THURSDAY 10/8
HIP HOP
SOULJA BOY Most widely known for the eponymous hit, “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” the hip hop icon takes the stage performing classic anthems that defined a generation. High-energy hits will have the crowd dancing until midnight. Soulja Boy’s youthful party rap is some of the most influential music of the 2010s. His minimalist synthetic melodies and repetitive catchphrases created earworms like “Kiss Me Through the Phone” and “Turn My Swag On” and his grassroots social media marketing paved the way for his mainstream popularity. Lyrically straight-forward, Soulja Boy has a mission to get the club jumping. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 8pm, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz. $30-35. 420-5240.
ALT-COUNTRY
MAYA DEVITRY & MARK ERELLI Nashville singer-songwriter and fiddler Maya DeVitry came to prominence as part of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania alt-country/folk trio The Stray Birds. With that group she released four albums. She ventured forth on her own with 2019’s Adaptations, which featured the breakout track “Wilderness.” Her latest release is 2026’s All My Faith. From Boston, singer-songwriter Mark Erelli hit early with a Kerrville Folk Award the year he released his self-titled debut album. A compelling and prolific artist, Erelli often writes for and/or with other artists. On his own, Erelli has released 18 albums to date. For more than 15 years he has self-released his work. BILL KOPP
INFO: 8pm, Lille Aeske Arthouse, 13160 Highway 9, Boulder Creek. $30-35. (408) 309-0756.
ROCK
RICKIE LEE JONES Back in the wild 1970s, multiple-Grammy winner Rickie Lee Jones was busy waiting tables and singing songs in dive bars. In a somewhat famous story, Little Feat ringleader Lowell George heard Jones singing her song “Easy Money” one night. Lowell bought the song for his solo record and gave it a distinct Little Feat boogie beat. With his help, Jones was signed to a label and released her self-titled album, which went platinum. On Jones’ version of “Easy Money,” we hear a new voice. Like a counterpart to Tom Waits, Jones’ voice created smoky backroom haunts, with jukebox nostalgia, landing somewhere between bar house toughness and transparent delicacy. DNA
INFO: 8pm, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, $38. 423-8209.
FRIDAY 10/9
WORLD MUSIC
PETE SAWYER & THE LEFT HAND MONKEY WRENCH At last count, there were 800 Grateful Dead cover bands in America and more throughout the world. You can find all female bands, Dead drag bands, bands where members look like Weir and Garcia, Japanese bands, bands where Garcia’s tone is perfect, bands where the musicians try to perfectly emulate the original sound. Most rely on craftsman-like playing and exploring new spaces. Pete Sawyer and Left Hand Monkey Wrench have been doing epic tours and is ready to play two fat sets of “all killer—no filler.” DNA
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $20-25. 429-6994.
ARTS FESTIVAL
SPAM NEW MEDIA FESTIVAL 2026 This is the California edition of the annual SPAM New Media Festival. It will feature performances by interdisciplinary artist Jean Carla Rodea, duo Abram Stern & Dorothy R. Santa, and the new, local Santa Cruz-based project EPOCH. All of these artists mix traditions, media, and form together to create complex works of art. Jean Carla Rodea explores socio-political issues, such as gender, memory, relationships, and politics of the body. Dorothy R. Santos, Pd. D. and Abram Stern, Ph. D. are both artists and media scholars. They look at justice and experience. Not much is known about EPOCH, or rather what is known is uncertain. It is simply an experience of temporal fragments existing between moments. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 8:30pm. Indexical, 1050 River St. #119, Santa Cruz. Free. (509) 627-9491.
SATURDAY 10/10
METAL
ACID BATH Gather ‘round kids and let Uncle Mat tell you a story of the heaviest, darkest, sludgiest metalheads to ever do it. Acid Bath started in 1991 in the Southern Louisiana city of Houma. It’s an area that traditionally held some of the Deep South’s baddest criminals and murderers. That evil done soaked into the soil and it’s that sound that Acid Bath encapsulates. Acid Bath abruptly ended in 1997 when bassist Audie Pitre was tragically killed by a drunk driver, but the memory of the band lived on in metal myth. They reunited two years ago with Zack Simmons of Goatwore and Alex Bergeron (ex-Agents of Oblivion). It sent a welcomed ripple across the metalverse. MAT WEIR
INFO: 5:30pm, The Quarry, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. $95-164. 459-4184.
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL
BONGO SIDIBE A student of master drummer Mamady Keita, Guinea, West Africa-born musician and singer Bongo Sidibe moved to the Bay Area in 2008. Sidibe is an educator, dance instructor and major force in the mounting of high-profile cultural events like the African Arts Festival. Sidibe’s music combines a variety of styles, from Afrobeat to reggae to world music to hip hop to reggae mandingue, dancehall, and funk. His traditional roots bring those musical textures together in an original way. Sidibe’s music has been included on various-artists collections like The Audio Refuge Compilation and Sembeh Ma Fa Fe: Revisits Volume. BK
INFO: 7pm, Woodhouse Brewing, 119 Madrone St., Santa Cruz. Free. 313-9461.
MONDAY 10/12
METAL
NEKROGOBLIKON Some bands start off with a concept; others develop it along the way. Santa Barbara’s Nekrogoblikon is of the later ilk and the better for it. When they first began in 2006, they didn’t have their now infamous mascot, John Goblikon. He wouldn’t come around until 2012 when he first appeared in their video for “No One Survives.” Today, he’s not only the melodic metal band’s mascot, he even has his own podcast “Right Now With John Goblikon” and took over lead vocals (with Dickie Allen) in 2023 after original lead singer and founder, Nicky Calonne, announced his departure. MW
INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy9, Felton. $47. 704-7113.
WEDNESDAY 10/14
REGGAE
ALBOROSIE AND SHENGEN CLAN With roots in Sicily and Kingston, Alborosie’s sound is a global journey. Making his name as a reggae artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist his career has put him at the foreground of contemporary roots reggae. Alborosie has toured across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and beyond bringing his international sound, authenticity, and conscious work worldwide. His musical craftsmanship is deeply rooted to the spiritual awareness of reggae and his time working alongside some of Jamaica’s most respected artists at Geejam Studios gave him a depth of skill he continues to shape. His latest album, Nine Mile, reflects his passion for energy, purpose, and growth. SN
