Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the It’s-Labor-Day-already?!? B9:
➤ An often-overlooked but stalwart tradition of the Santa Cruz music has returned. On Friday, Scottish fiddle virtuoso Alasdair Fraser brings back the Valley of the Moon Fiddle and Dance Extravaganza after a five-year hiatus to the Santa Cruz Civic. This showcase of Celtic dance is the culmination of the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, which takes place each summer at Camp Campbell, in the redwoods north of Boulder Creek. For those who love folk dancing (or are merely folkdance-curious), this big splashing evening features a variety of styles, from New England contra dancing, to Scottish ceilidh, to Hot Club swing. Half of the show is getting people out of their seats to learn folk dance steps, and half is sitting back and enjoying the standout musical performances from Fraser, his longtime musical partner cellist Natalie Haas, the great jazz group the Hot Club of San Francisco and, straight from Maine, the sprightly fiddle-tune vibe of Pine Tree Flyers. After five years dark, imagine what that energy is going to be like.
➤ Technically, there’s still time to head up to the beautiful Quarry Amphitheater on the campus of UC Santa Cruz. On Thursday (that’s tonight!), you’ll encounter, live and in person, the legendary hip-hop ensemble The Roots. For 30 years now, these guys have been making creative explorations into a wide variety of American musical expressions, proving there are unfathomable depths to the group that backs up Jimmy Fallon on late-night TV. Opening is the New Orleans band Soul Rebels. But make your move, time’s a-wastin’.
➤ It’s a long, long way from a hardscrabble upbringing in Rapid City, South Dakota, to the highest reaches of professional dance. But novelist Paula Saunders tells exactly that story in her new book, “Starting From Here.” Saunders really raised her profile with her first novel, “The Distance Home.” And she comes to Bookshop Santa Cruz next Thursday, Sept. 4, to chat with homegrown novelist Karen Joy Fowler on her latest journey.
➤ A new era in local theater, perhaps? The Colligan Theater at the Tannery is the site for a new production of “Spring Awakening,” the off-Broadway coming-of-age hit musical from the 2000s (winning the Tony for Best Musical). The new musical is the first adult production from All About Theatre at the Colligan, and it’s bold and edgy choice for a first show. It opens this weekend, running through Sept. 14. Here’s hoping theater audiences discover a great new choice on the Santa Cruz calendar.
➤ Saturday night in Felton could be verrrry interesting. Felton Music Hall is hosting a show, sponsored by Collective Santa Cruz & Far West Fungi, titled “Glow Hard: Mushroom Magic.” It features art and food and drinks and music, and it’s all themed on bioluminescent fungi. Kind of a Santa Cruz signature idea, don’t you think?
➤ Jazz pianist and blues singer Charles Brown merged into the infinite way back in 1999, but his influence is still recognized and his style is still remembered as a key element in the development of American rhythm & blues. Brown, obviously, won’t be visiting the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Sept. 4, but an astonishing band of musicians — including some of the great man’s former bandmates — will visit the stage of Kuumbwa to honor one of America’s great musical giants.
➤ Did someone say “burlesque”? Yes, the theatrical style combining humor and eroticism is still alive and well, and it’s about to scandalize audiences at Actors’ Theatre. On Saturday, Best Coast Burlesque presents a show it’s calling “Bawdy Heat,” featuring a one-of-a-kind panoply of performers including Babraham Lincoln, Maria Von Thirst Trap and the evening’s host, Alotta Boutté (c’mon, would I make that up?). They’ll all be taking a swipe at the 1996 film “Romeo + Juliet.” Don’t worry, there’s two shows.
➤ The Watsonville airport is the site for the annual “Fire in the Sky” show featuring thrilling flyovers, vintage airplanes on display, live music and plenty of aircraft-related fun and games for the family. The good stuff gets started at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
➤ Adieu, Billy Shakes. This weekend Santa Cruz Shakespeare ramps up for a big finale on its two Shakespeare productions at the Audrey Stanley Grove: “Pericles” is closing Saturday night, followed on Sunday evening by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Yet, the good news is that Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” will linger on another week, and there’s a new production just pulling into port. Athol Fugard’s “‘Master Harold’ … and the Boys” opens Sept. 5.
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