Page 847 | Good Times

Sign of the Archer

Risa D’Angeles

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December 5, 2017

Wednesday is the feast of St. Nicholas, Greek bishop, healer, Wonderworker, and model for today’s Santa Claus.

After the dramatic tests and trials and Scorpio’s deep waters, Sagittarius is a breath of fresh air with a simpler task of riding over hill and dale on a white horse seeking endless adventures, foreign lands, foods and cultures, eyes on the mountaintops of Capricorn. Over time, Sagittarius realizes that a different test is taking place. A tempering and a fire to burn away all distortions hiding the truth. The Sag disciple must be able to see clearly. In Sag, the mind is being refined, sharpened, prepared, new teachings are presented. Much is demanded. The Disciple must demonstrate a one-pointed, focused mind containing clear visions and goals.

The eyes of Sag are always on the Path ahead, all motion (horse, rider, arrow) is toward a spiritual target. Truly, this is the sign of the archer, bow and arrows in hand. At some point, with appropriate tension of the bow, the Archer fires an arrow through space and time and into the future and all things of the past fade away.

This is the task of the present world disciple. Day by day we see our present culture and civilization collapsing. And as they do, the eye of the Disciple, with its pointed, directed focus, sees with inner vision the direction humanity is to take.

Sagittarius is the sign of Truth, removing the veils hiding the eyes of Lady Justice, allowing all that is no longer useful to shatter and fall away. The keynote of Sagittarius each day is, “I see the goal, I reach the goal and then I see another.”

Hanukkah’s first night is next Tuesday, Dec. 12. The first menorah candle is lit. Next to the menorah is the Advent wreath and candles. Both have lit candles—the light in our darkness. St. Lucia’s feast day is next Wednesday. She wears a crown of light.

ARIES: Something expansive occurs with money or things you hold in common with others. Also, your wound displays a Pisces flavor—an act of surrender, a revelation, or a feeling of being behind a curtain or veil. You will remember the way your mother (or grandmother) spoke with, tended and cared for you. You will attempt to recreate her food. You will finally praise and thank her. Quietly.

TAURUS: Hopefully you’re home, with intimates, family and friends and have access to things that nurture, like gardens and nourishing things. You will ponder upon previous work groups and interactions. You will remember a time when you felt life was bountiful, the path clear and bright ahead of you. It still is. Know this. Do get some peace and quiet amidst all of the work you’ll find to do.

GEMINI: You’re working more than ever, both internally and externally. Relationships take center stage these days. In the months to come, it will be important to ponder on future plans and goals. It is also most important to create cooperation between yourself and those around you, balancing your self-interests with those of others. Allow no conflict to arise between life at home and life at work. They are one.

CANCER: It’s important to assess your values—what you value, who you value, and if you feel valuable yourself. You may be hungrier than usual, and a bit more temperamental and touchy. Watch for impressions, vivid ideas, thoughts that lead to more independence, further resources, and a set of disciplines that make you feel more safe and secure. It’s inner structure coordinating your outer life. What creative endeavors are calling to you?

LEO: There is a new focus on self-identity and self-improvement … on all things for and about the self. In the meantime, organize all financial information, keep up to date on taxes and insurances, check investments, tend to debts (monetary, emotional) and always save 10 percent for yourself and tithe 10 percent. Remain close with family, sharing your ideas, plans, and even fears. They care for you. Be kind in your speech. Then magic occurs.

VIRGO: Spend time with loved ones and those close to you. Compromise, cooperate and have the intention for Goodwill. It brings forth Right Relations. As you extend gratitude to all and everything in your life, be forgiving in areas where you judge yourself. Remember there is no failure. There are only successive stages of learning. Work calls. Maintain discipline.

LIBRA: Tend carefully to finances; try not to spend on things not needed. Save resources for a family member or emergency. An innovative idea will occur to you concerning how to better save and how to build monetary safety for the future. Think about family wealth (not only money but information, land, etc.). Research silver and gold and work toward being ready when the economic reorientation occurs. Begin now.

SCORPIO: After giving profound thanks for all that you have (and all that’s packed away for some eventful later time) and for your enlightened mind, it may be time to give some attention to your finances and slow down on any new output of monies till the old debts are paid. Abundance will continue. Something needs to be sold. And some things given away.

SAGITTARIUS: You’re a bit vulnerable at this time. Usually, you aren’t, but now you are. Everything seems new and bright and possible. When we are vulnerable, great ideas appear. Record them. They contain a power and magic for the future. Your creative work is tuned to humanity so all of your ideas are what humanity seeks. From the deepest recesses of yourself ideas stream forth. You are expanding beyond all limitations.

CAPRICORN: Give thanks for all hidden things in your life, things you don’t know yet that are bright and beautiful and arriving in the future. Give thanks for all life experiences and people that shook you up and transformed you. Give thanks for those things that made you weary. Something new enters your world. Tend to everything close to home with care and awareness. Good things come with gratitude.

AQUARIUS: Create a journal of hopes, wishes and future dreams. As you write, goals will appear, then more and more goals. Tend to what is most important around you. Clean and clear away what seems confused, unkempt, untidy, disorganized or incomplete. Change will occur in the new year. Uranus prepares us for a future that is quite unexpected. I hear the sound of freedom

PISCES: Gratitude propels you forward, releases the past. You can be grateful for knowing this. There is a ladder you’re seeking. Know that you are a true leader, that you will eventually, if not now, turn and serve humanity in ways you better understand. For now, it’s time to rest, and ponder on your plans. Refine them. Concentrate on love and kindness in relationships. Laugh more.

Think Local First 2018 Directory

Special Publications

GT Staff

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November 30, 2017

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More Changes at Sentinel As Editor Don Miller Retires

Local News

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November 30, 2017

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More Changes at Sentinel As Editor Don Miller Retires

Santa Cruz’s 161-year-old daily newspaper will have a new editor starting tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 1.

Don Miller, the Santa Cruz Sentinel’s editor for the last ten years, is leaving, as he announced in a Thanksgiving column. Kara Meyberg Guzman—currently the paper’s digital editor—will be taking over his responsibilities, and she sounds surprisingly optimistic, even saying that she’s excited about the possibilities.

“This is turning over a new leaf for the newspaper,” says Guzman, a former contributor to GT. “I am not only the first woman, but also the first person of color taking on this role. On top of that, I’m under 35. I’m young. I’d like to focus on attracting younger readers who look like me.”

Although casual observers may not see younger Americans as big news readers, a recent Nielsen Scarborough survey found that readership among millennials has been growing.

Guzman’s official title will be managing editor, and she’ll work only for the Sentinel, whereas Miller also served as editor for the Monterey Herald in recent years. The two papers are owned by the same group, Digital First Media, which is turn owned by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital.

The change follows the news that the Sentinel’s arts and entertainment editor Wallace Baine will also be leaving, as we reported earlier this month. But Miller says he will stay on for a few hours per week—through a few months, at least—to write “occasional” editorials.

Tom Honig—the paper’s former editor, prior to Miller—says that it’s a blow for the newspaper to lose someone with Miller’s years of experience.

“There aren’t any older people in the room now, with Don leaving,” Honig says. “There was a lot of wisdom handed down from the older people in the room, and that layer has just been lopped off.”

Miller says he picked Guzman as his successor because of her integrity, curiosity, perseverance and sense of community. “She’s going to need that spirit to survive the headwinds that are rocking the newspaper industry,” he says.

Guzman had been a reporter for the Sentinel before leaving in 2015. She returned as a digital editor in March of 2017, after longtime city editor Julie Copeland, who could not be reached for comment, left due to reasons that the paper’s human resources declined to discuss on the record.

The Sentinel has shed considerable staff in recent years, even as its parent company Alden Global Capital rakes in handsome profits from Digital First Media. A September story in The Nation detailed how the hedge fund’s cruel cost-cutting at Digital First—America’s second biggest newspaper group—is making an already tough journalism market much worse. The article details how Alden’s founder and chief of investments went on a 2013 spending spree, buying up $52 million worth of Palm Beach mansions, while his company gutted newsrooms—downsizing venerable papers like the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune, which has been combined with the Contra Costa Times into a conglomeration called the East Bay Times.

Guzman is reluctant to share her long-term strategy, as she hasn’t had time get into depth with her reporters about what’s next, but she hopes to help reporters take on more investigative pieces and “deep dives”—something she believes journalists can do with a little time management guidance. And she wants to drive more readers toward the website. “It involves having a print product that’s different from our online product,” Guzman says.

Honig remembers when the Sentinel had 42 people in the newsroom, although that included positions that many papers no longer hire, like newsroom clerks and even copy editors. The Sentinel website’s “Contact Us” page lists 24 employees, including in advertising and marketing.

Honig—who retired amid an earlier era of financial strain in 2007—says there’s no way to compare the paper back then to the current Sentinel, although he says he admires the work the reporters crank out with limited resources.

““I could see the handwriting on the wall,” Honig says, “but I didn’t expect this many cuts.”

Guzman know it’s “no secret” that the local daily has shed its share of jobs, especially in the past three years.

“That’s what happens when you’re owned by a hedge fund,” she says. “But I’m worried that people see this change, with both Wallace and Don Miller leaving at the same time, as a sign of turmoil. But I also see this as an opportunity.”

Opinion November 29, 2017

Steve Palopoli

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November 29, 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Andy Weir seems to have the kind of fairy-tale story of which every aspiring author dreams. In fact, when you read in Steve Kettmann’s cover story about how Weir’s success unfolded—spoiler alert, he starts off with a blog and ends up with a hit movie based on his book—the first word that might come to mind is lucky.

Certainly, Weir, who’ll you’ll discover in Kettmann’s story to be as self-deprecating as they come, would agree with you.

But how much of his story really was luck? Kettmann takes a closer look at Weir’s writing in The Martian and his new novel Artemis—which he’ll be in Santa Cruz this week to talk about—to explain the real secrets of Weir’s success. That’s my favorite thing about this story—as much as we all marvel at the idea of a lottery-winner-type triumph, the story behind that story about how a self-made artist blazes his or her own path is even more interesting—and important.

I also want to remind everyone that Santa Cruz Gives is on its way to being our most successful effort yet to raise money for the most innovative nonprofit projects in Santa Cruz County—but we need your help. Read the story in our news section this week about one of the SCG nonprofits, Senderos, and then go to santacruzgives.org to contribute to their efforts, and discover all of the other worthy groups we’re asking you to support this holiday season. With more than $100,000 dollars raised in just two weeks, we’ve had a great start toward our goal of $250,000 by Dec. 31. Keep that momentum going, and be a part of the positive change in our community!

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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

LOCK STEP
Warming Center director Brent Adams has announced that his local program will assist in cleaning up the San Lorenzo Park encampment from Wednesday, Nov. 29, through Friday, Dec. 1. Adams says that he and fellow volunteers will also help Santa Cruz park rangers with the storing of homeless campers’ personal belongings. Adams says that immediately afterward, the Warming Center will help to open new storage lockers for the homeless at 1220 River St.—part of the recommendations the Homelessness Coordinating Committee unveiled this past spring.

GOOD WORK

GIFTED PROGRAM
Twin Lakes Church in Aptos has announced results from a two-month “experiment in radical generosity,” as senior pastor Rene Schlaepfer termed it. The church raised more than $286,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank—the equivalent of 1,145,000 meals. Parishioners gave 2,300 children’s pajamas to underserved youth and more than $50,000 toward immediate fire and flood relief. Others gave time, volunteering to clean windows, paint curbs and maintain local school buildings. For information on the Food Bank’s holiday giving campaign, visit thefoodbank.org.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I don’t believe in astrology—I’m a Sagittarius, and we’re skeptical.”
-Arthur C. Clarke

What makes you want to play hooky from work?

Columns

Matthew Cole Scott

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November 29, 2017

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What makes you want to play hooky from work?

“Good waves, or work that I care more about.”

James Galvin

Director of Operations

Santa Cruz

“Sea shanty party. It’s when you call in sick for work, hang out with your friends, drink rum and toast the Kraken, and sing sea shanties.”

Ryan P

Musician

Santa Cruz

“Calling in sick.”

Jessica Oatmeal

Silly Girl

Seacliff

“Beach volleyball and mimosas.”

Cindy Mekis

Nurse

Santa Cruz

“Surfing major swell and snowboarding fresh powder.”

Mario Huerta

Construction

Ventura

Dyane Harwood on Recovering from Postpartum Bipolar

Local News

Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld

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November 29, 2017

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Dyane Harwood on Recovering from Postpartum Bipolar

When Santa Cruz’s Dyane Harwood gave birth to her second daughter Marilla, she looked into her baby’s eyes and felt elated. After a pain-free birth to a healthy child, her happiness was understandable, but within hours her mood took a disturbing turn. Wildly energized, she talked nonstop while her thoughts raced. Even though she was exhausted, she felt little need to eat or sleep.

After she got home from the hospital, she began to display signs of hypergraphia, writing incessantly on her computer, in notebooks, on her arm, and on the wall, even while her baby needed her undivided attention. Harwood knew something was wrong, but as she tried to focus on her daughters, she downplayed what she didn’t realize were symptoms of mental illness. Harwood had become hypomanic, and soon these symptoms would threaten everything she cared about.

In her new memoir, Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder, Harwood lays out the frightening reality of an often-unrecognized illness. One or two cases of postpartum bipolar disorder occurs for every 1,000 live births, according to the National Institute of Health. But in 2007, when her disease was triggered, even postpartum depression—which we now know occurs in at least 15 percent of new moms—was considered an outlier. According to the American Psychological Association, it’s still underdiagnosed by clinicians, along with other postpartum mood disorders, such as anxiety, panic, OCD, post-traumatic stress, and psychosis. Symptoms may appear at anytime during pregnancy or in the first year of motherhood.

Harwood believes her bipolar disorder was latent, triggered by a combination of pregnancy, labor, hormones and genetics. Salle Webber, who was Harwood’s postpartum doula, agrees.

“When these things occur, much of it has to do with hormonal changes in the body, chemical changes in the brain, and the demands on mothers to suddenly be in complete service to a tiny human being,” says Webber, author of The Gentle Art of Newborn Family Care: A Guide for Doulas, which includes a chapter on mental health and postpartum mothers. “Their whole physiological being is disrupted.”

As for genetics, Harwood points to her father, a professional violinist and Fulbright scholar, who suffered from bipolar disorder, which infused her childhood with a sense of fear and sadness. She remembers calling him when she was first hospitalized. “He started to cry when I told him about my diagnosis,” she says, “because he didn’t want me to go through the misery that he’d been through.”

Harwood, who will discuss her book at a Dec. 7 event in Ben Lomond, says her experience was a worst-case scenario causing prolonged hardship.

“It took me seven years to stabilize. That’s a long time. I had to be hospitalized seven times,” she says. Then when her father died in 2009, the major event triggered suicidal thoughts, and Harwood opted for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a controversial procedure that she credits with saving her life. She tried tapering off lithium medication in 2013, as many people with bipolar disorder do, she says, but it launched her into a deep depression. She turned to ECT again for help, and it worked.

The biggest impact for her, she emphasizes, has been finding the right medication. She now takes what she calls an “old school” combination of drugs—lithium and a monoamine oxidase inhibitor called Parnate. “They’re often written off,” she says, “but for me, they ended up changing years of symptoms in three days.”

Webber says that one of Harwood’s biggest gifts to her readers is showing the simple power of asking for help. “So many women aren’t able to do that, and they’ll benefit from Dyane’s courage,” Webber explains. “If there’s ever a time when a woman should ask for help, it’s when she’s given birth.”

As she recovered, Harwood searched for lifestyle changes to help her heal. Her Scottish collie, Lucy, has been “a huge comfort,” she says. “I encourage everyone to get a pet. Even a fish,” she says.

Harwood has also embraced forest bathing, a practice developed in Japan that promotes spending time outside surrounded by trees as a way of healing. “Being in the redwoods and getting all these wonderful natural chemicals—the smell, the beauty, it’s helped me a lot.” And Harwood swears by regular exercise, something she used to do “for vanity,” she concedes. “But what motivated me in the calm after the storm of my bipolar experience is how much it affects brain health and stabilizes mood,” she says.

Harwood believes simple changes in pre- and postnatal care, like better observation and screening practices, could further improve the lives of many young families and make everyone safer.

“Simply screen women who are or want to become pregnant to find out if there’s a family history of mental illness,” she says. “If there is, pay closer attention during and after pregnancy. It’s getting better, but there’s still a long way to go.”

Harwood says she’s grateful that her marriage and the family she loves have remained intact in the face of extreme challenges. She’s also proud of her accomplishments in the wake of serious personal struggles. She’s founded a local chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, which facilitates free support groups.

Harwood has also written articles about postpartum bipolar disorder, in addition to her book. “As a reader, I couldn’t find anything out there about what I was going through,” she says. “Writing it gave me a sense of purpose, because I felt like this could really help people.”

Harwood will talk about postpartum bipolar disorder during a book signing on Thursday, Dec. 7, at Park Hall Community Center, 9400 Mill St., Ben Lomond. The event is sponsored by Valley Women’s Club and the Santa Cruz County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For more information, visit dyaneharwood.com.

Senderos Offers Youth a Promising Path Forward

Local News

Andrea Patton

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November 29, 2017

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Senderos Offers Youth a Promising Path Forward

Senderos is probably best known for its lively dance performances celebrating Latino culture at festivals around Santa Cruz County. But the group’s primary mission is revealed in its name, which means “pathways.”

“The main goal is education,” says Fe Silva-Robles, a native Oaxacan who founded the organization with her sister, Nereida Robles, in 2001. While working as a middle school teacher, parents asked her for advice on steering their kids in a positive direction. She knew that an after-school program was the solution, but swim lessons and other activities were too expensive for families struggling to pay rent and buy groceries. As a lifelong Oaxacan dancer, she decided to offer free dance classes, and soon after, parents began raising funds to purchase what would become the colorful Oaxacan garments Senderos is known for.

Silva-Robles believes dance and music classes go hand in hand with academic success. “When you are not connected with your culture, you are more vulnerable to different things,” she says. “We were seeing how the students were distracted by sickness in the community.”

Last year, Senderos awarded five college scholarships, and they are creating a college-going culture that benefits not only the students in the program, but also those around them as well. “If these kids are healthy, that health is going to spread in the community,” Silva-Robles says.

This is the second year that Senderos has been selected to participate in Santa Cruz Gives. Senderos offers dance, music and tutoring programs that are held in a family-centered environment in partnership with Santa Cruz City Schools, and they welcome all. Rosy Tapia, a grandmother who has two granddaughters enrolled in the program, is learning dance and music as well. “One thing I love is they show respect to everybody. I feel really comfortable with everybody,” Tapia says.

Kristen Silva, Silva-Robles’ daughter, has participated in the program since she was seven years old. Now she helps lead it. After attending Santa Cruz Schools from K-12, Silva returned to her alma mater, Harbor High School, where she now teaches math to newcomers. “I think that’s really the core of our organization, that we’re not afraid to showcase the aspects of our culture that aren’t really highlighted in the news. And we’re also trying to shape these people and these students into the citizens who can contribute to our community,” Silva says.

“One thing I think is so beautiful about this program is the intergenerational unity,” says Carolyn Coleman, Senderos Board Treasurer. Parents take pride in seeing their children connecting with their heritage, and kids feel stronger about their cultural identity in the face of racism.

“My granddaughter was getting bullied two years ago,” Tapia says. “She started to feel depressed and didn’t want to go to school, but when she started here she started to be more comfortable. She didn’t put attention to them. Now she feels more powerful,” she says.

Santa Cruz Gives donations from last year went toward building the musical instrument lending library, Coleman says. This year, they plan to use funds to continue building the library as well as purchase dance outfits. The all-volunteer organization includes musicians who are able to repair brass and reed instruments that may be sitting around in someone’s garage.

Senderos started the Latino Role Models conference, held in collaboration with Cabrillo College and UCSC, and partners with the MAH to bring an authentic Dia de los Muertos festival to Santa Cruz. The organization relies on grants from the Arts Council and the Community Foundation, as well as their annual festival and fundraiser in May, Vive Oaxaca Guelaguetza, which will be held for the first time this year in the benchlands area of San Lorenzo Park.

The group’s annual winter performance, Winter in Mexico, is this weekend, showcasing dances from 14 states of Mexico.

“Guanajuato is the highlight performance this year,” Silva-Robles says. “We are very lucky to have a professor from Guanajuato who has been teaching us dances from there for two months. We have the story, the knowledge of the culture, and the kids are very excited about it.”

‘Winter in Mexico’ is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2, at Harbor High School Theater, 300 La Fonda Ave., Santa Cruz. $10, $5 students & seniors. 854-7740. To donate to any of the 33 nonprofits participating in Santa Cruz Gives, visit santacruzgives.org through Monday, Dec. 31.

Music Picks Nov. 29 – Dec. 5

GT Staff

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November 29, 2017

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Music highlights for the week of November 29, 2017.

WEDNESDAY 11/29

JAM

HIGGS

What is “cosmic California rock,” you ask? Short answer: Southern California band the Higgs. Long answer: a whole assortment of styles—funk, psych-rock, jazz, prog rock—done with some elements that are structured, and also some free-form improvisation. I guess you could call them a jam band, but the jams aren’t long guitar solos, they’re group explorations of groove. AARON CARNES

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $7/adv, $10/door. 479-1854.

THURSDAY 11/30

CELTIC

IRISH CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA

Now in its 12th year in Santa Cruz, Irish Christmas in America is a celebration of Irish music, humor, dance and history—all imbued with holiday spirit. The tour and performance is produced by Oisín Mac Diarmada of award-winning lrish group Téada and is traveling to venues around the country, including the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Performers at this year’s family-friendly concert include special guest singer Niamh Farrell, Séamus Begley, and dancer Samantha Harvey. CAT JOHNSON

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26/adv, $30/door. 427-2227.

FRIDAY 12/1

JAZZ

QUEEN ESTHER MARROW with THE TAMMY HALL TRIO

Queen Esther Marrow received her crown directly from a duke—Duke Ellington, that is. As a complete unknown just starting to think about pursuing music professionally, the 22-year-old Marrow got the call from Ellington to sing in the 1965 Concert of Sacred Music that consecrated San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. Her soaring voice provided a highlight of the evening, and she went on to work with other royalty, performing at events with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Over the years she’s recorded in gospel, jazz, and R&B settings, but has spent much of the past two decades working in Europe. Looking to re-establish herself back stateside, she’s performing in California with an ace trio. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 427-2227.

FRIDAY 12/1

GARAGE-ROCK

THE PACK AD

The video for Pack AD’s song “Dollhouse” is unsettling. The entire video is a continuous shot of singer Becky Black, who stares directly at your soul while her head bleeds, and she sings the words “Do you realize we live in a dollhouse?” to you. Her image goes in and out of focus. But that’s not the weirdest part. The video opens with a solid 20 seconds of her just staring, with no music playing. It’s like she knows you’re there! The group, a minimalistic duo, plays beefy bare-bones garage rock riffs backed by darkly humorous lyrics about depression and grief. Fun! AC

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

SATURDAY 12/2

INDIE

TUNE-YARDS

In 2011, the indie world became obsessed with Tune-Yards, the project of Merrill Garbus. It’s not hard to see why. The song “Gangsta,” for instance, is a highly infectious African-beat-influence pop song and will immediately make you want to jump out of your chair and dance with total abandon. Discussions revolved around the fact that a white girl was playing music so clearly pulling from African sounds. But this critical perspective was short-lived, especially as she proved that her influences were much vaster, and that her execution was authentic to her own oddball artsy self. She’s got a new album scheduled for January, and the single mixes some electronic elements. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $16/adv, $21/door. 429-4135.

SUNDAY 12/3

ROOTS

KPIG HUMBUG HOEDOWN

The KPIG Humbug Hoedown is back and bringing the holiday season in piggie-worthy style. Kicking things off is the Carolyn Sills Combo, our hometown heroes of the national Western swing scene. Headlining the evening are the T Sisters (pictured above), a California-based family band comprising three sisters—Erika, Rachel and Chloe—who have been writing and performing together their entire lives. The group’s repertoire includes folk, pop, indie and Americana. On Sunday, they present a special acoustic show. Bring at least five cans of food—for people or for pets—to save $5 at the door. CJ

INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.

SUNDAY 12/3

HAWAIIAN

WILLIE K

Prince once called Hawaiian multi-instrumentalist Willie K a “funky mother#%@&er.” In the music world, I’m not sure there is any higher praise. And Willie is well-deserving of the title. A musical force who can play any style of music thrown at him, he is also a down-to-earth, kind-hearted person who derives great joy from playing music and loves to share that joy wherever he is and whatever he’s playing. From indigenous Hawaiian music to country, reggae, jazz and classical, Willie has something in his repertoire. He’s particularly fond of the blues and, on Sunday, he performs at Moe’s as part of the Afternoon Blues Series. “Playing the blues makes me happy,” he has said, “and everybody loves it when I do.” CJ

INFO: 4 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.

TUESDAY 12/5

BLUES

JONNY LANG

Outside of the hip-hop world, it’s hard to find teenage artists with No. 1 hits, but that’s just how Jonny Lang broke into the scene. Twenty years ago, at the ripe age of 16, Lang burst onto the airwaves with his first hit, “Lie To Me,” off his second album of the same name. Since then, the Grammy-winning artist has continued to grow with his blend of blues, gospel and rock to perform with some of music’s biggest artists, like Aerosmith, Buddy Guy and the late B.B. King. This year, he returns with his first new album in four years, Turn Around, which hit the Billboard 200 charts. MAT WEIR

INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $28/adv, $30/door. 429-4135.

TUESDAY 12/5

ROCK

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD

When describing the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, the namesake frontman recently told Rolling Stone, “Our business model is based on the soul more than anything,” and we’d have to agree. There aren’t many major bands today that capture the rawness of the blues while elevating their listeners to the height of psychedelia. Yet, somehow CRB has managed to continuously do it throughout their five-year and six-album career. Separate from Robinson’s Black Crowes, the Brotherhood mixes the Grateful Dead with Muddy Waters and douses it in Led Zeppelin for a raging jam of passion and fun. MW

INFO: 8 p.m. Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. $30. 423-2053.

IN THE QUEUE

BLITZEN TRAPPER

Indie-rock meets country-rock. Thursday at Moe’s Alley

TRACE BUNDY

Guitar and looping phenomenon. Friday at Don Quixote’s

ROSIE PLAZA

Surf rock and pop out of Oakland. Saturday at Crepe Place

COLLIE BUDDZ

American/Bermudian reggae. Sunday at Catalyst

NORA JANE STRUTHERS

Folk-rock singer-songwriter. Monday at Don Quixote’s

Giveaway: The Pixies

Music

Cat Johnson

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November 29, 2017

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The secret to the Pixies’ success is that listening to their music is like talking to the preachy-preach about kissy-kiss. It’s like looking up at the sky in a poetic kind of way, what you call it when you look up at the sky in a poetic kind of way. You know, when you grope for luna. But you already know this, and, sure, you want to see the most influential rock band of our generation. But this show is sold out, because despite being more than a decade into their reunion, this band is as hot a ticket as ever. So try this trick: follow the directions below to try to snag our giveaway tickets. (SP)

INFO: 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $40. 423-1338. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Love Your Local Band: Shoobies

A&E
Music

Aaron Carnes

-

November 29, 2017

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There’s a video on the Shoobies Facebook page of singer/guitarist Jacob Ellzey ripping a mean solo while the other two band members rock out hard. It’s short, but it shows off Ellzey’s shredding skills.

“We’re not good at writing lyrics, so those are helpful devices to fill some space, I guess,” Ellzey says when I ask him about his penchant for ripping into his guitar. “Every once in a while, we come up with some good stuff, though.”

Solos aren’t the only thing at which the group excels—there is also their talent for vocal harmonies, and ’60s-inspired, danceable garage rock tunes. The group is so obsessed with capturing that raw retro sound that they even recorded their demo on a four-track.

“I don’t think we’re going to be going into a studio anytime soon. We like that lo-fi sound that we get from doing that DIY stuff,” Ellzey says.

The group formed earlier this year. Ellzey put up flyers around town and attracted bassist Alex Vareljian. Drummer Evan Hildebrand was also putting up flyers for a band he wanted to start, and listed the same influences. The trio formed and hit the ground running with their first show at Café Pergolesi in April.

Next up, the group hopes to record a seven-inch vinyl single—recorded lo-fi on Ellzey’s four-track, of course.

INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

EDITOR’S NOTE

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

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James Galvin

Director of Operations

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Ryan P

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