Please join us for the Swirly Girls’ last SWIRL! They’ll be on hiatus this year but you never know where they might pop up! Come celebrate 10 years of the Swirly Girls with a festive HAT upon your head, a beer in your hand, and toes ready for tappin!
The Rayburn Brothers Band bring a broad range of influences to their music and play songs that are a mix of folk, rock, blues, world, and Americana. Singer-songwriters Craig and Keith Rayburn harmonize as only brothers can, with graceful melodies, poignant singing and deft instrumentation. All songs feature the effortless harmonies of Craig and Keith, augmented by the dulcet voice of Eliza James that give the vocals texture and intimacy. Long time lead guitar player Nick Heinz adds fluid guitar lines evoking classic rock greats, while the driving rhythm is provided by the bands own TnT, Tom Levenhagen on bass and Tom Duncan on drums, as keyboard player Kevin Taylor weaves in and out of the songs with grace and harmony.
The BACK PORCH BOYS dig into the glorious roots of American music from the Delta blues in Mississippi to New Orleans up to Memphis over to Austin and jumpin’ to Chicago. Singer-guitarist RICH COWAN and harmonica enthusiast VIRGIL THRASHER put their combined 90 odd years of playing music on display. You will hear the likes of Tampa Red, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Fats Domino among other icons from the early days.
Pair one of our 16 beers on tap with some lively Beer Garden Trivia, every Tuesday at 6pm (note the new time)! No sign-ups required. Just come a little early to snag a table in the Beer Garden.
As the lead guitarist for the China Cats and Painted Mandolin, Matt Hartle has established himself as the preeminent jam band guitarist for Santa Cruz and the Bay Area. You can also find him hosting a weekly deep dead jam, where he welcomes Bay Area players for Grateful Sunday shenanigans. Matt’s unique voice and intricate playing style always gets the audience on their feet and feeling their groove. You’ll be dancing to songs from legends like Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, as well as rock, blues, jazz, americana, and of course some Matt Hartle originals. Stop by for a “Thursday after work” brew and some hot hartle licks when Matt returns to Discretion Brewing for 1st Thursdays of the month this summer.
The Trolley Drops play songs from the good-time, prohibition-era folk jazz genre known as Jug Band music, which blends the call and response of gospel with the drive of the delta blues and the ruckus sounds of New Orleans Jazz.
Harpin’ and Clark are Jon Troutner and Peter Clark. They are a guitar and harmonica duo playing Americana, jazz, blues, ragtime, country and folk. Mixing carefully selected traditional and popular tunes with original songs, their combination of chromatic and blues harmonica and fingerstyle guitar provides a uniquely listenable musical experience. Jon and Peter have been developing their craft and entertaining Santa Cruz audiences for over forty years.
Acoustic string band out of Marin Country drawing from traditional bluegrass and old-time, plus some country, blues, rock, and jazz to create a contemporary California bluegrass sound.
Original story-songs, dramedy, stellar vocals, sweet harmonies, great entertainment!
Bonny June & Bonfire are an original music trio that sing together like birds on a wire. Their entertainment style has been coined by fans as “Americana meets Vaudeville”. Bonny’s wild storytelling blends sweet & saucy, drama & comedy with fantastical characters such as cowgirls & pirates, heroes & villains, lovers & monsters. Beloved local guitarist/singer/producer Ken Kraft established popular bands Snail & The White Album Ensemble. Excellent bassist/singer Craig Owens’ varied history includes The Messiahs & Lacy J Dalton. With stellar vocals, beautiful harmonies and seasoned players, a Bonfire show is sure to have you listening & laughing, crying & drinking, singing & swaying and fully entertained!
With a big map and no planned destination, this trio of seasoned improvisers from the jazz and jam band worlds use song and structure the way spacecraft use planets: not to land and stay, but to SLINGSHOT around and be propelled back out into the galaxy. During this mostly-improv show, a familiar song could materialize at any time. Or not. All we can promise is that nobody knows what’s going to happen.
Slingshot is:
Guitar and Vocals: Matt Hartle (China Cats, Painted Mandolin, Shady Groove, Grateful Sundays with Matt Hartle and Friends)
Bass: Pete Novembre (OM Trio, Coffee Zombie Collective, Aza, Elephino)
Drums: Bret Bailey (Shady Groove, Elephino, Cosmic Pinball, BlissNinnies)
Jenny and The Bets is a local jazz quartet led by the swinging and talented vocalist Jenny O’ Leary. Jenny sings standards, blues, and bossa novas while accompanied by guitar, bass and drums.
The Dirt Rakers (acoustic trio) are an Americana band featuring Erik Rozite (guitar and vocals), Jayne Williams (mandolin and vocals), and Sean Woodward (lead guitar), a home-brewed group out of the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains, blending a high octane / cask-fermented feel, purdy harmonies, and a deep love of all rootsy genres of music. Rock, country, bluegrass, and folk all swirl together in their magical musical brew.
Jazz On Tap plays jazz standards from The Great American Song Book. Featuring crooner Rocky Pase on vocals, Richard Robinson (sax, clarinet), Preston Brahm (piano) Thom Nold (Bass) and Bruce handloff (drums). Come out, enjoy a beer and swing with us!
Alecia Haselton: Alt-folk/rock a la Jewel, The Cranberries, Alanis Morissette
Singer and musician Alecia Haselton is excited to be back in her hometown for this show, visiting from Nashville where she now sings professionally full time. She plays original music and covers, and is happy to play any song request! Her originals can be found online wherever you listen to music.
Arindam Krishna Das has been active in the local music scene since arriving in Santa Cruz’s mystical mountains in the early 90s.The Jamissaries are Arindam on guitar and vocals, Jonathan Kessler on bass, Alex Bahler on lead guitar and John Burton on drum kit, featuring Arindam’s original tunes and sharing music they love. This includes songs by The Beatles, Yes, Led Zepplin, The Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Tenacious D and more. Join them on their musical odyssey.
Local Honey is a Santa Cruz-based band that drips with honey sweet harmony and hums with tight, inventive musicianship. Local Honey’s repertoire pays homage to some of the the big voices of the last seven decades, including Big Mama Thornton, Rachael Price, Gladys Knight, Stevie Nicks, Grace Slick, and Amy Winehouse, among other divas. We seek out feel-good songs with strong vocals and infectious beats and make them our own. Though Local Honey is a new band, all of us are veterans of the Santa Cruz and Monterey music scenes. Members have worked with Honeytone, Ten O’Clock Lunch, Come Together, Backyard Birds, Menage, and Bay Bop. Over the years we’ve played in different combinations at many venues, including Michael’s on Main, Chaminade, Davenport Roadhouse, Hallcrest Vineyards, Joe’s Bar and the Food Lounge.
Snake Oil Road Show is a Monterey County acoustic style power duo composed of long time music veterans and collaborators Adam Stafford and Mr. X. Their elixir for what ails you is found in the multi-colored sounds that they deliver through various instruments and vocal harmonies. With influences that span across numerous genres and musical renditions that cross and blend them all together, this eclectic and versatile combo is guaranteed to provide an experience that includes some musical remedies that’s good for everyone.
Moonshine Crossroads plays Rollicking Americana Music – everything from jazz standards and doo-wop classics to outlaw country and classic rock. With strong vocal harmonies and vibrant electric guitar and kanzoo solos, their eclectic repertoire is sure to include a song that is “your” song and will get your toes tapping.
Lucas Lawson is a young contemporary folk artist who grew up on a farm just north of Santa Cruz, California. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, while spending time alone on the farm, Lucas developed the 5 songs that make up his debut EP, Revisited Harbor. This isolation encouraged him to complete the process of recording Revisited Harbor by himself. Once finalized on October 23rd of 2020, Revisited Harbor came to the ears of Lucas’s growing community.
Lucas’s upbringing on an organic farm exposed him to the balance and harmonies that all living things have to offer. At a young age, Lucas began attending bluegrass barn dances on the farm, where he first learned to play the guitar alongside local group, the County Line Pickers. When those sadly came to a halt in March of 2020, Lucas found himself writing songs more than ever.
On his Central Coast tour from Austin, Texas, Lynn Crossett will be playing songs from his Top 10 Americana Country album, “In the Company of a Song,” along with songs from his next album to be released in 2024 produced by the same Grammy-winning producer, Lloyd Maines. And there will likely be some gems written by some of his songwriting heroes!
