Win tickets to see Deepak Ram at Kuumbwa Jazz on SantaCruz.com Deepak Ram’s first flute was made out of a drainpipe with holes drilled arbitrarily along the sides. These days, the South African-born flutist of Indian heritage plays a magnificent collection of flutes in a style that blends classical Indian, trance, jazz, electronic and international styles....

Engineering other bands at Paradise Recordings gave drummer Will Kahn a unique perspective on forming his own group. Not only did he want to avoid the more popular ’70s funk jams, playing instead ’50s and ’60s soul and gospel, he also wanted to do it with the best players possible—which he found thanks to the studio. ...

Activists take aim at next big water idea “Testing!” Paul Gratz of Desal Alternatives is standing 3 inches behind a microphone stand, wearing a white shirt and gray pants. Behind him is a sign that reads “Will this float in Santa Cruz? Vote ‘No’ to reused toilet waste.” “It’s not the time for desal. It’s not...

Now that a feasibility study is out on the rail trail, people are starting to ask: What would this iconic dream project look like without the rail? That’s what local planning consultant Kate Roberts has been asking the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC). It’s all part of a discussion she’s calling “railbanking”—meaning: let’s put...

New Capitola spot alleviates county’s dearth of dim sum Santa Cruz County certainly can use some more dim sum restaurants. Fortunately, as of the beginning of August, Capitola is home to Ruyi Dim Sum, which will fulfill all of your dim sum cravings—and if you’re new to the cuisine, they’ll be happy to suggest dishes. They...

Men face high anxiety in intense climbing doc ‘Meru’ If you’re not crazy about heights, the climbing documentary Meru is not going to change your mind. This intense you-are-there filming of the 2011 ascent of a previously unclimbed (possibly unclimbable) Himalayan peak—shot on location by two of the three men who climbed it—puts the viewer smack...

Jewelry maker Nora Doughtery on ‘guerrilla craft circles’ and her mobile gallery You may have spotted it parked at last week’s Church Street Fair: the DIY hand-painted red trailer with “work. shop.” lettering on the side. The mobile gallery is Nora Dougherty’s secret weapon for bringing art out of the studio and into the streets. Best...

Local director brings Hollywood talent to Santa Cruz for a kids’ TV pilot Directing a movie or TV show with child actors is always a challenge, since kids can only work for a limited amount of time every day, and it takes hours and hours to get a few good minutes. But local director Craig Comstock...

Marcus Miller wonders when he became the elder statesman Calling multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller precocious doesn’t quite capture the scope and depth of his musical talent. Coming of age on the New York scene in the mid-1970s, he started gigging before he graduated high school, working with populist jazz artists like pianist/keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith and flutist...

Burgers and beer now at Soif, plus new restaurant Mozaic, wine events, and marshmallow-making classes We had our mouths set for serious burgers. And we got ’em! The mighty Soif Burger took us by storm last week at the new improved Walnut Avenue brasserie. We came, we dined, we fell in love with the flawless Niman...