Live Music This Week
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Wednesday | September 1
Jenny and Johnny
Considering that the trend of boy-girl duos has had a resurgence in popularity lately, it’s no surprise that Jenny Lewis and boyfriend Johnathan Rice are hitting the scene together sharing the lead; they’ve already been writing songs, playing and touring with one another for years. And while their friends in She & Him have raked in the mainstream adoration for retro sugar pop diddies befitting black and white television commercials (and, of course, for Zooey Deschanel’s big-screen celebrity), this latest she and him operates on a much different foundation to go along with all the spotlight charm and magazine-cover cuteness. Dabbling in edgier power pop and savvy songwriting, the pair’s debut, I’m Having Fun Now, kicks off a side project that might turn out to be more than just for fun. | LK
INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $15/adv. 423-8209.
Midnite Snack
INFO: 9 p.m. Wed., Sept. 1. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 423-7117. myspace.com/djoints.
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Thursday | September 2
NLS Trio
Pianist Paul Nagel, drummer Jason Lewis, and bassist John Shifflet have reunited 10 years after the release of their debut album, NLS – Trio, which saw deserved recognition within the Bay Area community but no sequel of original compositions. Considered one of the great ’90s jazz rhythm sections, the trio will be performing its pieces as well as works by artists like John Taylor and Bobo Stenson. The set brings pianist Nagel back from a new home on the East Coast and coincides with a re-release of NLS – Trio under the Bay Area Jazz Archive label. Not the follow up fans wanted, but certainly dust kicked off a classic. A trio that accompanied the likes of Boz Scaggs is now front and center to show the limelight falls wherever the three members are together. | Bartell Cope
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door.
427-2227.
Israel Vibration
In a materialistic culture with negativity abound, you’ve got to take in as much positive thinking as possible. Thankfully, Israel Vibration preaches a message of unity and love. Formed in Kingston, Jamaica, Lascelle “Wiss” Bulgin, Albert “Apple Gabriel” Craig and Cecil “Skeleton” Spence originally met at a polio rehabilitation center. Their first single, “Why Worry?” was released in 1977 and the band has released an impressive 21 albums. Although Craig left the band in 1997, Israel Vibration still tours the world with its roots harmonies backed by the live band Roots Radics. Opening up will be Santa Cruz’s own Thrive. With its first EP released earlier this year and a debut full-length set to come this fall, Thrive’s positive California reggae and work ethic will make this Thursday a celebration for the soul. | Mat Weir
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $24/door. 423-1338.
Lower Dens
Texas singer-songwriter Jana Hunter was the first artist to release an album on the Gnomonsong label founded by Devendra Banhart and Andy Cabic (see this week’s Be Our Guest ticket giveaway for Vetiver). Now her new ensemble, Baltimore quartet Lower Dens, is doing the same with its debut, Twin-Hand Movement. An atmospheric listen to easily get lost in, the album meanders through shoegaze and dream pop that floats with Hunter’s breathy vocals that drive the mood alongside guitar leads, both clean and distorted. | Linda Koffman
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.
Friday | September 3
JGB
There’s no doubt that Santa Cruz houses the kind of Grateful Dead fans that are not to be messed with; everyone knows that UC Santa Cruz has been given the task of protecting the group’s archives. But there’s also Melvin Seals. Helmed by the musical heavyweight at the keys, JGB continues to satiate those in need of a Jerry Garcia fix in his beloved Bay Area. Garcia’s extensive catalogue continues to ring loudly with the “Keepers of the Flame” in JGB soldiering on in his absence. For those not as keen to salute the legend’s memory with such cult-like fervor, Seals’ signature slammin’ on the Fender Rhodes or B-3 alongside Stu Allen on guitar and vocals is enough of a sight to be seen to change your mind. | LK
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $13/adv, $15/door. 603-2294.
Elephant Revival
The result of a double bass, banjo, guitar, fiddle, washboard, mandolin and other noisemakers put together, Elephant Revival calls itself “transcendental folk.” You know it as innovative musicianship. The quintet falls not so much under the “world music” genre as the otherworldly genre, a youthful foster family that seems to have adopted a little bit of everything from everywhere and cuts a gem of a sound from the facets of different cultures. Elephant Revival writes numbers at once appropriate for Celtic highlands, a Western saloon, a film score, or its home state of Colorado. Gingerly fiddle lures, and haunting lyrics hook audiences captivated by the sounds one might expect to hear in a younger, untamed America. This is an elephant you want in the room. | BC
INFO: 9 p.m. The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
The Tubes
The Tubes hit the ’70s and early ’80s with multi-faceted, unabashed stage shows that touched on pornographic tendencies and unrelenting, satirical productions concerning the decadence of pop culture—led by singer Fee Waybill’s costumed personas. (His stage name, Quay Lewd, was just as forthright.) We’re talking eye candy extravaganza that made a reputation as one of rock’s best live shows. The band’s gritty, after-hours new wave dance rock matched their theatrics (Motley Crue would later cover “White Punks on Dope”), but with songs like “She’s A Beauty,” they’d ultimately give in to a more commercial approach. | LK
INFO: 6:30 & 8:30 p.m. Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-5590.
Saturday | September 4
Jesus Diaz Y Su QBA
When the 11-piece Afro-Cuban ensemble orchestrated by Cuban-born Jesus Diaz hits town, the result is more than enough percussion and brass attacks to keep your feet from stalling. Latin traditions find complementing rhythms in the band’s juxtaposition of funk and jazz meanderings, and the result is a full-fledged international experience powered by ample drums and horns. Diaz and Co. may be based in the Bay Area, but the swirling mix of syncopated beats and understated Latin verses, with salsa and timba fire, incites a one-night jaunt across the globe. | LK
INFO: 8 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.
Sunday | September 5
Cobra Skulls
With five years under its studded belts, Reno’s Cobra Skulls trio has created quite a name for itself; opening for bands like Against Me! and The Loved Ones. Touring on last year’s American Rubicon, the Skulls combine original rock ’n’ roll with pop vocals sometimes screamed and sometimes in Spanish, for a full mix of infectious energy. To make the night even sweeter (and sweatier), the band will play with locals in Good Neighbor Policy. Taking its name from Roosevelt’s Latin American foreign policy, which “stopped” direct military intervention to implement more devious tactics, GNP delivers just as powerful of a punch. Its hardcore punk vigor has been the cause of many local circle pits, and this Sunday will likely see the same. | MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $8/adv, $10/door. 423-1338.
Monday | September 6
Cold Cave
There will always be a legion of listeners out there longing for the likes of The Cure and Erasure, and the dark-leaning synth pop of New York-based Cold Cave (originally from Philly) answers that call. Accomplished blips and bleeps pulse against focal point Wesley Eisold’s (veteran vocalist from Give Up the Ghost, and Some Girls) solemn, monotone baritone. The band’s onstage delivery—members are known to concentrate on the devices more than on the audience—only solidifies an air of mystery. With the right amount of pop to keep things just buoyant enough so as not to drown in too much despair, Cold Cave balances schizophrenic electronic attacks with sound collages and its frontman’s weighty introspection. | LK
INFO: 4:20 p.m. Henry Miller Library, Hwy 1, Big Sur. $25. 667-2574.
Wednesday | September 8
Bambú Station
Bamboo is the fastest growing tree in the world. Bambú Station is a modern roots reggae band that has been growing from the ground up in the Virgin Islands since 1996. Thick beats and melodic harmonies have earned the band praise from critics and a place in the ranks of modern roots music (since starting its own label and releasing a debut, Congo Moon), while its Bambú Station Foundation regularly conducts community programs that help out struggling artists and youth. Onstage, Bambú Station highlights the importance of community and spiritual growth, while offstage it works to exemplify what it sings. | MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.
Vetiver beourguest Be Our GuestNorth Carolina transplant Andy Cabic formed Vetiver in 2004 after moving to San Francisco, sinking musical roots into the local folk scene to grow a four-album lineage of frictionless melodies. With dreamy electric guitar, sleepy synthesizers, coaxing lyrics and a full, aged-acoustic sound, Vetiver is warm and soft to the touch, generating a lazy summer feel. Quirky, luminescent and undemanding, Vetiver’s resume boasts stints alongside Vashti Bunyan and Devendra Banhart, and resonates with indie audiences—never putting fans to sleep but always managing to capture its tranquil prelude. | BC
INFO: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.
WANT TO GO? E-mail us why at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and you could win two free tickets to the show.
San Narciso
While having sushi dinner at Mobo recently, I mentioned San Narciso, to which my friend pondered aloud, “Why have I heard of them?” The reason is because a new 4-song EP, Friend Prices, confirms what many local show-goers have already discovered: San Narciso, the year-old local indie rock band, is fantastic.
INFO: Myspace.com/sannarciso. Photo Credit: Melissa Black >> See Love Your Local Band >
IN THE Q
Richie Spice Reggae star and one of the infamous Bonner brothers Friday at Moe’s Alley
The Fixx England’s pioneering new wave veterans Friday at The Catalyst
The Holdup Local dub rock-meets-hip-hop heavyweights Saturday at The Catalyst
Jimmy Thackery Searing blues guitarist of the Nighthawks Sunday at Moe’s Alley
Monica Pasqual Haunting poetics from the pianist and singer-songwriterWednesday at The Ugly Mug
