Live music highlights for the week of Oct.24, 2018.
WEDNESDAY 10/24
FOLK
THE WEATHER STATION
Somewhere between Steve Gunn and Johanna Warren is Tamara Lindemann, the Toronto songwriter known as the Weather Station. With an ear for crystalline melodies, Lindemann brings quiet strength and stunning lyrical clarity to her lived-in folk songs. In “Thirty,” the second track from last year’s acclaimed self-titled album, she describes a moment of self-realization at a culturally perilous age: “I could see it so simple, unsubtle/Impossible, clearly/And strange/Far and as close as a mountain range/On the horizon driving all day.” In Lindemann’s hands, the familiar becomes strange, and the strange familiar again. MIKE HUGUENOR
INFO: 9 p.m. The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $14/door. 429-6994.
HIP-HOP
NNAMDI OGBONNAYA
Armed with hyper-animated synth riffs and rubber band-like vocals, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya’s eclectic brand of Chicago DIY hip-hop is clever, nuanced, and catchy AF. His arsenal of oddball yet genuine lyrics competes for center stage with rhythms so dynamic they might be cartoonish, except they utterly capture and transcend those lyrics from the zeitgeist of Ogbonnaya’s brain into a universal experience of which even the coldest, smallest-aorta grinch relates. Part fun and all killer instinct, Ogbonnaya is the champion mixed martial artist of the music world. AMY BEE
INFO: 9 p.m., Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $12/door. 423-1338.
THURSDAY 10/25
JAM BAND
CALIFORNIA KIND
The great thing about being in a jam band is that you are in a great position to join other jam bands, as being in tune with the spontaneity of the moment is basically your job. California Kind, which bills itself as a “jam veteran” band, will send you on an incredible psychedelic, funky possibly mind-altering journey, with eons of experience to back up all the far out jams. We’re talking about people who’ve played with David Nelson Band, the Dead, Jefferson Starship, Bruce Hornsby, Chris Robinson, and Moonalice. Just make sure you toss your calendar in the trash, because you won’t need that where you’re heading. AARON CARNES
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $22/door. 479-1854.
JAZZ
ALLISON MILLER’S BOOM TIC BOOK
As a drummer who thrives deep in the pocket, Brooklyn-based Allison Miller is a trap set marvel who keeps company with jazz’s greatest improvisers. Her latest album, Science Fair, evolved out of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Co-led by pianist Carmen Staaf, the album features the horn tandem of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens. She concludes a Western tour with her long-running band Boom Tic Boom, which is offering a sneak peak at a stellar new album Glitter Wolf. Miller is a savvy composer who continually finds new ways to showcase her ostentatiously talent-packed combo featuring violinist Jenny Scheinman, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, cornetist Kirk Knuffke, bassist Tony Scherr, and pianist Dawn Clement. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26.25/adv, $31.50/door. 427-2227.
FRIDAY 10/26
COUNTRY
MISS LONELY HEARTS
Miss Lonely Hearts is one of those distinctly Santa Cruz-y country-ish bands leading the local roots music surge. There’s a bit of outlaw grit and honkytonk groove, mixed in with coastal mountain hippie peace and love. You might even see them sporting cowboy hats, which is making an odd sort of sense here in Santa Cruz in 2018. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Flynn’s Cabaret & Steakhouse, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15/adv, $18/door. 335-2800.
ROCK
JESSE COLIN YOUNG
There aren’t many musicians performing today who have had their finger on the pop culture pulse for as long as Jesse Colin Young. He had already cut two solo albums before forming the Youngbloods, who would release the iconic Summer of Love anthem, “Get Together.” By the time Nirvana re-used the lyrics in the ’90’s (“Come on people, smile on your brother”), Young already had another two decades of solo recording under his belt. MAT WEIR
INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $35/gen, $48/gold. 423-8209.
SATURDAY 10/27
ROCK
CHRIS BARRON
It’s been 27 years since the Spin Doctors released Pocket Full of Kryptonite, an album that ushered in an era of coffee-shop rock and acoustic jams. Since then, the world has changed immeasurably, but songs like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” have remained firmly lodged in the public consciousness, thanks to the catchy melodicism of singer Chris Barron. Barron’s solo work retains the lighthearted playfulness of his Doctoral days, and at Michael’s on Main he promises to bring a mix of new tunes and Spin Doctors classics—so get ready for the scat-along of the century in “Two Princes.” MH
INFO: 2 p.m. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $17 adv/$20 door. 479-9777.
PSYCH ROCK
LOFI SATELLITES
Formed on the shores of Pacifica, LoFi Satellites launched their Soundcloud in 2016 with a few demo tracks. Today, the psyche-pop quartet have played all over the Bay Area, taking listeners on a spaced-out journey through the inner mind. Yet, unlike more experimental rock, LoFi Satellites stay within an orbit of dusty daydreams, much like the Black Angels or Queens of the Stone Age. They’ll be joined on stage by local heavy hitters Homebrew, local funkers Light the Band, and the eclectic sounds of Davis’ the Big Poppies. MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, $5. 423-7117.
SUNDAY 10/28
FUNK
LUCKY CHOPS
Santa Cruz is in for a fiery, funky and fun night as Lucky Chops brassify your favorite songs into something better than you ever imagined. The six-piece group of happy horns blat and squeal their way through an arrangement of popular tunes worthy of their internet-viral fame, putting their signature spin on songs that other musicians may mistakenly leave for the dusty three-ring tomes of Karaoke bars. Dedicated to inspiring and educating through music, Lucky Chops are working hard on their first full-length studio album for 2019. AB
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $15. 423-1338.
