The best live music for the week of June 14, 2017.
WEDNESDAY 6/14
AMERICANA
FREIGHT HOPPERS
These days, it’s not uncommon for young bands to round up their best buds, gather a couple banjos, a mandolin and a fiddle and start an old-timey string band. Back in 1992, that was a weird thing to do. The Freight Hoppers not only did that, they even played four times daily at the Great Smoky Mountains Railway. The group’s repertoire includes many ’20s and ’30s Southern rural songs, and the energy of the band is infectious. It’s a testament to the timeliness of this music, and the sheer fun the Freight Hoppers have playing it. AC
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY 6/14 & 6/15
POP/SOUL
KEHLANI
Born and raised in Oakland, singer-songwriter Kehlani is a standout of contemporary soul in the Bay Area and beyond. Kehlani entered the spotlight as part of the group PopLyfe, but in 2014 released her first solo mixtape—teaming up with artists such as G-Eazy and Zayn—and started performing around the Bay. She quickly gained recognition as an artist to watch, and was eventually nominated for a Grammy award for Best Urban Contemporary Album for her breakout mixtape, You Should Be Here. On Wednesday and Thursday, Kehlani and her crew perform at the Catalyst. Also on the bill is British R&B singer Ella Mai. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-1338.
THURSDAY 6/15
JAZZ
STANLEY CLARKE BAND
Before Jaco Pastorius appeared on the scene and rewrote the rules for electric bass, Stanley Clarke was the teenage wunderkind who transformed the instrument into an essential component in the emerging fusion movement. He became a star in the original, Brazilian-steeped version of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, and continued to propel the band when it turned into the turbo-charged supergroup with Lenny White and Al DiMeola. The quadruple Grammy winner has thrived as a bandleader, producer and prolific Hollywood composer sought out for television and film scores (including Boyz n the Hood, The Transporter, and Roll Bounce). His unusual new band features 21-year-old pianist Beka Goshiashvili (from Tbilisi, Georgia), West Coast Get Down keyboardist Cameron Graves (whose work is all over Kamasi Washington’s The Epic), and drummer Mike Mitchell, a brilliant young player from Dallas. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 and 9 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $40/adv, $50/door. 427-2227.
FRIDAY 6/16
ROCK
MONTEREY POP REVISITED
Fifty years ago a little-known festival in Monterey ignited the music world and went down in history as one of the greatest rock concerts of the century. This week, KPIG and Don Quixote’s pay tribute to the Monterey Pop Festival with five bands covering classic rock favorites from Janis Joplin, the Jefferson Airplane, the Animals, the Mamas & the Papas, and—of course—Jimi Hendrix. While there likely won’t be any guitars set on fire, there will be plenty of people listening, some who will play, some who might give flowers away, and you don’t even have to be down in Monterey to enjoy the fun. MAT WEIR
INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.
FRIDAY 6/16
ROCK
COREY FELDMAN
It’s the 30th anniversary of legendary ’80s horror film the Lost Boys! That’s an especially important milestone for us Santa Cruzans, as it’s one of those films we get to constantly bring up because it was filmed right here in town. What better way to honor the film’s legacy than to party with Lost Boys star Corey Feldman. What kind of music does Feldman play? You’re telling me you haven’t seen the viral video of his performance on the Today Show last year, with his all-angel backup band and his Michael Jackson meets robot dance moves? What are you waiting for? Go log on to YouTube right now. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 429-4135.
SATURDAY 6/17
ROCK
SUPERSUCKERS
Self-dubbed “The Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band On Earth” the Supersuckers have been throwing down should-be hits since their inception in 1988. Led by Eddie Spaghetti, the band blazes through a mix of rock, country and cowpunk for a whiskey-drenched sound that is uniquely American. The band’s live shows are infamously wild and known to leave audiences’ feet sore from dancing, and pants off from too much rocking. Like the song says, he’s Eddie Spaghetti, here to rock your ass steady. MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.
SUNDAY 6/18
LATIN DANCE
LOS PINGUOS
Blending Latin rhythms, reggae, rock, rumba, flamenca and more, Los Pinguos is a standout on the international music scene. Formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the band now resides in Los Angeles, but has a fan base that reaches around the world. One of the bands featured in the award-winning documentary Playing for Change, Los Pinguos has performed with a genre-bending all-star cast of artists, including Plácido Domingo, Taj Mahal, the Skatalites, Ozomatli and the Neville Brothers. CJ
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.
MONDAY 6/19
REGGAE/DUB
LEE PERRY
Lee “Scratch” Perry is one of the most influential trailblazers of reggae and dub music, and one of the oddest, most eccentric, most unpredictable artists around. Born in Jamaica in 1936, Perry is still going strong with a career that has seen him producing and working with a huge roster of stellar artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, the Clash and the Beastie Boys. The father of dub, Perry introduced game-changing production techniques that inspired electronic music, experimental, avant garde music, hip-hop and more. If you haven’t seen this living legend live, now’s your chance. CJ
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-1338.
TUESDAY 6/20
ACOUSTIC
CHRIS ROBINSON
I’m going to go ahead and say it: Whether you like them or not, the Black Crowes have stood the test of time. And lead singer Chris Robinson has been able to keep on touring relentlessly with his Chris Robinson Brotherhood project when the Crowes weren’t active. Hell, now he’s even going solo from his solo project. This Santa Cruz show is his first in a short run of strictly acoustic solo shows. It might be a little rough, but that’s always been a quintessential part of Robinson’s appeal. AC
INFO: 8 p.m. Kuumbwa, 320 Cedar St., #2, Santa Cruz. $36.60. 427-2227.
IN THE QUEUE
ANDRE THIERRY & ZYDECO MAGIC
Zydeco legend and his ace band. Thursday at Don Quixote’s
RAMBLIN’ JACK ELLIOTT
Folk music legend. Friday at Kuumbwa
HORACE ANDY
Pioneering reggae singer and songwriter. Friday at Moe’s Alley
LA WITCH
Rock ’n’ roll trio out of Los Angeles. Saturday at Crepe Place
MOLSKY’S MOUNTAIN DRIFTERS
Fiddle-driven American roots music. Sunday at Kuumbwa
