Win tickets to see Built to Spill at The Catalyst on SantaCruz.com  Indie rock royalty Built to Spill is out on the road and swinging through Santa Cruz. Formed in 1992 in Boise, Idaho, the band has helped shape the underground rock scene for decades, and laid a path for countless bedroom indie rockers to create...

Lenny Ruckel, lead guitarist for Lenny’s Basement, really does have a basement—at least he did in 2010 when the band formed. But the band never actually rehearsed there. They were going to, but the space wasn’t available. “He said it would be fun to play in the basement like a real rock band, but it was...

Raising the minimum wage so that those that are in poverty now can have a higher standard of life. Greanna Smith, Soquel, Nanny Extreme measures to make an impact on climate change. Reduction of pollution, greenhouse gasses, destruction of plants. Lauren Owen, Sequoia National Park, Visitor Use-Assistant Ranger...

Santa Cruz is short hundreds of parking spaces—with no end in sight One morning, I walked out of my house to find a bright orange boot on the front tire of my 2007 Chevy Malibu. After five delinquent tickets over the course of a year, the pesky pink envelope that once hid a $58 fine turned...

Female gardener helps build Versailles in fun, if uneven, ‘A Little Chaos’ Alan Rickman is capable of so much more than his sublimely unctuous Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Still, the chance to see Snape as King Louis XIV, the “Sun King” of France, in the period piece A Little Chaos, is just about...

Picnic basket lunches from Your Place, plus smoked chili peppers, and new owners at Camellia Tea House Your Place—yes, the one on Mission Street next to Coffeetopia. Now owners Rachel and Arthur (the chef) Russell are featuring summer picnic baskets ready to take to your favorite outdoor concert, Santa Cruz Shakespeare performance, Boardwalk Friday Night Band,...

Bryan McPherson’s latest album packed with the emotional, personal and political Disney owns the House of Blues in Anaheim, and they have been known to ban musicians before they even play there due to objectionable material. At least, that’s what they did to folk troubadour Bryan McPherson, who plays the Crepe Place this Friday. While opening...

Wild chaga mushroom stimulates immune response and fights cancer Several months ago, my father began harvesting chaga conks from around his New England home—having read up on the mushroom’s anti-cancer properties—and was soon sending me copious amounts of it in the mail. To the naked eye, chaga doesn’t look like much. It’s a bark-like substance found...

Pop-up hooks up with Santa Cruz Food Lounge for healthy comfort food Ty Pearce has been cooking for over two decades. Recently he’s started Ty’s Eatery, a pop-up company that focuses on healthy, organic food that is also tasty and familiar—he calls it healthy comfort food. About two months ago, Ty’s Eatery got connected with Santa...

Aptos St. BBQ’s blues are the village’s best-kept secret Walking west along the railroad tracks toward Aptos Village on any evening of the week, the smell of smoked ribs and the curious bass line of a field shout are the first signs that we’re almost there. There, is the rustic roadhouse-style dining room of Aptos St....