Things are falling into place for Alwa Gordon. The Aptos-based rapper just returned from Las Vegas with three professionally produced hip hop tracks by Grammy-nominated production team the Audibles. Not only did he not pay a cent for them, he was flown out by the record label Future Music to make the recordings and sent home with the tracks free and clear.
Articles by Aaron Carnes
CocoRosie’s Fantastic Voyage
To understand the performance art–driven, strange musical juxtapositions of CocoRosie, a band frequently accused by critics of being pretentious or too bizarre for its own good, it’s important to understand the two women behind the group. As young children, sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady lived a bohemian existence with their mother, rarely staying in one town for more than a year and focusing more of their attention on weird art projects—at their mother’s insistence—than on schoolwork.
Hunting for Bigfoot in the Santa Cruz Mountains
When I found out I’d be going Bigfoot hunting with Michael Rugg, I figured we’d hike deep into the woods to some remote destination to conduct our search. In actuality, we spend most of the time in Felton, right along the road and close to the nearby homes. “Bigfoots don’t have to be in a big wilderness area to exist,” Rugg, who owns the Bigfoot Discovery Museum, explains to me on our outing. “They can exist around the edge of town.”
Neil Hamburger Takes Bad Comedy to Hilarious Heights
Greg Turkington’s funnyman character Neil Hamburger is like a satirical composite of all the thousands of bad comedians that ever were. He’s a bitter, miserable comic who constantly clears his throat and delivers bad, crass jokes with awkward timing. (“Why did God create Domino’s Pizza? To punish humanity for their complacency at letting the Holocaust happen.”)
Doobie Brothers, Joan Osborne at BluesFest
The Santa Cruz Blues Festival celebrates its 20th year this Memorial Day weekend with an eclectic lineup. Tickets go on sale at www.santacruzbluesfestival.org starting Feb. 29
Dan P and the Bricks Take Santa Cruz by Shock and Ska
Two members of the defunct St. Louis band MU330 join four ex–members of Santa Cruz’s Slow Gherkin (A.J. Marquez, Matt Porter, Brendan Thompson and Phil Boutelle) and local reggae drummer to an all-star ska dream team.
No Idle Hands For The Devil Makes Three
When The Devil Makes Three got its start 10 years ago playing old-timey country folk with the intense live show energy and DIY philosophy of a punk band, it was ahead of its time. Since then, acoustic bands with a punk ethos have sprouted up all over Santa Cruz, giving banjos and tattoos common cause.
The Heavy Metal Perfection of Mammatus
The members of Santa Cruz experimental metal band Mammatus have a time-tested method to ensure that all their music reaches a high standard. They look for what they call the Yes Factor—that moment during practice when a song comes together and everyone knows it. “That’s what we’re always looking for, the part of the song that gives you goosebumps. It’s all about finding that magical moment,” says guitarist Nicky Emmert. He adds, “It takes us a really long time to write a song.”
Being Sincere
It took rapper Sincere three years of being away from his hometown to be able to write and record the album he’s always wanted to make—one that voices the pain and hardships of growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Watsonville.
Blackbird Rock
Years before the members of the folk-punk-jug-band Blackbird Raum played their first show, they were squatting in abandoned buildings in Santa Cruz, making art and music and staging political protests. It was the early 2000s and, with no electricity and little money, they picked up whatever instruments they could play around a campfire: banjo, mandolin, accordion, washtub bass, a washboard. “We all started playing those instruments because you could,” says mandolin player Mars.
