A&E

Jay Buchanan wears a blue suit and wide-brimmed black hat on a desert road, with mountains in the distance.

Dazzling from the Desert

October 7, 2026

Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan brings his powerful voice and desert-born solo album Weapons of Beauty to Felton Music Hall on Oct. 14. James Durbin explores the songs’ vulnerability and soulful pull.

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Smells Like Teen Spirit

San Lorenzo Valley’s teenage art-rock band Coyote Theater takes its adventurous songwriting, odd time signatures and theatrical performances to the Joshua Tree Music Festival.

Al Fresco Launch

An afternoon under the spell of a world-traveled voice, with a collection of songs newly gathered and refined during a breathtaking personal odyssey. All...

Rock the Porch

Santa Cruz’s first Porchfest brings 53 bands to 14 porches on Oct. 3. Organizer Darrow Feldstein turns front steps into stages for a free day of music and community.

The Art of Carrying On

Cabrillo Gallery’s La Resiliencia brings together 24 Latino/a/x artists exploring family, memory and resilience. Free exhibition through Oct. 27.

New Duck Island Festival Starts Saturday

The inaugural Duck Island Festival brings six music acts, food trucks and vendors to San Lorenzo Park on Saturday, Sept. 26. Gates open at noon; music starts at 1 p.m.

Freak Flag Flying

Red 40 gathers local bands, artisans, food vendors and gloriously costumed misfits for the third annual FreakFest at Hwy 17 Studios.

Godmother of Funk

Martha High spent decades alongside James Brown and is still carrying the funk at 81. She brings the Funky Divas, Fred Wesley and The New JBs to Kuumbwa Jazz Center.

The Last Five Years

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s The Last Five Years turns a five-year relationship inside out, with Chris Cherin and Charlotte Boyce Munson tracing love, ambition and heartbreak in opposite directions. Reviewed by Christina Waters.

Guitar Greats Gather Saturday

Santa Cruz Guitar Company celebrates 50 years of handcrafted instruments with a free block party and an all-star concert at the Rio Theatre on Sept. 19.

Mexikid Rules

Watsonville native Pedro Martin returns to his farmworker childhood in Mexikid Dreams, a graphic memoir about family, field work, imagination and the dream of becoming an artist.

Volcanic Variations: Adela Najarro

Santa Cruz poet Adela Najarro explores Nicaragua, survival, anger and renewal in Variations in Blue, winner of a 2026 American Book Award.

Private Lives and Public Capers

Christina Waters reviews Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s stylish production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives, a glittering collision of romance, wit and marital warfare.