Santa Cruz Waves Magazine Vol 1.4 by Santa Cruz Waves

L i v e t he l if e st yle

V olume 1. 4 - De c 2 0 14 / jan 201 5

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

Santa Cru z Waves M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

Santa Cru z Waves M aga z i n e

Brogie Panesi poised for the pit. Photo: Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

santa cru z WaVes maga z i n e

Bay Photo Lab received the Green Business Certification Award â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Exceeding Environmental Regulatory Requirements, Preventing Pollution, and Conserving Natural Resources!â&#x20AC;?

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

santa s anta c cru ruzz WaVes magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

long bar. happy hour. Grab your friends and join us for Happy Hour* from 4:00–6:00pm, Sunday–Thursday. Enjoy 50% off select appetizers, and $5 draft beers, select wines, and well drinks.

sanderlingsrestaurant.com • (831) 662-7120 One Seascape Resort Drive, Aptos (Across from Seascape Village on Seascape Blvd.) 12

Santa Cru z Waves M agaz i n e *Happy Hour is available in the Lounge/Bar area only

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

S an ta C r uz Wav e s M agaz i n e Publisher Tyler Fox Editor Elizabeth Limbach Photo Editor Paul Topp Proofreader Josie Cowden

SCW Staff Photographers Kenan Chan, Yvonne Falk, T. Fox, Tyler Frasca, Jeff “Kookson” Gideon, Matt Hofman, Dave “Nelly” Nelson, Jim Patterson, Neil Simmons, Jake Thomas

Volume 1.4 - Dec 2014 / jan 2015 Word on the Street

What's Your Deal? Annie Pautsch

Remember When ... ? El Niño

Local Legends: Surfing Roots

Nonprofit: Digital Nest

In Depth: Documenting USAID

Perspectives: From the Depth

Faces from the Surfing World: Anthony Tashnick 52

Contributing Photographers Nick Chao, Ryan “Chachi” Craig, Bryan Rawles, Anthony Tashnick, Toby Thiermann, Gilbert Valenzuela, Roman Wagner

Contributing Writers Kevin Craft, Yvonne Falk, Tyler Fox, Neal Kearney, Linda Koffman, Christa Martin, April Martin-Hansen, Dave Nelson, Damon Orion, Jessica M. Pasko

Contributing Artists FJ Anderson, Joe Fenton

Design Design nomBat Brand Development

Behind the Lens: Kenan Chan

Travel: A Trip to Nicaragua

Ad Design Julie Rovegno

Fitness For a Rainy Day

Sales

Fashion: An Ode to Winter

Director of Sales Stephanie Lutz

Artist Profile: FJ Anderson

Upcoming Events

Distribution Mick Freeman

Local Ag: Saving Water

Santa Cruz Waves, LLC

Dining Guide

President Jon Free

Drink Up: Chai

104

Music: Brothers Comatose

110

Holiday Gift Picks & Directory

116

Comic: In the Bubble #1

130

Photo: Nelly / SPLwaterhousing

Event Gallery: The Coldwater Classic

132

Creative Director Julie Henry

Account Executives Julia Cunningham, Jillian Hogan, Jack Neenan, Sadie Wittkins

Founder Tyler Fox

On the Cover Ben Coffey does some cave digging somewhere along the Central Coast.

LLC. No part may be reproduced in any fashion without written consent of the publisher. Santa Cruz Waves Magazine is free of charge, available at more than 100 local

F i n d u s online

distribution points. Anyone inserting, tampering with or diverting circulation will be

www.SantaCruzWaves.com

For advertising inquires, please contact steff@santacruzwaves.com or 831.345.8755.

prosecuted. Santa Cruz Waves assumes no responsibility for content of advertisements.

@SantaCruzWaves

Santa Cruz Waves M agaz i n e

To order a paid subscription, visit santacruzwaves.com.

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

All I want for Christmas is ...

Great Gift Ideas for the Beer Lover on Your List! Established 1988

Gift Cards • Sunglasses • Sweatshirts Hydroflask • Shirts • 6-Packs of Blur

Located between the Boardwalk & the Yacht Harbor • 2 Blocks from Seabright Beach

519 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz | 831.426.2739 | SeabrightBrewery.com 1 6 | s anta c ruz WaVes magaz i n e Open Daily: 11:30am - 11:30pm

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

Santa Cruz Wave s M aga z i n e

Everyone loves a personalized gift basket. Andrea will build your customized basket, which can be filled with everything from cured meats, cheese, wine, and artisanal olive oil, to local handmade soaps, flowers, and gift cards. If they carry it in the store, she can put it together.

A n d r ea Bay les Manager, Cheese & Olive Bar, Peet's Coffee Andrea has 25 years experience in the grocery industry, and has worked at Deluxe since the Summer of 1999.

J eff Yappert Head Chef, Hot Foods & Catering Jeff began working at Deluxe in the Fall of 2007, and Spring 2011 he was made head of the prepared foods and catering dept.

If you are looking for a beautiful tray to adorn your holiday table contact Ingrid in the Delicatessen and Bakery. Deluxe has standard trays to choose from, or you can customize one to fit your specific needs. Plus, the Bakery department has a variety of cakes, pies, cookies, pastries, and more. Ask about their iced cookies which are a customer favorite and can be customized for your event. Deluxe Foods Head Chef, Jeff, can put your entire holiday meal together and have it hot and ready for pick up on a day of your choosing. As always, Deluxe is excited to customize menus and portions for each customer, so give Jeff a call and plan your holiday meal today. When you’re looking for the best meats and seafood to offer your family this holiday, look no further than the Deluxe Foods Meat Department. Tony and his staff of talented butchers are here to find you that perfect cut of meat, and offer up the best tips and advice for preparation. Place your orders now for these popular holiday items: • All Natural Free Range Diestel Turkey • Niman Ranch Applewood Ham •S unny Valley Hickory Smoked Ham •P rairie Fresh All Natural Pork Crown Roast •A ll Natural Harris Ranch Choice Standing Rib Roast •L ocal Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab, cracked and cleaned •S uperior Farms Domestic Lamb, California raised

I n g r id P ieper Manager, Bakery & Delicatessen Ingrid has 40 years of food service experience, and has been at Deluxe since the Spring of 1999.

T o n y A lva r ez Head Butcher, Meat Department Manager Tony has been with Deluxe Foods since the Summer of 1999, and has been the manager of the meat dept for over 4 years.

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

letter from the founDer

Tyler Fox â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Founder of Santa Cruz Waves and Big Wave World Tour competitor

go l ef t

Photo: Nelly / SPLwaterhousing

Humans are creatures of habit. We go about our days standing in the same line at the same coffee shop, making the same drive, eating the same food, and surfing the same break. We find a sense of safety and security in these pre-determined daily choices. There is nothing wrong with this way of living but over time it can lead to a bit of stagnation. You unintentionally turn into a sort of robot moving along the conveyor belt of life. With the beginning of a new year afoot, I challenge you to do something different. Surf a break youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never surfed before. Try something new on the menu. Go to an art exhibit. Compliment a complete stranger. If you keep an open mind and good attitude, these seemingly insignificant choices could wind up changing your life. So the next time you reach that routine right turn, fend off the fear of the unknown and go left. Powered by: 20

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

→ at the COLDWATER CLASSIC ←

W H AT A R E YO U R S U R F G OA L S F O R 2 0 1 5 ? By Yvonne Falk

To get into more warm water, travel more and see more beautiful waves. Ayla Fox Massage therapist

To always try to do airs because the older I

I have two goals: One would be to surf

get—I’m 42—I want to always be able to do

every day. Another would be to get my 8

360 airs and frontside/backside airs. Also,

year old, Presley, out there surfing.

just running a great event at the Titans of

Adam Replogle

Mavericks surf contest.

Regional marketing for Billabong Inc. and Billabong

Darryl “Flea” Virostko

Surfshop

Big-wave surfer

To surf more and be happy out in the water.

To do a barrel roll like Barney.

Peter Garaway

Cheyne Magnusson

Quality engineer for Adobe

Team manager for Body Glove

I’m going to go to Joey Wolfe’s [gym, Paradigm Sport] every day to get my calves as strong as humanly possible, to emulate Kyle Boothman’s turns and airs. I know that’s a hard goal to reach, possibly unobtainable, but I am ambitious, I am ferocious and I have goals. Ryan Craig Surf photographer

To be humble and kind … Aloha Kea Kua,

My surfing goals are to get really barreled

which means “Love is God.” May there be

and work on my carve game. To keep

more waves.

improving and get a cool photo.

Lars Hansen

Eric Imsland

Professional waterman

Surf instructor

santa s anta cru c ruzz WaVe s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

What's your Deal?

soon they clamored into the bus, which he had outfitted with old tapestries and scruffy recliners. “It was pure magic,” says Pautsch. She was getting ready to move back to Santa Cruz, where she has family, and decided to take that special day and turn it into a business plan. She started researching, working on a plan and searching for her chariot. She found the 1989 Thomas International school bus on Craigslist. “I really wanted that old-school look,” she says. A band in San Francisco had been using the bus for touring, but

Behind the wheel with Brew Cruz owner

Annie Pautsch By Jessica M. Pasko

Photos: Jake Thomas

There’s a good chance you’ve seen the green and wood-paneled Brew Cruz bus driving around town in recent months. The bus,

way,” Pautsch says. Nowadays she’s such a pro at steering the bus that driving her regular car “feels like driving a toy,” she says. For seven months, friends and family helped her get the bus fixed up, which included cleaning up graffiti left from students who rode the bus when it was used by a school district in North Carolina. Fast forward a few months and the bus—and the business—was

brainchild of Annie Pautsch.

rolling. The inaugural run was during Fourth of July weekend and,

own local beer tour company? It all starts in Colorado, where she attended college and developed a soft spot for craft beer. From there, she lived various places and worked in all assortment of industries, mostly film and commercial production. But the love of beer was always there. Her fate kicked into motion in the summer of 2013, when she attended a wedding in Boulder with some beer-loving friends. A groomsman suggested they go check out some local breweries together. No one wanted to drive, of course, so the group began researching options for alternative transportation. Someone had the idea to contact Billy Banjo’s, a local guy who’d moved to Boul-

up. “I drove it back from San Francisco going 40 miles on the high-

lovingly called Betty Jane after its owner’s grandmother, is the

So, what’s her deal? How did she become the proprietor of her

as luck would have it (for Pautsch, not the band), the band broke

amazingly, she says so far she hasn’t had any major disasters with a passenger getting too intoxicated. She is sure to keep contact information for local cab companies and services like Cruz Control on board and typically arranges to pick everyone up and drop them off at a residence. Her customers run the gamut in terms of age, background, occupation and more. She hadn’t expected that and has been pleasantly surprised. “I had this one tour—a bachelor party—and I was expecting a bunch of young bro types,” she says. “They showed up and they turned out to be huge craft beer geeks, all in their 40s, all in the tech industry—most were married. It was the groom’s fourth marriage.”

der and started a business giving historical tours in his renovated

Interested in a Brew Cruz tour? Tours are customizable and are oﬀered

vintage school bus. He agreed to give them a brewery tour, and

for private and public groups. Learn more at scbrewcruz.com.

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

local history

The Rio Del Mar beach flats get battered by the massive storm.

An ocean expert recalls one of Santa Cruz’s worst El Niño storms By Elizabeth Limbach

Photos: Gary Griggs

When the nastiest El Niño in nearly half a century struck the California coast in the early 1980s, marine scientist Gary Griggs braved

Tell us about the 1982/83 El Niño. What was the damage?

the storms to document the damage unfolding along Santa Cruz

The 1982/1983 El Niño was most pronounced during the first

County’s shoreline. He watched as logs rode into high-standing

three months of 1983. The storms produced about $230 million

homes on extreme tides and unusually large waves, and as surges of debris-strewn seawater traveled deep into the Capitola Village. A professor of earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz and director of the school’s Institute of Marine Sciences, Griggs is also a prolific oceanfocused author with a new book out, Our Ocean Backyard: Collect-

front homes and 12 businesses, and significant damage to 3,000 additional homes and 900 businesses. Damage

columns. Herewith, he shares photos and memories of the storm

in Santa Cruz included home

that wreaked havoc on Santa Cruz more than 30 years ago.

damage and loss, and losses

El Niño is a large-scale change in the normal ocean circulation and temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that was first noticed at least four centuries ago along the coast of Peru around Christ-

plete destruction of 27 ocean-

ed Essays, an assemblage of his eponymous Santa Cruz Sentinel

What is an El Niño?

in coastal damage [in today’s dollars] statewide, including com-

“the storms produced about $230 million in coastal damage statewide.”

to state parks and public infrastructure from wave impact and ﬂooding.

[Because] this was only the second large El Niño event in the

mas time (hence the name El Niño, after Jesus). The warm wa-

previous 35 or 40 years, most oceanfront homeowners had nev-

ter, which moves east along the equator toward Peru, moves

er experienced, nor expected, conditions like these. Elevated

north along the coasts of Central and North America. This typi-

sea levels, high tides and large waves brought [seawater] up

cally leads to elevated sea levels, greater rainfall with associ-

into Capitola, Rio del Mar, and into living rooms of beachfront

ated ﬂooding and slope failures, and larger storm waves from

property [and] destroyed about one third of the new timber

the southwest, which lead to coastal erosion and beach loss.

bulkhead just finished at Seacliff State Beach.

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

Continued on Page 30 ▶

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

L oc al H i st or y: El Niño

“Global climate change may be affecting long-term cycles ... and we are not completely certain what we can expect in the future.”

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

◀ Continued from Page 28

When are we in store for another? Historical records indicate that El Niño events can be expected every three to seven years. … From about 1945 to 1978 was a cool Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycle, dominated by La Niña events. This shifted in 1978 to a warmer El Niño-dominated period that extended to about 2000 and we have now moved back to a cooler La Niña-dominated period. Global climate change may be affecting these long-term cycles, however, and we are not completely certain what we can expect in the future. Our Ocean Backyard: Collected Essays can be found at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Bookshop Santa Cruz and on Amazon.

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Local legends

A conversation with four local families about their surfing roots and what the sport has given them throughout the generations By Neal Kearney

My dad hasn’t surfed a day in his life. My mom has given it a few shots, but it’s apparent that the surfing lifestyle wasn’t bred into my own DNA. I've always envied my friends whose families surf. For the parents, it’s a thrill to share their passion with their flesh and blood, and for the children the knowledge and guidance provided by their surf-seasoned parents is a boon to their own development and relationship with the ocean. There are plenty of these surf families in Santa Cruz. Below, we look at four sets of kin who have shared their love of waves with one another, ensuring the continuation of their respective surfing roots. We asked them to share their thoughts and feelings about the bonds that surfing has given them. Here’s what they have to say.

The Bartletts » To say that the Bartlett clan is into surfing is an understatement. Mom Shana comes from the Garaway family and, like her brother and sisters, has surfed competitively in the past with great success. Papa Osh, or Frog, as he is known to his friends, is a big-wave charger who previously surfed Mavericks and shaped

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

Photos: paultopp.com

surfboards. The duo has an ever-growing brood of grommets who are all being rapidly exposed to surfing. Selah, the eldest, is already a seasoned competitor at age 16 and is sure to carry on her parents' legacy of aloha and stoke. Shana: “I still remember biking on West Cliff with Osh and seeing all the cute little kids surfing at Cowell’s. It made us want to start a family so we could be out there with our children while we were still young. Later that year we had Selah.” Selah: “The first time I went out surfing with my mom I was about 1 year old. It was at Cowell’s. I can’t really remember the details, but I do know that the waves were good.” [Laughs] Shana: “One of the nice things about having parents who are surfers is that we understand not only the fun of the sport but also appreciate the challenges that come along with surfing. For example, when Selah comes home late and says, ‘I just couldn't get a wave,’ it’s hard to get frustrated because the same thing has happened to me countless times.” Selah: “It’s pretty cool to have a mom who surfs. It’s a lot fun to be out there with her. She only surfs every few months and still throws buckets of spray!” Shana: “Surfing and the ocean teach many lessons to a child. The top three things that come to mind are overcoming fears, respect of others and of the ocean, and humility.”

« The Banks Doug Banks has been shaping custom sticks for some of Santa Cruz’s best surfers for decades. He’s also a talented surfer, himself, and has passed his passion down to his sons, including Wilem, a 17-year-old Westside phenom who has been turning heads with his radical and progressive surf style. Doug: “I really never did push surfing on my kids. I more just gave them the exposure to surfing and let them witness everything that it meant to me through my actions. I was never much of a teacher, though. I basically told them, ‘hold onto your board, get in the white water so you don't get run over, Photos: Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing

and stay calm when you are getting beat!’ I left the rest up to them.” Wilem: “My dad shaped all of my boards for the first few years that I was surfing. I would be in the shaping room with every board he made me, just soaking it up.” Doug: “Wilem's grom boards were like making miniature furniture. … I don’t really shape Wilem many boards any more. I

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

l oc al l e ge n Ds : surfing roots

feel like a facilitator more than anything else. When Rusty Surfboards approached him about a year ago, I saw a great opportunity for both of them, especially for Wilem coming out of Santa Cruz. Those guys are so hands on, positive and in depth about board design for all types of waves. It just made sense to me and, most importantly, to Wilem, to be able to start and develop a relationship with such a world-class label and an amazing group of people.” Wilem: “I have watched my dad shape a lot. I would like to give it a shot, if anything just to appreciate the difficulties involved in such a process. … Will I carry on his legacy? Honestly, I don’t know, but I value the insight that he as a craftsman has passed down to me and feel like it will serve me well throughout my surf career.”

« Shaylene Cruz & Bucky Jamison Shaylene Cruz is basically the godmother of Pleasure Point. All summer she can be seen leading a rag-tag group of youngsters down to the beach with soft tops and boogie boards in tow, and most of the time they’ll be down there until the sun sets. She also shreds. Shaylene shares a son, 6-year-old Bucky, with a true Eastside legend, Benjy Jamison, a goofy-foot tube junkie who is renowned for his uncanny ability to thread heaving barrels. As Bucky grows, it’s a given that he’ll follow in his parents’ footsteps, given his already apparent love for his oceanic backyard. Shaylene: “What I love about surfing with Bucky is that when we’re out in the water together we talk about all sorts of things besides the waves. I remember spending that quality time with my dad. It's really important to me that Buck is able to tell me anything—and a lot gets shared out there.” Bucky: “The best advice my mom tells me about surfing is, ‘Don't panic, stay calm, and keep your eyes on the ocean.’ These things help me feel safe.” Shaylene: “Having the Point as our backyard has been amazing. Buck knows the scientific name for more sea creatures than I do, and he takes tourists out on guided tours through the tide pools. It truly takes a village to raise a child, and all the boys are watching out for Buck in and out of the Photos: paultopp.com

water. And for that I am very thankful.” Bucky: “The most fun I’ve had surfing was the time when I caught my first wave by myself. My mom was so happy. It made me feel really proud of myself.”

santa cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

Continued on Page 36 ▶

BRE # 01337838

Check out these properties and all other homes for sale in Santa Cruz on our website!

3 4 7 C OAT E S D R .

1 4 2 V I S TA M A R C T.

146 VENETIAN DR.

ARE YOU CURIOUS HOW A SMALL OFFICE CAN SELL SO MANY SANTA CRUZ AREA PROPERTIES? IT’S BECAUSE WE DO BUSINESS DIFFERENTLY! CONTACT US TO FIND OUT HOW SUCCESSFUL AGENTS WORK:

831.688.9800

EnjoySantaCruz.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

l oc al l e ge n Ds : surfing roots

◀ Continued from Page 34

Shaylene: “Bucky hasn't shown his competitive side quite yet. Truthfully, we all want our kid to shred, but I just want Buck to feel the adrenaline and happiness that surfing gives us all. I want him to test himself and charge.”

« The Coffeys Ward and Ben Coffey are both talented and extremely competitive surfers. As a shaper, Ward has an intimate relationship with surfboards, and he’s imparted this familiarity with foam onto young Ben. The 17-year-old has been excelling rapidly in recent years, establishing himself as one of Santa Cruz’s top competitive threats, hoping to keep the Coffey surname fresh in people’s minds for years to come. Ward: “I actually had both my boys on soft boards for a good couple of years before their first custom boards. The thought was that they could be safe, take a pounding by their boards and still keep being stoked. It was more about fun than performance. It wasn't until I saw that the boards were starting to hold them back that I made them their first boards. Ben's first board was a little epoxy squash tail thruster.”

1017 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 423-2700 36

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

oldschool-shoes.com

More Than Just Sneakers

local legenDs: surfing roots

Ben: “I’ve been in and around the ocean as long as I can remember—boogie boarding, bodysurfing and just running around. The first time I went surfing I was 4 and my dad took me out to the Hook. It was the first time I stood up on a board and rode a wave—and I loved it.” Ward: “I’m constantly working with Ben on new boards. He goes through a lot of boards at this time because he's still growing and pushing the envelope of progressive surfing. We're on a good design track right now, and are making slight volume changes to better suit his weight and power ratios.” Ben: “My dad has taught me so much about surfing and surfboards and their design. It's been amazing having someone who sees me surf all the time and knows exactly what I should be on.” Ward: “There are so many life lessons to be learned from surfing and being in and around the ocean that I am proud to be able to share with Ben—being able to seize the moment, live in the present, and adapt to changing conditions. Surfing is a wonderful portal into travel, diversity, and meeting interesting people from all over this planet.” Photos (Left and Right): Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing

After a long day of surfing–Time to Relax

2701 41st Ave, Soquel, 95073 | 831.425.3200

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

Good food is better with

FRIENDS

WeSTSiDe SanTa cruz

cart

Cath

DOWnTOWn SanTa cruz

41st Ave

Reposa Melton

41st Ave

38th Ave

Ave Pacific

Cedar

Jeter

Jade

Brommer

oquel Front St

Lincoln

Ingalls

Ave

t Walnu

Pacific

McPherson

Fair

www.newleaf.com 3 8 | s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

reet

St ion Miss 1

Fair

• Gluten-Free & Vegan Options • Homemade Deli Salads & Dishes • Made-To-Order Pizzas • Hot Bar & Salad Bar • Fresh Juices & Smoothies • Organic Produce • Sustainable Meat & Seafood

Swift

For the greater goodness

Gather your friends and let us take care of rest so you can truly enjoy the season. New Leaf has everything you need to entertain: party trays, dinner menus, desserts and pastries, imported and local cheeses and a great selection of wine and beer. Visit www.newleaf.com for menus and ideas.

Nova

caPiTOla

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

nonProfit

Building the Nest

DIG ITAL N E S T CR E AT ES AN INN O VAT I VE T E C H SPACE F O R YO U T H I N WA T S O N VI L L E

By Jessica M. Pasko Photo: Jake Thomas

As the tech industry continues to

“The students in this community lacked access to technology,”

grow in Santa Cruz and connections to

says Martinez. “I have worked here in this community providing

Silicon Valley strengthen, a number of

technology education for the past nine years and have had really

people are trying to bring that same en-

good outcomes, yet there are still many youth that lacked the ac-

ergy to South County.

cess outside of our programs. In order to adequately prepare for

A fledgling nonprofit has started a new,

jobs of today and tomorrow they need the skills to pursue those

innovative workspace in Watsonville

jobs. The economic impact that these youth can have on the com-

centered on providing technology edu-

munity can be huge.”

cation to youth ages 12 to 24. Digital NEST, which had its ribbon cutting in November, gives its Digital NEST (Nurturing Entrepreneurial Skills with Technology) is the brainchild of Jacob Martinez, a UC Santa Cruz alumnus with years of experience in develop-

ing and leading youth and community programs. His work has focused on encouraging underserved communities to pursue higher education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM as the foursome is often called). For the past several years, he has worked with the National Science Foundation-funded Watsonville Tecnologia-Educacion-Comunidad (TEC) program, where he has served as project director and principal investigator. He’s now expanding that work to Digital NEST, an actual brick-and-mortar center for tech education.

members a fully loaded laptop, and Martinez says the organization is building connections with the local business community to provide internships, apprenticeships, and other similar opportunities. For a community whose primary industry has always been agriculture, a transition to more technology education may not seem so obvious, but Martinez says that the two sectors go hand in hand. “The agricultural community is also in need of a highly skilled workforce and currently recruit outside the county for that talent,” he says. “Ag is becoming more and more technical.” More importantly, he says, the technology industry needs to be

Martinez wanted it to go beyond the boring, sterile computer lab

diversified and he hopes that NEST can help encourage Latinos

many students think of when it comes to STEM learning.

and women to get involved in that sector. He was recently rec-

Instead, he plans to give kids the sort of hip, collaborative workspace that’s become the standard for Silicon Valley, as well as in our county at locations like Cruzioworks and Nextspace (the CEO of which, Jeremy Neuner, has been a key figure in NEST’s development). Martinez had previously brought students on field trips to places like Google and Apple and observed their enthusiasm for what they saw as a cool atmosphere.

ognized by TechCrunch for his work in helping Latina women, in particular, bridge the gap and move into post-secondary education and careers in technology. The hope is that Watsonville’s Digital NEST will be the first of many such spots. Martinez says he and his colleagues see it as “a solution for economic development for rural communities all over the country.”

But his real motivation was the need for enhancing opportunities for traditionally underserved communities.

40 40

cru s anta c ruzz WaVe s magaz i n e

Visit digitalnest.org for more information.

Come to Camouflage for all your sexy needs & receive

20% off

positively sexy

Best Lingerie Best Adult Store

since 1980

Bring this ad & receive 20% off your next purchase! Sale items excluded (expires 01/31/15)

1329 Pacific Avenue Santa Cruz CA | 831.423.7613 Open til 9 pm Mon-Thurs Open til 10 pm Fri-Sat Open til 7pm Sun

www.shopcamouflage.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

www.facebook.com/CamouflageSC

find us on Facebook

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

in DePth

LOCAL FILMMAKERS RISK LIFE AND LIMB TO SHED LIGHT ON HUMANITY’S POSITIVE SIDE By Damon Orion

sa nta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

Photos: (Left) Toby Thiermann, (Right) Bryan Rawles

In late 2013, four Santa Cruz filmmakers set out to make a short movie that would concisely document the humanitarian efforts of a government organization called the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). While journeying through Afghanistan, Jordan, Kenya and the Philippines, these longtime friends and business associates—Kaj Larsen and Toby Thiermann of the media production company Mandate Productions, plus Bryan Rawles and Philip Lima of the local commercial studio Impact Media Group—encountered all kinds of hazards, including guns, bombs and hurled rocks. “The danger was real, but everybody went despite the risk to themselves because they believed in the project,” notes Larsen, a former Navy SEAL and CNN correspondent. He adds that in both his military career and his civilian career as a journalist covering conflict zones, he has seen a lot of man’s inhumanity to man. “What’s not often revealed, either in my television reports or during my time in the service, is that even in very difficult places, there’s actually a tremendous amount of good happening,” he offers. “USAID, in larger part, is one of those organizations that’s responsible for doing a lot of that good. So I very much felt compelled to make a film that balances the equation a little bit.” USAID, hoping to share its message, posted a request for film proposals. Soon after submitting a proposal, Mandate Productions was awarded the government contract. While unknown to most people, USAID is one of our nation’s largest government organizations, with an annual budget second only to that of the Defense Department. Among many other things, USAID has cut the global poverty rate in half over the course of two decades, reduced Afghanistan’s infant mortality rate from 73 percent to 33 percent, brought clean water to typhoon victims in the Philippines, promoted child education in Kenya and provided food and education for Syrian refugees. As of press time, USAID workers were deployed in West Africa, dealing with the Ebola crisis. The four filmmakers worked at a frenetic pace, taking 13 flights in 15 days to complete the shooting. In the Philippines, about five days after Typhoon

Haiyan

killed

more than 6,300 people,

VVooll 11.4 .4 -- DDeecc 201 20144 // jan jan 20 2015 15

45 45

i n D e P t h : Documenting usaiD

they captured footage of USAID workers providing water, shelter,

three more miles this way, there would be a Taliban stop, and

tarps and blankets to victims of the disaster. In Kenya, where US-

we would get shot. That is the norm; there is no safe place.” He

AID is helping to further economic development, child education

adds that while he and the rest of the crew were filming a group of

and wildlife protection, they went on patrol with Maasai warriors

kids playing soccer on a frozen lake, they saw three or four Black

who had been retrained as anti-poaching officers. In Jordan, they

Hawk helicopters flying overhead. “In the States, if Black Hawks

stayed with refugees about 10 miles from the Syrian border. “At

fly 1,000 feet over a school or something, everybody says, ‘What

a couple points, we could hear the bombs going off in Syria from

the heck?!’ Here, nobody blinked.”

where we were,” says Rawles, a former marine who served in Iraq in 2003.

Afghanistan wasn’t the only region where the filmmakers narrowly avoided catastrophe. A bombing at the airport preceded their

Things got especially hairy when the film crew visited Afghani-

arrival in Nairobi, Kenya, where an attack on the Westfield Mall

stan’s capital, Kabul, to capture images of USAID providing class-

had left the spouse of one USAID worker dead a few months prior.

es for young female engineering students. Undaunted by the fact

They also visited some of the largest slums in Nairobi, where a

that the Taliban was making a point of attacking areas that were

group of young people making distilled alcohol expressed their

frequented by Westerners, they traveled without security, explor-

objection to the presence of a camera by hurling rocks at them

ing the checkpoint-filled territory with just their driver and their

from a distance. One of those rocks connected with Thiermann.

fixer. “We would cruise around, get out, walk around the streets

“It didn’t hurt too bad,” he chuckles. “We just got out of there.”

and stuff like that,” Rawles recalls. “Sometimes our fixer would be like, ‘Hey, time to go,’ because he would hear people saying, ‘Hey, they just took pictures

The risk-taking paid off, however: clocking in at slightly more than three minutes, the end result of all these adventures is a powerful, feature film-quality piece

of a woman in a burka.’”

that vividly brings USAID’s

There were many close calls

efforts to life. Accompanied

for the filmmakers during

by the voices of Presidents

their stay in Kabul. Shortly

Kennedy, Clinton, Bush and

after they shot footage at the

Obama (the first of whom signed USAID into law in the

CURE Hospital (a medical cen-

early ’60s), the video pres-

ter for disabled children and

ents such striking images as a

their families, funded in part by Western organizations like

Photo: Toby Thiermann

USAID), a gunman stormed the gates and killed four people. Two days after they left Afghanistan, a suicide bomber and two men with AK-47s killed 21 people in La Taverna, a restaurant where the film crew had eaten almost every day. Mere weeks later, a hotel where the camera team had stayed, the Serena, became the site of a Taliban attack that left seven people dead. Lima, who serves as Impact Media Group’s technical manager, recalls cruising around in Afghanistan with Larsen, Thiermann and Rawles: “Our fixer would say if we drove

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

the end result of all these adventures is a powerful, feature film-quality piece that vividly brings USAID’s efforts to life.

typhoon victim in the Philippines receiving a USAID box, a doctor examining a baby in Kabul and a Syrian refugee receiving a food voucher. In the interest of emphasizing the dignity of the people they were filming, the film crew chose not to depict their subjects as desperate and defeated. “We didn’t want it to be a ‘save the kids’ kind of video where there’s the kid with the vulture next to him and the fly crawling over him,” Rawles explains. “We wanted to show them as dignified, because these people don’t feel like they’re oppressed, downtrodden, without hope.”

Continued on Page 48 ▶

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

i n D e P t h : Documenting usaiD

Hillary Clinton said that their video conveys “true human dignity.”

◀ Continued from Page 46

The crew’s efforts have not gone unnoticed:

of hope and potential that exists even in some of the world’s most

when the film premiered at an April 2014

challenged populations. “Talent, idealism and intelligence are

international development conference, key-

equally distributed throughout the world—we saw that in our jour-

note speaker Hillary Clinton commented

ney in Afghanistan; we saw it in schools in East Africa—but access

that the video conveys “true human dignity."

and opportunity are not equally distributed,” he observes. “USAID is

Being a part of this project was eye opening for Rawles. “We talked to one man in Amman [Jordan], and I asked him, ‘What do you

trying to change that equation and give all of these talented people who we encountered on our journey some of the same access and opportunities that we might have here in the U.S.”

want the American people to know?’” he re-

Thiermann adds that if our country supported USAID more than

calls. “He said, ‘We’re dying out here. Please help us.’ I think as

it supported the Defense Department, we might see a change for

Americans, we look at the war in Syria, and we don’t know who

the better in our relationship with the rest of the world. “Some-

the good guys are and who the bad guys are. But in the end, it’s a

one who you help avoid starvation or who you provide drinking

human conflict, and these people are begging for our help. Same

water to will see you and your country as a friend for probably the

thing in Afghanistan: most of the Kabul [residents] say, ‘We want

rest of their lives, whereas if you kill someone’s brother or father

the United States to stay,’ because this is the last bastion of free-

or whatnot, it’s completely the opposite,” he notes. “I’m not say-

dom in this country.”

ing it’s black and white, but I think we can at least try to make it

While making the film, Larsen was struck by the tremendous amount

50/50 and lean toward being friends with some of these places, rather than enemies.” Watch the video at youtube.com/watch?v=xI1kA1FAdrk. Learn more at mandateproductions.com, theimpactmediagroup.com and usaid.gov.

Photo: Toby Thiermann

Old School Craftsmanship

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

(831) 684-2117 testorffconstruction.com CA License # 698917

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

PersPectiVes

Underwater in the Monterey Bay

Photos by Jim Patterson Clockwise from top leftâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;harbor seal; reef exploration; Nudibranch Hermissenda; Mosshead warbonnet; moon jelly; red anemone; and a kelp crab.

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

Try out these places in order to experience the magical underwater world of The Monterey Bay: Aqua Safaris

Tropical Adventures

www.aquasafaris.com

Scuba

831-479-4386

Adventure Sports www.asudoit.com 831-458-3648

www.mytascuba.com 831-475-3483

Aquarius Dive Shop www.aquariusdivers.com 831-375-1933

Pro Scuba Dive Center www.proscubadivecenter.com 831-431-6824

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Photo: Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing

A peek inside the busy mind of Anthony Tashnick

By Neal Kearney

The other week I saw Anthony Tashnick paddle out during an overhead south swell at Pleasure Point … on a skimboard. He had installed fin plugs into the three-foot

Photo: Tazzy

piece of foam and was giving it a go, yet it looked as though he could barely paddle the thing. I should have been perplexed. I should have been genuinely flummoxed. But the truth is, I didn’t think twice about Tashnick’s unorthodox choice of equipment. It’s what I’d expect from one of surfing’s mad scientists. He goes to great lengths to

ORIGINAL TASHNICK CREATIONS

diversify his understanding of his equipment and is not afraid to try new things or buck the norm. (We're talking about the guy who rode a twin fin at Mavericks last year—who does that?) The same goes for his approach to dreaming up new ways to ride

deck so I can flip it over depending on the waves I’m surfing.

in a sport that is dominated by fads and trends. With this in mind, I invited Tashnick to my house to explore his thinking on these topics and more.

“WOODY” This board is for looking cool. I wanted to make a torpedo

and this is what I came up with. It’s a single fin, but I want to install a twin fin set up on the

big waves or attain fulfillment

Board #1:

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

Board #2:

“DISCO BISCUIT” This was my attempt to save a broken

John Mel board. It was originally a hybrid; I really liked the belly and rocker so I recycled it. I’ve used it behind the boat wake surfing and on a couple small days at Pleasure Point. Board #3:

“BOMBER” I made this thing for big, long, fast barrels. It’s got heavy

glass, a super deep concave, flat nose rocker, and a deep V.

Continued on Page 54 ▶

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

fac e s of t h e s urf ing Wo rlD : Anthony Tashnick

◀ Continued from Page 52

He strolls up my walkway on an unseasonably warm October afternoon clad in a backward hat and board shorts. The tan line on his neck indicates that he’s been getting his fair share of surf time. I’ve known Anthony for about 20 years, so it’s not long before we delve into surf-related banter with the ease of two longtime surf buddies. Soon, our discussion turns to Tashnick’s fascination with the fringes of surfing theory and design concepts. His eyes light up and he becomes increasingly animated, supplying sound effects and bouncing from one extreme theory to another like a physics professor hopped up on Starbucks. Tashnick has been a pro surfer most of his life, and has had the opportunity to pick the brains of the most innovative and hard-charging surfers of our sport. His wealth of knowledge is impressive. Some might listen to his spiel and label him crazy, but I know better. As Tashnick tells me, “If it weren’t for ‘crazy’ people pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, we’d still be riding 140-pound redwood surfboards with square rails and no fins.” Among his musings on a variety of surf-related subjects are these: Big-Wave Surfing: “Everybody is wearing life jackets and flotation suits these days. But think about it: if you surf without a Photo: Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

faces of the surfing W orlD: Anthony Tashnick

leash, your board is most likely going all the way into the rocks,

ward spiral. For me, I just like

because it floats. Well, the same thing goes for wearing flotation

to keep it fresh, to smile and

devices. What was designed to keep you from drowning is now

have fun, because I use surf-

keeping you in the middle of a very, very violent situation. You’re

ing as my outlet to wash it all

just a pingpong ball tumbling around getting worked.

away and become clear head-

I’ve been thinking a lot about using a weight belt in giant surf,

ed. It’s my sanctuary."

with quick-release capabilities that would allow you to penetrate

Board Design: “Luckily I have

the water on heavy wipeouts, allowing you to sink below the im-

Bob Pearson to go to with any

pact area and release the weights when the wave passes. Again, I

of my bizarre ideas. Bob is so

haven’t tried these ideas out in life-or-death situations, but I think

rad. I could take some card-

they may be functional in the future.”

board and glue and some hammers and make this

“If it weren’t for ‘crazy’ people pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, we’d still be riding 140-pound redwood surfboards with square rails and no fins.”

On Having Fun: “Take one of the best days of the year in Santa

mush pile, or mold it or shape

Cruz with your short board. Odds are, you’ll go out there, fight a

it with clay, give it to Bob and

million people and get flustered. Or, you could take a shitty, 1-foot

just be like, ‘I want it like this,’ and he’ll shape a board like that.

blown-out day on a soft-top, and, probably, when it’s all said and done, you’re going to feel better about your session on the soft-

I like to go fast. Anything works if you’re going fast. So sometimes

top because you’re catching waves.

I ride weird, different boards—even if I can only go straight, if I’m

I really believe in manifestation. I see people go out, and if their

board, strip the thing, and reshape it with little changes or addi-

surfing isn’t going right, their day could be ruined, or they’re

tions. Basically, I’m willing to put the saw to the board and get

grumpy. Once you start getting in the mindset, it’s just a down-

weird, no matter how hideous the thing looks when I’m done.”

$125 2 HOUR

going fast I’m stoked. Sometimes I’ll see something I like in an old

“Annemieke is an essential part of my whole family’s health and wellness. We all go to her for regular tune ups and always leave feeling better.” –Shawn Dollar Big Wave World Tour surfer

Chiropractic exam/ adjustment and Massage or Acupuncture (Reg. $250)

Photo: Ryan “Chachi” Craig

FLOURISH

chiropractic-acupuncture-massage

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

526 Soquel Ave, Suite A, Santa Cruz • 831.325.0305

BehinD the lens

NEW KID A Q&A with Santa Cruz Waves shutterbug Kenan Chan Introduction by Tyler Fox | Q&A by Paul Topp

Kenan Chan might just be the nicest kid you’ll ever meet. He’s always polite, gracious and a true joy to work with. But don’t let his deferential demeanor fool you—this boy is driven. He never stops scouring the coast for new and unique ways of expressing his photographic vision. That determination shows in the quality of his work and the progress he’s made over the last couple of years. The sky’s the limit for Chan, and we are excited to witness his skills develop in the pages of this magazine and beyond.

Where did you grow up? I was born in Oakland and lived there until the fourth grade, then moved to San Mateo and then to Santa Cruz for college. How did you become interested in photography? I’ve enjoyed photography for a while. I think part of what interested me was all the National Geographic magazines I would look through, especially the photos taken underwater. When I was in elementary school, I would go through so many disposable cameras when my family and I were on vacation. The photos were horrible, but it was still fun. In high school I bought my first SLR and my passion grew. I was super into nature photos, as well as action and sports photos.

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

N THE

BLOCK

When did you start to focus mainly on surf photography? After I moved to Santa Cruz a couple years ago, I did what everyone does and started surfing. I had some friends who were into it, too, and we would go out and surf in between class or whenever else we could find time. Once, on a bigger day, they went out and I decided to stay in and take some photos. I knew nothing about surf photography but it was a fun challenge to get a good all-around photo, as well as making the surfer look good. A year later, I applied to Santa Cruz Waves and started working [for this magazine], which pushed me even more to improve my surf photography. What type of equipment do you use? Nikon. Nikon all the way. [Laughs] Right now, I'm using a D300s as my camera body and a handful of lenses, mainly my 70-200 f2.8 and 85 f1.8. I also use a CMT water housing which is super slick and light. Do you prefer shooting from land or in the water? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hard [question] because I enjoy both. With land I feel like I can be a bit more creative with the way I compose the shot, especially using objects within the landscape in the photo, but to get a good shot in the water is just so much more rewarding and challenging.

j an 20 15 V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan

Be h i n d t h e L e ns : Kenan Chan

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

Continued on Page 60 â&#x2013;ś

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Be h i n d t h e L e ns : Kenan Chan

◀ Continued from Page 58

What is the hardest part of being a surf photographer in Santa Cruz? Santa Cruz has been such a great spot for me to get into surf photography, but it has definitely been challenging. I think one of the harder things is having such talented established photographers like Chachi and Nelly—the list goes on and on—taking amazing photos. It’s also been hard getting to know the surfers I’ve photographed. I [felt] when I first started, and I guess still [feel] to a certain extent, it was somewhat intimidating to photograph the surfers, but slowly I've met more and more of them and hopefully I will continue to get to know more of them.

Santa Cru z Wave s M agaz i n e

Behind the Lens: Kenan Chan

What is the best part? The best part might also be the hardest part. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so sick that we have such well-established photographers living and working out of Santa Cruz that I can look up to. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also great that we have talented surfers, without [whom] we would have nothing to photograph. Also, Santa Cruz surfing isn't as blown up as it is in Southern California, which I think is cool, too, and lets us have a little more of a low-key vibe.

Dan Anderson lofts a stylish boost on the Central Coast.

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Be h i n D t h e l e ns : Kenan chan

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

BehinD the lens: Kenan chan

Tyler Fox and Grant “Twiggy” Baker share a wave during the final of the 2014 Mavericks Invitational.

Continued on Page 64 ▶

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Be h i n D t h e l e ns : Kenan chan

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

â&#x2014;&#x20AC; Continued from Page 63

BehinD the lens: Kenan chan

Do you set goals for your photography? I am always striving to do better. There is always something I can improve— whether it’s the exposure or composition or editing, there is always something. I think that’s why I have been shooting a lot more in the water, because every time I have a water sesh, I feel like I come out of it a little more knowledgeable. What would you like to achieve in the next year? I think every surf photographer’s goal, at least initially, is to get noticed by some of the editors at some of the bigger mags. That would be really cool. But I would also like to travel. I had a couple of chances this summer that, for one reason or another, didn't work out, which was a bummer. But hopefully I’ll get some more chances to travel and get shots of some good surfing in places other than here in Santa Cruz. What has been your greatest achievement so far? This year has been pretty good for me in terms of photography. I was pretty stoked getting a shot in a Surfline feature earlier this year. I was also excited I got to go out to Mavericks this year during the competition [and that I] started to work with a couple [of] companies here in town. But I think one of my best achievements was getting to know the surfers I photograph better. There are still plenty of people I want to get to know and shoot with but I've been having a lot of fun shooting with some of the surfers in town as well as a few from up north. And of course getting featured in Santa Cruz Waves magazine isn't so bad, either! Where can our readers see more of your work? If you want to see more of my photos you can check out my website (kenanchanphotography.com), find me on Instagram (@kenanchan) or on Facebook (facebook.com/kenanchanphoto).

Shaun Burns ripping through the ripples at The Lane. V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Santa Cruz Wave s M aga z i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

traVel

Story and photos by Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing Nicaragua is known for a lot of things, but for surfers it’s known for perfect waves, offshore winds, and empty lineups. So when Bud Freitas told me he was going, and that it was a surf-slash-golf trip, I was all over it. Plus, the swell looked to be pumping on the forecast—it was a no-brainer. After a long flight, a layover, another flight and a drive, we arrived in paradise. Mark and Dave’s Place at Playa Colorado is known for good food, excellent accommodations, and some of the better beachbreak surf in the world. The winds are offshore 340 days a year, which makes for super clean and hollow conditions—it thumps. Our crew consisted of a bunch of PGA pros and guys who work for the golf industry, and I was curious to see how they would handle these types of waves. I was more than impressed to find that they all fully handled it. Adam Scott is not only the No. 2 golfer in the world, but it turns out he also charges. Will Mackenzie and Nick Flanagan were surfing three or four times a day. I was in disbelief! Not quite in the same league as big bad Bud Freitas and Chuy Reyna but they all paddled out and got sick waves when it was 8 feet and pumping. One day a bunch of vans showed up to shuttle us to the Mukul Resort. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen: a beautiful A-plus golf course that finishes on an incredible left-point break. Our friend Gustavo showed us around and took us out for a quick nine holes before we surfed. “There are a couple [of] boats out there now,” he said, "but they’ll be gone soon.” He was right. By the time we finished the nine holes, the surf lineup was empty, and we watched in awe as one left after another grinded along the perfect reef. Needless to say, we surfed all afternoon and into the sunset. It felt like a dream.

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Each year as winter approaches, outdoor athletes anticipate it with a sense of both excitement and foreboding. For surfers, winter means long-period groundswells and pristine waves, but can also mean storms so wild that the surf gets blown-out and un-surfable. When pouring rain comes—as our drought-riddled county hopes it does this winter—muddy trails rob many mountain bikers of their favorite pastime. Stand-up paddleboarding, hiking, skydiving—the weather puts a damper on many of the outlets for adrenaline junkies. But not all of them. Action sport enthusiasts still have options for stay-

Winter weather got you down? Get your adrenaline fix with these indoor activities

ing fit and getting their thrills—all from the comfort of the indoors.

By April Martin-Hansen Photos: Tyler Frasca

Arriving at the skate park and finding it’s still wet after the rain is disappointing enough to derail your whole day. Indoor skate parks are an excellent alternative during the winter season, as you’ll never miss out on a skate sesh due to bad weather. Skating is also excellent cross training for surfers and can be a good substitute when the waves are too ﬂat or too stormy. Grind Out Hunger on 41st Avenue (grindouthunger.org) has an epic indoor skate park, plus another great way for skaters to feel good and keep busy: fighting hunger. Grind Out Hunger’s mission is to help end childhood malnutrition, and it has helped provide more than two million meals so far. For adventurous ladies, roller derby could be the joyride they’re looking for. In a competition, five women race around a track on roller skates trying to get around the ring as many times as possible and, in the process, making sure the other team doesn’t. This sport is not for the faint of heart—it involves lots of physical contact, as the main way people slow down the other team is to try to shove and push them over. Santa Cruz has a very active and competitive roller derby league, making it a great place to get involved in the sport. Sound appealing? Consider attending one of the clinics for new members put on by the Santa Cruz Derby Girls (their first training boot camp for new recruits is Jan. 10). More information can be found on their website, santacruzderbygirls.org. One of Santa Cruz’s most popular sports, rock climbing, is perhaps the perfect sport to turn to next time a storm shows up. With Castle Rock State Park nearby and an excellent indoor climbing gym, Pacific Edge (pacificedgeclimbinggym. com), conveniently located in Seabright, Santa Cruz has a vibrant climbing community. Indoor climbing is an ideal activity to take up during the winter because it is truly a full-body workout. Climbing requires you to concentrate deeply and forces you to be in touch with your body and its limits. It can be a humbling experience, but is a rewarding one. Not only does it immensely improve strength, but it also increases ﬂexibility. This will come in handy when the weather permits you to 70

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

get back out on your bike or board.

Downtown Santa Cruz

1515 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 429-6101 sockshopandshoeco.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

SOCKSHOP & SHOE CO.

Fash i on : Paid Advertisement

oots: check. Highlights: done. Color: exquisite. Exten-

sions: absolutely. At Pleasure Point’s new hair salon, you’ll get your hair done impeccably, and while you’re there, you should take a look around. Click Click Bang, on 41st Avenue next to Verve, is a fashion and beauty lover’s paradise. It’s a hair salon, a jewelry haven, and it’s an art gallery—an all-in-one striking destination. While waves crash just down the street at the Hook, and coffee is served up next door, customers indulge in an experience that’s unlike any other in Santa Cruz. This is a shop where concrete and metal merge with a rock ‘n roll vibe. It’s a place where mom and daughter get haircuts at the same time—and walk out of the salon looking age-appropriate. It’s where your roots get a pick-meup, and a gloss and treatment are a bonus; and it’s where men’s grooming excels. Customers get dressed up to go there because they know they’re going to look good when they leave. It’s the vision of owner Emily Legge, a hair industry veteran who’s worked in Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Los Angeles. She’s travelled the country studying hair, boning up on technique, and has

Also on the menu is every kind of styling and color service imaginable, as well as makeup services from the two makeup artists she works with. In order to do it right, Legge and her team of the industry’s finest are available for 15-minute free consultations. And these aren’t the “yes, ma’am” kinds of exchanges. You’ll receive honest advice, expertise, and integrity during the consultation.

worked in the field for more than 20 years. With two decades of

“I demand excellence,” says Legge. And that applies to her

master level experience, she opened Click Click Bang one year

product lines, too, including a recent addition, R+Co, and its

ago with the intention of offering superior service, and an all-

Aircraft product—a pomade/mousse that’s a perfect holiday

ages-are-welcome salon experience. Professionalism (while also

gift. “It gives you second day hair on the first day,” says Legge.

having fun) is No. 1 on her menu of services.

“You’ll have that rock ‘n roll look.” - Christa Martin

Santa Cruz Wave s M agaz i n e

808 41st Ave., Santa Cruz (831) 464-2724 clickclick-bang.com V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

fashion

Dress for the season from local boutiques and designers By Christa Martin, thepennyrose.com As temperatures dip, layers start to pile on. But Santa Cruz weather is moody, even in the winter, and our model, Stephanie, is dressed accordingly. Here’s how to get her look. Start from the shoes up. While the rain has been fickle, it still might come (we hope) and when it shows up, a Santa Cruz woman needs to be prepared. Wear a new kind of rain boot. This sleek and sophisticated, black leather heeled pair from Coclico is found at Jade. These DL1961 jeans from Cameron Marks have a perfect, stretchy fit. Tuck them into boots or roll a tiny hem above the boots. Now, add some color. We suggest this dark green, embossedlooking tank by Maison Scotch from Cameron Marks and this red-fiber/metal Deva Necklace from Blank Verse Jewelry. If the weather heats up, simply toss off that big jacket and your look is still in place. Then comes the statement piece: a bold jacket by Just Female. Plaid is big this season. But take it up another notch—go monochromatic and pile it on. This jacket comes with a matching scarf that can be twisted in myriad ways to create a sculptural, fashion-forward look. To complement this one-of-a-kind necklace from Blank Verse Jewelry, keep the rest of your baubles minimal but still eyecatching. The Penelope Cuff is a structural, minimalistic brass piece that grounds the look—and a stack of brass, silver and rose gold-filled rings make everything playful. Round out the look by adding a striking, sturdy, hand-made leather bag from Santa Cruz line Corral Made, which can fit your iPad, holiday shopping finds and even a bottle of wine for the New Year. Crew: Photographer, Nick Chao / Stylist, Creative Director, Christa Martin / Model, Stephanie Armstrong / Makeup, Jillian Wilkey for Salon on the Square / Hair, Sheryle Pettet for Salon on the Square. Clothing: Shoes, Coclico, Natali, $461, Jade / Jeans, DL1961, Florence, Riker, $178, Cameron Marks / Top, Maison Scotch, Boudoir Tank, $136, Cameron Marks / Wood Kimono and Scarf, Just Female, Blue/Plaid, $270, Cameron Marks / Maybelle Tote, $294, Corral Made, Corralmadeusa.com and Stripe / Deva Necklace, $175, Blank Verse Jewelry / Brass Rings, $28 each; Silver Rings $40 each; Rose Gold Filled Rings, $55 each; all Blank Verse Jewelry / Penelope Cuff, $37, Blank Verse Jewelry X The Penny Rose.

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

Fash i on : Winter Style

Wearable Poetry One local jeweler’s passion has earned her national acclaim By Christa Martin Laamie Young has been making jewelry as far back as she can remember. “We were really poor,” she says of her childhood years growing up in Vermont. “If you wanted something, you had to invent it.” She wanted jewelry, so she found ways to piece together her mother’s broken necklaces and earrings and create her own baubles. Many years and a painting degree later, Young was still making jewelry, but only as a hobby. In 2009, that all changed. Mr. Larkin, an indie clothing line, used her work in its New York runway show at Fashion Week. Not long after that, Anthropologie came calling and she worked on a limited run project for them. Then Women’s Health took notice and has since featured her work in its magazine three times. At this point, she needed a name for her

Signature pieces include a blend of precious metals and fibers.

burgeoning line and coined it Blank Verse Jewelry. “It’s a poetry term,” she says, explaining that it means “without the traditional structure of rhyme.” It’s an appropriate moniker for her work. Drawing upon her experience as a painter and her desire to help women express themselves creatively, her line offers a rustic and artistic, boho yet modern quality. Signature pieces include a blend of precious metals and fibers that have caught the eye of customers like Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Etheridge, and Katherine Budig (a well-known yoga teacher), among others. With Blank Verse Jewelry on the rise, locals have taken notice: Synergy Organic Clothing has used Young’s work in its catalogs and sells her work online and in its stores; Cameron Marks has an exclusive collection available on the Westside; and Young is collaborating on a small capsule collection with my fashion blog, The Penny Rose. Even with the buzz, she’s a one-woman show. “I’m trying to keep it small and handmade,” she says. Learn more at blankversejewelry.com.

Santa Cruz Wave s M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

l oc al B ou t i Que: Paid advertisement

One-Stop Shop If there’s one thing Kelli Gai enjoys, it’s shopping. It’s long been

J Brand, Enza Costa, Sanctuary, Ella Moss, Gypsy 05, and many

a favorite pastime that she’s relished with family members—

others, as well as Earthy Luxe jewelry by April Martin, handbags

trips to boutiques with her mom, jaunts to off-the-beaten-path

by Splendid and Ella Moss, and shoe lines including Free People

stores with her children. But there was always a conundrum she

and Bed Stu.

faced: finding clothes in one destination that could appeal to everyone. So she solved the problem and created just such a place—Stella Mitchell, her new boutique that opened its doors in September in Capitola Village. The store is named after those very family members that she went shopping with. “Stella means ‘star’ in Italian and our grandmother called my daughters ‘Stella,’ and ‘Mitchell’ is my son’s name,” says Gai. This is the second brick-and-mortar store for the shop owner;

known for its savvy style offerings, impeccable customer service and nurturing environment. “I love meeting customers and assisting them in finding the perfect outfit,” says Gai of the signature “classy/comfortable” style she showcases in the store. “It’s rewarding for me to bring out qualities in men and women by selecting clothes to ﬂatter their body type and fit their lifestyle, all while doing so in a relaxed atmosphere. Shopping should be fun.”

“I wanted to offer a clothing selection that can be worn by

Swing by Stella Mitchell to meet owner Kelli Gai in Capitola

ping in,” says Gai of her new store. “The atmosphere at Stella Mitchell is warm, welcoming and comfortable; a fun place for everyone to hang out for the afternoon.” For gentlemen, she’s brought in an exciting array of lines including Robert Graham, Lacoste, 7 Diamonds, AG Jeans, and Joe’s for Men. Women can enjoy popular lines like Free People,

and good prices,” says Gai, whose boutique has quickly become

her other storefront, Stella Boutique, is located in Lodi.

young and old, and a place for men to feel comfortable shop-

“I am constantly looking for new lines that offer high quality

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

Village. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily. 207 Monterey Ave., No. 100, Capitola, (831) 515-7590. Facebook.com/stellamitchellcapitola. - Christa Martin

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

artist Profile

A YOUNG MAN & THE SEA The lifelike art of FJ Anderson ~ By Neal Kearney

The Santa Cruz coastline

is at times an oily canvas of

“I feel extremely fortunate to have grown up by the ocean,” reflects

seaside serenity without a cloud in sight. At others, it’s a violent

Anderson. “As a kid, it’s great because there’s always something

maelstrom of colors, both bright and brooding—an evolving pal-

to do—surfing, fishing, tromping around in the tide pools or just

ette of textures you can almost taste. These are the visions that artist FJ Anderson lives for and strives to recreate with his hyper realistic, ocean-centric artwork. Anderson, a humble 29 year old, grew up in a picturesque A-frame

the ever-changing conditions of the coast. For example, lighting is a huge part of my work, and it’s always different and in flux, depending on the time of year, time of day, and weather conditions.” Anderson began to hone his artistic talents in Mark Marengo’s art

home overlooking Sunny Cove. From his bedroom window, An-

classes at Shoreline Middle School, and continued his tutelage

derson awoke every morning to postcard views of the Pacific

under Michael Emery at Soquel High. At this point, Anderson was

Ocean and the gorgeous cliffs that line Santa Cruz’s Eastside. Liv-

beginning to move from realistic portraits and illustrations into

ing a stone’s throw from this natural splendor, Anderson devel-

his obsession with painting waves and ocean scenes. In the mean-

oped an early appreciation of the beauty of the temperamental

time, he furthered his repertoire by earning a degree in Scientific

sea. After some encouragement and art supplies courtesy of his

hanging out at the beach. As an artist, it’s a blessing to be privy to

Illustration from UC Santa Cruz in 2007.

grandmother, a talented painter in her own right, Anderson be-

It was from this point forward that Anderson began to focus

gan his love affair with creating art, a passion that was intrinsi-

his creative cross hairs on painting the sea and skies above

cally tied to his love for the ocean.

them. Other than the occasional coastal landscape piece (such

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

Continued on Page 82 ▶

$25 2-HOUR SUP RENTAL

PLUS $10 STORE CREDIT ($50 value) when you mention SC Waves

Lessons • Rentals • SUP/Gear/Clothing Large Groups–Bachelorette/Bachelor, Birthdays, Corporate Team Building 831.435.6503 208 San Jose Ave, Capitola capitolasurfandpaddle.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

ar t i st P r of i l e: fj anderson

◀ Continued from Page 80

as his Black’s Point series, which depicts the iconic point at three

“Clouds and waves are essentially just energy moving through

different times of day, presented with painstaking photo realism),

water, so I try to capture that moment in time, but also try to

Anderson jumped head first into a concerted effort to produce se-

show the energy and movement through my painting,” he says.

ries of sky and ocean paintings. Anderson uses all mediums, but has recently been painting pri“I basically have two different, ongoing oil series—one of the skies,

marily with oils, which he says are ideal for his preferred subject

and one of seas,” he explains. “The ocean ones are more first-per-

matter. In order to achieve his desired effects, he opts to work in

son perspectives, from inside

multiple thin layers, or “glazes.” The oils allow him to stack many

the water, whereas the sky series are pulled-back images from the shoreline.” It’s fair to say that the results are mind blowing. At first glance, it seems as though you are looking at a photo— his attention to detail and presentation are that convincing. The closer you inspect the image, the more you can discern that it’s actually artwork, and that revelation borders on startling. His wave paintings take you up close and personal with pitching lips and undulating swells, and deep inside the barrel, with reflections of light

“Clouds and waves are

and water droplets furthering

essentially just energy

there. His cloud pieces are

moving through water, so I try to capture that moment in time.” 82

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

this sense of actually being equally impressive, elegantly

layers of paint on top of one another. He also utilizes gouache, a thicker, opaque watercolor that provides additional versatility, as he can use it either thick like acrylic, or watered down like a watercolor. This proves effective when working on smaller, more detailed illustration. All of Anderson’s images are based on photographs that he personally captured with his camera. Some of the factors he considers when choosing which photos to paint include interesting color combinations, the amount of movement, composition of the overall painting, and how well it fits within a series. “Instead of a picture, it becomes an experience, and the finished product brings me back [to when I took it],” says Anderson. People are catching on to Anderson’s personal portrayals of our beloved coastline. There is something about the ocean and the sky, and especially the combination of the two, that is incredibly visually arresting, and Anderson’s skill in capturing this essence is gaining a reputation as nothing short of remarkable. Wherever his craft may lead him in the future, this young ocean lover is content with creatively expressing his gratitude for living in an area with such natural beauty.

encompassing the emotions

“Almost every day I find myself staring deeply into the ocean and

of nebulous formations—from

clouds and getting lost in the movement and majesty,” he says.

the wispy, swirling haze to the

“It’s a great feeling.”

thick and twisted storm cloud. Visit fjartwork.com for further examples of his artwork.

S H AMA N ISM

Ex p lo re . L ea rn. Di sco v e r.

Brant Secunda V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

Sunrise from the mile buoy. Photo: Neil Simmons

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

PERFECT STOCKING STUFFER

SURF STRIPS • The wave of the future •

The fast, easy, affordable way to rack, stack, and store your boards without pressure dings or wax transfer

On Sale for $9.99 when you mention Santa Cruz Waves (normally $15.99) Sold at Freeline Surf Shop on 41st ave, and online at Surfstrips.com discount code: SCWAVES

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

BOUTIQUE SALON WITH COMMUNITY CONSCIOUSNESS AT ITS CORE.

NOW OPEN!

NOELLE WEATHERWAX • PRISCILA SORIANO • STACIE KEIL

SPECIALIZING IN: Balayage • Ombre • Color Correction • Curly Hair • Extensions • Bridal ConcreteRoseSalon.com 303 Potrero Street • Building 45-107 • Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831.600.7214 • @CONCRETEROSESALON

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

TREAT YOURSELF & SOMEONE ELSE

Bring in ANY product from ANY line that is at least 50% or more full and receive a discount on brand new products. All exchanged products will be donated to the Rebele Family Shelter. Bring in 1 product and receive 10% OFF all products purchased. Bring in 2 products and receive 15% OFF all products purchased.

Bring in 3 or more products and receive 20% OFF all products purchased.

HOME & GARDENS: Paid advertisement

Visit Dig at:

420 Water St. Santa Cruz diggardens.com

Dig Gardens opened 5 years ago near the corner of Water and Ocean Streets in Santa Cruz. Dig is what they call an Urban Nursery, a trendsetter in the garden industry that is packed with plants and decor with an organic, modern, bohemian style. You might not be able to tell from the outside, but this 4000-square-foot building is full of house plants and pottery in every size and plenty of gifts for the trendy gardener. It also has a large outdoor area in the back, packed with their main attraction - succulents and other drought-tolerant beauties, as well as hip steel garden furniture imported from France. Dig has a huge assortment of air plants and many ideas on how to use them around your home. You could try one in one of their many terrariums, or how about on the wall in a vertical installation? Vertical gardening is also a large part of their business with large installations inside and outside of the shop. They offer the supplies and directions for DIY'ers to do these fun projects for themselves at home. Which brings us to their Saturday workshops. Every Saturday at Dig, you can attend a fun workshop where you can learn anything from how to make a vertical succulent picture to a terrarium design class. This month at Dig, you can expect all kinds of fun holiday gifts and ornaments. With 15 decorated and themed trees, including a hipster tree, a farmer tree, and an ocean lovers tree to name a few. Anything you can think of with succulents, Dig is bound to have it, potted arrangements, wreaths and plantable letters and numbers. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ss not forget their freshly cut Christmas trees! Dig is known to have a wide selection of Silvertip trees among a few other varieties. The Silvertips have a great retro look and display ornaments so nicely.

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

uPcoming eV ents • 29th Annual Lighted Boat Parade | Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. The Santa Cruz Harbor. The annual Lighted Boat Pa-

ta Cruz while drinking warm cider and singing carols. Musical

rade at the Santa Cruz Harbor will feature 50 boats beautifully

entertainment will be provided, and kids can even meet Santa

decorated with holiday-themed lights. You can charter a boat,

Claus. If children wish to, they may write a letter to Santa that

will be delivered afterward on the train’s trip to the North Pole.

admire from the shore. Awards will be given to boats with the

Train boards at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Adults: $28;

best themes, light, and music. $35 to enter a boat. Scyc.org.

Kids 2-12: $22.

• Chanukah Train | Thursday, Dec. 18, 5 p.m. All aboard the

p.m. For a fun way to ring in 2015, come to the community or-

come to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the lighting of the

ganized New Year’s Eve Parade in Downtown Santa Cruz. This

menorah before heading out on a train ride around Santa Cruz

event is a free-flowing, spontaneous celebration that is com-

on a vintage train covered in magical lights and festive decora-

pletely organized by community members. Feel free to stop by

tions. While you take a trip through beautiful Santa Cruz after

and join in the parade and street party. Meet near the Saturn

dark, you can enjoy kosher refreshments, participate in Chanu-

Café parking lot at Pacific Avenue and Spruce Street. Free.

while watching the lights of the city dance across the water. Train boards at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Adults: $26; Kids 2-12: $19.

• DIY New Year’s Eve Parade | Wednesday, Dec. 31, 5

festive train ride this Chanukah. On the third night of Chanukah,

kah traditions and listen to stories revolving around the holiday

train bedecked with twinkling lights through the streets of San-

• Fireworks & New Year’s Eve Countdown Downtown at the Town Clock | Wednesday, Dec. 31, 11:30 p.m. Count down to the New Year at the Clock Tower in Downtown Santa Cruz. The surrounding streets will be closed so that

• Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train | Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14,

everyone can come together and celebrate while listening to

19, 20, 21, 22, and 23, 5, 6:30, and 8 p.m. The holiday lights

music, welcome the dawn of 2015, and watch the fireworks.

train is enjoyable for the whole family. Ride a classic-looking

Free. | April Martin-Hansen

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

MEET YOU AT

the Barre 30 DAY

UNLIMITED

CLASSES $99

// Includes mat and barre classes // Introductory private session $35

685-1779 // pilatescalifornia.com 783 Rio Del Mar Blvd, Above Deluxe Foods/Deer Park Marketplace

wine.beer.tapas wine, beer & cider on-tap

Open for Lunch Fri-Sun | 12 PM

Happy Hour Tues -Thurs 4- 6 PM

Enjoy The View From Our Outdoor Patio

Aptos Village

8050 Soquel Dr 831- 612-6191

cantinewinepub.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

z u r C a t n a S

WE ROLL THE FATTIES 22 DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAKFAST BURRITOS Steel Cut Oatmeal • Hot Sandwiches • Homemade Chai Beer Garden • Dog-friendly • Beautiful Backyard 90

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

Mon-Fri 6:30am-3pm • Sat-Sun 7am-4pm ChillOutCafeSantaCruz.com • 860 41st Ave

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / j an 20 15

fielD rePort

Strawberry Fields, Forever? When Frank Estrada first started farming, he'd check

to pull out his sleek white iPhone.

Some local farms are using high-tech irrigation monitoring to help deal with the drought

Meet the strawberry production manager of Reiter Af-

By Linda Koffman

irrigation needs by using a shovel and his hands to dig into soil and feel if it was moist or crumbly. These days, the third-generation farmer is digging into his pocket

filiated Companies, whose farms provide a variety of berries to Driscoll’s. Estrada grew up roaming his family’s local strawberry fields and was driving a tractor by the age of 8. At 33 he’s now in charge of 420 acres of strawberries across 12 farms—organic and conventional—in Watsonville and Salinas. And what about that iPhone, which today is just as essential to him as a tractor? By logging on to a hightech monitoring system known as the Wireless Irrigation Network (WIN), Estrada and his ranch managers can now use any Wi-Fi device to access real-time data showing precise soil moisture levels. Think of it as farming done The Jetsons way. “Farming has changed in light of many things,” Estrada begins. “Whether it’s labor, water, materials or supplies, there’s a lot that sometimes makes this business change and evolve.” And agriculture is big business here. Strawberries are Santa Cruz County's chief crop at almost $200 million a year, and they’re extremely water-intensive to grow. With 85 percent of water usage in Pajaro Valley dedicated to ag, the current drought is no elephant in the room. It’s the topic on everyone’s dry tongue. “It’s too warm for this time of year,” the longtime local says with a quiet uneasiness as we drive along the San Juan Road corridor in Aromas. Here, tractors kick up dust clouds amid fields of strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. At the end of the road, the Reiter office sits in a converted old Victorian home quaintly

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

| Photos: Jake Thomas

perched across the street from the imposing, industrial-looking Driscoll’s cooler plant where all the Reiter berries are stored after being picked; it’s a symbolic architectural juxtaposition of old and new. We meet on a late October afternoon when the temperature hits 76 degrees. It’s a week after the final strawberry harvest of the year and we park to stand in a furrow of chalky dirt sandwiched between long lines of beds limping in the Indian summer sun. The remaining little heads of red—the unchosen ones—peek out amongst rows of green. Donning jeans and cowboy boots, Estrada tells a bleak tale of drought troubles: “What we’ve seen more recently happening is that we’ve had some wells actually cave in and go down—they collapse and they’re done. We’ve dealt with that more in the last three years than we ever have, and we’ve also seen wells pump more sand.” No rain means the aquifer continues to drop, so wells are working harder and straining to pump water. Another fallout of the drought is water quality deterioration showing higher levels of salt buildup and bicarbonates. And, of course, less rain means higher water usage to keep crops healthy throughout the season. “We’re not getting anywhere near average rainfalls and we’re having to use our pumps and wells during this time because there’s just no rain,” Estrada laments. Enter WIN, the progressive irrigation monitoring tool Reiter is using as a way to keep a hawk’s eye on its crops' water needs—ensuring farmers irrigate without overwatering. Reiter joined forces with Hortau, a Canadian agtech

Farmers can log on anytime and anywhere with online access to quickly see how their fields are faring water wise. Part of the first group of farms to test out Hortau’s network, Reiter learned it was overwatering in certain areas, scaled back, and has since seen an average water savings of 30 percent. “For us it was a success to see that we maintained our strawberry quality and our yield, but we got the results through water efficiency,” Estrada says of the initial WIN trials. “After replicating it, we saw our water usage go down and also our PG&E, because we pay for our wells to turn off and on with PG&E. So there was a savings on both sides.” Today, Reiter’s $120,000 WIN system features 31 total soil tensiometer stations spanning all its farms, 18 of which are allocated to strawberries. There are other wireless precision irrigation innovations on the market, and many Pajaro Valley farmers are tapping into the modern method—sharing knowledge, tech coverage and access, all in order to spread water savings and stay afloat during one of California’s severest droughts on record.

company, to customize and implement the state-of-

But beneath this sheen of progress lies the question: Is

the-art WIN equipment in 2010 as part of a pilot project

high-tech agtech creating a fissure between man and

through the Pajaro Valley Community Water Dialogue.

land, giving farmers a hands-off approach to what has

With 6- and 12-inch probes buried beneath the soil

always been an intimate collaboration with nature?

to gauge soil tension at the root level, WIN wirelessly

“These tools don’t replace the farmer/land relation-

relays data to an Internet-connected mother station.

ship because you can’t fully trust them,” Estrada

Repeater towers are strategically placed in locations

maintains. “You have to go back to the basics on a

around the valley to bounce these signals and enable

lot. Whether it’s Hortau or any other irrigation tool, it

wider coverage area. This means at anytime, any-

doesn’t take away from going and seeing and feeling.

where with online access, farmers can log on to their

You can never have that disconnection. We still like to

Hortau dashboard to quickly see how their fields are

go and touch the soil and make sure that the probe is

faring water wise.

really telling the entire story.”

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

t n e

!! e m

Where will

santa cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

Tepui Tents 800.301.9874 www.tepuitents.com

take you?

open seven days a week. 1520 Mission st. santa Cruz 95060 burgersantaCruz.CoM 831.425.5300

7941 soquel drive aptos 95003 burgeraptos.CoM 831.662.2811

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

. Downtown .

The Wharf . Boardwalk . & Harbor

Assembly Seasonal rustic Californian cuisine. 1108 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 824-6100

www.assembleforfood.com

Crow’s Nest Iconic restaurant and bar located at the harbor.

El Palomar Unique and fresh Mexican cuisine, family recipes. 1336 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

2218 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz (831) 425-7575

www.elpalomarsantacruz.com

Ideal Bar & Grill

Hula's Island Grill California twist on Hawaiian island grill and tiki bar. 221 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz

(831) 426-4852

Kiantiʼs Pizza & Pasta Bar Unique menu, family style, full bar. (831) 469-4400

Laili Santa Cruz's answer to high-quality organic Mediterranean / Indian / Pakistani

493 Lake Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 423-4545

Pacific Thai Authentic Thai Cuisine and Boba Teas in a modern and casual dining atmosphere. (831) 420-1700

Pleasure Pizza Downtown Offering traditional pizza, as well as new and (831) 600-7859

Pono & The Reef Traditional Hawaiian grill, poke bar, fresh ingredients, full bar. (831) 426-7666

(831) 420-1280

Rosie McCann's Irish Pub & Restaurant High-quality pub fare, 29+

519 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz

1141 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz

1520 Mission St., Santa Cruz

(831) 425-5300

Mission St. BBQ Serving up real smoked barbecue, plus some of the best craft

1220 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

1618 Mission St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060

(831) 426-9930

(831) 458-2222

www.facebook.com/missionstbbq

www.rosiemccanns.com/santacruz

Woodstock’s Pizza Craft Brews. Legendary Pizza. Heated Outdoor Patio. (831) 427-4444

www.woodstockscruz.com

Zachary’s Diner-style American cuisine in a casual family-friendly atmosphere. (831) 427-0646

www.zacharyssantacruz.com

Parish Publick House British-influenced pub food with full bar. 841 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 421-0507

www.parishpublickhouse.com

Ristorante Avanti Featuring local, sustainable, organic foods. Menu, wine list, and list of local farmers and ranchers. 1917 Mission St., Santa Cruz

(831) 427-0135

www.ristoranteavanti.com

Zoccoli’s Iconic delicatessen, sandwiches, salads, sides.

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

(831) 426-5664

. Westside .

beer and live music.

www.zoccolis.com

(831) 426-2739

Charlie Hong Kong Offering healthy, flavorful Asian street cusine.

rotating beer taps, and a generous selection of Irish whiskeys.

1534 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 475-5600

www.chaminade.com

www.burgersantacruz.com

www.rivercafesantacruz.com

Chaminade Indulge in decadent culinary choices and fine dining in Santa Cruz.

burger. Grass-fed beef, fun atmosphere, and a great beer menu.

River Cafe Local, organic, farm fresh gourmet.

819 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 479-3299

www.alohaislandgrille.com

www.charliehongkong.com

www.ponohawaiiangrill.com

1700 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz

www.seabrightbrewery.com

www.pleasurepizzasc.com

710 Front St., Santa Cruz

(831) 600-7093

www.akirasantacruz.com

Seabright Brewery Rotating beer selection, with dog-friendly outdoor patio.

exciting tastes and textures.

415 River St., Santa Cruz

. Midtown . Sushi made with fresh-caught seafood and locally grown produce.

1 Chaminade Lane, Santa Cruz

www.pacificthaisantacruz.com

120 Union St., Santa Cruz

Akira

Aloha Island Grille Authentic Hawaiian-style plate lunches.

www. lailirestaurant.com

1415 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 479-3430

www.johnnysharborside.com

1222 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz

/ Afghan food.

1319 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 423-5271

www.idealbarandgrill.com

www.kiantis.com

101 Cooper St., Santa Cruz

located by the wharf, fun atmosphere.

106 Beach St., Santa Cruz

Johnny’s Harborside Fresh seafood with stunning view of the harbor.

www.hulastiki.com

1100 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 476-4560

www.crowsnest-santacruz.com

Vasili’s Authentic and fresh, with vegetarian-friendly Greek food. (831) 423-1711

1501A Mission St., Santa Cruz

(831) 458-9808

www.vasilisgreekrestaurant.com

Continued on Page 98 ▶

PONO

HAWAIIAN GRILL • SANTA CRUZ Over 20 different types of poke all “made to order!”

Traditional Hawaiian plates and recipes from Hawai’i...

Amazing wraps, salads, and vegetarian and gluten free items!

OPEN LATE!

PUPUS | POKE | PLATE LUNCHES & MORE 120 UNION STREET 831.426.PONO WWW.PONOHAWAIIANGRILL.COM

#LOCALSKNOW #AUTHENTICALLYHAWAIIAN #LIVEPONO #PONOHAWAIIANGRILL

LIVE TIC S ACOUUSIC M ys 7 da

Vot ed B •Ha est waii •Be an F st N ood ew R and esta r uran unn •Be e t st L unch r up for • Ki •Sm d fri all p end •Re late ly stau s and rant of t he y ear

ALOHAED SERVLY! DAI

Catering available! Check it out V o l 1 .4 - Dus e c 201 4 / more jan 20 15 info! | 97 online or email for

◀ Continued from Page 96

West End Tap & Kitchen Traditional pub flavors with a California twist.

334 Ingalls St., Santa Cruz

Surf City Sandwich Gourmet sandwiches, homemade soup, salads, beer

(831) 471-8115

www.westendtap.com

and wine. Opening 2015.

. Eastside & Capitola . 115 San Jose Ave., Capitola

beautiful Capitola Beach. 831-476-2282

www.cavacapitola.com

2860 41st Ave., Santa Cruz

(831) 477-0543

www.chilloutcafesantacruz.com

East Side Eatery, Pleasure Pizza Offering traditional pizza, as well as new and exciting tastes and textures.

800 41st Ave., Santa Cruz

excellent wine selection.

3555 Clares St., Capitola

www.zizzoscoffee.com

tradition since 1947.

www.shadowbrook-capitola.com

(831) 475-1511

Süda Contemporary cuisine in retro-modern restaurant. Voted best new

Cafe Cruz Rosticceria and bar, nice atmosphere, fresh and local.

3910 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz

www.eatsuda.com

(831) 600-7068

2621 41st Ave., Soquel

(831) 476-3801

www.cafecruz.com

Main Street Garden & Cafe Organic Italian Mediterranean in a beautiful landscaped garden.

restaurant 2013.

(831) 477-0680

. Soquel .

(831) 431-6058

Shadowbrook Fine dining with a romantic setting, cable car lift. A Capitola 1750 Wharf Road, Capitola

(831) 475-4900

Zizzo's Coffeehouse & Wine Bar Full-service coffeehouse and

www.pleasurepizzasc.com

203 Esplanade, Capitola

www.zeldasonthebeach.com

Chill Out Cafe Fatty breakfast burritos, espresso drinks, beautiful garden.

(831) 239-5801

Zelda’s on the Beach Breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner overlooking

Cava Wine Bar Fine wine, good company, great ambiance!

4101 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz

www.surfcitysandwich.com

3101 N Main St., Soquel

(831) 477-9265

www.mainstreetgardencafe.com Continued on Page 100 ▶

Santa Cruz Wave s M aga z i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

◀ Continued from Page 98

. Aptos & Watsonville . Aptos St. BBQ Santa Cruz County's best smoked barbecue, craft brews and live Blues every night.

8059 Aptos St., Aptos

(831) 662-1721

www.aptosstbbq.com

burger. Aptos Grass-fed beef, fun atmosphere, great beer menu.

7941 Soquel Drive, Aptos

(831) 662-2811

www.burgeraptos.com

Cafe Rio Enjoy ocean font dining with breathtaking views.

131 Esplanade, Aptos

(831) 688-8917

www.caferioaptos.com

Cantine Wine Pub Extensive selection of wine & beer. Eat, drink, savor.

8050 Soquel Drive, Aptos

(831) 612-6191

www.cantinewinepub.com

Cilantros Parrilla y Cantina Authentic Mexican cuisine with fresh ingredients, high-quality meat and seafood.

1934 Main St., Watsonville

(831) 761-2161

www.elpalomarcilantros.com

Kauboi Seasonal organic ingredients, traditional Japanese.

8017 Soquel Drive, Aptos

www.kauboigrillandsushi.com

(831) 661-0449

Manuelʼs Mexican Restaurant Traditional, delicious recipes, cooked fresh daily, served with a genuine smile.

261 Center Ave., Aptos

(831) 688-4848

www.manuelsrestaurant.com

Palapas Restaurant & Cantina Coastal Mexican Cuisine. Extensive tequila selection. Happy Hour, and dinner specials.

21 Seascape Blvd, Aptos

831662-9000

www.palapasrestaurant.com

Sanderlings in the Seascape Resort Where your dining experience is as spectacular as the view. 1 Seacscape Resort Drive, Aptos

831-688-7120

www.sanderlingsrestaurant.com

Severino’s Bar & Grill Award winning chowders, locally sourced ingredients.

7500 Old Dominion Court, Aptos

(831) 688-8987

www.severinosbarandgrill.com

Zameen Flavorful Mediterranean Cuisine in a casual dining experience

7528 Soquel Drive, Aptos

www.zameencuisine.com

1 00

Santa Cru z Wav e s M agaz i n e

1 00

S anta C r u z Wav e s M ag azi ne

(831) 688-4465

Japanese Grill and Sustainable Sushi Bar Open every day 11 to late for lunch and dinner Saturday night jams with DJ Sparkle

8017 Soquel Drive Aptos, California 95003 kauboigrillandsushi.com V o l 1 .4 - D e831.661.0449 c 201 4 / jan 20 15 | 10 1

Full-Page 8.375" x 10.875" (0.125" Bleed all sides) Total size: 8.625" x 11.125"

1 02

s anta cru z WaV e s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

10 3

DrinK uP

C H A I T O W N (blackflowerandco.com), with

From lattes to sweets and soaps, local food artisans capture the sweet and spicy charm of chai

loose-leaf

Larry’s

Famous

Chai, now renamed Blackflower Signature Chai, as its flagship product. Adams has since branched off to start The Santa Cruz Chai Company, which focuses on a liquid chai concentrate.

By Elizabeth Limbach

The chai may have changed Most of us call it chai tea, or

names (at least officially—

simply chai. But what Ameri-

plenty of its devotees still call

cans know by these names

it Larry’s Famous Chai), but

is usually Masala chai—chai

it’s as popular as ever.

being the Hindi word for tea. Masala chai dates back to the

“There is something special

ancient Ayurvedic traditions

about it that’s hard to put

in India, where it came into

your finger on,” Seaton says,

vogue as a potently thera-

disclosing that, among its

peutic brew. Traditionally this

secrets, the tea does not contain black pepper. “Not only

richly spiced, stimulating tea is an aromatic blend of black tea, spices (most often peppercorn,

is it delicious, it's comforting. It feels right. There's a clean spice

cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and star anise), milk and

profile, and warming flavors of cinnamon and citrus.”

honey. The combination warms drinkers from the inside out—a comforting sensation on these chilly winter days.

In addition to The White Raven, the chai is served at The Ugly Mug in Soquel and Fireﬂy Coffee House in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz County is teeming with great cafés, each with chai tea and chai lattes worth trying, but none, perhaps, is held in such high

“Some of our coffee shop customers' chai sales rival that of drip

esteem as Larry’s Famous Chai at The White Raven in Felton.

coffee—that's a feat in itself,” says Seaton.

The café’s former owner,

A few local ice cream makers

Larry McNeill, developed the

have Blackflower chai fans

secret blend three decades

covered

ago when chai was still a for-

warm

eign concept to most Ameri-

interrupts

cans. Upon retiring four years

winter. Polar Bear Ice Cream

ago, McNeill passed the torch

(santacruzpolarbear.com)

to Nick Seaton and Tom Ad-

owner Mary Young says she

ams. The duo founded a

is particularly proud of the

Felton-based tea business,

company’s Blackflower Chai

Blackﬂower and Company

flavor ($5 for a double scoop)

when

sporadic

weather

inevitably

our

California

Photos: Yvonne Falk

1 04

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

Continued on Page 106 ▶

We Carry

OVER 150 LOCAL & CALIFORNIA WINES WE NOW HAVE BEER ON TAP FROM ONE OF OUR LOCAL BREWING CO

e It’s Wine Tym st was voted Be ar ing b Wine & Tast z in Santa Cru

ENJOY A NICE GLASS OR BOTTLE EITHER INSIDE OR OUTSIDE BY OUR FIRE PIT.

WE OFFER APPETIZERS AND FLATBREAD PIZZAS BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS ON SUNDAY AND LIVE MUSIC MOST NIGHTS 312 Capitola Ave, Capitola, CA 95010 • 831.477.4455 • www.itswinetyme.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

10 5

Dr i n K u P : chai

◀ Continued from Page 104

and the work that went

Banana Bread and Chai-Spiced

into developing it with the

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

Blackflower team.

Try them with a morning cup of joe or (what else?) chai.

For its seasonal fall chai flavor ($5.50 for a double scoop in

For something sweeter still,

a freshly made waffle cone),

head to Buttercup Cakes

Mission Hill Creamery (mis-

& Farmhouse Frosting

sionhillcreamery.com) steeps

(farmhousefrosting.com),

Blackflower chai in hot cream,

where the Ginger Chai cupcake

then strains and cools it before

—chai cake topped with

finally spinning the chai base

ginger frosting—comes in

in a small-batch machine, ex-

regular ($4) and mini ($2)

plains owner Dave Kumec.

sizes. Gluten-free folks don’t have to miss out on the chai

“Like most all of our flavors,

train. Melinda’s Gluten Free

the defining quality is bold

(melindasgf.com) has been

taste,” Kumec adds.

k n ow n to m a ke a m ean

Meanwhile, over at The Pen-

whoopee pie in a chai-spice

ny Ice Creamery (thepen-

flavor.

nyicecreamery.com),

chai

ice cream is crafted with a made-from-scratch chai blend of black tea, fresh ginger, star an-

Those 21 and up can enjoy the allure (and caffeine) of chai tea with a boozy boost at 515 Kitchen

ise, black pepper, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seed and

& Cocktails (515santacruz.com), where Bar Manager Ethan Sam-

vanilla bean. It’s a recipe “that will transport you to an exotic, far-

uels channeled his training as a barista to create the Mandala

off place,” says Kendra Baker, president of The Glass Jar, Inc., the

cocktail ($9). The bar infuses chai tea into classic dry gin and then

local culinary juggernaut that owns The Penny Ice Creamery, The

combines it with egg whites, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, simple

Picnic Basket and Assembly. The tea is served at all of their loca-

syrup and a dash of cardamom bitters. When poured, a tangerine-

tions, and when infused into their ice cream ($5.75 for a double

tinted tier settles below a thick layer of off-white foam. To top off

scoop), it becomes a delicious contradiction: a cool treat filled

the latte look, the mixologists use spritzes of aromatic angostura

with warming spices. “You'll be surprised to find that our chai ice

bitters to draw a rosetta design in the foam.

cream is really quite warming inside and out,” Baker adds.

“It’s so visually distinct that once someone orders it, you can ex-

The variations can be stark or subtle when chai purveyors play

pect to be making several more,” Samuels says of the popular

with the classic recipe. One of the most distinct versions is made

menu staple.

at New Leaf Community Markets, where the brew has a refreshingly strong kick—minus the caffeine. A custom blend of organic herbs and spices are steeped with organic

Local chai maestro R. Garimo Pape peddled his popular UP N ATOM tea in Santa Cruz from 1991 until recently, when he sold the

vanilla, honey and ginger. Lots of ginger—one

brand to Monterey Bay Spice Company. But his zeal for the zest of

the combination

pound per gallon of chai, to be exact. The

chai continues on in the chai-scented organic soaps he makes for his current endeavor, Garimo’s Real Soap (greatbarsofsoap.com).

of warm spices

fiery-yet-soothing brew ($3 for 10 ounces; $3.50 for 16 ounces) has earned itself a loyal

His soaps ($5.75-$7) can be found at the downtown farmers’ mar-

following of ginger-loving customers.

ket, The Well Within, Eco Goods, New Leaf Market in Felton, and

is comforting on these chilly winter days.

1 06

at his studio, Garimo’s Real Soap Studio & Gallery, on Highway 9 But chai doesn’t just come in a cup or a cone.

in Felton.

That zingy marriage of sweetness and fragrant spices appears in local baked treats, adult bev-

The chai offerings around this foodie town are too vast to name

erages, and even bath products. This holiday

here. But rest assured that, from the café to the ice cream parlor

season, New Leaf’s trademark ginger-forward

and the bar to the bathtub, there are more than enough options

fusion can be found in their Chai-Spiced Vegan

to keep even the most enthusiastic chai connoisseur satisfied.

s anta c ruz WaV e s magaz i n e

Reasons to Dine at Palapas

All special entrees $12.95

All specials dine in only including Kids Dine Free offer.

Mahi Mahi Tacos w/Mango Salsa Fresca Chile Verde Enchiladas de Pollo con Mole Wed: Sandabs w/Garlic Tomatillo Sauce Chile Verde DINNER Enchilada de La Cocina Fresca

KIDS FREE MID-WEEK SPECIALS

Great

Tues:

Chicken, Beef or Cheese

Thur: Housemade Tamales Chicken or Pork

Chile Verde Ensalada del Mar Crab ans Shrimp Salad

Bring the family to Palapas for dinner Monday thru Thursday nights for our DINE FOR unique style of Mexican food and your children dine for free! * *Offer is good for one childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (under 12) menu item per entree purchased from our regular menu by an adult in party. Valid Monday thru Thursday except holidays. Expires 3-12-15.

Fine Dining Mexican Style

Ocean View

Lunch & Dinner Daily

Reservations Suggested

21 Seascape Village, Aptos

831-662-9000

www.palapasrestaurant.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

10 7

Why Choose Cabrillo College?

Now!

• It’s one of California’s leading Community Colleges • World-class instructors who care about their students’ success • Small class sizes for individualized attention • #1 in transfers to UC Santa Cruz Early registration for spring semester • A beautiful campus at the beach! opens December 1. Financial aid is available.

Breakthroughs happen here™

1 08

s anta c ruz WaV e s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

10 9

music

Photos: Jake Thomas

Ryan Avellone of The Brothers Comatose reflects on a whirlwind year of life on the open road By Damon Orion

t’s been a banner year for Santa Cruz mandolinist Ryan Avellone. While gigging in 35 different states with his Americana/bluegrass band The Brothers Comatose, the 29-year-old musician got his first real taste of success. In the process, he grew as a player, matured as a person and shared the stage with some of popular music’s biggest names. In January 2014, the band, whose other members live in San Francisco, embarked on a month-long, seven-state tour with the Americana trio The Devil Makes Three. Along with showing Avellone and company what it was like to regularly play in 1,000- and 2,000-person theaters, the entirely sold-out tour endeared the band to DM3’s widespread, intensely loyal fan base. Additionally, The Brothers Comatose got to know and learn from the former Santa Cruzans in DM3. “They really made it a communal thing: they always shared the green room, food or whatever,” Avellone says of the latter band. “They just kind of invited us into their world. We tried not to drool over them too much, but just tried to learn as much as we could, because we see them as a look into our future: if we keep going for another six years, we’ll be where they are.” Soon after the tour, Avellone decided to banish all booze and drugs

110

cru s anta c ruzz WaVe s magaz i n e

In January 2014, the band embarked on a month-long, seven-state tour with the americana trio the Devil Makes Three.

Continued on Page 112 ▶

Classes Sales

Aqua Safaris SCUBA Center

Guided Tours Rentals Repairs Travel

Let's go diving!

6896 Soquel Avenue Santa Cruz 831-479-4386 www.aquasafaris.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

111

m u si c : the Brothers comatose

◀ Continued from Page 110

from his life. “It just became the status quo to have a couple drinks onstage,” the musician explains. “And when you’re the opener, you’re hanging out watching the headlining band, and you’re drinking free alcohol all night, every single night. And what are you not doing? You’re not writing songs; you’re not being creative; you’re not practicing your instrument; you’re not doing all the things that you’re really out there to do.”

"People were wearing our

In March, just when Avellone was kicking all forms of intoxicants to

t-shirts and singing along—it

band bluegrass giants Yonder Mountain String Band. Once again,

blew us away.”

Oakland’s Fox Theater. Avellone took a few cues from YMSB’s front-

the curb, The Brothers Comatose went on a five-week tour with jam the group found itself playing inside large, packed venues, including man, Jeff Austin, who had been sober for about two years at the time. “He played his ass off every single night—sounded great and looked

healthy,” the mandolinist recalls. “So I guess I got a little inspired by him.” Other landmark events for the Brothers were soon to follow, including some Colorado gigs with the popular Brooklyn-based outfit Lake Street Dive. Then, in August, the group played San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival alongside Kanye West, Tom Petty, Macklemore, Arctic Monkeys, The Flaming Lips and others. “Seeing those names on the same handbill as us was just like … ‘Whaaat?!’” Avellone says with a laugh. “We weren’t sure what response we were going to get—we’ve played a lot more traditional bluegrass-oriented festivals, and we don’t fit in there too well because we’re not traditional bluegrass, but we’re not a rock & roll band, either. We’re somewhere in between. But we had a huge turnout. People were wearing our T-shirts and singing along … it blew us away.” Avellone and his bandmates are currently working on a new album that they hope to release in May 2015. Since the 2013 departure of bassist Gio Benedetti, one of the band’s chief tunesmiths, several members of the group have stepped up to the plate as songwriters. Avellone names violinist Phil Brezina as a major contributor in that department. “Phil just wrote five songs in the past month,” the mandolinist states. “He just had his first baby, and he’s really inspired right now.”

112

s anta c ruz WaVe s magaz i n e

Continued on Page 114 ▶

NAUGHTY NEVER LOOKED SO NICE

europeanwax waxcenter.com

CAPITOLA / 831 477 9331 1955 41st Avenue /V oCapitola, CA l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / 95010 jan 20 15

113

m u si c : the Brothers comatose

Needless to say, The Brothers Comatose is entering the studio with a full bucket of experiences to draw from. “We’re at this point where we’re out there touring all the time and playing tons of festivals, and so, by default, we’re around music all the time, and we’re constantly seeing other bands at our level or a higher

◀ Continued from Page 112

“We’re not traditional bluegrass, but we’re not a rock & roll band, either.”

level,” Avellone offers. “So I’ve been wondering to myself how much of an influence that has on me: seeing all these bands all the time—am I mimicking them somehow in the way that they carry themselves onstage or the way they write their songs? Is there some sort of scene or sound going on that we’re unconsciously becoming a part of? I’m sure we must be. Time will tell where we’ve left our mark.” Find the band online at thebrotherscomatose.com.

114

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

115

Feejays It’s rare to find a gift that could work for just about anyone on your shopping checklist, but Feejays might just be it. They are sweatpants that extend to also cover your feet. Can you say “awesomely comfortable?” They are the surfer/camper/outdoorsman’s answer to footie pajamas—only way more stylish. "I'm a creature of comfort and I love wearing sweatpants,” says Feejays founder TJ Moran. “One day, I was looking at my feet stuffed inside my sweats and thought, ‘why don't they have sweats with feet already built in?’” This a-ha moment led to the creation of the Santa Cruz company. Cleverly named by Moran’s 6-year-old daughter, these footed sweats are designed to keep you cozy in un-cozy moments. No longer will you fear those early winter mornings or cold kitchen floors. You will scoff at the icy surf and laugh in the face of chilly nights. “The sherpa lining is made out of an ultra-soft fleece that mimics the look and feel of lambs’ wool,” says Feejays representative Katelyn Gagne. “It’s basically the coziest thing you will ever wear.” Feejays can be worn with or without the feet extensions, and come in a variety of colors. “The public response has been overwhelming,” according to Gagne. Purchase Feejays at feejays.com and at select retailers in Santa Cruz. They are $39.98 for women’s and men’s and $29.98 for kids. | Kevin Craft

Bureo Skateboards Bureo Skateboards uses recycled fishing nets to create its skateboards—the very same nets that pose a hazard to marine wildlife. When you buy a Bureo for a friend or family member this holiday season, you are helping to rid the ocean of materials that endanger these animals. Plus, because these discarded nets make up about 10 percent of the ocean’s plastic pollution, you are also helping to change garbage into awesomeness. But the eco-goodness of the boards doesn’t stop with the fishnets. The wheels are made of 30 percent veggie oil and 100 percent recycled cores. These are well-made skateboards that also help to maintain our watery playground. Locally, you can find them only at Sawyer Land and Sea Supply (sawyersupply.com). $149. | KC

116

s anta c cru ruzz WaVe s magaz i n e

Continued on Page 118 ▶

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

117

h ol i Day f e at ure: gift guide

◀ Continued from Page 116

Plantronics BackBeat FIT Is there someone in your life who likes to bust a sweat to a backdrop of good tunes, but also can’t stand to miss any phone calls? If so, consider the Plantronics BackBeat FIT as their holiday gift. The headphones have the great sound you’d expect from this groundbreaking local company, as well as cool features like wireless integration with iPhone or Android devices, a comfortable design, and easy-to-use controls. They come with a DayGlo case and a band that wraps around the arm to hold one’s mobile device, iPod or other mp3 player. Find them at plantronics.com and amazon.com. $129.99. | KC

Zen Island Home Signs Help your loved ones add a little Santa Cruz charm to their abode with these beachy signs. Found at Zen Island (shopzenisland.com), these neat touches of decor go for $42.95. Made mostly from found materials, the rustic pieces would be the perfect gift for that person on your list who appreciates a touch of kitsch and whimsy. Signs include “Gone Surfing” and “Paradise Found,” among others. | KC

118

s anta cru z WaVe s magaz i n e

holiDay feature: gift guide

Bespoke Corral Made Bag Perhaps you’ve drooled over a new “it” bag that hit the market, but found yourself thinking ‘If only that pocket was placed a little differently,” or “maybe if the leather was in another shade ... ’” Now, you can customize your own leather bag for the holidays and give it to a woman in your life (or yourself). To do so, contact Jose Hernandez, owner of the local handcrafted bag line Corral Made. (View his website, corralmadeusa.com, to see his work.) Work with him to select your leather color preference, hardware, and pocket placement. In the end, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind bag. Contact Hernandez through his website for pricing. | Christa Martin

Beauregard Wine Impress the wine lovers in your life with a bottle or two of this choice wine for sale at Shopper's Corner. The grapes come from the Margarita Vineyard, the southernmost vineyard in Paso Robles. Though the climate is a bit hotter than here in Santa Cruz, the vineyard receives similar marine influences due to its 14-mile proximity to the coast and an elevation of around 1,100 feet. It is situated on an ancient oyster bed, and there are thousands of fossilized oyster shells scattered about the vineyard. Find it for $9.99 at Shopper's Corner (shopperscorner.com).

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

119

h ol i Day f e at ure: gift guide

◀ Continued from Page 119

A Top-Secret Fragrance In a porcelain bowl from Australia, at the check-

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Box from Route 1 Farms

out counter at Cameron

Getting enough fresh veggies can be hard

Marks boutique, is a

for some folks. So, this holiday season, why

small collection of one-

not make it easier for your loved ones to eat

of-a-kind fragrances. These

well and support a local business while you’re

charming

bottles

contain

some of the most intoxicating, earthy scents we’ve ever had the pleasure of sniffing. Vanessa Ambrose, owner of the store, discovered this mysterious fragrance when a good-smelling customer passed through Cameron Marks. “I said, ‘Wow, what

at it? Route 1 Farms has an impeccable CSA program that allows you to purchase weekly seasonal produce. Every time the gift recipient receives a box of cilantro, radishes, honey, squash, and more, they’ll think of you. It’s a gift that really does keep on giving. Price: Individual, $210 to $350; Family, $350 to $700. | CM

is that fragrance?’ She told me where she got it [a monastery in the Ozark Mountains of Arizona] and it’s been my signature scent ever since,” says Ambrose. She knew her customers would love it, too. Why the mystery? Because you won’t find it anywhere else. The Secret Fragrance is $20 to $40 at Cameron Marks, cameronmarks.com. | CM

G ive

the

G ift

Warmth of

gift certiﬁcates starting at $15

120

s anta cru z WaV e s magaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

121

gift Directory

Downtown

Annieglass 24kt gold or platinum-trimmed sea anemone in frosted, slumped glass: $315 (831) 427-4260 annieglass.com CamouďŹ&#x201A;age Free gift of stemless wine glasses with purchase of $69, or 2 with purchase of $100 (831) 423-7613 shopcamouflage.com Flip Flop Shop 10% off Flip Flop socks when you buy a pair of flip-flops, normally $9.99 (831) 316-0912 flipflopshops.com New Leaf Burtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beeswax Bounty Gift Set: $9.99 (831) 425-1793

newleaf.com

Nut Kreations Decadent Dark and Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Corn: $6.50 for 8 ounces (831) 431-6435 nutkreations.com Old School Shoes Vans Star Wars Edition - Darth Vader Classic Slip-ons: $60 (831) 423-2700

122

s anta cru z WaV e s magaz i n e

oldschool-shoes.com

Holiday Feature: Gift Directory

Pacific Cookie Company “Santa’s Night Cap” A baker’s dozen of fresh-baked cookies in a holiday gift box: $19.95 (831) 429-6905

pacificcookie.com

Sawyer Chiropractic Buy 1 $65 massage and get 1 free! (831) 457-2000

docsawyer.com

Sockshop and Shoe Company The Ugg Ascot in Stout Tweed: $120 (831) 429-6101

sockshopandshoeco.com

Spex/Santa Cruz Optometric Center Tom Ford frames (831)426-1050 (831) 454-9999

santcruzoptometric.com

Shoe Fetish A pair of Frye Boots or a Handbag: $150-$400 (831) 454-0287

shoefetishsc.com

Well Within Couple’s Relaxation Special: Two 50 min. massages, 50 min. tub-room use: $190 (831) 458-WELL(9355)

wellwithinspa.com

Midtown

Shopper’s Corner Beauregard Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from the Margarita Vineyard: $9.99 (831) 423-1398

shopperscorner.com Continued on Page 124 ▶

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

123

h ol i Day f e at ure: Gift Directory

◀ Continued from Page 123

Vital Body Therapy Package of three 60-minute massages: $195 (831) 454-8312

vitalbodytherapy.com

Westside The Loft First-time massage clients will receive a $20 discount (831) 420-1000

Find us on Yelp!

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Growler Gift Box: $35 (831) 425-4900

scmbrew.com

Eastside & Capitola Aqua Safaris Scuba Center Sign up for an Open Water Scuba certification class and receive a $50 in-store credit towards any equipment purchase PLUS a free Aqua Safaris Mesh Gear Bag. (831) 479-4386

aquasafaris.com

Capitola Reef Barrel wave surf pendants in silver and pewter: $25 (831) 854-2350

capitolareef.com

Capitola Surf And Paddle - $25 gets you a 2-hour SUP rental plus $10 store credit ($50 value) (831) 435-6503

capitolasurfandpaddle.com

Look Great for your Holiday Parties

• Eyelash Extensions • Facials

• Spray-Tans

• Makeup & False Lash Application

• Waxing

• Massage

We offer these and many other products for all your Beauty Needs

124

s anta c ruz WaVe s maga z i n e

We have grearts! stocking stuffe

Gift Certificates Available 7556 Soquel Dr. | Aptos I 688.3203 belladawnaesthetics.com

VOTED BEST DAY SPA & BEST EYELASH EXTENSIONS

holiDay feature: Gift Directory

Click Click Bang Salon and Gallery Hand-crafted Myla James Earrings: $90-$250 (831) 464-2724

clickclick-bang.com

Eadington Gallery 50% off all Custom Canvas Prints, when you mention Santa Cruz Waves. (831) 854-2394

Like on Facebook

Euro Wax Center 7 Brazilian waxes for $282 (831) 477-9331

waxcenter.com/ca-capitola

Freeline Surf Shop Bullys Hot tank (Neoprene covered 1 gallon tank, fill with hot water for a warm shower after you surf): $32. (831) 476-2950

Find on Facebook

Helm of Sun Valley Under Armour Base Layers: $45 to $75 (831) 462-6800

helmofsunvalley.com

Modern Life Steampunk/Industrial upcycled lobster at beach made from car parts: $69 (831) 475-6802

shopmodernlife.com

Neil Simmons Photography Buy 1 get 1 free matted prints: $39-$99 (831) 429-5512

neilsimmonsphotography.com Continued on Page 126 â&#x2013;ś

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

125

H ol i day F e at ure: Gift Directory

â&#x2014;&#x20AC; Continued from Page 125

Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill Surf Shop Youth Psycho, 4/3mm with Techno Butter, 2 styles #4395: $249.95 (831) 475-4151

1115 41st Ave.

Santa Cruz Boardroom Santa Cruz Skateboard Reissue 31 x 10.5 inches. Deck $64.95, Complete $164.95 (831) 464-2500

santacruzboardroom.com

Shaman Chocolates A delicious bar of organic, fair-trade chocolate. 100 percent of the profits go to supporting the Huichol people in Mexico. Available at New Leaf and Staff of Life. shamanchocolates.com Surf Strips Foam surfboard protectors. Great for stocking stuffers! On Sale for $9.99 at Freeline Surf Shop. surfstrips.com Tepui Tents - Expedition Series Duffle Bag: $135 (800) 301-9874

tepuitents.com

Aptos Shoe Fetish Frye Boots or a variety of handbags: $150-$400 (831) 688-6500

shoefetishsc.com

Body in Motion Pilates Studio Pilates toesox: $16 (831) 685-1779

pilatescalifornia.com

Bella Dawna Smoke & Mirrors Smoky Eye Kit: $50 (831) 688-3203 belladawnaesthetics.com Warmth Company Barefoot Dreams Bamboo Chic sweater: $98 (831) 688-3200 warmthcompany.com

126

Santa Cruz Wav e s M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

127

128

Santa Cru z Wav e s M agaz i n e

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

129

comic

130

s anta cru z WaV e s magaz i n e

Since 1998

Organic Asian Street Cuisine

Noodles & Rice Bowls • Organic Produce • Locally Grown 1141 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz • 831.426.5664 • Open Daily 11am-11pm • charliehongkong.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

131

Coldwater Classic October 29, 2014

132

Santa Cru z Wav e s M agaz i n e

The first day of this year's O'Neill Coldwater Classic at Steamer Lane was sunny and warm, with decent waves for the competitors and an intimate crowd of spectators. Lots of local and out of town characters came to compete and watch. Photos: Yvonne Falk

V i ew M o r e Galler i es @ SantaCruzwave s.com

VV o o ll 11 .4 .4 -- D D ee c c 201 201 44 // jan jan 20 20 15 15

133 133

134

s anta c ruz WaVe s maga z i n e

ee d are “All I n waves, s ty so me ta re Pizza u s a Ple ﬁne.” and I’m

Now Open!

TOTALLY AWESOME SPECIALS! Cheesy Tuesday

________________________________________________________________________________________

$1.00 Cheese Pizza Slices

Wing Wednesday ½ Price Wings

________________________________________________________________________________________

www.pleasurepizzasc.com

Beer & Bacon Thursday

½ Price Pitchers and Free Bacon on Anything and FREE Delivery

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

135

136

Santa Cruz Wav e s M agaz i n e

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” ‒ Aristotle Photo: Dave Nelson / SPLwaterhousing

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

137

voted best restaurant

unique

fresh

seasonal

comfort

serving lunch and dinner 7 days a week

gift cards available 138

Santa Cru z Wav e s M agaz i n e

334 d Ingalls Street Santa Cruz, CA - 831.471.8115 - westendtap.com

V o l 1 .4 - D e c 201 4 / jan 20 15

139

1 40

Santa Cruz Wave s M agaz i n e