Editor’s Note: This story is part of Good Times’ annual Santa Cruz Visitors Guide 2019. Read the full publication here. In the 21st century, one of the measures of any city’s dining scene is its food truck culture. But while the food truck scene in nearby Silicon Valley is one of the most innovative in…
Articles by Steve Palopoli
Santa Cruz Gives
If you’ve attended an arts event, adopted a pet or even just walked on a clean beach, you’ve very likely encountered the work of a local nonprofit. We often don’t see all the things they do for us, but one thing is certain: Santa Cruz County wouldn’t be the same without them. Santa Cruz Gives is…
Preview: Peppino D'Agostino at Rio
Though it’s rarely talked about, there are opposing forces at work in the art of the guitar. There’s the unstoppable force of technical skill, and the immovable object of poetic soul, and one often threatens to drown out the other. A lot of guitar wizards stake out a position in the technical camp, pouring down…
Review: ‘Particle Fever’
Director Mark Levinson followed a bunch of nerds for five years to create a documentary that is, dare I say, the most riveting story ever based around particle physics. In fact, it’s really set up like a mystery, with physicists flocking to the Large Hadron Collider, the biggest machine ever built by mankind. Will it…
Nick Gallant’s Free Music for Santa Cruz
By giving his record away for free, Gallant hopes to jumpstart some serious discussion about how much we value music as a culture—or more to the point, why we don’t anymore.
Preview: Negativland at Crepe Place, Part 2
[Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part story.] Over the course of three decades, Negativland have earned the badge of honor bestowed by the title of the 1995 documentary that examined their work—Sonic Outlaws. Using a mix of artfully edited sound samples from every corner of American culture, rock beats and a…
Negativland Returns to Noise
Mark Hosler on Negativland’s music and live show, which now features their twisted take on the concept of “greatest hits.”
Preview: Fred Eaglesmith at Kuumbwa
Is Fred Eaglesmith the man? There’s no sabermetrics for this kind of thing, but let’s take a look at the way the Canadian singer-songwriter, who comes to the Kuumbwa for two shows on Friday, Feb. 21, has subverted expectations, convention and straight-up common sense at every turn.
Soquel Creek Water District Considers Rationing
Santa Cruz city leaders have abandoned a Soquel Creek Water District desalination plant; so, what’s next?
How Ashwin Batish Made the Sitar Cool Again
It starts in the mid-’80s at Union Grove Music on Pacific Avenue, where Ashwin Batish bought an amp for $50.