FRIDAY MAY 31
Mighty Mike Schermer CD Release Party
The Crepe Place
9 p.m.
$12 Buy them here.
Sometimes you forget how blisteringly good Mighty Mike is because he's so damned nice, the rarest quality in a professional musician. And pro is the operable word here. He's backed Elvin Bishop, Angela Strehli and now Marcia Ball. In fact, he played with Ball at Kuumbwa last week.
While he's written for other artists, tonight is to celebrate his own work, his fifth album, "Be Somebody," which features 12 original songs and special guests including Bishop, Strehli and Ball. This will be a show for the local record books, a one-man blues festival.
Junip
The Rio Theatre
8 p.m.
Tickets: $23
The definition of indie, said by no one but those who tell the truth, is finding that cool band that no one else has heard of and knowing you were first. How about a trippy, emo-sounding Swedish band that combines elements of world music, Sigur Ros, Eisely, African exhuberance and anthemic heaviosity.
Here's a video. I bet you like it. I think it's fresh and well worth checking out.
Do you agree? Here's another.
Check it out and you can tell your friends you were first on this bandwagon.
SATURDAY JUNE 1
The Redwood Mountain Faire
Roaring Camp
11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20 at the door; $15 for students and seniors. Buy them here.
(Also Sunday)
The decades old Faire had to leave its old location in Ben Lomond but got one with more space and better parking. And, the show that benefits a bunch of nonprofits, has stacked the deck with bigger name acts, including Coco Montoya, Lacy J. Dalton, Joe Craven, Steven Graves, Wooster and Carolyn Sills. Check the full schedule here.
As festivals go, this may be the best deal of the summer.
Opening of City Fog
New Surf Shop in Soquel
2860 Porter St.
Featuring music, food, festivities
noon-6 p.m.
They are - you guessed it - stoked to announce the first retail store for City Fog, featuring clothes, lifestyle, handmade surfboards and on this day, music and food. There's no party like a surf party someone once said. I think it was George Bush or maybe Frosty Hesson.
Wailing Souls
Moe's Alley
9 p.m.
$20 advance; $25 day of show
When you talk about the founders of reggae, a few names come up. I don't have to mention the first. They play the man who said that BMW cars were named for him the minute you get in the Jamaica Airport. Then, you have the Wailing Souls, who have been splankin' and plankin' since the '60s.
They had a resurgence in the '90s thanks to the Disney film "Cool Runnings" about the Jamaican bobsled team, on which four of their songs were played.
You want to see roots rock reggae? This is the real deal.
SUNDAY JUNE 2
39th Annual Downtown PRIDE Parade and Street Festival
11 a.m.- 4 p.m.
FREE
Pacific and Cathcart Streets
There's no party like a gay party and no parade like a gay parade, someone, I think it was Rush Limbaugh, once said. Seriously? No.
But you can't help but shine in the light of everything that Rush isn't as people get together regardless of being gay, straight, transgendered, tri-sexual, inquiring or whatever, and have a great time showing their pride.
The festivities include: Frootie Flavors, the Santa Cruz Derby Girls and other acts including CHEER San Francisco, DJ Reb and an after party with DJ AD at Motiv.
For more info, check the Diversity Center site here.
Here's KSBW video from last year.
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