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Some virtuoso musicians sound like they sold their souls to the Devil for their fiery chops, but Austin, Texas’ Eric Johnson sounds more like a conduit for an archangel. As showcased on his signature tune, the Grammy-winning instrumental “Cliffs of Dover” from his platinum-selling 1990 album Ah Via Musicom, Eric possesses an unusual combination of […]
While living in Santa Cruz, David Pavlovich not only became the first harpist to play music in the units at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, but also started a comprehensive music therapy program at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. Since moving from Santa Cruz to Tucson, Ariz., he has launched programs at Tucson Medical […]
With the internet offering easy access to music from every era and genre, today’s musicians are being influenced by an unprecedentedly broad range of sounds. That point isn’t lost on local singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Henry Chadwick, whose new Guest At Home EP showcases an indie pop/alternative rock sound that’s informed by the music of such diverse acts […]
According to local folklore, there’s a curse on this town: Once you’ve lived in Santa Cruz, you can never leave. You might move all the way to the other side of the world, but sooner or later, you’ll end up back in Santa Cruz. In the case of sitar/tabla player Ashwin Batish, that story has […]
There’s a wistful feeling permeating the country-tinged folk music on Lauren Shera’s third album, Gold and Rust. With its yearning vocals, weepy pedal steel guitar and plaintive string arrangements, the album perfectly captures the feelings that Shera, a former Santa Cruz resident, was experiencing while she and her husband were preparing to move to Nashville […]
Along with creating rich, compelling music as a solo artist, local singer/songwriter Marya Stark plays in duos like Scarlet Crow and Stark Levity, works as a music therapist, teaches compassionate communication, practices Qigong and leads workshops for freeing up the voice. On the day that Local Santa Cruz spoke with Marya by phone, she had […]
Just as some visual artists use music for inspiration while they draw, paint or sculpt, Jesse Autumn uses visual art as inspiration for her music. When she enters the recording studio, the local harpist/pianist/vocalist adorns her piano with images that fuel her imagination. “I bring little tiny postcards of paintings that I’m really into, or […]
In 2013, the Americana/bluegrass band The Brothers Comatose found itself at a crossroads. When bassist Gio Benedetti parted ways with the group to meet the demands of having a newly born second child, the four remaining members were left with a major void to fill. “We messed around with some substitutes, and we just never […]
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