Best Band
Requiem for the Dead
Listen Up18: The amount of shows Requiem for the Dead, since forming in 2012, has played—including six in Santa Cruz.
Scream It Like You Mean It The band releases its second full-length album this summer. The self-produced CD has 13 tracks, narrowed down from 17 demos, and is called The Unexplainable Truth. It’s about how they won this award.
More than an Axe-Slinger Guitarist Ryan Heggum is also a talented drummer, bassist and screamer.
Fully Tuned Requiem singer Steven Juliano was previously in a Los Angeles band called I Am Ghost that toured for six years. Then it disappeared.
Word Up “Sadly, there is no rock scene here whatsoever,” Juliano tells GT via email. “There is no metal scene. It’s a very odd and confusing place when you play our style of music. We feel that there is a place for Requiem here in our hometown. We just have to get the word out about who we are, and what we are trying to convey.” | Jacob Pierce
Best Art Gallery
MAH
Mark your calendar The MAH does wildly collaborative Third Friday festivals every month on every “only-in-Santa-Cruz” theme you can think of. Like, every theme. Magic, body art, innovation … even a “Race Through Time” historical scavenger hunt on bikes.
She wrote the book Executive Director Nina Simon wrote The Participatory Museum, which laid out a groundbreaking new vision for public galleries.
Art scene breakout Their Front Street location isn’t their only home—the MAH also owns Evergreen Cemetery (where they recently built a brand new Chinese Memorial Gate) and Davenport Jail.
Art meets science! When looking in the mirror, their ‘MAH’ logo T-shirts and stickers spell HAM. | Steve Palopoli
Best Theatre Company
Santa Cruz Shakepeare
The wheel is come full circle After three decades as Shakespeare Santa Cruz, the program was dropped last year by UCSC administrators, who claimed its financial shortcomings outweighed its value as the area’s best-known theater event. This year, the Shakespeare Play On group announced that the company would return for a 2014 season as Santa Cruz Shakespeare.
One man in his time Longtime SSC favorite Mike Ryan is now co-artistic director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, along with SSC’s former artistic director Marco Barricelli.
Return of love, more blest be the view Though the group is now independent of UCSC, they will return to the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen for this summer’s shows, through a rental agreement.
Thy friendship makes us fresh This season, which runs July 1-Aug. 10, will include performances of As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and the company’s “fringe show,” The Beard of Avon by Amy Freed. | Steve Palopoli
Best DJ
DJ AD
Rainbow Roots DJ AD began spinning at the Madhouse on Seabright Avenue four years ago for the gay-themed, raucous Rainbow Room. Two years ago, Fred Friedman of the Blue Lagoon bought the joint—turning it into the Blue Lounge, and the Rainbow Room into the Rainbow Lounge.
Facing Change “It’s not as crazy as the Madhouse, but I like it. The Rainbow Lounge is not supposed to be a crazy dance club. You’re supposed to just have a few drinks and relax.”
Something Bigger By day AD works as a machine operator building hydraulic hand pumps.
Eclectic Sounds She spins everything from YG and E-40 to Chuck Berry, Salt-n-Pepa and Patsy Cline.
True Tunes “I’m more of the old-school DJ. I still use CDs and all that stuff. I haven’t switched over to using computers, and people trip out over that. I figure when you work hands-on you have your own sound,” she says. | Jacob Pierce
Best Radio Station
KZSC
Lend us your ears Radio Locator, which lists more than 10,000 radio stations, called KZSC “the number one most listened to college radio station.”
It came from the basement KZSC began broadcasting in 1967, in the basement of a Stevenson College dorm. Back then, it was called KRUZ; it got its current call letters in 1974.
Tried and true “Breakfast in Bed” and “The Buckwhacker’s Breakfast Club,” both of which have been on the air for more than 25 years, are the station’s longest-running shows.
Category Winners & Runners-Up
Band
Requiem for the Dead requiemforthedead.com
Runners-Up Stellar Corpses, Expendables
Art Gallery
MAH 705 Front St., Santa Cruz, 429-1964, santacruzmah.org
Runners-Up Felix Culpa, R. Blitzer Gallery
Billiards
Fast Eddies 4300 Capitola Road, Capitola, 462-1882, fasteddysbilliards.com
Runners-Up Surf City Billiards, Castaways
Comedy Show
Crow’s Nest 2218 E Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 476-4560, crowsnest-santacruz.com
Runners-Up Red Restaurant and Bar, Blue Lagoon
Dance Club
Motiv 1209 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 429-8070, motivsc.com
Runners-Up Blue Lagoon, Catalyst, Rosie McCann’s
Dance Studio
Pacific Arts Complex
Runners-Up Motion Picture, International Academy of Dance
Festival
Capitola Art and Wine 716-G Capitola Ave., Capitola, 475-6522, capitolachamber.com/art-and-wine-festival
Runners-Up Santa Cruz Music Festival, Greek Festival
Karaoke
Coasters/Boardwalk Bowl 115 Cliff St., Santa Cruz, 426-3324, boardwalkbowl.com/coasters-bar-grill
Runners-Up I love Sushi, Britannia Arms
Movie Theater
Nickelodeon 210 Lincoln St., Santa Cruz, 426-7500, thenick.com
Runners-Up Aptos Cinemas, Del Mar, Scotts Valley Cinema
Music Venue: Dedicated
Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 423-1336, catalystclub.com
Runners-Up Moe’s Alley, Kuumbwa
Music Venue: Bar/restaurant
The Crepe Place 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, 429-6994, thecrepeplace.com
Runners-Up Don Quixote, Crow’s Nest
Music Venue: Café/coffeehouse
The Abbey 350 Mission St., Santa Cruz, abbeylounge.org
Runners-Up Ugly Mug, Mr. Toot’s
Nightclub DJ
DJ AD 417 Market St., Santa Cruz, 469-9622, dj-ad.webs.com
Runners-Up DJ MLE WAX, Trevor Williams
Radio Station
KZSC 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, 459-4036, kzsc.org
Runners-Up KSCO, K-PIG
Solo Musician (local)
Joe Ferrara
Runners-Up James Durbin, Al Frisbee
Theatre Company
Shakespeare Santa Cruz 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, 459-2121, shakespearesantacruz.org
Runners-Up Cabrillo Stage, All About Theatre
