Thursday-Friday, Oct. 30-31
Never Too Early
The musicians of Road Scholar return to Hidden Valley, this time with early music concerts which are presented by the school faculty (on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6) and by the students (Oct. 31 and Nov. 7). A Musical Cornucopia, as the concert is titled, lets the audience explore the delights of medieval to Baroque music from England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Each year, such free concerts follow the Road Scholar Early Music Workshop that gathers renowned faculty for two weeks of intensive learning. Hear the fruits of that labor and study. [AP]
7:30pm Thursdays, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6; 6pm Fridays, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free. (831) 659-3115, hiddenvalleymusic.org.
Saturday, Nov. 1
Whiskey River
Whiskey & Fire is back at Pebble Beach on Saturday, Nov. 1. This open-air tasting event is created by Whiskies of the World and Heritage Fire.
In a perfect world, whiskey and other spirits, wine and beer would be flowing freely. Chefs from great local restaurants such as Lucia, Grasing’s, The Pocket and Peppoli and others would be cooking over fire and presenting you with gourmet creations. There would be barbecue and offerings from The Cheese Shop. But only in a dream could… wait a second. It’s not just a dream. Whiskey & Fire brings the finest craft whiskies and spirits from around the world to one place. Local chefs prepare dishes using fire. There are great wines, too. And no need for drink tickets. There are dozens of distilleries represented, from the famed labels of Scotland to American artisanal producers, pouring their best. No, it’s not free. The world isn’t that perfect. But this event is as close as it gets. [DF]
6-9pm Saturday, Nov. 1. Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach. $250. (831) 574-5605, heritagefiretour.com.
Elegant Interplay
Escher String Quartet serves as Artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. The musicians will play on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Sunset Center.
Founded in New York City in 2005, the Escher String Quartet was formed by musicians who met while studying at the Manhattan School of Music. Since then, they went on to become a widely acclaimed quartet, “one of the finest quartets of their generation,” as praised by The Guardian, and celebrated by the Philadelphia Inquirer for their “glowing refinement.” The ensemble performs at the Sunset Center accompanied by violist Luke Fleming, who brings technical and artistic mastery to combine with the quartet’s sound to create a profoundly moving musical performance. Their name, Escher, is inspired by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, reflecting the group’s fascination with the interplay between individual parts that form a cohesive whole. In this appearance, the Escher String Quartet performs some classics such as Mozart’s “String Quartet in E-flat Major K428” (1783), with a pre-concert talk by the Sunset Center’s musicologist. [KR]
6:30pm pre-concert talk, 7:30pm show Saturday Nov. 1. Sunset Cultural Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $30-$75, free/children. (831) 625-2212, sunsetcenter.org.
Mosh Pit
Get ready to throw up the horns and bang your head until your neck gives out – it’s about to get metal. Warcorpse, Asterion and Way II Stoned bring the in-your-face vocals, shredding guitar riffs and rapid-fire drumming to the stage for a night of heavy metal. Warcorpse hails from Watsonville, rising from the underground scene in Santa Cruz. Asterion, from Salinas, blends mythology into their music, appropriate given they are named after a Greek mythological figure. And speaking of appropriate names, Way II Stoned is billed as a “stoner metal” band that has performed throughout the West Coast and Mexico. The energy from this 21-and-over show will be infectious. [EC]
8pm Saturday, Nov. 1. Live@Heirloom Pizza Co., 344 Main St., Salinas. $10/advance, $15/at the door. (831) 998-8824, heirloompizzapie.com/salinas.
Saturday, Nov. 1- Sunday, Nov. 2
All Aboard
It’s hard to believe the earliest known railways were used in ancient Corinth, Greece, around 600 BCE. Celebrate Railroad Days with the local Railroad Historical Society.
The remnants of the once-bustling Southern Pacific Railroad line can be seen all around us in the Salinas Valley and elsewhere in Monterey County. But all is not lost. It has been preserved for future generations to witness, even if it is on a much smaller scale. On the first weekend of every month, the Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad Historical Society hosts an open house for all to see its detailed miniature scale layout that accurately recreates the rail lines from the mid-20th century. See the Pajaro Station and Elkhorn Slough as you head south into the Salinas Valley, all from a bird’s eye view. There’s also a life-sized steam locomotive and historical rail cars on site. You’ll get the chance to chat with MSVRR members and learn some history of the area. [EC]
10am-4pm Saturday, Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 2. Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad History Museum, 15 Station Place, Salinas. Free. (831) 789-8097, msvrr.org.
Welcome Home
All was not ticker tape parades and accolades for the troops when they returned home from World War II. There were new realities to face while being haunted by old memories. Private First-Class Donny Novitski, a singer and songwriter, is trying to fit into this new world when he hears NBC announce a national competition to find the next swing band sensation. He gathers together other veterans to form a band, then finds a singer in the wife of his good buddy who died in the war. Bandstand, with music by Richard Oberacker and book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Oberacker, takes the audience on a musical and authentic journey about friendship, forgiveness and overcoming adversity. [PM]
7:30pm Saturdays and 2pm Sundays, Nov. 2-23. Western Stage, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $30; $24/seniors, teachers, military; $16/students; $12/children 15 and under; free/Hartnell students. (831) 755-6816, westernstage.com.
Saturday, Nov. 1
Shake and Bake
Vinny West might be too player. That’s according to Vinny West, who’s bringing his not-safe-for-work swag to the Hacienda in Salinas to get that joint jumpin’. West is an independent rapper from Los Angeles, known for his blend of trap and hip-hop music and his energetic performances. With tracks like “No Face No Case,” “Take That Shit Off” and “Potential Wifey,” this post-Halloween party is ready to pop. And that’s what this is, four-and-a-half hours of getting down and ceasing the night. [DS]
10pm Saturday, Nov. 1 (to 2:30am). Hacienda Mexican Grill, 1449 North Davis Road, Salinas. $18-$66. bit.ly/VWestSalinas.
Sunday, Nov. 2
Walk This Way
A labyrinth garden was recently created in the St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea front yard. The grand opening takes place Sunday, Nov. 2. (See details on p. 24.)
Walking a labyrinth, a circular path that takes you to the center and back out again, is an ancient practice that goes back at least 4,000 years. It’s been used for meditation, prayer, relieving stress, processing grief and symbolic pilgrimages. The congregation at St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church dreamed for years of bringing a labyrinth to its campus in Pacific Grove and after some starts and stops, the labyrinth is completed, along with a garden. Anyone who would like to walk it is welcome. The church hosts a grand opening reception for the community with information on walking a labyrinth, plus a must for any church gathering – cookies. [PM]
11:30am-1pm Sunday, Nov. 2. St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Central Avenue between 12th and 13th streets, Pacific Grove. Free. (831) 373-4441, stmarysbythesea.org.
Get Well
Elizabeth Harbaugh is the art and wellness manager for Montage Health. She believes that art can make us feel better, even help heal us from illness, and she represents Montage’s efforts to introduce art and artists into a hospital space. Join her for an experiential event that explores the relationship between the arts and human health and well-being. The group will discuss why health-care systems around the world identify the arts as a key factor in well-being and how Montage Health champions the arts locally. Expect to explore the concept of “social prescribing” and how health care providers can actually prescribe arts experiences to their patients. [AP]
3pm Sunday, Nov. 2. Wendi Kirby Music, 550 Hartnell St., Monterey. $40. wendikirbymusic.com.
No Name
No Name Restaurant is a 2022 German film about an ultra-orthodox Jew and a Bedouin forced to unite under difficult circumstances. A screening kicks off the 2025 Carmel Jewish Film Festival, which starts on Sunday, Nov. 2.
We’ll leave it to the film to reveal how and why an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man from Brooklyn winds up wandering through the Sinai Desert with a Bedouin man searching for his lost camel. All you really need to know is that the comedy No Name Restaurant touches on themes that transcend culture, all while lovingly poking fun at those cultures. (Use precious water in the desert for a Jewish hand-washing ritual, seriously?) Besides offering two hours of cinematic laughs and insights, this event kicks off the 2025 Carmel Jewish Film Festival, which continues Nov. 6-16 with documentaries on more serious topics. Opening night invites the community (Jews and non-Jews alike) to laugh together to kick it all off. An optional dinner at Flaherty’s follows inviting attendees to debrief about the movie and, of course, much more. [SR]
3pm (2:30pm doors) Sunday, Nov. 2. Golden Bough Playhouse, Monte Verde between 8th and 9th, Carmel. $20; $50/dinner. (831) 624-2015, www.carmelbethisrael.org/cjff.
Better Red
There is jazz – you know, the type practiced by the likes of Coltrane. And then there is The Red Guitar, which is jazz as performed and imagined by guitar great Bruce Forman. As a musician, Forman has few peers. But he is also a teacher, storyteller and actor. The Red Guitar is a story told through jazz and about jazz. It is a theatrical one-man libretto, with both humor and spontaneity, that pursues the obsession that drives musicians. Essentially, it’s a performance that cannot be described. In fact, the best effort to do so starts with “imagine receiving an invitation to a gala featuring John Coltrane, Sigmund Freud, and Faust.” Not possible. You just have to go and bask in Forman’s spell. [DF]
3pm Sunday, Nov. 2. SandBox, 440 Ortiz Ave., Sand City. $40; $25/students, military. sandboxsandcity.com.
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Older World
Historian and photographer Louise O’Connor spent three decades documenting life and people living on cattle ranches in the Coastal Bend region of Texas. O’Connor, who has spent decades in the Carmel area and studied photography here in the 1970s, comes from a pioneer ranching family herself. In this presentation, she talks about the Texas region’s history, where ranching dates to the early 1720s, when the Catholic Church brought Spanish soldiers and cattle to Presidio La Bahia. She shares stories and her photographs from a singular place that also captures broader experiences from the West. This community night is titled “Cryin’ for Daylight: Honoring Voices of the Land.” [AP]
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