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News/2009/11/19/passport please

2009-11-19T19:34:54Z

New page: {{Article | author = Christina Waters, photo by Brian Harker | title = Passport, Please! | subtitle = The ultimate Santa Cruz Mountains wine tasting journey begins this Saturday | ...

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{{Article
| author = Christina Waters, photo by Brian Harker
| title = Passport, Please!
| subtitle = The ultimate Santa Cruz Mountains wine tasting journey begins this Saturday
| date = 2009/11/19
| content =
{{#img:
image=passport.jpg
| alt=winery passport days
| class=floatleft-thumb
}}
By now, we all know that the Santa Cruz Mountains are home to dozens of small artisanal wineries. And many have heard that on certain weekends the wineries host big events called Passport days. But some folks still aren’t quite sure what this Passport program is all about. So let’s get started.

Four times a year (the third Saturdays of January, April, July and November), members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association open their tasting rooms and wineries to the public. Here’s why that matters: Many of these wineries aren’t open to the public most of the year, and these open house days allow wine lovers to visit the wineries, meet eccentric winemakers, tour the cellars and sample and purchase rare, limited and new varietals created by our local vintners.

The Passport concept means that you purchase a miniature touring “passport” for $40 at any one of the participating wineries, and that gets you in to each and every winery on the tour. These events are out-and-out fun and tend to turn into parties, with winemakers offering finger foods and ambience-heightening live music.

Wine association operations manager Shannon Flynn has been doing these events for nine years now, and she’s still loving it. “What makes Passport unique is that it allows guests the opportunity to visit wineries that aren’t typically open to the public at other times,” says Flynn, who believes that the Santa Cruz winery Passport is distinctive because “you are meeting the winemaker and really getting a hands-on experience.” Passport day has grown through the years. “When I first started here,” Flynn told me, “we had just over 20 wineries participating. Now we have just over 50.”

Beauregard Vineyards, which recently took up residence in the former Bonny Doon tasting room site, is one of the day’s few North Coast destinations. “We have Blackboard Catering throwing down some mean grinds,” says Ryan Beauregard, adding that there’s “a good chance we’ll be doing draft horse tours of the vineyard.” Fingers crossed!

“It’s a nice way to get new people into the winery that have not been here before,” says Richard Alfaro, who has lined up a local jewelry artist and pianist Oak Joe Haselton to entertain visitors to his Corralitos winery. Alfaro calls the event a kick-off for the holiday party season; people come in and stock up for holiday parties.

Jeff Emery, winemaker at the legendary Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, once again welcomes the Passport-holding public to the new Ingalls Street complex, where he and fellow Surf City vintners (including newcomer Hillcrest Terrace, Pelican Ranch, Sones Cellars and Vino Tabi) will be pouring new releases. “We'll almost certainly pour our brand-new 2007 Grenache from 100-year-old McDowell Valley grapes,” says Emery.

On the upper slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Vine Hill winegrower Nick Guerrero anticipates his second year of welcoming the public to his gorgeous mountain setting. This time, as a special treat to those who make the trek, Guerrero and his team will be pouring an award-winning 2005 Cumbre Raffaelli library pinot noir. As if we needed any more encouragement.

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN WINERY ASSOCIATION PASSPORT PROGRAM is Saturday, Nov. 21, 11am-5pm. Passes are $40, available at www.scmwa.com, all participating wineries or by calling 831.685.8463.

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Restaurants

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		+
		+	{{ArticleExcerpt
		+	\| author = Christina Waters
		+	\| title = Passport, Please!
		+	\| subtitle = The ultimate Santa Cruz Mountains wine tasting journey begins this Saturday
		+	\| page = News/2009/11/19/passport_please
		+	\| date = 2009/11/19
		+	\| content =
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=passport_thumb.jpg‎
		+	\| alt=winery pasport days, santa cruz
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	\| page = News/2009/11/19/passport_please
		+	}}
		+	By now, we all know that the Santa Cruz Mountains are home to dozens of small artisanal wineries. And many have heard that on certain weekends the wineries host big events called Passport days. But some folks still aren’t quite sure what this Passport program is all about. So let’s get started.
		+	Four times a year (the third Saturdays of January, April, July and November), members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association open their tasting rooms and wineries to the public. Here’s why that matters: Many of these wineries aren’t open to the public most of the year, and these open house days allow wine lovers to visit the wineries, meet eccentric winemakers, tour the cellars and sample and purchase rare, limited and new varietals created by our local vintners.
		+	}}
		+

	{{ArticleExcerpt		{{ArticleExcerpt

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2009-11-19T18:53:56Z

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	'''at Don Quixote's;$12 advance/$14 door; 7:30pm<br>		'''at Don Quixote's;$12 advance/$14 door; 7:30pm<br>
	Cabrillo College instructor Ray Brown doesn't exaggerate when he refers to his "Great Big Band": the 21-piece ensemble comprised of Bay Area jazz luminaries fulfills both claims. Brown packs an impressive resume, having served as the trumpet player for Stan Kenton, arranged for Count Basie and penned a number of standout Big Band compositions. It's the sort of background that has made him a sought-after instructor and a local treasure, and this engagement is an excellent introduction to his prodigious talents.		Cabrillo College instructor Ray Brown doesn't exaggerate when he refers to his "Great Big Band": the 21-piece ensemble comprised of Bay Area jazz luminaries fulfills both claims. Brown packs an impressive resume, having served as the trumpet player for Stan Kenton, arranged for Count Basie and penned a number of standout Big Band compositions. It's the sort of background that has made him a sought-after instructor and a local treasure, and this engagement is an excellent introduction to his prodigious talents.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+	===Friday, November 27===
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=teraton.jpg
		+	\| alt= teraton at blue lagoon in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== Teraton ====
		+	'''at Blue Lagoon;$5; 9pm<br>
		+	A little more than a year has passed since Teraton’s conception, and in that time it has gotten Santa Cruz rockers head-banging and raising their fists to this hard-hitting trio. Teraton got its name from the study of teratology, or physiological abnormalities. The word is also linked to the Greek word for monstrous; either way, this show sounds like a teraton of fun. The local metalheads will be rounded out by the hardcore-thrash sound of When the Hammer Falls from Redding, along with Professor (ex-Trigger Renegade) from L.A., Holy Grail from Pasadena and Entragian from Santa Cruz.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+	===Friday-Saturday, November 27-28===
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=bsideplayers.jpg
		+	\| alt= b-side players at moe's alley in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== B-Side Players ====
		+	'''at Moe's Alley;$15 adv/$20 door; 9pm<br>
		+	The B-Side Players never cease to impress with their chameleon-like ability to create "custom" performances for specific venues. Their broad approach to a wide variety of musical genres allow them to play a hippie gathering one day and a high-end salsa club the next. With infectious Afro-Cuban beats heavy with funk-laden horn riffs, looping bass lines and jazzy piano, this band’s musicians are equally adept at ska, soul, hip hop, and funk. Fast-paced Latin Jazz jams grind into down tempo reggae splashes, pushing a politically charged revolutionary message intended to give props to society's underdogs. The band members also come from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, some being college-educated musical-theory fiends while the others come from traditional Mexican and church music backgrounds.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+	===Saturday, November 28===
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=jeff.jpg
		+	\| alt= the fall risk at don quixote's in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== The Fall Risk ====
		+	'''at Don Quixote's;$10; 8pm<br>
		+	Jeff Pehrson, the rotund and hugely talented singer and guitarist for folk rock crew Box Set, has a new band featuring a handpicked selection of musicians that have toured with the likes of Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler, Hot Tuna and Ben Harper. The group’s tunes are blues and rock heavy with plenty of harmonica and a hint of Americana coming through in pianist Matt Twain’s jangley keys. A perfect band for the mature rocker looking to cut a rug on a Saturday night, The Fall Risk is a shot of unfiltered classic rock that needs no chaser.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=redelvis.jpg
		+	\| alt= igor and red elvises at the catalyst in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== Igor and Red Elvises ====
		+	'''at The Catalyst;$16 adv/$20 door; 9pm<br>
		+	Hailing from the USSR, “folk & roll” defector Igor Yuzov was personally welcomed into the U.S. by Ronald Reagan. Then one night in 1995, Elvis Presley came to him in a dream and imparted the higher calling of rock & roll. Not wanting to disappoint the King, Igor joined fellow Russian Oleg Bernov and created the Red Elvises. Since then the band has been touring non-stop, bringing its “Siberian surf rock” to worthy venues around the world. The band’s clever lyrics flow over the guitar-driven, melodic surf rock led by Yuzov. Although members have come and gone, Igor & Red Elvises will keep the audience captivated.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+	===Sunday, November 29===
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=bigsandy.jpg
		+	\| alt= big sandy and his fly-rite boys at don quixote's in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys ====
		+	'''at Don Quixote's;2pm show $10; 7pm show $14 adv/$16 door<br>
		+	Ace revivalist Big Sandy is one of the most respectable contemporary practitioners of western swing, deftly mixing classic country twang, big-band jazz, and touches of rockabilly into a sound that looks backwards but never seems retrograde. Buoyed by his crack backing band the Fly-Rite Boys, Big Sandy is free to vocally roam, interpreting classics and presenting originals with his infectious warmth and capacious voice. Big Sandy is followed by the Savoy Family Cajun Band, a lively six-piece band that barrels through traditional Cajun music with joy and abandon.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+	===Monday, November 30===
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=kimnalley.jpg
		+	\| alt= kim nalley at kuumbwa in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== Kim Nalley ====
		+	'''at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center;$20 adv/$23 door; 7pm<br>
		+	An iconoclastic talent with an exuberant spirit, Kim Nalley is one of the brassier jazz vocal talents of our day. While many jazz vocalists assume a solemn tone of adulation towards their material, Nalley has the self-humor (and honesty) to cite Looney Toons cartoons as a major inspiration. Nalley is far from a lightweight, however. Her 2006 release She Put a Spell On Me: Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone was a heartfelt tribute to the vocalist, and earned her a shortlisted Grammy nod. On this tour, dubbed "the Heart of Lady Day," Kim Nalley specifically pays tribute to Billie Holiday.
		+	<br>
		+	</li>
		+
		+	===Wednesday, December 2===
		+
		+	<li class="listing">
		+	{{#img:
		+	image=zappaplayszappa.jpg
		+	\| alt= zappa plays zappa at the rio in santa cruz, ca
		+	\| class=floatleft-thumb
		+	}}
		+
		+	==== Zappa Plays Zappa ====
		+	'''at the Rio Theatre;$59.50; 7:30pm<br>
		+	Few weirder or more prolific artists have walked the earth than Frank Zappa. As a musician, his 30-year career spawned more than 60 albums and was heard by millions before he died in 1993. Yet for most people under 30-years-old, he remains largely an iconic name and a funny photo of a guy on the toilet. Dweezil Zappa, Frank’s oldest son, has been working to change that. Assembling the seven-piece ensemble Zappa Plays Zappa in 2006, Dweezil pulled young and unknown rock stars as well as veteran Zappa Sr. bandmates in an effort to bring his dad’s tunes to a wider audience. ZPZ is more than an everyday tribute band, however, and Dweezil’s chops are legendary among the string shredding guitar elite.
	<br>		<br>
	</li>		</li>
	</ul>		</ul>

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Calendar

2009-11-19T17:34:31Z

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-	~~===Wednesday, November 18===~~
-
-	~~<li class="listing">~~
-	~~{{#img:~~
-	~~image=keller.jpg~~
-	~~\| alt= keller williams at moe's alley in santa cruz, ca~~
-	~~\| class=floatleft-thumb~~
-	}}
-
-	~~==== Keller Williams ====~~
-	~~'''at Moe's Alley;$20 adv/$25 door; 8:30pm<br>~~
-	Once upon a time, you needed at least four longbeards to constitute a jam band. Keller Williams flips the script, indulging in wigged-out, free-form sonic explorations on his lonesome. Armed with a trusty looping box and a twisted wit, Williams creates soundscapes as expansive as a full band. The world that he conjures is eccentric and unique, but he keeps things accessible with a fine-tuned ear for unexpected melody and an affable stage presence.
-	~~<br>~~
-	~~</li>~~

	===Friday, November 20===		===Friday, November 20===

Main Page

2009-11-19T17:33:47Z

Main Page

2009-11-15T18:20:42Z

Calendar

2009-11-15T18:18:02Z

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	<ul class="channelListings">		<ul class="channelListings">
-
-	~~===Friday, November 13===~~
-
-	~~<li class="listing">~~
-	~~{{#img:~~
-	~~image=birdsfledfromme.jpg~~
-	~~\| alt= birds fled from me at the black lodge in santa cruz, ca~~
-	~~\| class=floatleft-thumb~~
-	}}
-
-	~~==== Birds Fled From Me ====~~
-	~~'''at The Black Lodge; free; 7pm<br>~~
-	Underground rock show alert! Three of Santa Cruz’s most up-and-coming indie acts are set to play a free show at the Beach Hill house-turned-venue the Black Lodge. Hugely talented and equally adorable indie starlet Rachel Williams and her band Birds Fled From Me will headline the event with their brand of syrupy sweet pop numbers. One-man rock show Craig Prentice, a.k.a. Hermit Convention, brings his microphone, looping pedal and bass guitar—all the tools he needs to drop poetic, Dylanesque yarns. And finally, local trio Green Flash will be on hand to color spacey surf rock scribbles all over the bill. All told, the show should be a stethoscope pressed to the pulse of the Santa Cruz indie scene.
-	~~<br>~~
-	~~</li>~~
-
-
-	~~<li class="listing">~~
-	~~{{#img:~~
-	~~image=Jugtownusathumb.jpg~~
-	~~\| alt= Jugtown USA~~
-	~~\| class=floatleft-thumb~~
-	}}
-
-	~~==== Jugtown U.S.A. ====~~
-	~~'''at Don Quixote's; $15 adv/$20 door; 8pm<br>~~
-	Rick McKee, better known as Ukulele Dick, has made his mark on Santa Cruz in myriad ways, most recently as the creative force behind the White Album Ensemble, a Beatles tribute band known for its album-length concerts. Tonight McKee strikes out in a different direction with Jugtown U.S.A., a performance of Motown standards performed on washtub bass and other jug band instruments (don't miss the sax solo rendered in the euphonious tones of the kazoo). "My Girl," "Stop in the Name of Love" and other songs that local funny man and guest performer Sven Davis calls “the music we mated to” were never entertaining in quite this way.
-	~~<br>~~
-	~~</li>~~
-
-	~~<li class="listing">~~
-	~~{{#img:~~
-	~~image=wooster.jpg~~
-	~~\| alt= wooster at cypress lounge in santa cruz, ca~~
-	~~\| class=floatleft-thumb~~
-	}}
-
-	~~==== Wooster ====~~
-	~~'''at the Cypress Lounge; $12; 8:30pm<br>~~
-	Wooster celebrates the release of its new album The Heights of Things with a downtown bash engineered to show off the band’s original brand of funkabilly. Vocalists Caroline Kuspa and Brian Gallagher form the yin-yang of sweet and sandpaper over the shredding of lead guitarist Zack “Nutty” Donaghue bone-crunching riffs. Drummer Nate Frederick and bassist Bobby Hanson, the recently added rhythm section, funk it up for everybody, and organist Gianni Staiano and hornblower Dustin Hengl round out the sound that makes this group stand out. Bringing together Santa Cruz’s favorite styles–hip-hop, rock, reggae and blues–Wooster is becoming one of the highest heights on the Santa Cruz music scene.
-	~~<br>~~
-	~~</li>~~
-
-	~~===Saturday, November 14===~~
-
-	~~<li class="listing">~~
-	~~{{#img:~~
-	~~image=lochlomond.jpg~~
-	~~\| alt= loch lomond at the brookdale lodge in santa cruz, ca~~
-	~~\| class=floatleft-thumb~~
-	}}
-
-	~~==== Loch Lomond ====~~
-	~~'''at The Brookdale Lodge; $12; 9pm<br>~~
-	It’s most likely that Portland indie pop quintet Loch Lomond named itself after the famous 172,000 acre Scottish lake by the same name and not the 175-acre swimming hole northeast of Santa Cruz, but we’ll call it a tip of the hat anyway. The group, fresh from a starstruck tour with the Decemberists, plays sparkling pop riffs beefed up with the matriarchal bellowing of Miss Jade Eckler. With the Loch monsters comes Santa Cruz’s quintessential prog rock set Mountain Animal Hospital. Soon to finish their much-anticipated followup to 2008’s Startled by Deer, the MAH boys bring a complex, virtuosic approach and the most nasal falsetto on the California coast.
-	~~<br>~~
-	~~</li>~~
-
-	~~<li class="listing">~~
-	~~{{#img:~~
-	~~image=Suicidaltendencies.jpg~~
-	~~\| alt= suicidal tendencies at the catalyst in santa cruz, ca~~
-	~~\| class=floatleft-thumb~~
-	}}
-
-	~~==== Suicidal Tendencies ====~~
-	~~'''at The Catalyst; $22 adv/$24 door; 9pm<br>~~
-	Skatepunk godfathers Suicidal Tendencies have been mining teen angst for decades, making the band's petulant screams of defiance to authority figures a bit jarring considering the advanced age of its members. Even though he's no longer the snot-nosed punk that led the band during its salad days, vocalist Mike Muir is just as sneering and pissed as he always was. Creatively, the band has been treading water for a long time—it hasn’t released a full-length album of new material since 2000—but there's nothing wrong with a band that has penned so many seminal punk and metal anthems taking a victory lap.
-	~~<br>~~
-	~~</li>~~

	===Sunday, November 15===		===Sunday, November 15===

Main Page

2009-11-14T15:59:47Z