Jan 6 - I've seen so many great shows this month. One of the perks that comes with living in Santa Cruz, CA, is the fact that so many wonderful musicians want to come here to play for our sophisticated, and musically elite audiences. January started with a bang... and boom, & thump when one of my all-time favorite guitarists, Alan Holdsworth, took the stage with three other all time favorites; Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson, and Terry Bozzio of Zappa infamy. This was my first live Holdsworth experience so I was pretty stoked, especially considering that last time he played Santa Cruz, I missed the show because I got the day wrong. Duh! I've been lucky to see Tony Levin a handful of times over the years, both with his own band, as well as the California Guitar Trio. I saw Pat Mastelotto play with King Crimson at the Fillmore in San Francisco back in 2000, and again with the California Guitar Trio at the old beloved Palookaville... may it rest in peace. I first saw Terry Bozzio with Zappa at the Salt Palace back in 1976, then again in 1979 when UK opened for Jethro Tull at the D Event Center. The show at Kuumbwa on January 6, was blissful, and consisted of a couple hours improvisational pieces.
Jan 7 - The following night, I got to see the Vox Jaguars play at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz. It was their first show in months, and the boys played a rousing set until 12:30 AM. Fortunately for the enthusiastic crowd, the Crepe Place allowed one last encore and TVJ's had fun with one of their favorite crowd pleasers, Metropolis. A fitting farewell tune for a band that may never play together again.
Jan 21 - Felton is only a few minutes from Sana Cruz, and that's where our whole family went to see the California Guitar Trio. Before my mom died last month, she gave us some money for Christmas, and told me to get something meaningful with it. When I heard that CGT was coming, I promptly used some of the money on four tickets for my family. Something meaningful. A night out with my family, seeing one of our favorite ensembles.
Jan 23 - Good, probably isn't the correct adjective to describe the Residents show in the Rio Theater last Saturday night. Spooky, creepy, entertaining, and even funny; the Residents' Talking Light Tour was something I won't soon forget. The Residents' simple stylish sets are always impressive. This show was no exception and exhibited masterful use of theme, lighting, depth, strobe, space, and technology to create a uniquely Residents experience that left me wanting a tall sparkling glass of Coca Cola...
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