Page 735 | Good Times

Y2K International Looping Festival Returns to Santa Cruz

Wallace Baine

-

October 23, 2018

Y2K International Looping Festival Returns to Santa Cruz

It may not be the grandest event in the gaudy world of Northern California music festivals. But within its sphere of influence—which, despite its small size, happens to reach around the world—Santa Cruz’s Y2K International Looping Festival has been a major player for almost two decades.

The festival, which features three nights and two days of continuous performances, has inspired similar events in Asia, Europe and Latin America that celebrate and explore the dimensions of the art and technology of looping.

What is looping? It’s the ultimate do-it-yourself technology that allows a performer to create a rhythm or melody, record it and immediately perform over it in real time, making it possible to layer infinitely. A musician can add elements one at a time, freeing him or her to explore other sounds and textures. (On the down side, a world where looping is common would make Will Ferrell’s “More Cowbell” SNL skit obsolete).

This weekend, beginning Friday, Oct. 26, the Y2K18 festival takes over Center Stage Theater in downtown Santa Cruz with artists from around the world demonstrating just how far you can take such a straightforward technology. Around 40 performers—16 of whom come from outside the U.S.—will participate, representing a wild variety of styles and instrumentation. All they have in common is the process of looping, a brand of real-time self-improvisation.

The founder of the looping festival is Rick Walker, the veteran Santa Cruz percussionist and multi-instrumentalist who has been mounting the festival since 2000 with almost no resources. Largely because it features musicians who are pioneers in pushing the boundaries of performance, the festival has never really generated big audiences. But it has caught the attention of a small cadre of musicians from around the world who have sought to emulate it elsewhere.

“Every year,” says Walker, “someone comes to this festival [as a performer] who’s never been here before, and every year there’s at least one of those artists who is blown away by it, saying ‘I had no idea this kind of community even existed.’”

The festival continues Saturday and Sunday, leading up to its headlining concert, which this year is called Voces de Mexico and features choral director and ethnomusicologist Juan Pablo Villa, who will be creating a musical piece inspired by Mexican folk traditions and the narratives of people crossing the hostile deserts of northern Mexico in search of a better life. Villa will be collaborating with fellow looper Per Boysen from Sweden, and several guest vocalists. Also taking part in the show is visual artist Maha Jumai Taitano—who, in a first for the festival, will be creating video loops.

Walker, 65, will also be among the performers, along with longtime Santa Cruz musical partners Bill Walker (Rick’s brother) and Daniel S. Thomas. Many of the festival’s performers will also perform on an ambitious looping tour that includes dates in Singapore, Malaysia, Bali and other countries.

Walker says that after 18 years, the festival is finally becoming an official nonprofit, which could dramatically change how it is funded. Being able to accept tax-exempt donations might allow the festival to reach for higher profile artists and appeal to potential donors in the tech industry who are excited about the collision between technology and creativity that looping represents.

Walker has kept the festival alive with little funding for years and has, over the years, often wondered how to keep it viable. “Every year, two hours before the artists arrive, we’ll be tearing our hair out,” he says. “Every year when it’s over, we’ll be crying and going, ‘I’m so glad we did this.’ It really is an amazing thing.”

INFO: The Y2K18 International Looping Festival will be held Friday, 7:30-11 p.m., Saturday 1:30-11 p.m., and Sunday 1-7 p.m. at Center Stage Theater, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. The headliners concert, featuring Lizeth Ruvalcaba, Leika Mochan, Juan Pablo Villa and Voces de Mexico, will be presented 9-11 p.m. Sunday. y2kloopfest.com.

Preview: Tauk Brings Blade Runner-Inspired Beats to The Catalyst

-

October 23, 2018

0

Preview: Tauk Brings Blade Runner-Inspired Beats to The Catalyst

Last fall, while Alric “A.C.” Carter’s band Tauk was on tour, he snuck away to see a movie: Blade Runner 2049. He’d never seen the original, but he loved the sequel—particularly the music.

“It just evoked a certain kind of emotion,” says Carter, who plays keyboards in the jazzy, proggy, hip-hop instrumental fusion ensemble. “You feel like you’re part of the experience. I liked how the music hits and breathes with the visuals.”

It wasn’t until the following year that the film’s influence fully manifested itself. Tauk’s latest recording project became two concept albums that explored artificial intelligence and the moral ambiguity of technology.

It wasn’t so much that the foursome was trying to make a particular point about AI; rather, they were contemplating the possibilities.

“We think about what we’ve seen in our lifetime, and the potential for what’s actually possible. Certain things that were impossible are a lot more feasible these days,” Carter says. “There’s good and bad to everything.”

The two albums that resulted were Shapeshifter I: Construct, which came out in April, and Shapeshifter II: The Outbreak, which was released in September.

Unlike something that Rush or King Crimson might do, this package of futuristic, fantastic-themed albums has no actual stories, since the band is entirely instrumental. What the listener is left with is a mood and a feeling. Carter says that they are happy to keep the whole thing opaque.

“We want to be able to paint these different soundscapes and allow our listeners to have their own unique experiences,” he says.

Whether or not you are creating a story in your mind while listening to it, the music certainly sounds sci-fi. There’s a strange juxtaposition as Carter’s keys spit out spacey textures and squeal with an almost robot-like, pitch-altering vocal-sounding lead while the rhythm section grooves together in a loose funky jazzy vibe that’s accented with a heavy dose of math rock smarts. It’s kind of like hearing a robot wrestle with its own imperfect humanity.

“I create the soundscapes and textures so that the mood can be right. It’s similar to, say, lighting incense for meditation,” Carter says. “The guitar is going to sound like a guitar, and bass and drums for the most part sound like that. But you have so much range dynamically as a keyboard player.”

The record is a first for the band in that it was recorded not in a proper studio, but a house where they could work uninterrupted for weeks on end. This particular house was creepy, which may have added to the overall cinematic, foreboding sound of the music.

“It was an abandoned house that no one had lived in for 40 years. Paintings suspended on the walls, almost falling off. Dusty. We set up in the living room, our sound board was in the kitchen. We made it work, but it was a vibe,” Carter says.

The intention was to create a single album, but they came up with so much good material that they split it into two, grouping songs together that seemed to intuitively match. The first album has a tense, contemplative sound to it, while the second one has a lot of momentum. It could easily be the soundtrack to a flying-car chase scene.

The group’s natural tendency toward genre-mashing has only increased since its inception a decade ago. On these records, they continue to explore the line separating musical style as they ponder robot life. The two concepts complete each other, and make for an overall dynamic instrumental record.

“We take on many different genres, ideas and approaches as far as styles go that we try to mix and make our own,” Carter says. “We feel like the songs that we have on this record are very cinematic and would fit in with a lot of movies and visuals and things of that nature.”

Tauk performs at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 423-1338.

India Joze’s Brunch For The Birds; A New Wine Tasting Destination in Corralitos

Christina Waters

-

October 23, 2018

0

India Joze’s Brunch For The Birds; A New Wine Tasting Destination in Corralitos

Admit it, you’ve often talked to the wild animals you encounter. Even the birds you see along the Pogonip trail, or in your own backyard. We have scrub jays who visit us, and yes, we talk with them. You’ve probably listened in amazement at all the different vocal techniques that our sassy local crows possess. And you suspect that it all means something. Well, it does.

That wily cuisinartist Jozseph Schultz has put together a fascinating event that will help introduce you to bird language while enjoying brunch and a morning walk. The bird language tour guide is naturalist Jeff Caplan, who also leads classes and walks for local groups including the UCSC Bird School Project. Fascinating stuff that will help you tune into what nature is saying, and how to recognize different avian voices. Sensitivity training for the next time you talk to your wild bird friends.

A wonderful morning open to all, but hurry and make reservations, it’s limited to 25 participants. First a talk, then a walk along pastoral San Lorenzo River, which is currently rich with birds visiting from Canada and South America. Then brunch at 11:30 a.m., with vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and meat options.

Introduction to Bird Language + Brunch is Saturday, Nov. 10, 9am-noon, at India Joze Restaurant, 418 Front St., Santa Cruz. $35 includes class, walk and brunch (kids $15). Tix at brownpapertickets.com/event/3656654.

Lester Vineyards Tastings

For the first time Lester Family Vineyards in Corralitos, a gorgeous swath of vines currently tended by the amazing viticulturist Prudy Foxx, is open for tours and tastings.

Originally planted by Dan Lester and Foxx, the 14-acre vineyard began in 1998. Fruit from these vines has gone into some of the great wines of our region: David Bruce, Cinnabar, Soquel Vineyards, Big Basin, and Alfaro Family Vineyards. Recently the Lester family began harvesting fruit for their own wines, made under the Lester Estate Wines label. Tastings will be held at the Deer Park Ranch on Pleasant Valley Road in Aptos, in a fascinating barn filled with some of Lester’s wide-ranging collections. Flights of 2018 estate wines include three Pinots, a Rosé, and a Chardonnay.

Tastings for up to eight may be arranged for Nov. 10 and Dec. 8, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. For details email: in**@***************es.com.

Pasta of the Week

Redolent of garlic, a bowl of exceptional porcini gnocchi tossed with local dry-farmed tomatoes and cubes of eggplant made a memorable dinner last week at Gabriella Cafe. A glass of Prosecco joined by a pristine, perfect salad of tender butter lettuces added to the gastronomic delight.

Product of the Week

New non-Greek yogurt from Chobani. Quite a departure for the Chobani folks, who created a trend for Greek-style yogurt. Well, not to be outdone by themselves, the Chobanistas have now created something truly dreamy. Ultra creamy and thick, this is yogurt that will attract even those rugged types who still consider yogurt to be sissy food. Low-fat, gluten-free, Kosher-certified, non-GMO, 120 calories per 5.3-ounce serving, it is delicious. Chobani Smooth (the fruit has been whipped in, not lying at the bottom) comes in luscious flavors such as black cherry, peach, strawberry banana, and vanilla. We love the blueberry. Find your own favorites. $2-plus at New Leaf.

Noah Gould at Iveta

An Open Studio display currently at Cafe Iveta, Gould’s oil paintings wander between student work to boldly neo-Hopper with hints of Max Beckmann. Worth a look while you’re seeking your scone fix.

Scorpio—The Struggle From Death to Immortality: Risa’s Star’s Oct. 24-30

Risa D’Angeles

-

October 23, 2018

0

Scorpio—The Struggle From Death to Immortality: Risa’s Star’s Oct. 24-30

The autumn festivals of Light begin soon with Halloween when veils thin between worlds. We are in Scorpio now, deep, dark, mysterious and so often misunderstood. Scorpio, very complex in all of its deep watery darkness, is humanity as Hercules toiling away each day within the Twelve Labors. Scorpio is Ray 4, the Ray of Humanity—the Ray of Harmony emerging through conflict and chaos.

Ray 4 (Scorpio) is the struggle of moving from “darkness to light, from death to immortality.” It is the struggle of spiritual growth (Evolution), to move forward and not to “fall back into old beliefs, systems and ways of being.”

Scorpio calls humanity to Discipleship. In Scorpio there is a great battle and nine great tests given to us by Mars. The personality enters into battle with the Soul. The Disciple and Soul must emerge “victorious.” The battle is not easy. The path is filled with dangers, hindrances, obstacles. The personality wants direction from the Soul, yet it doesn’t. In Libra, the choice was made to enter the battle. And so, in Scorpio the war begins.

Scorpio is not just to do battle. It is not enough that the pairs of opposites, polarized in Libra, now meet. Scorpio must create within the self and in all environments, a Path of Harmony. This is Ray 4—a new level of harmony emerging from conflict and chaos.

Therefore, Scorpio must know both, transforming the difficulties, vicissitudes, conflicts and chaos into a new state of harmony. In Scorpio the three lights meet—the Personality, the Soul and Spirit (permanent spiritual atom). After the great battle is over these three must reintegrate, fuse and blend.

This is the secret of Scorpio and the “Fourth Way.” In all these things written here, Scorpio battles daily. Scorpio is the turning point, the reset, and the reorientation. And so now we know. (Daily studies with Risa on the Risa D’Angeles Facebook page.)

ARIES: Assess if there are any needs you or a partner have that are unspoken, unknown and perhaps hidden, only coming to life when conflict and chaos arise. Asking about values and needs are good questions to ask in all relationships (with self and others), and especially now. Are there legal situations you must tend to? Carefully make plans for later implementation.

TAURUS: It’s time to teach others what you know. You protect, hide and shield information until the right time comes forth, and now is that time. You cannot do what you’ve been doing alone for much longer. Are you asking others to help you? Asking them what they need in return? Clear communication is the sign of the disciple.

GEMINI: Is there difficulty with concentration, communication or making contact with others? With the stars? Write down by hand what you value most in daily life? Make it into a journal. When expectations are placed upon you, explain you’re working slowly now as life has taken a sideways turn. You’ll be doing things not quite to your liking—an exercise in sacrifice. Go slow. Call an old intelligent friend.

CANCER: Are you sleeping? Your appetite may increase. Something slips into your life that makes you happier, creating a surging forth of determination and courage and a new sense of
creativity. You’ll be inspired about how and where you live.
Prepare for a new life to appear. You have become orderly and organized.

LEO: Should you feel you cannot possibly leave home, remain there quietly for a while. Tend to personal issues, things domestic like cleaning and clearing, gardening and cooking, allowing yourself also time for research. Contact previous friends. Is there a misunderstanding to be explained, something or someone needing care and tending? Someone moves.

VIRGO: Make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B (complex), A and D, calcium and magnesium. Your appetite and feelings for food may change dramatically. Drink water with marigold flowers and mint. Monetary situations continue to unfold. New ideas stream into your mind and you ponder many ways you are creative. How many journals do you have now?

LIBRA: Be sure your finances are in order. Assess them carefully. What goes in, what goes out. Balance it with a thought to savings. Finances affect emotions and health. When researching investments, think gold, silver, platinum, consult a precious metals professional and don’t succumb to a situation or person that may confuse you. You may need more rest.

SCORPIO: Suddenly your life assumes additional intensity and, being very private, you’re unable to hide the effects. To ease the discomfort of this concentrated powerful state, maintain consistent exercise, and then double it. A new self-identity and a new sense of strength is forming. Your heart petals are opening. Sometimes this hurts. Set your sights on new and distinguishing goals.

SAGITTARIUS: The new life structure you’ve sought is forming within your sphere of daily work and service in the world. Discipline yourself in the right use of energy and time. Don’t waste these in emotional endeavors. Stay behind the scenes. Work on your own. Plan for future endeavors or perhaps do nothing at all. Don’t dabble in anything hidden.

CAPRICORN: Don’t take on excessive tasks lest exhaustion begins to affect your immune system. You’re capable of holding the entire world on your shoulders, but soon this becomes too heavy and quite unbearable. Create a manifestation list with your hoped-for goals and priorities, forming a magnet of energy around you. Delays are normal. Don’t fret.

AQUARIUS: You feel and understand humanity’s needs and sorrows, and thus bring forth new ideas, with a message of balance and harmony (and a bit of fun). You have tremendous potential to bring into form your hopes, dreams and aspirations. Focus on specific goals. It’s an excellent time for future planning. Maintain all close friends and contacts.

PISCES: Piscean teachers, travelers, publishers, writers, adventurers and religious leaders are busy with schedules, plans, travel (careful!), cultural and/or religious aims and endeavors—remembering to maintain harmony and balance into daily life. At times Pisces can feel isolated and isolating. You need a stimulus package of direction and hope. Safety is important. Find a warm pool to swim in. Know you are a focal point for saving grace.

Rob Brezny’s Astrology Oct. 24-30

Rob Brezsny

-

October 23, 2018

0

Free will astrology for the week of Oct. 24, 2018

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her poem “Shedding Skin,” Harryette Mullen compares her own transformation to the action a snake periodically carries out to renew itself. Since you now have an excellent opportunity to undertake your own molting process, you may find her thoughts helpful. (I’ve rendered them in prose for easier reading.) “Pulling out of the old scarred skin—old rough thing I don’t need now—I strip off, slip out of, leave behind. Shedding toughness, peeling layers down to vulnerable stuff. And I’m blinking off old eyelids for a new way of seeing. By the rock I rub against, I’m going to be tender again.” Halloween costume suggestion: snake sloughing its skin.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Only the young and stupid are confident about sex and romance,” says 49-year-old author Elizabeth Gilbert, who has written extensively about those subjects. I agree with her. I’ve devoted myself to studying the mysteries of love for many years, yet still feel like a rookie. Even if you are smarter about these matters than Gilbert and me, Taurus, I urge you to adopt a humble and curious attitude during the next few weeks. The cosmos have prepared some interesting lessons for you, and the best way to take advantage is to be eagerly receptive and open-minded. Halloween costume suggestion: sex researcher, love explorer, intimacy experimenter.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “My way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery,” wrote Gemini author Dashiell Hammett. But I recommend that you use his approach very rarely, and only when other learning methods aren’t working. Most of the time, your best strategy for getting the lessons you need is to put lubricating oil into the machinery, not a monkey-wrench. That’ll be especially true in the coming weeks. I suggest that you turn the machinery off for a while as you add the oil and and do some maintenance. Halloween costume suggestion: repair person; computer techie; machine whisperer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman was a Cancerian like you and me. One of the factors contributing to his success was that he put his demons to good use, “by harnessing them to his chariot.” He also testified that he gained control over his demons by taking long walks after breakfast. “Demons don’t like fresh air,” he said. “They prefer it if you stay in bed with cold feet.” I suspect that now would be an excellent time to adopt his advice. Halloween costume suggestion: walk your demon on a leash, or make it into a puppet, or harness it to your chariot.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Throughout the Halloween season, I encourage you to fantasize extensively about what your dream home would look like and feel like if you had all the money necessary to create it. What colors would you paint the walls? Would you have carpets or hardwood floors? What would be your perfect lighting, furniture, and décor? As you gazed out your windows, what views would you see? Would there be nature nearby or urban hotspots? Would you have an office or music room or art studio? Have fun imagining the sanctuary that would bring out the best in you. Halloween costume suggestion: the ultimate homebody.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look,” writes novelist Jodi Picoult. That’s crucial for you to meditate on during the coming weeks. Why? Because your superpower is going to be the ability to find extraordinary things that are hiding in places where people have almost never thought to look. You can do both yourself and those you care for a big favor by focusing your intensity on this task. Halloween costume suggestions: sleuth, treasure hunter, private eye, Sherlock Holmes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming.” Author Shauna Niequist wrote that. In accordance with the astrological omens, I endorse her perspective as true and useful for you. You’ve zipped through your time of fertile chaos, conjuring up fresh possibilities. When January arrives, you’ll be ready to work on stability and security. But for now, your assignment is to blossom. Halloween costume suggestions: beautiful creature hatching from an egg; strong sprout cracking out of a seed.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “He believed in magic,” writes author Michael Chabon about a character in his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. “Not in the so-called magic of candles, pentagrams, and bat wings,” nor “dowsing rods, séances, weeping statues, werewolves, wonders, or miracles.” Then what kind? Chabon says it’s the “impersonal magic of life,” like coincidences and portents that reveal their meanings in retrospect. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because now is a favorable time to call on the specific kind of magic that you regard as real and helpful. What kind of magic is that? Halloween costume suggestion: magician, witch, wizard.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Sagittarian author Jane Austen wrote that in her novel Northanger Abbey, and now I’m passing her message on to you, slightly altered. My version is, “If adventures will not befall Sagittarian people of any age or gender in their own neighborhood, they must seek them abroad.” And where exactly is “abroad”? The dictionary says it might mean a foreign country, or it could simply mean outside or in another place. I’d like to extend the meaning further to include anywhere outside your known and familiar world. Halloween costume suggestion: traveler on a pilgrimage or explorer on a holy quest.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): PR executives at a beer company offered to pay me a lot of money if I would sneak a product placement ad into your horoscope. They asked me to pretend there was a viable astrological reason to recommend that you imbibe their product in abundance. But the truth is, the actual planetary omens suggest the opposite. You should not in fact be lounging around in a haze of intoxication. You should instead be working hard to drum up support for your labor of love or your favorite cause. Very Important People will be more available to you than usual, and you’ll be wise to seek their input. Halloween costume suggestion: the Ultimate Fundraiser; Networker of the Year; Chief Hobnobber.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “What kind of idea are you?” asks author Salman Rushdie. “Are you the kind that compromises, does deals, accommodates itself, aims to find a niche, to survive; or are you the cussed, bloody-minded, ramrod-backed type of damnfool notion that would rather break than sway with the breeze?” I pose this question to you, Aquarius, because I think you could be an effective version of either idea in the coming weeks. If you’re the latter—the cussed, damnfool notion—you may change your world in dramatic ways. Halloween costume suggestions: revolutionary; crusader; agitator; rabble-rouser.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “There is no beauty without some strangeness,” wrote Edgar Allan Poe. Fashion designer Rei Kawakubo ventured further, declaring, “Strangeness is a necessary ingredient in beauty.” She also added another nuance to her definition: “For something to be beautiful, it doesn’t have to be pretty.” I’ll offer you one more seed for thought: wabi-sabi. It’s a Japanese term that refers to a kind of beauty that’s imperfect, transitory, and incomplete. I bring these clues to your attention, Pisces, because now is an excellent time to refine and clarify your own notion of beauty—and recommit yourself to embodying it. Halloween costume suggestion: the embodiment of your definition of beauty.

Homework: What part of you is too tame? How can you inspire it to seek wilder ways of knowing? Write Freewillastrology.com.

Film Review: ‘Tea With the Dames’

Lisa Jensen

-

October 23, 2018

0

You know those friends you’ve had forever? Maybe you don’t see them as often as you’d like, but you’ve shared so many adventures that whenever you get together, you pick up right where you left off, your conversation as full of vivid memories, tart observations, and raucous laughter as if you’d never been apart.

That’s kind of what it’s like going to see Tea With the Dames—a chatty and witty conversation with beloved old friends. It features four of our most acclaimed British actresses—Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins—in the most challenging roles of their careers: themselves. In this irresistible documentary from veteran feature director Roger Michell, these four great ladies of stage, screen, and television (each of them honored with the title of Dame), and longtime friends in real life, get together for an afternoon of tea and conversation—always, trenchant, often hilarious—about life, love, friendship, and the craft of acting.

When the Dames get together for one of their semi-regular rendezvous, Michell and his crew tag along. They meet in the garden of the country house Plowright shared for decades with her late husband, Lord Laurence Olivier (“Larry,” to one and all). They enjoy bantering with the crew members who take an interminable time setting up each shot. (“Hurry up,” advises Smith, “we’re taking root here.”)

But soon the conversation is in full swing. The Dames discuss companies, directors, producers, and fellow players they have worked with over the years, at venues from London’s prestigious National Theater at the Old Vic, to Smith’s turn as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, to an outdoor Mystery Play performed at York Cathedral in the medieval tradition, in which a very young Dench had a small role. A few random silent video clips from this production are fascinating (to us, and the Dames), showing how judiciously Michell uses vintage footage from the actresses’ illustrious careers to illustrate their stories.

(Smith recounts being a young actress playing Desdemona to Olivier’s Othello in a stage production videotaped for TV. When she huffs that Larry hit her, Michell shows us the resounding slap Olivier fetched his co-star in the heat of the moment. “That was the only time I saw stars at the National Theater,” Smith declares.)

Besides shop talk (discussing how to do Shakespeare “as poetry . . . but also be naturalistic”), the women field topics suggested by Michell—from husbands and children, to the 1960s (“We didn’t need the ’60s,” says Smith; they “behaved badly” enough). When asked if they might have any advice for their younger selves, Dench offers, “When in doubt—don’t.” The delicate question of getting old is especially poignant for Plowright, whose gradual loss of vision has now curtailed her acting career, but who still has plenty of sharp observations to contribute.

Fans of Downton Abbey will be pleased to see that Smith is as deliciously acerbic in real life as her alter-ego onscreen, Dowager Countess Violet Crawley. Although they may be shocked to learn that, while gifted with a box set of the entire series on DVD, she has never actually seen the show. But she does recall having to wear an uncomfortable period hat that was “huge—like the Albert Hall!” Meanwhile, Dench, best known these days for playing regal queens, tells of an encounter with a young male doctor whose tone was so patronizing, she was moved to issue a blistering, scatological retort.

Tea With the Dames is a welcome timeout between the season of men in tights and testosterone action thrillers and the more serious, Oscar-bait movies to come. Grab a crumpet, pull up a chair, and refresh yourself!

TEA WITH THE DAMES

***1/2 (out of four)

With Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins. A film by Roger Michell. (Not rated) 84 minutes.

Music Picks: Oct. 24-30

-

October 23, 2018

0

Live music highlights for the week of Oct.24, 2018.

WEDNESDAY 10/24

FOLK

THE WEATHER STATION

Somewhere between Steve Gunn and Johanna Warren is Tamara Lindemann, the Toronto songwriter known as the Weather Station. With an ear for crystalline melodies, Lindemann brings quiet strength and stunning lyrical clarity to her lived-in folk songs. In “Thirty,” the second track from last year’s acclaimed self-titled album, she describes a moment of self-realization at a culturally perilous age: “I could see it so simple, unsubtle/Impossible, clearly/And strange/Far and as close as a mountain range/On the horizon driving all day.” In Lindemann’s hands, the familiar becomes strange, and the strange familiar again. MIKE HUGUENOR

INFO: 9 p.m. The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $14/door. 429-6994.

HIP-HOP

NNAMDI OGBONNAYA

Armed with hyper-animated synth riffs and rubber band-like vocals, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya’s eclectic brand of Chicago DIY hip-hop is clever, nuanced, and catchy AF. His arsenal of oddball yet genuine lyrics competes for center stage with rhythms so dynamic they might be cartoonish, except they utterly capture and transcend those lyrics from the zeitgeist of Ogbonnaya’s brain into a universal experience of which even the coldest, smallest-aorta grinch relates. Part fun and all killer instinct, Ogbonnaya is the champion mixed martial artist of the music world. AMY BEE

INFO: 9 p.m., Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $12/door. 423-1338.

THURSDAY 10/25

JAM BAND

CALIFORNIA KIND

The great thing about being in a jam band is that you are in a great position to join other jam bands, as being in tune with the spontaneity of the moment is basically your job. California Kind, which bills itself as a “jam veteran” band, will send you on an incredible psychedelic, funky possibly mind-altering journey, with eons of experience to back up all the far out jams. We’re talking about people who’ve played with David Nelson Band, the Dead, Jefferson Starship, Bruce Hornsby, Chris Robinson, and Moonalice. Just make sure you toss your calendar in the trash, because you won’t need that where you’re heading. AARON CARNES

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $22/door. 479-1854.

JAZZ

ALLISON MILLER’S BOOM TIC BOOK

As a drummer who thrives deep in the pocket, Brooklyn-based Allison Miller is a trap set marvel who keeps company with jazz’s greatest improvisers. Her latest album, Science Fair, evolved out of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Co-led by pianist Carmen Staaf, the album features the horn tandem of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens. She concludes a Western tour with her long-running band Boom Tic Boom, which is offering a sneak peak at a stellar new album Glitter Wolf. Miller is a savvy composer who continually finds new ways to showcase her ostentatiously talent-packed combo featuring violinist Jenny Scheinman, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, cornetist Kirk Knuffke, bassist Tony Scherr, and pianist Dawn Clement. ANDREW GILBERT

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

FRIDAY 10/26

COUNTRY

MISS LONELY HEARTS

Miss Lonely Hearts is one of those distinctly Santa Cruz-y country-ish bands leading the local roots music surge. There’s a bit of outlaw grit and honkytonk groove, mixed in with coastal mountain hippie peace and love. You might even see them sporting cowboy hats, which is making an odd sort of sense here in Santa Cruz in 2018. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Flynn’s Cabaret & Steakhouse, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15/adv, $18/door. 335-2800.

ROCK

JESSE COLIN YOUNG

There aren’t many musicians performing today who have had their finger on the pop culture pulse for as long as Jesse Colin Young. He had already cut two solo albums before forming the Youngbloods, who would release the iconic Summer of Love anthem, “Get Together.” By the time Nirvana re-used the lyrics in the ’90’s (“Come on people, smile on your brother”), Young already had another two decades of solo recording under his belt. MAT WEIR

INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $35/gen, $48/gold. 423-8209.

SATURDAY 10/27

ROCK

CHRIS BARRON

It’s been 27 years since the Spin Doctors released Pocket Full of Kryptonite, an album that ushered in an era of coffee-shop rock and acoustic jams. Since then, the world has changed immeasurably, but songs like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” have remained firmly lodged in the public consciousness, thanks to the catchy melodicism of singer Chris Barron. Barron’s solo work retains the lighthearted playfulness of his Doctoral days, and at Michael’s on Main he promises to bring a mix of new tunes and Spin Doctors classics—so get ready for the scat-along of the century in “Two Princes.” MH

INFO: 2 p.m. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $17 adv/$20 door. 479-9777.

PSYCH ROCK

LOFI SATELLITES

Formed on the shores of Pacifica, LoFi Satellites launched their Soundcloud in 2016 with a few demo tracks. Today, the psyche-pop quartet have played all over the Bay Area, taking listeners on a spaced-out journey through the inner mind. Yet, unlike more experimental rock, LoFi Satellites stay within an orbit of dusty daydreams, much like the Black Angels or Queens of the Stone Age. They’ll be joined on stage by local heavy hitters Homebrew, local funkers Light the Band, and the eclectic sounds of Davis’ the Big Poppies. MW

INFO: 9 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, $5. 423-7117.

SUNDAY 10/28

FUNK

LUCKY CHOPS

Santa Cruz is in for a fiery, funky and fun night as Lucky Chops brassify your favorite songs into something better than you ever imagined. The six-piece group of happy horns blat and squeal their way through an arrangement of popular tunes worthy of their internet-viral fame, putting their signature spin on songs that other musicians may mistakenly leave for the dusty three-ring tomes of Karaoke bars. Dedicated to inspiring and educating through music, Lucky Chops are working hard on their first full-length studio album for 2019. AB

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

Love Your Local Band: Getaway Dogs

A&E
Music

-

October 23, 2018

0

The two songs on Getaway Dogs’ new 7″ single are not new—they were previously released on the band’s Lost in the Ebb LP. But since the lineup has basically completely changed, leader Kai Killion thought it would be fun to have the current version of the band do some recordings of the songs.

It’s just a taste of what’s to come. The group is hard at work on its long-awaited follow-up full length, which has been in the works since January of this year and is expected to be released in the Spring of 2019.

“There’s a more honed-in sound,” Killion says. “It feels like a progressive step forward for the songwriting. It feels like it’ll be the best body of work that we’ve released yet, and we’re really excited for everyone to hear what we have in store.”

Originally a solo project for Killion, Getaway Dogs became a proper band after he released the album Mermaid Legs and Getaway Dogs in late 2013, and was looking for a way to do the songs justice in a live setting. Now he’s able to incorporate elements like psychedelic soundscapes and Brazilian rhythms. A friend even coined a genre name for it: “cushy bedroom psychedelic bossa nova.”

“It’s nice to have some kind of term to give it. It’s definitely a mix of so many things, and has the coastal element of Santa Cruz as a big part of it—surf rock and reverb and stuff. Also there’s soul and Brazilian music and psychedelic rock heavily in there as well,” Killion says.

INFO: 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $7/adv, $10/door. 479-1854.

Be Our Guest: Beats Antique

Cat Johnson

-

October 23, 2018

0

Electronic music, traditional Middle Eastern music, and Afrobeat might seem like worlds that would never normally collide.

As it turns out, Beats Antique formed a shade over a decade ago with the express purpose of blending these seemingly unblendable sounds into something resembling a cohesive vision. And it works splendidly.

The East Bay band takes the hypnotic, tribal-trance-like elements of these genres to find common ground on a spiritual level. There’s even a strong component of dance performance to really transport you to an otherworldly place.

INFO: 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $30/adv, $33/door. Information: catalystclub.com.

WANT TO GO?

Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Warren Miller’s Face of Winter

Uncategorized

GT Staff

-

October 22, 2018

0

Winter is just around the corner, and Warren Miller Entertainment is ready to kick off the season with its 69th installment ski and snowboard film, Face of Winter, presented by Volkswagen. The late, great Warren Miller built his legacy capturing the essence of winter magic, and today that legacy launches the start of the ski and snowboard season every year. In the 69th feature film, celebrate the man who became known as the face of winter throughout the industry, and the places and people he influenced along the way.

This year, new and veteran athletes come together to pay tribute to the man who started it all, including Jonny Moseley, Marcus Caston, Seth Wescott, Forrest Jillson, Kaylin Richardson, Dash Longe, Anna Segal, Michael “Bird” Shaffer, and featured athletes of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, including gold medalist, Jessie Diggins. Watch as they visit some of Warren’s favorite places from Engleberg to Chamonix, British Columbia to Alaska, Chile, Iceland, New Zealand and more.

“The film is for anyone whose life (whether they realize it or not) was impacted by Warren Miller,” says WME Managing Director Andy Hawk. “We are all the face of winter—from the athletes to the audience to the locals in far-off destinations or even at our home mountain. Warren recognized this, and this year’s film celebrates that.”

All fans, young and old, are invited to come together and carry on the tradition of the official kickoff to winter during the 2018 national tour. Film attendees will enjoy lift ticket and gear savings from Warren Miller resort, retail, and other brand partners. And, all moviegoers will be entered to win nightly prizes like swag and ski vacations.

Sponsors of the 2018 Warren Miller Tour
Volkswagen, Mount Gay Rum, L.L. Bean, Helly Hansen, Marmot, Switzerland Tourism, Ski Portillo, K2, Black Crows, Marker Dalbello Völkl USA, Blizzard Tecnica, and SKI Magazine.

Santa Cruz Shows
Tues, Nov. 20 7:30pm – Rio Theatre. $15pp. Buy Tickets

EVERYONE ATTENDING RECEIVES A FREE LIFT TICKET TO MOUNT SHASTA SKI PARK, PLUS TWO FOR ONE OFFERS FROM SQUAW VALLEY-ALPINE MEADOWS AND JACKSONHOLE! TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE AT SPORTS BASEMENT.

This post has been sponsored by Warren Miller Entertainment. If you’d like to sponsor an existing or future post, please contact our advertising team.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

Lester Vineyards Tastings

Pasta of the Week

Product of the Week

Noah Gould at Iveta

THE WEATHER STATION

NNAMDI OGBONNAYA

THURSDAY 10/25

CALIFORNIA KIND

ALLISON MILLER’S BOOM TIC BOOK

FRIDAY 10/26

MISS LONELY HEARTS

JESSE COLIN YOUNG

SATURDAY 10/27

CHRIS BARRON

LOFI SATELLITES

SUNDAY 10/28

LUCKY CHOPS

WANT TO GO?