Page 672 – Good Times

How Western Wednesdays Won Santa Cruz

Aaron Carnes

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March 5, 2019

Over the past decade, Santa Cruz has fostered a healthy Americana scene. But more recently, things have taken an unexpected turn toward the traditional with a wave of popular country and western artists. We have newer acts like the Carolyn Sills Combo, Miss Lonely Hearts, Jesse Daniel, and McCoy Tyler, as well as longtime locals like Patti Maxine and Charlie Wallace that are increasingly in demand.

All of this local talent and public interest dramatically intersects at the Crepe Place’s monthly country and western series Western Wednesdays, which on March 13 will begin its fifth year. The series was the brainchild of Mischa Gasch, who saw something similar up in Seattle when his band Miss Lonely Hearts was on tour.

“I was like, ‘Oh man, I wish we had something like that in Santa Cruz. Because we also have a great music scene, and a lot of people loving this type of music,” Gasch says. “I don’t want to say I started old-time country music or honky-tonk music in Santa Cruz. It was already there. I just wanted to build a scene.”

Western Wednesdays helped to connect these bands with a local audience, and give fans a recurring showcase at which to see them. Gasch worked to bring the culture of country and western to Santa Cruz by encouraging people to come dressed in their finest cowboy gear and ready to do some Texas two-step dance moves. It took a while to catch on, but these days, it’s a whole other world at Western Wednesdays, even when compared to country shows at other venues.

“You don’t just show up and stand in the back. People participate. You get dressed up, you bring a date, you dance,” says Carolyn Sills, who’s played several Western Wednesdays, including every show in the event’s third year as part of the backing band. “It’s how you would imagine a barn dance back in the day—everyone looked forward to the weekly dance at the town center. This kind of captured that old-school vibe.”

By year three, Gasch noticed that the event was really coming together. Shows were packed. People were coming every month, dressed up and dancing, creating a strong community vibe.

“It helps with the dancing when you know each other already. It started to feel like a family,” Gasch says. “I don’t think we are excluding anyone. It feels really welcoming. I just love going there and seeing familiar faces.”

Gasch did everything in his power to promote the event: radio ads, posters all over town. He offered discounted drinks and ticket prices to those who wore cowboy boots. But the biggest hurdle was getting everyone to dance.

“I felt like everyone was really close to wanting to dance, but didn’t know how,” Gasch says.

His wife stepped up and started offering two-step dance classes, which also happen a few times a year at bigger shows at Moe’s Alley and Flynn’s. It all added to the momentum of an old-timey country music scene in town.

“Western Wednesdays, and Mike Lewinski started to do old-time music where you could square dance, which he did last year at the Blue Lagoon, all are smaller parts of this bigger picture,” says Gasch. “It’s growing and growing.”

There are some phenomenal dancers that come out to Western Wednesdays, meaning the band on stage is not the only show. But even if people don’t get lessons, Gasch encourages them to come out and be brave. He feels like it’s something anyone can do.

“Part of why I like that kind of dance so much is because it’s really easy. I’m able to teach it to a person that has never danced before, but you can also get better,” Gasch says. “It’s fun on all kinds of levels.”

The next Western Wednesday will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, and feature On The Tree. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10 door/$7 with cowboy boots. 429-6994.

Kali Yuga—When the Darkness is Allowed: Risa’s Stars March 6-12

Risa D’Angeles

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March 5, 2019

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Kali Yuga—When the Darkness is Allowed: Risa’s Stars March 6-12

Here we are in a Mercury retrograde, under Pisces (two fish hiding behind ferns), and at the beginning of Lent (40 days and nights of purifying our elementals). Pisces is the sign of the world savior, the sign that “saves the world.”

Our world at this time is in the heart of the Kali Yuga, which is a time of darkness. The Kali Yuga is a time when truth is obscured and humanity becomes confused. This darkness is allowed so humanity can begin to discern light from dark, truth from untruth, moral from the immoral, and goodness from evil. The darkness is thus purposeful for humanity’s upward evolution. Pisces is esoterically known as the “Light of the World.” The Pisces light ends forever the darkness (ignorance, cruelty, hopelessness, evil, etc.).

Pisces is known for its saviors, for sacrifice, and sense of dying to the world. Saviors appear periodically on Earth, dying to their state of paradise, sacrificing themselves to help in the struggles of humanity. They are Bodhisattvas, promising to remain on earth until all have awakened. Their words, the keynote of Pisces, “I leave the Father’s House (heaven), I return to Earth, in order to serve (in Aquarius) and save humanity (in Pisces).” Christ (archangel from Sirius, overshadowing Jesus of Galilee) was our last and present (Pisces/Aquarius) savior and world teacher. This is his season, the season of Lent. We stand with him in the desert for 40 days and nights. Lent is a time of preparing our elementals (the stuff our bodies are made of) for a new year, a new season (spring equinox), when the sun enters Aries. And this year, it is also the Aries solar festival, when the forces of restoration stream into the Earth. Lent prepares us for the resurrection festival, which we call Easter (April 21).

ARIES: Much of you has, should or will go into a state of solitude and retreat for a while. This is food for you, for your soul ruler, Mercury, is now retrograde. It’s calling you to a place of intelligent contemplation so you can reflect upon the past year and make plans in the quietest part of yourself for the future (when sun enters Aries, the new spiritual year). This is a gift of time and preparation. Attend church or synagogue or a yoga or meditation retreat.

TAURUS: You find yourself constantly amid groups that need your ideas, practical direction, determined focus, and your quiet, efficient and illuminating mind. Behind all your research, knowledge and teachings is the reality that it’s time to salvage the world, and that much sacrifice must come forth from all of us to restore the plan on Earth. When you lead, everyone follows.

GEMINI: What do you think and feel is your gift as a Gemini in the repair and reconstruction of the world? What do you want to be recognized for in this lifetime? What gifts of self will you offer to the new group of world servers whose task is to impress humanity with new ideals that will create the new culture and civilization? These and other ideas new and revelatory will occur in the Mercury retrograde.

CANCER: An interesting situation is occurring. You now have the freedom to choose many paths. You can also choose to remain immovable and static. Your life becomes charged with possibilities and potentials. You will perceive complex information along with multiple levels of reality. You have entered the same brilliance Einstein saw and lived within. Ideas coming forth from the mind of God to your mind.

LEO: You might find that religious themes begin to form an important part of your life. All of a sudden altruism becomes your keynote and people begin to perceive you as philosophical, idealistic and visionary. You will have inspired insights that assist both the self and others. You imagine other lands, distant worlds. It’s good to build a boat, eat fish, swim in warm waters, talk with the devas.

VIRGO: At times you find yourself functioning in other worlds. Compassion, empathy, kind-heartedness, and intuition unfold daily. Do not be concerned with not having adequate resources, and try not to feel deprivation. There is no deprivation. There is only goodness, everywhere. Some obligations and responsibilities call. Serve like a Bodhisattva.

LIBRA: Perhaps you find yourself striving to harmonize past and present with significant others—friends, therapists, business colleagues, family, and lover(s). Harmonizing all aspects of your life allows you to become more whole. It’s painful, the razor’s edge, honing our rough edges (karma). This is the design embedded within all relationships. What is your story? Who do you love? What do you fear? What soothes you?

SCORPIO: As written previously, this is a time set aside to care for your health. Know that you are the best there is, always. Do you have a dream? A vision? Do not become disillusioned. This affects your health, which, with focus and care, you must rebuild time and again. Do not overwork or allow excessive worry. You never fail. There is no failure. Only experience, understanding and learning.

SAGITTARIUS: There are times you may struggle with disappointment concerning perhaps relationships and professional endeavors. However, in the midst of this you will find a deep strain of inner joy, creativity and then, recognition in the world. At times you’ll feel great powers still to be expressed and long to do something significant. You realize you’re talented and very lucky. And that sacrifice plays a large part. You need a bit of peace and seclusion.

CAPRICORN: You find you’re more curious than usual about the words you and others speak. You look beneath the surface of language to understand the complete picture. If one listens to communications through the question “What needs are being expressed here?” the hidden psychological messages become clear. Keep writing, creating and doing mental/imaginative work. Confide in those who listen.

AQUARIUS: You can be very generous. However, you can also be dreamy and/or imaginative about your money. You have a sense of timing and intuition concerning when things should be done, with whom, when and where. These abilities will be more easily seen in the coming months. You can tap into unusual resources. There is always the supply you need. Share it generously.

PISCES: You’re not an everyday sort of person. You don’t have the energy of Aries, steadfastness of Taurus, business acumen of Capricorn, or the relating skills of Libra. You’re in touch with other levels, with different values based on spiritual motivations. Know that in the darkest of times, you still have the ability to have gratitude. Deep within is a state of hidden joy. You need music and art and to plant many and various edible fruit, nut and berry trees.

Author Carolyn Burke Revives Famous Art Foursome

Christina Waters

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March 5, 2019

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Author Carolyn Burke Revives Famous Art Foursome

The voluminous correspondence of four charismatic companions inspires Carolyn Burke’s latest forensic biography. Her impressive new book Foursome provides, among other things, a compelling portrait of American modernism in the making.

The players here are no less than iconoclastic painter Georgia O’Keeffe and her mentor and lover, the domineering photographer Alfred Stieglitz, whose artistic circle—Edward Steichen, Arthur Dove, John Marin, Marsden Hartley, Paul Strand, and Edward Weston—shaped the paradigm for American visual art.

Burke’s exploration expands beyond the two better-known artists to include Strand, an acolyte of Stieglitz who went on to document proletariat struggles in Mexico and various emerging nations, as well as his wife Rebecca Salsbury, who for a decade was O’Keeffe’s close companion. (How close? Well, you’ll need to read the book to decide.) Yet it is O’Keeffe and Stieglitz who emerge most indelibly. Their mercurial, often maniacal devotion to their art and to each other practically leaps off Burke’s absorbing pages.

Eager to establish himself as an arbiter of the American avant garde, Stieglitz initiated the influential 291 gallery on Fifth Avenue after the Great War. Stieglitz’s quest for new talent led him to O’Keeffe, a young school teacher. Upon first seeing her charcoal drawings in 1915, he exclaimed, “Finally, a woman on paper. A woman gives herself.”

The moment when O’Keeffe and Stieglitz caught fire, both personally and professionally, came at the 1918 exhibition of his nude photographs. The sensual photographs of O’Keeffe’s torso and breasts created a media sensation. From then on, their careers became the stuff of gossip, praise and legend.

The central core of Burke’s research, including key illustrations, chronicles the years from 1920-1934, during which the four companions wove a web of mutual flirtation, seduction, artistic experimentation, jealousy, betrayal, and fame.

Burke quotes lavishly from what must have been a blizzard of letters among the four, as well as their other paramours. Wary of being psychoanalyzed by male critics, O’Keeffe hoped for a female interpreter, and in the late ’20s approached Mabel Dodge, whose artist colony at Taos had hosted D.H. Lawrence, Carl Jung and Henry Miller.

“I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore,” O’Keeffe wrote to Dodge.

Taos enchanted both O’Keeffe and Salsbury, who drove out to New Mexico together in the spring of 1929. “We have had a beautiful relationship together, and feel the need of nobody else,” Beck wrote to her husband. “I am entirely myself in her company.”

Over the course of endless transformative discoveries, O’Keeffe’s work became internationally famous. The shadow of Stieglitz was long indeed, but not long enough to contain the willful and promiscuous O’Keeffe, whose genius was matched by her stunning independence. She was the first woman to have a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, in 1946. As Stieglitz—23 years her senior—grew crusty and narcissistic, O’Keeffe reinvented herself and her interests in New Mexico, eventually moving there permanently while Stieglitz found new female acolytes to tend his hearth and other needs. But as the letters show, their love was strong and passionate to the very end of Stieglitz’s life in 1946 at the age of 81.

O’Keeffe flourished for another 40 years as a painter, proto-feminist, and connoisseur of the southwest. Her own fame ebbed and flowed, but what emerges most vibrantly in Burke’s text is O’Keeffe’s courage in rejecting the status quo. The book shows us a woman unafraid to love deeply without ever objectifying herself for a man’s approval—a stunning achievement in any era. While we never catch as full a glimpse of Salsbury, Burke’s pages show her as a woman in pursuit of elusive accomplishment. Similarly, the methodical Strand seems to have stultified true fulfillment. Stieglitz emerges as a man of great power and influence, yet Foursome’s letters and Burke’s analysis show him to be an unlikeable neurotic and controlling keeper of his own legacy.

The courageous biographer must take her subjects—flaws, strengths and all—and shape them into flesh-and-blood moments of history. Burke succeeds brilliantly.

Carolyn Burke will read from and sign her new book ‘Foursome’ at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, bookshopsantacruz.com/carolynburke.

Film Review: ‘Never Look Away’

Lisa Jensen

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March 5, 2019

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The term “degenerate art” was coined by the Nazis to classify the works of such early 20th-century masters as Klee, Kandinsky and Mondrian. The “afflicted” vision of these artists, in the Nazis’ opinion, failed to properly celebrate the Aryan perfection of the master race. To modern viewers, the infamous degenerate art exhibit mounted by the Nazis in 1937 is a treasure trove of visionary work—an opinion shared by an awestruck young German boy visiting the exhibit at the beginning of Never Look Away, absorbing it all in big-eyed wonder.

Nominated for this year’s Foreign Language Oscar, Never Look Away is an often-striking portrait of art, politics and life in collision. German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck scored big a few years ago with his exceptional The Lives Of Others, about a solitary East German spy and the life-embracing playwright he has under surveillance.

Never Look Away doesn’t quite have the same powerful impact. Its three-hour-plus running time gives Von Donnersmarck plenty of room to tell his story in meticulous detail, but the storytelling loses tension in the midsection. Still, the journey of its protagonist, that little boy of the first scene who survives personal tragedy, political upheaval and the Communist regime that succeeds the Third Reich to find himself as an artist, remains compelling.

In a story inspired by the life and career of artist Gerhard Richter, little Kurt Barnert (Cai Cohrs) is visiting the exhibit with his beloved, free-spirited young Aunt Elisabeth (Saskia Rosendahl). Despite the tour guide’s profound disgust, Elisabeth confides to Kurt that she likes the paintings, and advises him to “never look away” from life or art, no matter how disturbing, because, “Everything true is beautiful.”

In his next few formative years, Kurt loses several people important to him and survives the bombing of Dresden, reducing his city to rubble. As a young man (now played by Tom Schilling), his work as a sign painter gets him into the postwar art academy, even though his teacher questions how Kurt’s private drawings “help the working man.”

Like their predecessors, the Communists now in charge condemn modern artists like Picasso as “decadent,” teaching new young German artists to paint not Aryan perfection, but Social Realism. A bright spot in Kurt’s dreary routine is spirited, forward-thinking fellow student Ellie (Paula Beer). They marry, despite the disapproval of her icy father, Professor Seeband (Sebastian Koch), who has ingratiated himself with the East German Communist elite—and whose past as a doctor for the Third Reich is entwined with Kurt’s in ways neither of them yet realizes.

Schilling looks just like the young Richter of the postwar era. But the role of Kurt is mostly passive and reactive, as events unfurl around him; he doesn’t really protest the stifling art school dictates, or his father-in-law’s smug campaign to demean him and control the young couple’s married life. But Schilling’s performance warms in his scenes with Beer’s Ellie, when Kurt uncorks his true feelings. (Although it’s a bit obvious when one of their gently erotic love scenes is offered in counterpoint to the strictly missionary encounter between her parents.)

Von Donnersmarck portrays art, society and youth itself in transition between stale and modern, repression and freedom, past and future. The pomposity of critics, teachers and students alike (in both East and West Germany, where Kurt and Ellie end up) is duly skewered, along with the students’ often-loony attempts keep up with audacious new trends in modern art.

Unconstrained at last, yet unable to fill a canvas, Kurt begins a series of photo-realistic images in black and white, intentionally blurred, and based on old family snapshots. (The signature style with which Richter first made a splash in the art world.) The movie suggests that only by reconciling his past and present can Kurt discover his own artistic voice. Any artist will tell you it’s a lot more complicated than that, but the filmmaker’s homage to the artist’s journey keeps us engaged.

NEVER LOOK AWAY

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With Tom Schilling, Paula Beer and Sebastian Koch. Written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. A Sony Classics release. Rated R. 189 minutes. In German with English subtitles.

Spring Feasts From India Joze to Jack O’Neill Restaurant

Christina Waters

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March 5, 2019

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Spring Feasts From India Joze to Jack O’Neill Restaurant

If the first day of spring is near, then so is the Persian New Year. To celebrate, chef Jozseph Schultz plans to dazzle your taste buds with his annual multi-course Persian feast on March 17. In addition to food, the evening will include hypnotic dancing from House of Inanna.

The knowledgeable chef of India Joze, a one-man culinary Wikipedia, will also provide “the table history of Persian Cuisine.” Expect culinary offerings involving pomegranate-cream-mint reduction sauce, lamb perfumed by spices, chicken wok’d in a Persian apricot-orange flower glaze, and toasted almond herb pilaf. Preparation styles and spicing combos promise to be the stars. Course after course, this is truly a meal to remember. Tickets very limited.

To intensify the journey through India Joze’ Persian New Year festivities, adventurous diners and dancers might also want to leap over al fresco flames the evening of March 19.

“It’s always the last Tuesday before the vernal equinox. Wednesdays start on Tuesday eve, just like the Jewish calendar,” the chef explains. “Coincidence? I don’t think so.” He also adds that “this ritual drumming and dancing reenacts the chasing out of the last unlucky Wednesday of the year. So on Tuesday, March 19 at India Joze, we build fires in the parking lot and invite all comers to jump the flames and burn away their past obstacles to happiness and prosperity in the coming year.” Removing obstacles. Sounds intriguing.

Make reservations for the March 17 dinner, starting at 5 p.m., at 831-325-3633. Cost $45 per person. India Joze, 418 Front St., Santa Cruz. indiajoze.com

Karst’s Kitchen

Fans of Sally Solari, the resourceful fictional restaurateur-turned-sleuth, will welcome the newest installment of her adventures when Murder from Scratch is released next month. The fourth murder mystery by Santa Cruz’s own Leslie Karst—former lawyer, trained chef and talented alto—Murder from Scratch once again combines restaurant ambience, a questionable death, and professional tensions in a literary bouillabaisse set right here in Santa Cruz.

In this latest caper, Karst’s fanbase will find protagonist Solari embroiled in dysfunctional family issues, which this time includes a cousin’s death. Solari thinks it’s no accident and the investigation takes her into the highly competitive world of commercial cookery. Lots of plot twists, well-seasoned(!) with a few choice recipes.

Kudos to Karst, a woman who can keep a deadline simmering. Watch the skies for an April release of Murder from Scratch.

lesliekarstauthor.com

Room with a View

The Dream Inn has just unveiled its new Jack O’Neill Restaurant in the former Aquarius, a dining and drinking spot that offers patrons the most spectacular view possible of the Santa Cruz wharf without the need for a wetsuit. (Apologies to the man who invented the wetsuit.)

The newly spiffed up Jack O’Neill also offers live music starting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

Executive chef Ken Drew is still fine-tuning a new menu that will feature local ingredients, such as a Corralitos sausage sampler. Expect plenty of local craft beers, wines and designer cocktails featuring Venus Spirits.

Jack O’Neill Restaurant and Lounge at the Dream Inn, 175 W Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. (866) 966-0529, jackoneillrestaurant.com

Sotola Update

Welcome aboard to siblings Jill and John Ealy, who along with colleague Josh Parmelee are the new owners of Capitola’s Sotola Bar & Grill located at 231 Esplanade, next to the bridge. I look forward to tasting the new menu and enjoying the dreamy view from the Sotola deck. Join me.

Be Our Guest: Stephen Marley

Aaron Carnes

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March 5, 2019

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I honestly have no idea how many children reggae legend Bob Marley had. But the thing is, all of them seem to be incredibly talented.

Stephen Marley first gained some attention playing with his older brother Ziggy. In more recent years, he’s been focusing on his solo career, like the touching acoustic record One Take: Acoustic Jams.

Marley recorded these low-key acoustic reggae songs in his living room. It’s a combination of acoustic single-takes of some of his previously released material, as well as some of his dad’s songs.

Now he’s bringing the acoustic show to Santa Cruz.

INFO: 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $31 adv/$36 door. Info: catalystclub.com.

WANT TO GO?

Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 7 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

A Classic Santa Cruz Mountain Meritage

Josie Cowden

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February 27, 2019

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Kings Mountain wine is not easy to find around these parts. Fortunately, VinoCruz in Soquel Village carries a selection of their wines—so I headed there on a rainy day to try some.

Known for producing lush Pinot Noir and Meritage, Kings Mountain Vineyards had me smitten with a 2008 Meritage from the Santa Cruz Mountains. At around $60, this elegant wine is a superb mélange of Cabernet Sauvignon (52 percent), Cabernet Franc (28 percent), Merlot (14 percent), Petit Verdot (5 percent), and a touch of Malbec (1 percent).

This deft blend comes together perfectly to create a bountiful balance of rich berries and red fruit with a gorgeous soft and smooth finish. Aging this Bordeaux-style blend in new French oak for 24 months gives it added depth and longevity.

Coming in at a relatively low alcohol level of 13.5 percent, it’s a delightful wine to enjoy anytime.

Kings Mountain belongs to the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, but this family-owned winery doesn’t have a tasting room, and their property is not open to the public. Their wines are in great demand, however, and they can be found pouring at events around the Bay Area.

Kings Mountain Vineyards. 650-851-7551, kingsmountainvineyards.com

Wine Wednesdays at Seascape Beach Resort

Through May 15, Sanderlings Restaurant at Seascape Beach Resort will continue its very popular Wine Wednesdays, which are hosted by Head Mixologist Lindsay Eshleman and Food & Beverage Manager Richard Kamibaysahi.

From 5:30-7 p.m. enjoy four wine tastings and a small-plate appetizer prepared by Chef Skye McDougall, plus live music. The $25 cost includes tax and gratuity.

Sanderlings Restaurant at Seascape Beach Resort, 1 Seascape Resort Drive, Aptos. 866-867-0976, seascaperesort.com

Lester Estate Wines

Lester Estate Wines in Aptos is now holding private tastings on the second Saturday of each month at their beautiful Deer Park Ranch estate on Pleasant Valley Road. For $25, enjoy a seated tasting featuring a five-wine flight at noon, 2 p.m. or 4 p.m.

Visit deerparkranch.com for more info.

5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: February 27-March 5

GT Staff

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February 27, 2019

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5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: February 27-March 5

A weekly guide to what’s happening.

Green Fix

Santa Cruz Orchid Society Show and Sale

Aside from being one of the most aesthetically beloved plants, the orchid also has the greatest number of officially documented species at more than 25,000 varieties. Some people dedicate their lives to growing and nurturing different rare types of orchids, from those that look like owls to blooms that resemble monkeys and naked people. No guarantees that those types will be at the Santa Cruz orchid show, but you never know. The show will be judged by the American Orchid Society and feature orchid vendors and demonstrations for those looking to add to their collections. Free admission.

Info: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 2. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, March 3. Cabrillo College Horticulture Center, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. santacruzorchidsociety.org. Free.

Art Seen

‘Crowns’

This year, UC Santa Cruz’s Theater Arts Department and Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center present Crowns, written by Regina Taylor and adapted from Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry’s book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats. Crowns tells the story of Yolanda, a young African-American woman sent to the South after the death of her brother, where she finds herself surrounded by strong, wise women in elaborate hats. This musical explores tradition, history and identity, intermingling theatrical elements of storytelling, iconic fashion and gospel music to create a coming-of-age story full of hattitude.

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28-March 3. Theater Arts Main Stage at UCSC, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. tickets.ucsc.edu. $8-$18/$5 parking.

Wednesday 2/27

‘Know Your Rights As An Immigrant’ Workshop

With so much conflicting information around about ICE enforcement and presence, this presentation aims to set the record straight. The event will cover immigrant rights regardless of status, what to do if ICE shows up, and an update on proposed immigration policies. There will also be a DOJ-accredited representative to answer audience questions, and the presentation will be in both English and Spanish.

INFO: 6 p.m. LIve Oak Branch Library, 2380 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz. santacruzpl.libcal.com. Free.

Friday 3/1- Sunday 3/31

‘The Fusion of Art and Physics’

Some think of arts and physics as completely different—one is right-brained, one isn’t—not to mention that they’re vastly different subjects. But the R. Blitzer Gallery’s latest exhibit fuses local artists, UCSC physics faculty and graduate students, who worked together to create new art. The idea was to challenge physicists to approach their science through the visual arts and to integrate art and science such that they feed back and forth and enrich each other. The outcome of these collaborations will be displayed as a group exhibition.

INFO: Opening night reception 5-9 p.m. Friday, March 1, show runs through March. R. Blitzer Gallery, 2801 Mission St., Santa Cruz. 458-1217, rblitzergallery.com. Free.

Saturday 3/2

‘Wowie Zowie’ with Jeff Raz

As part of the 2018-2019 ArtSmart Family First Saturdays Concert Series, Tandy Beal and Company presents Jeff Raz in Wowie Zowie. An hour filled with hilarity, magic, wonder, and dazzlement of physical theater and musical juggling, all with one of the stars of Cirque du Soleil, the legendary Pickle Family Circus, and most recently Joy! A Holiday Show! In this interactive show, Raz will take volunteers to perform feats of balance—but he has a few tricks up his sleeve.

INFO: 11 a.m. Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. (530) 514-6703, jeffraz.brownpapertickets.com. $15.

Alderwood’s Killer $10 Burger and Beer

Lily Stoicheff

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February 27, 2019

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After extensive renovations to the restaurant space in downtown Santa Cruz previously home to Eric’s Deli, Alderwood finally tore the butcher paper off the windows in December to reveal an elegantly re-envisioned space. Two months later, the flood of excited customers eager to experience the raw bar of fresh seafood and exquisite cuts of beef at the forefront of Alderwood’s menu has yet to abate.

While I have thoroughly enjoyed their 60-day, dry-aged ribeye on other occasions, such lavish dinners aren’t always my (or my wallet’s) jam. Thankfully, Alderwood has happy hour deals from 4-6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.-midnight every night, including an absolutely killer burger-and-beer combo for just $10.

In a world of “more is more,” Alderwood’s burger zigs where others have zagged, focusing on high-quality ingredients and thoughtful construction instead of being weighed down by a leaning tower of gimmicky toppings. The sesame bun, which has the springy texture of brioche-meets-Hawaiian sweet roll, is spread with housemade garlic jam, onion marmalade and bread and butter pickles. The burger is actually two thin patties of house-ground, dry-aged beef that have been smashed on the grill in order to achieve crispy edges and a just-done center. Stacked between them are layers of gooey Gruyere cheese.

Flavors of caramelized onion, high-quality beef and gruyere remind me of a bit of French onion soup. It’s decadent, but approachable. The size, which is slightly smaller than other restaurant burgers, means you can enjoy it without falling into a food coma afterword. My fiancé, equally mezmorized, simply says he thinks it’s the best burger he’s ever had.

The burger comes with an icy Miller High Life, served in the bottle. While normally not my first choice, I have to admit that in this case the crisp lager is a refreshing pairing.

There’s something about burgers hard-wired in the American psyche. To experience a truly great one satisfies not just a physical hunger, but an emotional one. Chef Jeffrey Wall kept this in mind when creating the burger at Alderwood. “Our burger is a token of our hospitality. It signals that everyone is welcome to get a satisfying meal,” says Wall. The beer pairing is a nod to workers in the service industry, he says. “The combo of a High Life and a burger is specifically for industry professionals to be encouraged to come in.”

Opinion: February 27, 2019

Steve Palopoli

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February 27, 2019

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Even locals who aren’t fans of Jerry Garcia and company can surely understand the significance of having the Grateful Dead archive at UCSC. Acclaimed for the way it expresses and emulates the spirit of its subject, it has put Santa Cruz on a very particular kind of cultural map—the one that makes people start to look at us as the keeper of a legacy.

In this case, it’s a legacy that falls right in line with Santa Cruz’s whole vibe, evoking a spirit of ’60s experimentalism and artistic liberation that actually was a huge thing here. So the fact that the first person to be drawn to our new legacy-curating status just happened to be the owner of hundreds of items related to Hunter S. Thompson—well, that’s pretty much perfect. In this week’s cover story, Wallace Baine traces how UCSC came to house an archive for a second icon of ’60s and ’70s counterculture.

Speaking of cultural legacies, coverage of the music scene has of course always been a huge part of what GT does. We love to interview both local musicians and interesting bands coming through town, but sometimes our music features don’t give us the space to explore what makes a particular artist’s work so essential—especially if they’ve been around for a while. So we’re trying something new this week: in addition to my interview in the paper with Martin Phillipps of visiting New Zealand band the Chills, there’s an online-only companion piece at goodtimes.sc that looks at some of the Chills’ essential songs. Let us know what you think—if you like the idea, we may do more of these “primers” for local and touring musicians.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Never Again

Re: “State of Democracy” (GT, 1/23): I will never read another edition of your “paper.” There is not a bit of journalism to it; it is strictly opinion and only one opinion. As I started reading the Madeleine Albright article, “… our dim-witted monster of a president.” Really? This coming from the loving and inclusive culture of the Left? There was not one scrap, not one minuscule amount of respect for the elected leader of our country. Are you under the impression that every single person who is relevant to the community we live in feels that way? Then, “after I sat through the numbingly cynical sight of President Trump and … Mike Pence toddling along in winter coats.” You are evidently the cynical, self-aggrandizing individuals in this equation. It is amazing that MLK’s daughter supports Trump, isn’t it? She must be just another schmuck, unlike Albright, or your writer, Steve Kettmann. There is a massive divide in our country, and I don’t see any end in sight with organizations such as yours driven to foster that animosity.

Marji Schoeneman
Watsonville

Just Shameful

Re: “Agenda Pack-It” (GT, 1/16): The city council passing a Just Cause Eviction Ordinance only a few months after Measure M was turned down by voters is a complete outrage and misuse of power. The local community voted and clearly voiced their opposition to this type of solution. This is a total overreach by the city council, and severely undermines the democratic process. When voters cast their ballots, they entrust government to uphold the wishes of the people. A more appropriate response to Measure M not passing would have been to go back to the drawing board, solicit input from the local community, and come up with a different, more agreeable solution backed by a majority of voters. That’s how Democracy is supposed to work. Shame on you, Santa Cruz City Council.

Martijn Samsom
Santa Cruz

Team Up on Housing

The systemic problem with our modern housing crisis is not a mystery—nor is it limited to Santa Cruz, California, or even the U.S. According to a UN appointee on adequate housing, Lelani Farha, the problem is global speculation. The residential real-estate market contains an estimated $163 trillion of value. That’s more than 20 times the value of all mined gold on earth.

What we need are taxes, among other policies, to curb the speculation and protect our communities from the violent gentrification that we have seen grow over the last five years.

A recent report by KQED exposed that 4 out of 10 children in the Salinas City Elementary School District are homeless. This problem is prevalent, it’s growing worse each year, and it must be treated like the serious human rights crisis it really is. I implore our landlords and renters to team up and make sure our community has security in their housing.

Reggie Meisler
Santa Cruz

Re: Maria Cadenas

Nice piece! I’m beginning to find real journalism with topics like this. Good Times has become worthy of my time! This article addresses the essential truth that the American capitalist economy no longer works for the majority of Americans. Santa Cruz must survive as a community that can support the needs and interests of all its citizens!

— Steve Terry

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@*******es.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.

GOOD IDEA

The Pulsions festival, a French contemporary art exhibit, is in San Francisco, and it’s coming to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) on March 11. With pieces on science and politics and support from the Alliance Française Silicon Valley, the festival aims to make audiences feel the impulse of the French art scene. Santa Cruzans Doug Hull, an alliance boardmember, and curator Kalie Granier are behind the campaign to bring the show to the MAH. They’re raising money to offset the costs. For more information, visit afscv.networkforgood.com.

GOOD WORK

The Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries and representatives from the county libraries demonstrated one small piece of how they’re moving the Santa Cruz County system into the 21st century at an event at Live Oak Library on Saturday night. It highlighted how the library’s “Reach for the Stars” program now allows high-powered telescopes for stargazing to be checked out to locals—just like books—along with some of the cutting-edge virtual reality technology that patrons can try out in the Scotts Valley library’s “Make Lab.” Go to santacruzpl.org/digitallearning for schedules and more info.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.”
-Hunter S. Thompson

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EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK