From a trio of shows by Bay Area faves Pablo Cruise to the world-famous Cabrillo festival and the son of a surf-rock legend, there is a lot to see and hear in the Bay Area. Here is a partial rundown.
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Pablo Cruise might just be the original yacht rock band.
“Our headquarters was an 82-foot schooner in the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon,” says keyboardist Cory Lerios, who co-founded the band in 1973. “So, we were definitely yacht rockers back before yacht rock was a term.”
Perhaps inspired by their views of the San Francisco Bay, the group would go on to deliver some of the greatest songs of what is now known as the yacht rock genre, which celebrates the smooth a.m. radio staples delivered by such artists as Toto, Kenny Loggins, Nicolette Larson, Poco, and more.
Pablo Cruise’s short list includes such late-’70s soft-rock triumphs as “A Place in the Sun,” “Love Will Find a Way” and “Whatcha Gonna Do?” — with the latter two being top 10 pop hits for the band.
Yet, Pablo Cruise — which currently consists of founding members Lerios and David Jenkins on vocals and guitar as well as bassist Larry Antonino, drummer Sergio Gonzalez and vocalist Robbie Wyckoff — has so much more to offer than just that handful of yacht rock staples. It’s actually a sensational live band that excels in a variety of styles — from CSN-style folk-rock tunes to jammed-out instrumental numbers.
Fans can experience all of that — and so much more — during three upcoming shows in the Bay Area.
Details: 8 p.m. July 25 at Guild Theatre in Menlo Park ($58 and up; guildtheatre.com); 8 p.m. July 26 at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma ($48.46 and up; mystictheatre.com); and 2:30 p.m. July 27 at the Benicia Waterfront Festival (event runs Saturday and Sunday; beniciawaterfrontrocks.com).
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Let’s settle this once and for all
The Beatles? Or the Rolling Stones? And before you say both are good – no, you have to pick one side in this “most legendary rivalry in rock history,” according to a musical-theater production coming to the Bay Area for two shows.
“Beatles vs. Stones — A Musical Showdown,” which pits two tribute acts against each other in a battle of tunes, banter and jovial one-upmanship — will visit the the Campbell Heritage Theatre as well as the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek; traveling show’s latest stops in a 125-city North American tour. The production that’s been amusing classic and pop-rock fans since 2011.
On the one side is “Abbey Road,” a band representing our funny-haired gents from across the pond who like singing about diamonds in the sky and walruses. On the other is “Jumping Jack Flash,” mimicking the high-energy antics of the British Invasion’s bad boys. Expect lots of period costumes and gear, a steady dose of all your favorite songs and an encore that reportedly brings down the house.
Remember to bring earplugs, if you don’t like the volume turned up to 11.
Details: 7:30 p.m. July 26 at Campbell Heritage Theatre, $45-$65, heritagetheatre.com; 7:30 p.m. July 27 at Lesher Center, Walnut Creek; $56-$76; www.lesherartscenter.org.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Cabrillo Fest offers full slate
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music returns this week, and the annual Santa Cruz new-music bash has aficionados coming from far and wide to experience an array of artists and their latest works.
There’s plenty to experience in this year’s installment of the event; it’s the festival’s 63rd season, and under music director Cristian Măcelaru, the calendar boasts a full roster of premieres, performances, talks, and special events, including:
Free open rehearsals are available almost every day during the festival; no reservations are needed but visitors are asked to enter and exit as quietly as possible; and a free concert featuring new work by under-30 composers Leigha Amick, Ethan Gonzalez Soledad, and Sam Wu is available July 29.
Hear works by Stacy Garrop, Julia Wolfe, Darian Donovan Thomas and many others, as well as tributes to Lou Harrison, John Corigliano, and Jennifer Higdon.
LGBTQIA Pride in Santa Cruz celebrates 50 years with a commission by Jake Heggie on Aug. 10.
Details: July 26 through Aug. 10; Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium; tickets $24-up; some events free; 831-420-5260; Cabrillomusic.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Ride the wave of surf music
Richard Anthony Monsour, aka Dick Dale, was a giant among early electric guitar players, even if his sonic output has largely been reduced in the public’s mind to the surf-rock staple “Miserlou” (the song you hear on “Pulp Fiction). He was known as “The King of the Surf Guitar” but his impact went further and was felt by more musicians that the title suggests.
He was credited with adapting such effects as reverb and amplification in commercial guitar-playing and influenced artists ranging from Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys to Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend.
He also made a point of schooling his son on guitar-playing, and now the talented Jimmy Dale is carrying on his father’s surf-rock tradition. He’s even backed by his father’s acclaimed rhythm section — Dusty Watson on drums and Sam Bolle on bass. You can hear the Jimmy Dale Trio on Sunday when they perform as the headliners of the eighth annual International Surf Guitar Classic at Art Boutiki Music Hall, 44 Race St., in San Jose. Others on the bill include Frankie and the Pool Boys, from San Francisco; The Frigidaires (Atlanta) The Dead Kampers (Santa Cruz).
Details: 3 p.m. Sunday; $30 advance/$35 day of show; artboutiki.com.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Freebie(s) of the week
A couple of free concerts in the Bay Area this week promise a celebratory vibe and seemingly lots of encouragement for those who want to bust a move or two. In Cupertino, the Summer Concert Series serves up veteran Bay Area dance/party outfit the Joint Chiefs. The Santa Cruz-based band has been serving up its take on classic R&B, soul and funk standards for more than 35 years, honing its sound through countless festivals, corporate gigs and community concerts such as this one. The music runs 6:30 to 8 p.m. July 24 at the Memorial Park Amphitheatre, 21163 Anton Way, Cupertino. Blankets and lawn chairs are allowed. The concert series runs Thursday nights through More information is at www.cupertino.gov/Parks-Recreation/Events.
And in Walnut Creek, the Summer Sounds free concert series presents Michigan band VUP, which specializes in creative takes on classic hits by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, D’Angelo, Chaka Khan and more, led by the powerhouse vocals of Arian Kertsman. The show starts 5:30 p.m. July 24 at the Rudney Plaza at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive. More information is at www.lesherartscenter.org/events.
— Bay City News Foundation
Fest comes with strings attached
The art of puppetry dates back to the 5th century B.C., where Greek and then Indian practitioners developed the form to entertain and create stylized portrayals of various myths, legends and fables. And while the world of puppetry has evolved and expanded since then, the art form in many remains pretty much the same. Whether operated by hand or arm movements, strings or mechanized arrangements, puppetry remains a popular form of storytelling, and one that has been practiced to great success by San Francisco’s Fratello Marionettes since 1989. The company, exclusively using puppets it creates, has staged performances around the world, and has a big role in this weekend’s Napa Valley Puppetry Festival. The event, running July 25-26 at The White Barn theater in St. Helena, offers a variety of performances, plus workshops, a Giant Puppet Parade and even a variety show titled “Forbidden Puppet Cabaret.” Most events cost $5. The White Barn, a 75-seat converted 1872 carriage house, is at 2727 Sulphur Springs Ave. in St. Helena. Events and performances are both inside and outside.
Details: More information is at nvpuppfest.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
Ringing in the new
Since its debut in 1970, Palo Alto’s TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has earned a reputation as a company dedicated to presenting new productions. In fact the troupe is planning to kick off its 55th season in September with a world premiere production of Bay Area playwright Lauren Gunderson’s new adaption of Louisa May Alcott’s classic “Little Women.” So it makes sense that the company’s 22nd annual New Works Festival, which kicks off this week, is a big deal in the theater world. Running Friday through Aug. 17, the festival presents performances and readings of more than a half-dozen new shows, most of which will get more than one staging. Among the highlights are “Vienna,” a musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who created “Come From Away”; “Alice, Formerly of Wonderland,” an a capella musical about the real life of the famed children’s novel protagonist; and “Bridges,” a new musical based on the songs of Oakland musical duo The Kilbanes. Kicking off the festival on July 25 is the provocatively titled comedy “Old Cock,” which centers on the Rooster of Barcelos, who according to legend is credited with coming back to life on the dinner table to help a wrongly accused man find innocence. In this new re-imagining by Tony Award playwright Robert Schenkkan, the Rooster has more than a few pointed questions about his backstory.
Details: Performances take place at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. Tickets range from $25-$40 for individual shows, $90 for a full-festival pass. Go to theatreworks.org
— Bay City News Foundation
The grande dames of opera
Mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz, a recent San Francisco Opera Merola trainee and Adler Fellow whose triumphant Schwabacher Debut Recital in that capacity garnered lavish praise, is a frequent performer on stages across the Bay Area and beyond. Hear her channel some of the most high profile dramatic characters of the opera stage in a salon for Walnut Creek-based Festival Opera July 27 at the Piedmont Center for the Arts. In a program dubbed “Baroque Queens,” Printz channels such luminous figures as Cleopatra, Alcina, Juno, Dido and Ottavia as envisioned by composers Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Strozzi, Handel and Purcell. Printz will be accompanied by Joshua Mikus-Mahoney on cello, Jon Mendle on theorbo and lute and Zachary Gordin on harpsichord, and there will be an opportunity to mingle with the musicians at a post-concert reception.
Details: Tickets are $40; festivalopera.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
A critical musical mass
Duos, trios and quartets are time-honored ensembles of the chamber music tradition, but it is the thoroughly agreeable grouping of five collaborative musicians that the Music@Menlo festival will be putting under the spotlight in a July 27 afternoon recital at the Spieker Center for the Arts in Atherton. In various assortments, violinists Chad Hoopes, Jessica Lee, Kristin Lee, Richard Lin, Julian Rhee and Arnaud Sussman; violists Lawrence Dutton and James Thompson; cellists Dmitri Atapine, Nicholas Canellakis and David Finckel; clarinetist Sebastian Manz and pianist Wu Han will assemble onstage to perform string quartets by major composers from two centuries. Their program, called “Quintessential Quintets,” consists of Mozart’s String Quintet in B-flat Major, Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, Luigi Boccherini’s String Quintet in C Major and Camille Saint-Saens’ Piano Quintet in A minor.
Details: Concert time is 4 p.m., and there will be a repeat performance at 7 p.m. July 29 in the Stent Family Hall. Find tickets, $65-$87 (but $25 for those under 30), at [email protected].
— Bay City News Foundation