Music Picks Aug 3—9

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WEDNESDAY 8/3

PSYCH-ROCK

SPINDRIFT

Described as a “psychedelic, Western-influenced, cinematic rock band,” Spindrift sounds like a dusty old cowboy movie as viewed through a kaleidoscopic, drug-fueled road trip that would make Hunter S. Thompson proud. With yodels and yips layered with hazy soundscapes, experimental noise and a variety of influences ranging from mariachi to arena rock, the music of Spindrift is unlike anything you’ve probably heard. If you’re into unpredictable, country-inspired, tripped-out rock, this band, which hails from Los Angeles by-way-of-Delaware, may be your new favorite thing. Also on the bill: Bay Area psychedelic outfit the Spiral Electric. CAT JOHNSON
INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 335-2800.

BRASS FUNK

NEW BREED BRASS BAND     

With half of the nine members related to famous brass musicians, it’s not surprising that these New Orleans natives are breaking out of Louisiana’s scene. What is surprising is the young age of the players and of the band itself, and the impressive ground they’ve covered in a short amount of time. They have a sizeable YouTube following, including a library of fan videos that depict New Breed’s raucous street performances, which seem to draw massive crowds without fail. Their sound is literally a “new breed”—a combination of funk, jazz, hip-hop and rock influences. In late July, three nights into a 30-show tour, all nine instruments were stolen out of their van in a hotel parking lot in Oregon, but they have soldiered on to finish the tour, thanks to borrowed instruments and fan donations. KATIE SMALL
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.
 

THURSDAY 8/4

FOLK

MEGAN SAUNDERS

Drawing comparisons to Emmylou Harris, Kate Wolf and Nick Drake, singer-songwriter Megan Saunders has a lonesome and lovely voice that is the perfect vehicle for her stories of sorrow, love and the natural world. A one-time Santa Cruzan who was born in Vermont and now calls Nashville home, Saunders is a fresh, quiet voice on the folk music scene. As one review put it, “[Y]ou could tell me that my house burned down, my car was stolen and my cat eloped and as long as she sang it to me, I’d still have to smile.” CJ
INFO: 6:30 p.m. Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Drive, Soquel, $5-$10. 477-1341.

ACOUSTIC/INTERNATIONAL

GLOBAL GUITAR SUMMIT

An international showcase of acoustic guitar virtuosos, the Global Guitar Summit brings together three of the finest players on the world scene: Konarak Reddy from India, Matthew Montfort, leader of the renowned group Ancient Future, from the U.S., and Teja Gerken from Germany. The evening promises to spotlight numerous sounds, styles and techniques, including nylon string, scalloped fretboard, fretless guitar, and fingerstyle. CJ
INFO:  7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.
 

FRIDAY 8/5

SHOEGAZE

HAUNTED SUMMER

L.A.-based married couple Bridgette Moody and John Seasons call themselves Haunted Summer—a play on their last names that appropriately matches the duo’s ethereal sound. Brittle guitar blended with spacey synth, eerie vocals and the occasional clarinet: the resulting bedroom dream pop is hypnotic and the perfect soundtrack to a sleepy afternoon, or a mushroom trip in a meadow. Also on the bill are Subpar and Electric Magpie. KS
INFO 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
 

SATURDAY 8/6

METAL

GAMMA

San Francisco’s Gamma has put out four albums so far, and their album titles are amazing: Gamma 1, Gamma 2, Gamma 3, and Gamma 4. This is exactly what all their albums should be called. It evokes the mystery and subtle sci-fi synthy-metal sound that they helped to carve in the late ’70s, early ’80s. The group broke up in 1983, and was more famous for the bands it spawned: Montrose and Night Ranger. You can really hear Night Ranger in those early Gamma recordings, but it’s heavier, darker, rawer, and just a little weirder. AC
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $17/adv, $20/door. 479-1854.
 

MONDAY 8/8

JAZZ

MONSIEUR PERINE

A product of the creatively roiling Bogota music scene, the Colombian band Monsieur Periné has evolved considerably over the past decade. Inspired by the Gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt, the group recently hit on a winning formula combining the hot jazz Manouche sound with an array of Afro-Caribbean grooves (the band earned Best New Artist honors last year at the Latin Grammy Awards). Featuring the ebullient vocals of Catalina Garcia backed by the blazing tandem guitars of Santiago Prieto and Nicolas Junca, bassist Adinda Meertins, drummer Darwin Paez, percussionist Miguel Guerra, saxophonist/clarinetist Jairo Alfonso, and Abstin Caviedes on trombone and bugle, Monsieur Periné boasts a big, joyous sound. The Django family tree has clearly put down roots in Colombia. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 427-2227.

INDIE-PUNK

WAVVES

The story of Wavves is exactly the kind of thing that inspired thousands of young musicians every year to pick up the guitar. Leader Nathan Williams recorded tunes in his parents’ bedroom, and the next thing you know, he’s on Pitchfork, Spin, and A.V. Club. Williams wasn’t exactly prepared for the attention he got and suffered a few public breakdowns and some lackluster follow-ups. But he continues to come back, and, at his strongest he takes pop-punk fervor and mixes it with surf-pop bitter-sweetness. No matter who he’s enlisted to back him on any given record, he never seems to lose that bedroom intimacy that sounds like he’s revealing his deepest secrets. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20. 429-4135.


IN THE QUEUE

SUBDUDES

Long-running roots-rock group out of New Orleans. Thursday at Moe’s Alley

REBECCA COUPE FRANKS SEXTET

Celebrated trumpeter, composer, producer, bandleader and vocalist. Thursday at Kuumbwa

CALICO

Cali-country all-female trio out of the San Fernando Valley. Monday at Don Quixote’s

LEE DEWYZE

American Idol-winning singer-songwriter. Tuesday at Catalyst

INTERNATIONAL REGGAE SHOWCASE

Reggae phenoms Million Stylez, Gappy Ranks and Ziggi Recado. Tuesday at Moe’s Alley

Be Our Guest: ‘Orlando’

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A beloved and long-running part of local Shakespeare festivities are the Fringe shows, and, to the delight of festival-goers, Santa Cruz Shakespeare has kept that tradition alive. This year, the production is Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, as adapted by award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl. The play follows the period-hopping, gender-bending journey of the protagonist Orlando, and his transformation from the 16th-century, male lover of Queen Elizabeth to a 20th-century female poet. For appreciators of satire, history, and pushing at the status quo, this is a must-see.


INFO: Aug. 17, 23, 24. Grove at DeLaveaga Park, 501 Upper Park Road, Santa Cruz. $20. 460-6399. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the play.

Love Your Local Band: Puffball Dance Collective

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LYLB PuffballDoug Dirt, bassist for the Puffball Dance Collective (as well as its founder), has a problem. He really likes playing dance music, but he also loves dancing—and he can’t do both at the same time.
“In my heart of hearts, I’m a dancer. My biggest conflict is I want to be performing, and I want to be doubling myself and be dancing with all my friends. I really wish I could do that,” Dirt says.
Dirt created the Puffball Dance Collective to give people great dance music. The band plays tunes by Allman Brothers, the Dead, and Steely Dan, as well as some originals. It also jams these tunes out and infuses the songs with as much groove as possible.
“I wanted to play great, fabulous dance music in a wide variety of music genres to get people some wonderful dancing time,” he says. “The purpose is to lift spirits and to get people to move.”
Before starting this band, Dirt already had plenty of bands going—he plays in the Banana Slug String Band and in Slugs N’ Roses. For this group, he assembled an ensemble of his favorite local players, guys he considers better musicians than he is. Currently the lineup includes David Cameron (guitar), Marc Sveen (guitar), Lachlann Kane (keys), and Covet Potter (drums).
As for the band name, that’s all Dirt. Anyone that knows him is aware of his puffball obsession. What they may not realize, though, is that it’s an homage to his daughter. The two made a necklace of puffballs with a peace sign on it together 12 years ago when she was 7. He’s been wearing it every day since.  
“It’s on my passport, it’s on my driver’s license. It’s on many things. So the Puffball Dance Collective is in honor of the puffballs I wear, and all the band members are honorary puffball members,” Dirt says.


INFO: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.

Review: Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’

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One night I was transfixed by the sight of a woman being nominated for President of the United States, the next I was treated to the sight of a woman playing Hamlet! In Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s skillful production of the epic tragedy, Kate Eastwood Norris soars beyond expectations of the brooding Danish prince and provides us with a smart, physically adroit, and fiendishly funny Hamlet—the Danish princess. With director Paul Mullins’ impeccable staging, the production sets out to infuse energy and nuance into Shakespeare’s epic—and it succeeds.
Opening night’s Hamlet succeeded on so many fronts. Minimalist set design suggested the parapets of Elsinore’s castle, thanks to tall white columns, which by the time-honored miracle of stagecraft (plus our imaginations) gave the acting company exactly what it needed—an arena in which to strut and play, caper and duel, and ultimately perform its magic. The crisp staging used the entire grove. The ghost of Hamlet’s father (Bernard K. Addison) disappears up the side aisles. The castle’s interior and exterior seem to flow easily in and out of the tall columns as characters enter the action and then exit to pursue their intrigues.
The decision to cast women in several key roles often created choice bits of dramatic friction and more than a little delightful mischief. When Guildenstern (Katherine Ko) and Rosencrantz (Mary Cavett) first reunite with their old classmate Hamlet, girlfriendly giddiness breaks out with such brio as to almost mask their darker mission, as Polonius, SCS veteran Patty Gallagher, effortlessly crafts a tour de force of interfering blabbery. Her portrayal embodies a terrific match of comedic skills and deft wordplay, illuminating  the silliness of the unfortunate counselor and the scathing send-up Shakespeare intends. The switch in gender complicates (deliciously) the character’s myopia. Another bit of casting savvy has the same actor, Addison (who also plays the clueless Nick Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream) cast as the murdered king and as his murderer, Claudius. The irony of a single player in these fatally entwined roles is both visually and psychologically resonant, as Hamlet’s mother Gertrude (Carol Halstead) moves expertly from self-delusion to regret. And the entire company—thanks to costumer B. Modern—looks wonderful.
Led with confidence by Larry Paulsen (as both the King of the players, and later as the salty Gravedigger), the small player-within-the-play troupe assumes the stylized, almost dreamlike stances that mesmerized our live audience as much as the onstage audience of Elsinore’s court. Some of the most famous moments in which Shakespeare reveals so much about stagecraft, and the power of our imaginations to conjure genuine emotions from mere words, are packed into this gemlike meta-play.
But now to Hamlet herself. Kate Eastwood Norris, playing the part that many young girls grew up wishing they could play (I know I did), pulled it off with a meteor shower of clarity and style. Here was a Hamlet whose gender—thanks to costume as well as superb technique—slowly transformed throughout the play (much as Orlando’s will in the Fringe Show).
Beginning from the elegant black gown of mourning in which we first meet the grieving Dane, to the “to be or not to be” scene in which she wears a plaid kilt over trousers and boots, to the final sword fight clad completely in men’s attire, Norris convinces us of the character’s own psychological transitioning. Suddenly I was seeing a Hamlet relevant in ways I hadn’t expected. Not that Hamlet is shown as essentially a woman, nor is the director caving to cultural fashion. But here is what Hamlet might mean, might do. Norris’s stylistic hipness, electrifying intelligibility, and command of each word’s power were utterly convincing. The opening night audience seemed to be with her every step of the way. Norris’s Hamlet illuminated the phrases, not only one by one but also as they gathered into cascades of revelation. The layers of laugh-out-loud humor and witty wordplay that tease the central tragedy also showed up. You will be stunned at just how much fun betrayal and revenge can be in the right hands.
Last autumn I was lucky enough to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Hamlet on the London stage and, I have to say, Norris’ performance compared handsomely. She did what Shakespeare demands—“amaze indeed the very faculties of eyes and ears.” And in the process, blew me away. I confess I had been initially uneasy about the idea of Hamlet being performed by a women, as a woman. Silly me. I was quickly smitten, and I’ll bet you will be, too. Don’t miss this surprising transformation of a play you thought you knew.


Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s production of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is at the Audrey Stanley Grove at Delaveaga Park through Aug. 28. santacruzshakespeare.org.

Local Students Publish a New Mushroom Guide

By the late ’80s there wasn’t a bookshelf in Santa Cruz that lacked its copy of David Arora’s Mushrooms Demystified. It was required reading for every hiker, backpacker, and nature-lover in California. How, then, could anyone dare publish another mushroom field guide in the domain of the legendary David Arora? Well, one has—and with the express endorsement of the original mycology guru himself. The ones who dared are Santa Cruzan Christian Schwarz and his fellow field researcher Noah Siegel. The substantial (600-plus pages) new field guide—Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast—will be on the shelves by the time you read this. Comprehensive, user-friendly and bulging with gorgeous, detailed photographs, creating the book gave Schwarz and Siegel an excuse to enjoy an extended trek through some of the most lavishly endowed landscapes on the planet.
“We think of it as a Mushrooms Demystified for the modern era,” Schwarz says. “We narrowed the focus down to the redwood coast—from Monterey County to the Pacific Northwest—and it’s full of updated taxonomy, habitat descriptions, and full-color images.”
Currently collecting fungi specimens for the Norris Center while finishing up at UCSC, Schwarz grew up in San Diego. “I got into mushrooms completely by accident. I didn’t like mushrooms culinarily. They were my least favorite food,” he adds with a micro-sneer. But his younger brother, who was reading Lord of the Rings, got a hold of a field guide of mushrooms. “We went out for a walk after a rain and when we found mushrooms,” his eyes pop, “I knew that was it for me!” What he loved about the moisture-loving fungi was “Everything! From the visual grotesqueness of them all the way to their beauty and incredible diversity,” he says.
The quest for new mushrooms still gets him out of bed in the morning. “I’m always looking around for mushrooms,” Schwarz admits. “Mushrooms give me a great sense of place, of the seasons and time.”
His other passion is tidepools, which offer the same wildly diverse and grotesque beauty, he says. The tidepools of Scott Creek Beach are his favorite.
Coming to UCSC for, you guessed it, the mushrooms, Schwarz initially stayed busy during the non-rainy season by birding. “And then I got into plants, and then I started paying attention to everything.” As a mushroom taxonomist, Schwarz especially covets unique habitats, “places where mushrooms are rare and unexpected, for example places with sandy soils,” he says. He finds known—and hopefully unknown varieties—and documents them photographically, often collecting them for the Norris Center herbarium at UCSC.
The book took the co-authors six years to create. “I met Noah at a mushroom foray in 2009,” he says, and after a year of getting together over mushrooms they decided to do a book. “We tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but there are thousands of mushrooms in this region so we had to narrow it down,” he says, laughing.
Published by Ten Speed Press, the new book profiles 767 species, each with a color photograph and detailed descriptions. “Often people don’t know where to look for mushrooms, and that’s why we’ve included an entire chapter on trees. We tried to emphasize habitat,” he says. Schwarz admits that the field trips were the high spot of making the book happen. “The adventures of being on a road trip, meeting people, that was really fun. So now we’re working on the mushrooms of the Sierra Nevada,” he says, grinning at the prospect.
Schwarz, who says he now actually enjoys eating mushrooms, vows to stay in the area as long as he can. But if economic reality forces him to leave the West Coast, he’s quite sure that “there are still some places with a good intersection of mushrooms and affordability.”


‘Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast’ is available at Bookshop Santa Cruz and Amazon. Christian Schwarz will be at Bookshop Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18.

Tabitha Stroup: A Smash-Hit in the Pop-up Scene

She who never sleeps, the wild woman of artisanal, handcrafted and good-for-the-planet jams, chutneys and sauces—Tabitha Stroup—takes the next step in pop-up cuisine by offering pop tarts at her next pop-up next to Assembly.
Yes, she absolutely planned that marvelous bit of rhyming wordplay—pop tarts at the pop-up. So pop over on First Friday, Aug. 5, for Stroup’s amazing vintage stylings. To pair with glasses of bubbly or beer, you can look forward to forbidden fruit marmalade and bacon tart with bourbon glaze. How post-millennial, no? Consider strawberry tarragon and chevre tarts. Pinot cherry tarts with black pepper glaze. Pork pâté tarts and prickly purple-heart jam. The pop queen will add a few more surprises for inquiring first Fridayers, but I’m thinking this sort of popular event will be populated early by those bored with popcorn and other predictable items. Things start popping at 5 p.m. and will continue until every last pop tart is gone. Details on Stroup’s Facebook page and at friendincheesesjamco.com.

Gluten-free Front

The quest for ever-more palatable gluten-free products has us combing the waterfront (that’s a metaphor) for items we can live with. A shout-out to Felix Kulpa gallery director Robbie Schoen who, having read of my quest for all things senza di gluten, surprised me with a gift loaf of gluten-free, 100-percent whole-grain bread from Canyon Bakehouse. It’s available in Staff of Life’s refrigerator section, and sure enough this seven-grain version acts very much like gluteny bread when toasted and liberally attacked by butter and jam. The slices are small, perishable (two days and challenges begin), but better than merely acceptable. Brown rice flour, tapioca flour and whole grain sorghum flour provide the texture (OK, some texture). We actually enjoyed it. The best gluten-free bread so far.

Waiters Race 

Soif’s annual street fest starts at noon on Sunday, Aug. 7 on Walnut Avenue, with eight teams of waiters negotiating a skill-challenging obstacle course to show off their professional polish. I’ve judged this in past years and it’s total silly fun. This year David Kinch of Manresa (three Michelin stars) joins Cabrillo’s Sue Slater and Bay Area hotel honcho Paul Mekis on the judging stand. It’s free, open to the public and I highly recommend bringing sunscreen.

Brunch at Bantam

I can absolutely swear that I’ve never written these words before: “whatever you do, don’t miss the maple-glazed doughnut!” But I mean it. Bantam’s artisanal culinary style has never been better showcased than with the final, barely legal bite we shared at last Saturday’s brunch. Nothing is ordinary at this attractive glass-lined restaurant. My companion’s decaf coffee was custom-made in a Chemex glass unit, while I sipped my industrial-strength Verve java served with little brown sugar cubes. Only work responsibilities in the afternoon prevented us from joining fellow brunchers for a flute of Sommariva Prosecco. Another time, sigh.
We began with a pretty plate of heirloom tomatoes and crunchy, moist, fried house bread on a bed of soft, sensuous burrata with bits of Armenian cucumber and basil ($11). Easily my favorite dish of the morning, this update of panzanella hit all the right spots—indulgent, exploding with flavor and perfect as a complete breakfast. But the glazed doughnut—actually it could be properly described as a frosted yeast doughnut—arrived with its hole (also glazed) on the side. Each bite was rich and light yet substantial. An artisanal update of the people’s pastry and worth every bit of its, ahem, $7, pricetag. Gluten worth consuming. Bantam, brunch, 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Cheeseburgers start at noon.

Olallieberries are a Taste of Summer in Santa Cruz

I discovered olallieberries at the Swanton Berry Farm one weekend when I was in college. That Saturday, we turned a few miles south of Davenport at the yellow pick-up truck carrying a comically large wooden strawberry, and my old, low-bottomed Acura crawled up the dirt drive toward the farm stand. We stopped in to see what sort of instructions we needed to gain entry to their U-Pick organic strawberry fields, and were quickly distracted by a roomful of tasty delights. Amidst the cheesecakes, pies and dozens of preserves, a squat jar of olallieberry jam made me stop—What the heck was an olallieberry? Spooning a healthy purple dollop onto an animal cracker, I discovered this special fruit for the first time. Its deep color and flavor reminded me of the blackberries I used to pick as a kid in the foothills outside of Yosemite, but with the tartness of a raspberry.
It turns out that this hybrid, with Logan and Young berry ancestry, is delicate, finicky and does not ship well. As a result, olallieberries can only be found at a few places along the West Coast, cultivated by die-hards who have fallen in love with their romantic flavor. Santa Cruz happens to be one of those places, and their brief appearance at farmers markets in July and August has become one of the highlights of summer.
Although the U-Picks at Swanton Berry Farm and Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville are closed—the season was especially brief and modest this year due to the drought and other seasonal factors—you can still find their enigmatic flavor around town in the form of pies, jams and even popsicles from said farms. For the over-21 crowd, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing’s seasonal O’Berry Ale is available at the taproom in the Swift Street Courtyard. This refreshing, pink-hued American-style wheat beer is crisp and clean with a hint of that beloved sweet summer flavor, and, like its namesake, is only available for a limited time.

Meal on the Ranch

Monkeyflower Ranch and Garden Variety Cheese are hosting a five-course dinner on the farm outside of Watsonville on Sunday, Aug. 14. The meal is a collaboration with the chef and spirit masters of the event company Street_Social, and will feature homemade cocktails, the Ranch’s carefully raised pork and handmade cheeses. Tickets are $80 and available at gardenvarietycheese.com.

Beauregard Vineyards Does Pinot Right

There is nothing like sharing good wine with family and friends, which is exactly what I did with the bountiful Beauregard Vineyards Pinot Noir 2013, Santa Cruz Mountains ($40). I made a typical Greek meal of stuffed squash, served with a Greek salad, and cracked open the Pinot for everyone to try. It got high marks from all. Made with Ryan Beauregard’s skillful hand, this is a Pinot to be reckoned with.
Grapes were harvested in September 2013 and then aged in 20-percent new French oak until bottling in August 2015. The result is an absolutely stunning ruby-red Pinot.
“The nose is delicate and a touch spicy with oak aromas,” says Beauregard, including “red cherry, fresh-picked strawberry, pomegranate, wet roses, sandalwood, wood chips, and various baking spices” to its flavor notes. Fruit-forward flavors of cranberry and pomegranate seeds linger on the palate, but best of all are the abundant earthy hints of grape stems, wet herbs and spicy French oak.
Beauregard suggests keeping the wine until 2017 to “experience its best moments,” but I will simply buy another bottle next year.
Beauregard Vineyards, 10 Pine Flat Road, Santa Cruz, 425-7777, beauregardvineyards.com.

Farm to Table Dinner at Chaminade

The next in the farm-to-table dinner series is Friday, Aug. 5, with Storrs as the featured winery, and seafood from Stagnaro’s. A superb alfresco dinner on Chaminade’s beautiful patio is a glorious experience. Visit chaminade.com for more info.

Wrights Station Food & Wine Pairing

Wrights Station is doing a food and wine pairing with delicious food by Tanya De Cell. The event is from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7. Cost is $25 (or $15 for wine club members). Call 408-560-9343 to reserve a spot, and for more info visit wrightsstation.com.

If you had a time machine, where and when would you go?

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“Queen, live at Wembley. I think it’s in 1985 or ’86. I’ve seen the VHS of it so many times, and I would like to see that first-hand.”

Matt Henson

Santa Cruz
IT Support

“The fall of Rome. I’ve always wanted to see the destruction of Rome. It was such a powerful city, and then it just crumbled.”

Alex Bosinger

Santa Cruz
6th Grade

“The Czech Republic, because that’s where my grandparents were born, to see the places they lived over 100 years ago.”

Pam Cannon

Santa Cruz
Retired LVN

“The early ’90s so I could see Eddie Vedder in all his glory, even though he is still wonderful. I love you, Eddie, if you read this.”

Maija Starr

Napa
Student

“I would go 20 years into the future and make sure that we all survive this election year.”

Rachel Ace

Boulder Creek
Nanny

Heliacal (before and near the Sun) Rising of Sirius

In ancient Egypt the annual flooding of the Nile occurred as Sirius, the blue-white star left of Orion, became visible just before sunrise. This is called the Heliacal (Greek, near the Sun; helios means “Sun”) rising of Sirius—a flashing forth of the light of Sirius at pre-dawn before the Sun appears. Rising before the Sun and over the dome of the sky, Sirius rising and the Nile’s floodwaters (helping grow food for the year) appeared simultaneously.
The Pyramids (Temples of Initiation) were built to align with Sirius. A sculpture of Isis, aligned with the rising of Sirius, stood in the Egyptian temples. On her forehead a jewel was placed. As Sirius flashed forth in the pre-dawn sky, its light touched the jewel of Isis and it began to sparkle and glow. Soon, the Nile would overflow. And the Egyptian new year began.
The days (heliacal rising) of Sirius (July 3-Aug. 11) are called the Dog days (Sirius is located in the system Canis, Major, Great Dog) of summer (also the hottest days for northern latitudes).
Sirius, the star of freedom, both oversees and was behind the founding of the United States. Sirius is where love originates; a love that flows through Leo into the hearts of humanity. Make contact with Sirius and love is released. Christ, the World Teacher, is from Sirius. Upon completing our Earth (a cosmic school), journey, seven cosmic paths appear for us to choose from. One is the Path to Sirius (Path of Electric Fire).
Sirius is a binary star, which means there are actually two stars. In Mali, West Africa, the Dogon tribe has known of Sirius and its companion star Sirius B (Po Tolo, Seed of Creation). The Dogon’s source of information was the Nommo, amphibious beings from Sirius. Night Light News (our website), is named after Sirius B.


ARIES: It’s important to recognize what you know. It is a gift to be shared with others. You can be strong-willed, driven by self-confidence and authority. However, your fire soon burns out, your attention shifted elsewhere. It’s important to acknowledge others’ beliefs and points of view, allowing others to share their accomplishments. Then you become a true leader for others to learn from.
TAURUS: You remember many things about family and friends. Each memory has a message. Don’t allow other people’s beliefs, criticisms or behaviors deter you from your mission. Identify with your own thinking and intuition. It’s important to feel secure with the information you present to others. However, do not present ideas to those who will either appropriate it or test you with it. Maintain protection.
GEMINI: Your mind quickens with curiosity and creative expressions. Take a walk-about into neighborhoods. Interact with the five kingdoms. People will want to talk with you. Listen to what’s behind their words. Notice indecision. It reflects the dual nature of our world. Careful with distractions and finish what you’ve begun. Do only what keeps your mind interested and focused. You’re to initiate intelligent, heart-centered conversations.
CANCER: It’s important to ponder deeply upon essential decisions you need to make. You must have all the facts and be practical while proceeding slowly. There’s value in taking your time, contemplating different choices. This allows for deliberation on final decisions. Determination colors your actions. You’re developing a greater level of concentration. Concentration is the first level of meditation (the Leo level).
LEO: Your voice is at times stronger, serious and more practical, and at other times, more spontaneous than usual. You might say things you don’t mean or didn’t consider. Your tone may have changed, too. Notice any arguments, competition, irritability, impatience and impulsiveness occurring. Concentration (Leo’s way of meditation) may seem impossible so you make quick decisions. All these observations help you get to the heart of all that matters.
VIRGO: You’re able to communicate with angels, devas and unseen beings. Devas are the angelic builders living in nature. As you contact them new ideas begin to be impressed. Intuition expands. Use your imagination and visualization to create the world you seek to live in. Listen carefully to what others believe and value. Do they correspond with your values? Our minds change when we learn more.
LIBRA: Your professional work of service is your Vesta lamp. Its light fills you with confidence and well-being. You’ve worked hard, gained success and status, climbed every step of the ladder. You’ve been generous with knowledge, time and skills. You rule with order and ethics. You have pride in your work and the many life decisions you made. It’s also essential to remember those who helped along the way, always loving you.
SCORPIO: Scorpios learn the underbelly (hidden realities) of life, which develops a keen awareness of sorrow and pain, death and betrayal, leading to trust and mistrust. You have a sense of ethics and justice for everyone. Your most important tasks are uncovering life’s mysteries and the truth of the matter. Then self-identity emerges. Knowing what you know, you could rule the world. You also know the dangers. Hillary is Scorpio.
SAGITTARIUS: In the past years, you’ve gained strength, expanded borders, extended horizons, and projected yourself into new fields, making yourself better. You lead others through dramatic stories, explanations, long journeys, your eyes always on the prize (mountaintops ahead). Your love of heritage and family produced a true self-identity. Remain calm. When you overdo, overdramatize, consequences result. Don’t let your crown slip.
CAPRICORN: Your values, sense of tradition and willingness to explore new realities have always been sources of strength. As you share your values and resources with others, subtle changes occur in your life. All hidden gifts come to the light. Remember anger, sadness, conflict and chaos all present us with messages. Learn to understand them. If overtired and overwhelmed, take a respite. Contemplate these things. With another.
AQUARIUS: Sometimes, in learning to understand relationships, we allow others to have more power. Eventually we become disheartened with this situation wondering what’s wrong. It’s not good for you to be in the shadows. You need freedom, excitement, love and consistency. Then you begin to trust and settle down. It’s good that others recognize your leadership skills. You bring the future to humanity.
PISCES: Soon you sit at the helm, become the organizer, the achiever, the advisor with the rules and a time watch. Few see the importance for responsible qualities. You will go in and out of everything falling away, disappearing and appearing again. Place your entire heart into your work. Visualize and imagine, draw and paint, in detail, your perfect life and how to seek to serve. Then the petals of your heart unfold. Twelve petals.

Music Picks Aug 3—9

Live music for the week of August 3, 2016

Be Our Guest: ‘Orlando’

Win tickets to 'Orlando' at the Grove on SantaCruz.com

Love Your Local Band: Puffball Dance Collective

Puffball Dance Collective plays Friday, Aug. 5 at Don Quixote's

Review: Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’

Stellar acting and sharp wit in this new take on the epic tragedy

Local Students Publish a New Mushroom Guide

Authors of ‘Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast’ come to Bookshop Santa Cruz

Tabitha Stroup: A Smash-Hit in the Pop-up Scene

Tabitha Stroup of Friend in Cheeses adds pop tarts to upcoming pop-up, plus a Waiters Race event on Walnut Avenue

Olallieberries are a Taste of Summer in Santa Cruz

olallieberries pie Swanton Berry Farm
Brief, flavorful olallieberry season is upon us, even as the fruit struggles in the drought

Beauregard Vineyards Does Pinot Right

A spicy French-oak-aged Pinot, a Farm-to-Table dinner and a Wine Pairing

If you had a time machine, where and when would you go?

Local Talk for the week of August 3, 2016

Heliacal (before and near the Sun) Rising of Sirius

Esoteric Astrology as news for week of Aug. 3, 2016
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