Arts:
“Creating the Path” — Portraits and apolitical paintings are rendered with seasoned panache in Futzie Nutzle’s 100-piece installment. Local art icon and ex-cartoonist for Rolling Stone dusts off his beret for a consciously stylized return to the fold, exhibiting a retrospective on the non-permissive nature of societal conventions. A clown, an enigma and many pot plants are portrayed in oil and unorthodoxy.
Exhibit runs through Jan. 26, R. Blitzer Gallery
Entertainment:
Wild Moth / Joy Ride / Dad Punchers / Electrician — On the coast where all is gritty in garage rock n’ roll, California’s annual noise crop yields four indie bands that bode well for the new musical year. This local anarchist cytoplasm amasses the goth rock amalgams of Wild Moth, hook-heavy punkers Joy Ride and Dad Punchers and reverb-saturated slacker rock trio Electricians for a heady swill of punk proper. Punk is not dead and the analog tape hiss of its DIY phase is in full force — so vibe accordingly.
Jan. 12, show at 7:30 p.m., SubRosa Community Space
Sophistafunk / Eliquate — Take a break from the touristy riverfront of Pacific Avenue and meander into Moe’s Alley to ride the cross-genre grooves of Sophistafunk and local hip-hop outfit Eliquate. Sophistafunk emerges from a frantic jam hive of hip-hop anthems honeyed with smooth funk and lyrical word-smithing informed by three college degrees — the trio hails from Syracuse University. With an added dash of Eliquate’s thumping crowd provocation, a crystalline artistic vision emerges, and it’s looking straight at you. Join the party or get out of the alley. $7 in advance, $10 at door.
Jan. 16, doors at 8 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m., Moe’s Alley, 21+
Events:
Tours of the Monarch Grove: Bow and exalt butterfly royalty on a weekend tour led by a docent naturalist at Natural Bridges State Beach. These southward wanderers are only here for the winter, so catch ‘em while you can. Admission is free, call 831-423-4609 for relevant updates on migration conditions.
Jan. weekends, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
39th Annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair: Science majors and ‘shroom enthusiasts, here’s everything you wanted to know about fungi but were afraid to ask. Go ballistic and fire your spores in a three-day hangout at Santa Cruz’s fungal tree of life (no, your old gym socks are not an appropriate accessory). Whether your aim is to cook, characterize or just cuddle these capped charmers, this fair’s got something for you. $5 for student admission.
Jan. 11, 3–7 p.m. and Jan. 12–13, 10 a.m.– 5 p.m., Louden Nelson Community Center
