THURSDAY 9/11
INDIE
37 HOUSES
The pandemic lockdown caused fantastic movies to get lackluster releases, put everyone’s favorite shows on hold, cancelled concerts by great bands and put some real strain on relationships as people were all suddenly sharing more time and close proximity than they’d bargained for. There were good points too. The pets were stoked on having their people around, it was a great chance to watch the entire AFI 100 Years 100 Movies list, and Jeremy Rosenblum and Erin Sydney took that aforementioned relationship strain, formed a band, and recorded an amazing album in their living room. Now that the world is open again, that band is wowing live audiences. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
FRIDAY 9/12
INDIE
REAL ESTATE
Twenty-five years ago three high school friends played music together in a backyard in Ridgewood, New Jersey. As they went off to college and started their lives, they kept getting drawn back to that experience, ending up playing together until eventually they gave in to fate’s obvious plan for them and Real Estate the band was realized. Six albums later, and a few lineup changes, including one of the original three moving on, Real Estate (now based in Brooklyn, New York) is still touring the world performing for their devoted fans. KLJ
INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall,
6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $30. 704-7113.
THEATER
THE WOLVES
Blood, sweat, tears, and high school soccer practice. The Wolves explores the charged world of nine high school girls through a series of pre-game warmups. Peppered with sharp dialogue and teenage angst, this New York Times Critic’s Pick captures the fierce loyalty and brutal honesty of youth. Through conflict-inducing gossip and vulnerable moments, the athletes remind audiences of the scary, complex and hope-filled experience of growing up. Even through many relatable bouts of anxiety, rivalry and athletic aggression, the show reveals a camaraderie built among the girls, with a message of the importance of sticking together through tragedy. Performances go until 9/20. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 7pm, Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre,
1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. $27.18. 431-8666.
SATURDAY 9/13
ROCK MUSICAL
KAREN WITH A K: A MUSICAL TEMPER TANTRUM
Laura Strange is more than a local musician; she’s also a brilliant satirist who took an internet meme and made it into a rock musical that has been delighting local audiences since 2023. Presented by the Corralitos Cultural Center and hosted by Kuumbwa, this “musical temper tantrum” follows the titular character through what turns into a very, very bad day. Musical accompaniment is provided by the Strange Bedfellows, featuring Scott Kail, Jojo Fox, Jack Hanson and Orbrad Darbro, plus vocalists Stephanie Madrigal, Bonny June and Judy Appleby. SHARAN STREET
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center,
320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $35.
INDIE
ARCHER OH
From Moreno Valley, California, Archer Oh rides the waves of beachy, garage rock. Originally a solo project created by Arturo “Archer” Medrano in 2015, the band has evolved into a four-piece outfit with echoing guitars, driving drums, and passionate lyrics that tell tales of longing and days of youth. Archer Oh promises to be a somatic sanctuary to let out emotions and a really good time. From humble backyard beginnings, their surf-soaked rock has amassed an impressive cult following with the consistent sentiment, “we just want people to feel something.” SN
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst,
1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $19. 713-5492.
FILM
MATTE HEWITT
Continuing Tilt Shift’s conversations of the intersection of anti-capitalism and anti-imperialist struggles with radical cinema, Matte Hewitt will be showing two short documentaries that explore US military technology, Indigenous knowledge systems, and local ecology through the figure of the hummingbird. This small bird guides the viewer through local and natural knowledge alongside its intersection with surveillance and military technology. Matte Hewitt is an interdisciplinary filmmaker, researcher and environmentalist from Philadelphia with over a decade of filmmaking experience. Afterwards, there will be a showing of Harun Farocki’s Eye/Machine II (2002) and Sky Hopinka’s Dislocation Blues (2017), which inspired Hewitt’s works. These films also consider sovereignty, optics and state violence. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, Indexical,
1050 River St., #119, Santa Cruz. $10. 509-627-9491.
SINGER-SONGWRITER
EDWIN MCCAIN
Greenville, S.C., singer-songwriter Edwin McCain started making records as an independent artist in the early 1990s. By 1994 he landed a major-label deal, releasing Honor Among Thieves in 1995. His follow-up, 1997’s Misguided Roses broke him through to the big time. Released as a single, “I’ll Be” climbed to the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. 1999’s Messenger made it into the mid-to-upper reaches of Billboard’s album chart, giving McCain his highest album charting to date. Since then, he has continued in his modest yet heartfelt and wholly authentic way. 2025’s Lucky is his 14th album. BILL KOPP
INFO: 8pm, Rio Theatre,
1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $50. 423-8209.
MONDAY 9/15
JAZZ
KENNY GARRETT
Post-bop jazz multi-instrumentalist Kenny Garrett got his start when (at age 18) he joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Six years later he released his first album as band leader, Introducing Kenny Garrett. By 1986, he was a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His work on his own and as a valued sideman for jazz legends has made Garrett one of the most revered and in-demand players in the jazz world. He has released nearly 20 albums as band leader, and played on sessions for Donald Byrd, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard, Marcus Miller and dozens of others. BK
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center,
320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $58. 427-2227.
TUESDAY 9/16
FOLK
KAI & LOLA GUTHRIE
American music (across all genres) has a long-standing tradition of originality and resistance. And possibly no more so than in folk. Before punk, folk music sang against the tyranny of capitalists, the rights of the working class and the common man’s fight to keep America out of the hands of the oligarchs. Probably the most famous of the folk fighters was Woody Guthrie with his “This Machine Kills Fascists” guitar. The man who gave us “This Land is Your Land” passed down his fighting spirit, and musical talent, to his great-granddaughter Lola, who plays the Ugly Mug with her brother Kai. In the time of resistance, there isn’t much more American than this. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7pm, Ugly Mug,
4640 Soquel Dr., Soquel. $15/adv, $20/door. 477-1341.
WEDNESDAY 9/17
LITERARY
ERIN ENTRADA KELLY
Two-time Newbery award winner Erin Entrada Kelly visits Bookshop Santa Cruz for a reading of her new book, The Last Resort. When 12-year-old Lila starts her summer, she only has two goals: to win back her friends who ditched her for being “too dramatic” and to stop being so dramatic. But when her grandpa Clem dies, her summer is thrown for a curve when his ghost visits her to tell her he was murdered. She must help his ghost find peace on top of her normal, teenage problems. This book is also interactive. Kids can use their phones to connect with characters, speak to the book’s ghosts and play games with them. MW
