Hot Picks 04.07.22

Poetry Takes the Stage

The Monterey Poetry Festival is back at Old Capitol Books, and the opening night is Friday, April 8 featuring Josiah Luis Alderete, Chris Siders, Angel Dominguez, Hannah Kezema, Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta and Turista. Friday festivities will culminate with Brooklyn Wildlife Afterparty – a hip hop art surprise featuring experimental synths. Saturday, April 9 will be all about “Nepotism6: poetry and our own inflated egos,” with Brian Sheffield, Heather Flescher, Hafiz Kheir, Chris Carr, Jonathan Gomez and Claire Durand-Gasselin, followed by a Nepotism afterparty and open mic house show (featuring Chris Carr, Ekene Music, John Garry and No Existo). Sunday is set aside for CSU Monterey Bay Poets led by Daniel Summerhill, with Kenny Garcia, Zoe Atlas, Kent Leatham, Dauphiene Parks, Christian Vega and Roopa Bala Singh. There will be a poetry open mic hosted by Brian Sheffield afterward (this part is free and open to everyone; dress for the cold night.) For a detailed schedule and pricing, visit the website – there are both presale and at-the-door prices. [AP]

Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10. Old Capitol Books, 482 Alvarado St., Monterey. $10-$15 per event. 747-1322, oldcapitolbooks.com.

In Bloom

For 58 years the annual Wildflower Show by the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society was a sure sign that spring was in full swing. Now it’s a sure sign of a waning (crossing our fingers) pandemic. After canceling the 59th annual show in April 2020, the chapter is bringing it back this spring, having only made the decision about a month ago, says President and Wildflower Show Chair Brian LeNeve. Teams of volunteers are spreading out to all corners of the county to collect the best specimens of the many wildflowers the county has to offer to display at the show. LeNeve says they expect to collect approximately 700 taxa, or kinds, of plants. (In 2019 they had 721.) The chapter stands by its claim that it offers the largest wildflower show in the northern and western hemispheres. LeNeve also stands by his contention that Monterey County offers the most diverse flora of any other county in the state of California, thanks to the different ecosystems here, including beach dunes, redwood forests, oak forests, grasslands and semi-desert areas, among others. Besides the dizzying array of wildflowers to enjoy, the show will also include a book sale, knowledgeable volunteers and possibly some plants for sale. For longtime fans of the show, note the new location: it has been moved from Pacific Grove to Carmel.

10am-5pm Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10. Carmel Women’s Club, 9th & San Carlos, Carmel. Free/suggested $5 donation. chapters.cnps.org/montereybay.

Going Cray For Cray

Really, do we need to say anything more than Robert Cray? No sales pitch needed. Yeah, we could mention the five Grammys, the stack of chart-hogging albums. Oh, and that spot in the Blues Hall of Fame – worth a mention, if we weren’t already plugging a guitar legend. Under ordinary circumstances, noting that he has a new album out that Cray himself has described as “funky, cool and bad” would fit it, too, if we needed to write a spiel, which we don’t. That’s What I Heard, Cray’s most recent album, achieves what can only be called “that thing.” What was it in the powerful blend of blues, soul and R&B that tugged on us? The songs rekindle the thing that Sam Cooke had in his early recordings. It captures Curtis Mayfield, The Sensational Nightingales and the like. Of course, there’s no need to say any of this. Blues fans already know Cray is sizzle and sweet. So let’s keep this Hot Pick short and simple. Robert Cray. Golden State Theatre. Nothing else to write. [DF]

8pm Saturday, April 9. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $29-$59. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com

Welcome Abroad

Studio Judy G. in Watsonville invites all for an art exhibition “Welcome Aboard” – a collection of photography (including archival) and paintings inspired by living and working in Watsonville and the surrounding area. In addition to the studio owner Judy Gittelsohn, who will present her works, the exhibit will feature Christopher Arnold (Pajaro Valley, watercolors), Tarmo Hannula (Watsonville, photography), as well as historic photos of the Pajaro Valley from the Pajaro Valley Historical Association and historic photos of Watsonville from Graniterock. Studio Judy G is first and foremost a gallery as well as being a location for Gittelsohn to conduct her workshops. The reception will take place within studio hours on April 10; the exhibit lasts until June 15. [AP]

Noon-5pm Sunday, April 10. Studio Judy G, 430 Main St., Watsonville. 288-0010, studiojudyg.com.

Natural Rhythms

Curators Ome Garcia, Ana Paula Teeple and Josefina Rocha invite you to an exhibit titled Alma Sagrada: Cultivando Ritmos Naturales (Sacred Soul: Cultivating Natural Rhythms). Featured artists are Natalia Anciso (Oakland), Abi Mustapha (Santa Cruz), Jose Ortiz (Salinas) and Hermelinda Vasquez (Watsonville). The exhibit’s themes are culturally and historically relevant relations with the natural world, indigenous sovereignty, land protection and environmental stewardship and healthy and sustainable water, soil, energy and food systems. “It is our responsibility to acknowledge our past and current relationship with the land we occupy,” wrote the organizers. “We recognize this land has been heedlessly stripped of its natural inhabitants through colonization, exploitation, and industrialization. For generations, all of us, regardless of personal origin and history, have been affected by this devastation and we can no longer ignore our collective responsibility to heal from this cycle of trauma.” [AP]

Opening reception 1-4pm Sunday, April 10. Exhibit open until May 22. Pajaro Valley Arts, 37 Sudden St., Watsonville. Free. 722-3062, pvarts.org.

Siren Singer

Aoife O’Donovan grew up in Massachusetts but spent her summers in Ireland, where she found her calling while singing songs with her extended family. She co-founded the band Crooked Still in the Boston area in 2001, and her career took off from there, including a Grammy in 2019 for Best American Roots Song with her band I’m With Her. Since 2010, the singer-songwriter has released three solo albums, her latest being Age of Apathy earlier this year. As part of her tour for that album, O’Donovan, along with musical partner Taylor Ashton, is swinging into the Sunset Center to share her hypnotic, soulful voice with local music lovers. [DS]

7pm Sunday, April 10. Sunset Center, 9th St. and San Carlos Ave., Carmel. $39-$49. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.

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