Friday, Oct. 2
Olfactory Tunes
Perfume Genius is the musical brain child of Michael Alden Hadreas, an American songwriter whose music carries both a tender sweetness and deeply personal experiences while traversing pop, rock and indie genres with a light sense of ease. Never thinking he’d make a serious career out of music, he gave himself the name Perfume Genius when a friend was making a joke off a movie from the book Perfume about a murderer with an extreme obsession with smell. His career began to take off when he was 25, in 2022, while working with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to create a hit single called “Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award. [KR]
7pm Friday, Oct. 2. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $729/four-ticket package. (831) 667-2574, bit.ly/PerfumeGenius26.
Botti Language
Chris Botti. That’s all we need to say. Even as you read this, tickets are probably selling out. After all, the legendary trumpeter – Grammy award-winning, but we don’t need to say that, either – has piles of gold and platinum albums to his name. Anyone who is equally legendary in music, from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, have performed alongside him. So, yeah. Chris Botti doesn’t need to add to his laurels. But he has – in the form of a new album of stripped down acoustic jazz as only he can play. [DF]
7pm Friday, Oct. 2. Sunset Center, 908 San Carlos St., Carmel. $75-$145. (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.
Get Roasted
Many love a good roast. Roast chicken, pot roast, roasted… comedians? The roast in the comedy sense is one of the most difficult acts for a comedian: Ripping into someone else in a way that’s hilarious for both the audience and the subject, without being mean-spirited. Comedians from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, and beyond, go head-to-head in roast battles organized by Salad Bowl Comedy. You’ll see Stirling Eiriksson versus Juan Magana, and Indie Gerard facing off against Eric Gruss, along with opening and closing (non-roast) routines by Miles B. Guynn and Nate Napolitano. It’ll be hilarious at the comedians’ expense – but this is what they live for. [EC]
8-10pm Friday, Oct. 2. La Casa del Sazón 2, 438 Salinas St., Salinas. $5. 21 and over. (831) 783-1277, bit.ly/RoastBattleSalinasOct2.
Friday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 4
Road Rage
The glory days of American muscle are not behind us, at least according to teams in the Trans Am Western Series. Growling Ford Mustangs. Snarling Chevrolet Camaros. Angry Dodge Challengers. But this is multi-class racing. So these beasts take to the track at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca alongside Ferraris and Camrys and other stock cars in race trim. The series races both Saturday and Sunday. In between, vintage race cars – classic muscle, prototypes from the past, GT cars – also hit the asphalt. There is never a moment of silence on track. [DF]
8:30am-6pm Friday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 4. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. $15-$40. (831) 242-8200, weathertechraceway.com.
Saturday, Oct. 3
Play On
There’s live music happening pretty much all the time at Deja Blue. For the second annual Seaside Music Festival, the fun flows out the doors and onto lower Broadway, taking over the neighborhood for live music, local vendors selling food, crafts and band merch, and community connection. The lineup starts at 11:30am with Joint Chiefs, follows by Aki Kumar at 1pm, Rjae Haas at 2:45, then Wrockinfoose at 4:15. The headliner, the Al James Band, goes on from 6-8pm. Bring a lawn chair and stop by to soak up Seaside vibes. [SR]
11am-8pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Deja Blue, 490 Broadway Ave., Seaside. Free. (831) 324-0044, dejablue.com.
A Good, Clean Time
Monterey Waterkeeper is on a mission to ensure water is clean for all to enjoy, whether it’s for swimming, drinking or fishing. The importance of water cannot be understated; it’s the foundation of life, after all. The organization does so through cleanups, advocacy and other work. We can help further its mission and have a fun time doing so. Monterey Waterkeeper’s annual garden party is a fundraiser to support its work. Expect an afternoon of mimosas, bites, coffee and live music. Clean water tastes good, but it’ll taste even better here. [EC]
11:30am-2pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Native Garden, 165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. $75. (831) 204-1381, montereywaterkeeper.org.
Fins Forward
“Sharktober” has begun, and with it comes an opportunity to hear directly from the scientists who know the most about the incredible predators that live in Monterey Bay. For 25 years, this interdisciplinary team has been studying white sharks (and other predators, like tuna), marine ecology and landscape, pinnipeds like seals and sea lions (aka food for sharks) and economics of coastal and ocean regions. Led by Dr. Barbara Block at Hopkins Marine Station, the Monterey Bay White Shark Project is on the cutting edge of genomics research, the use of drones, electronic tagging technology and more. This event invites you to hear directly from these scientists about their work, and see a short film about them by local filmmaker/photographer Kip Evans. [SR]
2-4:30pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Asilomar Conference Grounds, Merrill Hall, 800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. montereybaywhitesharks.org.
Village Party
The annual village fundraiser for the Carmel Valley Village Improvement Committee is back, going on 13 years of dancing the night away for a cause. It’s a whole community celebration, bringing together live performances by Brianna Colliard & The Desert Marigolds and the B-Keepers, who are brought back by popular demand. Tickets get you a barbecue dinner by Kiwanis; raffle tickets available for purchase. More importantly, the proceeds go toward supporting all sorts of public benefits, including new bike racks installed throughout the village, ongoing tree work and landscaping, crosswalk systems and more. [KR]
5:30pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 West Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $65. cvviv.org.
Holly Is Near
California native Holly Near has been an extraordinary voice in folk music and social justice for more than five decades. This singer, songwriter and activist returns to the Central Coast for an evening of music and community. Over the last 50 years, Near has recorded over 30 albums; in 1970, she was a cast member of musical Hair on Broadway. She will be accompanied by pianist Tammy Hall, bassist Jan Martinelli and dynamic folk duo, Emma’s Revolution. Hurry; tickets are limited. [AP]
7pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. $45. (831) 624-7404, wildroseproductions.com.
So Fetch
Pop & Hiss is trying to make it happen. Of course, fans of Mean Girls will recognize the date that only a dreamy-eyed boy could convey to a girl who spent most of her adolescence in Africa before being flung into the shark tank that is an upper-middle class high school. So the crew at the iconic Downtown Pacific Grove record store bar wants to know where you fit in. Are you jingle-bell rocking with the Plastics? Or scowling with the gays and the goths? However you decide to celebrate Oct. 3, DJ Y2Kayvon will be there to help. [SC]
7pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Pop & Hiss, 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. $5. All ages. (831) 275-3303, popandhiss.net.
Saturday, Oct. 3- Sunday, Oct. 4
Flutter In
We’re crossing our fingers that the Western monarch butterflies make their way back to Pacific Grove for the winter. As Butterfly Town patiently waits for their return, residents are celebrating their favorite invertebrate with an entire weekend of events, including the Sunset Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 3, hosted by The Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, at the newly renovated Pt. Pinos Lighthouse, built in 1855. There will be lighthouse tours, dinner and dancing to the Dave Holodiloff Trio, all while watching the sunset over the Pacific. Earlier in the day, enjoy the traditional Butterfly Parade through downtown, a croquet tournament, lectures and guided tours of the town. [PM]
Sunset Celebration: 5-7pm Saturday, Oct. 3. Pt. Pinos Lighthouse, 80 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove. $72. Croquet tournament: 10am Saturday, Oct. 3, Caledonia Park, 141 Caledonia Ave., P.G. Free. Lectures and guided tours: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4, various times and locations. Free. (831) 372-2898, pacificgroveheritage.org. Butterfly Parade: 10:30am Saturday, Oct. 3, downtown P.G. Free.
Sunday, Oct. 4
Open Street
For the 13th year, Salinas residents and surrounding communities can come together to ride their bikes, skateboards, rollerblades and/or simply walk along Alisal Street, transforming the street into a car-free space where people can enjoy activities together and stay active. Ciclovía Salinas has grown into an annual tradition that also includes music, arts, family resources and chances to connect with neighbors and businesses. [RH]
10am-2pm Sunday, Oct. 4. Along Alisal Street (Front Street to N. Sanborn Road), Salinas. Free. (831) 783-5777, cicloviasalinas.org.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Impressive Impression
Patrick Myers takes on Freddie Mercury’s persona as the lead man of the tribute band Killer Queen, which is known for bringing Queen’s same energy to audiences around the world. Formed in 1993, they played their first shows at London University. Since then, they’ve performed in many of Queen’s former venues, like The Brighton Centre in England. While the real Queen certainly never performed at the Golden State Theatre, they’re making a stop here anyway so that audiences can hear “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Don’t Stop Me Now,” where you can be the judge of how true they sound to the original. [CO]
8pm Tuesday, Oct. 6. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $43-$79. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Traveling Show
For those of a certain age, it was a thrill when the Traveling Wilburys hit the scene in 1988, made up of legendary rock musicians Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. As icons of the music world, the Traveling Wilburys were considered the biggest supergroup of all time. As successful as the group was, they never played before a live audience, but now we can experience what it might have been like through the Traveling Wilburys Revue, a tribute band that plays all the original Wilburys songs plus popular hits. [PM]
7:30pm Wednesday, Oct. 7. Golden Bough Playhouse, Founders Theatre, 851 Monte Verde St., Carmel. $41-$61. (831) 622-0100, pacrep.org.
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