You missed a loud little event last Friday. Or maybe you didn’t, but most likely you did if you run in my circle of friends. You see, Friday night there was a show that was entirely DIY, entirely warm and inviting, and entirely successful, as far as I can tell.

Having never even heard of Amy Estrada, I received a random friend request on facebook back in July. My facebook account is for personal purposes only, but for some reason I made an exception as a blogger friending an artist. I’ve been hearing about this even for a few months, and decided I should definitely see what Amy was all about. (more…)

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It hasn’t taken long for Tim Strouss to arrange a solo show, but Tim Strouss has not had your typical artists development. Since he began painting a year ago, he has taken a disciplined approach to painting, art education, and technique. He’s painted nearly every day for the past year, and it shows. (read our interview here)

Tim’s first show, at The Abbey Coffee Shop as a First Friday event, does not disappoint. As a bit of an insider, allow me to offer some context and perspective into his work and encourage you to take a look for yourself. (more…)

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August 29th was a very bad day for me. I don’t mean a spilled coffee, got flipped off in traffic kind of day. I mean, a loved one who lives far away had unexpected, serious surgery kind of day. I had the option to go to a show at the Catalyst, or stay home and do… what?

Inanimate Existence is a band some friends had been telling me about for months. I knew they were Technical Death Metal, with atmospheric passages, and their drummers kick was faster than most automatic weapons (more…)

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One thing we do for good friends, is make exceptions; try new things. Clinton Brown is something of a legend in my mind; the consumate professional. While my band, An Officer and Two Gentlemen, was recording, Clinton was one-taking compositions with tempo and time-signature changes. (I was endlessly tracking feedback overdubs) We lost touch with each other until about two weeks ago, due to travel, children and a host of other excuses. He told me his new band was playing a cd release show at Don Quixotes in Felton.

This is where the exception comes in (more…)

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I met Gina Tuzzi at her Stripe Men showing in July. Her work immediately struck me as displaying an immense amount of skill, vision and openness. Seriously, the detail in these drawings will blow your mind.

Gina was kind enough to answer some questions, and give me a closer look at the thought and care that goes into her work. She was just as open and gracious as I expected.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become an artist?

I’m Gina. I’m Santa Cruz born and raised and currently live and work in Oakland. I’m a full time artist, and part time framer. I’m a Libra and a daydream believer.

My earliest memories of making art are from when I was 5 or 6 and I would replicate the album cover art from my parents vinyl collection on computer paper (the kind that was like a long accordion with the perforated edges). The first time I remember feeling like an artist was when I made my first collage in my neighbor  Phoebe’s painting studio, I was probably 8. (more…)

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After my initial interaction with Justin Angelos’ work at Stripe Men, I really wanted to interact with him a bit. His work is so rooted the kind of nostalgia and abstracted relationships we have with celebrities that I felt like I wanted more. Maybe I knew I would never get an answer from O.J., Bruce Lee or Sylvester Stallone, but Justin was in reach.

(more…)

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Highlights:
• Destruction Unit’s on-stage antics
• Seeing the frontman of DukeNukemForever get body-checked into an amp
• Getting spit on during The Men’s intense set

This June 25th show was on my calendar for a couple of months, but it wasn’t until a week before the show that it was announced this would be the last show for this venue, the Pioneer. Hugely disappointing, given that this was one of the only outlets for hardcore and extreme music in the area. Santa Cruz needs all-ages venues to revitalize the music scene, and provide an outlet for all forms of musical expression. Musical expression is never going to go away; only go underground (or noisily setup in your neighbors garage).

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When I heard that The Backup Razor was playing a show for their 5th anniversary as a band, I thought I had better get down to the Blue Lagoon to check it out. I mean, I had just interviewed Jesse, and realized I had never seen TBR play. Plus, somebody had to document the momentous occasion. (more…)

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Don’t even bother reading if you are easily offended…

HowDareYou said they were recording their EP on Thursday. It was uploaded by Friday, and I finally got a chance to listen to it on Sunday. Having just heard their set on May 24th, all of this material is relatively fresh in my mind, and the EP is remarkably accurate to their live show sound.

The Cock Fights at Storage Locker City EP is everything I could ask for from a DIY band birthing their first set of recordings to the world. Recorded on a 4-Track cassette, this is certainly quick and dirty production, but everything you want to hear is there (unless you want to hear any of the drums below the belt). (more…)

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First Friday is tomorrow! After looking through the various shows, I’ve picked my favorites.

Photographers

Wallflower Boutique – Katie Cater – New Work
Black and white prints, looks promising…

Pure Pleasure- Charles Berger
If you want to trip out, check out his photos from Brady’s Yacht Club!

Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios – Precious on the Edge
Here at theSCAB, we like photography, and we like Rock and Roll. This is photography about Rock and Roll… so we like it.

True Olive Connection – Karen Banuelos
Check out the photography, eat the food!

Painters

Stripe MEN: Gina Tuzzi – You’ve Got it Bad Girl
Just go to the site, you’ll understand…

Leeds Gallery – Ed Smiley
Psychadelic watercolors, so come by and have a seizure with me!

Faust Salon and Spa- Cristina Sayers
This looks pretty rad. I like the approach using  pastel, acrylic paint and chinese-paper.

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