THURSDAY
AMERICANA
ROB ICKES AND TREY HENSLEY
On their own, both Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley have gained substantial fame for their work in music. Ickes, an award-winning dobro player, cofounded contemporary bluegrass outfit Blue Highway in ’94, remaining with the group for over two decades. Along the way, he earned a reputation as a first-call Nashville session player, working with some of the biggest names in music. Guitarist Trey Hensley has a similar reputation, which began when he performed at the Grand Ole Opry at the tender age of 11. As a duo, Ickes and Hensley create some of the most heartfelt and authentic original Americana around. BILL KOPP
INFO: 7:30pm, Cultural & Performing Arts Center, 251-B Kings Village Rd., Scotts Valley. $35. 252-3501.
FRIDAY
JAZZ
DAVID HOLODILOFF TRIO
Named the “Hardest Working Musician” in Monterey by the Monterey County Weekly, Dave Holodiloff is a force to be reckoned with. Especially on his weapon of choice, the mandolin. With Elijah McCullar on violin and banjo and Michael Martinez on piano, the David Holodiloff Trio puts the hot in “hot damn!” Their high-energy Roma jazz brand (originally popularized by the great Django Reinhardt) playfully infuses the genre with a modern interpretation while still paying respect to its roots. Just make sure not to pigeonhole Holodiloff because his repertoire extends far into blues, folk, bluegrass, Balkan and Latin rhythms, pop and more. It’s guaranteed attendees will see three amazing musicians doing what they do best. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7pm, Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Dr., Soquel. $25/adv, $28/door. 477-1341.
THEATER
NEW WORKS WEEKEND
For thespians and those who love them, not much is better than an evening at the theater. The Mountain Community Theater is ready to provide just such an evening with New Works Weekend, an event that’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: three one-act plays, three evenings and two tickets for ten bucks. The plays will each be read on all three nights, with a rotating talkback scheduled each night following the readings. The playwrights span the gamut from founding legends to up-and-comers, and all are local (well . . . one is from San Jose, but close enough). Tickets for Sat and Sun are also available. JESSICA IRISH
INFO: 8pm, Park Hall, 9400 Mill St., Ben Lomond. $10. 336-4777.
HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL
Heathers: The Musical is filled with laughter, love, teen angst, manipulation and murder. The Renegade Theater Co. is giving their version of this classic, dark teen murder musical, and audiences will be on the edge of their seats as they eagerly watch to see each character’s next move. The high school hierarchy is thrown into chaos after the head Heather is suddenly murdered, and the drama, twists, and surprises are never-ending. The 15-minute intermission will be the only break in the roller coaster of emotions. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. $25. 420-6177.
SATURDAY
PUNK
S.A.M.
Frequenters of the scene already know S.A.M., as the punk trio’s first show was only a year ago. The once fledgling group just cut their debut EP, Decent Exposure, and will release it to the wild at the Blue Lagoon. Joining them are midwest emo friends Perch (who invited them to play that debut show last year) along with Bay Area emos If You Say So and Sacramento’s Pull Through. S.A.M. will have a limited number of cardstock posters at the show to become cherished mementos on community walls of a night that Santa Cruz showed up for the lokes. Just don’t be a kook. MW
INFO: 8:30pm, Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 423-7117.
R&B
SON LITTLE
Son Little is nominally a soul/R&B artist, but his range of inspirations displays a musical worldview encompassing music from many genres. A rundown of his collaborations and/or musical guest spots (think: the Roots, RJD2, Portugal. The Man) makes his status as a musical omnivore plain. On his own, Little has released five albums and an EP, with 2022’s Like Neptune as his latest. On that record, lyrics drawing upon childhood trauma are wrapped in music played almost wholly by Little himself; his sense of melody holds the entire project together. BK
INFO: 7:30pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $42. 427-2227.
ELECTRONIC
CANDY WHIPS
If Devo were punk adjacent at their inception and carried the minimalist, DIY sensibility to its most illogical conclusion on their early recordings, it could be argued that low-fi bedroom electronica is more their legacy than the New Wave, techno and hip hop artists claiming Ohio’s flowerpot-wearing oddballs as their musical parentage. Candy Whips, featuring Glitter Wizard’s singer Wendy Stonehenge, epitomizes this Devo-esque genre. The pieces are all here: danceable, minimalist beats, dominating, simplistic keyboard melodies and nihilistic sarcasm addressing sincere concerns and passions. My research suggests that live musicians are recruited to supply what very much sounds Casio-born on their wonderful recordings. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
MONDAY
JAZZ
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND
New Orleans, the American city most living up to the melting pot promise, has given music lovers everything from bounce and swamp pop to zydeco and Cajun, but to understand the sounds of The Big Easy, start with jazz. The home of Louis Armstrong looms big in the history of America’s preeminent musical form. National Medal of Arts winners the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is here to tell that story, preserving and celebrating the cross-cultural gumbo that is New Orleans jazz. Their lineup has changed over the years, but rest assured only the best of the best are allowed on this stage, and the current band is fire. KLJ
INFO: 7:30pm, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, $57.75. 423-8209.
WEDNESDAY
ROCK
GUIDA
An Italian rock ’n’ roll band with hearts of gold and riffs that would make a grown man cry? Mick Jagger, get on the phone with these guys; they’re stealing your moves! Guida is a five-piece band straight outta Roma, and they’re bringing the bass, the beat and the ballare (read: “to dance” in Italian). Rolling Stone loves them, and Vice wants to be them (or at least Vice named their debut Album of the Year). Openers Jonny Manak and the Depressives set the tone for the night with their punk ’n’ roll, surf-rock adjacent bangers. The music will be loud, propulsive and un-forgettaboutit-able. JI
INFO: 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
