Page 851 – Good Times

Eating gluten-free at O’mei

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November 1, 2016

Thanks to a very gluten-avoidant guest visiting us last week, we discovered the small but powerful menu of “wheat-free” dishes available (if you request it) at the splendid O’mei, where soy-intensive dishes often leave those GF diners in a quandary. Yes, there is a tiny bit of wheat in soy sauce, so we surveyed other possibilities.

An entree of prawns and baby bok choy, wok’d with lots of garlic and rice wine proved wildly popular with our table. The dish preserved the fresh plumpness of the ingredients, revealed in all their sparkling flavor thanks to the soy-free preparation. Another dish that I always love, called “Ant Climbing a Tree” was a delicious GF choice. This dish uses the sensuous texture of “glass” (bean thread) noodles, along with ginger and minced pork to make a huge flavor impact. I, however, went rogue and started my meal with an order of those addictive Red Oil Dumplings with sauce to kill for. Given the generous spacing of O’mei tables, and the harmonious atmosphere (i.e. we can actually carry on a conversation!) we almost always take out-of-town guests to O’mei . . . And, it turns out that not too far from O’mei, over at Cafe Ivéta, glutenphobes can request gluten-free bread for their favorite sandwich. Nice idea, although we agreed that the very firm sandwich platform required a lot more salt and a lot more mayo to add moisture and hold the interest of our tastebuds. Still, it did act as a delivery system for a thick wedge of turkey, havarti and tomatoes. Yum.

Wine of the Week

La Honda 2013 Red Table Wine “Exponent” loaded with Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon spiked with Syrah, Merlot and Sangiovese. This is a big-shouldered creation for such restrained alcohol (13.5 percent). We found it to be layered with cassis, blueberry, birch root, clover, graphite and mahogany. Even more subtle nuances as the wine opened. It was wonderful with a few slices of rare filet mignon and an arugula and fig salad. Somewhere near the $20 range at fine wine and food emporia.

Cocktail of the Week

Even though I had visions of working (drinking) my way through the hefty 515 cocktail listing, I just couldn’t make it past that exceptional “Cantina Band” ($10). Arriving in a tall, slim tumbler, this tart beauty hits all the palate spots. St. George terroir gin, with a touch of cane sugar and lime juice lay down the foundation. Ginger beer adds body, and Fernet Branca carries the top note of burnt orange tones—an exceptional bitters. Cucumber is muddled, and added as a garnish. This is a beautiful sipping drink, delicious, rich with gingery flavors and neither sweet nor sour. My companion settled in to a 100-percent classic Negroni—gin, campari, and Vermouth and wasn’t the least bit jealous of my “Cantina Band.” Nice atmosphere up in that bohemian U-shaped bar. 515 Cedar St., Santa Cruz.

Home Again!

Home is the name of chef Brad Briske’s new restaurant (the former Theo’s, former Main St. Garden Cafe) and I’ve already heard raves from pre-opening diners. Artisanal charcuterie, rustic pastas, local ingredients, lavish use of produce and herbs from the backyard garden, and desserts such as the dreamy Blood Orange Panna Cotta. I’ll be back soon with my own impressions, but Briske, who won legions of fans during his time at La Balena in Carmel, is a true artist. You can count on his new restaurant being a hit! Official opening this week. homesoquel.com.

Tiny Local Winery Goes Pro

Aaron Carnes

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November 1, 2016

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Freedom Wineworks is not about the “winery experience.” Not only do they do tastings by appointment only, but should you arrange one, you will also find yourself in what owners Randall and LaRae West claim is the smallest winery in the state. Now, after making wine as a hobby there for years, they’re turning pro, and ready for big things. Randall gave us the scoop on this teeny-tiny local winery.

So do you really have California’s smallest winery?

RANDALL WEST: Yeah, that’s what I understand. It’s not exactly an official designation. I just realized it after researching other wineries in California. I found one winery back east that said they were the smallest winery in the country. Our building is a few feet bigger than their building. Our building is 320 square feet. It’s 16 feet by 20 feet. I didn’t know if there were certain requirements that the building would have to be a certain size, but apparently there isn’t. We started making wine many years ago, as a hobby in our garage. When we moved to Freedom, we had this extra building, which used to be a detached garage. It’s pretty fun. It’s near our house. We don’t have any big equipment like other wineries. We only use the half-barrel size so that we can still have multiple varieties of wines in production.

Why do you require an appointment for doing a tasting?

We don’t have a separate tasting room. We basically don’t have a tasting room, but we can do business as far as selling wine in the winery. Up till now it’s been a hobby, for our friends to come over and taste wine. Going forward, we can host people there, potential customers, tasters. Realistically, we will be doing tastings at other places. The winery is in a residential property. I would imagine stores, restaurants or festival-type events is where we’ll be offering tastings.

What kind of wines do you do?

We are partnered with a farmer in the Corralitos area that is growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Those will be our first 2016 vintages. Aside from that, we’ve made fruit wines from just about every kind of fruit you can imagine. It was a good learning ground. We’ve made plum wine, apple wine and cherry wine.

howswine.com.

A White Pinot Noir?

Josie Cowden

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November 1, 2016

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A delicious wine I tried recently was a Pinot Noir Blanc 2015 made by El Lugar Wines in the San Luis Obispo area—and also one of the more interesting wines I’ve had lately.

Pinot Noir Blanc may sound like an oxymoron, but the pulp and juice of the Pinot Noir grape is actually white, and most of the flavors, aromas and all of the color come from the skins. So that’s what makes this particular wine so interesting and unusual—it’s a white Pinot Noir!

Aromas of pear and lemon and flavors of green apples and toasted oak lead to a smooth and creamy finish—not quite what you’d expect from this challenging white wine. As some people say, it’s a white wine “masquerading as a red wine.”

Winemaker Coby Parker-Garcia has been making wine for about 12 years, and he and his wife, Katie Noonan, have a combined 25 years-plus in the wine biz—with a distinct focus on Pinot Noir. Grapes for this Pinot Noir Blanc came from Greengate Ranch & Vineyard in the Edna Valley, and Parker-Garcia made only two barrels. “In my opinion,” says Parker-Garcia, “the Pinot Noir Blanc is a perfect match with oysters or fish.” Others suggest pairing this wine with quiche or cheese-based egg dishes.

If you want to try this unique wine, then head to San Luis Obispo or order some online. With the ease of shipping these days, it will arrive in no time. It sells for $30 a bottle.

El Lugar Wines, 710 Fiero Lane, #23, San Luis Obispo, California. 805-801-0119. ellugarwines.com. (Visit by appointment only.)

Making Cheese

A friend of mine who makes cheese occasionally drops some off on my doorstep. Her cheeses are always bursting with flavor and unlike anything store-bought. If you’re interested in having a go at the art of cheesemaking, then sign up for one of Love Apple Farms’ classes on Nov. 13 and Dec. 17. Gift certificates to Love Apple’s many classes make wonderful presents. Visit growbetterveggies.com for more info.

Film Review: ‘Miss Hokusai’

A&E
Film

Lisa Jensen

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November 1, 2016

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Art, erotica, girl power, and parent-child relationships—Miss Hokusai ought to have everything going for it. Set in the Japanese capital city of Edo (now Tokyo) in the early 19th Century, it depicts the life of famed painter Katsushika Hokusai, and his daughter, O-Ei, also a talented artist, who spends her days completing deadlines for her unreliable father. O-Ei was an actual historical person whose excellent work was almost entirely submerged in her father’s career, and it’s always exciting to discover an “unknown” woman artist.

This would have been a fascinating story for a live-action film. But as an offering from the popular Japanese animation studio, Production I.G (Ghost In the Shell), it’s an odd mix of gorgeous, painterly vistas and lovely glimpses of historical and cultural traditions, with jarring modern rock music, cornball dialogue, and inane slapstick comedy. (To be fair, I saw a version dubbed into English. It’s possible that the Japanese-language version, with English subtitles—both versions are playing at the Del Mar—might work better.)

Directed by Keiichi Hara, inspired by Hinako Sugiura’s manga comic Sarusuberi, the movie revolves around O-Ei (voice of Erica Lindbeck in the dubbed version), who lives with her slovenly, obsessed father. He has no vices, she tells us, he doesn’t drink or smoke—all he does is paint. She paints too, and when her dad can’t complete a commission on time, she’s expected to fill in for him—without credit. This makes O-Ei perpetually fed up and rankled, so she’s not a character we ever exactly warm up to. We see her smoking a pipe and sketching erotic drawings (the elder Hokusai was famed for his erotica as well as his iconic land and seascapes), but neither of these pastimes gives her character much extra dimension.

But O-Ei does soften up around her blind younger sister, O-Nao. The sisters’ mother is estranged from their father, and while O-Nao had been living with their mother in another part of town, she is now in the care of a house of Catholic nuns, where O-Ei visits her often and takes her out on excursions around the city. (There might have been an opportunity here to comment on Western influence creeping in, but the film doesn’t take it, except to note that O-Nao is now afraid of “stacking rocks” in Hell.) Still, the sisters’ relationship is very tender. The scenes involving one of Hokusai’s patrons, a beauteous courtesan, are also skillfully, artfully appealing.

The plot goes off on a lot of weird tangents. There’s Hokusai’s apprentice, a drunken ex-Samurai used for tedious comic relief, and his buddy, another young apprentice, making painfully gauche attempts to ingratiate himself with the profoundly uninterested O-Ei. It’s interesting that one of the brothel geishas turns out to be male, but not much is done with that character. When her father says she’s “too naive” to draw men properly, O-Ei visits the brothel, but her game plan is not clear, before or during her encounter, and that subplot soon disappears from the movie.

I’ve never been a big fan of Japanese anime, the stylized look of characters with big, round eyes and minimal onscreen movement. Miss Hokusai is most impressive, visually, when its static—the giant wave that rises up under the sisters’ boat (a recreation of the famous Hokusai image, “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa”); a sparrow in a tree full of blossoms; a white winter landscape dotted with touches of red. The supernatural elements are also well-done: a dragon that grows out of storm clouds; Hokusai’s dream of his hands flying around the world; the courtesan’s nightmares fueled by a painting of Heaven and Hell.

Cultural traditions are nicely rendered, from bamboo houses with their sliding, paper screen doors, and street vendors hawking their wares, to festivals and their rituals. But the overall tone is so uneven, and that blaring rock soundtrack so intrusive, the artistry of Miss Hokusai gets lost in translation.

MISS HOKUSAI

**1/2 (out of four)

Directed by Keiichi Hara. A GKids release. Rated PG-13. 93 minutes.

Preview: Telluride Mountainfilm Tour at the Rio

A&E
Film

Steve Palopoli

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November 1, 2016

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Preview: Telluride Mountainfilm Tour at the Rio

While Kathy O’Hara Ferraro was working for UCSC’s Recreation Department, she found her niche bringing film festivals to campus. She got so good at it, though, that about a decade ago she had more than she could handle, and something had to go. The Telluride Film Festival got the short straw.

“We were doing six film festivals,” she says. “Something had to give, so we let go of it.”

The thing is, she really loves what Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour does, and while even those of us familiar with the many popular adventure and mountain-culture film festivals Ferraro has produced in Santa Cruz over the years may not be able to eloquently explain the difference between them, she can.

“Telluride is way more rounded,” she says, comparing it to the highly adrenalized Radical Reels Tour. “There are environmental films, cultural films and adventure films. Films with heart.”

So when organizers of the festival’s touring program reached out to her a couple of years ago, she went to Laurence Bedford, owner of the Rio Theatre, and said “I think it’s time to bring Telluride back to Santa Cruz.” He signed on, and the reboot of Telluride locally last year was a big success.

For Ferraro, choosing the films for the Mountainfilm on Tour’s Santa Cruz show is almost like making a music playlist, since the films are short and have to flow into one another—the longest this year is Ryan Peterson’s 25-minute documentary short The Super Salmon, about the potential environmental impact of the multi-million-dollar mega-dam planned for Alaska’s Susitna River. And the program ends on the exhilarating Angel Collinson Annihilates Alaska, which, despite being only four minutes long, is the perfect closer, Ferraro says, because it’s a “kickass skiing film” that delivers a visceral rush.

Another reason she’s glad to be bringing the Telluride festival back is that there’s an educational aspect that allows her to bring some of the films into local high schools. Last year, Ferraro brought Telluride to both Scotts Valley High and Branciforte High, with both schools asking her to bring the program back this year, and—in the case of the latter—even expand it.

“These are film can inspire kids,” she says.

Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour Santa Cruz will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Rio Theatre. See the complete playlist at riotheatre.com. Tickets are $18, available at brownpapertickets.com.

Music Picks Nov 2—8

GT Staff

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November 1, 2016

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WEDNESDAY 11/2

PROGRESSIVE FUNK

TAUK

Brooklyn band TAUK describes itself as “NYC’s finest dirty-funk band.” The four-piece forgoes vocals for an all-instrumental blend of funk, hip-hop, progressive rock, and jazz. The prog-rock element is strong on the band’s most recent album, titled Sir Nebula, with each of the records’ 12 songs averaging around 6.5 minutes in length. TAUK’s live show has been hailed as masterful and captivating, but the jam-bandy aspect of the music is kept in check through intense tempo changes and unpredictable organ riffs. The members have been making music together since the seventh grade, when they founded their first band, TEEL. Santa Cruz band 7 Come 11 opens, celebrating the release of its new album Light It Up. KATIE SMALL

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

THURSDAY 11/3

PUNK

AGENT ORANGE

For some early L.A. punk fanatics, surf-punk was the genre’s low-point. Certainly a lot of the bands and fans were, to put it bluntly, boneheads. But the case against this narrative is Agent Orange. The band’s debut record, Living in Darkness, is a classic, with personal lyrics that speak to universal struggles—not just those of 15-year-old skate-punks, but of any human being with a soul. The group never went mainstream, and has continued on with the same integrity and punk-rock fervor that it defined in its debut record back in 1981. AARON CARNES

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.

FRIDAY 11/4

INDIE-FOLK

CAVE SINGERS

One of the finer indie-folk acts around, the Cave Singers craft catchy roots-inspired songs that draw from folk giants like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, but have more in common with contemporary indie bands. Where some young roots bands try to recreate what was, the Seattle-based Cave Singers find ways to move things forward in a way that rings true to the band members and the times. The band tends to get lost in the divide between roots and indie rock, but it’s a hidden gem that deserves wider recognition. CAT JOHNSON

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

ROCK

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS

It’s hard to be a one-of-a-kind band these days, but Southern Culture on the Skids has managed to do so for the better part of the last two decades. Blending rock, psychedelia, rockabilly, surf and psychobilly with a Southern kitsch aesthetic that includes fluorescent bouffant hairdos, plaid pants, hot rod flames, hillbilly humor and serious musical chops, the band stands alone. Its new album, The Electric Pinecones, sees the members dipping into their appreciation for folk-rock, early rock ’n’ roll and ’60s pop. CJ

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.

SATURDAY 11/5

FOLK

TIM FLANNERY & KEITH GREENINGER

Tim Flannery gained public acclaim as a professional baseball player, and, later, as third base coach and color commentator for the San Francisco Giants. But Flannery is also a celebrated singer-songwriter whose love of music extends back to his childhood. Though he’s a bit under the radar as far as singer-songwriters go, Flannery is a Bay Area favorite who isn’t afraid to share openly of his struggles and joys through his music. On Saturday, he teams up with acclaimed Santa Cruz folk favorite Keith Greeninger, whose knack for distilling hard truths and big-picture insights into beautiful, sometimes gut-wrenchingly honest tunes has established him as a songwriting talent far beyond the local scene. CJ

INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/gen, $40/gold. 423-8209.

SUNDAY 11/6

BLUEGRASS

THE LONELY HEARTSTRING BAND

Guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bass and intricate three-part harmonies make up the Lonely Heartstring Band, a group of masterful musicians that have carefully crafted a unique brand of bluegrass. The quintet is originally from Boston, where four of the five players recently graduated from the Berklee College of Music. On the band’s website, it claims to “embody the modern American condition—an understanding and reverence for the past that informs a push into the future.” A little self-indulgent, sure—but as far as folk music is concerned, they might be onto something. KS

INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6725 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10. 335-2800.

ALTERNATIVE

FISHBONE

Whether you are a Fishbone fan or not, the 2010 doc Everyday Sunshine is a phenomenal walk through the band’s career. Scenes of the band playing to present-day tiny crowds are heartbreaking, especially when juxtaposed against the band’s innovative musical output. The group practically invented the hyper-kinetic version of ska that other bands would popularize in the ’90s, and its mix of funk, punk and alt-rock was far superior to anything the Red Hot Chili Peppers ever produced. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 429-4135.

SUNDAY 11/6 & MONDAY 11/7

GARAGE-ROCK

MYSTERY LIGHTS

Mystery Lights play Nuggets-era ’60s garage-rock, a genre that has probably in the range of one million bands currently. But this group offers something that few bands in 2016 can: an authentic, heartfelt feel to the music—particularly in the vocals. It’s no wonder Daptone (or rather Daptone’s Wick Imprint) signed the group. The group hails from Brooklyn, but the members’ formative years were spent in Salinas. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $12/door. 429-6994.

MONDAY 11/7

JAZZ

CHESTER THOMPSON QUARTET

Santana’s loss has been jazz’s gain. After a three-decade run with Tower of Power during the band’s hit-making heyday (1969-73) and Santana through his Supernatural resurgence, organist Chester “CT” Thompson decided he’d had enough of the road. Over the past few years, he’s been reestablishing himself as a bandleader, releasing Mixology (Doodlin Records), his first album in more than 40 years. A commanding player who unleashes waves of sound on the B-3, CT is joined by his former Santana-mate Tony Lindsay, a tremendously soulful singer; drummer David Flores; and percussion maestro John Santos, who’s best known for his mastery of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, but is also an invaluable asset in straight-ahead jazz situations. ANDREW GILBERT

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

IN THE QUEUE

PRESSURE BUSSPIPE

Celebrated reggae songwriter and vocalist. Thursday at Moe’s Alley

GLEN PHILLIPS

Singer-songwriter and Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman. Friday at Don Quixote’s

COLT FORD

Genre-shattering country rap artist. Friday at Catalyst

BYRON WESTBROOK

Experimental electronic compositions. Saturday at Radius Gallery

GARY BLACKBURN & UTURN

Local country-rock singer-songwriter and his band UTURN. Sunday at Don Quixote’s

Be Our Guest: Gogol Bordello

A&E
Music

Cat Johnson

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November 1, 2016

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Pioneering gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello exists on the fringes, both musically and culturally. Playing high-energy tunes rooted in Roma music, rock, world, cabaret and punk, the band is more of a movement than a music group. With a global fan base that dismisses national boundaries and stylistic differences, the group pursues its stated mission to “provoke audience[s] out of post-modern aesthetic swamp onto a neo-optimistic communal movement towards new sources of authentic energy.” On the band’s new album, Pura Vida, Gogol Bordello furthers its mission to bridge disparate worlds and create a global citizenry.

INFO: 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $30. 423-1338. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Love Your Local Band: Rise Up

A&E
Music

Mat Weir

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November 1, 2016

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Begun in 2014 by vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Chris Alcantara and then-drummer Alex Smith, Salinas’ Rise Up mixes a smoky blend of roots reggae with California attitude for a style that falls closer to Bob Marley than Sublime. In other words, genuine reggae.

“When I was 17, I moved to Hawaii, and reggae is life over there,” says Alcantara. “So I fell in love with it there and brought it back with me.”

Soon after, bassist and melodica player Steve Moreno and lead guitarist Justin Prouty joined the band. Smith had to leave the band this year, but the remaining members found drummer Alex Cortez.

“We were absolutely blessed to have Alex,” Alcantara says. “He clicked so well, we all thought there was no way we can’t stick with this lineup and keep going.”

Armed with fresh momentum, Rise Up rushed to Aaron Rauber of Rauber Productions to record their self-titled debut EP, released in July. The four-track album is a powerhouse of socially conscious and thought-provoking lyrics melodically sailing on a smooth stream of classic reggae music. The songs were recorded live, capturing Rise Up’s infectious energy.

“I’ve seen other bands record [the instruments] separately,” explains Moreno. “I wasn’t expecting to record it all at once, so it was a fun experience.”

Rise Up is already hard at work writing a full-length album, which they hope to record sometime early next year. But even with their nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic, the members of Rise Up stay grounded by remembering why they choose to do it.

“My favorite thing is how we click,” Cortez concludes. “Not only how we play music together, but also how we bond together as friends.”

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

What are your election predictions?

Columns

Matthew Cole Scott

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November 1, 2016

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“Nasty woman gonna beat Trump.”

Nasty Woman

Santa Cruz

Twisted Homemaker

“I think that Hillary is hopefully going to win. It will be a debacle any way it turns out.”

Rebecca Rizzo

Santa Cruz

Counselor

“Hillary is probably going to win and we will go to war with Russia.”

Adam Freidin

Santa Cruz

Programmer

“Clinton by a landslide, but Iâ€™m writing in Bernie Sanders.”

Kyle Adriano

Santa Â Cruz

Powerlifter

“Universal sadness.”

Brendan Lazarus

Santa Cruz

IT Manager

Event Highlights Nov. 2—8, 2016

A&E

GT Staff

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November 1, 2016

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Event highlights for November 2—8, 2016

Green Fix

Food as Medicine Tasting Party Fundraiser

In 1986, in the midst of a health crisis, Beth Freewomon gave up hamburgers and sodas overnight to begin eating a macrobiotic diet. She embraced the guiding principle of The Open Hearth (TOH)—her delivery service that provides healthy prepared foods—which is that food can be more than just calories, it can be medicine. Ten years after opening TOH, Freewomon has invited five other local chefs and food entrepreneurs to provide an evening of free bites and sips. Kitchen Witch Bone Broth, Roots Kava Bar, Creative Cultures, Burn Hot Sauces, and Tastes Like Love will offer their wares in addition to Open Hearth mixers, cocktails, live music, and a raffle benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank.

Info: 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. Food Lounge, 1001 Center St., Suite #1, Santa Cruz. scfoodlounge.com. Free.

Art Seen

‘Seeing Purple: An artist reports back from the Conventions’

popouts1644-seeing-purple — ‘Seeing Purple: An artist reports back from the Conventions’

Andrew Purchin went to both the Republican and Democratic conventions—and made it back alive to tell the tale. An artist and psychotherapist, Purchin and his team asked people to paint on a 180-foot scroll while guiding them to find inner calm and compassion toward the people they judge. Purchin will present his findings in a video of interviews with delegates, activists, evangelists, artists, business people, locals, and the co-founder of Latinos for Trump—the “If you don’t do something about it [immigration], you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner” guy. Be prepared to get your hands dirty and to find compassion despite disagreement in the midst of a contentious election season.

Info: 7:30-9 p.m. Sat., Nov. 5. The 418 Project, 418 Front St., Santa Cruz. $5-$50 donation.

Wednesday 11/2

‘Simple Life Instructions: d@D@atTheR@dius’

Nine artists offer simple instructions to save us from an increasingly absurd world. In the spirit of the Dada art movement born in Zurich a century ago, d@D@atR@dius features the work of Bay Area artists using old and new technologies. There’s video surveillance, wall construction, reimagination, neon commentary, witful recrafting, sculpture, and objects of impossible utility.

Info: Noon-5 p.m., Radius Gallery, 1050 River St., Unit 127. 706-1620. radius.gallery. Free.

Thursday 11/3

Do you love dogs? Like, really, love dogs, so much that you’ve been searching for a film festival about them? Well, you’re in luck. This Thursday, Nov. 3, the Bow Wow Film Fest comes to the Del Mar Theatre with all things doggie. The festival celebrates and educates on everything from animal welfare groups to humane treatment of dogs. The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and Duo Duo Animal Welfare Project co-host this event featuring stories of love, companionship, connection, and hope.

Info: 7 p.m. Del Mar Theatre, 1124 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. landmarktheatres.com/santa-cruz/del-mar-theatre.$10.

Friday 11/4

‘As We See It: East and West Coast Women Artists’

popouts1644-as-we-see-it — ‘As We See It: East and West Coast Women Artists’

The five artists in this show have nurtured each other’s creativity with conversations, shared knowledge and encouragement. They will present their works, ranging from embroidered sanitary napkins to oil paintings, at the Blitzer Gallery, with an opening reception this Friday, Nov. 4 and artist talk Nov. 5.

Info: 2-4 p.m. R. Blitzer Gallery, 2801 Mission St., Santa Cruz. 458-1217. Free.

Sunday 11/6

‘Blythe’ at Resource Center for Nonviolence

Twenty-five years ago, Dan McMullan sat in Chuckawalla Valley State Prison and wrote a comedy set in a prison town. The play placed first in the Arts in Corrections statewide prison playwriting contest, and was scheduled for a staged reading in the 1992 Ivar Theater benefit sponsored by Ed Asner and Edward James Olmos. Two days before the show, the warden pulled the plug. This Sunday, Nov. 6, Poetic Justice Project’s company of formerly incarcerated actors will breathe new life into Blythe, directed by Leah Joki, McMullan’s teacher and author of Juilliard to Jail. McMullan was paroled in 1991 and has worked with disabled homeless people for 20 years.

Info: 2 p.m. Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. rcnv.org. $15.

Tuesday 11/8

From Selma to Montgomery

popouts1644-walking-for-freedom — From Selma to Montgomery

Matt Herron’s work has appeared in virtually every major picture magazine in the world. A photojournalist since 1962, Herron was based in Mississippi in the early ’60s and covered the civil rights struggle for Life, Time, Newsweek, and others. In 1964, he founded and directed the Southern Documentary Project with five photographers to capture social change in the South. Through Nov. 23, the Porter College Faculty Gallery will exhibit photographs by Herron that depict the pivotal march from Selma to Montgomery.

Info: Noon-5 p.m. Porter College Faculty Gallery at Porter College, UCSC, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. 459-3606. arts.ucsc.edu/sesnon. Free.

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

Wine of the Week

Cocktail of the Week

Home Again!

Making Cheese

WEDNESDAY 11/2

PROGRESSIVE FUNK

TAUK

THURSDAY 11/3

PUNK

AGENT ORANGE

FRIDAY 11/4

INDIE-FOLK

CAVE SINGERS

ROCK

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS

SATURDAY 11/5

FOLK

TIM FLANNERY & KEITH GREENINGER

SUNDAY 11/6

BLUEGRASS

THE LONELY HEARTSTRING BAND

ALTERNATIVE

FISHBONE

SUNDAY 11/6 & MONDAY 11/7

GARAGE-ROCK

MYSTERY LIGHTS

MONDAY 11/7

JAZZ

CHESTER THOMPSON QUARTET

IN THE QUEUE

PRESSURE BUSSPIPE

GLEN PHILLIPS

COLT FORD

BYRON WESTBROOK

GARY BLACKBURN & UTURN

Nasty Woman

Santa Cruz

Twisted Homemaker

Rebecca Rizzo

Santa Cruz

Counselor

Adam Freidin

Santa Cruz

Programmer

Kyle Adriano

Santa Â Cruz

Powerlifter

Brendan Lazarus

Santa Cruz

IT Manager

Green Fix

Food as Medicine Tasting Party Fundraiser

Art Seen

‘Seeing Purple: An artist reports back from the Conventions’

Wednesday 11/2

‘Simple Life Instructions: d@D@atTheR@dius’

Thursday 11/3

Friday 11/4

‘As We See It: East and West Coast Women Artists’

Sunday 11/6

‘Blythe’ at Resource Center for Nonviolence

Tuesday 11/8

From Selma to Montgomery