Calendar of Events
SANTA CRUZ See the work of young filmmakers at Rio Theatre
Where else can you see leprechauns, dinosaurs and muddy mermaids within the span of a few hours? You can this Saturday at the Rio Theatre as Thomas Farm Films presents the movies its youthful filmmakers made last summer.
Every year, Josh and Kari Thomas of Thomas Family Farm host a summer camp at their flower farm in the Aptos Hills where they teach moviemaking techniques to kids ages 5 to 17 and then have them make films of their own. These seven movies, which were shot last July, will be shown at the Rio Theatre for a formal red carpet film festival. Titles include “The Curmudgeon Factory,” “Bakersfield,” “Tyrone,” “Through the Lens of Mourning,” “Battle Against Luck,” “The Muddiest Mudmaid” and “The McGuffin 2.”
The festival is 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave. Doors open at 5:30. Tickets are $30 in advance. For more information, go to RioTheatre.com or ThomasFarmFilms.com.
Catalyst Club to bring The Frights
Halloween may be eight months away, but it is not too early to experience The Frights, specifically the San Diego surfpunk band that will be playing the Catalyst Saturday.
The Frights were formed in 2013 and released their self-titled debut album a year later. Since then, they have released four additional albums and have been signed to Epitaph Records, which has produced albums by some of the most notable punk bands of the past 30 years. The band plays a mixture of punk and surf rock, with lyrics about mental health and previous relationships. The sound makes them a welcome fit for Santa Cruz. Opening will be Miami indie band Mustard Service.
The concert is 9 p.m. Saturday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $28 in advance and $32 at the door. This is a 16-and-older concert. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.
Santa Cruz Symphony to hold Family Concert
Come Sunday, the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium will be running wild with lions, birds and schools of fish, all represented by instruments in a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' “Carnival of the Animals” by the Santa Cruz Symphony for its annual Family Concert Sunday.
Despite being one of French composer Saint-Saëns' most well-known and beloved compositions today, “Carnival of the Animals” was only performed a few times privately during his lifetime as he specifically requested it only be published posthumously. When SaintSaëns died in 1921, it was performed live publicly for the first time by the Concerts Colonne in 1922, which garnered rave reviews.
The piece has 14 movements whose instrumentation resembles different animals, including lions, chickens, tortoises, elephants, kangaroos, fish, donkeys, birds, fossils and swans. The most famous movements include “Aquarium,” whose haunting and otherworldly melody has lent itself well to movie trailers and orchestral scores for decades, and the finale which was the soundtrack for a “Fantasia 2000” segment involving a flamingo and a yo-yo. The numerous whimsical movements
have made it a suitable composition for all ages, which makes it ideal for the Santa Cruz Symphony's Family Concert. Following the performance of the piece, children who attend are invited backstage to meet the musicians and try out their instruments in what the symphony has dubbed an “Orchestra Petting Zoo,” which is even more fitting given the concert's animal theme.
The concert is 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Santa Cruz Civic, 307 Church St. Tickets are $24 for adults, $13.50 for children ages 3 to 17 and free for infants 2 and under if held on their guardian's lap. For more information, go to CityOfSantaCruz.com.
Albert Cummings brings the blues to town
Blues guitarist Albert Cummings has released his 10th record, “Strong,” and he is celebrating with an album release party at Moe's Alley Sunday.
Based out of Massachusetts, Cummings began performing and touring with the band Swamp Yankee in the late '90s and recorded his debut album, “The Long Way,” in 2000. Since then, he has recorded an additional nine albums, performed and played with B.B. King and Johnny Winter as well as Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon of Stevie Ray Vaughan's backing band Double Trouble. His newest album was recorded at Ocean Way Recording Studio in Nashville and was produced by Tom Hambridge, who has won Grammys for his work with Buddy Guy. Along with original compositions, the album features covers of “Goin' Down Slow” by Jimmy Oden and “Why Don't We Do it in the Road?” by the Beatles.
The concert is 3 p.m. Sunday at Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way. Doors open at 2. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show. This is a 21-and-older concert. For more information, go to MoesAlley.com.