Hot Picks 01.27.22

Best Pitch Forward

There’s a key caveat in the general introduction to Tech Stars Startup Weekend, organized by CSU Monterey Bay and held online. You see, the three-day event encourages students who are would-be entrepreneurs to share ideas and information with each other and a pack of tech CEOs and startup veterans. It’s all meant to inspire and inform, of course. But the folks at CSUMB are pretty smart when it comes to the ways of the tech business world. There’s an acknowledgment that “any ideas shared by you or anyone else over the course of the event are contributions to the overall experience… If you’re very concerned, you can limit your pitch to the rough outline of the idea without giving away key information.” So they allow some protection, because Zuckerberg. But once pitches begin, teams are formed, mentors step in and participants have a rare opportunity to interact with the top investors, sponsors and potential co-founders in the country. That’s big. And there’s a lot packed into 54 hours, so things could get, well, best to use the brochure language. Participants agree not to hold the event or those involved liable “for any loss, damage, injury, or any other unforeseeable incident.” Damn. The startup world is rougher than we thought. It really is best to find a mentor. [DF]

6-10pm Friday, Jan. 28; 9am-10pm Saturday, Jan. 29; 9am-7pm Sunday, Jan. 30. Online. Free for CSUMB and Hartnell College students; $15/other students; $25/general admission. Registration and further information at techstars.com/communities.

Improv It Up

The first rule of Monterey Comedy Improv is not what you’re thinking. You’re perfectly welcome to talk about Monterey Comedy Improv. The first rule of joining this improv comedy troupe, rather, is “Must have good positive energy, NO DRAMA.” (We assume a flair for the dramatic in your acting is OK.) If you fit the bill, and are interested in joining the troupe, they’re holding open auditions. Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to audition – experience is helpful but not required. The group trains on Friday nights, and puts on performances similar to Whose Line is it Anyway? [TCL]

11am Saturday, Jan. 29. 24551 Silver Cloud Court, Monterey. Must call 236-2032 to confirm attendance.

Village Workshop

The Village Workshop is a creative arts and community event space that comprises three small local businesses: landscape architecture firm Wild Land Workshop, carpenter and builder Paul McCollum and arts and photography firm Tidewings Creative. Its founders (Paul McCollum, Marie Goulet and Daniela Estlin) want it to serve as a shared workshop space for multiple small businesses in the Carmel Valley community. The venue consists of several unique indoor-outdoor spaces and buildings that will offer community yoga classes, clinician facilitated psycho-wellness workshops and educational outreach programs focused on sustainability, self-sufficiency, creative arts and community collaboration. The three founders crossed paths at Tularcitos Elementary School, which their children all attend, and got to talking about a need. “We found through conversation that what our village needs is a space for community to come together in a sustainable, collective manner of community building as we work toward exiting this pandemic – together, not apart,” Estlin writes. The grand opening will feature a visual art installation and mural from artist Amanda “Rusti” Burkman, music from Central Coast DJ collective APA, a raffle of local products and offerings, as well as small bites and beverages from various local establishments. [AP]

4-8pm Saturday, Jan. 29. The Village Workshop, 8 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley. Free. info@tidewingscreative.com.

Voice Wins

When Anthony Arya was 15 years old, he was ready for prime time as a singer-songwriter, strumming and singing in his signature sweet melodic tone on Season 15 of The Voice in 2018. He got a lotta love from the judges, with Adam Levine of Maroon 5 telling him, “It blows my mind. I’m telling you right now, your whole situation, the way you engage with an audience, the way you sing – you are so special, dude. People are gonna fall madly in love with how you do it.” About a minute later, it sounded like maybe judge Kelly Clarkson had – instead of offering up commentary on his singing skills, she said, “You are so handsome, you look like a Greek god.” Arya, who is based in Santa Cruz, brings his godly looks and charming sound to The Salty Seal as the frontman of the Anthony Arya Band, which performs a mix of originals and covers, spanning a bunch of styles and time periods in the best of rock ‘n’ roll and folk. [SR]

7:30-10:30pm Saturday, Jan. 29. The Salty Seal, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. $10; $20/reserved seats. 920-2327, anthonyarya.com.

Sit, Sip and Listen

Downtown Carmel boutique Ami Carmel will transcend its retail identity as it welcomes local photographer, meditation teacher and Esalen Institute lecturer Daniel Bianchetta for a discussion on his work, the marine environment and what he encounters along the Big Sur coastline, where much of his local photography is focused. Bianchetta has taught meditation for 30 years and, in addition to his coastline work, has followed Native American rock art sites throughout California and the American Southwest. If that’s not enough to draw your attention, sparkling wine will be served as well. [CN]

Discussion begins at 5:40pm Wednesday, Feb. 2. Ami Carmel, Dolores Street between 5th and 6th avenues, Carmel. 601-8605, amicarmel.com.

Stefani Esta is Back

Stefani Esta is a sculptor who has been active in the area for years; her most recent big show took place in 2003 at the Monterey Museum of Art where she just returned with new pieces. “My show in 2003 was very well received,” Esta says. “I sold almost all the pieces. This show is about energy.” Esta suffers from Parkinson’s disease, but that doesn’t stop her from working with stone, steel and glass, as well as rust, various chemicals and a grinder. Among the pieces on display in MMA, one can find a piece titled “The Power of Three” that consists of three pieces of rusty steel. It symbolizes the need of getting together, expanding our community over individuals and couples, and “getting together with the public” if we want to figure out “what’s right for the Earth,” Esta says. [AP]

Viewable until March 26. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. $15/general admission. 372-5477, montereyart.org.

HOT PICKS by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Christopher Neely, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.