Page 954 | Good Times

Mark Mesiti-Miller’s Vision for Santa Cruz

Local News

-

June 14, 2016

Mark Mesiti-Miller’s Vision for Santa Cruz

Mark Mesiti-Miller’s passion for transportation planning in Santa Cruz is perhaps best told by his wife, Donna Murphy.
On a recent Napa getaway, Mesiti-Miller took her on a detour, away from the vineyard tours, to the wine country’s lesser-known draw: its developing rail system and accompanying rail trail.
“It had nothing to do with our trip, but our curiosity,” says Murphy, UC Santa Cruz vice chancellor before she retired in 2013, describing their exploration of how the Napa trail is laid out, and how the stations and railroads interact.
A retired civil engineer, Mesiti-Miller is consumed by his curiosity for housing and transportation. Since selling his firm last year, Mesiti-Miller, a Santa Cruz planning commissioner, has closely studied the developing Santa Cruz Corridor plan, which will aim to increase density on major thoroughfares. He’s spoken during public comment in meetings on a range of topics, like the possible November ballot measure for transportation, and has hosted events to discuss passenger rail in Santa Cruz along the coast.
“His mind’s always kind of gnawing on different issues,” says Murphy. “He reads a lot, and so he tracks these things. If he’s read something about a complete street, then as we’re driving down, he’ll study it. If he’s looking at housing density and we’re driving around town, we’re looking at the scale of buildings, how the roads work, et cetera.”
The planning commission published its General Plan 2030 four years ago, and along with it a corresponding land-use map. Mesiti-Miller’s vision for Santa Cruz, also laid out in the plan, centers around its corridors. These are the city’s commercial hubs where most of the mom and pop shops, drugstores, bakeries and markets are, along Soquel Avenue, Water, Ocean and Mission streets.
Mesiti-Miller calls for mixed-use development along these thoroughfares, with ground-floor commercial space, and above that, affordable housing.
“The most sustainable way to grow a community is vertically and along its corridors,” says Mesiti-Miller. “It’s called transit-oriented development, or T.O.D., and it tells us what we need are housing units along our corridors.”
As they are now, the corridors aren’t comfortable for pedestrian traffic, says Mesiti-Miller: Soquel Avenue carries around 30,000 cars each day, according to a 2014 report.
“Who wants to walk along Soquel between Morrissey and Capitola Road? Nobody,” says Mesiti-Miller. “There’s no place to park, no place to ride your bike. It’s dangerous. A guy was killed there on his bike a year or two ago.”
Santa Cruz’s busiest streets need wider sidewalks, space for bicycles and places to park them, and trees, he says.
“We need to create neighborhoods along our corridor. How do we do that? Instead of designing our streets for the car, which is what we’ve done, we need to design the streets for the people in those neighborhoods.”
What’s more, Mesiti-Miller says he’s astounded by the gap between the city’s population growth and its relatively stagnant housing growth. Between 2010 and 2015, Santa Cruz’s population grew by more than 4,000 people, to 64,220, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Yet from 2007 to 2015, only 1,000 new housing units were built in the city, according to a State of the City report from May. (Since 2004, UCSC’s enrollment has increased by 2,700 and the campus has added 2,100 beds. Campus housing has had a 97 percent occupancy rate since 2011, according to the university.)
Meanwhile, the city has an oversupply of single-family homes, which make up two-thirds of Santa Cruz’s housing units. As a result, more people are packing into houses that aren’t meant to be shared, Mesiti-Miller says.
“The technical term for this is ‘unrelated adults living together,’” he says. “It’s strangers living together in houses that are only designed as single-family houses. You go and talk to them, and they say ‘I don’t want to live here. I don’t want to be detached from downtown. I don’t want to be detached from where I want to be spending my time.’
“These are the young people. They’re doing what they can to live in our community, and that means renting a bedroom in a house and sharing a kitchen and living with people you don’t know. You’re living in a neighborhood that you don’t want to be, but that’s what they do.”
Mesiti-Miller, 62, says he traces his interest in affordable housing to 1983, when he moved to Santa Cruz’s eastside from Santa Clara, and it took him six weeks to find a place to live.
The problem is much worse now, says Mesiti-Miller, with 32 percent of people living alone in a city housing system that’s designed for single families and flooded with young people.
“That seems way out of whack with what our community actually needs. If you look around in our community, what we need is smaller, denser, more affordable housing. That’s what we need and we’re going to need that well into the future,” he says.
Mesiti-Miller is also a board member of Friends of the Rail Trail, which supports the construction of a 32-mile biking and walking trail from Davenport to Watsonville along the existing railroad. He wants to see the revitalization of Santa Cruz County’s passenger rail and bus system.
The current transportation system is broken, and Highway 1 congestion affects the entire region’s quality of life, says Mesiti-Miller.
“Who [in Santa Cruz] will say, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, ‘Oh, I think I’ll go for a walk in Nisene Marks.’ Nobody does that. Why? Nobody wants to sit in traffic,” Mesiti-Miller says.
The crux of his vision for Santa Cruz—dense, affordable housing in pedestrian- and bike-friendly neighborhoods, and a European-standard public rail and bus system—is the implementation of General Plan 2030. Right now, the city’s planning commission is engaged in updating its zoning codes along its corridors.
“The general plan basically is the document that’s going to allow our community to become the community we want it to be, and it’s going to happen over 20 years, 30 years,” Mesiti-Miller says. “It’s the community that our children are going to inherit, and the people who are moving here are going to inherit.”

Preview: Dirty Cello at Don Quixote’s

A&E
Music

Cat Johnson

-

June 14, 2016

0

Rebecca Roudman stands front and center in an automotive garage currently serving as a makeshift video set. The classically trained cellist rests her bow on the instrument’s strings, leans forward, plays a few long mournful notes, then breaks into a rousing, sassy rendition of the Robert Johnson classic tune, “Cross Road Blues.”
Though the gap between the rough garage setting and the polished cello sound is wide, it’s not entirely unexpected for Roudman and her band Dirty Cello. A Bay Area outfit that tosses aside musical convention, Dirty Cello keeps its repertoire, sound, and venues unpredictable, performing in flashmobs, marathons and a cave. For a recent recording session, the members went to, as Roudman puts it, “all the weirdest Airbnbs in California,” recording a song at each stop. Along the way, they played and stayed in a yurt, a geodesic dome, a buffalo ranch, a pirate-themed room, a 1970s Airstream trailer, a stone cabin, and a log cabin.
“The weirder the better,” says Roudman. “We like to be adventurous and do weird things. It just happens that our instruments come along for the ride.”
In addition to a good-sized collection of cover songs, Dirty Cello also plays original bluegrass and blues tunes that give a nod to tradition and showcase the musical variety Roudman grew up around. Exposed to classical music early, she picked up the cello at the age of 7, and didn’t put it down—she’s currently a member of the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Oakland Symphony. But her parents were also fans of roots and blues music, and B.B. King was in regular rotation at her house.
Roudman explains that playing the blues and bluegrass on a cello is not a huge stretch. For the fiddle parts, she just plays faster and higher up on the strings, and she says the instrument is a fantastic vehicle for expressing the emotions of roots music and blues.
“There’s something about the blues that is so soulful and lends itself to the cello,” she says. “I know it’s really meant for the guitar, but there’s just something about it that works.”
Improvising over traditional and popular tunes is a key aspect of what Roudman does with Dirty Cello, but she initially had to warm up to the idea. After receiving a music degree in college, she wanted to stretch her musical comfort zone and try something different, but she faced self-doubt about breaking stylistic restrictions.
“My first thought was, ‘I can’t improvise,’” Roudman says. “‘I’m a classical player, that’s not what we do.’”
With encouragement from her then-boyfriend, now-husband and band guitarist Jason Eckl, however, she began improvising with a wide variety of acts, including singer-songwriters, blues bands and hip-hop acts. She immediately loved it.
When asked how she balances the classical with the experimental, Roudman says that she can improvise because of her classical training.
“All the stuff I learned about how to play correctly and how to get around my cello has been crucial to how I improvise,” she says.“ Classical training is what gave me the skills I needed.”
For Roudman, playing covers of popular songs was simply a step further down the road of musical freedom and experimentation. She says she enjoys the challenge of reworking well-known guitar solos for the cello and loves to play familiar tunes.
“We just want to play songs that call to us, that are fun for us, or are fun to listen to on the radio,” she says. “For example, Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’—I’ve always just loved that song.”
Other covers in the band’s impressive repertoire include Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams Are Made of These,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” and the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.”
There’s a freshness to the Dirty Cello sound that balances technically sound playing, loose improvisation, and an ever-present sense of fun. To watch Roudman perform, you’d think she’s having the time of her life—and she is.
“It’s the best feeling,” she says. “It’s very freeing. I love being on stage and feeling the energy of the audience. I can’t describe it, but it’s a bit like a rollercoaster ride. It just feels really good.”

Info: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 18. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $10. 335-2800.

Preview: Thad Carhart at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld

-

June 14, 2016

0

Preview: Thad Carhart at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Fascinated by a small piano shop in Paris, writer Thad Carhart took readers on a journey into the romance and anatomy of pianos, artisanship, music, and his own past in his bestselling memoir, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. His new book, Finding Fontainebleau, continues the conversation, pulling us back into France during the 1950s, where he lived as a young boy in Fontainebleau, the village adjacent to the historic chateau of the same name. In anticipation of his appearance at Bookshop Santa Cruz, I talked to Carhart about history, memory, and life in two languages.

How does ‘Finding Fontainebleau’ relate to your first memoir?
THAD CARHART: It isn’t a prequel or sequel, but it’s in written in the same spirit. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank focuses upon when I moved to Paris with my wife and kids during the 1990s and sought out a piano. Finding Fontainebleau tells a larger story about coming to France with my parents and siblings. It travels from the 1950s to the present day, and it’s meant to be narrative nonfiction that tells the reader something about France they might not know or have access to.

“There’s a place in between languages and cultures—especially if you were an ex-pat as a child—where there’s an almost magnetic pull. It forces you to see the world a little differently, and it’s not always easy.” – Thad Carhart

How were you able to recapture your childhood memories?
I have four siblings, and we’re very close. When we first moved to France, everything was new, and there was an intensity to the experience that we shared. It was the family lore, the stories, that fueled my memories. My age was part of it, too. I was only four, and I’d never been to school before, so I started school in France and soaked it up like a sponge. At that age, especially while learning a second language, you pay close attention to everything. Your memories are intense and very visual, so they tend to stay with you. In fact, when I came back to Paris, what struck me was visual. When I was a kid, it was black, the buildings and monuments stained from years of coal soot. In 1964, the minister of culture began to clean them—not because he thought it would change the face of the city, although it did, but because they were dirty. As a child, I thought they were all built of some black stone quarried in the depths of France. Returning was like seeing Paris’s albino twin. You can buy old postcards along the Seine that show aerial shots of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s blackened city. Today, it’s this glistening white pearl of a place.
The NATO headquarters where your father worked was located at the Chateau of Fontainebleau. What makes it so special?
Fontainebleau shows a greater scope of French architecture and style than any other site, with the possible exception of the Louvre. And it’s 50 years older than the Louvre, 500 years older than Versailles. Every king from Louis VII in 1137 to Napoleon III in 1870 spent time there, and they all left something behind—sometimes a room, sometimes a wing, sometimes a courtyard or painting. From the Renaissance to the 19th century to Marie Antoinette’s boudoirs, it’s got something from every part of France’s history of kings. The interesting thing to me is that in the restoration, there’s much more reverence for history than the monarchy. They give you enough information to consider the times and the priorities of the monarchs in that context, and then allow you to draw your own conclusions.
As an American who has spent a lot of his life living abroad, how do you deal with displacement?
I’ve thought about that a lot. I call it the “in between.” There’s a place in between languages and cultures—especially if you were an ex-pat as a child—where there’s an almost magnetic pull. It forces you to see the world a little differently, and it’s not always easy. We raised our kids in Paris, and they talk about missed American cultural references. But overall, it’s been an extraordinarily rich experience.

Thad Carhart will read from and discuss his new book at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 16th, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.

The Bad News About Working Too Much

Andrew Steingrube

-

June 14, 2016

0

In many ways, workaholism is as much a part of American culture as hamburgers, cowboys, and jazz. A 2013 Center for Economic Research report called America the “No Vacation Nation,” and stated that on average, U.S. employers offer about six paid holidays and 10 paid vacation days per year. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that so many Americans are obsessed with their jobs, but scientists are discovering that working too much can have very real health consequences.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway looked at more than 16,000 workers with a mean age of 37 years old. Overall, 8 percent of the large sample were classified as “workaholics,” and they were significantly more likely to suffer from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), anxiety, and depression.
But is it the job that makes someone obsessive or do those who tend toward the obsessive end up as workaholics—chicken or the egg?
“Correlations between workaholism and all psychiatric disorder symptoms were positive and significant,” stated the researchers. Correlation does not necessarily equal causation, however, but, according to the researchers, it’s probably safe to say that the combination of both can prove damaging.
A currently accepted definition of a workaholic is “being overly concerned about work, driven by an uncontrollable work motivation, and to investing so much time and effort to work that it impairs other important life areas.” But the University of Bergen study’s authors noted that, “the line between excessive enthusiasm and a genuine addiction is difficult to define.” Objectively, then it can be difficult to differentiate, but the researchers also used language typically associated with addiction disorders—just as if work were the drug.
In that example, an employee might use work to regulate emotions (mood modification), work longer hours to get the same mood effects (tolerance), be distressed if unable to work (withdrawal), fail to control time spent working (relapse), and suffer negative consequences as a result of working too much (problems). Mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, relapse, and problems are all components of a biopsychosocial framework of addiction.
Beyond being associated with poor psychological health, working too much can also degrade physical health. A 2015 meta-analysis published in The Lancet looked at 25 previous studies from the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Findings showed that those who worked long hours, which they define as 55 or more per week, were 13 percent more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. The same group was 33 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than their counterparts who worked normal hours defined as 35-40 hours per week.
And even back in the 1920s, American icon and Huxley-ian deity Henry Ford found a point of diminishing returns after 40 hours per week, and thus reduced his factory workweek from six eight-hour days a week to five.
As many workers in industries like service and retail can attest to, there’s hardly a thing as paid time off, and many work some, or all, major holidays. At least the Obama administration recently finalized the law to expand overtime pay to those making under $47,476, but with the options for employers to pay time-and-a-half, raise salaries above the threshold, limit workers’ hours to 40 a week, or a combination of the options, there’s no real knowing how it’ll pan out—especially when many employers might simply cut hours.
But how do you maintain a healthy psyche and body when the hamster wheel doesn’t slow down, let alone stop? In contrast to the U.S., the European Union requires, by law, that its citizens have at least 20 paid vacation days per year, and some member nations require even more than that.
Perhaps Europeans know that when it comes to work, less can often be more. A 2008 study by the Families & Work Institute found that paid vacation resulted in several positive outcomes. “Having paid vacation time bodes well for personal health and well-being as well as job satisfaction and intent to stay in one’s job,” said the study’s authors.

Real Mongolian at Oyunaa’s

Lily Stoicheff

-

June 14, 2016

0

When I want to get away from it all, but can’t, I like to escape through food. With increasingly hotter days, I’ve been imagining myself traveling across the chilly windswept steppes of Mongolia in search of dumpling nirvana. Thankfully, I’ve found it much closer to home, at Oyunaa’s Mongolian Cuisine. This is no Americanized Mongolian barbecue (as a server informed one couple upon arrival), but hearty fare from a high, cold nation rooted in nomadic history. Vegetarians and gluten-sensitive be warned: Oyunaa’s commitment to tradition means they rarely make concessions for dietary preferences.
On a recent visit with a friend, thick, captivating smells drew me in as I approached the small restaurant nestled off the intersection of Seabright and Soquel avenues. My friend said the few minutes he’d had to wait outside had been torture. Inside, gold fixtures and native-art-accented indigo walls crawl up to high ceilings—decor that befits a restaurant serving cuisine from the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky.”
The flat Khuushuur dumplings ($14) are not to be missed. A braid of pinched dough seals a pocket of spiced, garlicky beef and is fried to a golden brown. Equally as delicious are the traditional steamed Buuz dumplings ($16), especially when hit with a splash of Oyunaa’s homemade mushroom soy sauce and one of their fiery hot sauces. A bit lighter on the palate are the bite-sized Bansch chicken dumplings ($10) served in a clear broth, aromatic with fresh dill.
If you’re lucky enough to arrive on an evening when the special pan-seared lamb riblets ($20) are available, go for it—they are so tender you can suck them off the bone, caveman-style. Our carnivorous feast was accompanied by tangy vegetable slaw, a supremely carroty carrot salad, creamy potatoes and a crisp local saison from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales. Hours are 4-10 p.m., and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Tuesday. oyunaas.com.

SUMMER SNACK

My favorite afternoon snack right now is a raw, fiery radish from Blue Heron Farms, $2 for two generous bunches at the downtown farmers market on Wednesdays. Vibrant hues of ruby, cerise and watermelon conceal crisp alabaster flesh within these little jewels. Cold, crunchy and flavorful, some are mildly zesty, and others peppery to the point of sinus clearing—a refreshing mid-afternoon perk. Spread with good butter and a little Maldon sea salt, with a glass of rosé, isn’t a bad way to enjoy them either.

BITE-SIZED STORY

If you love food and are on the ’gram, I recommend you follow @thecuratedfeast. The Curated Feast founder Liz Birnbaum’s beautiful posts are tiny yet thoughtful history lessons about the origins of food, with topics ranging from the Silk Road to ancient maritime trading routes to the vernal customs that led to spring rolls. Plus, you’ll be the first to know about her themed dining events, where she collaborates with chefs, farmers, florists and historians to explore the geographical origins and cultural repercussions of what we eat through unforgettable dinners. Curated Feast’s next event, Botanical Imperialism, will be held in San Francisco on June 19. thecuratedfeast.org.

SURPRISE MI

One of the best things I discovered while I was traveling through Vietnam was banh mi, a sandwich served on a baguette, smeared with earthy, creamy pâté and filled with pork, crunchy pickled daikon and carrots, jalapeños, cilantro and mint: French Imperialism meets fresh Vietnamese flavor at its finest. So I was delighted to find out that Third Coast Chef founder Andy Potterfield, previously of Cremer House, will be serving up banh mi for lunch every Friday at Assembly’s POPUP. His version is smoky, creamy, crunchy, and supremely satisfying. Do your mouth a favor and check it out. Fridays 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1108 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. heypopup.com.

Smoke and Blues at Aptos BBQ

-

June 14, 2016

0

Barbecue. The word alone can provoke intense salivation—or, if mentioned to the right person, detailed explanations of 20-hour cooking techniques. Santa Cruz County is fortunate to have its fair share of barbecue joints, including Aptos St. BBQ, which is owned by the same folks who own Mission St. BBQ and a handful of others in Silicon Valley. We caught up with co-owner Larry Ingram to ask him what makes Aptos St. unique in the vast landscape of barbecue.
Tell me a little about your barbecue style, and how that translates into the flavor, texture, etc.
LARRY INGRAM: We definitely go with the traditional smoke barbecue. It’s all wood fire, slow-cooked at a very low temperature. Everything’s cooked for hours and hours. The brisket takes about 22 hours. The pulled pork takes anywhere from 15 to 20 hours. I would say while our style is a traditional smoke method, we very much like to claim our California region. People like to say their barbecue is Texas style or Southern style. We’re a mixture of all those things. Our pork is kind of Southern style. Our brisket is cooked more of a Texas style. We also serve a lot of tri-tip. That’s a cut you don’t find anywhere but California.
What’s the 831?
It’s a collaboration we do with El Salchichero and Sante Adairius. We combine their sausages with some 831 IPA, and that’s Sante Adairius, which is a well-known local brewer. We smoke the sausages and sell it exclusively at our location. We recently added a jalapeño version. The sausage is made with smoked pork, cheddar cheese and the 831 IPA. The jalapeño one has got some kick. I think the high malt content of the IPA gives it a little sweeter taste. It’s kind of a sweet, savory sausage.
You’ve also been a big supporter of live music.
Aptos is where we first started the live music. It’s a free thing. We started the day of the blues festival in 2009. We didn’t do seven days a week until about one to two years into it. I’ve carried that theme over to Mission St. BBQ. There is a local rotation going on. We also inject acts from outside the area. We get some pretty stellar acts. Kim Wilson would be a big name—he was the lead singer, harmonica player for the Fabulous Thunderbirds. He comes in frequently. Rick Estrin is another big-name harmonica player. He’s local now, but he’s originally from the Chicago area. The other big name is Mark Hummel. One up-and-coming youngster is Big John Atkinson. He’s got a voice that’s very reminiscent of a lot of the older artists, like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters. He’s like a combination of a lot of these guys.

8059 Aptos St, Aptos, 662-1721, aptosstbbq.com.

Wine Profile: Ser Winery

Josie Cowden

-

June 14, 2016

0

A fun aspect of doing a wine tasting at the Annieglass studio in Watsonville is that you get to do a factory tour as well.
Such was the case when we participated in a tour and tasting—with Ser Winery featured and winemaker Nicole Walsh on hand pouring her excellent wines. One that caught my attention was Walsh’s spirited Rosé of Nebbiolo 2015 ($20)—a gorgeous salmon-hued beauty with an abundance of exotic fruity notes. Aromas of passionfruit, mango and guava give this Rosé a tropical edge with some nuanced earthy flavors. It’s a good summer wine to keep on hand—and it comes with a screw cap, so it’s easy to open up.
As glass artist Annie Morhauser leads a little group on a tour of her studio, we glide around the factory floor, glass of Ser wine in hand, marveling at her imagination and expertise in creating such stunning designs. Morhauser’s Annieglass sells nationally and worldwide, and her company has gained international recognition.
Annieglass’ delightful wine-tasting events are held most weekends. Coming up from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, June 18 is a wonderful pairing: Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard will be pouring Grenache Blanc, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon—with delicious chocolates by Ashby Confections.
And mark your calendars for July 30 when Annieglass will be holding its special Annie-versary party celebrating 20 years in Watsonville and 33 years in business. There will be food trucks and beer with all proceeds going to local nonprofit Digital NEST.
Ser Wine Company, serwinery.com 901-7806.
Annieglass store and studio is at 310 Harvest Drive, Watsonville. 761-2041. annieglass.com

Summit Wineries Vintners Festival

The Summit Wineries, which includes Burrell School, Silver Mountain, Villa del Monte, Wrights Station, Muns Vineyard, and the Summit Store will be putting on their fifth annual Solstice on the Summit Vintners Festival from noon to 5 p.m. June 18 & 19. Muns Vineyard will be pouring at the Summit Store on June 19. Food will be served and tickets are $25. Visit the summitwineries.com for more info.

Review: ‘Maggie’s Plan’

A&E
Film

Lisa Jensen

-

June 14, 2016

0

Maggie’s Plan in not exactly a romantic comedy. It’s not an anti-romantic comedy either, although it leans in that direction. There are romantic elements in the story, but they tend to be fleeting in this postmodern comic hybrid in which pairing up with one true love is not a necessary ingredient for a happy ending.
The movie takes place on the fringes of the literary/academic milieu of New York City that director Rebecca Miller (daughter of Arthur) knows so well. It stars indie-darling Greta Gerwig as Maggie, a sunny transplant from Wisconsin who teaches business classes to young entrepreneurs. Maggie borders on the so-square-she’s-hip category, tromping around Central Park in her penny loafers and plaid wool coat, and fawning over the child of her best friend (and ex-boyfriend), Tony (Bill Hader), and his wife, Felicia (Maya Rudolph).
Maggie’s initial plan is to have a baby of her own. But she can’t seem to stay in a relationship longer than six months, as she explains to Tony, so instead of waiting around to get married first, she’s opted for artificial insemination. With her typical efficiency, she’s even found herself a designated sperm donor, Guy (Travis Fimmel, from Vikings), who makes artisanal pickles.
But on campus one day, Maggie crosses paths with John (Ethan Hawke), an occasional guest lecturer, described by Felicia as “the bad boy of fictocritical anthropology.” Something of a minor rock star in his field, who has published several academic books, John is also working on a novel. When Maggie agrees to read the first chapter, and responds with enthusiasm, they start spending more time together.
John is married, with two kids, and his wife, famed Columbia lecturer, Georgette, is rumored to be a “monster.” Julianne Moore is very funny as Georgette, with her ferocious Germanic accent, the severe planes of her face emphasized by an upswept bun that comes to a point on the top of her head. John never acts like he has a problem with his wife’s success—until the night he arrives on Maggie’s doorstep in tears, to confess he’s in love with her.
This would be the finale in a traditional rom-com, but it’s just the set-up in this one. Flash-forward three years: Maggie is married to John, who’s still working on his novel—pretty much to the exclusion of everything else in his life. Maggie has the child she always wanted, a little, blonde, mini-me daughter she adores. She’s also bonded with John’s kids, who stay with them part-time. But, along with being the chief breadwinner, and day-planner (unless her plans conflict with John’s, when she has to defer to his schedule), Maggie has all the parental responsibility of taking care of the kids, and chauffeuring them around.
It’s a thoroughly modern arrangement that’s taking its toll on Maggie, now that she realizes how “self-absorbed” John is. (This is the all-purpose adjective with which everyone in the movie describes everyone else; in this insular community, who isn’t?) At a book-signing for the vitriolic novel Georgette has written about her breakup with John, Maggie and Georgette meet for the first time—and they start to get along. Which leads to Maggie’s next improbable plan: getting Georgette back together with John (and getting him out of her hair).
Fictocriticism is an academic discipline that actually exists, and while it sounds pretentious enough to have been invented for this movie, its merging of narrative story and critical theory also works as a sly metaphor for Maggie and her plans. She’s pretty sure she can arrange life much more efficiently, according to her theories, than waiting around for fate, but she’s consistently stymied when messy reality barges in.
Gerwig manages to be engaging, despite Maggie’s serial cluelessness; her relationship with her wisecracking friends feels warm and genuine. Filmmaker Miller’s satire of academia is tart and funny without being waspish. But Moore is the centerpiece here, both comic and emotional, a nifty transition guided by Miller with deft, forgiving aplomb.

Maggie’s Plan
*** (out of four)
With Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, and Maya Rudolph. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller. A Sony Classics release. Rated R. 98 minutes.

Music Picks June 15—21

GT Staff

-

June 14, 2016

0

WEDNESDAY 6/15

COUNTRY ROCK

MISISIPI MIKE WOLF & THE GILROY TALL BOYS

I’m not sure what’s up with the hacked spelling of Mississippi, but I am sure that Misisipi Mike Wolf is deeply steeped in classic country, complete with sorrowful slide guitar wails, tales of honky tonks and lost boots, and nostalgic longing for times gone by. A San Francisco-based artist with a penchant for melodic outlaw tunes, Wolf was named Best Singer/Songwriter by the San Francisco Bay Guardian two years in a row, and his music has appeared in numerous television shows, including Sons of Anarchy and True Blood. Also on the Western Wednesday bill is local Americana act Abalone Grey. CAT JOHNSON
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.

BLUES-ROCK

BOB MALONE

A keyboard wiz who has spent the last two decades touring his music around the world, Bob Malone is a showman extraordinaire. As one reviewer wrote, “If he could find a way to throw that Steinway grand over his shoulder the way a hot-dog guitar player does, I think he would.” The New Jersey-born Malone, who has been performing with John Fogerty since 2011, boasts a wicked blend of technical prowess and soul-shaking delivery. He also possesses a hard-driving sound capable of sending blues-rock fans into a frenzy. He’s joined by multi-faceted singer-songwriter Lipbone Redding. CJ
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.

THURSDAY 6/16

SKA

MU330 + Slow Gherkin

What are two of the most underrated ’90s ska records? MU330’s Weezer-influenced Crab Rangoon and Slow Gherkin’s New-Wave-tinged Shed Some Skin. MU330 and Slow Gherkin were two of the best ’90s ska bands that shook up the pop-punk-marching-band-horns formula other groups fell into, and they still hold up in 2016. Slow Gherkin is, of course, local guys. MU330 is from St. Louis, but singer Dan Potthast has called Santa Cruz home for the past couple of decades. This is going to be an insane show. Everyone must dance. AARON CARNES
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $12. 429-6994.

JAZZ

ANTHONY WILSON & THE CURATORS

A supremely skilled guitarist and composer, Anthony Wilson earned a vaunted reputation on the Los Angeles jazz scene in the mid-1990s when he started releasing albums featuring his vivid and talent-laden nonet. When he’s not touring with Diana Krall—a chair he’s held for 15 years—he’s a sought after soloist and arranger who’s contributed to recordings by Paul McCartney, Bobby Hutcherson, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Mose Allison, and other singular stars. His new album Frogtown finds Wilson exploring singer/songwriter territory with pleasing results, playing finely crafted tunes with the Curators, a quartet featuring bassist Mike Elizondo, keyboardist Patrick Warren and drummer Matt Chamberlain, an enviably versatile player and savvy producer who’s collaborated with leading figures in rock, hip-hop, jazz and beyond. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 427-2227.

HIP HOP

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE

This revolutionary rapper was born in Peru, but began his career in the streets of New York, battling MCs and slinging mixtapes. He has always prided himself in being 100 percent independent, saying what he wants, when he wants without having to worry about what the corporate masters might say. MAT WEIR
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst Atrium, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $22/adv, $25/door. 429-4135.

FRIDAY 6/17

HIP-HOP

LYRICS BORN

Lyrics Born’s spitfire lyrics are pure hip-hop, but often float over a wide array of music, from jazz to soul. Last year, he released his fourth solo album, Real People, which is steeped in New Orleans-style horns and funky ’70s beats. While the music might be the soundtrack to make a party crackin,’ the conscious lyricist keeps it real by rapping about immigration, family, and everyday struggles. This Friday he will be joined by a live band to keep the funk alive along with guest opener Sweet Plot. MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15/adv, $20/door. 479-1854.

SATURDAY 8/18

BLUES

COCO MONTOYA

One of the most recognized names on the contemporary blues circuit, Coco Montoya got his introduction to the genre not as a guitarist, but as a drummer for legendary bluesman Albert King. As the story goes, Montoya was a rock drummer who was so moved by King’s playing that he asked to join his band. King told him to be ready in three hours, and he spent the next five years playing next to the master. As Montoya has said, “When he played, the music went right into my soul. It grabbed me so emotionally that I had tears welling up in my eyes. Nothing had ever affected me to this level … I knew that was what I wanted to do.” CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $18/adv, $22/door. 479-1854.

SUNDAY 6/19

FOLK

JAMES LEE STANLEY

The first thing you should know about local James Lee Stanley is that he played the singing Klingon on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. OK, maybe that’s not the most crucial tidbit about Stanley’s career, especially considering that he’s also been a really prolific recording artist, with more than 20 albums since 1970. He commands the acoustic guitar as a musical storyteller, and as a composer that utilizes the subtlest of details to add dynamic to his intimate acoustic performances. As compelling as his songs are, he’s also a really funny guy, with some amusing in-between song banter. He’s opened for guys like Steven Wright and Robin Williams, and has held his own. AC
INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 CA-9, Felton. $15. 335-2800

TUESDAY 6/21

GARAGE-ROCK

CHERRY GLAZERR

Have you ever loved a sandwich so much it made you want to sing about it? That’s basically what’s going on with LA’s reverb-soaked garage-rockers Cherry Glazerr’s “Grilled Cheese.” Music should reflect the author’s truth, and the topics of sandwiches, enduring cramps and mourning the loss of a pet are just the subject matter that happens to come up with Cherry Glazerr. It might seem jokey, but it’s anything but. The trio, all barely out of high school, have a certain sweet, innocent charm about them, but also there’s a darkness swimming around their music. AC
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.

IN THE QUEUE

KEVIN WELCH AND DUSTIN WELCH

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

DOOBIE DECIBEL SYSTEM

Rockers Jason Crosby, Roger McNamee, Pete Sears and more join forces. Thursday at Moe’s Alley

MORGAN HERITAGE

Grammy-winning sibling reggae band. Sunday at Catalyst

RADNEY FOSTER

Elder statesman of the Texas singer-songwriter tradition. Sunday at Moe’s Alley

AFRICAN GUITAR SUMMIT

Lively musical collaboration between five standout African artists. Monday at Kuumbwa

Be Our Guest: Hop N’ Barley Beer Festival

Music

Cat Johnson

-

June 14, 2016

0

Be Our Guest: Hop N’ Barley Beer Festival

Santa Cruz has a truly impressive craft brewery scene. With dozens of well-established local breweries, and more popping up all the time, this is the place to be if you like small-batch, made-with-care beer. On June 25, the Hop N’ Barley Beer Festival rounds up some top breweries, local and otherwise, for a celebration of beer, food and music. Now in its seventh year, the festival features 60-plus craft breweries, 10 ciders, two stages of live music, and more.

INFO: 10 a.m. Saturday, June 25. Scotts Valley Skypark, 361 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley. $5-$40. hopnbarley.org. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, June 17 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the festival.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

SUMMER SNACK

BITE-SIZED STORY

SURPRISE MI

Summit Wineries Vintners Festival

WEDNESDAY 6/15

COUNTRY ROCK

MISISIPI MIKE WOLF & THE GILROY TALL BOYS

BLUES-ROCK

BOB MALONE

THURSDAY 6/16

SKA

MU330 + Slow Gherkin

JAZZ

ANTHONY WILSON & THE CURATORS

HIP HOP

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE

FRIDAY 6/17

HIP-HOP

LYRICS BORN

SATURDAY 8/18

BLUES

COCO MONTOYA

SUNDAY 6/19

FOLK

JAMES LEE STANLEY

TUESDAY 6/21

GARAGE-ROCK

CHERRY GLAZERR

IN THE QUEUE

KEVIN WELCH AND DUSTIN WELCH

DOOBIE DECIBEL SYSTEM

MORGAN HERITAGE

RADNEY FOSTER

AFRICAN GUITAR SUMMIT