When The Devil Makes Three got its start 10 years ago playing old-timey country folk with the intense live show energy and DIY philosophy of a punk band, it was ahead of its time. Since then, acoustic bands with a punk ethos have sprouted up all over Santa Cruz, giving banjos and tattoos common cause.
Posts Tagged: Music
The Box Sets of 2011
Ah, Nevermind. Although the Pixies’ Trompe le Monde, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ BloodSugarSexMagik and A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory were all released on the same day in 1991 as Nirvana’s breakthrough album, only Nevermind received the 20th-anniversary box-set treatment this year.
Klezmatics: They Did It Oy Vey
The Klezmatics aren’t your average Jewish music band. When the group plays Klezmer music, a vibrant Jewish style filled with lively violin, they bring in styles from everywhere—salsa, the blues, even Irish music. “It widens the colors and possibilities for arrangements,” says Lori Sklamberg, co-founder and vocalist for the Klezmatics. The beauty is in experimentation.
Celebrating Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Roots
If bluegrass music were a family-run company, mandolin-picker Bill Monroe would be founding CEO. That’s why Ginny Mitchell of Santa Cruz Live TV is bringing guitar maven Peter Rowan, who played with Monroe as one of his “Bluegrass Boys,” to the Digital Media Factory. The honorary day is set for Sunday. Dec. 4 for Bill Monroe Day in Santa Cruz. Mayor Ryan Coonerty proclaimed it so.
The Heavy Metal Perfection of Mammatus
The members of Santa Cruz experimental metal band Mammatus have a time-tested method to ensure that all their music reaches a high standard. They look for what they call the Yes Factor—that moment during practice when a song comes together and everyone knows it. “That’s what we’re always looking for, the part of the song that gives you goosebumps. It’s all about finding that magical moment,” says guitarist Nicky Emmert. He adds, “It takes us a really long time to write a song.”
‘Tis The Season To Be Busy
Santa Cruz is a awash in holiday cheer with the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker, the Lighted Boat Parade, Jingle Shells at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and much more.
The Pixies Mystique
Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson IV has been a solo artist for three times as long as he was originally with the Pixies. He’s released three times as many albums as he did with the band, under three different stage names—his original Pixies moniker Black Francis, the solo change-up Frank Black and even the combination Frank Black Francis.
Weird Al: King of Strange
The singing satirist, who performed Nov. 4 in Santa Cruz, talked to Santa Cruz Weekly about his career, the radio DJ who made him famous and the art of poking fun.
