Live music highlights for the week of May 16, 2018.
WEDNESDAY 5/16
GOTH-ROCK
POPTONE
Have you ever found yourself complaining that no one starts any good goth bands anymore? Well, then, my friend, you haven’t yet heard of Poptone, a band formed last year by Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins, who hail from Love and Rockets, Bauhaus, the Bubblemen and Tones on Tail. Much of the starter material is pulled from Ash and Haskins’ catalog, but updated for 2018. The band releases its debut record this June, and based off its samples, it’s literally everything goths ever wanted in their life but were too shy to ask for. AARON CARNES
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $24.50/adv, $30/door. 429-4135.
WEDNESDAY 5/16
FOLK-ROCK
ANIMAL YEARS
Fist-pumping folk-rock is a well-established genre by now, and Brooklyn trio Animal Years has mastered the sound. There is an urgency and energy to their Lumineers-esque folk arena rock that will immediately get under your skin and make you run toward the nearest mountain. The band members think of their band name as a challenge: “Live your life in animal years,” they wrote in their bio—that is, live as though you have a short life span. They’ve turned these words into action by making quick strides in their career and playing folk as though it was the closing song in the credits of a Michael Bay action film. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $12/door. 429-6994.
THURSDAY 5/17
ROOTS
CROOKED JADES
Described by the Boston Herald as the “finest string band in America,” the Crooked Jades have been a favorite of underground roots fans for years. Now, much to the delight of longtime followers, the band has released Empathy Moves the Water, its first album of original material in over a decade. Led by one-time Santa Cruzan Jeff Kazor, the Jades blend high lonesome styles, pre-war gospel leanings, haunting instrumentation, and soulful vocals. CAT JOHNSON
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $15. 479-9777.
FRIDAY 5/18
HAWAIIAN
TAIMANE
Virtuoso ukulele player and composer Taimane first picked up the uke at the age of 5. Later honing her chops performing on the streets of Waikiki, she caught the attention of legendary Hawaiian vocalist Don Ho, and was invited to be on his show. These days, Taimane—whose name means “diamond” in Samoan—is a bonafide shredder whose range stretches from Led Zeppelin and Bach to island favorites and awe-inspiring original compositions that balance the delicate beauty and fiery power of the South Pacific. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/gen, $38/gold. 423-8209.
FRIDAY 5/18
PUNK
AGAINST ME
For two decades, Against Me has been at the forefront of punk. Not only with their mix of folk punk and electrified rock, but also with singer Laura Jane Grace’s 2012 coming out as a transgender woman, giving an icon to a new generation of punks who feel misplaced. Never ones to stagnate, their latest album, 2016’s Shape Shift With Me, features a change in Against Me’s style, particularly with Grace’s singing style having a more spoken-word/slam poetry rhyme. MAT WEIR
INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst Club, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 429-4135.
FRIDAY 5/18
COUNTRY/ROCK
LACY J. DALTON
North American Country Music Association International Hall of Famer Lacy J. Dalton got her musical start in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The singer-songwriter went on to become a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated artist who helped define Bay Area folk and country in the ’70s and ’80s. This Friday, Dalton and her musical partner Dale Poune team up with local honky tonk jamband Edge of the West, which boasts several alumni of Dalton’s touring band, the Dalton Gang, for what promises to be a rocking, story-filled night. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Flynn’s Cabaret, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $20/adv, $25/door. 335-2800.
SATURDAY 5/19
WESTERN SWING
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
Asleep at the Wheel was formed in 1970 and has more than 20 albums, 20 singles on the Billboard chart, and 10 Grammy awards. Now some 48 years into the band’s career, listening to their songs is like taking a trip in a time machine to the ’70s when Southern roots was melding with the folk and singer-songwriter movement. There are a lot of classic country songs here that will resonate with modern audience—you’ve probably heard a lot of young bands trying to emulate this sound, because it’s just so damn good. AC
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $35/gen, $50/gold. 423-8209.
MONDAY 5/21
JAZZ
SCOTT AMENDOLA & PASCAL LeBOEUF DOUBLE BILL
A definitive force on the Bay Area jazz scene for two decades, Berkeley drummer Scott Amendola turns his mano-a-mano duo with Hammond B-3 expert Wil Blades into an all-out fracas, adding the unpredictable guitarist Jeff Parker and infinitely resourceful Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista into the fray. In an embarrassment of riches, the program also features the West Coast premiere of Santa Cruz-raised pianist/composer Pascal Le Boeuf’s Chamber Music America-commissioned “Ritual Being.” A nine-piece suite melding of jazz and European classical music, the extended work features San Francisco’s Friction String Quartet and LeBoeuf’s quintet with his twin brother Remy Le Boeuf on alto saxophone, tenor saxophonist Greg Johnson, bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto, and drummer Malachi Whitson. It’s a one-two punch of pugilistic creativity. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 and 9 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $28.35/adv, $33.60/door. 427-2227.
IN THE QUEUE
LITTLE WINGS
Indie folk outfit. Wednesday at Michael’s on Main
COFFIS BROTHERS
Local roots/rock favorites. Friday at Moe’s Alley
LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III
Singer, songwriter, humorist pays tribute to his father. Friday at Kuumbwa
ARIEL PINK
Lo-fi singer-songwriter, instrumentalist. Saturday at Catalyst
RICHIE & ROSIE
Old time duo plays a house concert. Monday. Info: celticsociety.org
