Michelle Kraft recalls a woman coming up to her after her band Sasha’s Money played, waxing nostalgic about the band’s set of alt-rock hits from the ’90s. That’s exactly what the band is going for.
“She said, ‘I can’t believe you played Alanis and then you played No Doubt. Oh my god, that was my high school jam!’” Kraft recalls. “We try to throw in some songs that people go ‘Oh yeah, I remember that. I haven’t heard that in years.’”
The songs aren’t exclusively from the ’90s—they play songs going all the way back to the ‘60s. But danceability and that nostalgia factor are key.
Initially, Kraft was singing on her own, and then teamed up with bassist Mike Kelley and guitarist Bill McBride, playing around at open mics. As they locked down their chops and got a drummer, they started playing bigger gigs.
The name Sasha’s Money refers to Kraft’s longtime karaoke nickname. Early on, she went to pay for the rehearsal space and someone in the band called it “Sasha’s money.” It stuck.
They only do covers at this point, but that might not always be the case going forward. “We’re intrigued with the idea of eventually throwing some originals in. But we’re pretty happy right now,” Kraft says.
INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. Crow’s Nest, 2218 E Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. $6. 476-4560.
