Music Picks Nov. 9—15

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Music Picks Nov. 9—15

 

WEDNESDAY 11/9

CELTIC

ARCHIE FISHER

Regarded as Scotland’s foremost folk troubadour, Archie Fisher has been an ambassador for Celtic music for the last 40 years. With roots in the rich British folk scene that birthed the Incredible String Band, John Renbourn, Steeleye Span and more, Fisher is a quiet standout of the genre whose work celebrates the beauty of the Scottish border country. Fisher’s song “The Final Trawl,” has been covered by numerous artists, including the Clancy Brothers. His most recent album, A Silent Song, was his first offering since 2008’s Windward Away. CAT JOHNSON

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15/adv, $17/door. 335-2800.

 

THURSDAY 11/10

SKA

INSPECTOR & CALIGARIS

Ska is huge in Mexico and South America. Seriously, bands there play to giant crowds. Not to mention, the music has seeped its way into the mainstream vocabulary. Most rock bands play a little bit of pop, ska, reggae and cumbia. For anyone interested in seeing a little slice of this subculture, two of the best bands, Mexico’s Inspector and Argentina’s Caligaris, are sharing a bill at Moe’s Alley on Thursday. It’ll be an exciting show, particularly because this is an intimate setting for these groups, and these bands are sure to cut loose. Speaking Spanish isn’t a prerequisite for dancing your ass off to these super fun grooves. AARON CARNES

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

CALI-REGGAE

SLIGHTLY STOOPID

Slightly Stoopid is a slightly stupid band name—luckily, the music is much better. The group was signed in the mid-’90s by Bradley Nowell of Sublime to his Skunk label. Certainly, Sublime was an influence on the band’s blend of reggae, rock, funk, dub, punk and hip-hop. But Slightly Stoopid took the music in its own direction, and became a big influence on the emerging fusion-rich Cali-reggae scene. The member’s hometown, San Diego, is a hot spot for cali-reggae—as is Santa Cruz. AC

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $31.94. 429-4135.

 

FRIDAY 11/11

SURF ROCK

HOT TODDIES

The Hot Toddies are Heidi, Erin and Sylvia, three best friends who have been playing music, drinking whiskey and writing songs together since 2005. The three women infuse their sunny brand of indie beach pop with high-pitched harmonies, a sense of humor, and guitar riffs reminiscent of early White Stripes. The Oakland-based trio’s lyrics represent a gender-role reversal; their female gaze reveals a feminine twist on teenage sexual angst. The lyrics for their song “Jaguar Love,” for instance, describe a young girl going on a joyride in an attempt to lose her virginity, and are delivered with so many sickly sweet shooby-doo-wops that you might miss the meaning. KS

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

BLUES

JOHN MAYALL

John Mayall is a legend of British blues, a musical tradition a lot of American blues fans don’t entirely understand. It’s well known that his group the Bluesbreakers, which formed in the early ’60s, launched the careers of musicians like Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, and countless others. But it’d be more accurate to say that Mayall actually created the entire blues scene in England—a lot of young British musicians loved old American blues records, but he showed them that they could create their own version of it. While many of his protégées went on to create an exciting revival of rock ’n’ roll in the mid-to-late ’60s, Mayall stuck close to a traditional blues sound. AC

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

 

SATURDAY 11/12

HIP-HOP

DENZEL CURRY

Rapper Denzel Curry is also known by the stage names Aquarius Killa, Raven Miyagi, and his most recent title, the Black Metal Terrorist. He’s a self-made underground hip-hop artist of the digital age, who gained a rapid grassroots following online when he released his first album at age 16, after being expelled from an arts high school in South Florida. He self-released a second studio album, Imperial, in March, and the single “Ultimate” was featured in an Adidas commercial. Curry will be joined in the Catalyst Atrium by artists Boogie, Yoshi Thompkins, and Sadistik. KATIE SMALL

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $16/adv, $18/door. 429-4135.

ROOTS

SEAN HAYES

Bay Area singer-songwriter Sean Hayes is more interested in substance than flash. This approach shines through in his honest storytelling and straightforward delivery both on stage and in the studio, where he prefers a documentary style of making records. As he told GT last year, a recording is “more a snapshot of what’s going on in my life” than something made to sound like a million dollars. With refreshing authenticity and openness, Hayes is one of the songwriting gems of the Bay Area and beyond. CJ

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 479-1854.

 

MONDAY 11/14

JAZZ VOCALS

KARRIN ALLYSON

A winsome jazz vocalist and accomplished pianist with superb taste and an impressive catalog of albums dating back to the early 1990s, Karrin Allyson is a beguiling performer with five Grammy nominations to her credit. With a new album of holiday tunes, Yuletide Hideaway, and a ravishing album of Rodgers and Hammerstein standards, Many a New Day (Motéma Music) featuring pianist Kenny Barron and bassist John Patitucci, she’s got plenty of recent material at her fingertips. For her Bay Area dates (she also plays Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society on Sunday) Allyson is joined by guitarist Rob Fleeman and Seattle bassist Jeff Johnson, a superb player known for his work with heavyweight pianists like Jessica Williams and Hal Galper. ANDREW GILBERT

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

IN THE QUEUE

SISTER NANCY

Legendary reggae and dancehall artist. Wednesday at Moe’s Alley

BUTCH HANCOCK & RORY

Standout Americana singer-songwriter and his son. Thursday at Don Quixote’s

AMERICANA TRIPLE HEADER

Miss Lonely Hearts, McCoy Tyler & the Moonlighters, and the Naked Bootleggers. Friday at Moe’s Alley

BANJO EXTRAVAGANZA

California banjo celebration featuring Danny Barnes, Joe Newberry, Bill Evans and more. Friday at Kuumbwa

TROMBONE SHORTY

Renowned New Orleans trombonist and bandleader. Saturday at Catalyst

Be Our Guest: Rising Appalachia

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Be Our Guest: Rising Appalachia

 

Blending traditional styles, songs, instruments and stories from around the world with a deep passion for justice, Rising Appalachia is a “fiercely independent,” one-of-a-kind group. Led by sisters Leah and Chloe, who sing and harmonize in a single-voice style, Rising Appalachia has performed in a variety of unexpected settings, including inside rail cars, at an Italian street fair, to a group of Bulgarian herbalists and at renowned venues such as Red Rocks. The band brings an air of evolutionary consciousness to their music and an approach to life and art that celebrates simplicity and connectedness. 

INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25 Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $23/adv, $28/door. 423-1338. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Love Your Local Band: Ancestree Reggae

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Love Your Local Band: Ancestree Reggae

Back in 2010, Christopher Carr and several other locals musicians that would eventually make up local band Ancestree Reggae were just roommates. Everyone came from different backgrounds, but the one thing they had in common was a love for reggae music. It’s this connection that was the impetus for the band.

“We’re kind of a beautiful spectrum of cultures, backgrounds and identities. We’ve had players from Mexico City, we’ve had players from Brazil. We’ve had players from Israel. We have songs in multiple languages,” says bassist Carr. “We’ve always been trying to communicate how things are better when we can come together. It’s a message of unity.”

It wasn’t just that everyone in the band loved the music. The message lined up with all of their values. Reggae’s message of peace and its penchant for political activism were two sides of the same coin for them. Ancestree Reggae songs are about love and harmony, but also tackle an array of political issues—including one about fighting Monsanto, for instance.

“There’s that involuntary joy that comes when you get in the pocket of the one drop. We’re trying to find a way to get people to dance and feel good, but we also want to give them some medicine, and try to stir up the fire and use music as a message. Reggae is always good for that,” Carr says.

Appropriately enough, there is no clear leader in the band. There’s no distinct lead singer, no sole figure that writes all the songs. It’s this democratic aspect that makes the band work so well.

“We all sing and play multiple instruments.” Carr says. “We just want to keep that good vibe reciprocated, and keep growing.”

INFO: 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Santa Cruz Cannabis Cup. Santa Cruz Veteran’s Hall, 2259 7th Ave., Santa Cruz. $35. 475-9804.

What should Santa Cruz’s next big endeavor be?

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What should Santa Cruz’s next big endeavor be?

“I think they gotta do something about the homeless, provide showers for them so they can get jobs. And there should be more parking.”

Gayle Bradshaw

Santa Cruz
Retired

“It would be good if they would evaluate the live music venues and have more of them. ”

Kevin Robinson

Santa Cruz
Musician

“Being an employee here, I would like to see improvements in jobs—getting away from temporary employees and going back to full-time employees. ”

Rene Belling

Soquel
Library Assistant

“Santa Cruz should invest in something more tech-related. If they could get the “fiber” here, that would be great.”

Robert Mendoza

Salinas
Data Technology Administrator

“Bring the “Yellow Bike” program—free bicycles for people who need them. ”

Matthew Sheltz

Santa Cruz
Techno Wizard

Preview: Neko Case to Play the Rio Theatre

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Preview: Neko Case to Play the Rio Theatre

Singer-songwriter Neko Case is known now for her gorgeously heady music, but back in her early days, it was her fists that made an impression on Larry Livermore. In his autobiography How to Ruin a Record Label, the founder of the legendary Bay Area punk imprint Lookout Records describes fleeing a club in fear one night in the ’90s when he thought Case was going to put them through his face.

When I ask Case about it, I discover she didn’t know she was mentioned in Livermore’s book—and I can practically hear her rolling her eyes through the phone.

“I don’t really know Larry Livermore,” she says. “I’m sure compared to the community he hung around with, I was a little more—I don’t know, what’s the word—outgoing.”

Does she agree with his assessment of her punk young self as a “tough customer?”

“No, I was just the boss of myself,” she says.

She kind of had to be. Born in Alexandria, Virginia to parents who soon divorced, Case moved around a lot with her mother and stepfather before leaving home as a teenager. She ended up in Tacoma, Washington, where the music scene gave her the support she didn’t have at home.

“I didn’t really have parents, so I got into the punk scene early, like around 14,” she says. “Going into record stores and hanging out, that’s where you met other people.”

With the internet still years away, there was a whole different way of relating to music. “The actual record store was the chat room, and it happened in real time, in real life,” she says. “You’d see other people there who you thought looked cool, and they were wearing a cool T-shirt, and you wanted to talk to them—and felt shy, but eventually you’d make friends. It just kind of became a community.”

If the scene made an impression on her, she definitely made an impression on it, as proven by the 1990 song “Neko Loves Rock ’n’ Roll,” by Tacoma band Girl Trouble. But by 1993, she had moved to Vancouver and was performing with the “cuddlecore” band Cub, which is probably most remembered by those outside the scene for releasing the song “New York City” that would be famously covered by They Might Be Giants. (It is also remembered by Larry Livermore as the band Case was in when she terrified him during one of their tours through California. Does he realize he was lucky not to be the guy she actually punched one night while Cub was playing in Houston?) She was hired as a replacement drummer, but Cub is how Case got her first-ever experience singing on stage, and led to her forming the trio Meow.

What’s remarkable is maybe not that she found punk, but what she got out of it. For one thing, although she started out in all-girl bands, some of the groups she admired taught her a different lesson about gender roles in rock ’n’ roll.

“I really loved the Minuteman. It had a lot to do with the fact that they weren’t a boy band or a girl band or whatever the hell you want to call it,” she says. “They just were for people who thought about stuff. It wasn’t macho or feminine, they were well balanced. It was a thinking person’s punk band.”

That same ethos was reflected in the New Pornographers, the Vancouver band which features Case’s songs and vocals, but also those of fellow members A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar. The group seemed to become an instant indie-rock favorite upon the release of their 2000 debut, Mass Romantic, and Case has remained connected to it even after finding fame with her solo work.

Considering all this history, it seems a bit ridiculous now that Case was pegged as an alt-country performer when her first solo record, The Virginian, came out in 1997. Certainly it was her most honkytonk-esque record—and her connection to country and Western does stretch all the back into her childhood, when her grandmother used to play it for her—but even then, at the same time that she was covering Loretta Lynn, she was also covering Queen.

Thankfully, these days no one seems as determined to force a classification onto her sound, especially after the trio of haunted but kinetic records she’s made in the last 10 years: 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, 2009’s Middle Cyclone and 2013’s The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. Critics and fans are now more focused on her songwriting, which walks a line between desperately emotional and downright mysterious. She doesn’t mind that people read so many (sometimes pretty out-there) things into her lyrics; she deliberately writes them to leave room for interpretation.

“My intention is often to get people engaged in the story, and maybe be able to put themselves in the story, because that’s what I really love in other people’s songwriting,” she says. “A lot of classic pop songs are written about things that are as popular as love or whatever, but they don’t give you a time or place, and they remain kind of magical somehow. Unfortunately, I’m a little wordier than somebody like Cole Porter, so mine are definitely little black holes of stories, little rabbit holes of stories.”

Neko Case plays at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz. Tickets are $37.50, available at Tomboy and at riotheatre.com.

Film Review: ‘The Handmaiden’

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Film Review: ‘The Handmaiden’

It may seem like an odd collaboration: bad-boy Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park, famed for the violent male revenge melodrama Oldboy, and British author Sarah Waters, whose erotic thrillers are set in the Dickensian underworld of Victorian London. But it turns out to be a surprisingly happy matchup in The Handmaiden, Park’s Asian riff on Waters’ novel Fingersmith. Filmmaker and source material are both edgy in complementary ways. Gorgeously shot and composed, audacious, and full of witty visual asides, The Handmaiden is a sly entertainment of sex, larceny, deception, double-crosses, and female liberation.

Park shifts the locale to Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s. Sook-Hee (bright and lively Kim Tae-ri) is a young woman who’s grown up in a den of pickpockets and thieves, purchased from a “purveyor of stolen girls.” One of the gang leaders, a smooth-talking Korean who calls himself Count Fujiwara (Jung-woo Ha), picks Sook-Hee as his accomplice in an elaborate swindle.

The mark is Kouzuki (Jin-woo Jo), a wealthy, middle-aged Japanese man living in splendor at a remote country estate. Kouzuki has been the guardian of his niece, Hideko—and her fortune—since she was 5 years old. Now that Hideko (Min-hee Kim) is a poised young woman, the Count, a talented art forger, has secured himself a position as her drawing tutor. He’s also arranged employment for Sook-Hee as Lady Hideko’s handmaiden. The plan is for Sook-Hee to assist the Count in persuading Hideko to run away with him. Once married, he’ll shut her up in a madhouse and claim her fortune for himself.

Hoping to make her own fortune from her share of the take, Sook-Hee agrees. Street-smart, but not especially sophisticated (she can’t read), she’s awed by Kouzuki’s grand home; half English Gothic, half-Japanese, with an immense library of rare books that she’s forbidden to enter, and the beauty of her new mistress—who’s surprisingly close to her own age. Sook-Hee feels protective of Hideko, whom she considers an unworldly hothouse flower, and Hideko teaches Sook-Hee to read. Sook-Hee begins to feel twinges of remorse when the Count arrives, but not enough to deviate from their plan.

This is just the jumping-off point for a plot that becomes more bold, twisty, and rewarding as it unfolds. Our shifting perception of the characters’ relationships to each other comes into play, along with the nature of those books that Hideko is required to read aloud to her uncle and his frequent gentlemen callers. (Park’s film could be a subversive co-bill with Miss Hokusai: both include the famed ukiyo-e print of a giant octopus pleasuring a swoony geisha, an image Park also references in one funny, fleeting visual gag.)

You might want to skip this one if onscreen sex makes you uncomfortable. A less adventurous filmmaker might have cut some scenes shorter in the interest of discretion. But discreet filmmaking would miss the point of these scenes in all their stark, luscious abandon, as crucial to the storyline as they are, and shot from such interesting angles. The point is not only that the characters enjoy a sexual romp, but that it turns out to be a life-changing experience for both of them that also alters the direction of the plot. Park is canny enough to only reveal glimpses here and there as this intricate puzzle-box of a movie unfolds, saving the extended sequence for about three-quarters into the story, when it has the most impact.

But there’s a lot more going on here than sex. The movie is divided into three parts, containing flashbacks as well as overlapping scenes replayed from different viewpoints, a trail of celluloid bread crumbs to help viewers navigate the labyrinth of the plot. Less violent than we usually expect from Park (although there will be blood), but no less wry and moral a worldview—in its perverse way—The Handmaiden considers colonial and gender politics with wicked aplomb.

THE HANDMAIDEN

***1/2(out of four)

With Kim Tae-ri, Min-hee-Kim, and Jung-woo Ha. Written by Seo-Kyung Chung and Chan-wook Park. Inspired by the novel Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters. Directed by Chan-wook Park. Rated R. 144 minutes. In Korean and Japanese with English subtitles.

Where to Buy Organic, Local and Heirloom Turkeys

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Where to Buy Organic, Local and Heirloom Turkeys

Turkeys, those oft-maligned big-shouldered cousins of the winsome chicken, take center stage in many homes during the next two months. The crowning event in the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, turkeys have become subject to kinder, gentler treatment as they make their journey to our tables and delicious memories. While it’s fun to joke about how bland turkey meat really is, it’s equally fun to try to coax more spice into the meal that owes something, but not a lot, to a group of clueless English settlers who might have starved to death save for the savvy of the resident natives. What was actually consumed on that first Thanksgiving day was certainly venison, wild duck, oysters, and cornmeal porridge. But in a few weeks, many will re-create their own childhood meal, very likely involving that big-breasted bird, the turkey.

Here in costly paradise-by-the-Pacific we have access to plump and humanely-raised turkeys—non-GMO, organic, as well as pastured and heirloom. [Heirloom varieties can be derived from breeds with richer dark meat and distinct flavor intensity.] If you decide to explore the more expensive heirloom turkeys you can plan on paying from $5 per pound, compared with Diestel non-GMO turkeys starting at $3 per pound. But, you would be supporting endangered varieties and showing your respect to the noble bird. Just food for thought.

Over at Staff of Life, I spoke to Anthony Blanco, owner of the in-store Natural Meat & Fish department.

“All of our turkeys are free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free,” Blanco says. “Our organic and pastured turkeys are higher priced, and a bit more for the heirlooms.”
Blanco added that Staff will brine your turkey at no cost, by request. “We make our own brine,” he adds proudly. “We are taking orders for holiday turkeys right now, and it’s probably best to come in to discuss your needs so that we can offer the best service.” Blanco recommends one pound per person “if you don’t want to have any leftovers,” he says. But if you do want leftovers, he suggests ordering 1.5 pounds per person.

“At my house we like 2 pounds per person, so we can have lots of leftovers,” he says. While we were on the subject of holiday meals I asked how the upcoming crab season looked. “Right now Monterey Bay is registering almost non-detectable amounts of domoic acid,” Blanco says, “so we’re really good this year, compared to last. This season we’re on like Donkey Kong,” he predicts, poetically. More info at staffoflife.com.

At New Leaf Market’s West Side butcher counter I was assured that Diestel turkeys—which used to be called Heidi Hens—are available in organic as well as heirloom varieties. “The easiest way to order is just to go online and you’ll find lots of choices,” a spokesman tells me. Indeed, there is a Thanksgiving pre-order site that lists many choices of fresh, uncooked birds from “All natural” Diestels ($2.79/lb) to organic ($4.29/lb) to organic heirlooms (a mix of Auburn, Black, and American Bronze turkeys for $4.99/lb.) And of course you can also order brined, smoked, fully cooked, organic brown and serve, and lots of different turkey breast variations. Click one, then select size, quantity, pick-up place and day, give your name, phone number and email address and you’re styling. More info at newleaf.com.

This Just In!

The menu that Soif chef Mark Denham has created for the Nov. 15 Diana Kennedy dinner includes the mouth-watering possibilities of rustic pressed pork confit, local abalone, Sonoma duck breast, and dark chocolate-pear torte. With matching wines, the $150 dinner includes tax, tip and a signed copy of Kennedy’s culinary memoir Nothing Fancy. Soif. Call quick! 423-2020.

Chocolate Finally Goes Guilt-Free With Cacoco

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Chocolate Finally Goes Guilt-Free With Cacoco

I was 15 the first time I tried European hot chocolate, in a small café tucked away off the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. From the first sip, that tiny, decadent cup changed what I thought chocolate could be. Now, Cacoco Drinking Chocolate has opened my mind again.

A 4-ounce cup of their spicy, dark Fire Walker chocolate has become my favorite afternoon pick-me-up. Naturally rich, creamy, and deeply satisfying, it also contains the undetectable additions of reishi mushroom and rhodiola root, both said to promote health and vitality—making Cacoco much more nourishing than the bar of chocolate I keep in my desk. All it needs is hot water and a good shake in a Mason jar.

By blending their minimally processed cacao with organic superfood herbs and spices, like cardamon, turmeric and maca, Cacoco moves away from confection and into the food-as-medicine realm, without sacrificing flavor or texture. Each cup is a beautiful molten delight. Cacoco also doesn’t contain any dairy, is made with a small amount of low-glycemic coconut sugar, is organic and non-GMO, gluten-free, paleo and vegan. People talk about guilt-free chocolate, but this is the real deal.

Co-owners Liam Blackmon, Tony Portugal and Erik Koon, who process and blend their cacao at a local kitchen facility, tell me that they set out “to make chocolate that makes you feel good.” “We want to bring the history and tradition of this rich, vital food into a contemporary setting,” says Portugal.

Their attention to detail extends beyond the quality of their chocolate. All avid outdoorsmen, Portugal, Blackmon and Koon apply the “leave no trace” philosophy to every aspect of their product. They visit the farms where their cacao is sourced to survey environmental factors, and their beautiful, Mayan temple-inspired packaging is made from compostable materials without adhesive—so when you’ve poured your last cup you can throw the whole thing, including the bag, into the compost.

Cacoco is launching a Kickstarter campaign on Nov. 14 to help fund the next round of packaging and to source more cacao. More info at drinkcacoco.com. Available at local natural food stores and farmers markets.

Cases of Hunter Hill Wine Now On Sale

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Cases of Hunter Hill Wine Now On Sale

At a get-together with my Wild Wine Women group at the start of fall, we had lunch at Hunter Hill Vineyard at the invitation of Christine Slatter, co-owner of the winery with her husband Vann. It was a last hurrah for Christine as she and Vann decided some time ago to sell the winery—lock, stock and barrel.

Our chef that day was the talented Anthony Kresge, who is back in town to operate Sotola Bar & Grill in Capitola—formerly the Stockton Bridge Grille. Not only did Kresge prepare some outstanding food for us, we also had some marvelous Hunter Hill wines with every course, including Hunter Hill’s lush Estate Syrah 2013. Paired with chicken from Fogline Farms, it was a perfect match with Kresge’s culinary expertise. This estate Syrah is grown on the highest elevation of the vineyard and really shows Vann Slatter’s skills as a winemaker. We will sorely miss his Syrah—not to mention his Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Since the Slatters are pulling out of the business, most of these wines are for sale by the case at a huge discount on the website store. A case of the Syrah is $200. Check online for more info.

Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery, 7099 Glen Haven Road, Soquel, 465-9294. hunterhillwines.com. Sotola Bar & Grill, 231 Esplanade, Capitola, 854-2800. Sotolabarandgrill.com.

Albacore Feed

If you love a delicious mouthful of albacore, then this event is for you. The Castroville Rotary Club and the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project is putting on its 39th annual Albacore Feed starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12. There will be door prizes, a silent auction and project demonstrations. The event will be held at the Recreation Center, 11621 Crane St., Castroville. Tickets are available at the door and cost $20 (kids 12 and under $10).

Santa Cruz Wine Walk

Taste some terrific local wines as you stroll around downtown Santa Cruz for the fall Wine Walk. The event will be held rain or shine from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 on the day of (if not sold out). Check in is at Plaza Lane where you will be given a map of tasting locations. More info can be found at downtownsantacruz.com.

Cancer Survivors Find Support—and Yoga

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Cancer Survivors Find Support—and Yoga

Humans are inherently communal creatures, healthiest when we have strong social support. A 2010 review published in the journal PLOS Medicine found that across 148 studies of 308,849 participants, those with strong social relationships had a 50 percent increased likelihood of survival—on par with quitting smoking and even exceeding other well-known risk factors like obesity.

In addition to receiving social support, providing it can also have a positive impact on health. A 2003 study published in Psychological Science found that mortality was significantly reduced in those who reported providing support to their spouses, friends, relatives, and neighbors. Support groups for people dealing with chronic diseases like cancer are one context where both sides of the social support benefits are realized—and a 2009 systematic review published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found “sufficiently strong” evidence for the relationship between social support and breast cancer recovery. But sometimes one person’s story can be more moving than the results of a thousand studies. Such is the story of Santa Cruz’s Rebecca Hall Dickson, who was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 25, and spent all of 2011 in treatment.

“My first diagnosis was extremely isolating,” she says. She remembers having difficulty connecting with others in her same situation. The turning point came when an organization called First Descents set her up on a week-long kayak trip with other young cancer survivors.

“It was an amazing experience for me to be around other young survivors. They felt the fear, the anxiety, and the pain because they had been through it,” she says. Dickson said this group support meant a lot to her and her battle against the disease. “First and foremost it relieved the social isolation which often accompanies cancer,” she says. “Getting through it with the help of a group is a night-and-day difference versus not having that group support.”

Getting a cancer diagnosis is like having to learn a new language, Dickson says, and group support can help someone navigate all of the different treatments, medications, and side effects. It was during treatment that Dickson really fell in love with yoga, which was one of the only physical activities she could do at the time.

“It helped me a lot mentally and gave me a lot of peace,” she recalls. After treatment, her cancer went into remission, but in 2014 it recurred and metastasized. Not even 30 years old, Dickson was now diagnosed with the most severe stage 4 breast cancer, considered incurable and requiring treatment for the rest of her life. “My second diagnosis really shook me up,” Dickson says, “but it reinforced how much I wanted to teach yoga and help other patients and survivors, because I know how much it helped me.”

Instead of letting her second diagnosis break her, Dickson defied it, and altered her life path to help others. She combined her love of yoga, nature, and group support by starting her own business, Santa Cruz Nature Yoga, which places an emphasis on the rejuvenating benefits of practicing yoga outside. She now offers one free group class per month and one free private session per client through WomenCARE, a local nonprofit that provides support to cancer patients.

Currently, Dickson says her health is good and she’s responding well to treatment. “Given that I’m stage 4, I’m doing extremely well,” she says, adding that even though stage 4 is the one that actually kills, it is also the one often neglected in terms of resources, education, and research funding.

Looking to the future, Dickson is encouraged by the growing cancer support community, especially for younger survivors. In addition to WomenCARE and First Descents, Dickson’s friend April Stearns, another young breast cancer survivor from Santa Cruz, founded Wildfire Magazine (wildfirecommunity.org), a digital publication tailored specifically to young breast cancer patients and survivors.

Dickson notes that social media is also a great source of group support. “I’ve turned more recently to social media, because my situation is so rare for my age,” she says. “It helps me not feel alone and gives me hope. In-person support is best, but the power of social media allows a worldwide sense of community. It is amazing to feel connected to hundreds of others in my same situation.”

Music Picks Nov. 9—15

Local live music for the week of November 9, 2016
Read more

Be Our Guest: Rising Appalachia

Rising Appalachia
Win tickets to Rising Appalachia on Nov. 25 at the Catalyst
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Love Your Local Band: Ancestree Reggae

Ancestree Reggae
Ancestree Reggae play Saturday, Nov. 19 at Santa Cruz Veteran’s Hall
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What should Santa Cruz’s next big endeavor be?

Local Talk for the week of November 9, 2016
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Preview: Neko Case to Play the Rio Theatre

Neko Case
From intimidating young punk to masterful singer-songwriter, Neko Case has always made an impression
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Film Review: ‘The Handmaiden’

The Handmaiden film
Sex, lies, gender politics fuel twisty, edgy ‘Handmaiden’
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Where to Buy Organic, Local and Heirloom Turkeys

Staff of Life deli department
Planning a local Thanksgiving, plus a menu preview for Diana Kennedy’s dinner at Soif
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Chocolate Finally Goes Guilt-Free With Cacoco

Cacoco chocolate
Drinking chocolate that is good for the body and for the planet
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Cases of Hunter Hill Wine Now On Sale

red wine being poured into a glass
Stocking up on wine for the holidays, plus and Albacore Feed and Santa Cruz’s Wine Walk
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Cancer Survivors Find Support—and Yoga

yoga on the beach
Studies show we’re healthiest when we find a network
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