Santa Cruz AIDS Ride Afterparty A Blowout

Over the past decade, the Surf City AIDS Ride has raised more than $100,000 for the Santa Cruz AIDS Project, thanks to bicyclists willing to submit themselves to impressive 30-, 60- or 100-mile treks around the county. It’s a journey that offers its own rewards, but this year there will be something a little extra at the finish line—a music festival that brings together some of the city’s brightest musical talents.
The party at San Lorenzo Park will go all day long, beginning at 11am and ending at 5pm with a bill that reads like a who’s-who of the Santa Cruz indie, folk and rock scene. Featuring music by And Hod, James Rabbit, Quinn Deveaux, Dan P. & the Bricks, Moon Cadillac, Tether Horse, Luxury Sweets, Harry and the Hit Men and more, the Finish Line Festival is a must-attend for fans of local music.
It’s an impressively diverse bill. The stage name of longtime Santa Cruz resident Hod Hulphers, And Hod is one of the town’s most venerable indie-folk institutions. The early to midday is dominated by similar acts, notably the urban folk of Tether Horse, one of the town’s most dependable live acts. As the afternoon warms up, expect the volume to kick up a notch with acts such as the new wave-via-no wave James Rabbit, the soul and R&B outfit Quinn Deveaux, dirty rock & roll throwbacks Moon Cadillac and the Luxury Sweets, Santa Cruz’s kings of debauched garage-punk splendor. Dan P. & the Bricks is the latest project of Dan Potthast, the ska/power-pop wizard featuring members of ska legends MU330 and Slow Gherkin. Rounding out the bill is Harry and the Hit Men, a contemporary psychedelic soul band so dapper and refined they’d make Don Draper envious.
All-day festivals are usually a pretty self-serving affair, providing fans with hours of music, drink and an opportunity to appear on the scene. It’s impressive that the folks behind the Surf City AIDS Ride have been able to amass such a stellar lineup, and it’s a testament to the town’s community-minded ethos that so many of these local bands were willing to donate their time for an undeniably good cause.

THE FINISH LINE FESTIVAL is Sunday, Oct. 3, 11am-5pm at San Lorenzo Park, Santa Cruz. Free, but donations welcome. For more information, visit www.scapsite.org.