, John Richey of Bottle Jack Winery, and Brandon Armitage of Armitage Winery. Robby Honda will pour samples of his artisanal Tanuki Cider. All to benefit Habitat for Humanities Monterey Bay. $10 advance on Eventbrite/$18 door.

Film Review: ‘The Nightingale’

Richard von Busack

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September 3, 2019

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When watching a rape-revenge film, which The Nightingale often pretends it isn’t, one hopes for something with enough aesthetic sensibility to conquer the basic manipulativeness of the premise.

The problem with so many of these films is their insistence on graphic depictions of sexual violence—as if viewers couldn’t possibly imagine being overpowered and taken by force.

The sickening fact is that far too many viewers know exactly how it feels, even without—as here—the multiple shots of our heroine, Claire (Game of Thrones’ Aisling Fraciosi), experiencing an assault.

We’re also supposed believe it’s news that rape would dehumanize us to the point where we’d want bestial revenge. The first prong of this fork underestimates our sensitivity, the second prong overestimates our genteelness. It’s surprising how little rape one needs to be ready for revenge. If a movie heroine wants to barbecue a rapist’s balls, I’ll hand her a match and a bottle of KC Sauce.

It’s 1825 in Van Diemen’s Land, today’s Tasmania, during the closing of a war of extermination against the local aborigines. This genocide, as Robert Hughes writes in The Fatal Shore, ended with the last native stuffed and mounted in a vitrine. The 20-ish Claire is an Irish criminal sent to the penal colony for some unspecified misdeed. She lacks the “ticket”—the papers that’ll enable her to leave the area, and the sardonic military officer Hawkins (Sam Clafin) who still owns her, despite her marriage to the man she loves, Aidan (Michael Shaesby).

Hawkins slaps her and throws her across a table; later, she’s subjected to a cabin invasion in which she loses everything. The assaulters are traditional grindhouse thugs: Hawkins the brute leader, Ruse (Damon Herriman) the slavering follower, and one scaredy-cat (Harry Weaving, Hugo’s son) who snivels in terror. After he leaves her for dead, Hawkins seeks to cross the unpacified island overland, to get to a northern garrison town. He hopes to outrun the bad news that might cost him a promotion. He hauls his vile soldiers with him, as well as an elderly native guide and a small parcel of yokels in shapeless hats.

Claire gets her husband’s rifle and his pony and tracks her rapists. The Nightingale might have increased its appeal by going full True Grit, cutting the assault time and amping the frontier menace. Like Rooster Cogburn, the aborigine guide Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) is discovered nursing a bottle, refusing to help until he’s bribed. Like Mattie Ross, Claire shows her mettle by challenging a raging river on horseback, and like Mattie, Claire misfires her gun right when she has her quarry in her crosshairs. Kent insists on real-life consequences to this horror—that Claire’s thirst for vengeance is shallower than she thinks, and she sickens from the taste.

A plus in The Nightingale is the terrain. Shadows of lone dead trees stand against the gloaming. Claire’s dreams of the crying of a baby fade into the nocturnal shrieks of the Tasmanian devils. The juicy chortle of the currawongs mirror the loneliness of the forest. Kent chose to shoot in Academy ratio, which means aggressors can steal in from the side of the frame unnoticed, just as the pursued can jump out fast into the underbrush. During Claire’s first ordeal, there’s no room to escape. She dominates the screen in wrath or in sobbing anguish, her pale face laced with a victim’s blood.

First-time actor Ganambarr has a voice with little inflection, and there’s some bits of acting that aren’t in his range. In a mourning scene, Kent first hides his face, then goes long and wide, so his wail of grief fills the skies. The man has a gift for comedy. Ganambarr is warm and likable, with a kind of cool stoner’s self possession. There are a few incidents of mordant humor—a farmer blasts at Billy as he tries to steal a bag of flour from his hovel; the slug hits the bag and gives Billy a slapstick dusting right in the face.

As with an indifferent Western, something just keeps you watching this, no matter what—even in the wandering last hour, when Billy and Claire are separated and later rescued by Quaker types. The title is fraught. On one level, The Nightingale takes its name from Claire’s sweet singing of a capella Irish ballads. Likely it’s also meant to echo the legend of Philomela, the raped woman transformed into a nightingale (fussy scholars insists it was actually a swallow).

In Metamorphises, Ovid retold the primordial rape-revenge story, bridging the eons between Sophocles’ lost Tereus and Shakespeare’s ghastly Titus Andronicus. In Horace Gregory’s translation, Philomela’s outraged sister considers various methods of payback: “Cut off the genitals that injured you.” How ancient, the elements of this peculiarly basic form of entertainment.

The Nightingale

Directed by Jennifer Kent. Starring Aisling Fraciosi, Baykali Ganambarr and Harry Weaving. R; 138 Mins.

Be Our Guest—Pivot: The Art of Fashion

GT Staff

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September 3, 2019

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Admit it, you don’t really go to a fashion show to see the latest in clothing trends.

You want to see the art and craft these innovative designers use to dress their models. Pivot understands this, and doesn’t hide the fact that a fashion runway is really just another art show.

You will be dazzled by the outlandish, absurd and gorgeous outfits these designers have concocted for the upcoming show at the Rio.

We could be more specific, but that would spoil the fun. This show will feature Lisa Agliano, Ellen Brook, Lisa Ford, Charlotte Kruk, the Great Morgani, and more.

INFO: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. Information: riotheatre.com.

WANT TO GO?

Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Equinox’s Sparkling Rosé to Remember

Josie Cowden

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August 28, 2019

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With Labor Day just around the corner, you might want to get some celebratory bubbly to share with family and friends. It’s a day for kicking back and enjoying some nice food and good wine, and one of the latter would be Barry Jackson’s 2016 Sparkling Rosé ($60). With its bright aromatics and exquisite flavors, it will delight all your senses.

Jackson is an ace winemaker who has mastered the art of producing fabulous sparkling wines. His méthode champenoise sparklers—made with the same technique as the best champagnes and sparkling wines—are in huge demand, and he is also busy consulting as a winemaker for other prestigious wineries. The best way to try the Rosé of Pinot Noir is to head to his Equinox tasting room and experience all of his wines, including still wines under the Bartolo label. You’ll mostly likely find Barry’s wife Jennifer there and ready to help you.

Equinox Wine, 334 Ingalls St. Unit C, Santa Cruz. Open daily 1-7 p.m. equinoxwine.com.

An Evening with Friends

An Evening with Friends is a fundraiser for Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and champagne as you bid on live and silent auctions. A raffle is included, as well as dancing to Santa Cruz band Extra Large. Libations aplenty are donated by local wineries and Ben Rush of Coldwell Banker. The event will run 4:30-9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Sesnon House in Aptos. Early bird tickets are $100; $125 after Sept. 4.

*hospicesantacruz.org, ev**@uz.org.*

Barrels of Corralitos

Experience the Barrels of Corralitos and enjoy wines from six Santa Cruz Mountains wineries, including Alfaro Family, El Vaquero, Lester, Nicholson, Storrs, and Windy Oaks. Tickets include wine tasting, live music and food for purchase. The event will be held 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1.

scmwa.com.

Watsonville’s Farmhouse Culture Ferments an Empire

Wellness

Georgia Johnson

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August 28, 2019

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Watsonville’s Farmhouse Culture Ferments an Empire

I first tried the “gut shot” after Thanksgiving rendered me comatose yet again. It was the third helping of stuffing that did it, but it was Kathryn Lukas—and Vogue—that helped me to undo it with the article ”Why ‘Gut Shots’ Are the Key to Healthy Holiday Eating.” I never looked back.

Lukas is the founder of Watsonville-based Farmhouse Culture, which makes organic fermented foods. Her gut shot is sauerkraut brine, flavored or not. Though Germans and other kraut-loving Eastern Europeans have been drinking sauerkraut juice since the beginning of time, it was Lukas that popularized the “shot” in California. The vitamin-rich, probiotic sour drink can help reduce bloating and stimulate the release of enzymes to help the body digest food more efficiently, particularly if it’s overloaded. For me, it meant I could be a functioning member of society post-Thanksgiving dinner.

What began as a condiment turned into a fermentation empire for Lukas. Farmhouse Culture is perhaps best-known for its kraut, which Lukas began making in 2005. They also have Kraut Krisps (flavored chips made of cabbage) that have also been saving guts all over America.

Lukas’ interest in fermented foods led her to eventually co-author a cookbook with her son, Shane Peterson. The new book, The Farmhouse Culture Guide to Fermenting, was released in August—a mother-son collaboration where, Lukas says, styles and personalities collided.

“We use muppets to describe our personalities. I am the Swedish Chef, and he is Beaker. I’m all about getting the flavor right and throwing things in there, and he likes to measure everything as we go,” Lukas laughs. “I don’t really measure. So for the book, I come up with the ideas for the recipes—and that’s not to say he doesn’t have a few in there—then we tweak it together. He would perfect the ratios for salt or kraut juice through a lot of trial and error.”

Peterson also wrote the book Fermentering, which is a best-seller in Scandinavia. The new Farmhouse Culture book contains more than 100 recipes, including sauerkraut, kombucha and even fermented ketchup. It details the history and importance of fermented foods, and how to better incorporate them into our diets—though Lukas says that the latter is likely to be its own book further down the line. “I’m working on recipes that incorporate ferments into the everyday diet, a lot of that stuff didn’t make it into this book,” she says. “Like how to eat fermented foods with breakfast.”

When Lukas first started Farmhouse Culture, she sold at Santa Cruz farmers markets. She says she would actively avoid talking about the health benefits because she didn’t know much about it. It wasn’t until she read Michael Pollan’s 2013 New York Times article “Some of My Best Friends Are Germs” (which delves into the trillions of microbes in our bodies, and how they are linked to our overall health) that Lukas became much more interested in the gut, the microbiome and the health benefits of fermented foods. “It’s funny, when I talk to my doctors, they actually know a lot less than I do,” she says. “There are very few people in the world that know a lot about how the gut works. It’s such a fast-moving science, it’s hard to make definitive statements about it.”

The human microbiome has an estimated 100 trillion microbes, the bulk of which live in our gut. When people talk about the gut, it’s usually a reference to the processes that occur in the small and large intestines. There are viruses, fungi, parasites, bacteria and more that coexist within the intestines, similar to a bustling traffic stop. It’s when these microbiotics aren’t happily coexisting that the body starts to be susceptible to illness and disease, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Probiotics and prebiotics are live, active bacteria present in foods and supplements that can potentially augment symbiosis microbacteria, leading to more efficient digestion. As Lukas and Peterson’s book points out, research hasn’t quite caught up with what the “ideal” microbiome looks like, but there is speculation of a strong link between a healthy gut and a healthy person.

Probiotics should be consumed according to professional guidelines, and can lead to some pretty nasty bowel-related results if ingested too much—I know from experience. “If you are getting ready to make changes in your lifestyle, get some baseline testing to understand what’s going on with your microbiome,” Lukas says. “Then add fermented foods and fiber or whatever you want to add. Then check again and see where you are. That’s the ideal way to figure out how much fermented food is right for you.”

Particularly with the gut shot, overenthusiasm can cause unwanted distress and multiple trips to the bathroom in a short period of time. Lukas recommends starting off slowly, with a little bit of fermented food here and there.

“Try a fermented carrot, or a little bit of kimchi with a meal. Sip on a kombucha,” she says. “But for the beginner, I wouldn’t recommend eating two cups of sauerkraut in one sitting. Definitely not.”

Kathryn Lukas and Shane Peterson come to Bookshop Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, for a free event celebrating their new book. farmhouseculture.com.

Opinion: August 28, 2019

Steve Palopoli

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August 28, 2019

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Earlier this year, Jacob Pierce did a cover story on accusations of sexism and bullying at Santa Cruz’s City Hall. There was a wide range of reactions, but many could be summed up by the reader who wrote, “Reading this article, I found myself shaking my head at the petty, immature antics of the Santa Cruz City Council.”

Chris Krohn and Drew Glover were the two councilmembers at the center of the controversy. While Krohn struck an apologetic note at the time, Glover was defiant, calling the accusations “laughable.” That didn’t quiet the brewing storm, and talk of a recall effort against both politicians began soon after.

It’s hard not to think about the new report on the complaints against Krohn and Glover in the context of that potential recall. In this week’s cover story, Pierce returns to the topic to analyze the report’s findings and consider what supporters and detractors of the embattled councilmembers are likely to take away from it. Perhaps most importantly, his story looks at the bigger question hanging over all of this infighting: where do we go from here?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Race and ‘The Winter’s Tale’

Re: “Slipping Through Time” (GT, 8/14): So let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Black American directors are hardly ever associated with Shakespeare, and Black female directors taking on Shakespeare are even more rare. With that said, the existence of an adequate platform to discuss director Raelle Myrick-Hodges’ choices in The Winter’s Tale is essential. At opening night, I was blown away by the nuanced ways in which she skillfully navigated a deeply intentional subtext of race and power in her strategic placement of characters and blocking. The weight of representation was palpable, the comparisons to an American legacy of racism which haunts us today as a national emergency, unmistakable. It would be a huge loss to not be able to see, understand or acknowledge her work, and demonstrates how one’s position in society dictates what is visible to one’s conscience.

To start, we begin the play in the 1940s because it represents a time of illusory, whitewashed glamour that fails to cover the horrors of lynching and Jim Crow racism. We cannot ignore the sinister pull of Hermione’s (Karen Peakes) white womanhood as she insists that a Black King Polixenes (Lindsay Smiling) stay as her “guest or prisoner.” The imminent danger to Polixenes fills the stage as we watch King Leontes (Ian Merrill Peakes) become psychotically consumed by jealousy and rage at the thought of Polixenes having touched his queen. In this moment, Myrick-Hodges draws clear references to Emmett Till, and the historically violent obsession with perceived transgressions against white womanhood by Black men, itself a byproduct of the legacy of slavery and the making of American capitalism.

Leontes cannot be convinced otherwise, and goes on to wreak havoc and ruin in the lives of his most beloved relationships. His tyrannical ideology, his privilege and entitlement being centered at all costs, smacks so clearly of our current president that it’s almost funny, until one considers the real atrocities being visited on mothers and children at this very moment. Leonte’s disgust at the thought of Polixenes being the father of the baby in Hermione’s womb oozes with eugenic rage. At the same time, the refusal of Lady Paulina(Chavez Ravine) to come to Hermione when called and her silent, yet powerful, confrontational stance towards Leontes are an allegory for the historical resistance of Black women as the collective conscience of America, even while being reviled and shunned.

In short, the directorial choices being made by Myrick-Hodges are both nuanced and pointed as they invite us to unpack a tangled web of jealousy, patriarchal ownership and vengeance for perceived adultery, as it relates to race. The fact that none of these choices have been touched upon by any reviewer of this production of The Winter’s Tale is an example of how the realities of Black American lives are still largely misunderstood and unacknowledged. If we are asking Black female directors like Raelle Myrick-Hodges to produce plays by William Shakespeare, we owe it to the work to insure their choices are centered, discussed with critical thought, intersectional analysis, and their intentions made perfectly clear to reviewers and theater patrons alike.Representation is important, and it’s easy to feel good about providing it. Looking at our own privilege, entitlement and patriarchy is more difficult to do, but it’s the only way that we can move forward. I commend Myrick-Hodges for pushing us towards waking up.

D’mitra Smith
Sonoma

When reached for comment about this letter, Director Raelle Myrick-Hodges said, “It’s hard not to have an emotional reaction to being seen.” She also said she found Santa Cruz Shakespeare to be a “safe space” for creating the vision she wanted. ‘The Winter’s Tale’ is in its final week; it closes Sept. 1. — Editor

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@*******es.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

The Santa Cruz Water Department has completed fieldwork for the first pilot study of aquifer storage and recovery, also known as ASR, at its Beltz 12 well facility. The citizen-led Water Supply Advisory Committee recommended ASR as a way to bank excess winter surface water in depleted underground aquifers for future use during dry conditions. Recharge could play an important role in the county’s local water supply, and signs are so far encouraging. The study’s final results will be available this fall.

GOOD WORK

The Institute for Local Governments has awarded the city of Santa Cruz a 2019 Beacon Award for Energy and Emissions Reductions. The Beacon Program supports and recognizes action by California local governments to address climate change, promote energy innovation and create more sustainable communities. The program recognized Santa Cruz for its greenhouse gas emission reductions, energy savings and sustainability best practices.  

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Mayors, city council members, and legislators come and go, but neighborhoods don’t go anywhere.”
-Rashida Tlaib

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

WEDNESDAY 9/4

THE YAWPERS

THE HOT SARDINES

THURSDAY 9/5

YAADCORE

JEAN ROHE

ARIES

FRIDAY 9/6

SARA JUNE

KIANA LEDÉ

Bank It

Staff Does Wine

The Nightingale

WANT TO GO?

Equinox Wine, 334 Ingalls St. Unit C, Santa Cruz. Open daily 1-7 p.m. equinoxwine.com.

An Evening with Friends

hospicesantacruz.org, ev****************@**************uz.org.

Barrels of Corralitos

Kathryn Lukas and Shane Peterson come to Bookshop Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, for a free event celebrating their new book. farmhouseculture.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

*hospicesantacruz.org, ev**@uz.org.*