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FA C E B O O K : S A N TA C R U Z W E E K LY

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T W I T T E R : @ S A N TA C R U Z W E E K LY

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W E B : S A N TA C R U Z . C O M

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safe quiet clea n organic fun

r e v e t a h w 2013: WE DEMAND A DO-OVER

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

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Contents

A locally-owned newspaper 877 Cedar St, Suite 147, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831.457.9000 (phone) 831.457.5828 (fax)

Santa Cruz Weekly may be distributed only by Santa Cruz Weekly’s authorized distributors. No person may, without permission of Metro Publishing, Inc., take more than one copy of each Santa Cruz Weekly issue.

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POSTS 4 WELLNESS 6 COVER STORY A&E

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STAGE/ART/EVENTS 19 BEATSCAPE 20 CLUB GRID 22 FILM 26 EPICURE 29 FOODIE FILE 30 ASTROLOGY 31

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

Santa Cruz Weekly, incorporating Metro Santa Cruz, is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue of Santa Cruz Weekly may be purchased for $1, payable at the Santa Cruz Weekly office in advance.

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Messages M essag ges es & Send letters to Santa Cru uz W e eekly, letters@santacruz. .com Cruz Weekly, letters@santacruz.com or to Attn: Letters, 877 Ce edar Street, Suite 147, Santa Cruz, C 95060.

Cedar Include city and phone number n or email address.

Submissions may be edi ited for length, clarity or edited

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

factual inaccuracies kno own to us. known EDITO EDITORIAL ORIAL EDITOR EDITOR STEVE PALOPOLI PAL A OPOLI STEVE spalopoli@santacruzweekly.com spalopoli@santacruzw weekly.com

STAFF S TAFF WRITERS W GEORGIA A PERRY PERRY gperry@santacruzweekly.com gperry@santacruzw weekly.com

JACOB J ACOB B PIERCE jpierce@santacruzweekly.com jpier rcce@santacruzw weekly.com

RICHARD VON VON BUSACK BUSACK richard@santacruzweekly.com richar rd@santacruzw d weekly.com

CONTRIBUTING C ONTRIBUTING G EDITOR EDITOR CHRIS TINA WATERS WAT TERS CHRISTINA PHO TOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHER CHIP SCHEUER S C ONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS ROB BREZ B SNY Y, BREZSNY, PAUL M. M DAVIS, DAV VIS, PAUL GANT T, MICHAEL S. GANT, JOE E GARZA, GILBERT T, ANDREW GILBERT, MARIA GRUS SAUSKAS, GRUSAUSKAS, JOR RY JOHN, JORY CA AT JO OHNSON, CAT JOHNSON, KELL LY LUKER, LUKER, KELLY SCOTT MA CCL LELLAND, SCOTT MACCLELLAND, A VERY MONSEN, V M AVERY P AUL W AGNER PAUL WAGNER

A ART & PRODUCTION PRODUC CTION DESIGN DIRECTOR DIRECTOR KARA A BROWN BROWN KARA PROD DUCTION PRODUCTION OPER RATIONS OPERATIONS COORD DINATOR COORDINATOR MERC CY PEREZ MERCY DE ESIGNER GRAPHIC DESIGNER TA ABI ZARRINNAAL ZARR RINNAAL TABI ED DITORIAL EDITORIAL PROD DUCTION PRODUCTION SEAN GEORGE AD DESIGNER DE ESIGNER VA ANEY YCKE C DIANNA VANEYCKE

DIS DISPLAY SPLAY ADVERTISING ADVERTI ISING SENIOR ACCOUNT ACCOUNT EX XECUTIVE EXECUTIVE ILANA RAUCH-PACKER RAUCH--PACKER ilana@santa acruz.com ilana@santacruz.com A CCOUNT EXECUTIVE EXE ECUTIVE ACCOUNT DENI SE TOTO TOTO DENISE denise@santacruzw weekly.com denise@santacruzweekly.com OFFICE MANAGER MA ANAGER LIL LY S TOICHEFF O LILY STOICHEFF lily@santacruzw weekly.com lily@santacruzweekly.com

PUBLISHER PUBLI ISHER JEANNE HOWARD H WARD HO

PRESIDE PRESIDENT ENT & EXECUTIVE EXECU UTIVE EDITOR ED DITOR DAN D AN PU PULCRANO LCRANO

Earth Angel A R ee: “G ianna’s Gift” (Cov ((Cover, veerr, Dec. 4): Our Re: “Gianna’s niece ni ece w was as a beau beautiful uttifu ul an angel gel on ear earth. th. Sh Shee w as amazing, amazing, an d sp sspread read jjoy oy tto o eeveryone veeryone was and around ar ound h her. err. Giann Gianna aw was as th thee sstrongest trongest yyoung o oung llady ady th at I eever veer h ad th leasure that had thee p pleasure off kn o knowing. owing. She She also also has has ttwo wo am amazing azing parents and beautiful sister that wee llove p arents an d a beau t tiful sis ter th at w ovve dearly. d earlyy.

Lynn Altano

Bearing g Witness Re:: “Gianna’s Thanks, Your Re “Gianna’s Gift”: T hanks, Geoffrey.

Geofffreyy. Y our o beautifully beau uttifully wr written itten pi piece p ece bears wi witness tness and honors truly an dh onors a tr uly eextraordinary xtraordinary yyoung oung woman. w o oman.

Jim Hobbs

Is Issues ssues with ‘Issues ‘I I Issues with ih Is ssues’ Issues’ R e: e: “Iss ues With With Issues” Issues” (Letters, (Letters, Nov. Novv. 6): Re: “Issues When Wh hen I wr wrote ote m myy lletter etter tto o San Santa ta Cr Cruz uz Weekly Weekly (Oc ct 23), iitt was was I w ho was was ign orant, and an nd I hope hope (Oct who ignorant, myy statement m statement [about] [abou utt] Ms. Ms. Cube was was wrong. wrong. now understand committed thee same In ow un derstand I commi tted th sa ame error err ror as "Name "Name Withheld Withheld By R Request"(Nov equest"(N t ov 6) h ass done, done, passed passed judgment jjudgm g ent wi thou ut proper prop per has without inf information. fo ormati t on. My My letter letter stating statting "...then "...then nw wee h ave an issu e", w as n a ot because I h ave ““a a cchip hip have issue", was not have on m myy sshoulder,” houlderr,,” n nor or w was as it it about abou ut just jusst me me per rsonally, iitt w as abou ut sstanding tanding u p ffor o or our personally, was about up con constitutional nstitu uttional rrights. ights.

T he 11th U S Cour peals h as The US Courtt o off Ap Appeals has sstated tat ated (P (Pottinger ottinger vv.. City City o off Miami,810

F.Supp.1551(S.D.Flla. 1992))th F.Supp.1551(S.D.Fla. 1992))that at when when homeless h omeless ar aree arr arrested, e ted, ti es ticketed, cketed, or their their property p roperty is ““confiscated confissca ated or d destroyed,” estroyed,” this violates vi olates the the 5th, 8t 8th, th, and and 14th amendments. amendments.

If we we stop stop tr trying ying tto o cchase hase th thee homeless homeless off off th thee sstreets, treets, as iitt is th eiir only only legal legal place place to to be, be, we we their m ay discov veer th eyy are are not not always allways those those who who may discover they ar tting m an ny o things we we fin d aree commi committing many off th thee things find offensive. o ffeensivve. It is th thee peo people ple w who ho are are drug drug ad addicts, dicts, petty criminals, criminals, al alcoholics, lcoholics, an and do off course worse w orse o that that ar aree “hiding” “hid ding” among among the the homeless. homeless.

O course, many many h omeless ar men ntally ill, Off course, homeless aree mentally n eed h elp, an d con ntribu ute tto o th liness, bu ut need help, and contribute thee ug ugliness, but m any o ose drinking, drinkin i g, dr ugging, boos ting, many off th those drugging, boosting, et c. have have h omes, yyet eet cchoose hoose tto o be in the the streets streets etc. homes, or vvoluntarily oluntarily be “h ““homeless” omeless” tto om ain ntain maintain th eir vi ces. In m an ny oth er p laces th ere ar their vices. many other places there aree H omeless Outreach Ou uttreacch T eeams th at speak with with Homeless Teams that h omeless an dh elp, bu ut getting getting them them out ou ut of of homeless and help, but th woods or fr om m al ong th leveee is not not easy thee woods from along thee levee w hen th ere is ffear eearr o police or community community when there off police ac cttions ag ainst th omeless. O actions against thee h homeless.

Off course course,, this is no no p anacea, bu ut if homeless homeless n eed not not hid panacea, but need hidee an d can per fo orm th tthee n ecessities o liffee— and perform necessities off life— ea atin t g, si tting, ssleeping, leeeping, an dh ygiene tasks— tasks— eating, sitting, and hygiene on pub lic p roperty ty, as is th eir con stitu uttional public property, their constitutional rright, ightt, th ere is som me possibility possibility that that those those there some w bserve llurking, urkin ng, li ttering, d effeca e atting, wee o observe littering, defecating, dr ugging and and trespassing tresspassing on private private property, propertyy, drugging ar ot tr uly h omeless. aree n not truly homeless.

Russ Campbell

Salute to A Friend Frriend I had had the the great grea at p privilege rivilege o off spen spending ding som somee considerable amount considerable amoun o t of of time time with with M Mayor ayor Bryant Br yant during during the the city city coun council cil campaign campaign in 2010. I ffound o ound Hilary Hilar a y to to be both serious serious on issues issu es of of crime crime and an nd gang gang prevention, prevention, an and d sensitive sen sitivve on socia social al issu issues. es. Bu But ut I did n not ot kn know ow then, th en, as I kn know ow now, now, th that at she she possessed th thee kind kin d of of cour courage age an and nd sstrength trength o off will th that at sshe he h has as d demonstrated emonstrrated d during uring h her er tim timee as our m mayor. ayorr. Wh When en n our communi community ty n needed eeded that th at cour courage co rage an and d sstrength trength m most, ost, t she she was was there th ere tto o con console, sole, tto o su support, pport, tto o en encourage courage and an d tto o rreassure eassure uss th that at the the d darkness arkness w would ould inevitably in evitably an and d surely surrely be ffollowed ollowed e b byy the the light. light.

So I sal salute ute m myy fr friend ien e d an and d th thank ank h her er ffor or givin o giving g us n not ot onl onlyy her her service, service, but but also also h her er full se self. lf.

Thank T hank yyou, ou, m myy friend. friend.

Steve Pleich

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Wellness W elln e llnes ss THE ANSW ANSWER WER IS CLEAR Hydr Hydration ation is essential e to rrebounding ebounding fr from om holiday h meals and rrevelry. evelry.

Healthier He ealthie l hier Holid Holidays lid d days How H ow tto od detox etox fr from om en end-of-the-year d-of--the-yyear e in indulgences ndulgences

BY MAR MARIA RIA GRUSAUSKAS

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h, th the he h holidays. olidays. A tim timee w when hen warm, w arm m, fu fuzzy zzy cheer cheer comes comes seamlessly seam mlessly wr wrapped apped wi with th sugar cookies cookies and and gravy-laden gravy-laden dinner dinner sugar plates. Strings Strings of of holiday holiday parties parrti t es offer offer e plates. up th es o bacon-wrapped fig up thee lik likes off bacon-wrapped figss and mini everything, ever erything, ever eveer so joyously joyo ously and washed down dow wn n with with a river rivveer of of wine, wine, beer, beerr, washed holiday-themed liquors liquors and—egg and—egg nog. nog. holiday-themed commiserrate. I'd be a hypocrite hypocrite I commiserate. told you yo ou not not o to to reach reach for for o that that last last if I told shrimp, or enjoy en njoy all of of the the indulgences indulgences shrimp, time of of year year e has has to to offer. offer er. Eat, Ea at,t drink drink this time and be merry! merry! But Bu ut let let me me prepare prepare you you o and fo or the the inevitable inevi v tab a le moment moment (quite (quite soon) for when the the baked baked e brie brie catches ca atches up up with with when you. o you.

The average aveerage American American ggains ains one one The pound between bettweeeen Thanksgiving Thanksgiving and and pound New Year’s, Yeear’s, according according to to the the New New Journ nal of Medicine and England Journal Medicine,, and

peeople w people who ho ar aree alr already eady ov overweight ver erweight can ggain a u ain up p tto o fiv five. ve. N Not ot tto ow worry, orry, San o Santa nta Cr Cruz.

C uz. weeks Iff in i a couple couple w ee e ks yyour our o ffavorite avo orite jjeans ea ans sausagee casings, ffeel e l more ee more like like sausag casings, and and body tired, dazed, doughy yyour o bod our dy ffeels eeels tir ed, d azed, d oughy and, well, oafish—detox, detox, detox. an nd, w ell, oafis h—detox, d etox, d etox.

Justt bef before suiting up Jus fo ore sui ting u p for fo or another anotherr holiday party, caught up with h oliday p artyy, I caug ht u p wi th JJocelyn ocelyn Dubin, dietician and Du ubin, rregistered egistered di etician an d nutritionist att N Nourish downtown n uttritionist a ourish in d own ntown n Santa Sa anta Cruz, Cruz, and and her her advice ad dvvice is a life liffe promising there when the rring, ing, p romising tto o be th ere w hen th he subsides.

Santa ggluttony luttton ny subsid es. Dubin is San ta Cruz's queen off ccleanses—her next Cr ruz's qu een o leanses—her n ext program April—and ccleanse leanse p rogram is in Ap ril—and sshe he guidelines sshares hares some some vvaluable aluable guid elines ffor or "post-holiday tune-up," modified a "pos t-holiday tun e-up," or m odified e thee co cold winter months. ccleanse leanse ffor or o th ld win nter m on nth t s..

EAT makes sense: thee EA AT GREEN: It m akes sen se: Iff th problem with overeating junk, p roblem sstarts tarts wi th ov veerea atting junk k, byy ea eating iitt can be rresolved esolveed b atin t g vibrant, vib bran nt,t

whole w hole in ingredients. gredien ntts. F For or Dubin, D this sstarts tarts wi with th ggetting etting rrid id o off processed processed establishing ffoods—at ood o ds—a at lleast east es tab blis li hin hi g a 20/80 h percent For added punch, per cent ratio. rattio. F or an ad dded pun ch, incorporate detoxifying in corporate d etoxiffyying foods fo oods into in nto likee cil cilantro, artichokes, yyour our o regimen, regimen, lik an ntro, ar tichokes, dandelion d andelion or turnip turnip greens, green e s, and and garlic, garlic, says wouldn't hurt sprinkle sa ays Dubin. It w o ouldn't h urt tto o sp rinkle curcumin also, in some some cur cumin or gin gginger ger al so, which thee infl w hi h ch help help rreduce educe th iinflammatory ammatory bodyy p produces cchemicals hemicals yyour our o bod roduces in much rresponse esponse tto o ttoo oo mu ch sug ssugar. arr.

RESTORE INTESTINAL FLORA: RES TORE INTES T TINAL FL ORA: Too much timee spen spent mingling around T oo mu o ch tim nt min m gling ar ound thee ccheese tray well, th heese tr ay will lleave ea ave yyou, ou, o w ell, a little backed up.

Healthy digestion li ttle b acked u p. H ealth hy dig estion is key and, flushing k ey tto o ffeeling eeeling ggood ood an d um, fl d, ushing holiday gut h oliday ttoxins. oxins. Resuscitate Resusci e tate yyour our o gu ut with wi th ffermented eermented ffoods. o oods. "Because " kombucha contains alcohol, k ombucha con tains al c hol, I ttend co end tto o have people kombucha h ave peo ple not not use k om mbucha as their their

main m ain source source c of of p probiotics," robiotics," says sa ays Dubin.

"T ry kim chi or sau ch erkrau ut fr om th "Try kimchi sauerkraut from thee llocal ocal company company F armhouse Cul ture."

Farmhouse Culture."

An d if yyou've o ou've been ov veerdoing th airy, And overdoing thee d dairy, Dubin rrecommends eco ommends a vo oiding milk avoiding milk-b ased yyogurts, o ogu urts, rrecommending ecommending cocon ut based coconut yyogurt ogur o rt instead. instead.

S WEA AT: "Y Yo ou h ave th ost SWEAT: "You have thee m most ef ffeeccttivve d e oxifica et attion w hen yyou o ou effective detoxification when can sweat swea at profusely," profusely," , says sa ays Dubin. W Wee all kn ow this, th his, bu ut th ld win ter air know but thee co cold winter an dd ark-b by-fivve sc hedule destroys destroys and dark-by-five schedule w orkou ut rroutines. outtines. So ou luttions: V isi i ta workout Solutions: Visit saun a, an d fin d a yyoga o oga studio. studio. "M ake sauna, and find "Make iitt something somethin ng that that you'll yo ou'll know know ffor o or sur suree th at yyou'll ou'll o d o, because yyou o ou can't use th that do, thee rrain ain or cold cold as an excuse," excuse c ," says sa ays Dubin.

Pr acticing yyoga o oga will h elp yyou ou o prevent preveent Practicing help in njur j ies, too, too, because iitt sstrengthens trengthens injuries, th les e an dm akes us m ore thee musc muscles and makes more fl exible, sa ays Dubin —making iitt an flexible, says Dubin—making id eal w o orkou out tto o con dition th dy ffor or o ideal workout condition thee bod body th at rrunning unnin ng rregimen egimen yyou ou o p romised that promised yyourself ourse o lf on nce th emperattures w arm once thee ttemperatures warm u p. up.

DRAIN THE L Y YMPH S YSTEM: LYMPH SYSTEM: Cl ear all th he junk yyou've ou'vve sstored o tored in yyour o our Clear the llymphatic ymphattic sy stem ov veer th ast ffew ew system over thee p past w eeks b eeking a m assage therapist therapist weeks byy se seeking massage w ho specia alizes in llymphatic ymphati t cm assage, who specializes massage, w h hich augm ments th etoxifica attion which augments thee d detoxification p rocess, sa ays Dubin. Bl ood-pumping process, says Blood-pumping ac tivities will w also also h elp tto om ovve th activities help move thee ly mph. lymph.

HYDRA AT TE: All o ettox HYDRATE: off th thee d detox m easures in i th orld will ffail o a ail if measures thee w world yyou're ou'r o e not not d dr inking sufficient sufffficien nt w ater drinking water tto o fl ush th oxic lload. oad. An d it's it's not not flush thee ttoxic And jus c hol, sal co d caf ffeeine th at justt th thee al alcohol, saltt an and caffeine that will lleave ea ave yyou ou sshriveled. hrivveled. "M ost people people "Most ggo o thr ough th ters signifi cantly through thee win winters significantly d ehydrated d because w ee're rrunning unning dehydrated we're our h ea aterss, an d this contributes contribu utes tto oa heaters, and llot ot m ore p a ve lloss assiv oss of of water," waterr," , sa ays more passive says Dubin. A ggood o rrule ood ule o umb ffor o or th off th thumb thee a veerage h u an is tto um o dr ink h alf yyour o our average human drink half w eight in oun o ces, bu ut Dubin poin ntts weight ounces, but points ou ut th at iitt d oes vvary a ary among among different difffeerent out that does p hysiologies. e Whil lebrattion physiologies.

Whilee in ce celebration m ode, dr in nk a glass glass of of water water bet tweeen mode, drink between eevery veery al coholic be eveerage. In ffact, a act, ggo o alcoholic beverage. ah ead an d pour yyourself o ourself a gglass lass rright ight ahead and now w. ¡Salud d! 0 now. ¡Salud!

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Downtown Dow D own wnto wnt ow wn Garages wn Gaar G arraages ara ages age ag ges

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DEAR 2013: DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT Looking back at 12 months of Santa Cruz insanity BY GEORGIA PERRY, JACOB PIERCE AND STEVE PALOPOLI JANUARY

FEBRUARY

NOT THE CASUAL ENCOUNTER HE HAD IN MIND: We’re so fortunate to live in an era when, thanks to the Internet, we can sell things without leaving our own homes. But some people still get carried away, like the local man who posted an ad on Craigslist for 15 ounces of medical pot, asking for only a “donation” of $150 per ounce. When an undercover cop showed up asking to buy all $2,250 worth, the suspect didn’t ask for the cop’s medicalmarijuana card. Geez, why do we even bother to fake these things? Moral of the story: doing business when you’re high is never as fun as it sounds.

CRUZPOCALYPSE: It is still unclear how we, as a community, made it through February of this year—henceforth known as “that time God punched us in the face over, and over, and over again.” First there was the tragic shooting of local martial arts instructor Pauly Silva outside the Red Restaurant and Bar. Then, over the course of two-and-a-half weeks there was an attempted murder, a grocery store robbery, a home invasion robbery and a 21-year-old UCSC student shot in the head during an attempted mugging near West Cliff. Just about every conversation around town was beginning to sound the same: “What the hell is going on in Santa Cruz right now?” Then, just when things seemed their darkest—they got darker still. We were all left in complete and utter shock after losing two longtime, good-hearted police officers, Sgt. Loran “Butch” Baker and veteran Det. Elizabeth Butler. Their memorial service packed the HP Pavilion in San Jose—there wasn’t a big enough space in Santa Cruz to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend.

Locals began to suffer from a kind of PTSD, and we began to react in strange ways, including blaming “Keep Santa Cruz Weird” bumper stickers for the most violent month in memory. Or something like that. It’s all kind of a horrible, horrible blur.

SPIDER-MAN SUCKS AND HE WILL BURGLE YOU: OK, Spider-Man walks into a bar with a gun, and a buddy in a hoodie. Sounds like the setup to a hilarious joke, but nobody was laughing when the costumed do-badder walked into the Wooden Nickel Bar in Watsonville and robbed the place. Did he need money to buy his friend a superhero outfit of his own?

WOMAN TRACKS DOWN HER OWN STOLEN CAR ON GRANT STREET LIKE A BALLER: While Santa Cruz cops had their hands full with the longest February ever, one woman decided to drive around and look for her stolen car on her own. She spotted it, and approached the driver—who jumped out of the car and ran away, saying she wasn’t going to go to jail. Police arrested the suspect for auto theft, resisting arrest and violating probation after they found her hiding under a recreational vehicle a few blocks away.

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APRIL

WAIT, FLOWERS? THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE TAKING BACK? When local man Ken Maffei was spotted picking up a basket of flowers from the memorial for slain SCPD officers Baker and Butler, he wound up in a courtroom, in handcuffs, facing an audience of “indignant Take Back Santa Cruz Members,” as the Sentinel put it. He was held in jail for 18 days before the case was dismissed, once his attorneys explained that Maffei had purchased the flowers for “a lady friend,” and had just set them down for a few moments while he placed a box of doughnuts with the letters “RIP” onto the officers’ memorial. Which is basically the saddest, cutest thing ever.

FRED KEELEY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT BECAUSE WE WERE TOO OBSESSED WITH HIM: Sure, he always warned us he would go into hiding if we didn’t stop writing about his love for the Santa Cruz Warriors, complimenting his blackand-white flame shoes and pressing our noses up against the glass during his daily lunches at Kianti’s. But now, after he announced he will not seek office again when his term as treasurer ends in 2014, county officials will likely retire his position, too, because no one can do the job like DJ Keeladelic, our own ambassador to Snoop Dog. (Okay, the official reason for possibly eliminating the county treasurer position is that technological advancements are rendering the position unnecessary—nice try, county.) Anyway, Keeley will maintain his posts as a lecturer for San Jose State University, the Warriors’ unofficial Jack Nicholson and the official spokesperson for Kianti’s.

UCSC RAPE HOAX MELTS OUR BRAINS, LEAVING US UNABLE TO FINISH THIS SENTEN: Unreported rape is one of our nation’s the most disturbing trends. The American Association of University Women reports that 95 percent of campus sexual assaults go unreported. Ninety-five percent. It’s clear that something needs to be done to make victims feel that they can speak up. Oh, and here’s one thing that won’t help: The bizarre case of 20-year-old UCSB student Morgan Triplett, who in the middle of Santa Cruz’s biggest public safety scare in decades, sent police on an 11-day, around-the-clock investigation—and the community into a panic—after claiming bruises on her head and torso came from being raped on the UCSC campus. Eventually she confessed she had falsified the report after a soliciting the attack on Craigslist in exchange for sex. In July, she was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three months probation.

SEA LION WASN’T NATIONALLY KNOWN, BUT IS NOW KNOWN TO ROCK A MICROPHONE: A locally made video went wicked viral when researchers at UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory trained a sea lion named Ronan to bob her head in time with the beat of music. A study of their findings, published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, disproved a previously accepted theory that beat keeping requires a capacity for complex vocal learning, meaning that other mammals besides humans have the potential to—AY YO, YO! RESEARCH DUDE, MAKE HER DO THE CHA CHA SLIDE! ON THE REAL THOUGH THAT WOULD BE SOO DOPE.

M AY

SHUNS OF ANARCHY: The county board of supervisors declined to sanction an annual motorcycle ride which ended in a 3am party bust last year—after the Ghost Mountain Riders’ permitted hours for serving alcohol. It’s too bad for Camp Krem, the summer camp in Boulder Creek for disabled kids that benefited from the charity ride. No doubt the big bearded bikers will do the event again next year on toy tricycles to see if that goes over better.

MICHELLE SHOCKED CRAZY IS THE SADDEST CRAZY: Days after Michelle Shocked publicly denounced homosexuality on stage at Yoshi’s in San Francisco, encouraging concert attendees to tweet, “Michelle Shocked said God hates faggots,” her scheduled show at Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz was cancelled.

Then she showed up anyway, dressed in a painter’s coveralls, with duct tape covering her mouth. She sat on the ground outside strumming a guitar while patrons danced happily indoors to the queer-friendly rock groups Moe’s invited in her place. We can tell you one thing: Shocked received several tips from concertgoers that night, but not in the financial sense.

WHALES LOOK FUNNY, BUT YO THEY’RE MAKING MONEY: The month of May kicked off a season of non-stop humpback whale sightings. Said one local whale when spotted by tourists: “My name is Humpty, pronounced with an umpty. Yo ladies, oh how I like to funk thee. And all the rappers in the Top 10, please allow me to bump thee.” Unfortunately, mid-December was pretty much whale watchers’ last chance to do the humpty hump.

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DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

MARCH

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Y E A R I N R EV IEW

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

JUNE BIG GAY RULING USHERS IN ERA OF BIG GAY HAPPINESS: When the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed supporters’ appeal on Proposition 8, California finally lifted its cock-blocking ban on gay marriage, opening the floodgates for lots and lots of love and celebration. Hooray! Now, California: As a state, how about we never, ever let Iowa beat us at implementing a social justice measure ever again? OK? OK. Good talk.

HIGH-SPEED CHASE ENDS ATOP CATALYST: We all love to raise the roof, but today’s criminals are taking it too far. Santa Cruz police followed a stolen Mercedes-Benz to an Ocean Street gas station, after which the suspect fled toward downtown at speeds above 50 mph. Then the suspect cut his losses, ditched the car and played it cool—well, not really. Officers found him 45 minutes later wandering the roof of the Catalyst downtown, where he was arrested on suspicion of evading police, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.

WHEN YOU PLAY THE GAME OF THRONES, YOU WIN OR YOU DO 8-TO10: A local antiques dealer called Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies when a man tried to sell him a trailer full of some questionable goods, leading detectives to locate the man responsible for a $100,000 Corralitos burglary weeks before that included not only cars, jewels and wine, but also a toilet and bathtub. The criminal, who had methamphetamines in his system, must have been trying to teach us all a lesson about how “value” is nothing but a capitalist construct, and we truly are all one, so what is a “luxury item,” anyway? (Merry Christmas, Mom! I’m really broke right now so I wrote you this blurb as a gift. I hope that's okay.)

J U LY THE DAY WE CRIED TIE-DYED TEARS: When national real estate website Estately published a list of the 17 “Best U.S Cities for Hippies,” there was one glaring omission: Santa Cruz. After a flurry of comments on the article pointed out the authors’ egregious oversight, Estately issued a public apology to our fair burg, admitting we should not only have been on the list, but that we should have been in the top five.

“We sincerely hope this omission didn’t harsh anyone’s mellow, nor detract from the good vibes and total bliss that are found in Santa Cruz,” they wrote. To them we say: THAT’S RIGHT, ASS CLOWNS. WE ARE THE ONE TRUE KING OF ZEN BLISS AND IF YOU EVER FORGET IT AGAIN THE 831 IS GONNA SHOW YOU THE LIST OF OUR 17 FAVORITE PLACES TO BEAT YOU SENSELESS. Peace be with you!

13 STABBED PLUMBER TOTALLY KNEW WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT: A plumber fixing a pipe on Clifford Avenue in Watsonville finally got what was coming to him when a man walked up to him, stabbed him and ran away saying, “You know what that was all about.” Yes, of course he knew what it was about, and we’re glad to see someone is finally taking a stand against the profession that is secretly laying a system of pipes designed to pump PG&E smart meter radiation and GMOs into our potlucks.

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

TOP THREE MORAL GUIDELINES: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Steve Schlicht, a member of the Mayor Bryant-appointed Public Safety Citizen Task Force, posted on Take Back Santa Cruz’s private Facebook page that he would be “fine with junkies dying somewhere else. Outside the county is fine by me.”

When asked by the Weekly if he would like to apologize, he declined, and insisted the comment was taken out of context. No word yet on the context in which it’s okay to say things like that.

AUGUST OH WHAT A TANGLED SOMETHING SOMETHING: There comes a time when a theater company must ask whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or take arms against a sea of bureaucrats who don’t understand art. Due to fundraising shortfalls, UCSC announced this summer it will no longer fund Shakespeare Santa Cruz, leading the beloved company to (at least for now) close its doors because even in the art world, nothing’s cheap. Or in the words of a 17th-century English playwright, “Shakespeare gots to get paid, son.”

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Y E A R I N R EV IEW

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

SEPTEMBER

WAVE DEAD PETS IN THE AIR LIKE YOU DON’T CARE: There are many different ways to influence others and get people’s attention. Writer Dale Carnegie recommended remembering people’s names and being a good listener. Jim Harbaugh prefers ripping off his headset and yelling as loud as he can. When those don’t work, we sometimes resort to swinging around a dead animal—as one local woman did while looking for a little respect. Deputies told the Santa Cruz Sentinel it was probably roadkill that had been dead “for some time.” She was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics.

O C TO B E R THE MUNCHIES ARE OFFICIALLY OUT OF CONTROL: A teenager robbed a taco truck at gunpoint in Watsonville—on Coward Road, no less. All he needs is a Spider-Man costume, and next time he’ll be ready to hit up a bar. Just kidding.

Stay in school, kids!

OMG, OMG, NEW ‘UNDERTOW’ RIDE UNVEILED AT BOARDWALK!: Wait, has anyone actually been on this yet? Yeah, no, us neither. Yeah, it does look cool! We’ll probably try it out this summer, too. So. Yeah.

HOMELESSNESS ENJOYING HUGE GROWTH LOCALLY, HOMELESS NOT ENJOYING IT AT ALL: The homeless census, which is released every two years, revealed the homeless population in Santa Cruz County jumped 28 percent, to 3,536 people —12 percent of them children. Seventy-two percent say they lived in the county prior to becoming homeless. For Christmas, then, 814 adults in the county between the ages of 18 and 24 are homeless, 97 percent of them unsheltered.

15 N OV E M B E R

SANTA CRUZ DECLARES ASS SHORTAGE AFTER DERBY GIRLS KICK SO MUCH OF IT: In a breakout season, the Boardwalk Bombshells won the Division 2 playoff tournament and advanced to the national Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Championships in Milwaukee, Wisc. While they didn’t win the championship, they clawed their way back from a 50-point deficit during the game, bringing the final score to a single point difference, and doing our town damn proud. Hell yes, ladies! Way go to! We don’t even have a joke to make about this, because we’re completely and utterly terrified of getting on your bad side!

DECEMBER

HELLA COLD WEATHER BREAKS HELLA RECORDS: A week-long cold snap had Santa Cruz eating icicles for breakfast with lows dipping into the 20s, and freezing out records. Sure, this happens sometimes when the weather gets clear—two Decembers ago was almost as bad. What was weird was when Santa Cruz swung from a record-tying low of 27 degrees on Tuesday the 10th, to a 74 degree high less than a week later, to tie a record set in 1923. Mixed with that were overhead waves at Steamer Lane, brah—perfect in NorCal, where surfing is a perfectly reasonable December pastime. For us, Santa Claus, really? Ah, you shouldn’t have!

ONLY ONE PERCENT OF THE COUNTY’S POPULATION SIGNS UP FOR OBAMACARE: But this doesn’t prove anything, stepdad!

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

SUSPENSE! THRILLS! SALTY PIZZA!: A late bloom of anchovies all over the Monterey Coast filled Santa Cruz waters, leading to what The New York Times called a “mammoth convocation of sea life.” All told, so many anchovies convocated in the waters around the harbor that oxygen actually ran out, leading to a major die-off. As of yet, scientists have no explanation. Lest we forget, Santa Cruz is no stranger to mystifying sea creature behavior: Hitchcock’s The Birds was based on disoriented sea birds crashing into local homes upon getting lost in the fog “fresh from a feast of anchovies,” as reported by the Sentinel in 1961. We don’t know how all this fits together, but one thing’s for sure: Alfred Hitchcock is still alive, living in Boulder Creek in secret and planning a new movie based on this anchovy madness.

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

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AE E!!

SPURRING GROWTH SPURRING GROWTH Left to right: Cellistt Alexis Hawks, vocalist T Terry erry e M McCants, and guitarist-vocali guitarist-vocalist st David O’Reilly Tannery Year’s Stockhausen n of Spurs play with Marty O’Re eilly at the T annery a on New Y ea ear’s Eve.

Bow Bo ow Tied d

Local ffolk-rockers olk-rockers Sp Spurs purs fin find d rright ightt soun sound d with wi th new new cello cello p player layer BY JACOB PIERCE PIERCE

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avid a vvid St Stockhausen S ockhausen didn’t didn’t know kn ow som something ething h had ad been missing missi i in i g fr ffrom om hi his ffolk-rock olk-rock b and Spurs un u til iitt w as alr eady band until was already th ere. Wh en Al A exis H awks, a ce llo there.

When Alexis Hawks, cello p layeerr, jjoined oined d th and, h stantly player, thee b band, hee in instantly un derstood w hat sshe he b rought tto o th understood what brought thee gr oup’s W eestern e -tinged b allads. group’s Western-tinged ballads.

“Wh en I firs st h earrd iit,t, I w a as lik ke, “When first heard was like, ‘w whoa, th at’t s th he em otional d epth I’m ‘whoa, that’s the emotional depth llooking ooking ffor,” o orr,” , sa ays th sttic gui tarist says thee acous acoustic guitarist an d sin geer St ockhausen. “T he ce llo is and singer Stockhausen.

“The cello a per rfeecct m arrriage wi th th gs I’v ve perfect marriage with thee son songs I’ve wr ritten. I didn n’t rrealize eealize iitt ‘til I h earrd iit.” t.” written. didn’t heard Hig gher in pi itch an dm ore m elodic Higher pitch and more melodic th an a b ass, th he ce llo li es llow ow w hen than bass, the cello lies when St ockhausen’s ssteady tead dy rrock ock rrhythms hytthms Stockhausen’s an d sin ging ttake a e cen ak nter sstage, tage, an d th en and singing center and then sshines— hines— som e es eeven etim veen so loing—in sometimes soloing—in bet tween e vverses eerses an dw hen St ockhausen between and when Stockhausen pi cks his guitar guitar a more morre ggently. een ntl tly. Hawks’ Hawks’ picks

ceello m cello moans oans in a m mournful ournful dr drone ro one against thee h harder notes off th thee ag gain a st th arder ffaster as a ter n otes o band’s other b a d’s oth an ther in iinstruments. str t umen ntts.

“The musicc h has drive and “T he musi as a dr rivve an d a rrhythm, hyth thm, and and aree o often with each an nd David Da avvid an d I ar ften wi th eac h other,” says Terry McCants, thee oth other ot therr,” , sa ays T err e ry M cCan ntts, th err what duo. “[The vvocalist o st in w ocalis hat used tto o be a d uo. “[T he cello] thee musi musicc soni sonically and ce ello] eexpands xpands th cally an a d provides p rovid o es another another melody.” melod dy..” sitting and I’m si tting on a ttwin w win bed an d eating ginger freshly baked byy ea atin t g gin ger snaps snaps p fr reeshlly b ak keed b Stockhausen’s wife Giota their St to ockhausen’s wif fe JJade ade Gi ota in th eiir Felton home, where I’ve invited myself F elton h ome, w here I’v ve in nvi v ted m yseelf tto o watch session.

McCants w atch a Spurs practice pra accttice sessi on. M cCa an ntts sitting thee lleft off St Stockhausen and is si tting tto o th eft o occkh k ausen an nd Hawks Also here aree u upright H awks tto o his rright. igght.t Al so h ere ar prig i ht bassist Kissell—on from Marty b a t JJeff assis efff Kisse ll—on lloan oan fr om M a ty ar O’Reilly thee Old Orchestra— O ’R Reeillly and and th Old Soul Or rchestra— — and new an nd Mike Mike Owens, Ow wen e s, the the Spurs’ n ew drummer. somee tun tunes, Stockhausen dr rummerr. On som es, St to occk khau usen has Owens playing h a Ow as weens p layying just just behind behind the the

beat, tying thee son songs and bea at,t tyin g th gs lloosely oo osely an d llazily azilly ttogether oggeether to to give givve them them a rrelaxed elax xeed ffeel. ee e l.

The band T he b and is i rrehearsing ehearsin ing for fo or their their i New att th the Tannery N ew Years Years e Eve Evve show show a he T a annery Arts Center, where they’ll thee sstage Ar rts t Cen nterr, w here th ey’lll ttake a ake th tage before O’Reilly.

The Spurs are using thee bef for ore O’R Reeilly. T he Spu urs ar re usin g th party sshow how as a rrelease elease p arrtty ffor o or their their new new Ironically, CD. Ir onicallly, the the seven-track seeven e -trra ack album has cello only onee son song, h as ce llo on onl ly on ng, a rromantic oman nttic make-up ballad called m ake-up b allad call ed “W ““Wounds,” Wo ounds,” Stockhausen because St occkh k ausen sstarted tarted rrecording ecor e ding spring—Hawks justt jjoined about llast ast sp ring—Hawks jus oined abou ut three months ago. thr ee m on ntths ag o.

Stockhausen and McCants have St to occkh k ausen an dM cCan ntts h ave friends 2003, when they been fr iends since since 2003 3, w hen th ey lived Vermont. thee tim time, liv ved e ttogether ogether in V eermon nt.t At th e, Stockhausen was drumming St ockhausen w a as dr um mming in a ffew ew bands, including one called thee Mid Middle b ands, in cluding on e ca alled th dle Eight, which was trying Eig ght, w hi h ch w as tr a ying to to gget et ffamous amous as a pop group. accidentally a po p gr oup. (Stockhausen (Stockhaussen accid en ntallly broke up thee b band when hee d decided b roke u p th and w hen nh ecided he he

“h ated th m c” an d didn’t didn n’t w an a nt tto o “hated thee musi music” and want m ovve tto o Ch hicago wi th th em.) It w a asn’t move Chicago with them.) wasn’t until Stockhausen moved un ntil t St ockh hausen m ovveed tto o Santa San nta Cruz Cruz supervisor att in 2011 ffor o or a jjob ob as a ffarm a arm su pervisor a thee H Homeless Project that hee th omeless e Garden Garden Pr ojecct th at h with McCants, who had rreunited eunited wi w th M cCan ntts, w ho h ad been livingg h here livin ere since since 2004. thee tim time they hung out again, By th me th ey h ung ou ut ag ain, Stockhausen, also personal St ockhauseen, al so a person al chef, cheff, had had playing acoustic sswitched witched tto op layin y g acous tic guitar, guitarr, and McCants—a native off T Texas— an dM cCan nts—a n attivve o exas— a impressed with her ability sing im pressed him wi th h er abili ty tto o sin g natural harmonies old country n atur t al h arrmonies on o ld coun try songs.

They playing son gs. T heyy sstarted tarted p layin y g ttogether ogether thee Sil Silver honkytonk as th lver e Spurs, a h onkyytonk country band, but thee cov cover coun nttry b a d, in 2012, bu an ut th veer songs they were singing son gs th ey w ere sin ging started started ffeeling eeeling McCants suggested they sstale. tale. M cCa ants sugg geested th ey instead instead tryy St Stockhausen’s many tr ockhausen a ’s originals, originals, m an ny which are and have lott of off w hich a r slow re wa nd hav ve a lo natural “I’ve always thee n atur t al imagery. imag a ery. “I’v ve al lways lloved ovved e th wilderness,” Stockhausen says, wil dernesss,” St ockhausen sa ays, ““so so that’s where often find metaphor th att’s w herre I o ften fin dam etaphor that makes sense me.” th at m akess sen se tto om e.”

Then McCants was T hen earlier earrlier this yyear, eearr, M cCan ntts w as a sitting att Ca Caffe Pergolesi when friend si tting a afffe P ergolesi w hen a fr iend sat down next her. was Hawks.

“I’ve sa at d own w n ext h err. It w a as H awks. “I’v ve McCants ggot ot a lot lot to to do do today, today, man” man” M cCan ntts told told her. herr. They They sstarted tarted talking, talking, and and McCants McCan ntts let have listen somee o off th thee let Hawks Hawks h ave a lis ten tto o som Spurs’ son songs. offered gs. Hawks Hawks o ffeered to to bring bring her cello her ce llo and an nd sit sit in with with Stockhausen Stockhausen and McCants tunes.

“But and M cCan nts on a ffew ew tun es. “Bu ut we like, ‘no,’” McCants we were weere lik ke, ‘n o,’” M cCan ntts rrecalls. ecalls. “‘Basically, thee b band.’” “‘Basi Basicallly, ‘j‘join join th and. d ’” “It’s cooll in instrument,” “It’s such such a coo strumen ntt,” Stockhausen says.

Stockhauseen sa ays. “Sometimes “Sometimes I wonder that aree wo onder if it’s it’t s the the actual actual songs songs th at ar drawing people interested draw wing pe eople tto o be in terested in us or if iit’s off what Alexis brings. t’s the the novelty nov ovelty o what Al exis b rings.

People comee tto before People did com o see us bef fo ore sshe he was thee band, I’ve was in th band, so I’v ve ggot ot tto o think some some of of it it is i song-related, song-related, and and the the fact fac act that wee sing harmony.

Now that I’ve that w sing h armony. N ow th at I’v ve heard Alexis with and I’ve grown heard Al exis x wi th us, an d I’v ve gr ow wn accustomed thee ce cello, would accustomed e tto o th llo, I w ould ffeel o eeel super naked super n aked e without withou ut her.” herr.” .

Spurs Tue Dec. Tue Dec. 31 at at 8pm Tannery T annery y Arts Center Center $20 adv/$25 adv/$25 /

A E!

List your local event in the calendar!

Email it to calendar@santacruzweekly.com, fax it to 831.457.5828, or drop it by our office. Events need to be received a week prior to publication and placement cannot be guaranteed.

Stage DANCE Bellydance Showcase

Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios A Very Vinyl Christmas.

An exhibit of holiday LP covers. Open Mon-Sun, 10am-midnight. Thru December. Free. 118 Coral St, Santa Cruz, 831.425.7277.

Art

Various Santa Cruz County Bank Locations Bank Arts Collaborative. Down on the Farm: Seven local artists whose work represents the beauty of simple life on the farm. Mon-Thurs, 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-6pm. Thru Jan. 3. Free. n/a, Santa Cruz.

GALLERIES ALISON’S STARTING TO HAPPEN Joe Sharino’s daughter Alison has taken over the family tradition and will lead the The Alison Sharino Band at the Cocoanut Grove’s New Year’s Eve show Tuesday.

Where’s the Party?

A guide to New Year’s Eve events around Santa Cruz BY GEORGIA PERRY

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LAST NIGHT DIY PARADE: Starting at sundown outside Saturn Café in downtown Santa Cruz, this “decentralized, collective, spontaneous, open, public New Year’s Eve celebration” has been irritating the police and delighting the public since 2005. Decorate your bike like a mythological beast, or something, and head on down. Always free.

EXTRA LARGE AT CROW’S NEST: If the Crow’s Nest’s ocean views aren’t enough to make you grateful for the last year spent in Santa Cruz, then the complimentary plastic noisemakers will. Funky rockers Extra Large will be piping in the positive energy, and if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll catch frontman Russ Leal twirling his flute above his head like a baton. 9:30pm; $15.

MARTY O’REILLY AT THE TANNERY SCICA GALLERY: While The Devil Makes Three plays the Catalyst across town, two of Santa Cruz’s most promising up-and-

coming Americana acts will be on hand at the Tannery when Marty O’Reilly and the Spurs breathe the spring-like freshness of their downto-earth, soulful tunes into the new year. We have no doubt that both acts will be packing the Catalyst in their own right before too long, so catch them while you can. 8pm; $20 in advance/$25 door.

ALISON SHARINO BAND AT COCOANUT GROVE: What’s not to love about a big, fancy dress-up party on New Years Eve? Sharino’s band plays old rock and roll hits that everyone knows, and there’s a buffet with steak and chicken cordon bleu, along with a champagne toast at midnight. 8pm; $84 for dinner and dance; $41 for dance only.

FIRST DAY HIKES: If going out on New Year’s Eve isn’t your thing, spend the night resting up in preparation for a guided hike in one of our county’s state parks the next morning. The California Department of Parks & Recreation will lead a number of guided hikes appropriate for various experience levels, giving everyone a chance to start the year with a literal breath of fresh air. No charge for hikes beyond parking. Visit americasstateparks.org to search for local hikes. 0

of four local artists who received grants to pursue their projects. Gallery hours: Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm. Thru Feb. 23. $5 general; $3 students/seniors. Museum hours Tue-Sun, 11am-5pm; closed Mon. 705 Front St, Santa Cruz, 831.429.1964.

CONTINUING Felix Kulpa Gallery Neon art by Brian Coleman featuring glass tubes filled with multicolored glowing gasses. Gallery hours: ThursSun, noon-6pm. Thru Jan. 26. 107 Elm St, Santa Cruz, 408.373.2854.

R. Blitzer Gallery The Masters Series continues with an exhibit by Howard Ikemoto and Ron Milhoan.

Gallery hours: Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. Thru Dec. 28.

Free, 831.458.1217. Mission Extension and Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz.

A weekly meeting on learning how to forgive and live in peace. Drop-ins are welcome.

Thu, 7-9pm. The Barn Studio, 104b Park Way South, Santa Cruz, 831.272.2246.

Figure Drawing Weekly drawing from a live model, facilitated by Open Studio artist Richard Bennett.

Mon, 7-10pm. $16. Santa Cruz Art League, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz, 831.426.5787.

Grief Support

Events LITERARY EVENTS

Insight Santa Cruz

Former Shakespeare Santa Cruz actress Billie Harris and Book Cafe manager Jill Rose perform animated readings of children's stories. Mon, 11am.

Capitola Book Cafe, 1475 41st Ave, Capitola, 831.462.4415.

Toy Trains. A rotating cavalcade of operating toy trains from the 1920s to the 21st century. Gallery hours: Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm.

Thru Jan 5. Rydell Visual Arts Fellows. An exhibition showcasing the diverse work

A Course In Miracles Study Group

A lunchtime drop-in support group for adults grieving the death of a family member or friend. Tues. 6-7pm at 125 Heather Terrace, Aptos; Fri. noon-1pm at 5403 Scotts Valley Dr. Ste. D, Scotts Valley. free. Various sites, NA, Santa Cruz, 831.430.3000.

Storytime

Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History

for exploring authentic movement as connection, exercise, prayer and spiritual practice. Wed, 7:30-9:15pm. $15. Santa Cruz Yoga, 402 Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz, 831.227.2156.

NOTICES Beat Sanctuary A weekly class for exploring exercise and spirituality through dance. Wed, 7:309:15pm. $15. A dance class

San Francisco’s City Guide

The Devil Makes Three Pete, Coop and Lucia play a two-night stand for excellent new album, ‘I’m a Stranger Here.’ Dec 27-28 at the Fillmore.

Matthew Sweet 22 years after landmark album ‘Girlfriend,’ power-pop tunesmith still conjures melodies. Dec 28 at Slim’s.

Neurosis Godfathers of glacial metal play annual SF show with Blast, Yob, and the Body. Dec 29 at the Regency Ballroom.

Holy Ghost!

Dance the year away with DFA recording duo behind this year’s newest, ‘Dynamics.’ Dec 30-31 at the Independent.

Danny Brown Dress code enforced when Detroit rapper with list-topping album ‘Old’ celebrates 2013.

Dec 31 at the Mezzanine.

More San Francisco events at www.sfstation.com.

Meditation sits, talks and discussions every day of the week. Learn the formal practice of meditation and engage with a community dedicated to reducing suffering by cultivating compassion. Visit www. insightsantacruz.org for specific times and more information. Ongoing.

Insight Santa Cruz, 1010 Fair Avenue, Suite C, Santa Cruz, 831.425.3431.

Miracle Working Spiritual teacher Dominique Free leads a weekly class on cultivating the consciousness to heal, overcome, succeed and create miracles. Thu, 7-8pm. Conscious Lounge, 1651A El Dorado Av @ Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, 831.359.0423.

Overeaters Anonymous A 12-step support group for those who wish to recover from compulsive eating. Sundays 9-10:15am at 2900 Chanticleer Ave, Santa Cruz and 4-5:15pm at 115 South Morrissey, Santa Cruz. Mondays 12:151:15pm at 420 Melrose Ave, Santa Cruz and 7-8pm at 4951 Soquel Drive, Soquel.

Tuesdays 12:15-1:15pm at 420 Melrose Ave, Santa Cruz.

Wednesdays 10:30-11:30am at 1335 Seabright Ave, Santa Cruz; noon-1pm at 49 Blanca Ln #303, Watsonville; and 6:30-7:30pm at 335 Spreckles Dr, Ste. A, Aptos. Thursdays 1-2pm at 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. Fridays noon1pm at 49 Blanca Ln, #303, Watsonville and 12:15-1:15pm at 225 Rooney St., Santa Cruz.

Saturdays 9-10am at 532 Center St, Santa Cruz and 11am-noon at 75 Nelson St, Watsonville. 831.429.7906.

Support and Recovery Groups Alzheimer's: Alzheimer's Assn., 831.464.9982. Cancer: Katz Cancer Resource Center, 831.351.7770; WomenCARE, 831.457.2273.

Candida: 831.471.0737.

Chronic Pain: American Chronic Pain Association, 831.423.1385. Grief and Loss: Hospice, 831.430.3000.

Lupus: Jeanette Miller, 831.566.0962. Men Overcoming Abusive Behavior: 831.464.3855. SMART Recovery: 831.462.5470. Trans Latina women: Mariposas, 831.425.5422. Trichotillomania: 831.457.1004. 12-Step Programs: 831.454.HELP (4357). Pagans in Recovery: 831.428.3024. Narcotics Anonymous: saveyoursanity@ aol.com. Clutterers Anonymous: 831.359.3008.

Touched By Adoption Group Adoptive families, adult adoptees, families waiting to adopt and birth parents meet monthly to connect in a safe, confidential setting.

Last Sat of every month, 10am-12pm. Free. Live Oak Family Resource Center, 1438 Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, 1.866.219.1155.

Yoga Instruction Pacific Cultural Center: 35+ classes per week, 831.462.8893. SC Yoga: 45 classes per week, 831.227.2156. TriYoga: numerous weekly classes, 831.464.8100. Yoga Within at Aptos Station, 831.687.0818; Om Room School of Yoga, 831.429.9355; Pacific Climbing Gym, 831.454.9254; Aptos Yoga Center, 831.688.1019; Twin Lotus Center, 831.239.3900. Hatha Yoga with Debra Whizin, 831.588.8527.

Zen, Vipassana, Basic: Intro to Meditation Zen: SC Zen Center, Wed, 5:45pm, 831.457.0206.

Vipassana: Vipassana SC, Wed 6:30-8pm, 831.425.3431.

Basic: Land of the Medicine Buddha, Wed, 5:30-6:30pm, 831.462.8383. Zen: Ocean Gate Zendo, first Tue each month 6:30-7pm. All are free.

AROUND TOWN Comedy Showcase A new comedy showcase hosted by DNA featuring a different Bay Area headliner each week. Tue, 8:30pm. Free.

Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, 831.423.7117.

English Country Dance Second and fourth Thursdays of each month; beginners welcome. Fourth Thu of every month. $5-$7. First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz, 900 High St, Santa Cruz, 831.426.8621.

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

Different belly dancers each week on the garden stage.

Presented by Helene. www. thecrepeplace.com. Sat, 1:30pm. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, 831.429.6994.

aving a good New Years Eve is like riding a unicorn. It’s magical and—oh, what’s that you say? You have never ridden a unicorn? I see. In that case, you should probably just trust us on what to do this New Years’ Eve. Behold:

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DON’T BE A STRANGER The Devil Makes Three returns to Santa Cruz for two nights at the Catalyst.

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

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Beatscape

THURSDAY 12/26

FRIDAY 12/27

FRI 12/27 - SAT 12/28

PEPPINO D’AGOSTINO

SAMBADA

REBELUTION

B-SIDE PLAYERS

SambaDá plays American music—South American, North American, United States of American, you name it. The nine-member group took Brazilian samba, reggae, surfrock and funk sounds and put them all into a one-of-a-kind musical blender available only on the Central Coast to create a Santa Cruzgrown sonic fusion that musicologists have proven is happiest sound possible. Female singer Dandha Da Hora sings the mostly Portuguese vocals along with guitar player and founder Papiba Godinho, also a martial arts instructor who brings a feel-good dance element on top all that other fun stuff. Moe's Alley; $15 adv/$20 door; 9pm. (Jacob Pierce)

“I’m in it for the good vibes together / and the love lasts forever,” is a line from the song “Sky is the Limit,” from reggae-rock outfit Rebelution. It pretty much sums up the ethos of this Santa Barbara-based band that has made a name for itself playing uplifting, socially-conscious, mind-opening music.

While the lyrics can, at times, feel like a list of feel-good quotes, they stem from the one-love, one-people tree and are packed with the aforementioned good vibes. And, the band consistently get crowds bouncing, grooving and feeling the love so whatever they’re doing, it seems like they’re doing it right. Catalyst; $29.50; 8pm. (CJ)

“Life is like a spliff,” the B-Side Players sing on the first single off their latest album. “You can take quick hit on which our lips make sweet love to it.” But these San Diego-based philosophers aren’t done examining life yet.

No, there are still more ways in which life is like a tobacco-infused joint! “You can live life short and sweet, long and big—however you want to live now,” lead singer Karlos "Solrak" Paez goes on to sing. The nine-piece reggae band brings flavors of Latin, salsa and punk music to laid-back songs about living life to the fullest. Moe's Alley; $15 adv/$20 door; 9pm. (JP)

An award-winning composer, arranger, musician and teacher, Peppino D’Agostino is a virtuoso fingerstyle guitarist who moves seamlessly among classical, pop, folk, world music, ragtime, the blues and more. Born in Italy, D’Agostino moved to the Bay Area over 25 years ago and played his first gigs in America on the streets of San Francisco. A self-taught artist with tremendous depth of expression, D’Agostino admits to incorporating everything he hears, sees and feels into his music saying, “Music is not only what you know musically, but also what you experience in life...it is a reflection of our personalities and spirit.” Don Quixote’s; $15; 7:30pm. (Cat Johnson)

SATU R DAY 12 /2 8

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SUN 12/29 - MON 12/30

WHITE ALBUM ENSEMBLE

MON 12/30 – TUE 12/31

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE It’s so trippy to see Santa Cruz’s own DM3 performing for and being interviewed by Country Music Television, which has also been featuring the video for their new song “Stranger.” (By the way, somebody ask the band if that’s Rob Zabrecky of Possum Dixon performing the magic in the video). It’s part of the channel’s “CMT Edge” showcase of new artists, but of course, they’re not new here in their hometown, where they’re returning for a two-night NYE stand, after two nights at the Fillmore. In fact, the new single is vintage Devil Makes Three, and in general the songs from the new I’m A Stranger Here album are likely to get a raucous reception here in the place where that title least applies.

Catalyst; $35/$40; 9pm. (Steve Palopoli)

Mon. January 6

9pm: 1/2 Price Night for Students

Thursday, January 9 U 7 pm

The Hanrahan Quartet Performing JOHN COLTRANE’S 50th Anniversary!

“A LOVE SUPREME” Fri. January 10

Robben Ford

Concerts CHUCK PROPHET Dec. 27 at Crepe Place REMY LE BOEUF Dec. 29 at Don Quixote’s

THE SUN KINGS I think we’re all aware of the vicious gang fights that have broken out between opposing Beatles tribute bands. Or maybe that was a dream I had

7 & 9 pm | No Comps

Mon. January 13 U 7 pm | No Comps

KIM NALLEY with the MARCUS SHELBY ORCHESTRA “THE COLE PORTER SONGBOOK” Thurs. January 16

U

ALBERT LEE

Mon. January 20

U

7 pm | No Comps 7 & 9 pm | No Comps

BOOKER T. JONES

“ ...he remains so soulful, and so good.” – NPR

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis Sat. March 8 @ Santa Cruz Civic Tickets: SantaCruzTickets.com

DON CARLOS Dec. 31 at Moe’s Alley

Unless noted advance tickets at kuumbwajazz.org and Logos Books & Records. Dinner served 1-hr before Kuumbwa presented concerts. Premium wines & beer.

All ages welcome.

ROBBEN FORD Jan. 10 at Kuumbwa

HARRY & THE HITMEN

T U ESDAY 1 2 /31

U

ROBBEN FORD

DJ QUIK Dec. 29 at Catalyst

T U ESDAY 1 2 /31

Looks like Harry and the Hitmen on New Year’s Eve is becoming a thing as the Santa Cruz-based six-piece prepares to again ring in the new at the area’s favorite Creperie.

Playing what they describe as a “psychedelic Motown throwdown,” these guys combine the best of Motown and Stax-era grooves, psychedelic-inspired rock and roll, and improv-driven extended jams. Not sure what that might look or sound like? Picture “Heat Wave,” “Nowhere to Run” and “Respect” being played by guys in suits who can easily drift off into musical otherworlds previously explored by the likes of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and Phish. Crepe Place; $20; 9pm. (CJ)

7 & 9 pm | No Comps

U

PHAROAH SANDERS QUARTET

THE BAND WHO WOULD BE KINGS The Sun Kings play New Year’s Eve at Don Quixote’s.

after I watched Anchorman? Oh, what’s the difference. Anyway, definitely wielding a golden scepter in such a battle royale would be the Sun Kings, who have been playing the Beatles’ music to Bay Area audiences and beyond for over a decade now. They probably have the biggest repertoire of the factions, drawing on over 100 Beatles songs for every set list. But I’d watch out if I were you, Sun Kings—Al Heit will fix your mouth for good! ’Cause he’s a dentist. Don Quixote’s; $35/$40; 9pm. (SP)

320-2 Cedar St [ Santa Cruz 831.427.2227

kuumbwajazz.org

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

Once upon a time, there was a blasphemous British band that, it appears, wrote songs about yellow submarines and wanting to hold hands in order to make girls want to take birth control and go to college. Buzzed on that Beatlemania Kool-Aid, Dale Ockerman of the Doobie Brothers and other wacky Santa Cruzans established a cult 10 years ago to celebrate the rambunctious 1960s revolutionaries. This ensemble plays covers of songs by John “The Walrus” Lennon and Paul McCartney, who the Internet says died in 1967. Rio; $26.25-$42; 8pm. (JP)

Celebrating Creativity Since 1975

22

1011 PACIFIC AVE. SANTA CRUZ 831-423-1336 +LJ *SVZLK 4LYY` *OYPZ[THZ Friday & Saturday, +LJ ‹ AGES 16+

REBELUTION

Fri. with Common Kings Sat. with 7HJPĂ„J +\I both nights also 5H[\YHS 0UJLUZL and

+1 4HJRSL

!DV s $RS OPEN P M 3HOW STARTS P M Friday, December 27 ‹ In the Atrium s AGES 21+

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

INFAMOUS BLUE EYES

$RS s P M

Saturday, December 28 ‹ In the Atrium s AGES 16+

KOOL JOHN

also Dave

plus HBK Skip Steezy !DV $RS s P M

Sunday, +LJLTILY ‹ AGES 16+ IN !DV AT THE $RS Drs. open 8 p.m./ Show 9 p.m.

Monday & Tuesday, +LJ ‹ AGES 21+

DJ QUIK

THE

DEVIL MAKES THREE

Monday Dec. 30: !DV $RS s P M P M Tuesday Dec. 31: !DV $RS s P M P M 4UESDAY $ECEMBER ‹ In the Atrium s AGES 21+

DJ SAL

./ #/6%2 s $RS P M 3HOW STARTS P M

S SANTA CRUZ BLUE B BL UE LA LAGOON GOON

WED 12/ 12/25 25 Liv Live eR Rock ock

923 9 23 P PaciďŹ c aciďŹ c A Ave, ve, S Santa anta C Cruz ruz

BLUE B BL UE L LOUNGE OUNGE

THU TH HU 12/ 12/26 /26 2

FRI 12/ 12/27 /27

Liv Live ve C Comedy omedy

Liv Live eD DJ J

+8 80’s 0’s d dance ance party party

Liv Live e Music

529 5 29 S Seabright eabright A Ave, ve, S Santa anta C Cruz ruz

Rai Rainbow inbow L Lounge ounge

Liv Live eD DJ J

D DJ JA A.D .D

BOCCI’S B BOC CI’S CELLAR

The Lucky Lucky Me’s Me e’s

Risb Risby’s y’s Nickel Nickel

Infamous Infamous Blue Blue Eyes Eyes

Kool Kool John

Rebelution Rebelution

R Rebelution ebelution

Chuck Prophet Prophe et

R Redlight edlight District District

1140 40 Encinal E i l St, St, t Santa S t Cruz C

T THE CATALYST CATAL ALYST ATRIUM ATRIUM 11101 101 P PaciďŹ c aciďŹ c A Avenue, venue, Santa Cruz

T THE CATALYST CATAL ALYST 11011 011 P PaciďŹ c aciďŹ c A Ave, ve, Santa Cruz

C CREPE PLACE PLACE 11134 134 Soquel A Ave, ve, Santa Cruz

CROW’S C CRO W’S NES NEST T

The Room Room Shakers Sh hakers

DAVENPORT D AVENPORT ROADHOUSE ROADHOUSE

Esoteric Esoteric Collective Collective

1D Davenport avenport A Ave, ve, S Santa anta C Cruz ruz

H HOFFMAN’S BAKER BAKERY Y CAFE

Pr Preston e ton Brahm es Brahm Trio Trio

Mapanova Mapanova

11102 102 P PaciďŹ c aciďŹ c A Ave, ve, Santa Santa C Cruz ruz

T THE POCKET

Do Don n Caruth

Jesse Jesse Sabala & the

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are dance shows with limited seating.

3102 3 310 2P Portola ortola Dr Dr.,., Santa Cruz

Jam m Ses Session sion

Soul P Pushers ushers

www.catalystclub.com

The Spell

2 2218 Eas Eastt Cliff Dr Dr,, Santa Cruz

Jan 4 E-40/ A-1 (Ages 16+) Jan 11 Tribal Seeds (Ages 16+) Jan 16 Yellowcard/ Ocean Ave (Ages 16+) Jan 17 Tainted Love (Ages 21+) Jan 18 Hopsin/ Dizzy Wright (Ages 16+) Jan 24 Infected Mushroom (Ages 18+) Jan 25 Hieroglyphics (Ages 16+) Feb 1 Y & T (Ages 21+) Feb 22 Z-Trip (Ages 18+) Feb 28 Dr. Dog/ Saint Rich (Ages 16+) Mar 4 G-Eazy (Ages 16+) -AR Michael McDonald (Ages 21+) Tickets subject to city tax & service charge by phone 877-987-6487 & online

SAT 12/ 12/28 28

Isoc Isoceles eles w with ith G Gary ary M Montrezza ontrezza

KUUMBWA K UUMBWA JAZZ JAZZ CENTER 3 320-2 Cedar Cedar St, St, Santa Cruz

M MOE’S ALLEY

SambaDa

B-Side Players Players

11535 535 C Commercial ommercial W Way, ay, Santa Cruz

MOTIV M MO TIV

Libation Lib bation Lab

BIG B

Liv Live ve R Reggae eggae

Liv Live e Ha Hawaiian waiian n

11209 209 P PaciďŹ c aciďŹ c A Ave, ve, Santa Cruz

T THE REEF

Open Mic

Liv Live eR Rock ock & R Reggae eggae

1120 20 Union St, St, Santa Cruz

R THEATRE RIO THEATRE 11205 205 Soquel A Avenue, venue, Santa Cruz

S SEABRIGHT BREWERY BREWERY

Billy Martini Band B

5 Seabright A 519 Ave, ve, Santa Cruz

Johnn Johnny y Fabulous Fabulous Ork Orkestrio estrio

23 Like SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN BREWING

SUN

12/29 12/ 29

Goth/Industrial Goth/Indus trial

MON

112/30 12/ 30

Karaoke Karaoke

TUE 12/ 12/31 31 Live Live DJ DJ S Soul/funk/rap oul/funk/rap

DJ DJ Jahi Neighborhood Neighborhood Night Night

Ghostt T Ghos Train rain

F. F. Dupp

Soul Doubt

BLUE BLUE LAGOON LAGOON 831.423.7117 831.423.7117

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

Karaoke Karaoke

SANTA CRUZ BL BLUE UE L LOUNGE OUNGE 831.425.2900 831.425.2900

BOCCI’S BOCCI’S CELLAR 831.427.1795 831 427.1795 831.42

DJ DJ Salatiel Salatiel

THE CA CATALYST ATAL LYST A ATRIUM TRIUM T 831.423.

831.423.1338 1338

DJ D J Quik

The Devil Devil v

The Devil Devil

Makes Makes Three Thr h ee

Makes Makes Three Three

THE CATALYST CA ATAL LYST 831.423.1336 831.423.1336

Harry & the Hitmen

CREPE PLACE PLACE

Extra Extra Large Large

CRO CROW’S W’S NES NEST T

831.429 831.429.6994 .6994

Live Liv e Comedy Comedy

831.4 831.476.4560 76.4560

Sherry Austin Austin & Henhouse Henhouse

Dana Scruggs Trio Trio

Jazz by

by Five Five

Barry Scott Scott & Associates Associates

D DAVENPORT AVENPORT RO ROADHOUSE ADHOUSE 831.426.8801 831.426.8801

HOFFMAN’S BAKERY BAKERY CAFE 8 831.420.0135 31.420.0135

KUUMBWA KUUMBWA JAZZ JAZZ CENTER 831.42 831.427.2227 7.2227

Don Carlos

MOE’S ALLEY 831.479.1854 831.479.1854

Rasta Ras ta Cruz Reggae Reggae

Eclectic Eclectic c by by Primal Pr Productions oductions

Jazzy Evening Evening

Hip-Hop Hip Hop by by D DJ J AD

Open Blues Jam

MOTIV MOTIV 831.4 831.479.5572 79.5572

THE REEF 831.459.9876 831.459.9876

White Whit e Album Ensemble White White Album A Ensemble

RIO THEATRE THEATRE 831.423.8209

SEABRIGHT BREWERY BREWERY 831.426.2739 831.426.2739

THE POCKET

Win n Tickets T ickets ffor or concerts, concerts, s ev ents, and a nd events, gift c ertifica ates. certificates.

HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE

U YOCAN MAKE GOOD THINGS

HAppEN!

Like us on Like on F Facebook acebook Fa cebook.com/santacruzweekly Facebook.com/santacruzweekly

1 in 4 children in Santa Cruz County are hungry or malnourished.

Find out how you can help.

www.thefoodbank.org Presenting Sponsor

in your school in your church in your business

in your community!

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County 800 Ohlone Parkway, Watsonville CA 95076 / 831.722.7110

24

WED 12/ 12/25 25 A APTOS / RIO DEL MAR / SOQ SOQUEL QUEL

THU TH HU 12/ 12/26 26

FRI 12/ 12/27 27

SAT 12/ 12/28 28

Live Live Music

Karaoke Karaoke

Cougar Cougar Unleashed Unleas shed

Jneen

David David v Paul Paul Campbell

George George Christos Christos

Roberto-Howell Roberto o-Ho Howell

W Wild ild d Blue

West West Coast Coast Soul So oul

Tsunami Tsunami

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

BRITANNIA B BRIT TANNIA A ARMS 110 11 0 Monterey Monterey Ave., Ave., Capitola Capitola

THE T HE FOG BANK

with Eve Eve

Jack of All Trades Trades

211 21 11 Esplanade Esplanade,, Capit Capitola ola

MANGIAMO’S M MANGIAMO S PIZZA PIZZA AND WINE BAR

David David Paul Paul Campbell

783 7 8 Rio del Mar Blvd, 83 Blvd, Apt Aptos os

MICHAEL’S M MICHAEL ’S ON MAIN 2591 25 591 Main S St, t, Soquel

PARADISE P ARADISE BEACH BEACH GRILLE

Yuji Yuji

215 21 15 Esplanade Esplanade,, Capit Capitola ola

SANDERLINGS S ANDERLINGS

Sambasa

In Thr Three ee

Tsunami Ts sunami

B-Movie B-Movie Kings

Joe Ferrara Ferrara

Claudio Melega

Y Yuji uji T Tojo ojo o

Joint Chiefs

M Moonalic Moonalice li e

F Foreverland oreverland l d

Michael Martin n

Sonic Heavy Heavy

Mariachi Ensemble Ensemble

KDON DJ DJ Showbiz Showbiz

1 Seascape S Resort Resort Dr Dr,, Rio del Mar

SEVERINO’S S EVERINO’S BAR & GRILL

Don n McCaslin &

7500 7 5 500 Old Dominion Ct, Apt Aptos os

SHADOWBROOK S HADOWBROOK

The The Amazing Jazz Gee Geezers zers

Bob Markowitz Markowitz

Ken Ken n Constable Constable

1750 17 750 Wharf Rd, Rd, Capit Capitola ola

THE T HE UGL UGLY LY MUG 4640 4 640 Soquel Dr Dr,, Soquel

ZELDA’S Z ELDA’S 203 20 03 Esplanade Esplanade,, Capit Capitola ola

S SCOTTS VALLEY / SAN LORE LORENZO ENZO VALLEY D DON QUIXOTE’S QUIXOTE’S

Peppino Pep ppino i D’ D’Agostino Agostino ti

6275 62 275 Hwy Hwy 9, 9, Felton Felton

H HENFLING’S TAVERN TAVERN 9450 94 450 Hw Hwy y9 9,, Ben L Lomond omond

W WATSONVILLE / MONTEREY Y / CARMEL C CILANTRO’S

Hippo Happy Happy Hour

11934 934 Main Main St, St, W Watsonville atsonville

MOSS M MO SS LANDING INN Hwy H wy 1, Moss Moss Landing

&K KDON DON D DJ JS SolRock olRock

Open Jam

25 Like SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN BREWING

SUN

12/29 12/29

MON

112/30 12/ 30

TUE 12/ 12/31 31 APTOS / RI RIO IO DEL MAR / SOQUEL BRITANNIA BRITANNIA ARMS Karaoke Karaoke with Eve Eve

THE FOG BANK 831.462.1881 831.462.1881

MANGIAMO’S MAN NGIAMO’S NGIAMO S PIZ PIZZA ZA AND WINE BAR 831.688.1477 831.688.1477

Beat Beat S Street treet Lara Lar a Price Price

Breeze Breeze Babes

MICHAEL MICHAEL’S ’S ON MAIN 831.479.9777 831.479.9777

PARADISE PARADISE BEACH BEACH GRILLE 831.476.4900 831.476.4900

SANDERLINGS SANDERLINGS 831.662.7120 831.662.7120

Joint Chiefs

SEVERINO’S BAR & GRILL

Joe F Ferrara errara

SHADOWBROOK SHADOWBROOK

Open Mic c

831.688.8987 831.688.8987

831.475.1511 831.475.1511

THE UGL UGLY LY MUG

w/ w/ Mosep Mosephus hus

831.477.1341 831.477.1341

DJ DJ De Dex x

ZELDA’S ZELDA’S

831.4 831.475.4900 75.4900

SCOTTS VALLEY / SA SAN AN LORENZO VALLEY Remy R emy Le Le Boeuf B f

The Th Sun S Kings Ki Karaoke Karaoke with Ken Ken

DON QUIXOTE’S QUIXOTE’S 831.603.2294 831.603.2294

HENFLING’S TAVERN TAVERN V 831.336.9318 831.336.9318

WATSONVILLE / MONTEREY M / CARMEL Santa Cruz Trio Trio

KPIG Happy Happy Hour Happy Happy hour hour

Karaoke Karaoke

CILANTRO’S 831.761.2161 831.761.2161

MOSS MOSS LANDING INN 831.633.3038 831.6 33.3038

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

831.464.2583

Dennis Dove Dove

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

26

Film GO FOR BROKER Leonardo DiCaprio plays it broad as Jordan Belfort, the film’s titular wolf.

Skeeve-O-Rama

Martin Scorsese falls for a crooked broker’s long con with ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ BY RICHARD VON BUSACK

J

ORDAN BELFORT, a penny stock billionaire who squandered his loot on helicopters, mansions, yachts and prostitutes, is still at large, and he has just made a distinguished director his mark. The Wolf of Wall Street shows a strangely puerile Martin Scorsese at work. We stuck through his Tibetan Buddhist stage for this?

As the gargantuan hustler, so oversized that he’s like a cartoon— this Belfort likes to shag his trophy wife on a bed full of hundred dollar bills—Leonardo Di Caprio pummels the material like Jake LaMotta. As Di Caprio closes in on 40, he’s trying to fill the place Jack Nicholson once had as kamikaze actor, devil and joker. He does go big—shoving his jaw forward, giving Mussolini-sized rallying speeches to a room full of salesmen. Scorsese is

determined to light his regular star on fire even if it takes putting a lit candle up his butt, as in one pervy scene with a dominatrix. The actor’s frenzy is interesting in an abstract sense; as in watching Daffy Duck blow himself up in the famous Warner Brothers cartoon— you ask, what can possibly be next?

Belfort is the narrator of his own life: first, he’s a humble, entry-level stockbroker, trying to do it the honest way. He then turns up at the right time and the right place to rock a job in a Long Island strip mall, coldcalling penny-stock salesmen, selling “garbage to garbage men.” There he meets his sidekick Donnie (Jonah Hill), with unnaturally bleached teeth and a circular family tree. There’s room, during Belfort’s climb from obscurity to zillionaire vulgarian, for supporting actors: a refreshing cameo

by Matthew McConaughey as a cool stockbroker—urging Belfort to cocaine, strategic masturbation and New Age chest-thumping (McConaughey adds a Texan mantra, a Bob Wills caw); Jean Dujardin, the most genuinely wolfy man in the movie, is a resentful Swiss banker.

And Joanna Lumley is a gracious but still alluring British aunt who takes up currency smuggling. Kyle Chandler, who was the drunk father in The Spectacular Now, does some superb Columboing as a superficially friendly Fed investigating Belfort. It’s this film’s only glimpse at anything like a moral center.

Some of it is inimitable Scorsese— extreme, drooling beastliness. Belfort gets his brains knocked out with ’ludes and is revived by a glass tube of cocaine as the Popeye fanfare plays. While Scorsese was around for the original

wave of drug-comedy—he hired Cheech and Chong once—the revival looks like a vintage director trying to join the Frat Pack. (This move is so Greek that Hill does the old fraternity stunt of swallowing a live goldfish.)

Wolf of Wall Street’s editing has been praised, but it seems built like an Apatow. There are noticeable bumps, as if there’d been several improvised takes to choose from, and the most ridiculous scene always won. You’d be convinced Scorsese forgot everything he knew about slapstick from a scene in which Belfort’s furious wife Naomie (Margot Robbie) is getting ready to hurl a glass of water at her husband; it’s cut into three shots, a damp gag further dampened by the way it’s staged.

Terence Winter’s script is unwieldy, as if a mini-series is trying to break out of it. This movie just won’t end.

The display of tramp-flesh—dozens of hired nudes—is ultimately skeevy. If The Wolf of Wall Street is too realistic to consider Belfort chastened or punished, the details of the scam aren’t diabolically clever, either. The way Belfort’s crimes are explained to us, there would be more strategy in a smash and grab robbery.

Cinema, with its great facility to convey understanding of people, helps us get under the skins of the people we’d despise. Scorsese has made us understand psychos, scammers and out-and-out killers before. I don’t want to value-judge Belfort, but in Wolf, Scorsese doesn’t just want us to understand him, and the pleasure he get in screwing his victims. (Belfort is the kind of sales-tapeworm who pantomimes buggering his customers when he’s making a telephone hustle.)

It’s more than that—Scorsese wants us to be Jordan Belfort’s sucker.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET 180 MIN.; R Opens Friday

Film

27

TRANCE: I’m not going to give anything away about the plot of this movie, except to say it’s a masterful modern update of those twisty psychological thrillers that were so popular in the ’90s. And so much more. You’d have thought that director Danny Boyle’s reputation would have carried more weight with audiences— unless you saw the atrocious and completely off-base ad campaign.

GIVE ME A ‘BREAK’ Audiences apparently didn’t want to see James Franco with cornrows or Selena Gomez in a bikini. But ‘Spring Breakers’ was one of the year’s weirdest and best films.

Sights Unseen The Top Five Movies You Didn’t See This Year

BY STEVE PALOPOLI

I

see a lot of movies, which is probably why, when my friends find out I haven’t seen a particular film that they like, they often say “I can’t believe you haven’t seen that!” To which I usually reply: “Well, you can’t see ’em all.”

And it’s true, you can’t. In recognition of that fact, I put together a list of my favorite offbeat movies from 2013 that didn’t get the attention they deserved. All but one of these films played at the Nickelodeon or Del Mar this year, but in most cases, I only got to see them while they were there because someone whose taste I trusted tipped me off. This is my chance to pass on the favor.

Of course, in an era when Ron Burgandy is being marketed

on ESPN and sitting in for real anchormen, it’s actually kind of refreshing to know there are still cult movies. It’d be great if smaller, much better films could attract even a fraction of the audience that flocks to see crap like We’re the Millers and Grown-Ups 2. But then again, a lot of times the very reason I like a film is that it delivers a filmmaking vision that’s startling and maybe even contrarian in its uniqueness. Truly interesting filmmakers simply refuse to see the world the way everyone else does, and that means their films won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, or even build the mass momentum necessary to get them to audiences that would. I hope that these five movies get a second look:

SPRING BREAKERS: Probably my favorite movie of this year, this bizarre combination of crime flick and trashy 1980s spring-break exploitation romp has to be seen to be believed. Forget Gummo or Kids, this is the movie Harmony Korine was born to make. (Note: One does not simply forget Gummo.)

It shares some thematic elements with Sophia Coppola’s privilegedteens-in-robbery-land docudrama The Bling Ring—which might make for an interesting film-school paper about what people thought about white kids in 2013—except that Spring Breakers appears to be set in an alternate universe, has James Franco as the funniest druglord you’ll ever see and features what

YOU’RE NEXT: Too bad more horror fans didn’t see this welcome demolishing of the stale strangersat-your-door formula. This was basically Scream for home invasion movies, except without the parody.

Should have been the breakout film for director-writer team Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. They will be back.

SIGHTSEERS: Now that I think about it, I guess what links all these films is that they twist a conventional movie genre into something entirely new, right before our eyes. This pitch black British comedy assaults and batters roadtripping-couples flicks. We’re usually asked to ponder something like “will this journey save their relationship, or destroy it?” This time, it’s more like “Will anyone in this movie survive?” The ending is brilliant, subtle—and truly vicious.

STOKER: Months before audiences didn’t go to see Spike Lee’s remake of Korean director Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy, they got a chance to ignore Park’s American film debut, as well.

It’s a creepy, fascinating riff on Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, though some people no doubt thought it was about vampires (it has nothing at all to do with Bram Stoker or his book Dracula, as far as I could tell). Nicole Kidman and Dermot Mulroney tried to lend this some star power, but it’s really Mia Wasikowska who shines as an 18-year-old whose mysterious uncle comes to live with her family.0

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

the Cramps once called “bikini girls with machine guns.”

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Film Capsules

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

New

47 RONIN (PG-13; 119 min) Remember when Keanu Reeves knew kung fu? Well, now he knows how to samurai fight in this big-budget Hollywood re-telling of a Japanese folktale about warriors who avenge the death of their master. Quentin Taratino dire…wait, he didn’t direct it? That’s weird. (Opens Wed at Green Valley Cinema, Scott Valley and Cinema 9) THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (PG; 114 min) Geesh, Hollywood cycles are so hyper-accelerated now

that this movie has already had critical praise heaped on it, and weathered a big backlash from that praise—and it’s not even out yet. Ben Stiller directs and stars in this modern adaptation of the famous James Thurber short story about an ordinary man with an extraordinary fantasy life. (Opens Wed at Green Valley, Scotts Valley and Riverfront Twin) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (R; 180 min) Goodfellas goes to Wall Street as Martin Scorsese directs this true story of Jordan Belfort, one of the the penny stockbrokers who lived it up defrauding

S H O W T IM E S

investors in the 1990s. (Opens Wed at Scotts Valley and Green Valley)

Reviews

12 YEARS A SLAVE (R; 133 min) Based on an 1853 memoir, this story of a free African American kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South is easily the bestreviewed film of the year.

AMERICAN HUSTLE (R; 138 min) When it comes to cool, movies either got it or they don’t. And there’s something about the promise of director David O. Russell

Movie reviews by Steve Palopoli and Richard von Busack

and an all-star cast led by Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner taking on a con man story (with mafia tie-in!) that is going to make American Hustle irresistible to a lot of movie lovers. Throw in the great trailer that suggests everyone involved has lived up to that promise, and it doesn’t seem like hyperbole to say that in terms of movie cool, American Hustle could be the Pulp Fiction of its time.

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG-13; 119 min) I tried to get through the Ron

Burgundy book, but trust me, his ridiculousness isn’t that interesting unless it’s coming out of Will Ferrell’s mouth. That’s the thing that made Anchorman so great in the first place—these characters weren’t shticks, and they even transcended the caricatures they were meant to be in the first place. They seemed like real people—hilarious, dumbass real people— living in some kind of alternate reality that was a lot like ours, except funnier and with news-team gang fights. Can this muchanticipated sequel recapture

Showtimes are for Wednesday, Dec. 25, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, unless otherwise indicated.

Programs and showtimes are subject to change without notice.

APTOS CINEMAS

122 Rancho Del Mar Center, Aptos 831-426-7500 www.thenick.com

Philomena — Wed-Thu 2:30; 4:45; 7; 9:05; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Saving Mr. Banks — Wed-Thu 1:30; 4:10; 6:45; 9:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire — Wed-Thu 11:30; 2:45; 6; 9:20; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom — Wed-Thu 11:15; 2:35; 6; 9:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas — Wed-Thu 11:15; 1:45; 4:15; 6:45; 9:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

41ST AVENUE CINEMA

Walking With Dinosaurs — Wed-Thu 3; 8:15; 10:30; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues — Wed-Thu 11; 1:45; 4:30; 7:20; 10:15;

CINELUX SCOTTS VALLEY CINEMA

1475 41st Ave., Capitola 831.479.3504 www.cineluxtheatres.com Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

American Hustle — Wed-Thu 12:45; 3:45; 7; 10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Wed-Thu 11:55; 3:30; 6:45; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D — Wed-Thu 9:40pm; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

DEL MAR

1124 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.426.7500 www.thenick.com

Nebraska — Wed-Thu 2; 4:30; 7; 9:30; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Saving Mr. Banks —Wed-Thu 1:15; 2:15; 4; 5; 6:45; 7:45; 9:20; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

NICKELODEON

Lincoln and Cedar streets, Santa Cruz 831.426.7500 www.thenick.com

12 Years a Slave — Wed-Thu 8:15pm; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Inside Llewyn Davis — Wed-Thu 1:40; 2:20; 3:50; 4:40; 6; 7; 9:20; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Dallas Buyer’s Club — Wed-Thu 1:50; 4:20; 7:10; 9:35; Fri-Wed call for showtimes Philomena — Wed-Thu 2:10; 4:30; 6:50; 9; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

226 Mt. Hermon Rd., Scotts Valley 831.438.3260 www.cineluxtheatres.com

47 Ronin — (Opens 12/25 Wed) 1:15; 4:15; 7:10; 10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Grudge Match — (Opens 12/25 Wed) 11:20; 2; 4:40; 7:30; 10:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty — (Opens Wed12/25) 11; 1:45; 4:30; 6:45; 9:30; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Wolf of Wall Street —(Opens Wed 12/25) 11:55; 4; 8; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues — Wed-Thu 11; 1:30; 4:20; 7:20; 10:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

American Hustle — Wed-Thu 12:45; 3:45; 7; 10:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Frozen — Wed-Thu 11; 1:45; 4:30; 7:10; 10:10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Wed-Thu 11:15; 3; 6:45; 9:45; FriWed call for showtimes.

Saving Mr. Banks — Wed-Thu 1; 4; 7; 10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Walking With Dinosaurs — Wed 12/25 11:15; 1:30; 4:10; 6:30; 9; Thu 11:15; 1:30; 4:10; 9:30; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Christmas in Connecticut —Thu 7pm.

GREEN VALLEY CINEMA 8

RIVERFRONT STADIUM TWIN

1125 S. Green Valley Rd, Watsonville 831.761.8200 www.greenvalleycinema.com

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty — (Opens Wed 12/25) Wed-Thu 12; 2:30; 5;

47 Ronin (Opens Wed 12/25) Wed-Thu 10:45; 1;40; 7:30; 10:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

47 Ronin 3D — (Opens Wed 12/25) Wed-Thu 4:30pm; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Grudge Match — (Opens Wed 12/25) Wed-Thu 10:45; 1:30; 4; 7; 9:45;

155 S. River St, Santa Cruz 800.326.3264 x1701 www.regmovies.com 7:30; 10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

American Hustle — Wed-Thu 1; 4; 7; 9:55 Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

SANTA CRUZ CINEMA 9

1405 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 800.326.3264 x1700 www.regmovies.com

47 Ronin — (Opens Wed 12/25) 5:10pm; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

47 Ronin 3D — (Wed 12/25) 11:30; 2:20; 8; 10:50; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues — Wed-Thu 11:05; 12:15; 2; 3:15; 5; 7:25; 8; 10; 10:50; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Frozen — Wed-Thu 10:45; 1:30; 4:15; 6:50; 9:30; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Grudge Match — Wed-Thu 11; 1:45; 4:30; 7:15; 10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Wed-Thu 11:05; 2:35; 6:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D — Wed-Thu 9:45pm; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty — (Opens Wed 12/25) Wed-Thu 11; 1:40; 4:30; 7:15; 9:45; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Wolf of Wall Street — (Opens Wed 12/25) Wed-Thu 12; 3:45; 7:30.

American Hustle — Wed-Thu 1; 4; 7; 10:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues —Wed-Thu 11; 1:40; 4:15; 7:15; 9:45; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Wed-Thu 12:15; 3:30; 6:45; 10; FriWed call for showtimes.

Saving Mr. Banks—Wed-Thu 10:45; 1:30; 4:15; 7:15; 10; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Walking With Dinosaurs — Wed-Thu 1:05; 3:10; 7:30; 9:30; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

Walking With Dinosaurs 3D — Wed-Thu 11; 5:15; Fri-Wed call for showtimes.

the magic? Don’t look at me, I have no idea.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (R; 117 min.) Matthew McConaughey continues his bizarre transformation into one of the best actors of our generation in this true story about a Texas electrician named Ron Woodroof, who took on the medical establishment after being diagnosed with HIV in the ’80s—in his attempt to get alternative treatments for himself and others, he became a drug smuggler. What has gotten into McConaughey, anyway? Remember when he was the acting equivalent of lumber back in the Contact days? Jared Leto is making a different kind of comeback, after not making films for a while—here he plays a transvestite who forms an unlikely partnership with Woodroof.

DELIVERY MAN (PG-13; 103 min) If you feel like the premise for this Vince Vaughn comedy—slacker finds out his sperm-bank donation accidentally fathered hundreds of children, and 142 of them are suing him—sounds familiar, it might be because it sounds exactly like the kind of comedy Vince Vaughn would have made by now. He actually didn’t, but New Zealander Ken Scott did in 2011, a movie called Starbuck on which it is based.

I know some of those Kiwis have thick accents, but really, they’re remaking New Zealand films now?

FROZEN (PG; 108 min) Disney animated film has the kingdom of Arendelle trapped in perpetual winter, with young Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) teaming with a rugged outdoorsman (Jonathan Groff) to journey across the frozen wasteland and lift the spell.

Blizzards, trolls and a comicrelief snowman (Josh Gad) stand in their way.

THE GREAT BEAUTY (NR; 142 min) Comedy-drama from director Paolo Sorrentino (who did the Sean Penn film This Must Be the Place a couple of years ago) satirizes the Italian nightlife scene through the eyes of a writer trapped by the success of his first novel.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG-13; 161 min) We’re now up to five hours of Hobbit adaptation, so it’s understandable if, like Ice Cube, you’re asking “Are we there yet?” But c’mon, the dragon part of The Hobbit is the best part, by far! So even if you’re on Middle Earth overload, just hold out for a hero, like Bonnie Tyler.

HOMEFRONT (R; 100 min) Jason Statham gets as close as he ever will to a dramatic role in this story of a former DEA agent who moves his family to a sleepy little town.

Oh, don’t worry though, there’s a druglord there! Do they fight? Are you kidding me?

It’s Statham! Plus, Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay, so yes, that’s happening.

James Franco and Winona Ryder co-star.

HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG-13; 146 min) Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth return in the further adventures of Katniss Everdeen and friends.

This time, it’s personal! Just kidding. It’s not that personal.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (R; 105 min) A likely contender not only for most misspelled title of the year, but also for several Oscars, this latest film from the Coen Brothers has Oscar Isaac as an aspiring folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961.

OUT OF THE FURNACE (R; 116 min) Christian Bale plays Casey Affleck’s brother (they couldn’t get Ben?), who must save him after Casey falls in a crime ring.

SAVING MR. BANKS (PG-13; 125 min) Author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) meets up with Walt Disney, who wants to make her book Mary Poppins into a movie.

Other stars include Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novack as two “supercalifragilistic” songwriters and Colin Farell as Travers’ dad in the writer’s flashbacks.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (PG-13; 122 min) If he had a hammer, he’d hammer in the morning. He’d hammer in the evening, all over the nine realms. Anyway, Thor is back in a plot that’s basically what you’d expect: blah blah Dark Elves, blah blah wormhole, blah blah anomaly.

Thank god for the Loki comic relief.

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (PG; 87 min) When I was a kid, we had like four dinosaurs: stegosaurus, triceratops, brontosaurus and, of course, T-Rex. Now they don’t even count brontosaurus anymore, and my three-year-old is asking me about ankylosaurus and archaeopteryx—what? I don’t know that crap! Maybe I can send her to this movie, an animated family story based on the live animatronic stage show, while I pout in the corner with my old stuffed dino, Mr. Bronty.

Send tips about food, wine and dining discoveries to Christina Waters at xtina@cruzio.com. Read her blog at christinawaters.com.

Top Meals of 2013

BY CHRISTINA WATERS

A

SUMMER VISIT TO MILAN offered a week's

worth of memorable meals, none more so than lunch at the Michelin-starred Il Trussardi, so stylish it felt like walking into a fashion shoot for Marie Claire.

Timed for one of the days off from my “Ring” marathon at Teatro alla Scala, the prix fixe meal was joined by a huge balloon of Chianti Classico Riserva, and began with one of the best pasta dishes I’d ever tasted. Agnolotti stuffed with foie gras came topped with the crunchy zest of green apples. Over the bowl of pasta my server poured warm green apple, ginger and watermelon

juices. My second course was an impressive bit of cookery involving a large nugget of suckling pig, sided with a fig opulently stuffed with grape must, dried fruit and more pork. A graceful tracery of balsamic reduction added flavor torque to each item. At Gabriella Café, I experienced another radiant pasta creation involving housemade nettle tagliatelle pasta. A sensuous sauce of shellfish and poblanos bathed the pasta, as well as bits of fresh calamari, sea bass, mussels, orange cherry tomatoes and slender ribbons of smoky poblano chiles. It was close to perfection!

At Oakland's Haven, a technique-

driven menu supplied a spectacular salad of shredded chicories.

Purple and green bitter greens had been tossed with a berry-inflected vinaigrette and mixed with toasted hazelnuts and grapes. The chicories were piled high on a rich glaze of duck liver mousse, so that each aggressive forkful gathered up the mousse creation along with bitter greens and sweet/tart dressing.

Another brilliant Haven dish involved tiny Monterey squid tossed with very tiny broccolini, cranberry beans and a shallows of romesco sauce. And a meatless entree was without question the finest noncarnivore dish I’ve ever tasted. A thick

stew of green herb-laced chickpea couscous formed the base. The dish was embedded with roasted baby artichokes and an enormous slowcooked egg. Every flavor romanced every other flavor.

At Alameda's Burma Superstar I went ballistic over an order of chile glazed lamb, stir-fried with garlic, jalapeños, fiery red chiles and tons of basil. Another star of this mouthwatering menu was a lunch creation of Tea Leaf Salad.

A large platter was brought to the table containing little islands of chopped romaine, fermented shrimp, jalapeños, roasted peanuts, fresh tomatoes and a central mound of fermented tea leaves that had oozed into a silky sauce. After we’d admired the display, our server tossed all of the ingredients together, squeezed an entire lemon over everything and invited us to feast.

It was colossal, that’s all I can say.

We didn’t speak, we smiled a lot, we moved our chopsticks as fast as we could, we ate everything on the plate.

It was the last lunch I ever shared with the late, great Saul Landau— that alone makes it the memory of a lifetime. But the food was as sensational as the company.

Tapas Tuesdays at Soif has provided umpteen killer apps, such as a pretty $3 plate of Serrano ham, half a soft/hard boiled egg, a slice of cheese, a thin crostini and a slick of mustard. Adding an obscure Italian varietal, I was living large.

Then there was Mud City Crab Shack in Manahawkin, New Jersey, where we enjoyed the definitive crab cake so utterly packed with huge chunks of lump sweet crab meat that there was almost no room left for seasonings. Major crab cakes, moist inside, crisp on the outside—served with luscious, sweet crispy slaw.

Yes, indeed, in these and many other ways, 2013 turned out to be a year of memorable flavors. Here's to a New Year of dining adventurously! 0

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

TOP SPOT Paul Cocking’s Gabriella Café served up one of Christina’s best meals of the year.

Chip Scheuer

Epicure

29

30

F O O D I E F I LE

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

Chip Scheuer

KEEPER OF SECRETS Appleton Grill co-owner Abe Novin isn’t telling what’s in Abe’s Secret Recipe.

Appleton Grill Abe and Zohre Novin, owners

A

be and Zohre Novin opened the Appleton Grill as a full-service pizza restaurant this year. But so far, their burgers are getting more attention than they expected. The Novins, both natives of Iran, are getting ready for a grand opening party on Saturday, Dec. 28.

SANTA CRUZ WEEKLY: What’s Saturday’s party going to be like? ZOHRE NOVIN: It’s going to be from 7 to midnight. After having soft

openings for four or five months, we decided it’s going be time to have our grand opening. And I’d like to invite everybody to join us for a night of dance with $10 cover charge per person. And we’ll serve all kinds of appetizers and hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks.

Isn’t five months a long time to wait for a grand opening? ABE

NOVIN: It’s not that long because the first two months we were not open for business—just set up the menu and come up with the food; cook the food for the people to come and check it. For another three months, we tried to get perfection with the food, so I think it’s the right time to make a grand opening.

Is this building old? AN: One hundred and two years old. It was built in

1911. The place was called Appleton Hotel.Very historical.

Where do you get your bread? AN: Sumano’s is the manufacturer. It

just opened a block from here. Basically they make whatever we want. They design it especially for us, on a daily basis. We don’t need to order so much.

We are not rushing to make a big menu. We practice the food. We put it on a special. We want to make sure everything’s okay before we put it on the permanent menu.

How do you like your pizza? ZH: I prefer chicken pesto, but the veggie

pizza’s also great. The chicken pesto is a win-win combination.

Are you a perfectionist? ZH: I am, unfortunately, and that makes it hard,

but in the restaurant business it does help if you have attention to detail.

What’s your favorite burger? ZN: Abe’s Secret Recipe, of course, with mushroom and avocado—and Appleton Sliders, the mini version of that.

But what is Abe’s Secret Rub? I gotta know! ZH: That’s a secret. I

cannot tell you. It’s a combination of Persian spices that gives a different taste that everyone likes.

—Jacob Pierce

Astrology As A sttrro rology g Free F Fr rree e Will Will

By

Rob Brezsny Breezsny

31

For F or th thee w week eek o off Decemb December ber 25

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Ernest E Rutherf Rutherford ord (1871-1937) (1871-1937) is known as the ffather atheer of nuclear physics not just because he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.. He was also a supe superb teacher.. Eleven for Chemistry erb teacher of his students won Nobel Prizes Prizes.

That’s s. That ’s the kind of teacher or mentor or guide I ur urge gee you to connect with in 2014, TTaurus. months aaurus. The coming mont ths will potentially be an optimum time ffor learn deeply,, and at a or you to le earn deeply rapid promise rapid rrate. ate. One of the best ways to t fulfill that pr omise will be to appr apprentice entice yourself to adepts a who have mastered acquire. mastered the skills and savvy youu want to acquir e.

GEMINI (May ( 2121-June June 20):) YYour oouur last best hope to get rich was back in the latter half of 2001 and From om the first six months of 2002. Fr m July 2025 to June conspire 2026, the cosmos will again cons spire to give you a big ffat at chance to expedite yourr cash flow to the max. But why get bogged down dr ddreaming eaming of the future past or ffantasizing antasizing about the fut ure when ffertile ertile prosperity aree in fr front opportunities to boost your pr osperity ar ont way.. of you right now? Financial luck is flowing your way or making money ar Viable ideas ffor aaree materializing in treasure house. your subconscious tr easure hous se. The contacts that wealth could help you build your weal th are are ready ready to play offer untill July 2014.) er is good unti with you. (This off CANCER (June 2121-July July 22): Fr French rench poet Edmond creative Jabès had this to say about the birth b of big cr eative dramatically transform one’s life: ideas that dr amatically tr ansform m one ’ss lif e: “For For writer,r, discovering the work he the writer h will write is both miracle miracle like a mir acle and a wound, like tthe he mir acle of the Regardless you’ree an wound.” Regar dless of whether or o not you’r you artist, CCancerian, ancerian, I expect that yo ou will experience a wrenching awakening ing like this in 2014. wr enching and amazing awaken The opening you’ve been hoping and working ffor or will crack destiny. finally cr ack its way into your des stiny. It may be one of pleasurable able disruptionss you’ve ever had. the most pleasur LEO (July 23-Aug. 23-Aug. 22): In the co coming oming months, confined I’m betting that you will exit a co onfined place cramped break or shed cr amped expectations orr br eak off your compromise that drained ained you. commitment to a compr omise th hat has dr suddenly, could It may happen suddenly y, or it cou uld take a while to unfolds complete. How the escape unf oldds will have to do thoroughly extract with how thor oughly g y yyou extr actt the lessons that yyour “incarceration” available.

Here’s “incar ceration” has made availab ble. Her e’s a ritual process: that might also expedite the pr occess: Give a gift to the you’ree leaving behind, or off offer people you’r er a blessing in the wheree your difficul difficultt teachings teachings have taken place. spot wher VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

23-Sept. 22): “Now w that you don’t don’t have to be perfect, perfect, you can be good,”” says saays a character character in John Steinbeck’s Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden Edeen. I suggest that you make this your rallying rallying cry in 2014, 20144, Virgo.

Virgo. In fact, fact, why not begin right now, now w, wherever wherever youu are? are? Say “Now that I don’t perfect, don’t have to be perf ect, I can be good.” g ” Free Free yourself of the pr pressure ultimate essure to be the polished, ul timate embodiment of everything you’d ever hoped yo you ou would be. That will allow you to rrelax moree content with the elax into being mor intriguing cr creation already eation you have alr eady become. YYou oou may be surprised by how much mojo th this affords his aff ords you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 23-Oct. -Oct. 22): In 19 1972, 72, English ffolk olk musician Nick Drake Drake recorded recorded hiss album Pink Moon.

He finished it in a mer meree ffour hours, our hou rs, singing all 11 songs and playing every instrum instrumental track himself.. ental tr ack himself It took years ffor appreciate artistry, or anyone to appr e eciate his artistry y, but eventually the magazine Melodyy Maker selected Pink Moon as number 48 on its list of the “All “A All Time Time Top Toop 100 Albums.”” Here’s suspect efforts Here’s one way I suspec ct your eff orts will be similar to Drake’s Libra: Drake’s in 2014, Libr ra: YYou oou will have the ability to get a lot done in a short short time. Here Here are are two ways your fate fate will be different different from frrom Drake’s: Drake’s: First, you

will have a big pool p of trustworthy allies to call on ffor or what help. Second, wh hat you produce produce won’t won’t take nearly as a eciation it warrants. appr warrants. long to get the appreciation

SCORPIO (O (Oct. Oct. 23-Nov. 23-Nov. 21): Eierlegende W o ollmilchsau u is a colloquial German term for for a mythical Wollmilchsau pig that lays eggs egggs like a chicken, provides provides milk like a cow, supplies wool woool like a sheep, and ultimately ultimately becomes cow, c Metaphoricallyy, it may refer refer bacon and pork chops.

Metaphorically, fanciful device deviice that performs performs many functions. to a fanciful for instance, instaance, a futuristic smartphone that Imagine, for interpret your y dreams, dreams, trim your unwanted hair, hairr, could interpret perfect cup of coffee, coffee, tell you you’re you’re beautiful fix you a perfect actuually believe, and cure cure your little health health in ways you actually problems. In the real real world, ther e’s no such thing, right? problems. there’s therre’s a chance you will find the next best Not yet. But there’s eierlegende egende W Wollmilchsau ollmilchsau o u in 2014. thing to an eierle SAGITTAR SAGITTARIUS RIUS (Nov (Nov.. 22-Dec. 22-Dec. 21): “We “We don’t don’t accomplish our llove ove in a single year as the flowers do,” ia Rilke in the Duino Elegies. Do you says Rainer Mari Maria promise to take that truth into consideration consideration in 2014, promise Sagittarius? Will you pledge to diligently devote yourself creating the right riight conditions for for love to flourish? In to creating maay not have been fully able to carry carry out the past, you may marvel; you may not have had quite slow-buildinng marvel; this slow-building perrseverance. ance But you do now. now. enough wise perseverance.

CAPRICORN N (Dec. 22 22-Jan. -Jan. 19):: In 1588, TToyotomi ooyotomi Hideyoshi,, the ru ler of Japan, confiscated the swor ds, ruler swords, daggers, and spe ears belonging to every citizen. He spears announced they would be mel ted down and used to melted make a giant Bud ddha statue. I’d love to see you undertake Buddha a compar raable tr a ormation in 2014, CCapricorn. ansf apricorn. YYou oou comparable transformation shouldn ’t comple etely shed all your anger and pugnacity y, shouldn’t completely pugnacity, of course; a certa ain amount is valuable, especially when certain you need to rrouse ouse yourself to change situations that need to be changed. But But it’s it’s also true that you could benefit fr om a reduction reduction in your levels of combativeness. What if from you could “melt “melt down” d down ” some of your primal rage rage and use the ener gy that’s that’ss made available to build your personal energy equivalent of a Buddha Buddha icon?

AQUARIUS S (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The period between last July and nex xt June is prime time to find or cr eate next create your dr eam job. That T might mean simply upgr ading dream upgrading your existing gigg so that it ser ves you better serves better.. Or it could involve you rrethinking ethinking your rrelationship elationship with work and going off in ques st of a new way to earn a living. So quest how ar ng on this pr oject, Aquarius? If you ar aree you doin doing project, aree pr oceeding on sc chedule, you should be halfway ther proceeding schedule, theree by now ould be clear now.. The goal sh should clear,r, and you should be mor moree disciplined, or gannized, and determined than ever or organized, ever.r. If ffor any rreason eason this iisn’t sn’t the case, start playing catch-up.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar 19-March ch 20):: “Singing teaches two skills that ar sential ffor or any cr eative pr ocess,”” says aree ess essential creative process,” author and vocal ist Rachel Bagby y, “the ability to listen and vocalist Bagby, the ability to be flexible fl and spontaneous.”” I bring this t your attention to tt ti n, Pisces, Pi b because 2014 could ld potentially t ti ll attention, be a Golden Age ffor or your cr eativity. It will be a time when creativity. you will benefit eeven mor om exploring moree than usual fr from and enhancing yo our imaginative originality ’s why your originality.. That That’s I’m encour raaging you y to sing mor encouraging moree than you ever have bef ore. Make a lis st of your 50 ffavorite avorite singable songs.. Be before. list aggr essive aboutt expanding the music you get exposed aggressive to, and learn the melodies and lyrics to a lot of new tunes.

CCut ut loose with yo our vocal stylings whenever you have a your chance, and take a vow to pr opel yourself out of funk propel funkyy moods with the cr ccreative eative ener gy of your singing. energy

Homework: S Send end me your New Y Year’s eear ’s rresolutions. esolutions. Go G to RealA strologyy.com . and RealAstrology.com click on “Ema ail Rob.”” For extra extra credit, credit, send “Email your anti anti-r resolutions: weir d habits and anti-resolutions: weird vices you pled dge to continue. pledge Visit RE Visit REALASTROLOGY.COM AL ASTROLOGY.COM ffor or R Rob’s ob’s Expanded E Weekly Weekly Audio Audio Hor oscope es and Daily Text Text Message Message Horoscopes Hor oscope es. The The audio horoscopes horoscopes Horoscopes. ar e also available available by by phone at at are 1.877.873.4888 1.877.873 3.4888 or 1.900.950.7700 1.900.950.7700

CELEBRATE NEW YEAR’S EVE (dress code: elegant evening wear) First seating: 5 – 6:30 PM (3-course dinner, $65 per person) Second seating: 9 PM (5-course dinner, $85 per person, includes DJ and live music, dancing, hats/noisemakers, midnight toast) (tax and gratuity not included)

View our New Year’s Eve menu online at jdvhotels.com/aquarius Reservations required, contact Gus Siggins at 831.460.5012 or gsiggins@jdvhotels.com Complimentary Valet Parking New Year’s Day “Hangover Brunch” including Bloody Mary and Mimosa Bar 175 WEST CLIFF DRIVE, SANTA CRUZ 831.460.5012 JDVHOTELS.COM/AQUARIUS

DECEMBER 25-31, 2013

ARIES (Mar (March ch 21-April 19): Edm Edmund mund KKean ean (17 (1789891833) was one of the most ffamous amou us British actors contemporary, of his time. But a contempor aryy, the t poet Samuel frustrated inconsistency, Coleridge, was frustr ated by KKean’s eann’s inconsistency y, great who rregarding egarding him as a gr eat artist wh ho on occasion lapsed “To into histrionics. “T To see him act,” said Coleridge, “is Shakespearee by flash flashes like rreading eading Shakespear hes of lightning.”

Now and then I get that ffeeling eeling aabout bout you, Aries. YYou oou don’t ’t have bursts of brilliance that you sometimes don superstar ffollow ollow up on on. YYou’re oou ou’rre like a superst tar who loses your concentration. strong eeling that in 2014 concentr ation. But I’ve got a str onng ffeeling overcome tendency.. YYour com you will at least partially over me this tendency oour wordd of power will be consistency wor cyy.

EXPIRES: JANUARY 31, 2014

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