THURSDAY
METAL
RED MESA Albuquerque’s Red Mesa calls their sludgy, sometimes psychedelic brand of metal “desert rock.” I can hear it. It’s easy to imagine the three-piece out among the burning sands trippin’ on peyote while paying homage to early rock gods like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple—but with the vocal fry of a long-parched larynx. Theirs is a massively hard sound that harkens to the era of heavy metal before double kick bass drums and trying to break speed records with every jam. Maybe it’s too hot in NM to be playing so goddamn fast all the time? Local psychedelic rockers Doors To No Where open. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8:30pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $19.26. 713-5492.
FRIDAY
PUNK
DI Legendary punk band DI has been through so many lineups that the founder, front person and only constant, Casey Royer, must need a cheat sheet to introduce his bandmates. I can’t help but admire his until-the-wheels-fall-off determination to keep this thing going. Their first EP was in constant rotation from boom boxes at skate spots in the mid ’80s, with the track “Richard Hung Himself” included on any quality mixtape. Formed by Royer after Adolescents fell apart, DI has influenced tons of bands that have gone on to be better known than them. It does my old punk-rock heart good to hear that Royer is still storming stages all these decades later. KLJ
INFO: 8pm, Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20. 423-7117.
SOUL
FAY HALLAM The music of Fay Hallam defies easy categorization. Her rich and soulful melodies are drawn from soul music, but her work also has healthy doses of psychedelia, garage rock and dynamic ’70s action soundtrack sounds. A deft Hammond organist and powerful vocalist, Hallam combines the best qualities of Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll, making her a kind of one-woman Trinity. Her classic-meets-modern sensibility is wedded to danceable, high-energy music. Hallam has five albums to her credit; 2021’s Modulations is her latest. This year, she also released a collaborative single with the Syphons called “Sleight of Hand.” BILL KOPP
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
EXPERIMENTAL
SHAPES & SOUNDS OF FREEDOM Artists Yayah and Thomas Sage Pedersen have been incubating Shapes and Sounds of Freedom during their month-long residency at Indexical’s Tannery Arts Space. The performance incorporates music, film, and live dancing from Micha Scott. The topic is simple yet challenging to encapsulate in any medium: freedom wholly. The audience is tasked with—or perhaps more accurately, graced with—an immediate membership to the movement for collective liberation. The idea is that the art that fills the space will create a sort of emancipation of the soul for all who experience it, worth the price of admission! JESSICA IRISH
INFO: 8:30pm, Indexical, 1050 River St. #119, Santa Cruz. $5-$20. 627-9491.
SATURDAY
AMERICANA
TIM FLANNERY Ever sit on the back porch watching the rain while sipping a hot cup of coffee? Tim Flannery and the Lunatic Fringe provide the perfect music for that sort of morning. Their chill yet energetic take on country, bluegrass, and Americana music offers a refreshing beat to kickstart the day (or evening). Every song is a short story from Tim’s life and experiences, making each performance deeply personal and as invigorating as the smell of early morning rain. The passion of Tim Flannery and the Lunatic Fringe comes through every note they play—truly just a group of friends doing what they love with who they love. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7:30pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30-$45. 427-2227.
SUNDAY
COUNTRY
BASTARD SONS OF JOHNNY CASH For 29 years, the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash have kept the sounds of true country alive and well. Hailing from Austin, Texas, the band was formed by Mark Stuart, who got the blessing of the Man in Black himself to use the name. Johnny Cash believed in the Bastard Sons so much that he invited Stuart to his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, before his death to record some songs with him. They boast the recognition of having performed with every significant Americana and Country recording artist and were supported early in their career by Willie Nelson and the late Merle Haggard. This Sunday, it doesn’t get any more country than working-class, salt-of-the-earth tunes in the heart of Corralitos. MAT WEIR
INFO: 4pm, El Vaquero Winery, 2901 Freedom Blvd., Corralitos. $10. 608-8118.
TUESDAY
COUNTRY
DAVID LUNING Country-blues artist David Luning believes variety is the spice of life. While studying film scoring at the Berklee College of Music, a friend turned him onto John Prine, which forever changed Luning’s life trajectory. While his songs are musically as smooth as a fine bourbon, Luning’s lyrics are chock-full of grit with stories, lessons and anecdotes about life’s trials, tribulations and triumphs. Several Hollywood movies and television shows have featured Luning’s music, and he’s performed with staples in the genre like Rodney Crowell, Kate Bush and Elvin Bishop. Joining him is Boulder Creek’s versatile Chris Jones, who fronts Wolf Jett when he’s not singing solo. MW
INFO: 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
FOLK
BRITTANY & NATALIE HAAS & LENA JONSSON String instruments are known for creating sounds that appeal to the emotional part of the brain, so three string instruments together are powerful. Celebrated musicians Brittany Haas, Natalie Haas, and Lena Jonsson join forces to wreak havoc on the human soul via their four-stringed instruments: two fiddles and a cello. Brittany Haas has fiddled alongside Dave Rawlings Machine and Steve Martin’s band, while Natalie Haas keeps winning awards for her Scottish traditional music. Then there’s Lena Jonsson, winner of the Swedish Grammy (delightfully called Grammis). Together, their sound is a jig-inducing delight—with a hint of occasional, delicious melancholy. JI
INFO: 7pm, Community Music School, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 471-5184.
WEDNESDAY
AUTHOR EVENT
LINDSAY ELLIS Hugo Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Axiom’s End, Lindsay Ellis returns with Apostles of Mercy, the third installment in her Noumena sci-fi series. It’s a tale of first contact that doesn’t unfold as Earthlings had hoped, and the novel pits humanity against Superorganism. There’s a political subtext to the story that makes it even more engrossing and relevant. Ellis’ film and television production background informs her evocative, expertly paced and richly textured storytelling style. Signed Apostles of Mercy copies will be available at this event. BK
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
