The Grateful Bluegrass Boys are not strictly a Grateful Dead tribute band. In fact, these days, Grateful Dead tunes usually make up a small portion of their set. A debut full-length album, released in July 2017, only contains one Grateful Dead tune: “Touch of Grey.”
“The longer we’ve been together, the more the ‘Grateful’ becomes ‘gratitude’ and creating an atmosphere,” says violinist/mandolin player/lead singer Aaron Redner. “We definitely play tons of other music.”
Redner, who played in Hot Buttered Rum for 13 years, started the Grateful Bluegrass Boys in 2012 up in Sonoma and relocated to Santa Cruz a year ago. In that time, not only has he broadened the range of music the band covers—including the songs of Van Morrison, Paul Simon and Willie Nelson, among others—he’s also introduced some of his own originals to the mix.
“These are people we all consider Grateful Bluegrass Boys at heart,” Redner says. “We love people that play music that people love to sing along with. We’re all about the sing-alongs.”
One thing the band is a little more strict on is staying true to the bluegrass sound, no matter whose song is playing. That means tight, drum-free string arrangements with lots of vocal harmonies.
“We try to stay away from aimless jamming,” Redner says. “It’s very important for us to stay connected to bluegrass, but also not be afraid to improvise and to bring songs you wouldn’t expect to hear played by a bluegrass band. We’re doing a Cars tune right now that’s going over really well.”
When I first walked into Emily Perry’s yoga class, I wasn’t sure that I was in the right place. A few years back, she was teaching Thursday evening classes at Divinitree Yoga, and I had opted to try a free week—and showed up embarrassingly late.
I walked in, mat in hand, to a room filled to the brim with people chanting. Perry sat on one side with an odd-looking, accordion-type instrument, smiling and singing some kind of tantric verse. She beckoned with a smile, and I realized that I’d either taken a wrong turn and wandered into some sacred cult-like ceremony, or that this was my yoga class.
Fast forward five years, uncountable yoga classes and a teacher training later, and I now know that the instrument is called a harmonium, and all of Emily’s classes begin and end with a few minutes of kirtan, or call-and-response chanting. At first, the repetition of what I learned were the names or mantras of Hindu gods and goddesses seemed bizarre for me to try to mimic, but I kept coming back for more.
Kirtan is a simple, repetitive process once you get the hang of it. It’s known to help relieve stress and anxiety and promote a sense of euphoria similar to meditation. About 99 percent of the time, I still have no idea what I am saying—I could be cursing all of my loved ones for all I know—and that’s OK, because I still enjoy it for some reason.
“When I first started chanting, I felt a connection,” Perry says. “I used to go to a Gateways Books in downtown Santa Cruz and listen to chanting music. I had no idea why I was drawn to it at the time, but I was.”
Kirtan comes from Bhakti yoga, also known as yoga of devotion. Just like physical postures or meditation, kirtan is a component of yoga practice. Bhakti, to over-simplify, is about more than just the physical practice of yoga. It’s based on spirituality, cultivating love and appreciation, and kirtan is one way to express that. Despite the divine connotations with kirtan, Perry says it’s non-denominational.
“When I started incorporating kirtan, it was the first time that I felt like I was using my whole heart,” Perry says. “It felt like I had a more holistic practice, as opposed to just a physical practice. It brought everything together, including pain, revelation, the yearning, and the joy.”
Perry says using kirtan in her yoga classes was intimidating at first, since she wasn’t a professional singer or musician. She bought a harmonium and didn’t use it for three years.
“Kirtan and chanting is a street practice in India. It can be literally anywhere,” she says. “When you chant, you start to tap into these deeper aspects of yourself and connect with people in the room. I think eventually my love of the experience trumped the lack of skill.”
It’s nice to know in retrospect that I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by kirtan. Perry says it happens all the time. Some people don’t understand it or think it’s weird, but a lot of people keep coming back.
“It’s about a connection to the heart and intention more than saying things correctly or being musically gifted,” Perry says. “Once people get that it’s about how they feel, they are able to drop concerns about being self conscious.”
The more I practiced with Emily, the more comfortable I got with the kirtan practice. It became part of my routine. I even found myself listening to it and singing along in the car or in the shower. I still can’t explain why I’m drawn to it, or why once at the end of a yoga class I started crying for no apparent reason in the middle of a song.
Perry says that she notices when people chant, they have more compassion and empathy for others—a brief reprieve for those who lead stressful lives or seek focus. Some people just come to listen, which is fine with Perry. The hardest part, she says, is showing up.
Perry hosts kirtan at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at Pleasure Point Yoga. emilyperry.co.
The Food Bin is one of those local businesses that is just so Santa Cruz. I remember discovering it as a student at UCSC, when the bulk bins, dreadlocked cashiers and mysterious adjacent Herb Room blew my country-girl mind. Since then, I’ve grown to appreciate being able to stop in to grab some essentials when I don’t feel like making a big trip to a large market, especially now that it’s the only locally owned grocery store on the Westside.
But in the past year or so, I couldn’t help but notice that something was a little bit different—in a good way. I started to see more high-quality products on the shelves. There was always this really friendly guy hanging around, kindly boxing up my groceries for me and offering me a sample of some cool local product they had just gotten in. And, most recently, the whole building got a new paint job. I figured there must be something going on.
It turns out that the market came under the ownership of husband-and-wife team Doug Wallace and Peggy Ewlensen in October, after they had managed the store for more than a year. Both Wallace and Ewlensen grew up in Santa Cruz, and returned to their hometown from Seattle when the opportunity to purchase the Food Bin came up.
Wallace—the helpful manager I kept encountering—has worked in markets since he was a teenager, and has an interest in nutrition and body care, while Ewlensen’s career was in organics. They seem to have the ideal backgrounds for owning a small natural food store.
The couple has thrown themselves into making improvements to the Food Bin while striving to preserve its quirky character. Customer service is their No. 1 priority, and Ewlensen says that overall the community has been very supportive. In the future, they’d like to continue to offer more local products, remove the bulky vapor extraction behemoth from the front of the Herb Room, and refurbish the side garden to forge a community gathering space where they could host First Friday-type vendor events. “We always want to keep its vibe,” says Ewlensen. “It’s not your standard grocery store. It’s unique, and we want to keep it that way.”
Road rage, succulent overload, and some next-level local comedy: Welcome back to GT’s annual tribute to the best, worst and weirdest that Santa Cruz County has to offer.
Working at Cat and Cloud must be the best frickin’ job in the world, because you will never meet happier people. They take “no bad days” to the next level, because as soon as anyone walks in, it’s like confetti and rainbows just exploded everywhere. “HI HOW’S YOUR DAY THAT’S MY FAVORITE DRINK TOO HAVE YOU TRIED OUR MEXICO ORIGIN? WHERE DO YOU WORK, WHY AREN’T YOU HAPPY TOO?” Maybe it’s because they get unlimited coffee all the time. Regardless, it makes me question if I’m teetering on the edge of chronic depression whenever I walk in the door. Maybe this cup of coffee will help. GEORGIA JOHNSON
Best Tacos To Keep You Humble About Your Spice Tolerance
Taqueria La Fuente
Going to a decent taqueria and expecting no spice is a rookie mistake. But Taqueria La Fuente in downtown Watsonville makes the heat a central part of the experience, adding a fiery house salsa to all the tacos it serves up. Buy an agua fresca before you grab a seat in the small dining room just off the city’s central plaza to try a street-style taco with choriqueso (chorizo and cheese), al pastor (barbecued pork) or cabeza (beef head). The smoky, peppery hot sauce is the perfect complement to rich meats, diced onions, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges offered by the handful. Those who prefer not to break a sweat over lunch can always order salsa on the side. Located at 15 E Beach St., Watsonville. LAUREN HEPLER
Best Crack Without The Bad Parts
Ashby Confections Sour Strips
This is me begging Ashby Confections to never stop making these, especially the red ones. New Leaf: bless you for putting these gelatin-free baddies near the check out so I can casually fuel my $8 addiction and caloric vice every time I’m shopping. They are available at the Ashby Confections Scotts Valley shop, but that’s dangerous because these little snacks are available to buy by the ounce (for me it’s really by the pound). Why stop at one packet when I can have three and space them out during the week, right? Wrong. Let’s eat them all to the tune of Netflix’s Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, so that my taste buds are so inebriated I can’t taste my dinner. These sure spark my joy. GJ
BEST ENTREPRENEURIAL LEAP OF FAITH
DNA’S COMEDY LAB
Longtime local comic DNA has been fostering a Santa Cruz comedy scene for going on 13 years. In that time, he’s given the vast majority of those laughs away for free, many at open mics, like the ones he hosted at the Blue Lagoon downtown. Now, DNA has handed over the keys to his Thursday night gig to comic Chree Powell and opened up DNA’s Comedy Lab and Experimental Theater a few blocks away—and it’s off to a great start. One question is whether a town of 62,000 can support its own comedy club, but here’s a better question: Would a fun-loving, detail-obsessed workaholic like DNA even consider failure an option? JACOB PIERCE
BEST GENTLE BUTT-KICK YOGA
TIM BRATTAN’S POWER VINYASA
Once he’s convinced you to pretzel your legs into some creative contortion, twist your whole body and then hold that position, Tim Brattan will inevitably look out over his sweaty Saturday morning Divnitree class and say something along the lines of, “Right now, you’re probably either feeling really good or you’re in agony.” Well, to answer your two questions, Tim—Yes, actually, aaannd, uh … also, kind of? Brattan also happens to be the executive director for the nonprofit Grey Bears, in addition to being an informed policy thinker with fun takes on local issues. And you know what those yogis say: Come for the chaturanga, stay for some after-class chitchat on the politics of recycling and transportation! JP
Best Way to Innocuously Knock Yourself Out
Last Meridian Blissful Sleep Balm
In the age of iEverything, almost everyone spends too much time looking at screens. For those of us who also don’t religiously abide by the no-caffeine-after-noon rule, falling asleep can be even more of an elusive art after a busy day. Luckily, Santa Cruz company Last Meridian, best known for making reef-safe sunscreens, has branched out. Their Blissful Sleep Balm ($12) is a witches’ brew of mugwort and lavender in a smooth, non-greasy balm made of extra-virgin olive oil and passion fruit oil, which contains a natural substance called “passiflorine” said to reduce anxiety, improve sleep and reduce fatigue. Consider it an approachable wellness gateway drug for mere mortals seeking a good night’s sleep. lastmeridiancalifornia.com. LH
BEST CONTINUATION OF SANTA CRUZ’S AMAZING LUCK WITH SRI LANKAN CUISINE
PEARL OF THE OCEAN
Recently, I started thinking about how Santa Cruz has had more and better Sri Lankan food over the last 25 years or so than anywhere on the Central Coast, and probably beyond. Then I suddenly realized: that is bizarre. It’s not like we have some huge Sri Lankan community locally, unless they have been hiding themselves really well for the last three decades. Apparently we’ve just been lucky enough to get a disproportionate number of great cooks among the Sri Lankans who do come here. If you’ve lived in Santa Cruz long enough to remember the tents after the Loma Prieta earthquake, I suspect you bought yourself a plate of Asian Rose deliciousness back in the day. Asian Rose moved around after that, along with Malabar Café (which still serves up great Asian fusion on Front Street). And there has been other Sri Lankan food that’s come and gone since. But right now, what keeps taking me back to those Asian Rose glory days is the menu at Pearl of the Ocean on Water Street. Try the mushroom soya or the spicy potatoes or the coconut kale—or really, anything on the menu. It all energizes your flavor receptors in that special way that only Sri Lankan cuisine can do. STEVE PALOPOLI
Best Place to Hate Santa Cruz Drivers
Downtown Santa Cruz Trader Joe’s Parking Lot
It can be 2 a.m., and there will still be at least 10 people circling the completely full parking lot. There will be no obvious spots in the area, and the train of cars will insist on going no faster than -5 miles per hour and braking every three seconds. Factor in passive-aggressive pedestrians throwing themselves and their carts/children in the road, and there’s a real recipe for road rage here. The commitment to groceries, sushi, pharmaceuticals, pizza, or a mediocre manicure must be strong to brave this door-dinging hellhole of a strip mall. GJ
Best Place to Get a Tasty Burrito if You’re a Hat Fetishist
The Point Market
Santa Cruz County has more places to get a decent burrito than Kentucky has fried chickens. But sometimes, you just want to grab your burrito somewhere that doubles as a ballcap emporium, amirite? The Point Market at Pleasure Point has one of the most primo retail spots in California, right on East Cliff, steps from some of the best surf breaks in town. You can get a whole lot there, including brekkie burritos that are nine shades of awesome. But the signature product here is hats—500 of them hanging off the ceiling like grapes on a vine. These aren’t the lame caps you see at the mall, either. They are curated to represent the finest in contemporary casual surf wear, pushing such hip brands as Bud of California and Ola Chica. Call it one-stop shopping for finer surf scenesters everywhere. WALLACE BAINE
BEST DAY TRIP YOU’VE BEEN MEANING TO TAKE
AÑO NUEVO STATE PARK ELEPHANT SEAL TOUR
Even though it’s technically a mile or so over the border into San Mateo County, this excursion is a favorite of Santa Cruzans who are organized enough to remember to book a tour before the spots fill up for the winter season. That’s easier said than done. From mid-December through the end of March, these crazy-popular, docent-led walks draw crowds from across the Bay Area and even around the world, with each visitor eager to see the famed elephant seals that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and grow up to 16-feet long during their mating season. The exact walking path through the park shifts constantly because the elephant seals are always passing out on the route, like college kids on spring break. What doesn’t change is the thrill of seeing these massive beasts bark, fight and also just get down in funkytown—although that last part, if we’re being honest, is not for the faint of heart. JP
Best Non-Public Bathroom
Downtown Forever 21 Building
Okay, okay, so technically it’s not super accessible to everyone, but if it was, it wouldn’t be thee most pristine bathroom in all of Santa Cruz. Seriously, I’d lick the grout on the floor it’s so clean, and it’s maintained probably every hour because it always smells like bleach and floor cleaner. But it gets better: there is never anyone in it. Who gets to use this pristine bathroom, and where is it located, you may ask? Why, techies of course! Only the best for Santa Cruz’s nerds. It’s located in an unmarked building downtown next to a parking lot. You may recognize it by the small square window at the top of the lot that peers into the airlock designed to keep everyone but the techies out. Stumble into the airlock and you may be stuck for all eternity, at the mercy of the tech gods. Manage to get through the airlock and you will still need a key to get in. Try to enter if you dare—the risks are heavy, but the reward is worth it. GJ
Best Lunch Date Deal
Pizzeria La Bufala
I’m ashamed to report that I have gotten a grand total of five parking tickets thanks to this lunch date deal. It somewhat offsets the cheap eats, but it’ll (hopefully, maybe, eventually) even out. For $14ish, split a real-deal authentic Italian pizza and salad. Margarita and caesar salad recommended, but not required. Throw in a few extra bucks if you’re feeling rich, and you’ll get a no ragrets chocolate chip cookie from Companion that’s crunchy at the corners and chewy in the middle. Yummers. GJ
Best Playground For A Budget Gardener
Ortega Nursery
On a bucolic side street in Watsonville, just off the almost-too-on-the-nose Green Valley Road, lies a low-key wonderland for Central Coast gardeners. Inside Ortega Nursery’s overflowing greenhouses, aspiring green thumbs and seasoned pros alike are free to roam rows and rows of rainbow flowers and Land Before Time-style foliage. Even the large selection of trendy cacti and succulents cost a fraction of what competitors charge, starting at $1 a pop. Just when you think you’ve got your dream garden mapped out, don’t forget to take a trip all the way to the back, where a small entrance to a separate outdoor section yields a whole new crop of lush palms, spiky oversized aloe plants and small trees, which start at a similarly eye-popping $10. Bonus points if you can get close enough to the house rooster who roams the aisles to snap a souvenir Instagram shot. Open 7 days a week at 30 Paulsen Rd., Watsonville. LH
BEST YUMMY CHICKEN
FOGLINE FARM
To nibble on a Fogline Farm chicken ($7.99/pound at Staff of Life) is to experience that skit on the first episode of Portlandia where a couple leaves a restaurant to go see the farm where the chicken they’re about to order grew up. Well, let me tell you, my last Fogline chicken’s name was Frederick. He enjoyed reading Dostoyevsky, playing cribbage and drinking fernet, and he was delicious. I would be lying if I said that I did not once eat a whole roasted chicken by myself in one sitting (OK, maybe twice) when I was awfully hungry.
On a quiet industrial side street near 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive, the Santa Cruz Water Department has been quietly pumping millions of gallons of water through temporary PVC piping.
Every minute, about 400 gallons flow past pressure gauges and shut-off valves into a 2-foot-high concrete box that marks the top of Beltz Well 12. If a pilot program goes well, this whole system could play a pivotal role in the water security of communities from Aptos to UCSC. Normally, water is pumping out of this well, not into it. As part of the reversal process, engineers went into the well and removed column piping, which now lies in a pile under a plastic tarp off to the side. Two 35,000-gallon tanks sit empty.
Here, the city of Santa Cruz’s water department is in its third round of testing a plan to pump water underground, into the Purisima Aquifer to rest the area’s wells and hopefully provide a new reservoir of water storage—one that could supplement Loch Lomond, the city’s current reservoir up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The strategy is one of the top options laid out by the 14-member Water Supply Advisory Committee (WSAC) three-and-a-half years ago. The body was formed to look at alternatives to a controversial desalination plant that the city had worked toward for years as a means of building up a limited water supply.
Former members of the committee will join the Santa Cruz Water Commission on Monday, April 1, for a joint meeting to hear updates. The commission is also set to meet with the Santa Cruz City Council on April 23 for another update.
So far, the process of pumping all this water into the ground—aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), as it’s called—is going rather smoothly. As part of the pilot program, engineers have also been pumping the water back out again.
The outlook is similarly encouraging for another top WSAC recommendation: water swaps with the neighboring Soquel Creek Water District, which relies more heavily on the severely overdrafted aquifer than Santa Cruz does.
“It’s a two-headed beast, and we’re working on both of them right now,” Santa Cruz Water Director Rosemary Menard says of the options the city is studying.
Skeptics of these pumping and water-swapping approaches weren’t necessarily wrong when they opined years ago that the whole undertaking would be easier said than done. No one has all the answers yet, and water officials are still working on getting a tweak to local water rights approved by state and federal regulators.
But for their part, critics of desal now look relatively prescient themselves.
A recent UCSC study of a Carlsbad desalination plant found that the operation raised salinity levels more than was permitted, even though the discrepancy had no effect on sea life. More significantly, new regulations call for desal plants to have subsurface intakes below the seabed, instead of traditional ones above the ocean floor. Per the WSAC recommendations, Santa Cruz had already listed desal as an option of last resort, but the City Council has since de-prioritized the idea of a plant even further.
“The requirement is that you have to use a subsurface intake unless it’s infeasible, but there’s no definition of what ‘infeasible’ is,” Menard says. “So you would just have to keep studying and studying and studying to determine whether it was infeasible or not. And at some point, that looked like a strategy that could not get us to any kind of plan that would be permissible and implementable on a time frame that we’re trying to achieve.”
DRILLING DOWN
The 2015 WSAC recommendations adopted by the City Council were broken down into three tiers. The top recommendation was aquifer recovery by either the ASR method of pumping water into the well, or by doing “in-lieu” water swaps to share excess winter waters from Santa Cruz with Soquel Creek Water District customers, who rely solely on the aquifer, which is at risk of seawater intrusion, as a way to let groundwater levels rebound. The idea behind the process—sometimes called conjunctive use—is that Santa Cruz should be able to pump water back out in dry summers and during drought conditions.
The second tier in the possible recommendations was indirect potable reuse, which would involve pumping treated wastewater into the aquifer. This approach is what Soquel Creek has chosen to combat its water shortage.
Lastly, the WSAC suggested that, if all else fails, the city might pursue direct potable reuse, sometimes crudely known as toilet-to-tap—assuming that it gets approved by state regulators, which is expected to happen before long. After that, desal would be a last resort.
From the pilot tests, ASR is showing promise. Each stage of the pilot lasts longer than the one before it. In the first round of testing, engineers pumped water into the ground for a day, left it underground for two days, and then pumped it back out. In the third and final round, the city is pumping the water in for a month, and will leave it underground for two months while running tests. If approved by regulators, the engineers will pump the water back into the city’s drinking water supply.
Water Commissioner Engfer served on the WSAC, and he’s optimistic that the commission will be able to solve its shortage with conjunctive use. Santa Cruz might pursue a recycled water project in the future, he says, depending on how bleak things end up looking down the road.
“It happens over time. I’m not dying to spend all my money right now,” says Engfer, an entrepreneur. “We’re going to spend some of our money and wait for more information until the time is right. I don’t know what the future’s going to be.”
WET IN DOUBT
There’s a good reason for water commissioners like Engfer to be talking about the future as if the big decision is really about money. It is about money.
The water department needs major infrastructure improvements, including a new $86 million intake at Loch Lomond and water treatment improvements. Those could have the added benefit of meaning more supply for water customers, but they won’t come cheap. Rates have already risen sharply over the past four years.
As water commissioners look ahead, there are two questions with no clear answers. One is how much water security these aquifer storage programs—including Soquel Creek Water District’s recycled water project—can really provide. The other is how much water the system will need.
The worst drought Santa Cruz ever faced was in 1976-77. A decade later, another drought started in 1986 and ran much longer, although it wasn’t as severe in its intensity. One hypothetical worth considering: What if Santa Cruz suffered a dry spell as bad as the ’76 drought, but it lasted as long as the one in the 1980s and early ’90s?
Soon, water commissioners will look at three models of future climate change, so they can contemplate how various solutions would perform under each climate scenario.
In addition to drought, global warming is expected to bring bigger storms, which could put a strain on local infrastructure. It’s another reason the district is eyeing upgrades.
During the heavy rains of 2017, the Newell Creek pipeline suffered five failures by March. Menard says the system is due for an overhaul.
“Major pieces of the backbone infrastructure have reached the end, or near the end, of their useful lives,” Menard says. “At the same time, we have to do that in a way that makes it affordable for people to have water. It’s a challenge.”
A recent rumble in the park fractured along ideological lines—before spilling over onto social media—amid struggles over how best to deal with a burgeoning homeless population.
There was a meeting at Depot Park last Sunday to discuss impacts of a homeless encampment coming to the park’s parking lot. Photographer and homeless advocate Jeremy Leonard showed up and was snapping pictures of the Warming Center’s Brent Adams when Take Back Santa Cruz member Hollie Locatelli came up to Leonard and said that he should get people’s permission before taking their photos.
Locatelli tells Nuz she felt Leonard was following her wherever she went at the event. Leonard says he doesn’t know why Locatelli would think that, but that if she does, it might explain what happened next. Leonard told Locatelli, who was former City Councilmember Richelle Noroyan’s campaign treasurer in 2014 and 2018, that he had a First Amendment right to take photos at a public meeting in a park. After that, the timeline gets hazy. Everyone agrees that it happened quickly, but Locatelli slapped Leonard’s $5,000 camera, and he started snapping photos to try and get her to back off. Leonard says he felt like Locatelli was trying to knock his camera out of his hands, while Locatelli says he was practically rubbing the camera in her face.
Leonard says he didn’t know Locatelli, and that he had never had a proper conversation with Noroyan, who was nearby. So he went over to introduce himself to Noroyan and ask what Locatelli’s deal was. Noroyan told Leonard, who lives in South County, that the city doesn’t need people from Aptos coming in and telling Santa Cruzans how to run things. Now, there are of course many non-Santa Cruz residents who are very involved in Santa Cruz politics, including many on the right. Noroyan says she was wrong, that what she said was “stupid,” and that she’s sorry. She also felt the Leonard, who’s 6’4”, was getting in her face.
Leonard talked to a police officer and explained that he didn’t want to press charges for assault, but asked the cop to speak with Locatelli about the incident, which he did.
Facebook was quickly aswirl with speculation and taking sides. Six years ago, Leonard took heat for taking footage of a public safety hawk threatening a homeless man during a cleanup, which ignited ire from the community—some of it directed at him for sharing the clip in the first place.
“My camera always gets me into trouble. It’s crazy,” Leonard muses.
As Locatelli was walking toward the parking lot, Leonard yelled out something to the effect of “Next time, I will press charges!”
Locatelli says the cop told her that slapping a camera isn’t grounds for an assault charge.
RIGHTING HOME
After Nuz wrote last week (“A Place to Lie,” 3/20) about the screwiness of the anti-homeless documentary Seattle Is Dying, Santa Cruzans have continued to share it, and it seems to be spreading to other communities too. Which is fine. There’s only so much one alt-weekly column can do.
But you know where this suspect piece of borderline anti-homeless propaganda, from the Washington state TV station KOMO, is inciting a little more scrutiny? Try Seattle.
Just take this post from a Twitter page titled “Angry Seattle.”
“Apparently, I am dying?” the tweet reads. “Bull fucking shit. Yes, I have a homeless problem. Yes, it’s gotten worse. Doesn’t mean people are fleeing like on the set of Walking Dead or some shit. Doesn’t make me Detroit from 10 years ago. Shut the fuck up.”
The region’sTacoma News Tribune argued that the recent doc could get in the way of real homelessness solutions. The stories of those struggling on the streets in the one-hour piece are real, and they hit close to home. Reasonable minds may disagree about out how to tackle the issues. The piece’s narrative arc, however, is heavy on anecdotes, with a tiny bit of mostly lousy data sprinkled in.
As we wrote last week, KOMO is owned by America’s pro-Trump local news monopoly Sinclair Broadcast Group. We don’t pretend to know the station’s true motives, but if this is another one of Sinclair’s pieces of right-wing propaganda, isn’t this pretty much exactly how the conglomerate would want the saga playing out—i.e. gradually spreading throughout the country?
It’s worth noting that the video doesn’t have any advertisements… which is odd for a news piece on the web in the revenue-starved media landscape of 2019. So if KOMO is not selling ads with this journalistic mess, what the heck is it selling?
Mercury turns direct Thursday in the early morning at 16 degrees Pisces.
Mercury remains in its retrograde shadow until April 17. We therefore move forward cautiously with plans, communications and agendas until that time—being careful of our tone, our tongue and our intentions. In Aries, Mercury is highlighted. It’s the Soul ruler of Aries. Usually Aries is thought of as a high-risk, one who challenges the status quo.
Sometimes we feel imperiled by Aries’ actions. They are always wanting to be first, no matter the danger. Their hands shoot up in classrooms when a question is asked. They may not know the answer, but they were the first to respond. Red is their color; risk, their way of life. This is the Mars-oriented Aries. The one building the personality—filled with desires, longings, cravings, and yearnings.
But there is another deeper level of Aries. After many lifetimes, the spirited energy of Mars shifts into the more harmonious energy of Mercury. Instead of putting one’s physical body at risk, the subtler Mercury-ruled Aries begins to study, gather knowledge, read, analyze, inquire, examine, and search for life’s deeper meanings. This is the work of Mercury, which builds a ladder or Rainbow Bridge from the personality to the studious virtues of the Soul. It is here also where one’s desires become aspirations to serve. One looks around, seeking to know how they can be used in service and for Divine Expression. The horoscope is a blueprint of our ever-changing selves. In our many lifetimes, patterns, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors shift. We change our destiny.
ARIES: Family issues are most important. Things that happened long ago and have been forgotten are activated today. We remember behaviors that we might not want to remember and actions we don’t understand. When we find ourselves arguing with another, it could be that we don’t understand something. It’s important to be transparent, aware of all words, actions and intentions. Find solitude and rest wherever you can.
TAURUS: When working cooperatively with others, great things can be accomplished. New ideas flood your mind as you sense the changes occurring in the world, and know you must lead others towards safe alternatives. You have great strength of purpose. Realize others may have different paths and purposes in life. Much mental work will be done. Create notebooks for each project. Upgrade your technology.
GEMINI: Once again the question is: what do you value? Gemini can value two sides of an issue equally. Instead of arguing with others concerning what they value, listen carefully to them. Ask why and how they came to their awareness. At this time, understanding your values defines your life choices. Create a visual and written notebook describing all that you value.
CANCER: Are you experiencing lots of activity, errands, little trips, fixing things, preparing for guests, cleaning up from winter, and preparing for a summer garden? You want others to see your environment as clean, clear and beautiful. This is good. Avoid seeing only one side of things—seek to know the other side, too. Should you notice a shift in another’s behavior, ask them to explain what has changed. It may be that you have.
LEO: It’s possible you’re doing great work, yet others are recognized and applauded instead. This could create irritability that casts a shadow of unease all around. Perhaps you want to show your true self, but somehow you’re misunderstood. The result is emotional upset and possible confrontation with others. Solitude is best. Near a stream, under trees, in a forest or a desert far away. You know this place.
VIRGO: It’s good to gather with others and work together on a common project: perhaps an Easter party, a study, a salon, a reading group, cooking, or dancing, walking, gardening, swimming, or perhaps a parent group. Be sure to balance your presence (ideas, needs, wants) with others in the group. You are to be an equal participant, and how this is done is to coordinate your interests and needs with those of the others. You can do this; it will serve you and make you happy.
LIBRA: Proceed with great care in all areas of public life. Realize the power you project, which you could be unaware of. Be very aware of communication, especially if asking for help, giving orders or speaking with officials. Align with them, letting them know you are on their side. This makes people feel safe. Libra’s most important gift (task, actually) is the ability to create Right Relations, which leads to Right Actions, harmony and peacefulness. Cultivate constant Goodwill. And be truly kind in all ways.
SCORPIO: It’s good to realize your idea of self is greater than you think, and that your beliefs are not who you are. This can become complex, because often we identify with our beliefs and want others to believe as we do. What you’ve learned in the past is good. But your mind now seeks more in-depth information, expanded awareness and new dimensions of thought. On your way to these new realities, take ultimate care of yourself. Remember to say “Every day in every way life is getting better and better.” (Coue).
SAGITTARIUS: Things are both subtle and obvious, here but not there, then and later. How utterly confusing this can be. It’s because what impels you to move forward is hidden, doing the work of transforming you so your vision is a bit unfocused and no amount of anything can correct this. You will have to live with the paradox for a bit. Your life experiences are being reviewed for their usefulness in the times to come. Here’s the virtue of patience to borrow for a while.
CAPRICORN: Use all the tension you’re feeling to pursue a certain creative endeavor. You attempt to coordinate and cooperate with another for the purpose of harmony and a sense of intimacy within a relationship. You are creating Right Human Relations, which comes from the intentions for Goodwill. It’s important for grievances to be brought forth, everyone listening in order to clear the air and find the truth of the matter. If there is conflict, notice who has less power. Stand up, protect and fight for yourself.
AQUARIUS: How is your health? Maintain a daily exercise program and avoid anything that hinders your health. Should you feel frustrations, do not enter into a pained silence. Find someone who can listen deeply without giving advice. Keeping silent in the face of any type of intense feeling can create illness. Work each day on a goal. Should you tend to practical things, you will find yourself living with pride, self-esteem and happiness.
PISCES: A sense of discipline can be hard to find these days. You would prefer to play and have fun, experience life as simple and easy. Anything or anyone making demands upon you or your energy will need to watch out. You may assert your needs quite clearly so that others step back. Gently inform everyone of your need for playful and fun amusements. A Pisces can’t always be sad and hidden and drowning somewhere behind a watery fern.
Free will astrology for the week of March 27, 2019
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street is the world’s most famous puppet. He has recorded songs, starred in films and TV shows, and written an autobiography. His image has appeared on postage stamps, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Kermit’s beginnings were humble, however. When his creator Jim Henson first assembled him, he consisted of Henson’s mom’s green coat and two halves of a white ping pong ball. I mention this, Aries, because the current astrological omens suggest that you, too, could make a puppet that will one day have great influence. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. Here’s the whole truth: now isn’t a favorable time to start work on a magnificent puppet. But it is a perfect moment to launch the rough beginnings of a project that’s well-suited for your unique talents.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus businessman Chuck Feeney made a huge fortune as the entrepreneur who co-developed duty-free shopping. But at age 87, he lives frugally, having given away $8 billion to philanthropic causes. He doesn’t even own a house or car. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to follow his lead in the coming weeks. Be unreasonably generous and exorbitantly helpful. APRIL FOOL! I exaggerated a bit. While it’s true that now is an extra favorable time to bestow blessings on everyone, you shouldn’t go overboard. Make sure your giving is artful, not careless or compulsive.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Now is a perfect time to start learning the Inuktitut language spoken by the indigenous people of Eastern Canada. Here are some key phrases to get you underway. 1. UllusiuKattagit inosek: Celebrate your life! 2. Pitsialagigavit, piggogutivagit!: Because you’re doing amazing things, I’m proud of you! 3. Nalligijauvutit: You are loved! 4. Kajusitsiatuinnagit: Keep it up! APRIL FOOL! I lied. Now isn’t really a better time than any other to learn the Inuktitut language. But it is an important time to talk to yourself using phrases like those I mentioned. You need to be extra kind and super positive toward yourself.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): When he was 20 years old, Greek military leader Alexander the Great began to conquer the world. By age 30, he ruled the vast territory between Greece and northwest India. Never shy about extolling his own glory, he named 70 cities after himself. I offer his example as a model for you. Now is a favorable time to name clouds after yourself, as well as groves of trees, stretches of highway, buses, fire hydrants, parking spaces, and rocks. APRIL FOOL! I got a bit carried away. It’s true that now is a good time to assert your authority, extend your clout, and put your unique stamp on every situation. But I don’t recommend that you name entire cities after yourself.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Now is an excellent time to join an exotic religion. How about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which believes that true spiritual devotion requires an appreciation of satire? Or how about Discordianism, which worships the goddess of chaos and disorder? Then there’s the United Church of Bacon, whose members exult in the flavor of their favorite food. (Here’s a list of more: tinyurl.com/WeirdReligions.) APRIL FOOL! I wasn’t entirely truthful. It’s accurate to say that now is a great time to reinvigorate and transform your spiritual practice. But it’s better if you figure that out by yourself. There’s no need to get your ideas from a bizarre cult.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Studies show that people who love grilled cheese sandwiches engage in more sexual escapades than those who don’t gorge on grilled cheese sandwiches. So I advise you to eat a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches, because then you will have more sex than usual. And that’s important, because you are now in a phase when you will reap huge healing benefits from having as much sex as possible. APRIL FOOL! I lied when I implied that eating more grilled cheese sandwiches would motivate you to have more sex. But I wasn’t lying when I said that you should have more sex than usual. And I wasn’t lying when I said you will reap huge benefits from having as much sex as possible. (P.S. If you don’t have a partner, have sex with your fantasies or yourself.)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you ever spend time at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, you’ll get a chance to become a member of the 300 Club. To be eligible, you wait till the temperature outside drops to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When it does, you spend 20 minutes in a sauna heated to 200 degrees. Then you exit into the snow and ice wearing nothing but white rubber boots, and run a few hundred feet to a ceremonial pole and back. In so doing, you expose your naked body to a swing of 300 degrees. According to my astrological analysis, now is an ideal time to pull off this feat. APRIL FOOL! I lied. I’m not really urging you to join the 300 Club. On the other hand, I do think it’s a favorable phase to go to extremes for an authentically good cause.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scientific research shows that if you arrange to get bitten by thousands of mosquitoes in a relatively short time, you make yourself immune. Forever after, mosquito bites won’t itch you. Now would be an excellent time for you to launch such a project. APRIL FOOL! I lied. I don’t really think you should do that. On the contrary. You should scrupulously avoid irritations and aggravations, especially little ones. Instead, immerse yourself in comfort and ease. Be as free from vexation as you have ever been!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If allowed to do what comes naturally, two rabbits and their immediate descendants will produce 1,300 new rabbits in 12 months’ time. In five years, their offspring would amount to 94 million. I suspect that you will approach this level of fertility in the next four weeks, at least in a metaphorical sense. APRIL FOOL! I stretched the truth a bit. There’s no way you will produce more than 100 good new ideas and productions and gifts. At the most, you’ll generate a mere 50.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The weather is warm year-round and the crime rate is low on Pitcairn, a remote South Pacific island that is a 30-hour boat ride away from the nearest airport. The population has been dwindling in recent years, however, which is why the government offers foreigners free land if they choose to relocate. You might want to consider taking advantage of this opportunity. APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating. It’s true that you could get major health benefits by taking a sabbatical from civilization. But there’s no need to be so drastic about it.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You don’t have to run faster than the bear that’s chasing you. You just have to run faster than the slowest person the bear is chasing. OK? So don’t worry! APRIL FOOL! What I just said wasn’t your real horoscope. I hope you know me well enough to understand that I would NEVER advise you to save your own ass by betraying or sacrificing someone else. It’s also important to note that the bear I mentioned is entirely metaphorical in nature. So please ignore what I said earlier. However, I do want you to know that there are effective ways to elude the symbolic bear that are also honorable. To discover them, meditate on calming down the beastly bear-like qualities in yourself.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Now is a favorable time to disguise yourself as a bland nerd with no vivid qualities, or a shy wallflower with no strong opinions, or a polite wimp who prefers to avoid adventure. Please don’t even consider doing anything that’s too interesting or controversial. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is, I hope you’ll do the opposite of what I suggested. I think it’s time to express your deep authentic self with aggressive clarity. Be brave and candid and enterprising.
What’s the best joke or prank you could play on yourself? freewillastrology.com
With the release of Rubber Soul in December of 1965, the Beatles started a chain reaction primed by George Harrison’s sitar work on “Norwegian Wood.” It sparked both raga rock and Ravi Shankar’s unlikely reign as an Anglosphere pop star.
An unsurpassed sitar virtuoso who tutored Harrison on the instrument, Shankar came to personify Hindustani music in the U.S. But it was Shankar’s accompanist, the equally revered tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha who built a lasting bridge with American music.
He laid out the conceptual framework on the landmark 1968 album Rich à la Rakha, a percussion project that brought Rakha together with legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich, “the first crossover rhythm album that set the tone and opened the possibilities,” says Alla Rakha’s son, tabla master, composer and rhythmic explorer Zakir Hussain.
“The fortunate thing was both Rich and my father believed in improvising,” Hussain continues. “That set the tone, and years later made it possible for Mickey Hart and me to get together. It led to Rolling Thunder, the Diga Rhythm Band and eventually Planet Drum,” which won the first Best World Music Album Grammy Award in 1991.
In many ways, Hussain has dedicated his life to expanding his father’s cross-cultural legacy, and the latest incarnation of his biennial Masters of Percussion tour is dedicated to celebrating the centennial of Alla Rakha, who died in 2000 at the age of 80. Presented by Kuumbwa Jazz Center at the Rio Theatre on Friday, MOP directly echoes Rich à la Rakha with the magisterial contributions of Eric Harland, an era-defining jazz drummer with whom Hussain has collaborated extensively (including the celebrated trio Sangam with tenor sax star Charles Lloyd).
Alla Rakha was equally passionate about bridging divides within the subcontinent, collaborating with masters of South Indian Carnatic classical music. Hussain has continued and expanded that work by reaching out to various far-flung folkloric traditions. Most spectacularly, the MOP tour features the Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar Group from the southwestern state of Kerala.
Until approached by Hussain, the drummers usually performed their millennia-old rhythmic rituals on the chenda drums as part of prayer services in temples, or at religious gatherings. Blown away by the experience of seeing the Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar Group perform, he eventually convinced them to perform in secular settings.
“To see the sonic frequencies that come at you from the dome in the temple, with the incense and the candles and the sandalwood, the smells and sounds and vibrations, it’s almost an out-of-body LSD experience,” says Hussain. “You can almost see the deity dancing to the rhythms. I’m going to let Eric Harland and them alone on stage and see what they cook up. It seems like there are connections in these traditions, and I want to have them explore it, watch them and learn from it. There’s no better way to celebrate my father’s centenary.”
While the tour is naturally a showcase for rhythmic prowess, melody is not forsaken. For one thing, Hussain explores the full sonic range of the tablas, tuned drums that in capable hands can play hundreds of different phrases or ragas. He’s joined by a MOP veteran Niladri Kumar, “the next great sitar maestro after Ravi Shankar,” Hussain says. “He is touted by all musicians and connoisseurs as the maestro of the future.”
A disciple of Shankar, Kumar has explored many of the paths opened by Hussain and Alla Rakha. He’s collaborated with Carnatic master percussionist V. Selvaganesh and jazz artists like British guitarist John McLaughlin (Hussain’s partner in the pioneering 1970s Indo-jazz group Shakti). As a player and composer, he’s also worked widely in Bollywood. Working with younger musicians who have grown up in a multivalent musical world keeps Hussain on his toes (well, fingertips).
“I started from scratch over here at 18 or 19, and by the time I reached 30, I was starting to get familiar with Western music,” Hussain says. “These guys grow up in both worlds simultaneously, and it’s frightening how much information they have and how easily they can project all these musical ideas. It’s great to have that fresh outlook and to lock horns with that.”
Zakir Hussain will perform with the Masters of Percussion at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29, at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $42-$70. 427-2227.
The best word to describe New York-based electronic music producer Jai Wolf is triumphant.
It’s actually kind of odd how large and emotionally thrilling his music is, because it’s simultaneously so lonely sounding. Imagine someone in their apartment staring at their mirror, preparing themselves for the biggest day of their life—the soundtrack to that moment would be Jai Wolf.
Sajeeb Saha, the mastermind behind the laptop, has lived all over the planet. You’ll hear vast international influences in the music, if you’re not too busy dancing.
INFO: 8 p.m. Thursday, May 16. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25 adv/$30 door. Information: catalyst.com.
WANT TO GO?
Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Thursday, May. 9 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.
because you will never meet happier people. They take “no bad days” to the next level, because as soon as anyone walks in, it’s like confetti and rainbows just exploded everywhere. “HI HOW’S YOUR DAY THAT’S MY FAVORITE DRINK TOO HAVE YOU TRIED OUR MEXICO ORIGIN? WHERE DO YOU WORK, WHY AREN’T YOU HAPPY TOO?” Maybe it’s because they get unlimited coffee all the time. Regardless, it makes me question if I’m teetering on the edge of chronic depression whenever I walk in the door. Maybe this cup of coffee will help. 
New Leaf: bless you for putting these gelatin-free baddies near the check out so I can casually fuel my $8 addiction and caloric vice every time I’m shopping. They are available at the Ashby Confections Scotts Valley shop, but that’s dangerous because these little snacks are available to buy by the ounce (for me it’s really by the pound). Why stop at one packet when I can have three and space them out during the week, right? Wrong. Let’s eat them all to the tune of Netflix’s 
Tim Brattan will inevitably look out over his sweaty Saturday morning Divnitree class and say something along the lines of, “Right now, you’re probably either feeling really good or you’re in agony.” Well, to answer your two questions, Tim—Yes, actually, aaannd, uh … also, kind of? Brattan also happens to be the executive director for the nonprofit Grey Bears, in addition to being an informed policy thinker with fun takes on local issues. And you know what those yogis say: Come for the chaturanga, stay for some after-class chitchat on the politics of recycling and transportation! 
That’s easier said than done. From mid-December through the end of March, these crazy-popular, docent-led walks draw crowds from across the Bay Area and even around the world, with each visitor eager to see the famed elephant seals that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and grow up to 16-feet long during their mating season. The exact walking path through the park shifts constantly because the elephant seals are always passing out on the route, like college kids on spring break. What doesn’t change is the thrill of seeing these massive beasts bark, fight and also just get down in funkytown—although that last part, if we’re being honest, is not for the faint of heart. JP
