Rob Brezsny’s Astrology May 31—June 6

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May 30, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Life is in the mood to communicate with you rather lyrically. Here are just a few of the signs and portents you may encounter, along with theories about their meaning. If you overhear a lullaby, it’s time to seek the influence of a tender, nurturing source. If you see a type of fruit or flower you don’t recognize, it means you have a buried potential you don’t know much about, and you’re ready to explore it further. If you spy a playing card in an unexpected place, trust serendipity to bring you what you need. If a loud noise arrives near a moment of decision? Traditionally it signifies caution, but these days it suggests you should be bold.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your body is holy and magic and precious. I advise you not to sell it or rent it or compromise it in any way—especially now, when you have an opening to upgrade your relationship with it. Yes, Taurus, it’s time to attend to your sweet flesh and blood with consummate care. Find out exactly what your amazing organism needs to feel its best. Lavish it with pleasure and healing. Treat it as you would a beloved child or animal. I also hope you will have intimate conversations with the cells that compose your body. Let them know you love and appreciate them. Tell them you’re ready to collaborate on a higher level.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “The most intense moments the universe has ever known are the next 15 seconds,” said philosopher Terence McKenna. He was naming a central principle of reality: every new now is a harvest of everything that has ever happened; every fresh moment is a blast of novelty that arises in response to the sum total of all history’s adventures. This is always true, of course. But I suspect the phenomenon will be especially pronounced for you in the near future. More than usual, you may find that every day is packed with interesting feelings and poignant fun and epic realizations. This could be pleasurable, but also overwhelming. Luckily, you have the personal power necessary to make good use of the intensity.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Nobody likes to be scrutinized or critiqued or judged. But we Crabs (yes, I’m one of you) are probably touchier about that treatment than any other sign of the zodiac. (Hypersensitivity is a trait that many astrologers ascribe to Cancerians.) However, many of us do allow one particular faultfinder to deride us: the nagging voice in the back of our heads. Sometimes we even give free rein to its barbs. But I would like to propose a transformation of this situation. Maybe we could scold ourselves less, and be a bit more open to constructive feedback coming from other people. Starting now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The lion’s potency, boldness, and majesty are qualities you have a mandate to cultivate in the next three weeks. To get in the righteous mood, I suggest you gaze upon images and videos of lions. Come up with your own version of a lion’s roar—I mean actually make that sound—and unleash it regularly. You might also want to try the yoga posture known as the lion pose. If you’re unfamiliar with it, go here for tips: tinyurl.com/lionpose. What else might help you invoke and express the unfettered leonine spirit?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “What does it matter how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?” French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan posed that question. I invite you to put it at the top of your list of hot topics to meditate on. In doing so, I trust you won’t use it as an excuse to disparage your companions for their inadequacies. Rather, I hope it will mobilize you to supercharge your intimate alliances; to deepen your awareness of the synergistic beauty you could create together; to heighten your ability to be given the universe by those whose fates are interwoven with yours.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): From my study of the lost prophecies of Nostradamus, the hidden chambers beneath the Great Pyramid of Cheops, and the current astrological omens, I have determined that now is a favorable time for you to sing liberation songs with cheeky authority … to kiss the sky and dance with the wind on a beach or hilltop … to gather your most imaginative allies, and brainstorm about what you really want to do in the next five years. Do you dare to slip away from business as usual so you can play in the enchanted land of what-if? If you’re smart, you will escape the grind and grime of the daily rhythm so you can expand your mind to the next largest size.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “On some hill of despair,” wrote poet Galway Kinnell, “the bonfire you kindle can light the great sky—though it’s true, of course, to make it burn you have to throw yourself in.” You may not exactly feel despair, Scorpio. But I suspect you are in the throes of an acute questioning that makes you feel close to the edge of forever. Please consider the possibility that it’s a favorable time to find out just how much light and heat are hidden inside you. Your ache for primal fun and your longing to accelerate your soul’s education are converging with your quest to summon a deeper, wilder brilliance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’re in a phase when you have the power to find answers to questions that have stumped you for a while. Why? Because you’re more open-minded and curious than usual. You’re also ready to be brazenly honest with yourself. Congrats! In light of the fact that you’ll be lucky at solving riddles, I’ve got three good ones for you to wrestle with. 1. Which of your anxieties may actually be cover-ups for a lazy refusal to change a bad habit? 2. What resource will you use more efficiently when you stop trying to make it do things it’s not designed to do? 3. What blessing will you receive as soon as you give a clear signal that you are ready for it?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A typical Capricorn cultivates fervent passions, even to the point of obsession. Almost no one knows their magnitude, though, because the members of your tribe often pursue their fulfillment with methodical, business-like focus. But I wonder if maybe it’s a good time to reveal more of the raw force of this driving energy than you usually do. It might humanize you in the eyes of potential helpers who see you as too strong to need help. And it could motivate your allies to provide the extra support and understanding you’ll need in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to carry out a flashy flirtation with the color red. I dare you to wear red clothes and red jewelry. Buy yourself red roses. Sip red wine and savor strawberries under red lights. Sing Elvis Costello’s “The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes” and Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.” Tell everyone why 2017 is a red-letter year for you. For extra credit, murmur the following motto whenever a splash of red teases and pleases your imagination: “My red-hot passion is my version of high fashion.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “If you want a puppy, start by asking for a pony,” read the bumper sticker on the Lexus SUV I saw. That confused me. Would the owner of a Lexus SUV be the type of person who didn’t expect to get what she really wanted? In any case, Pisces, I’m conveying a version of this bumper-sticker wisdom to you. If you want your domestic scene to thrive even more than it already does, ask for a feng shui master to redesign your environment so it has a perfect flow of energy. If you want a community that activates the best in you, ask for a utopian village full of emotionally intelligent activists. If you want to be animated by a focused goal that motivates you to wake up excited each morning, ask for a glorious assignment that will help save the world.

Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess. Listen to the podcast: http://bit.ly/YourProphecy

Destiny, Longing, the Path—More on the Dragon Points

Risa D’Angeles

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May 30, 2017

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Destiny, Longing, the Path—More on the Dragon Points

Last week I wrote about the North and South nodes—the points in space that show us where the Moon (our past) and the Sun (our present future) meet. The North Node depicting our present/future dharma (work to develop). And the South node shows us where we have already cultivated gifts and talents. We find these are easy for us in this lifetime. Thus, we are often in a state of recapitulation as we gather gifts, talents and abilities developed in previous lifetimes. As we engage with already known talents, we re-encounter ourselves and this allows us to build stepping stones with our re-encountered gifts from the South Node (karmic inheritances, things to complete, to gather) to the North Node (destiny, soul’s longing, evolutionary path).

Each lifetime is always a higher level than previous lifetimes. We never slide backward. And, always, in each lifetime, we are moving from the South Node (the past, the Moon) to the North Node (present/future, the Sun), walking toward our life’s purpose (seen in the rising sign). Eventually, midlife, there is something that occurs that is very important to know. As we near the North Node, as the doors to the North Node open to us, the South Node’s doors begin to close. Over time, we find that we cannot turn back. We cannot return to the South Node. This can be quite difficult. The areas of life, the place, the people we have been comfortable with for so long, has closed. We can feel unmoored, unsettled, bereft. Very gradually, we realize a new life rhythm has begun. And we step upon that last stone of the North Node and look ahead. In the world for everyone, the North Node has entered Leo, the South Node Aquarius, influencing each sign for the next 18 months. The North Node is our Guiding Light.

ARIES: In the next 18 months, you will find opportunities to develop new levels of creativity, talents, gifts, abilities and be able to recognize them. You will see what your contribution is to the world. Children, playfulness, fun and game games may become very important, along with learning how to love more, having a bit of romance, giving birth to something while radiating and shining a light in the world.

TAURUS: Over the next months you realize help from others is needed. Usually you accomplish everything alone. You’re confident, assured and strong. However, there comes a time when one must realize that others can more effectively help and nurture us. Your heart needs a bit more warmth, empathy and care from others. Events occur that support this.

GEMINI: You will shine brightly in ways you didn’t expect. Your communication skills will increase, and your conversations will be more lively and more understood. What are you curious about these days? What calls to you, what is of interest? This is a time to read more, study deeply and perhaps consider writing about your life, sharing it. Tolerance will be needed toward others different than you. Gemini is connected with Sirius, where love comes from.

CANCER: There are virtues to be established in the coming months. That of patience and determination. These will allow for a new creativity to come about. Gardening is a most important skill and task for Cancer who seeks to nurture the world. A rose garden is especially valuable. All of nature calls to you. Nature is the most balanced of kingdoms. Create an arbor, plant climbing roses, the fragrant kind. The devas will help you.

LEO: It is good to consider your image. You’re a leader and are becoming a pioneer of all things new. You become quite unusual in the next months to a year. A new self-image will emerge that initiates a fire within others, a Vesta fire. You become a forerunner for groups seeking to understand how to communicate. Perhaps with other species or kingdoms. Travel takes you far away.

VIRGO: You will move along new pathways. Familiar life patterns change. Veils will hide the old ways of being. Challenges will be met through intuition, prayer, mantrams and silent contemplative walks. You will seek to practice random kindness and realize that although sometimes solitary, you are never alone. You cultivate a deeper spiritual awareness. Talk with the devas.

LIBRA: You might find yourself joining with others, everyone sharing common goals, creating new endeavors together. The efforts are humanitarian, a bit radical, with the purpose of social change. You will learn a deeper level of cooperation as you blend your personal will with the great harmonious Will. Right Relations with everyone calls to you. All of this beneficence is filled with new opportunities for you.

SCORPIO: When considering your career, maintain the highest standards. You may encounter public recognition in your chosen field. Powerful energies drop into your mind, encouraging you to bring forth new leadership. Over the next 18 months, opportunities occur to establish cooperative leadership. Maintain boundaries and see yourself as an expert with a sterling reputation.

SAGITTARIUS: Travel. Journeys. On a boat or plane. Over mountains and plains. Across countries, over rivers and oceans. New cultures, exotic foods, higher learning, various philosophies, unusual clothing, personal growth, goals, justice, new belief systems, new spiritual systems and dimension. Starting points and ending points. Bow and arrows. White Horse. Pilgrimage. God. All of these, over time, encountered, lead you to Wisdom.

CAPRICORN: Cultivate a deeper intimacy between yourself and the one you love. A highly developed level of love is available to you at this time. Consider ways to regenerate and ways to rejuvenate. All things outworn simply fall away. You become more intuitive. Keeping a dream, vision, aspiration and astrology journal is helpful for when you look back on this time. To understand.

AQUARIUS: You will be given the opportunity to develop Right Human Relations with everyone, bringing forth poise and stability in all relationships, personal and impersonal. Especially personal at first. You will experience a give and take in all interactions which creates a harmony between you and others. Diplomacy will be called forth and more acceptance so all separations become unified. You become a greater person.

PISCES: You will consider over the next months all interactions with co-workers. Even if you live a solitary life, there are kingdoms (mineral, plant, animal, human, spiritual) around all of us that we interact and work within. it will be important to improve all environments and tend to the personal self in ways that bring about personal healing. Include alternative methods (see a Functional doctor). Spend time each day in the direct golden light of the Sun.

Food & Drink Magazine 2017

Special Publications

GT Staff

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May 26, 2017

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In this issue of Food & Drink magazine, we’re on a spicy kick. First, Christina Waters looks at how Mexican specialties are all the rage at upscale restaurants locally. It’s interesting not only in the way it expands the definition of Mexican cuisine in a taqueria-rich dining scene, but also because, in some cases, chef talents like Gema Cruz of Gabriella Cafe are getting an outlet to explore their heritage. Cruz grew up cooking with her grandmother in Oaxaca, and now Gabriella is hosting a special night each week that features dishes from the region.

Nicely complementing Christina’s piece is Maria Grusauskas’ exploration of spice, and how it affects our dining experience. The O.G. Santa Cruz spice meister, Jozseph Schultz, offers the kind of insight on the subject that we’ve come to expect from him over his many years running India Joze.

Lest ye think that we are only living up to half of our name, check out our stories on the best new wine releases, and the age-old question of whether beer belongs in a can. Cheers!

IN THIS ISSUE…

Opinion May 24, 2017

Steve Palopoli

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May 24, 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Whenever I think about Santa Cruz’s lack of public space, I think about what GT writer Cat Johnson once said: “There’s nowhere to take your lunch in this town.” Back when Abbott Square was in the planning stages, she predicted it could be a big first step toward solving the problem.

Now that Abbott Square is set to open, with First Friday next week serving as the public’s first chance to get a sneak peek of what it will be, and the MAH building up to the opening throughout the whole month of June, I invited Johnson to revisit the public space issue in this week’s cover story. It’s clear from her story how much Santa Cruz has riding on the success of Abbott Square, and that everyone around here has their own hopes to project onto it. Mat Weir also provides a brief history of how Abbott Square got here, starting with the Cooper House, which has provided a sort of spiritual model for the public square project. Finally, Christina Waters weighs in on how Abbott Square, with its marketplace-style hub of restaurants, will impact the local dining scene. I think the sum total of these stories give a nicely rounded view of just what Abbott Square is going to mean for downtown.

Lastly, I just wanted to remind everyone that the American Music Festival is this weekend in Aptos Village Park. Hopefully you read our coverage last week, in which we said probably everything there is to say about it. Now all that’s left to do is get out there and enjoy the return of the Devil Makes Three, as well as Melissa Etheridge, Mavis Staples and many other artists who’ll be there Saturday and Sunday. Happy Memorial Day!

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

So Nice, Gotta Read It Twice

Such a heartfelt eulogy, Steve Kettmann’s piece on Peter McLaughlin, Pete the Poet (GT, 5/10). Our own local, very hip Vincent Van Gogh, an artist whose muse is as well his torturer, bringing an end too soon. It has been a long time since I have read a long piece word-for-word all the way through, some of it twice. Thanks for making this beautiful work the centerpiece of last week’s GT.

John D. Roevekamp

Scotts Valley

On the Curse of Santa Cruz

Re: May 10 GT: Good issue. Steve, I especially appreciate your comments on the Santa Cruz artistic curse. I lived in Santa Cruz throughout the ’70s, part of the time as the first full-time housing coordinator at College 5 of UCSC (about which I shall never write a book). But I did complete a book here, tracing the effect of the biblical Eve myth on Western civilization, but I had moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, by that time and although I mentioned a dozen or so much appreciated Santa Cruz helpers along the way in my acknowledgements, I think it went unnoticed by the local community—even when the New York Times gave me a two-page review and named it one of their 250 Notable Books of 1984.

I’d also like to comment on Gigo Desilva’s Hawaii letter. I was born in Honolulu 83 years ago; an army kid. I was there three months, and have never been back. In the meantime, I have been using a hospital record as my “birth certificate” each time it was asked for, even though it has nothing on it that identifies it as a birth certificate. No problem; although my retirement application for Social Security several years ago produced the usual chuckles over the inked baby footprints, nobody ever questioned its authenticity—until we returned to Santa Cruz and I applied for a state driver’s license. I was given the “Where were you really born, Mister Obama, if that is your real name?” treatment, and had to have the state of Hawaii email me a birth certificate (which was finally, grudgingly accepted, even though Hawaii was a territory when I was born). On my 85th birthday, I intend to go back and show it to our (much-missed) former president for a group laugh. Sorry. I could not resist that story.

John A. “Tony” Phillips

Aptos

Broken Traffic Laws

I have noticed the increased frequency of traffic violations which have threatened my safety. Drivers seem to take more chances now. I’ve been counting the number of occurrences that I am almost hit by another vehicle to be at least two to three times every day. I have witnessed many vehicles drive through red stop lights, or cross over double yellow lines into oncoming traffic, or be in a left turn lane and suddenly make a right turn cutting another driver off, or drive through a crosswalk with pedestrians jumping out of the way. When I see one of these dangerous maneuvers happen, there are never any cops around to catch the violator. All of these instances are inexcusable, reckless and selfish.

Many years ago, when I first learned how to drive, my instructor said, “Never insist on right of way, because people are unpredictable and can change their minds at the last second.” How true this is. I find it very difficult to live in a society where I follow what I was taught in the DMV Driver Handbook, but it seems like everyone else can do whatever they want! I am beginning to not feel safe anymore driving around my hometown, for fear that I will be injured in an accident.

I believe the cause of this is that as more people move into Santa Cruz County and more vehicles are on the road, we become more agitated and competitive. Even if you are in a hurry, please don’t think you are the only person on the road. We still need to be respectful of each other!

Ernest Amos-Jackson | Santa Cruz

Is Health Care Efficiency Good?

Dr. Wells Shoemaker in your Wellness column (GT, 4/26) states that Santa Cruz County “is one of the top three or four counties in the nation in terms of health care efficiency.” But what does that mean?

Nowhere in this article is there a mention of the out-of-control costs of the health care system in the U.S. As a low-income senior (but not low enough for Medicaid eligibility) on Medicare it is quite evident to me. Medicare is not free by any means, thanks to all the accommodations to the insurance companies and their need for profits. A senior in Santa Cruz County must pay the Medicare monthly fee out of Social Security, buy a drug plan or face a penalty, and buy supplemental insurance or face 20 percent co-pays on any possible serious healthcare need. This adds up to around $300+ as a monthly expense (can be less if you’re willing to pay high deductibles) before going to the doctor.

Medicare is considered a “single-payer” system, but it’s not able to control what the big corporate hospital-medical complexes are doing. We hear about fraud in terms of individuals, not these big organizations like Sutter Health, PAMF’s for-profit parent. We need single-payer health insurance for all and more regulation to curb this kind of crazy “efficiency.”

Sara Cloud | Santa Cruz

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

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GOOD IDEA

SPOKE UP
A local Climate Ride event is happening June 9-13, stretching all the way from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo on bicycles. Visit climateride.org for more information, including how to register and how to support local participants like Tawn Kennedy, youth programs director for Bike Santa Cruz County, or Amelia Conlen, transportation coordinator for the City of Santa Cruz.

GOOD WORK

SHEâ€™S A STAR
UCSCâ€™s Sandra Faber won the 2017 Gruber Cosmology Prize, which comes with $500,000, for being an all-around astronomy badass. The professor emeritaâ€™s groundbreaking studies of galaxies helped establish many of the foundational principles of modern cosmology. Faber also received the National Medal of Science in 2013 and is renowned for her contributions to the understanding of dark matter and galaxy formation.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

â€œA square is also an organism, not just a work of art and architecture.â€
-Michael Kimmelman

5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz This Week

GT Staff

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May 24, 2017

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Event highlights for the week of May 24, 2017

Green Fix

Redwood Grove Loop Guided Walk

The grand coast redwood trees are an icon of Northern California. They exceed storybook imaginations and exemplify the grandeur of nature. This Monday, May 29, learn a smidge of history, some ecology, and meet some local legends on an easy half-mile walk through an old-growth grove in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The trail is wheelchair accessible and mostly flat. This event takes place every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Info: 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek. Free.

Art Seen

Music and Art Festival

Enjoy Memorial Day weekend at Junction Park with the Boulder Creek community. This free event will feature activities for children and local art vendors presenting their works, along with live music from Mofongo, JnJ Dynamite, Dead Men Rocking, and Isaac and the Haze. There will also be beer by Uncommon Brewers, wine and barbecue from BC Brewery available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks Department.

Info: 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, May 28. Junction Park, 13264 Middleton Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.

Thursday 5/25

‘I am Jane Doe’ Screening

It happens every day in America—children are sold into sexual slavery. I Am Jane Doe is the story of the mothers who are fighting back and reclaiming their childrens’ futures. Narrated by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain and directed by Mary Mazzio, the film is presented by local nonprofit Rising International, which is fighting human trafficking on the Central Coast with the Coalition to End Human Trafficking in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Info: 6 p.m. Rio Theater, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. risinginternational.org. $10.

Friday 5/26 – Sunday 6/4

‘Zoot Suit’ at UCSC

Luis Valdez’s iconic Zoot Suit tells the 1942 story of the Sleepy Lagoon murder and the reaction of the Los Angeles Police Department, a case which ended in the arrest, trial and imprisonment of a group of Mexican-American men, without evidence, because they were “Mexican and dangerous.” Violence against Latinos and other minorities spread through Los Angeles and other American cities in the wake of the court decision, becoming known as the Zoot Suit Riots because of the extravagant long-cut “zoot” suits worn by those who were targeted. This year, Valdez, a key figure in the Chicano Rights Movement, created a new version of the play. UCSC will be the first academic theater to produce the new script, directed by Valdez’s son, Kinan Valdez.

Info: 3 & 7:30 p.m. UCSC Mainstage, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. UCSCtickets.com. $12-$18.

Saturday 5/27 – Sunday 5/28

Music in May

For 10 years, Music in May has brought world-renowned musicians to Santa Cruz. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the festival will head to local classrooms and a county youth detention facility, and include a world premiere, a final tribute to the festival’s longtime friend David Arben, and a collaboration with San Francisco Ballet Corps member Kimberly Braylock-Olivier. Saturday’s program will feature Santa Cruz Symphony’s conductor Daniel Stewart and Braylock-Olivier performing original choreography to Spiegel im Spiegel. Sunday afternoon’s program will unveil the newest music written for chamber ensemble and TJ Cole’s world premiere, plus 5 Pieces for 2 Violins.

Info: 7 & 2 p.m. Samper Recital Hall, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. musicinmay.org.

What question would you ask if you did Local Talk for a week?

Columns

Matthew Cole Scott

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May 24, 2017

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What question would you ask if you did Local Talk for a week?

“When does gentrification stop being positive and start being destructive?”

Kevin Kaproff

Santa Cruz

Barista

“If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

Melanie Guther

Santa Cruz

Student

“What turns you on? ”

Yarah Sutra

Traveler

Pleasure Priestess

“How long do you think the housing bubble will last here?”

Doug Polhamius

Soquel

Web Designer

“How do you define yourself in the world you live in?”

Miriam Elizabeth Araya

San Jose

Graduate Student

Music Picks May 24—30

GT Staff

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May 24, 2017

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THURSDAY 5/25

PSYCH-ROCK

SLEEPY SUN

“Formed in a Santa Cruz garage” is the origin story for many a band that takes the Catalyst stage. In the case of Sleepy Sun, who began its career in this familiar way in 2005 with five UCSC students, it’s taken them all over the world. The group is set to release its fifth album this June. The sound started off in familiar garage rock territory, but as the years progress, the members have developed a sound that’s more spiritual, esoteric, and swirling into the farther reaches of twisted anti-pop psych rock. AARON CARNES

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $15/adv, $18/door. 429-4135.

THURSDAY 5/25

JAZZ

JOEY DeFRANCESCO & THE PEOPLE

Even since Miles Davis recruited the teenager organist to tour with his band in the late 1980s, Philadelphia-raised Joey DeFrancesco has been universally hailed as the most prodigious B-3 master of his generation, a virtuoso who almost singlehandedly revived interest in his instrument. His latest release, Project Freedom, focuses on the liberatory power of jazz, with imaginative covers of era-defining songs such as John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” He’s joined by stellar drummer Jason Brown, Australian-born saxophonist Troy Roberts (who’s made a powerful impression on recent Jeff “Tain” Watts recordings) and guitarist Dan Wilson, a member of Christian McBride’s new trio, Tip City. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30/adv, $35/door. 427-2227.

FRIDAY 5/26

TRIBUTE

SANTA CRUZ’S DEAD

The Grateful Dead had its roots in acoustic music, but it could trip electric with the best of them. In the 1980s, the band played a series of unforgettable acoustic/electric shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the Warfield in San Francisco. On Friday, local outfit Santa Cruz’s Dead—Matt Hartle, Jerry Brown, Arindam Krishna das, Roger Sideman and Mark Corsolini—pays homage to Dead and that era of the band’s double-duty explorations of acoustic and electric music. CJ

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.

FRIDAY 5/26

INDIE-JAZZ

MATTSON 2

Identical twins Jared and Jonathan Mattson, who formed the guitar-drums based jazz-indie duo Mattson 2, are in a weird predicament. The music is a bit too weird for traditional jazz audiences, and too jazz for weird audiences. So they’ve carved out their own audience. The duo has also taken to collaborating with creative individuals like Cornelius and Ray Barbee. Their latest is a collaborative album with Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bundick, a surreal psych jazz-folk-rock record. Catch the duo—just as a duo—as they get down to their oddball jazz tunes on Friday. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $15. 429-6994.

SATURDAY 5/27

ROCK

MCCOY TYLER

McCoy Tyler is a curious beast. The Northern Californian is a self-taught lyricist and guitar player who’s known for combining mixed-matched genres such as heavy metal, bluegrass, folk and everything inbetween. After years of playing with his band, the McCoy Tyler Trio, the prolific musician decided to switch things up for his latest EP, 26, and recorded it with Santa Cruz’s own Coffis Brothers as his backing band. This Saturday, he will be joined by the Ben Lomond folkers in honor of the EP’s upcoming, June 1 release, along with Bay Area trio Scary Little Friends. MAT WEIR

INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $8/adv, $10/door. 335-2800.

SATURDAY 5/27

COUNTRY

RODNEY CROWELL

On his new album, Close Ties, Americana singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell looks back on his musical career, including his early success with the Grammy-winning album Diamonds & Dirt. As Crowell explained to Rolling Stone, “I was a good guy; I was trying to make good art. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t an insecure little shit.” Crowell, who is now 66, experiences life differently now, and it shows in his lyrics. Close Ties is full of insights into life well-lived, and the heartache of losing friends and contemporaries, including in the tune, “Life without Susanna,” a tribute to Susanna Clark, wife of the late, great singer-songwriter Guy Clark. On Saturday, Crowell hits the Rio Theatre. CJ

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/gen, $40/gold. 423-8209.

SUNDAY 5/28

REGGAE

ALBOROSIE & YELLOWMAN

What do you get when you combine one of Jamaica’s famous dancehall originators with one of the island’s biggest current artists? Find out this Sunday at the Catalyst, as two reggae titans share the stage for one irie night. In the 1980s, Yellowman ushered in the new era of dancehall reggae with his rap-like delivery, recording genre classics like “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” and “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng,” both of which have been sampled numerous times throughout hip-hop history. Alborosie might have only hit the scene in 2008 with his debut album, Soul Pirate, but he quickly solidified his place in reggae with his revival of dancehall music for the modern era. MW

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $30. 429-4135.

SUNDAY 5/28

FOLK-ROCK

PETER HARPER

Peter Harper was born into a musical family—his grandparents opened the world-renowned Claremont Folk Music Center in Claremont, California; his mom is a multi-instrumentalist; and his brother is folk-rocker Ben Harper—but Harper avoided pursuing music seriously until a few years ago, and became a celebrated bronze sculptor instead. When he did take up music, he emerged as a thoughtful lyricist and talented guitarist in his own right. Harper’s performance at Moe’s Alley on Sunday is a release party for his new album, Break the Cycle. CJ

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $9/adv, $12/door. 479-1854.

TUESDAY 5/30

GOTH

POPTONE

Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins are two names that might not register on anyone’s radar who wasn’t a hardcore goth back in the day, but they were a part of the legendary Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Lesser known was their early ’80s Bauhaus side project Tones on Tail. Poptone is the duo’s new project. They will be playing songs from all three projects at this show, but will be focusing a little extra on obscure Tones on Tail tunes. AC

INFO: 7 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., $30. 423-8209.

IN THE QUEUE

ROBIN TROWER

Legendary rock guitarist. Wednesday at Catalyst

IAN SWEET

Indie-rock out of Brooklyn. Wednesday at Crepe Place

BROKEN ENGLISH & FLOR DE CAÑA

Latin dance party. Friday at Moe’s Alley

JURASSIC 5

Los Angeles-based hip-hop. Saturday at Catalyst

DOOBIE DECIMAL SYSTEM

All-star band led by Melvin Seals. Saturday at Moe’s Alley

Giveaway: Django Festival All-Stars

A&E
Music

Cat Johnson

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May 24, 2017

0

The name Django Reinhardt is synonymous with gypsy jazz. The Belgian-born French guitarist of Romani ethnicity is considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time, and a key European contributor to jazz. The Django Festival All-Stars—comprising guitarist Dorado Schmitt, Dorado’s son Samson on lead guitar, Ludovic Beier on accordion and accordina, Pierre Blanchard on violin, Doudou Cuillerier on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Antonio Licusati on bass—pays tribute to Reinhardt and French gypsy jazz with its own arrangements, interpretations and original compositions.

INFO: 7 & 9 p.m. Monday, June 12 at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30/adv, $35/door. 427-2227. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Monday, June 5 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Love Your Local Band: Golden Rage of Television

A&E
Music

Aaron Carnes

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May 24, 2017

0

Love Your Local Band: Golden Rage of Television

Several years back, local musician Pat McCormick was watching a show on PBS called Pioneers of Television. What struck him wasn’t the programs themselves, but the theme songs. He knew every song, but hadn’t heard them in a while. “They’re like lost hits,” he says.

The thought occurred to him: What if I played rock versions of these songs? As a longtime musician who’s played with Montrose, among other bands, the idea seemed potentially great, but also potentially risky.

“It was a crapshoot initially. It was an aspect of combining two lifelong passions: my love for the guitar, and my love for classic television,” McCormick says.

Ultimately, he felt that it worked. Theme songs from the ’50s and ’60s were often heavily orchestrated, and written by the best songwriters of their day. Beefed up with driving rock beats and electric guitars, the music had a prog-meets-’70s-theatrical-rock vibe. It was perfect for McCormick.

He spent the next several years perfecting a set of themes, and collaborated with a friend to create videos. The project, which debuted last year, features him on guitar, with several TV screens behind him playing surreal old TV imagery, along with the backing tracks to the song, which McCormick recorded himself. “It’s ear candy and eye candy,” he says.

At this coming show, only his third, he’ll be playing the first set solo, backed by TVs. But for the second set, he’ll be playing the rocked-out classic TV theme songs with a full band.

“We’ll have something fun to watch—a real band,” McCormick says.

INFO: 7 p.m. Sunday, May 28. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10. 335-2800.

Planning Commission Prepares to Weigh in on Corridor Rezoning

Local News

Matthew Renda

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May 24, 2017

2

Planning Commission Prepares to Weigh in on Corridor Rezoning

[Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part series on future housing plans for the city of Santa Cruz. Part two runs next week.]

Conventional wisdom is that the quickest solution to a housing crunch like the one that exists in Santa Cruz is to build more units to meet the demand.

“A housing deficit is mostly solved by adding housing,” says Michelle King, a senior planner with the city. “The best way we can bring the cost of housing down is by building more housing and by building it close to where people work.”

But the fix, simple enough in concept, begs more questions. Namely, what kind of housing—affordable or market-rate? And more importantly, where to put it.

The corridor rezoning proposal currently working its way through the city government suggests updating the zoning code in four of the city’s major thoroughfares—Water Street, Mission Street, Ocean Street and Soquel Avenue—in some cases expanding the allowable height of buildings and the density of residential occupancy.

Some groups worry its impact will be overwhelming, rather like the whole undertaking itself.

“The thing that bothers me the most is not the magnitude of development, but the process by which some of the basic elements were decided,” said Alan Holbert during a recent planning commission meeting. “People other than those that live on the east side were advising this process.”

The commissioners, who sat through hours of often heated public testimony, took no vote at the Thursday, May 17 meeting. They’ve yet to weigh in on the rezoning specifics, something they’re scheduled to do at the next meeting, on Thursday, May 25. The matter won’t head back to the Santa Cruz City Council for about a year.

The Corridor Advisory Committee finished its recommendations last year, with other city meetings happening along the way. The planning department is also organizing a more interactive family-based event for July 8. Staffers haven’t finalized the location, but King is hoping to get a representative slice of the Santa Cruz population.

The rezoning effort is essentially the implementation of the General Plan 2030 that the City Council passed in 2012, calling for mixed use and density on the four corridors. The idea at the time was that this path would be more sustainable and have less of an impact on residential neighborhoods, compared to other types of growth. The approach encourages developers to submit projects that facilitate a pedestrian- and bicycle-centered scope.

Santa Cruz residents already rejected suburban sprawl decades ago, opting instead to preserve a greenbelt that hems the city in with forests and open fields.

Although the environmental preservation jibes with the values of many city residents, it has also meant a very limited area on which to develop. Most of the area set aside for development has already been used, meaning that new housing must get built in a more urban fashion—upward instead of outward, according to the general plan.

While most of the changes in the corridor rezoning effort are nominal, some aspects could be more transformative, shaking up certain areas more than others—a concern of neighbors in the Midtown, Eastside and Seabright areas.

Zoning in those places labeled commercial corridors allows buildings of three stories and 40-foot height requirements. Along Mission Street and Ocean Street, the proposal could potentially allow developers to build five-story buildings with a 60-foot maximum height.

King says this opportunity to build bigger and higher is contingent upon the developer’s offering a community benefit, such as affordable housing, bike trails, open space or other trade-offs.

Some neighbors still say corridor rezoning will hurt the neighborhoods by compounding an already terrible traffic situation, depleting water sources and eroding the character of the blocks next to these busy thoroughfares.

“You are going to destroy the very communities that are supposed to benefit,” said Gary Patton during the planning meeting. For his part, Patton has probably been the most visible defender of the local greenbelt for 40 years, including when he lead an effort to protect Lighthouse Field from development in the 1970s.

He called the city’s approach now “fundamentally wrong,” even comparing incentives for development to that same proposed coastal shopping mall 40 years ago. And Patton says he would hate to see anything even remotely threaten the cheap, delicious food of Charlie Hong Kong, which is on Soquel Avenue.

Many attendees echoed Patton’s concerns. Some complained that the commissioners were inappropriately aligned with developers.

Planning Commissioner Peter Kennedy calls such accusations counterproductive, saying the commission is focused on attempting to solve or at least mitigate problems surrounding housing that continue to plague the city. “It’s hard to hear those accusations because it has been an open process,” he says.

But Kennedy is more receptive to some of the specific critiques of more dense development in the city’s corridors—namely that it will exacerbate traffic problems.

King insists that extracting community benefits from developers in exchange for greater height could mean residents earn more efficient streetscapes. That could turn into newer traffic signals, better turn lanes, roundabouts and other transportation strategies to make the traffic flow smoother.

Despite a stream of opposition at the meeting, some speakers came in praise of the rezone, saying Santa Cruz made a decision when it preserved the greenbelt around the city that it would have to build more densely in the downtown areas to accommodate inevitable spikes in population.

“I applaud this undertaking,” Laura Caldwell said at the meeting. “Santa Cruz needs a completely new vision.”

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IN THIS ISSUE…

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Redwood Grove Loop Guided Walk

‘I am Jane Doe’ Screening

Music in May

Kevin Kaproff

Santa Cruz

Barista

Melanie Guther

Santa Cruz

Student

Yarah Sutra

Traveler

Pleasure Priestess

Doug Polhamius

Soquel

Web Designer

Miriam Elizabeth Araya

San Jose

Graduate Student

SLEEPY SUN

JOEY DeFRANCESCO & THE PEOPLE

SANTA CRUZ’S DEAD

MATTSON 2

MCCOY TYLER

RODNEY CROWELL

ALBOROSIE & YELLOWMAN

PETER HARPER

POPTONE

IN THE QUEUE