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Upcoming Events in Santa Cruz
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Monsters Are Not Myths
at the Brookdale Lodge;$10 8pm
Monsters Are Not Myths. In fact, they're three pleasant young men and one fine lady from Santa Cruz. But don't let their top-notch hygiene and pleasing, earth-toned attire fool you. These Monsters are hell-bent on eating your eardrums, one waxy bite at a time. Somewhere between Modest Mouse, Queens of the Stone Age and Barenaked Ladies, the band's tunes are as headbangingly satisfying as the loudest rock jams and as headscratchingly weird as the oddest indie dirges. Live, the crew promises "dancing bears, inflatable guitar solos and audience cowbell competitions." And their new album Corporate Grown drops the same day as the show, with the first copy presented to the last cowbeller left standing.
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Laurence Juber
at Don Quixote's;$16 adv/$18 door; 8pm
Laurence Juber isn't quite a household name, but he's got a reputation in the business as one hell of a gun for hire: past gigs include one-time lead guitarist for Paul McCartney's Wings and player on countless iconic movie soundtracks, including Dirty Dancing and Good Will Hunting. Within serious guitarist circles, Juber is something of a legend, having received two Grammy Awards and being declared top guitarist by Fingerstyle Magazine. In recent years, Juber has put the rock & roll largely behind him in favor of nimble acoustic jazz chording and agile fingerpicking. Nevertheless he continues to conjure sparks from the six-string instrument he’s mastered.
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Stellar Corpses
at the Brookdale Lodge;$10; 8pm
Santa Cruz’s favorite haunted hotel hosts a night of punk rock and babes in blood. The music bill features one of Santa Cruz’s favorite psychobilly bands, the Stellar Corpses, who crank out songs about zombies and cemeteries. Also playing is the Arizona horror-rock outfit Calabrese, whose haunted songs hope to awaken spirits. Bay Area punk rockers Tell-Tale Heartbreakers will likely liven up the night with onstage antics, and lovely locals Here Kitty Kitty promise to put a little pop in your pounce with their punch-packing music. And of course all the while, bikini-clad women will be wrestling in “blood.”
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Disco Biscuits
at the Catalyst;$16 advance/$19 door; 7:30pm
“Ecstatic” is not the only way to describe trance fusion act Disco Biscuits, though it’s an excellent start. On Time EP, their latest album, uses recent connections and influences to channel hip-hop more than any of their previous records while maintaining their hard-earned reputation as a jam band with electronica overlays. The group that relocated to Santa Cruz from Philadelphia in 2002, just as it was releasing the acclaimed album Señor Boombox, keeps a local face while touring nationally, and it’s a good idea to be neighbors when it comes around–unless you’re too afraid to try Disco Biscuits.
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Ray Brown and the Great Big Band
at the Cabrillo Crocker Theatre;$15 seniors & students/$20 general; 7:30pm
Cabrillo College instructor Ray Brown doesn't exaggerate when he refers to his "Great Big Band": the 21-piece ensemble comprised of Bay Area jazz luminaries fulfills both claims. Brown packs an impressive resume, having served as the trumpet player for Stan Kenton, arranged for Count Basie and penned a number of standout Big Band compositions. It's the sort of background that has made him a sought-after instructor and a local treasure, and this engagement is an excellent introduction to his prodigious talents.
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Lilys
at the Crepe Place;$8; 9pm
“Beatlesesque,” like “Dylanesque,” is one of those annoying hipster terms that far too many journalists use—myself included—in describing a particularly polished pop rock act or poetic lyricist. In the case of the Washington D.C. quartet Lilys, however, terms like “Beatleseque,” “Beatleslike,” or “Beatles-induced” are all but unavoidable. The group’s cheery psychedelic instrumentation and highly enunciated vocals immediately smack of the Fab Four. Yet the band manages to avoid coming off as a ripped-off, cheesy tribute, instead proving itself an original and altogether enjoyable indie rock outfit.
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Po'Girl
at Don Quixote's;$12 advance/$14 door; 7:30pm
Cabrillo College instructor Ray Brown doesn't exaggerate when he refers to his "Great Big Band": the 21-piece ensemble comprised of Bay Area jazz luminaries fulfills both claims. Brown packs an impressive resume, having served as the trumpet player for Stan Kenton, arranged for Count Basie and penned a number of standout Big Band compositions. It's the sort of background that has made him a sought-after instructor and a local treasure, and this engagement is an excellent introduction to his prodigious talents.
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Teraton
at Blue Lagoon;$5; 9pm
A little more than a year has passed since Teraton’s conception, and in that time it has gotten Santa Cruz rockers head-banging and raising their fists to this hard-hitting trio. Teraton got its name from the study of teratology, or physiological abnormalities. The word is also linked to the Greek word for monstrous; either way, this show sounds like a teraton of fun. The local metalheads will be rounded out by the hardcore-thrash sound of When the Hammer Falls from Redding, along with Professor (ex-Trigger Renegade) from L.A., Holy Grail from Pasadena and Entragian from Santa Cruz.
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B-Side Players
at Moe's Alley;$15 adv/$20 door; 9pm
The B-Side Players never cease to impress with their chameleon-like ability to create "custom" performances for specific venues. Their broad approach to a wide variety of musical genres allow them to play a hippie gathering one day and a high-end salsa club the next. With infectious Afro-Cuban beats heavy with funk-laden horn riffs, looping bass lines and jazzy piano, this band’s musicians are equally adept at ska, soul, hip hop, and funk. Fast-paced Latin Jazz jams grind into down tempo reggae splashes, pushing a politically charged revolutionary message intended to give props to society's underdogs. The band members also come from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, some being college-educated musical-theory fiends while the others come from traditional Mexican and church music backgrounds.
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The Fall Risk
at Don Quixote's;$10; 8pm
Jeff Pehrson, the rotund and hugely talented singer and guitarist for folk rock crew Box Set, has a new band featuring a handpicked selection of musicians that have toured with the likes of Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler, Hot Tuna and Ben Harper. The group’s tunes are blues and rock heavy with plenty of harmonica and a hint of Americana coming through in pianist Matt Twain’s jangley keys. A perfect band for the mature rocker looking to cut a rug on a Saturday night, The Fall Risk is a shot of unfiltered classic rock that needs no chaser.
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Igor and Red Elvises
at The Catalyst;$16 adv/$20 door; 9pm
Hailing from the USSR, “folk & roll” defector Igor Yuzov was personally welcomed into the U.S. by Ronald Reagan. Then one night in 1995, Elvis Presley came to him in a dream and imparted the higher calling of rock & roll. Not wanting to disappoint the King, Igor joined fellow Russian Oleg Bernov and created the Red Elvises. Since then the band has been touring non-stop, bringing its “Siberian surf rock” to worthy venues around the world. The band’s clever lyrics flow over the guitar-driven, melodic surf rock led by Yuzov. Although members have come and gone, Igor & Red Elvises will keep the audience captivated.
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Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys
at Don Quixote's;2pm show $10; 7pm show $14 adv/$16 door
Ace revivalist Big Sandy is one of the most respectable contemporary practitioners of western swing, deftly mixing classic country twang, big-band jazz, and touches of rockabilly into a sound that looks backwards but never seems retrograde. Buoyed by his crack backing band the Fly-Rite Boys, Big Sandy is free to vocally roam, interpreting classics and presenting originals with his infectious warmth and capacious voice. Big Sandy is followed by the Savoy Family Cajun Band, a lively six-piece band that barrels through traditional Cajun music with joy and abandon.
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Kim Nalley
at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center;$20 adv/$23 door; 7pm
An iconoclastic talent with an exuberant spirit, Kim Nalley is one of the brassier jazz vocal talents of our day. While many jazz vocalists assume a solemn tone of adulation towards their material, Nalley has the self-humor (and honesty) to cite Looney Toons cartoons as a major inspiration. Nalley is far from a lightweight, however. Her 2006 release She Put a Spell On Me: Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone was a heartfelt tribute to the vocalist, and earned her a shortlisted Grammy nod. On this tour, dubbed "the Heart of Lady Day," Kim Nalley specifically pays tribute to Billie Holiday.
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Zappa Plays Zappa
at the Rio Theatre;$59.50; 7:30pm
Few weirder or more prolific artists have walked the earth than Frank Zappa. As a musician, his 30-year career spawned more than 60 albums and was heard by millions before he died in 1993. Yet for most people under 30-years-old, he remains largely an iconic name and a funny photo of a guy on the toilet. Dweezil Zappa, Frank’s oldest son, has been working to change that. Assembling the seven-piece ensemble Zappa Plays Zappa in 2006, Dweezil pulled young and unknown rock stars as well as veteran Zappa Sr. bandmates in an effort to bring his dad’s tunes to a wider audience. ZPZ is more than an everyday tribute band, however, and Dweezil’s chops are legendary among the string shredding guitar elite.
