Santa Cruz Good Times

Friday
Jul 30th
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Good Times Home Music LYLB Wild Rovers

Wild Rovers

Tuesday, 02 March 2010 15:59 Linda Koffman Music - Love Your Local Band
 E-mail

music_LYLBTheWildRovers‘Tis the season when the green Guinness flows and the Wild Rovers procure the kind of set to match the liquid meal: Celtic, multi-layered and strong, their songs—like the drink—will put you in a dizzying spin of pub-friendly sing-alongs. And that’s why they’re the busiest band in Santa Cruz during St. Patrick’s Day. With six shows in town during the next two weeks, the Wild Rovers have been called to arms for an annual musical onslaught that starts this Wednesday opening for the Young Dubliners and culminates in a headlining show at the Catalyst Atrium on the day itself, Wednesday, March 17 (with stints at the Boardwalk, Poet & Patriot, and the Crow’s Nest in between). This, perhaps, surprises no one more than the band itself. After all, before forming in 2004, none of the members had any previous experience with Celtic music. Though everyone in the ensemble had roots in rock—classic and alternative, they wanted to do something different. Martin Sweet, founding singer/guitarist, explains, “We noticed there aren’t a lot of Celtic bands, so we just began putting together our own songs and kind of balancing traditional folk with alternative, harder-edged Celtic rock.” After a debut at the Poet & Patriot’s open mic, which saw Sweet and his cohorts filling the “then-smoky, stuffy pub” with Celtic zeal, the band’s fate was sealed. Now a seven-piece permanent fixture at the Poet, what makes the Rovers especially suitable to bestow the magic of the Irish is their ability to morph between raucous mainstream jigs and Celtic punk swagger (think Pogues and Flogging Molly), and culturally rich, long-standing folk tunes. Vocalist Christina Cree adds angelic vocals to the mix, and the Wild Rovers land onstage with no less than 12 instruments that coalesce into a sound more explosive than that last Irish Car Bomb you chugged. Still, Sweet envisions that the band may eventually be forced to subdue their delivery. “We might have to start going acoustic for our hearing,” he admits with a laugh. “Our wives really want us to be able to listen—and we already struggle with that enough.” |

INFO: Full show schedule at myspace.com/wildrovers7

Comments (0)Add Comment
feedSubscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 
Sign up for our weekly events newsletter
you can unsubscribe any time.

More Good Times

 

Santa Cruz Area Events

BLUE Ocean Film Festival      

 

Memory Matters

Twenty years after the fact, a geologist and a historian say we must not forget “Loma Prieta was a humbling experience for most of us. a reminder of our diminutive stature in the grand scheme of things. I think that remembering events like that is a perfect antidote for our collective hubris; it keeps us honest.” —Sandy Lydon, ‘History Dude’  

 

Big Bang Theory

If the name Chelsea Handler hasn’t yet crossed your path, don’t worry, it will. This devilish darling is a busy girl these days what with her hit show Chelsea Lately on the cable television network E! Entertainment, her whirlwind nationwide comedy tour and promoting her recently released third bestselling book “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang.” Characterized by hilarious quips, modicums of irony and a heavy sprinkling of sarcasm, Handler’s latest literary foray verges on the impertinent. Zany tales bordering the far side of ludicrous abound as this rising star of comedy has shown she is so capable of creating. Filled with riotous tales of her perpetually unpredictable life—such as attempting to adopt a miniature horse, fooling her boyfriend into attending a funeral for a dog she claimed she had accidentally killed, her failed attempt to find her overweight driver a hook up in the Turks and Caicos, and, of course, myriad tales of torture and sibling rivalry that emerge from growing up within a large Jewish East Coast family—“Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” may be Handler’s best book yet.

 

Ocean Advocacy Goes Federal

You don’t need to tell a Santa Cruzan how important the ocean is. From our economy to our natural beauty to our hard-fought-formoniker as “Surf City,” Santa Cruz is defined by its relationship to the ocean as much as Colorado is to its Rockies. So when President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order on July 19 creating a national ocean policy for the first time in history, it was like hearing about a big break for an old friend who’s been going through a tough time lately.

 

Rearranging Rape

“As of next school year, Rape Prevention Education as you know it will no longer exist.” This is what UC Santa Cruz administrators told Rape Prevention educator Gillian Greensite last month, explaining a decision to “reorganize” the program. Greensite was told that, starting in the 2010/2011 school year, Rape Prevention Education would no longer be a separate effort, but would be absorbed into the Student Health Outreach and Promotion program (SHOP), and that she would no longer be a rape educator, but a sexual health educator through SHOP. She promptly retired.

 

Overall, how would you rank the local club scene? What could be improved?

I'd say it's average. I like a lot of dub step and electronic music. Most of the hip-hop and K-DON and stuff—I really get over those kind of songs. More DJ's and what not would be nice. Nesta LoniSanta Cruz | Prep Chef

 

‘Cabaret’ Captivates

When director Trevor Little took on the task of bringing all the glitz, glamour and grime of 1931 Germany to life, he had one choice: go big or go home. Lucky for us, he chose the former. With an awe-inspiring cast of commanding vocalists and dancers, an enveloping storyline that mixes romance, promiscuity, fascism and enough lingerie to make anyone’s head spin, Little’s rendition of “Cabaret” ends Cabrillo Stage’s summer season with a bang.

 

New Traditionalists

At the ripe old age of 48, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music (CFCM) somewhat paradoxically maintains a longstanding tradition of modernity. This year’s lineup reflects that dichotomy: Attendees will hear the works of newer composers like Jennifer Higdon as well as those of time-tested artists like George Walker, and cello virtuoso Wendy Sutter, who will play the contemporary music of avant-garde composer Philip Glass. GT recently spoke with Higdon, Walker and Sutter about what we can look forward to—and back upon—at this year’s festival.

 

Perfect Palm

The Glaum family is adored for their locally fresh cage-free eggs. For the past year, these eggs have been served in breakfast burritos and sandwiches at the Glaums’ new deli where Piggie Market has nurtured Redwood Village neighbors for 25 years. The central, thatched-roof, hexagonal open kitchen mimics the unusual shape of the extensively renovated building. Textured stone flooring winds around the kitchen, leading to an extensive wine selection. From the wall of refrigerators you can still pick up your milk and eggs, as well as beer, numerous brands of beverages, and locally made Massimo gelato.

 

From the Editor

Club much? Sometimes, it’s a good thing, and if you’ve moseyed to any of the local nightclubs in Santa Cruz County over the years, you more than likely have been greeted by a powerful presence—a bouncer. This week, writer J.D. Ramey takes readers behind the scenes and uncovers, well, let’s say the more embraceable side of some of our area’s favorite greeters and, at times, protectors. These guys are an enigmatic bunch.

 

Storrs Winery Chardonnay 2008

One of the most popular wines round these parts is Storrs Chardonnay. It’s probably one of the most-requested wines at any given restaurant. And the reason is simple – it’s an excellent wine. It turns out that many judges at this year’s California State Fair think so, too. They named the Storrs 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay as the Best Wine of the Region. As the top wine of the greater Bay Area, this wine also garnered a Best Chardonnay of Region distinction, and a gold medal. When you think of all the wines submitted in this competition, this is truly an impressive achievement.

 

Meet the Bouncers

Wherever there’s a crowd of people drinking, there’s bound to be a jackass or two. Much as we might wish we could just hit the “Eject” button and send the rabble-rousers flying, it takes a living, breathing human to get rid of that unwanted guest who’s had one too many. Which, of course, is where bouncers come in. The doorman is a figure who appears throughout history and throughout nature: The Old Testament makes mention of “gatekeepers” whose duty was to keep things copasetic at the Levitical Temple, and even certain species of ants have their own peacekeepers whose duty is to chuck out unwelcome parties. Clearly, this is an essential service, but few people have the stones for it, let alone the physical power.

 

Bad Faith

Searing tragedy of intolerance reduced to melodrama in 'Agora' | There's a fascinating, heartbreaking, infuriating true story at the center of Agora, a sumptuous drama of ancient Alexandria from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. But even as the female scholar protagonist lectures her students that every system in the universe must revolve around a center or it will collapse, Amenábar clutters up his narrative with so much bombast and portent, it's own center finally cannot hold.
  • Login
    Log in to post comments, add Community Calendar events & get access to web-exclusive content
  • Create an account
    Registration
    *
    *
    *
    *
    *
    REGISTER_REQUIRED

    • Advanced Search

    Most Read . . .

    GT This Week

    Santa Cruz

    SC Quick Links


    Bookmark and Share