THURSDAY 2/27
AMERICANA
ROB ICKES & TREY HENSLEY
A power duo might be a rare thing in the music world, but it’s more common in country, and there aren’t many duos touring today keeping the genre’s gritty roots alive quite like Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley. Drawing inspiration from bluegrass, folk and down-home country, Ickes and Hensley bring the masses a solid, electrified acoustic sound, evident not only in their music but who they’ve shared the stage with, including Taj Mahal, Jorma Kaukonen and David Grisman. Seeing them in an intimate setting such as the Kuumbwa is one of the truly special things about living in Santa Cruz. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Center St., Santa Cruz. $39. 427-2227.
FRIDAY 2/28
INDIE
IDAHO
Idaho invites listeners to dive into the dreamscape and immerse themselves in desert atmospherics and distant sonic textures. After a 13-year hiatus, the band made an expansive return with an album release in 2024, a vinyl box set released in December and now a West Coast tour. Frontperson Jeff Martin carries on the legacy he and the late John Berry began in 1992; a key player in ’90s slowcore remains 30 years later a beautiful, melancholic take on American post-grunge indie rock. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 9pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
THEATER
BEST OF THE REST
Following the 8 Tens @ 8 Festival, Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre presents staged readings of the runners-up, including Why Women Live Longer Than Men by Marjorie Williamson and It’s Just a Paperweight by Jerry Metzker. Theater enthusiasts and casual inquirers alike are invited to enjoy immersive new works from emerging and established playwrights from all over the world. The Actors’ Theatre is celebrating its 29th anniversary as the world’s longest-running short play festival this year. SN
INFO: 8pm, Actors’ Theatre, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. $15. 431-8666.
SATURDAY 3/1
ROOTS
PI JACOBS & ASHLEY E. NORTON
A double bill under the Cali RoundUp banner features two singer-songwriters. Pi Jacobs is an Americana artist originally from Haight-Ashbury but now based in LA. Her fifth and latest release is Soldier On, after releasing two singles in 2024: “Coyote” and “Hallelujah.” Ashley E. Norton is a Ramona resident and leader of the all-female American group Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth. That group released the playful Four Research Porpoises Only in 2023. Norton won the Western Regional Folk Alliance Presenters Choice Award in 2024. BILL KOPP
INFO: 8pm, Lille Aeske Arthouse, 13160 Highway 9, Boulder Creek. $20/adv, $30/door. 309-0756.
SUNDAY 3/2
FOLK
PIGEON PIT
Pigeon Pit showcases the musical storytelling skills of frontperson Lomes Oleander. The group’s sound combines pop punk, folk and cosmic country wrapped up and delivered in a DIY style. The group has released several singles and EPs, with 2025’s Crazy Arms as the band’s first new recording since becoming a nationally touring six-piece group. Opening the show is Foot Ox, a folk band with experimental and psychedelic notes whose latest full-length release was 2023’s Judee & the Sun. BK
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $19. 713-5492.
BLUEGRASS
RACHEL SUMNER & TRAVELING LIGHT
An acoustic guitar or two, a stand-up bass, a nimbly played fiddle, a sweet and emotive voice dipping and spinning in all the right places and a band ready to harmonize beautifully—those are the deceptively simple ingredients that make up Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light. When Sumner adds her fantastic lyrics to the mix, things are really pushed over the top. It’s no surprise that they took home the first-place prize at the 2023 Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival Showcase Competition. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 6pm, Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Dr., Soquel. $23. 477-1341.
TUESDAY 3/4
BLUES
BOB LOG III
A few names come to mind when it comes to one-person bands. One of them is the mighty Bob Log III. This crazed Delta bluesman started his music career with a Tucson-based band called Mondo Guano but gained notoriety as a solo musician opening for bands like Ween, the John Spencer Blues Explosion and Mississippi bluesman RL Burnside. Bob Log III’s slide guitar playing rains a spell of country blues with a punk twist, often incorporating everyday things as instruments like singing through a telephone microphone. Not only is his music filled with country grit, but so is his humor, as anyone who’s seen him sing his bawdy ballads and tell his whiskey-soaked jokes can attest. MW
INFO: 9pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $15. 429-6994.
WEDNESDAY 3/5
INDIE
JENNY OWEN YOUNGS
Jenny Owen Youngs kept fans waiting ten years for a new album, but hey, it’s not like she was sitting around twiddling her thumbs. The singer-songwriter, in that one little decade, managed to tour the world, cowrite a #1 hit single for Panic! at The Disco, become a much-loved podcaster, score a book deal and write a book, contribute songs to movies and TV, marry twice, divorce once and move from Brooklyn to LA to coastal Maine—no doubt, all done to feed the muse that would help create a beautiful, full-of-life-and-its-messiness album. KLJ
INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $28. 704-7113.
AUTHOR EVENT
DIANE SCHAFFER
Murder, sabotage, mysteries and wine. Corporate attorney Noli Cooper is visiting her godparents’ vineyard to plan her future but is disrupted when her childhood mentor is discovered dead. Now, Noli teams up with a local PI to figure out who murdered her mentor. A glass of wine is encouraged to enjoy the mystery unfolding within California’s rich vineyard history, rooted in author Diane Schaffer’s summer work at a local zinfandel winery. Mortal Zin is the first book in the page-turning mystery series, and she’ll be celebrating her launch with an author event at Bookshop Santa Cruz. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
