THURSDAY 4/6
ELECTRONIC
BOOMBOX
It’s been over a decade since electronic-dance-meets-R&B-rock-duo BoomBox formed, but 2017 is a whole new beginning for the group. The band’s New Year’s Eve shows last year were the last for founder Russ Randolph, who is off to pursue a solo DJ career. He started the group with Zion Godchaux as a means to meld high-gloss electronic house beats with psychedelic-soul songwriting. Randolph was the producer of the group, with Godchaux the singer-songwriter and guitarist. The new group, Godchaux says, will honor the band’s legacy, but also push forward in new directions. AARON CARNES
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15/adv, $20/door. 479-1854.
THURSDAY 4/6
JAZZ
DAVE HOLLAND
Dave Holland, 70, is a legendary bassist who’s spent five decades on jazz’s cutting edge, from his early years as a fusion pioneer with Miles Davis through his long tenure playing free jazz in the 1970s with Sam Rivers and Anthony Braxton, and his emergence in the 1980s as an inspired bandleader in his own right. The all-star combo he brings to Santa Cruz combines the overlapping personnel from two recent recordings, drawing resurgent guitar star Kevin Eubanks from 2013’s Prism and powerhouse saxophonist Chris Potter from 2016’s Aziza, while drummer extraordinaire Eric Harland played on both sessions. While this quartet is fully capable of torrential displays of virtuosity, Holland has a gift for creating music that leaves plenty of room for light to shine in. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 and 9 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $35/adv, $45/door. 427-2227.
FRIDAY 4/7
ROCK
PAT HULL BAND
There are certain shows the Crepe Place is designed for, and the Pat Hull Band is definitely one of them. The Chico-via-Connecticut singer-songwriter returns to Santa Cruz this weekend on the heels of his latest album, Origami Sessions. The soft-spoken musician writes mellow and deeply intimate songs that allow the listener to relax while they dive into the memories of their past. The Pat Hull Band will be performing with the Zeb Zaitz Band as part of a pre-show for the Do It Ourselves Fest, which takes place in Boulder Creek from April 28-30. MAT WEIR
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 429-6994.
FRIDAY 4/7
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
ANDY MCKEE
Considered one of the world’s premiere acoustic guitarists, Andy McKee takes guitar work to a new level with his innovative use of altered tunings, tapping, partial capos, percussive hits on the body of the instrument, custom guitars, and his signature two-handed technique. With elegant style, unbridled energy and an unwavering attention to musical detail, McKee has made a name for himself as a pioneering artist in every right. He’s a remarkable talent who needs to be seen to be believed—a fact that has made him a YouTube sensation. CAT JOHNSON
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-8209.
SATURDAY 4/8
ROOTS
FRONT COUNTRY
Bay Area band Front Country emerged on the local roots scene as a forward-thinking bluegrass-inspired outfit that never fit nicely into the strict parameters of bluegrass music. From the start, the band had a sweeping sound that elicited descriptions such as “passionately intoxicating,” and possessing “grace and gravitas.” Led by powerhouse songwriter and vocalist Melody Walker, and filled out by mandolinist Adam Roszkiewicz, guitarist Jacob Groopman, violinist Leif Karlstrom and bassist Jeremy Darrow, the quintet challenges genre restrictions and helps move roots music into the future. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 335-2800.
SATURDAY 4/8
HIP-HOP
PHILTHY RICH
Bay Area hip-hop is alive and well, and Philthy Rich is here to make sure everyone knows it. The “SemCity MoneyMan” has been reppin’ Oakland since 2007, collaborating with other big name Bay rappers like Shady Nate, Beeda Weeda and J Stalin. This Saturday, he will be playing the Catalyst on the Hood Rich Tour, performing alongside his homies G Val, Blue Jeans, Young Chop and Tay Way. MW
INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $18/adv, $23/door. 429-4135.
SUNDAY 4/9
ROOTS-ROCK
WEBB WILDER
John Webb McMurry was born in 1954, but his roots-rock alter-ego Webb Wilder was born sometime in the ’80s. Wilder’s first appearance was in a short film about a rural music-playing detective who time-traveled from the ’50s. Similarly, Wilder is like a slice of rural ’50s that never existed. The music’s roots are all familiar, yet the way in which he mixes up surf, rockabilly and R&B did not exist back then. He’s like a classic American roots singer from an alternative universe. AC
INFO: 4 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $14/adv, $18/door. 479-1854.
MONDAY 4/10
ROCK
PEGI YOUNG & THE SURVIVORS
In 2014, after 36 years of marriage, Pegi Young and rock and roller Neil Young divorced. As artists tend to do in times of hardship, Young turned to her art to make sense of the emotions and challenges around it. Her latest release, Raw, explores that experience with a striking … well, rawness. The opening tune, “Why,” sees Young singing, “Why’d you have to ruin my life? Why’d you have to be so mean?” On Monday, Young and her band the Survivors, led by legendary keyboardist/songwriter Spooner Oldham, hit Felton. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.
TUESDAY 4/11
ELECTRONIC
CRYSTAL CASTLES
Indie electronic and synth-pop bands can make pristinely produced tracks with virtually no budget these days, so long as they have a laptop and plenty of bootlegged software. That’s why when a group like Crystal Castles comes along with deliberately lo-fi, noisy, hyper-compressed electronic songs, you have to wonder what point the band is trying to make. I offer no such insight, except to say that the group manages to make memorizing music that is simultaneously gorgeous and repulsive. Maybe this is what music sounds like in the midst of a psychotic breakdown. What I’m saying is check this out. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 429-4135.
IN THE QUEUE
JOYCE MANOR
Rock band out of Torrance, California. Wednesday at Rio Theatre
DAVID MURRAY & KAHIL EL’ZABAR DUO
Internationally acclaimed jazz duo. Thursday at Don Quixote’s
DESCENDENTS
Legendary punk rock band. Thursday and Friday at Catalyst
DUMPSTAPHUNK
Celebrated New Orleans funk band. Friday at Moe’s Alley
VIVA LA LEHRER IV
Tribute to singer-songwriter-satirist Tom Lehrer. Saturday at Kuumbwa
