Live music highlights for the week of May 30, 2018.
THURSDAY 5/31
JAZZ
SANTA CRUZ WOMEN OF JAZZ
Reassembling the inviting cast of players from last year’s celebration of Ella Fitzgerald’s centennial, the latest edition of Kuumbwa’s “Live and Local” series features a bevy of Santa Cruz’s top jazz singers backed by a talented band. Expanding the focus from Ella to include her contemporaries and the temporal range from the swing era to contemporary jazz repertoire, the show features the three-part harmony Jazz Birds—Gail Cruse, Cher Peterson and Vicki Coffis—and vocalists Ann Whittington, Charmaigne Scott, Ruby Rudman Judy Turowski, and the New Flamingo Swing Orchestra’s Stella D’Oro (who also performs around town with her band Stella By Barlight). The band also borrows from New Flamingo with the orchestra’s tenor saxophonist Brad Hecht and drummer Olaf Schiappacasse joined by guitarist Gino Raugi, bassist Bill Bosch, and reed expert Phil Smith. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $21/adv, $26.25/door. 427-2227
FRIDAY 6/1
REGGAE
FIDEL NADAL
One of the most important Argentinian bands in the ’80s and ’90s was the reggae-hip-hop-punk band Todos Tus Muertos, which translates to “All Your Dead.” It was a vibrant, eclectic and political group. The band name was a reference to the dead bodies in Argentina’s “Dirty War.” Since the band broke, vocalist Fidel Nadal has embarked on a successful solo career. Dropping the hip-hop and punk elements, he plays mainly roots reggae with a strong dancehall edge, still political, but also lots of personal material. He’s still a big star in Argentina, while in the U.S., he’s loved by die-hard reggae fanatics. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15/adv, $20/door. 479-1854.
FRIDAY 6/1
ELECTRO-FUNK
PLANET BOOTY
Here’s a fact you probably didn’t know, but won’t be surprised to find out: Oakland electro-funkster group Planet Booty has a song called “Das Booty” that opens with this line: “Ladies and gentlemen, people of the world, I want to welcome you to … your booty.” The six-piece band prides itself on creating a “sweat-a-thon” at their shows, mixing all your favorite ’80s electronic funk, ’70s disco, and early ’90s R&B with booty-themed lyrics and a lot of humor into the best dance party you can attend this week. Underneath all the wackiness is a message of self-love, so long as what you love is your booty! AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
SATURDAY 6/2
BLUES-ROCK
ERIC LINDELL
Born in San Mateo, California, singer-songwriter Eric Lindell made the jump from the Bay Area to New Orleans in the late 1990s, making his way onto the national blues-rock scene and eventually landing a spot on the Alligator Records roster. With a reputation for raw talent, a range that spans blues, funk, R&B and rock, and a natural feel for the New Orleans sound, Lindell’s blue-eyed soul and attention-grabbing guitar work have established him as a favorite of roots and blues fans, and sealed his fate as a California local-boy-done-good. CJ
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
SUNDAY 6/3
PSYCH
STRANGE MISTRESS
The self-proclaimed “heaviest rock band in Outerspace, Nevada,” Strange Mistress blasts their way onto the stage at Flynn’s Cabaret. The ex-Don Quixote’s is a perfect location for this otherworldly psych quartet. They launched their first CD, Divisions, last year and that cosmic piece of third-eye-opening ear fuel is still sending us to alternative dimensions. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Flynn’s Cabaret, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.
MONDAY 6/4
PROG-METAL
ATLAS MOTH
These days, when someone tells you they’re in a metal band, that means one of two things: either they play punishingly slow 20-minute-long stoned-out jams, or they are going to take you on a wild adventure in riffage, mathematics and insane technical wizardry while simultaneously screaming out all of their darkest feelings. Atlas Moth falls primarily in the second camp, while dabbling in the first. There’s so much variety in their songs that seasoned prog-metal listeners will have their minds blown quite a bit. AC
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.
TUESDAY 6/5
IRISH
JOHN DOYLE
John Doyle is a standout of contemporary Irish music. A renowned guitarist and bouzouki player, Doyle composes tunes that bend tradition and blur lines. Performing original tunes and Irish traditional numbers, the one-time member of Irish supergroup Solas, Doyle brings his artistry to Soquel for an intimate house concert hosted by the Celtic Society of the Monterey Bay. CJ
INFO: 7:30 p.m. House concert, Soquel. $22. 464-9778. Information: celticsociety.org.
TUESDAY 6/5
HIP-HOP
COZZ
In a world of Soundcloud hip-hop and Xanax rappers, it’s hard to see a true talent in the game go underrated. Hopefully Cozz’s latest full-length, Effected, is what he needs to blow up into the mainstream. Signed to J.Cole’s Dreamville Record since 2014, Cozz has mixed smooth lyrics—riding between being woke about society and still wanting to have fun like any 20-something—with new beats that have an old school feel. MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 429-4135.
TUESDAY 6/5
INSTRUMENTAL/POP
CHRISTIE LENÉE
The reigning international fingerstyle guitar champion, Christie Lenée is a captivating artist who wows audiences around the world with her guitar virtuosity and ability to blend pop hooks with fingerstyle and guitar tapping techniques. The result is an otherworldly sound full of complexity and sonic layers. Drawing comparisons to Michael Hedges, Joni Mitchell and Dave Matthews, Christie Lenée is also a masterful storyteller and songwriter with a gift for bringing people together through music. CJ
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $10/adv, $12/door. 479-9777.
IN THE QUEUE
TOMORROWS BAD SEEDS
Reggae-rock out of Hermosa Beach. Thursday at Catalyst
ALEX LUCERO & LIVE AGAIN
Central Valley soul outfit. Friday at Michael’s on Main
TOMMY ALEXANDER
Indie-rock singer-songwriter. Saturday at Flynn’s Cabaret
SANTA CRUZ HIP-HOP SHOWCASE
Khan, Alwa Gordon, TDC and QEDJ. Saturday at Crepe Place
MITCH WOODS & HIS ROCKET 88’S
Jump n’ boogie blues. Sunday at Moe’s Alley
