The Kuumbwa Jazz Center is the kind of space artists dream about playing. It’s classy and intimate, with top-notch sound and lighting. But if your band can’t draw 200 people at $25 a ticket, chances are pretty slim Kuumbwa has booked you. This is changing, however, with a new monthly series called “Club Kuumbwa” which aims to specifically bring in smaller local and indie bands.
Record-Low Mortgage Rates Could Help Santa Cruz Real Estate
For many, a home in Santa Cruz is just out of reach. Even though the famous quality of life available here attracts sun-worshippers, wave-seekers and other disciples of the California shoreline, all eager to settle down, desire is not enough. Wanting to own a home here is one thing. As with most real estate decisions, paying for it is another story.
5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz This Weekend, Feb. 2-3
From Jackson Browne to DIY winemaking to Super Bowl-related events, our top picks for this weekend’s happenings around Santa Cruz.
New Santa Cruz Art Exhibit Celebrates the Music of Tom Waits
The longer one talks to Bridget Henry about the subject, the more it becomes clear that what she’s really been building for the last 20 years is a Tom Waits obsession, one that will culminate this week with opening night of the ‘Cemetery Polka’ exhibit at the Felix Kulpa Gallery.
Renee Shepherd Turns Heirloom Seeds Into Global Business
When UCSC alumna Renee Shepherd opted out of an academic future and into the rarified world of heirloom growing, it was early days in the world of regional gardening. That was 25 years ago, and whether or not her PhD in History of Consciousness had anything to do with it, Shepherd struck up a friendship with a Dutch seed broker who basically planted the seed (so to speak) of her now-global heirloom seed business. The only thing that doesn’t grow on Shepherd is moss.
Letters to the Editor, Jan. 30-Feb. 5
Readers share their responses to a recent story on the local fine dining scene, which discussed the closing of Le Cigare Volant Restaurant.
Zach Friend Adjusts to County Seat
New county supervisor Zach Friend has some experience that sometimes comes in handy in his new job. He used to be a rock star. “You learn to market,” says Friend, the former guitarist for Santa Cruz band Blueprint. In 2005, Friend and the band won Metro Santa Cruz’s Gold Awards for best musician, best album and best band.
Hermit Convention Switches Sounds
The latest album by Craig Prentice’s one-man-band Hermit Convention, Cough Syrup Coffins, is his most experimental record to date—which is to say that it was recorded in an actual studio, with drums, guitar and backing vocals. For a guy whose previous low-fi recordings had him singing to bass guitar loops in his bedroom, this is wacky stuff.
5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz This Weekend
‘Cheetahs on the Run’ at the Rio (above), the Santa Cruz County Symphony, and a benefit for local Giants fan Brian Stow by a member of the team are among this weekend’s top events.
How Safe is Santa Cruz’s Water?
What are we drinking in our H20? How much filtration do we really need? And is bottle water really the “pure” alternative its marketers claim that it is?
