THURSDAY 8/1
FOLK
MAURA SHAWN SCANLIN & CONOR HEARN
It’s a talented lassie who can win the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championships, and Maura Shawn Scanlin is such a lass. Her fiddling is steeped in the peat bogs of Scotland and Ireland, and when her bow hits the strings, the sounds of the Old Country pour out. Scanlin has performed alongside guitarist Conor Hearn for years, and the two have just formed a two-person band called Rakish, after a traditional Irish tune. Of course, the Celtic Society of the Monterey Bay will present this event! There’s a lilt to their music that could only come from the Isles. JESSICA IRISH
INFO: 7pm, Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Dr., Soquel. $20/adv, $25/door. 477-1341.
INSTRUMENTAL
KR3TURE
The soothing high energy of KR3TURE is undeniable. While listening to him rotate between guitar and saxophone during a live performance, one can feel the stress and tension melt from their body as they groove and move to the beat. Do not be surprised when KR3TURE departs from the stage to dance with the crowd because he moves with the music as he plays it. He further goes with the flow by mixing improvised moments with his instruments, which makes each show a unique performance that cannot be replicated; the only way to know what one is like is to see it. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton. $24/adv, $27/door. 704-7113.
FRIDAY 8/2
SKA
WESTERN STANDARD TIME SKA ORCHESTRA
Featuring Jesse Wagner (Aggrolites) and Karina Deniké (Dance Hall Crashers/NOFX), Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra is a 20-piece group of true all-stars boasting members who’ve played in or with the Aggrolites, Beastie Boys, Hepcat, Gogol Bordello and have covered many other important bands from ska’s rich and varied history. Come ready to dance to big band “Jamaican Jazz.” If all you know of ska is the punky American incarnation that hit peak popularity in the ’90s, you owe it to yourself to experience these more traditional upbeats, walking bass lines and off-beat ‘ska-nk’ rhythms done big. Santa Cruz’s beloved ten-piece Northern Soul outfit the Inciters open the show. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, $22/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
SATURDAY 8/3
COUNTRY
KENTUCKY MULE
First, there was the Nashville sound. Then, the Bakersfield sound swept country music. But for the last half dozen years, the Santa Cruz sound has been gaining popularity in underground country music with acts like Jesse Daniel and Taylor Rae. Now, Kentucky Mule has entered the ring with their one part outlaw country, one part honky tonk mixed with some folk and baked in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The prolific fledgling five-piece wrote and recorded their first song, “Hounds,” at their first practice in 2022 and haven’t stopped ever since. Last year, they released their debut EP, a four-track banger aptly titled Beginner’s Luck. On July 19, they dropped Deep Roots Ranch Live Sessions, showcasing the group in their element. MAT WEIR
INFO: 9pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
HARDCORE
CRIME IN STEREO
The current post-hardcore scene blowing up all over the planet with bands like Militarie Gun, MSPAINT and Spiritual Cramp couldn’t stage dive today if it weren’t for bands like Crime in Stereo. For 23 years, the Long Island group has pushed the edges of what hardcore, post-hardcore and melodic art punk can be, avoiding pigeonholing and stagnation. Seeing them at the Vets Hall gives big early-aughts nostalgic energy with a modern twist added by Denver straight edgers Time X Heist, the Bay Area’s Caged View, Worst Ways, No Lights and Discourage, plus locals Give You Nothing, Odder and Angel. MW
INFO: 7pm, Vets Hall, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 454-0478
SUNDAY 8/4
REGGAE
HR
Punk rock and hardcore icon HR of the hugely influential and revered Bad Brains is many things: intense, influential, passionate, troubled, problematic, divisive and most of all, singular. Born in Liverpool, England, to a Jamaican mother and American father, then growing up all over the US before settling in the non-state Washington DC and becoming part of their renowned late ’70s music scene, HR seems born to the task of bridging diverse musical influences and energies to pioneer a new sound. He’ll bring his repertoire’s mellower components when performing an all-reggae set in Santa Cruz this week. KLJ
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 423-1338.
TUESDAY 8/6
AUTHOR EVENT
DAVID DONDERO
If it’s true that everybody wants to be a cat, consider David Dondero’s novel Chaos the Cat, a welcome portal into the feline mind. Dondero is a troubadour of the highest order, having once played an NPR Tiny Desk Concert after spending the night in his car. For his latest endeavor, he turns his talents to the page. Chaos the Cat, narrated by the aforementioned Chaos, is the story of an unlikely crew living on a pot farm at the dawn of marijuana legalization. Dondero’s work forces his audience to consider what makes a community—and a cat—into a family. JI
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
POETRY
LISA B
Oakland-based Lisa B (Bernstein) is the author of three books: God in Her Ruffled Dress, The Transparent Body and the chapbook Anorexia. B’s work has appeared in more than five dozen periodicals and anthologies. She has earned a staggering number of creative writing fellowships from organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts. Seven audio CDs of her work have been released, displaying her prodigious talents in poetry, spoken word and jazz. Between all those projects and accolades, B has found the time to play nearly 100 gigs (solo and/or leading a band) in the Bay Area alone. This event is a spoken word open mic night. BILL KOPP
INFO: 7pm, Satori Arts, 815 Almar Ave. #9, Santa Cruz. Free. 503-8441.
WEDNESDAY 8/7
REGGAE
ETANA
Jamaica-born Etana burst onto the international music scene as a fully formed artist. After years of toiling in relative obscurity, she landed a spot opening on tour for Richie Spice, and things moved quickly from there. Her 2008 solo debut album, The Strong One, made it to the #12 spot on Billboard’s reggae chart; subsequent releases fared even better. Etana was the first female artist in many years to top the reggae chart, and she would repeat that feat with two successive albums. Two of her releases, 2018’s Reggae Forever and Pamoja from 2021, were nominated in the Grammy Awards Best Reggae Album category. Salinas-based Estrella opens. BK
INFO: 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
Poetry @ Satori Arts is on what day/date?