Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It\u2019s the harvest-time B9:<\/p>\n \u27a4 His birth name is Xavier Dphrepaulezz, but he commands stages around the world as bluesman and singer-songwriter Fantastic Negrito<\/strong>, and, boy, does he have a story to tell. Growing up largely on the streets of Oakland, he taught himself music by sneaking into classrooms at UC Berkeley, but a near-fatal car accident put him in a coma and killed his music career early on. He reemerged 15 years later as an evangelist for American blues and other forms of Black traditional music, eventually nabbing two Grammys. Negrito brings a distinctive style of his brand of old-school R&B and funk with a big assist from his childhood inspiration, Prince. In his own way, this one-of-a-kind artist is pushing American music forward while at the same time keeping alive the flame from its past. He plays live Sunday<\/a> at Felton Music Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 First Friday is always a blast over at M.K. Contemporary Art on Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz. But this month, the gallery brings a bit of \u201cWhim and Wonder\u201d<\/strong> into its new exhibition, featuring some of the more outre work of local artists such as Dag Weiser, Will Marino, Pamela Mooney and more. It all goes down Friday<\/a> from 6 to 8 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Stand-up comedy happens in the trenches. The best young comics emerge from the seedbeds of comedy competitions around the country, which always provide a thrilling surprise or two. One of those touring competitions, the San Francisco Comedy Competition<\/strong>, drops in at The Crow\u2019s Nest in Santa Cruz on Sunday<\/a> evening, with 15 hungry comics looking for a spot in the semi-finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 The story of the Flamin\u2019 Groovies<\/strong> goes way back to 1965, and that\u2019s not a typo. The band emerged out of the psychedelic miasma of San Francisco of that era, though they were more interested in the energy and snarl of old-time rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. Original frontman Cyril Jordan leads the Groovies onto the stage of The Crepe Place on Saturday<\/a>, your chance to catch rock \u2019n\u2019 roll\u2019s living history.<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s a week of transition at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, as its production of Stephen Sondheim\u2019s \u201cInto the Woods\u201d<\/strong> closes out its summer run<\/a>, just in time for a new fall production<\/a> of Athol Fugard\u2019s \u201c\u2018Master Harold\u2019 \u2026 and the Boys,\u201d<\/strong> a searing but illuminating examination of South African apartheid and the deep-seated racism behind it. From summer enchantment to fall drama in one big week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 You might remember the Seattle-based band Sunny Day Real Estate<\/strong> as one of the first green shoots of the emo-punk movement of the 1990s. True to its genre, the band had all kinds of drama, breaking up and reuniting several times. Perhaps older (certainly) and wiser (not necessarily), SDRE comes bounding into The Catalyst on Wednesday<\/a> as part of its 2025 tour.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 As drag-queen stage names go, it\u2019s hard to beat \u201cLil Miss Hot Mess.\u201d<\/strong> We can only hope she lives up to that awesome name as Miss Mess visits Bookshop Santa Cruz on Wednesday<\/a> to talk about her new book, \u201cMake Your Own Rainbow: A Drag Queen\u2019s Guide to Color.\u201d I\u2019m sure the colors will be anything but muted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s already been a big summer up at the Quarry Amphitheater on the campus of UCSC. Turns out summer isn\u2019t quite over at the Quarry. Coming into the magical space on Tuesday<\/a> is the Southern California band Young the Giant<\/strong>, an indie band shot through with an international vibe, exemplified in their sensual 2022 hit \u201cWake Up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u27a4 Three big names in the California poetry world are coming together in a thunderclap moment at Bookshop Santa Cruz. Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar and Susan Browne, all of whom spend their time and energy figuring out how to deepen the human experience, join forces on Tuesday<\/a> for the \u201cHive Live<\/strong>\u201d poetry reading. Prepare to be inspired.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lookout.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fantastic-negrito.jpg?resize=780%2C525&ssl=1\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lookout.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Woods_SCS_rr-jones_2.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lookout.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/web-square-lil-miss-hot-mess-updated-copy.jpeg?resize=500%2C335&ssl=1\")