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Night Howl
By Karen Reardanz

Bird's Eye View: Songwriter Jenny Bird straps on her guitar and sings from the mountaintops, or at least from downtown SC's What Is Art?, along with her musical cohort Michael Mandrell on Friday. One-and-a-Two in the Bush: Power guitar with an angelically acoustic twist makes its way from New Mexico to SC HER NAME MAY SOUND DIMINUTIVE, but Jenny Bird is anything but. The singer/songwriter has been taking a good portion of America by storm, folk-rocking audiences coast to coast not only on her own, but as an opening act for the likes of John Prine, Joanne Rand and Sheryl Crow. Now the Bird, along with her own opening act, Celtic-jazz guitarist Michael Mandrell, brings her self-defined "soul food" to downtown SC's What Is Art? for a passionate show of self-penned folk-rock songs. When she's not teaching music in her hometown of Taos, N.M., Bird's busy writing tunes for her guitar that have been deemed chillingly powerful and electrifying by peers in the music biz and critics across the country. Bird has a strong voice that backs up the fact that while she has one sweet name, she's a real powerhouse. Jenny Bird and Mandrell play What Is Art? (2044 N. Pacific Ave, SC) on Friday at 8pm. Tickets cost $6-$8. For more info, call 458-9508. And if you just can't decide whether to flock to Ms. Bird's show, you may get a sneak preview of her in the comfort of your very own home. She appears on Heaven's Bar & Grill with Clytia on KZSC 88.1 FM from 11am to noon on Friday. Spare Any Change? And speaking of KZSC, the staff of the UCSC radio station is in the midst of its annual fall pledge drive. But RadioActive encompasses more than just the incessant standard public-media call for cash--this one manages to spice up begging with a celluloid party. The station hosts its own film festival on Friday with a screening of the German expressionist film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. And so as not to alienate those non-fans of avant-garde cinema, DJ Marcus B. spins his soul/funk show Chunky Chocolate live (it'll be on the air 6-9pm), and there'll be a 10-cent record sale. This part of the fundraising hoopla opens its doors at 7pm (movie starts at 8pm) at the Vets Hall, 846 Front St, SC, and admission is $5. The RadioActive pledge drive continues through Sunday with a variety of levels of community sponsorship to keep KZSC--one of the only stations in the area to play innovative music--going for another season. For info on either event, call the station at 459-2811. FutureThink HolyMaid LoveJoy presents Music for Park Benches with guitar and cello by Viola Keeton and Aude Castagna on Thursday at What Is Art? ... Flickering Frame screens Richard Lerner and Lewis MacAdams' What Happened to Kerouac? on Sunday at the Movie 1 & 2. ... The Cabrillo Fall 1997 Dance Concert and a Late Night Dance Show--both with some of the area's best and most nimble choreographers and dancers--will be held at the Cabrillo Theater on Dec. 12-13. [ Santa Cruz Week | MetroActive Central | Archives ]