home | nightlife | calendar picks | santa cruz county

DJ Spooky in Big Sur, Crooked Jades at the Crepe Place, Habib Koite at the Rio Theater and more.

Click here for club locations.

Wednesday, August 13

Byron Space Circus
Santa Cruz has long been a hot spot for the psych-rock revival, but this year may turn out to be the town's most prolific head-trip era since the Summer of Love. Locals Byron Space Circus are appropriately far-out, but reach for some unlikely sources among the pack of neopsychedelic rockers. Instead of drawing from the tapped-out Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd well, Byron Space Circus reach back to psychedelia's more soulful side, trading in space jams that are reminiscent of fusion-era Miles Davis, early Stevie Wonder and Funkadelic. It's high time that the psych revivalists rediscovered George Clinton's dictum to "free your mind and your ass will follow," and Byron Space Circus is ready to provide the soundtrack. Crepe Place; $8; 9pm. (Paul Davis)

Thursday, August 14

Salif Malima Kone
Salif Malima Kone is a massive nine-piece African world beat collective that delivers a fusion of traditional African ballads, modern reggae and hip-hop. With heartfelt songs of triumph and tragedy, as well as upbeat bungalow bashes, SMK runs the dancehall gamut. The troupe claims residence in Santa Cruz, Paris and Burkina Faso in West Africa, and the melting of styles is amply reflected in its jazz-friendly rasta rumble. Band founder Salif was born into an African "griot" family responsible for passing the oral history of its Ouagadougou-based tribe down through the generations, which means tonight is a good night to hear a new story. Moe's Alley; $8 adv/$10 door; 9pm. (Curtis Cartier)

Rod MacDonald, Chris and Thomas
Rod MacDonald is an obscure folk icon, reliably laying down blistering political manifestos for over three decades. MacDonald was around in the heady days of the '60s Greenwich Village folk scene, and even if he has not enjoyed the commercial success of his peers, he remains known as a forceful, well-regarded songwriter among those in the know. MacDonald is joined by Chris and Thomas, young-buck folk-rockers who draw much inspiration from the folk community from which MacDonald sprang. With affecting songwriting and pristine harmonies, Chris and Thomas bring to mind Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's more pastoral moments, while remaining undeniably contemporary. Don Quixote's; $10 adv/$12 door; 7:30pm. (PD)

Friday, August 15

DJ Spooky
New York trip-hop all-star DJ Spooky is one of the leading names in genre bending electronic fusion. Blurring the lines between reggae, hip hop, electronica and indie rock, the Spookster is known for his highly improvised shows and collaborations with some of the industry's finest vocalists. He'll be cutting up the ones and twos at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur tonight. Miraculously saved from July's raging forest fires, the Henry Miller Library is a one-of-a-kind venue seemingly carved out of a solid wall of redwood trees, and proceeds for the event will go toward keeping the Library in business. Henry Miller Library, Big Sur; $25; 8pm. (CC)

The Crooked Jades
Searching within the dusty corners of Americana, San Francisco's Crooked Jades have long been standard-bearers for the obscure and forgotten byways of folk music. Bandleader Jeff Kazor is fascinated with the strains of early-20th-century American music that were largely forgotten when styles were mainstreamed into country, blues and bluegrass. On the band's latest, Shining Darkness, Kazor goes deeper with his obsession than ever before, unearthing the gospel and mountain-blues roots of Western folk. It's a hypnotic, compelling affair that stands as the band's most realized statement of intention to date. Crepe Place; $10 adv/$12 door; 9pm. (PD)

Saturday, August 16

Wet Umbrella
The local power rockers in Wet Umbrella have a Buck Cherry-meets-early-Nirvana thrashy swagger, which they're counting on to attract plenty of flannel-wearing grungies to the Catalyst. You can cut their coked-up power cords with a knife--or a razor blade. And the band is never shy about putting extra exclamation points on the end of lyrics. Although new to the local scene, these boys are hoping to make their mark at the classic Santa Cruz rock stop. Bringing hometown meaty rock to the table, Wet Umbrella provides the perfect soundtrack to a night of light head nodding and heavy drinking. Catalyst; free; 8pm. (CC)

The Volker Strifler Band
The name Volker Strifler Band doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but the fact that Mr. Strifler sounds like Van Morrison himself when he sings makes up for the title tongue twister. Still playing hits from their 2006 disc, The Dance Goes On, this Santa Rosa band features heavy brass and silky bass lines to back up their smooth drums and jazzy keys. Always a crowd-pleasing favorite, make sure to bring a date who likes to dance, because the boys plan to bring plenty of porch-front spicy blues when they head to up the twisty mountain road to Felton. Don Quixote's; $10; 8pm. (CC)

Weird Al Yankovic
The undisputed champion of pop culture regurgitation, Weird Al has been spoofing the music world for more than 30 years--and we're all the better for it. The accordionist, television producer and Grammy-winning platinum songwriter is the kind of musician you'll never admit to liking but would still love to see live. Since the world first tasted "My Bologna" in 1976, Yankovic has gifted us with entertainments galore, from a classic film, UHF, in 1989 to 2006's album Straight Outta Lynwood. Spoofing everyone from Michael Jackson to Chamillionaire, the legend himself can guarantee a few laughs. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St,, Monterey; $45-$95 adv; 8pm; 831.372.3800. (CC)

Sunday, August 17

Kaye Bohler Band
Curvy-hipped and curly-haired, Kaye Bohler is a seasoned blues singer known for delivering hearty vocals thick enough to stand a fork in. This bodacious blonde is the essence of the smoky lounge diva and is using her latest show to raise money for her upcoming new album. A veteran performer, she's seen microphones from Texas to Japan but has always called California home. Her heartfelt, true-blue style gets help from old-school blues men Wes Montgomery and Gary Rosen on guitar and standup bass respectively, and by the time she leaves Moe's, Bohler hopes there'll be plenty of sweat left on the dance floor. Moe's Alley; $20; 2pm. (CC)

Tuesday, August 19

Habib Koité and Bamada
Emerging from Mali's Khassonké tribe, Habib Koité is an incredibly famous figure in his homeland. A virtuoso on pentatonically tuned guitar, Koité has long been revered in the West as a guitarist's guitarist, the sort of player that could teach the best a few new tricks. Bonnie Raitt--no slouch on the six-string herself--is a professed fan who invited Koité to perform on her latest release, and she's not the only legendary player in awe of Koité's talents. Proudly burning the candle for the griot tradition, Koité has made a name for himself by refusing to bow to Western trends, instead making the West come to him. In this way, he stands as an artist with a strong sense of cultural integrity in this new global century. Rio Theatre; $23 adv/$28 door; 8pm. (PD)