Win a pair of tickets to the Tequila & Taco Music Festival on SantaCruz.com Tequila and tacos and music, on a weekend in downtown Santa Cruz. If your mouth is already watering, you’d be wise to check out the Tequila and Taco Music Festival on Aug. 22 and 23. Featuring top-shelf tequila sampling on Saturday, a...

“It’s not that we don’t make mistakes,” says Scott Polland with a smile, from under his fedora. “We make lots of mistakes. We just make pretty mistakes.” The lead guitarist for Western “swamp rock” quartet Shotgun Suitor may be joking, but, as the old saying goes, there’s always a little truth in every punchline. Although the...

The dollar is so damn powerful that politics doesn’t really have anything to do with it anymore. Chris McGilvray, Santa Cruz, Filmmaker             I don’t know what it’s going to look like, but change is coming. Regina Schulz, Santa Cruz, Sign Language Interpreter             I think...

Buckley vs. Vidal changes TV news in smart doc ‘Best of Enemies’ How has the pseudo-journalism of Fox News risen to the powerful role of Kingmaker in next year’s GOP presidential politics? Blame it on Gore Vidal. The late author, historian, and stalwart liberal commentator would, of course, be horrified to think he was in any...

Süda Restaurant’s dynamic menu and lively bar scene light up the Point From its polished concrete floors to its booths, chic central “bar” seating, and eye-catching custom light fixtures, Süda Restaurant is announcing itself as a hip destination for the Pleasure Point neighborhood. No longer a steak house, this landmark location at 41st Avenue and Portola...

Susan Casey explains how our understanding of dolphins continues to evolve and surprise Pacific Ocean water temperatures along the California coast peak in August, and Santa Cruz beaches crowd accordingly, swimmers eager to finally “skin it” in water that usually demands a wetsuit as the price of admission. Cold water is never a barrier, however, to...

Vaud & the Villains bring edgy theatrical flair—and straight-up rock ’n’ roll—to folk traditionals In 2007, Andy Comeau and Dawn Lewis were planning their wedding. Bruce Springsteen’s album We Shall Overcome: the Seeger Sessions—a rambunctious, joyful tribute to American folk music with a dozen-plus collaborators—had just been released, and the couple wanted to find a group...

Local astrologer Laurie Twilight blends psychology with astrology to help clients heal and thrive Santa Cruz’s Laurie “Twilight” Jetter believes she’s been an astrologer five or six times already, because she took to it like a fish in water. “My whole life has been about astrology. This is my calling,” Jetter says, a touch of her...

For its 16th year, the popular festival gets a massive expansion The Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival is a local institution—but going into its 16th year it has made a few changes. The biggest is the new focus on beer; organizers have added several local and regional breweries, and even changed the name to the...

Odd choices mar Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s atmospheric ‘Macbeth’ Handsome costumes, electrifying sound and light effects, and Shakespeare’s finest language all meet in Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a true theatrical witch’s brew. When the hurly burly’s done, casting innovations result in many interesting and challenging moments in this final play of the SCS season. After suffering the...