Page 655 – Good Times

Vinocruz 2.0, Plus A Successor to Assembly

Christina Waters

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February 12, 2019

Vinocruz 2.0, Plus A Successor to Assembly

When Vinocruz left downtown a few years ago, many of us mourned the loss of the only tasting room specializing entirely in Santa Cruz Mountains wines. But that was then. Now, thanks to partners Jordan Iversen and Matt Schofield, Vinocruz has relocated and expanded its offerings on the main drag in Soquel Village—though it’s still centered on our fine local wines.

The new owners brought a broad vision of sensory experiences to the space at the corner of Soquel and Main, which now offers food, live music, nightly specials, and even local beer and cider. Hence the updated name, Vinocruz Wine Bar & Kitchen.

“Everything we do at Vinocruz, even down to making our breads, is done in-house,” co-owner

Iversen told me. Day-to-day operations are handled by Schofield, along with can-do floor manager Sally Locke-Paddon. Iversen pointed out that the kitchen at Vinocruz has already attracted many dinner regulars who flock to weekday happy hours like “Flatbread Fridays” and “Tap and Taco Tuesdays.”

“Chef Maggie Fernandez, who came to us from Bernardus Lodge in Carmel, has been leading our kitchen,” Iversen says. “She was the one responsible for putting together our Valentine’s Day Menu, and will head up the food for that event.”

Vinocruz’s Valentine’s dinner on Thursday, Feb. 14, will be a prix-fixe meal designed by Fernandez. It will begin with an amuse and choice of appetizer. Entreé choices include scallops with mushrooms and asparagus ribbons, braised veal cheeks with black lentil pilaf and carrot puree, or Mushroom Wellington with mashed potatoes. Romantic dessert options include flourless chocolate cake and a chocolate sampler.

The $60 (bargain!) price includes your first glass of wine. Limited seating means that those interested should call Vinocruz now!

Vinocruz, 4901 Soquel Drive, Soquel. 426-8466, vinocruz.com.

Assembling Tacos

Always on the edge of reinvention, Penny Ice Creamery partners Zach Davis and Kendra Baker have now formed an alliance with Mark Denham (former chef at Soif) and manager Sarah Shields. The result-in-progress is Snap Taco, a very 21st-century fiesta of fun foods with an emphasis on tacos. It’s set to open in the former Assembly space early next month.

If intimate fine dining didn’t quite seem like the best fit for Pacific Avenue’s huge restaurant space, then filling it up with a zesty variety of quick and tasty options might just work.

The big difference between Assembly and Snap Taco—and given economic realities, we can expect to see more of this approach—is the counter service format. Primal Santa Cruz is successfully pioneering this style of dining on the Westside.

The Snap Taco menu, according to Davis, “is inspired by turning fresh, local and sustainable ingredients into new-school tacos bowls, sandwiches and other eats.” So casual is definitely the primary theme, with “a mix of seating options inside, on the sidewalk patio and in our private courtyard.”

Prices are expected to stay on the low side—a trio of tacos will cost around $11—with weekly specials and other playful spins. Already the colorful street facade is snapping into focus. Look for an opening in March.

Snack Alert

The Lundberg Family are major organic rice producers. Perhaps they got bored with, uh, just rice. In looking for the next Lundberg product, they came up with thin squares of puffed rice.

Lundberg’s Thin Stackers Puffed Brown Rice Cakes ($3.50ish) are each around 25 calories, GF, organic, and whole grain. Since the rice lacks aggressive flavor, the trick is to top it with hummus, cream cheese, smoked salmon, or peanut butter. Nice crunch, and a nice alternative to overly salty GF crackers.

Rewriting the Rules for Men’s Mental Health

Andrew Steingrube

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February 6, 2019

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Rewriting the Rules for Men’s Mental Health

“What is this salty discharge?” a befuddled Jerry Seinfeld wonders aloud as he wipes the tears from his eyes in an iconic scene from his namesake sitcom—a comedic take on the much bigger idea of male emotion and vulnerability, which even a few decades later can still feel quite foreign to many men.

Now, a first-of-its-kind set of psychological guidelines and increasingly active local community groups hope to change that by questioning male stereotypes in an effort to improve access and quality for mental health care.

Ironically, it was in the thick of the #MeToo movement that the American Psychological Association (APA) recently issued guidelines—for the first time in its 127-year history—focused specifically on treatment of men and boys. The association had released similar reports for girls and women, LGBTQ+ people, racial and ethnic minorities and older adults, but never for men.

At the root of the paper is a fundamental mismatch: “Boys and men, as a group, tend to hold privilege and power based on gender,” the report explains. But they also have disproportionately high rates of negative health and social outcomes, such as suicide, heart problems, violence, substance abuse, and incarceration. Along with the pressures of daily life, the psychological and emotional weight of these risk factors often go unaddressed. “Many men do not seek help when they need it, and many report distinctive barriers to receiving gender-sensitive psychological treatment,” the APA report notes

That male emotional needs are often relegated to the backburner, or sometimes left off the stove entirely, is a familiar phenomenon to the leaders of the Central Coast nonprofit Breakthrough Men’s Community, which offers support groups and educational resources in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. “I was stunned that it has taken the APA 127 years to address this subject,” says Executive Director Chris Fitz.

Breakthrough was created in 1978 to help men end “non-productive, painful, or abusive aspects of their lives.” The group has since expanded to offer more local programs that cover everything from addiction to becoming an ally for other types of people. “The most powerful ingredient” in changing behavior, Fitz says, is still often first-hand stories from other men.

The APA’s own report echoes these sentiments, saying that research shows boys are taught from a young age to be “self-reliant, strong, and to minimize and manage their problems,” ultimately leading to “adult men who are less willing to seek mental health treatment.”

Attempting to behavioral constructs in any culture, let alone one as entrenched as mainstream masculinity, is certainly not an easy undertaking. Many of the APA’s new guidelines suggest that psychologists dig deeper into other facets of male identity—like race, sexuality or other variables—that in the past may have led to feelings of stigma. Breaking cycles of physical or emotional turmoil that can lead to violence—against women or otherwise—is another focus of guidelines that urge mental health providers to encourage healthy family and social relationships.

Santa Cruz and the Bay Area are among the many urban and suburban areas where non-traditional gender roles, co-parenting arrangements and stay-at-home dads have flourished thanks to legislation and some area companies’ more generous parental leave policies. Amid these broader cultural shifts, what groups like the APA and Breakthrough say is still missing are mental health services that acknowledge how times have changed.

For John Hain, a member of Breakthrough on the Central Coast for over 20 years, such change is often easier said than done. A former forensic pathologist, he says that seeing the results of “self-neglect”—suicide, substance abuse, other risky behavior—all motivated him to focus on the role of emotional imbalance.

“Challenges to these rigid mores are tremendously unsettling for many men,” says Hain.

5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: February 6-12

GT Staff

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February 6, 2019

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5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: February 6-12

A weekly guide to what’s happening.

Green Fix

Migration Festival

Pack a picnic and migrate on over to Natural Bridges State Beach for a full day of activities to celebrate the migration of whales, butterflies, birds and other travelling species. The park will host migratory animal talks, active kids’ games, crafts, skits, live music, educational booths and displays, plus a celebratory habitat cake served at the end of the event. Picnic lunches are available for purchase for those who don’t bring their own.

INFO: 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. Natural Bridges State Beach, 2531 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. 423-4609, thatsmypark.org. Free/$10 parking.

Art Seen

Hive and Hum Store Closing Sale

It’s never easy to say goodbye to local stores we know and love, but we can at least help them go out with a bang. Hive and Hum is having a liquidation sale with 50-60 percent off the whole store. That fancy leather ottoman you’ve been eying for years and the wall decor are both 50 percent off, so why not treat yourself on Valentine’s Day?

INFO: 50 percent off Feb. 7-14, 60 percent off Feb. 15-22. Hive and Hum, 415 B River St., Santa Cruz. 421-9028. hiveandhum.com. Free.

Sunday 2/10

Downtown Santa Cruz Antique Faire

Your uncle’s political views may be antiquated, but some of these treasures aren’t. The antique fair brings hundreds of knick-knacks—Victorian lace doilies to vintage AC/DC shirts—from over 40 vendors. Maybe you’ll find those cowboy boots or that turquoise ring you’ve been searching for everywhere. Either way, you’re also guaranteed to find something you weren’t looking for. Dog friendly and near everything downtown for your weekend adventuring. The show happens every second Sunday of each month, from 9-5. Rainy weather means it’s rescheduled to the third Sunday.

INFO: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Intersection of Lincoln and Cedar streets, Santa Cruz. Free.

Sunday 2/10

Clothes For a Cause

The seven-member ReSisters group is hosting a fashion boutique featuring over 500 articles of gently used clothing, plus shoes, handbags, jewelry, and scarves. People from all over Santa Cruz County have donated for the cause. All proceeds benefit the Maia Foundation, which helps low-income students go onto higher education. ReSisters formed as a support and advocacy group shortly after the election with the intention of countering negative, divisive rhetoric by taking positive action at a local level. Come for the deals, stay for beer, wine and live music by American Idol hopeful Lindsey Wall.

INFO: 1-4 p.m. Cantine Winepub, 8050 Soquel Drive, Aptos. $25 suggested donation.

Monday 2/11

35th Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation

Martin Luther King Jr. Day might be over, but February is Black History Month. In recognition of Dr. King’s legacy, the Martin Luther King convocation presents speakers to talk about equality, justice and opportunity. Previous years’ speakers include Angela Davis, Benjamin Jealous and Alicia Garza. This year’s speaker is writer, professor and political commentator Melissa Harris-Perry, the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University, where she is founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Center and co-director of Wake the Vote. She is also editor-at-large of Elle.com and a contributing editor at the Nation. She continues to create and direct programs with the goal of creating diverse, quality American media.

INFO: 7 p.m. Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. 459-5003, specialevents.ucsc.edu. Free.

Opinion: February 6, 2019

Steve Palopoli

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February 6, 2019

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EDITOR’S NOTE

There is a long tradition of “anti-Valentine’s-Day” Valentine’s Day issues at Santa Cruz alt-weeklies. Maybe it’s because journalists are naturally contrarians, or because the syrupy sweetness of the holiday is just so ripe for salting. But man, there have really been some great ones. Like the time we wrote about the ghosting phenomenon here at GT a couple of years ago. Or Georgia Perry’s “Take a Ride in the Junk Trunk” memoir back at Santa Cruz Weekly, which was the worst-date story to end all worst-date stories. And back at Metro Santa Cruz, we celebrated V-Day one year with a “No Sex” issue.

It’s not always doom and gloom with our love lines. Former GT staffer (and current Love at First Bite columnist) Lily Stoicheff wrote a truly heartfelt defense of Valentine’s Day one year after she got sick of all our cold prickling. And I thought last year’s V-Day issue with Maria Grusauskas’ story on two local sex podcasters was remarkably cuddle-positive.

But yeah, we’re back to our wet-blanket ways this year—sorry, Lily! Our V-Day issue cover story is about divorce, it’s true; specifically, a local photo project that involves jamming people into a cursed wedding dress and getting them talking about their failed marriages. But I think Georgia Johnson’s profile of Kay Hansen and Georgia Cantando, the two women behind this phenomenon, actually proves that our fascination with the dark side of Valentine’s Day isn’t really rooted in some kind of nasty cynicism. It’s actually because the stories of our shortcomings and failures in love can sometimes be more revealing, moving and human than some idealized portrait of love triumphant—and are also super entertaining! Hansen and Cantando definitely understand this, and have taken it to a new level. So slip into something formal and uncomfortable, and give it a read!

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Complicit in Censorship

Thank you so much, GT, for sharing the story about the Financial Times’ report on Netflix’s decision to, at the request of the Saudi government, pull an episode of The Patriot Act because host Hasan Minhaj criticized the Saudi government, which is responsible for the (still unpunished) murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (GT, 1/9). It was important to hear again, loudly and clearly, how Reed Hastings of Santa Cruz, head of Netflix, downplayed his company’s stark act of complicity in censorship on behalf of a murderous regime by calling it “banal” and “benign.” He further claims that Netflix supports “artistic freedom.” Really? Until when? Until an authoritarian government with which you have business dealings requests you silence an artist for condemning that government?

Hastings is the multimillionaire head of a media empire, and his casual disregard for the effects and implications of his actions on freedom of the press and intellectual freedom, and his willingness to cooperate with a violent, repressive government that wishes to continue to murder journalists unrestrained, is both supremely chilling and enormously revealing. With his words and actions, he shows himself, and his company, Netflix, as unfit to be one of the few mediums through which we may access brilliantly informative programs such as Minhaj’s. As a result, people of conscience will look for alternatives to Netflix. However, there are very few options for viewing media because U.S. antitrust laws have laid dormant for decades. Perhaps it’s time to dust them off, so that we have the choice to access media from companies that have respect for intellectual freedom and freedom of the press.

As citizens who do not want to support companies that engage in immoral actions and decisions that destabilize the democratic process, what are we supposed to do? How far will participation in censorship by media monopolies go?

Jessica Murray
Santa Cruz

Jump Scare

There are many things to like about the Jump bikes that are now stationed all over town. They are convenient, good exercise and environmentally sound. Nonetheless, I’ve noticed a significant safety issue that seems to be getting no attention from either Uber (the owner of Jump) or the City of Santa Cruz. The city’s FAQ page on the bikes is clear: “Can my child ride a Jump bike? No, bike share membership is limited to ages 18 and over.” However, every day I see children and teenagers riding these bikes around town, usually without helmets (which happens to be illegal as well as unsafe). I understand that Uber’s policy is merely intended to limit their liability and that they have no desire to try to actually enforce it. But where is the city? Does a kid have to be seriously injured or killed before they start enforcing the age limits (to say nothing of the helmet law for minors)?

Mordecai Shapiro
Santa Cruz

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to [email protected]. 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 County Office of Education is coordinating the Santa Cruz County Mock Trial Competition. This year will be the 13th for the contest, which runs Feb. 6-27. Mock Trial gives students the chance to learn about their judicial system. Judges volunteer to preside over the hearings, and more than 40 local attorneys volunteer as scorers. The winning team will represent the county at the state finals in Sacramento in March.

GOOD WORK

Before southern California’s Carlsbad Desalination Plant opened in 2015, UCSC scientists saw an opportunity to study the effects that high-salinity brine might have on coastal waters. Their study’s results, published Jan. 25 in Water, included both good and bad news. There were no significant changes to nearby sea life from the discharge, they found. But salinity levels exceeded the permitted level, and the salt plume extended much farther offshore than had been permitted.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Roux Dat Expands Cajun Mini-Empire

Jacob Pierce

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February 6, 2019

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When Chad Glassley moved to town in 2013 with ambitions of opening a Cajun restaurant, he originally set his sights on one of the kiosks along downtown Santa Cruz’s Pacific Avenue.

When that didn’t work out, he and wife Aurelia, an Aptos High School grad, simply opened a fast-casual restaurant called Roux Dat in Capitola instead. Then, last year, their original plan came to fruition, when they signed the lease on a kiosk outside Bookshop Santa Cruz for Roux Dat’s second location.

But running a small-scale version of the joint is trickier than Glassley had originally imagined, partially because he has to keep it stocked by trucking over stews from the Capitola location. He figures the logistics will get easier once the restaurant opens a third branch in a couple of months at Abbott Square, just off of Pacific.

OK, so jambalaya or gumbo?

CHAD GLASSLEY: Both, just because they are very different stews. Do rice in the middle, and I would do jambalaya on one half and gumbo on the other. It’s fun to compare.

Fried pickles or fried green tomatoes?

I like fried green tomatoes better, because there’s a little more substance, and I like the tartness. It’s almost like a green apple.

Why is it so hard to find places that serve alligator?

There was a ban for a while in the state of California, and then it got lifted. But it was mainly just for clothing, for boots and belts and things like that. We get our alligator from Louisiana, so we are pretty far away, and the price can get high, so maybe people don’t stock it. But we always find it’s a nice little surprise: ‘Really, you have gator on your menu?’

Mardi Gras is March 5. Any plans?

We might do a couple Mardi Gras beer specials. We’ve got the Mardi Gras Bock on tap from Abita. We always look into doing a crawfish boil, but everyone wants crawfish at that time, and again, like alligator, the West Coast gets left out because it takes a while to ship out here.

rouxdatcajuncreole.com, 295-6372

Valentine’s Day Pairings From Pelican Ranch

Josie Cowden

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February 6, 2019

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Valentine’s Day Pairings From Pelican Ranch

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a sensuous Zin is a perfect pick to share with your sweetie—or keep for yourself. Either way, Pelican Ranch Winery’s Capitola tasting room is the place to go.

Their 2015 Zinfandel ($24) is made with fruit from the Rinaldi Family Vineyard in Fiddletown, Amador County, and loaded with pepper, spice, herbs, and smoke. “It’s good alone and wonderful with full-bodied foods,” likely a hearty pizza packed with meat toppings, says winemaker Phil Crews, who co-owns Pelican Ranch Winery with his wife, Peggy. And Crews should know; the tasting room has a pizza oven that he often fires up for customers.

A professor of chemistry at UCSC, Crews says Pelican’s classic, big-style Zin has a powerful structure of berry and jam, which unite in a symphony of sustained flavors (a 2016 batch was also just released).

Another hot buy for your Valentine would be Pelican Ranch’s Raspberry Dessert Wine. “Its incredible structure and jammy wild berries demand chocolate accompaniment,” Crews says.

When it comes to advice for wine lovers, Peggy Crews also recently sent out some amusing words of wisdom for 2019:

“Throw out the rulebook and do the following: Drink rose this winter—and reds this summer. Sip from a stemless glass, both at home and at the movies. Serve a Chardonnay with a steak and a Pinot Noir with fish. Open a special bottle of Pelican Ranch this Tuesday.”

Pelican Ranch Winery, 102 Kennedy Drive, Capitola. 426-6911, pelicanranch.com.

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Burrell

Burrell School Vineyards is putting on a sumptuous feast for Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb. 14. This special dinner features an elegant, five-course feast with unique wine pairings.

Two seating times are available: a 5:30 p.m. sunset seating in the intimate tasting room overlooking the vineyard, or a 7 p.m. slot in the historic schoolhouse. Each ticket ($190) includes dinner for two, wine pairings and tax. Gratuity not included. Can’t make it on the holiday? Burrell is doing it all again on Feb. 16.

Burrell School Vineyards & Winery, 24060 Summit Rd., Los Gatos. 408-353-6290, [email protected].

In ‘Red Velvet,’ Politics of Race Take Center Stage

Christina Waters

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February 6, 2019

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In ‘Red Velvet,’ Politics of Race Take Center Stage

London was the center of the theater world in the 19th century, and Edmund Kean was one of its most celebrated Shakespeareans. So when Kean collapsed during an 1833 performance of Othello, the part was offered to another celebrated actor, Ira Aldridge. What could go wrong?

Well, for one thing, Aldridge was an American. And for another, he was black. Such is the tantalizing setup for the Jewel Theater’s new production of Red Velvet by British playwright Lolita Chakrabarti.

Using the past to explore the present cultural conversation, Chakrabarti probes a suite of issues and situations, from acting styles and gender roles to the lingering racism that dogged England even after the country abolished slavery in 1831.

If that sounds like a full plate for a single play, it is. But the consummate cast, stylish set and ingenious ensemble direction power Red Velvet to an absorbing two hours of theater. The drama begins and ends in Poland, but we also travel to London with Aldridge (played here by Aldo Billingslea).

The play plunges directly into the heart of the action, where Kean’s acting company learns of the new Othello. There is much storming by Kean’s son Charles (Jeremy Kahn) when he’s told by company manager Pierre Laporte (Jeffrey Fiorito) that Aldridge will play Othello.

The ensemble—celebrated actress Ellen Tree (Jennifer LeBlanc), young Henry Forrester (Teddy Spenser), veteran actor Bernard Warde (Jesse Caldwell), and a histrionic Betty Lovell (Shannon Warrick)—have all heard of Aldridge, but no one has actually seen him. So when the actor strides into rehearsal full of energy and ideas, they are stunned.

The linchpin of Chakrabarti’s plot—a black man daring to play a black man—unleashes melodrama aplenty. “This isn’t a circus,” snarls Charles Kean, who refuses to step on the same stage as Aldridge. Oh, the irony.

It’s a sense of irony that reverberates throughout the play. If Aldridge is worthy of playing the Moor merely because he is in fact a black man, argues Kean, then any fat drunk could be scooped up from the alleys and cast as Falstaff. Not only is a black man unwelcome on the London stage—as scathing reviews from that first night prove—but as an American, Aldridge is deemed unskilled, unprofessional and unworthy to perform Shakespeare.

Theater exists to reflect who we are, says one character in Red Velvet. It’s always political. Yet another character insists, “actors should never ask questions—just play.” Given sophisticated dialogue about theatrical styles and the intent of Shakespeare’s characters, the Jewel production’s actors polish each line into gem-like precision.

Red Velvet delivers a mesmerizing display of the oration style of 19th-century acting. As they rehearse, the six principal cast members of “Othello” adopt arcane, almost sculptural poses, freeze in place, and then deliver their lines directly to the audience. Aldridge suggests the actress playing Desdemona look at him when she speaks. She is astounded. He invites her to explore the character’s passion, rather than simply striking a pose. Playing what you feel? “How avant garde!” she exclaims with delight. As you might imagine, Aldridge is excoriated for daring to shake up highly stylized English acting.

So much is surprising, crisp and even illuminating about Red Velvet that a few false steps at the end feel all the more disappointing. As Aldridge’s career in London ends, the stalwart Billingslea is required to burst into histrionics. The play is largely at fault here, and Chakrabarti feels compelled to take on women’s rights, health care injustice and educational disparities in addition to the weighty issues already explored. That’s too much to ask a two-hour drama to juggle. But Red Velvet is so inventive and so well acted that one can squint at the playwright’s fervor.

When the actors are all together on stage, this production moves beautifully. And while each performance shines, Jennifer LeBlanc’s vocal clarity and physical presence stand out. When she and Billingslea enact one key, hair-raising scene from Othello, the stage becomes electric.

Briskly entertaining, Red Velvet invites the audience to think about some complex issues. I was hooked throughout and occasionally transported. Not much can surpass live theater in delivering so much.

‘Red Velvet’ by Lolita Chakrabarti runs at the Jewel Theater through Feb. 17. jeweltheatre.net.

Music Picks: February 6-12

Aaron Carnes

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February 5, 2019

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Live music highlights for the week of Feb. 6, 2019

WEDNESDAY 2/6

HIP HOP

J. LATELY

There are so many things to love about rapper, J. Lately. His laid back flow that hides years of writing and practice, his 10-year hip-hop career, culminating in last year’s Be Fucking Happy, his 15th album. Then there is his name, a take on his belief that humans should be constantly seeking change for the better. But far be it for us to tell anyone how to think. Go see this Sebastopol artist upfront and personal at the Blue Lagoon and start your own list of reasons to love him. MAT WEIR

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5 adv/$10 door. 423-7117.

THURSDAY 2/7

INDIE

PARKER GISPERT

Whigs frontman Parker Gispert is stretching his wings as a solo artist. After 20 years in a band, he’s enjoying the freedom of following his musical flights of fancy without having to check in with bandmates. Gispert as captain and pilot means songs less grounded in southern garage rock and more atmospheric, with introspective meanderings, acoustic elaborations and a voluminous vocal range. He wrote Sunlight Tonight completely outside, while living on a plot of farmland. His songs dizzy with self-determination and giddy with the realization of a never-ending horizon, Gispert may never return to the world of collaborators and compromise. AMY BEE

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

JAZZ

LEYLA McCALLA

Watching the evolution of Leyla McCalla has been one of American music’s great pleasures in recent years. The Haitian-American singer-songwriter has come into her own as a band leader who soaks up all the vibrations around her, transmuting sounds and experiences into strikingly beautiful music. Since moving to New Orleans in 2010, she’s had two children, and both experiences shape the music on her gorgeous new album The Capitalist Blues. She’s touring with a band plucked from the New Orleans jazz scene. At 33, she continues to explore the Creole cultural currents running between Port-au-Prince and New Orleans while extending her purview to the horizons. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $31.50 adv/$36.75 door. 427-2227.

FRIDAY 2/8

BLUEGRASS

HOT BUTTERED RUM

Hot Buttered Rum will get you drunk with just a couple quick listens to their sweet and smooth tunes. The band returns to Santa Cruz for another night of no-holds-barred debauchery. This five-piece bluegrass band has been quenching their audiences’ thirst for music for 17 years, with their sixth studio full-length album, Lonesome Panoramic, released last year. Their traditional style of mountain music is so addicting it will have you moving and shaking long past last call and begging for more when the lights go out. MW

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15 adv/$20 door. 479-1854.

SATURDAY 2/9

ELECTRO-FUNK

SUNSQUABI

Is there a place where jam bands collide with EDM? The answer is yes, and apparently that place is Colorado, the state where electro-funk trio Sunsquabi lay their gyrating heads at night. It’s nothing new for electronic groups to incorporate non-electronic instruments in their music these days, but Sunsquabi takes it a step further and gives the music the meandering, low-key groove that has made stoners follow Phish and the Dead around for decades. And yet somehow it fits entirely in the electronic pill-popping realm. Ponder that contradiction while you are lost in the funk. AARON CARNES

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $14 adv/$16 door. 423-1338.

LATIN

LA MISA NEGRA

If you want to dance—and I know you do—but don’t want to commit to any one dance genre, La Misa Negra, a seven-piece cumbia band from Oakland, is calling your name. Driven by fierce horn riffs and kick-ass accordion antics, Afro-Latin music has never sounded so punk. Or heavy metal. Or hip-hop. Or disco. Okay, maybe not disco for more than a second or two. La Misa Negra combines the traditional, like currulao, tambora and salsa, with whatever contemporary inspiration tickles their fancy, creating a sound they call, “retro-future cumbia.” It’s high-voltage dance music for all cultures, backgrounds and generations. AB

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15 adv/$20 door. 479-1854.

MONDAY 2/11

ART-ROCK

ON DRUGS

Weirdly psychedelic (and also just plain weird), Portland’s On Drugs promises a set of songs that will “make grandma cry” and “leave dad sweating like a hooker in church.” So in case you were planning on bringing three generations of family to this Monday’s show, be warned. Playful and assaulting in equal measure, On Drugs have a bit of the Unicorns in their DNA, blended up with the hard-partying trash rock of FIDLAR. Before you know it, they’ll have you singing in a falsetto about slamming 40s and smoking out your cat. MIKE HUGUENOR

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. $7. 429-6994.

ROCK

THE RAD TRADS

Traditionalism isn’t exactly Santa Cruz’s main squeeze. Luckily, the Rad Trads aren’t exactly traditional in a Leviticus sense. It’s more of a “get down and dance to rock ’n’ roll” traditionalism, a la the Rolling Stones. The Stones themselves get a name drop on 2016’s “Keith Richards & I,” a song with the same tightly wound energy and loose morals of it’s title hero. Dirty trumpets, trebled-out guitars and a howling beast on the mic. Call it traditional, call it a classic. It’s all rock ’n’ roll to me. MH

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26.25 adv/$31.50 door. 427-2227.

TUESDAY 2/12

REGGAE

J BOOG

Some of the best reggae comes from people of mixed cultures. J Boog, a celebrity in Hawaii’s vibrant reggae scene, was raised in Compton and comes from Samoan descent. His music brings the bread and butter of easy grooves and a smooth vocal delivery with plenty of peace, love and romance. There are moments where you can feel his breezy island vibe collide with the harsh reality of his Compton upbringing. It creates some really interesting music that will tug at your heart and brain. AC

INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $32 adv/$25 door. 423-1338.

Love Your Local Band: 12 Decembers

Aaron Carnes

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February 5, 2019

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Melody Egbert was writing dubstep songs when they met Myles Stevens, who was also doing their own dubstep music. The two together decided to collaborate and went in a completely different direction, creating highly emotional, shoegaze-influenced pop music.

“I always felt that my life was the end of some sort of teen movie, and I wanted to write those songs because it was what I was feeling,” Egbert says. “I’m glad I moved away from it (dubstep) because it was a little unrewarding to listen back to.”

The progressions in the songs are all at their core pretty basic song structures, but with the layers of instruments and vocals, it creates an ethereal sound that is immediately stirring, setting an intense mood that transcends any single part.

“Everyone involved with the project has been going through some shit in our lives that we wanted to get out,” Egbert says. “I know I personally really wanted to arrange songs that created something emotional out of something very simple.”

There are two other members in the band, Azuria Sky and Luna Moon, who both live in L.A., and haven’t yet played live with the group. There are some other local players that will accompany the group at their shows, depending on who’s available. Some of these people even make appearances on the recordings.

It therefore makes sense that most of the band’s album covers and images have been blurry—though it also fits the band’s sound.

“We like to make very dreamy music, A little shoegaze-y. We want the imagery to reflect that,” Egberts says. “I think over time if our sound matures we might change the art style. But for the foreseeable future it is going to be blurry images and the rip-off My Bloody Valentine font.”

INFO: 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.

Saying Yes To The (Divorce) Dress

Georgia Johnson

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February 5, 2019

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A decade ago, Kay Hansen found her husband’s ex-wife’s wedding dress in her closet, and she didn’t know what to do with it. It hung there for two years—rather annoyingly in the way, considering that she saw it each time she needed a shirt or pair of shoes. The ex-wife didn’t want it back, so her fiancé suggested eBay, since it was, after all, very expensive. But they were about to find a more practical use.

It only took a few drinks and a round of pool at the westside Parish Publick House before Hansen and her best friend Georgia Cantando had the worst idea. After popping a bottle of champagne, the two decided to break out the dress for a photo shoot.

“It was so wrong, but so right,” Cantando says with a laugh. By the time Hansen’s husband got home, they had put the dress on Cantando—complete with a scarf and coconut bra—while Hansen wore her own wedding dress and a black corset.

“We just had the best night,” says Hansen. “Georgia was making speeches to the ex-wife.”

What started as a joke turned into a bigger project. In the years since, Cantando and Hansen have gotten hundreds of people from across North and Central America into the ex’s dress. It’s opened a door to a larger project called “The Divorce Dress,” for which the women travel around and get other people try the dress on—married or not—take photos, and talk about their own breakups in a safe, comfortable space.

“When people get in the dress, they automatically feel like they have to be a bride and act a certain way, but it’s not until they become more comfortable in the dress that automatically they start talking about divorce,” Cantando says. “We wanted to know why that was. Why people felt that they had to act a certain way, and why they always started talking about divorce.”

Although Hansen has never been in the dress for herself, men and women from all walks of life have worn the divorce dress, from the Parish pub co-owner and a Steamer Lane surfer to a celebrity divorce attorney. The more interviews and photoshoots the women did, the more they realized that their idea was more than just a funny side project. Now they are creating a coffee table book showcasing stories, images and haikus about relationship endings. They hope to take the dress on a trip to France and England next month, and will show their work at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) in May.

“Sometimes there is such a thick line of similarity when it comes to finding yourself, shedding your skin and starting fresh,” Cantando says. “Everyone focuses on relationship beginnings, but when it gets sticky at the end, no one focuses on what’s going on there.”

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING DRESS Cantando and Hansen have been best friends for years, so it was only fitting that when they decided to turn their wedding dress shenanigans into an art project. — **SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING DRESS** Cantando and Hansen have been best friends for years, so it was only fitting that when they decided to turn their wedding dress shenanigans into an art project.

Cantando and Hansen are both happily married to their husbands—and even to each other. The best friends got married at Burning Man around 10 years ago while Hansen was wearing her wedding dress. She was standing in line at the Porta-Potties wondering how she was going to navigate the dress inside the little toilet space when a man introduced himself as a minister and asked if he could officiate her wedding.

“I married my best friend,” Hansen says. “Georgia’s husband gave her away!”

Thanks to social media, Hansen and Cantado no longer have to reach out to candidates to include—people come to them to put the dress on and tell their own stories. More recently, they partnered with celebrity family attorney Laura Wasser to write articles on divorce and relationship endings. They hope that through their writing and project they can help normalize divorce and show that everyone has a story worth telling.

Both women’s lives included some aspect of divorce long before the project started. Hansen’s first marriage ended in divorce, and Cantando’s parents were divorced when she was younger.

“We get more people laughing in the dress than crying in the dress, that’s for sure,” Cantando says.

The dress itself was originally a size 2, so it had to be modified with a corset-style lace back to fit all ages and sizes. Last week, the women came by the GT office and brought the dress with them. Though they didn’t make anyone try it on, they brought their images and plenty of crazy stories from divorcées, including a possible murder, domestic abuse and stalking. People who have never been divorced have also worn the dress, and the pair also want to take it to places where divorce is frowned upon, like parts of the Middle East.

“We need to make this not taboo anymore. Everyone needs to be able to have a conversation about it and be themselves,” Hansen says.

POWER POSE The Divorce Dress project has featured subjects from all over North and Central America, like columnist Laura Cathcart Robbins. — **POWER POSE** The Divorce Dress project has featured subjects from all over North and Central America, like columnist Laura Cathcart Robbins.

“Divorce does not end with the paperwork,” Cantando adds. “It does not end when you move out of the house or everyone says, ‘Oh I’m sorry that happened.’ It continues to shape who you are.”

Cantando and Hansen currently meet with three or four subjects a month, depending on their schedules. They say that they’ve interviewed five or six people a day on project trips. With the help of an assistant, they interview and photograph the person on site. There is plenty of champagne, and the women sit and just listen to other people’s relationships, expectations and feelings about their exes. Afterword, they will often write haikus based on phrases and words that were particularly memorable.

“Usually Georgia will go up to people on the street and say we are working on an art project, or she will spark a conversation at a bar or restaurant and it happens pretty organically,” Hansen says.

So far, talking to people has been relatively easy and painless. They say they expect a few more roadblocks and differing opinions on divorce when they travel outside of California.

“At first, we got an awful lot of 40-something white women in the dress, but it’s always been important for us to include people from all ages, ethnicities, sexual and religious orientations,” Cantando says. “That’s why we want to travel around and meet people who have different views and experiences around divorce.”

With the debut of their book coming just in time for Valentine’s Day next year, Hansen and Cantando hope to raise enough money through their GoFundMe to travel to Europe next month. On May 4, their exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History will likely include confessional-style anonymous storytelling in the spirit of conversations around breakups.

“If anyone wants to share their story we take written stories and are around locally,” the women say. “We keep the dress in a suitcase. It lives there, so she’s ready to go at all times.”

thedivorcedress.com

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