{"id":2049663,"date":"2025-09-25T17:36:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T17:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2049663"},"modified":"2025-09-25T17:36:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T17:36:56","slug":"best-9-top-events-for-the-week-ahead-in-santa-cruz-county-arts-entertainment-sept-25-oct-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/best-9-top-events-for-the-week-ahead-in-santa-cruz-county-arts-entertainment-sept-25-oct-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Best 9: Top events for the week ahead in Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, Sept. 25-Oct. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It\u2019s the October-surprise B9:<\/p>\n

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Jai Uttal and his Pagan Love Orchestra hit the Rio this weekend. Credit:<\/span> Jai Uttal<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

\u27a4 New York-born Jai Uttal<\/strong> drifted out to California while still a teenager to study music with the immortal Ali Akbar Khan, an Indian master of the sarod (who taught for many years at UC Santa Cruz), and then on to India. Many decades later and Uttal is at the center of a broad movement making hypnotic music for kirtan and yoga. He and his band, Pagan Love Orchestra, put it all together for a big show Saturday<\/a> at the Rio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Comedian Rene Vaca<\/strong>, a proud son of Michoacan, came out of the San Fernando Valley, a college dropout, determined to become a stand-up comedian. And now he\u2019s making big strides with his takes on his upbringing and stories from his youth. He comes to the Rio Theatre for two shows on Friday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Mariachi music is not some archaic, dying art form. It\u2019s alive and well, thanks in big part to the Chicago-based outfit Mariachi Herencia de Mexico<\/strong>, a virtuosic band of 14 players, all of them 32 years old or younger. For the past five years, the band has been collecting Grammy nominations and touring for audiences across North America. The band comes to the Rio Theatre next Wednesday, Oct. 1<\/a>, in a show presented by the Kuumbwa Jazz Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u27a4 For more than 20 years, singer-songwriter Eef Barzelay has been making sweetly desperate music under the stage name Clem Snide<\/strong>, including songs I can\u2019t get out of my mind, \u201cJews for Jesus Blues<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRoger Ebert<\/a>.\u201d Santa Cruz lucks out as Clem Snide plays the stage at The Crepe Place on Saturday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u27a4 The Portland, Oregon, band once known as the Water Tower Bucket Boys \u2014 now, just Water Tower<\/strong> \u2014 plays bluegrass and old-timey music, but there\u2019s an energy there that feels distinctly punk rock. They\u2019ll bring that antique swagger to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Friday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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