When Robert Cray plays a wailing blues guitar solo onstage, he steps away from the mic, closes his eyes and moves his lips. Then he just gets lost in the sound.
Posts Tagged: Music
John C. Reilly, Beverly Hillbilly
It was in his early twenties, just as he was learning guitar, that actor John C. Reilly first felt the tug of the blues. He even started a band, but it just didn’t take. “Somehow, in the back of my mind, I didn’t feel like I was totally suited to blues music even though I love it,” he says.
Firehose’s Surprising Journey and Santa Cruz Connection
Firehose will always be associated with Mike Watt’s beloved hometown of San Pedro, but the truth is that if it weren’t for Santa Cruz, the band never would have existed.
Juncos Bend Genres
In 2001, Joshua Lowe walked into More Music, his George W. Bush economic stimulus money in hand, and bought his first mandolin. He knew a few chords on the guitar, but he had never taken it seriously, and on the heels of a breakup from a longtime girlfriend he needed an outlet. He liked the instrument’s percussive chk chk chk.
2012 Gold Awards — Music & Nightlife
The results of our 2012 reader survey on the best of Santa Cruz County music and nightlife
A Conversation With Chris Rene
When Chris Rene isn’t writing or recording songs for his new album, he’s traveling around the country promoting new projects, playing guitar and singing for various radio programs. “I’ve been on a radio tour for I don’t know how long,” says Rene, a Santa Cruz native who finished third in television’s The X Factor in December. “But I’ve been to a lot of different states—basically almost every state in the United States.”
Retro Glamor Meets Garage Rock In The Wild Ones
In 1958, the man who would go down in history as Australia’s first rock & roller, Johnny O’Keefe, recorded “The Wild One.” Its opening verse eventually become one of the most famous in early rock, thanks to Jerry Lee Lewis’ arguably more convincing version. O’Keefe also recorded—twice—the song “Shout!,” getting his own hit version into stores only a month after the original landed on the charts. “Shout!” was picked up by the Shangri-Las for their 1965 debut album, Leader of the Pack. Then it was recorded again by Joan Jett on her 1980 debut album Bad Reputation, which featured guest appearances by two of the Ramones, Dee Dee and Marky. Years later, Jett would cover…”The Wild One.”
Singer Dayan Kai’s Blind. So What?
It’s a sunny but brisk day and I’m sitting at Blue Ball Park with local musician Dayan Kai. He’s there with his family, and every now and then one of his kids runs over to pounce on him or give him a toy to hold. We’re talking about music and the fact that some people are just born musically gifted. “In the Indian tradition,” he says, his long blond hair blowing about in the winter breeze, “they say that you cannot learn to play tabla in one lifetime.”
Joni Mitchell Tribute at Kuumbwa
A masterful lyricist, composer and painter, Joni Mitchell is an inimitable creative force. She’s racked up eight Grammys, has her name in stars on sidewalks and gets honorary doctorate degrees and lifetime achievement awards. She is also a chain-smoking, media-wary introvert with a serious case of stage fright. These seemingly disparate facets, however, serve only to strengthen the allure of Mitchell, whose musical contributions are held up with those of Dylan and the Beatles. Her catalog is immense and varied and she has won the loyalties of countless die-hard fans who understand that with Joni, the artist cannot be separated from the art.
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
