Thursday, Nov. 9
Barbie Craze
The Barbie movie broke worldwide box-office records this year and sparked interest in collecting the iconic doll, with new generations joining the ranks. You can join in thanks to the Salinas Public Library’s event, “Behind the Seams: Barbie’s Fashion and Film Journey,” a meeting of fans of Barbie and fashion. Collector and designer Paul Bruce covers the basics of collecting on a budget, creating your own outfits, and takes a quick look at the backstory behind the movie’s characters. He also shares the process behind his club’s annual drive, which gives over 400 Barbies as holiday gifts to underserved children. [AP]
5-6pm Thursday, Nov. 9. Virtual event; register online at bit.ly/3Sp12HI. Free. 758-7311, kathrynb@ci.salinas.ca.us, salinaspubliclibrary.org/BehindTheSeams/Barbie.
Friday, Nov. 10
In Conversation
Last spring, David Sedaris gave a talk at Sunset Center in Carmel. This time it’s a conversation with his little sister – a writer and comedian in her own right, Amy Sedaris. She is the co-creator of the Emmy Award-nominated comedy series At Home with Amy Sedaris and the co-creator, with Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello, of the hit cult comedy series Strangers with Candy, among others projects. In addition to being a movie, TV and voice actress, she is also the author of three best-selling books: I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence; Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People; and Wigfield: The Can-Do Town. Hear her insights – and prepare to laugh. [AP]
7:30pm Friday, Nov. 10. Sunset Center, San Carlos Street at 9th Avenue, Carmel. $49-$85. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.
Saturday, Nov. 11
Crafty Neighbors
Fifteen years ago, five Pacific Grove neighbors got to talking about how each was an artist representing different art forms, when someone suggested they hold a fair to sell their creations. Helen and Jerry Beach – she paints and crafts, he is a woodworker – opened up their front yard for display tables, and the Neighborhood Craft Fair was born. The first year went over “pretty darn big,” Jerry says, and the sale has continued to grow. This year, their 13th, there are 16 artists, representing woodworking, calligraphy, jewelry, pottery, toys, holiday decorations and more. Photographer Carolyn Moore explains that the group votes on who is invited to sell: “You don’t have to be a professional but it has to be professional-type work.” They also sell cookies and hot cider, with all proceeds going to Hitchcock Road Animal Services. “More than anything it’s just a lot of fun,” Jerry says. And an excellent way to get a jump on holiday gift shopping. [PM]
9am-3pm Saturday, Nov. 11 (rain date: Sunday, Nov. 12). 1150 Pico Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 372-3481, jandhbeach@comcast.net.
Strung Out
You don’t need a big ensemble to get a big sound. Chamber music is unique in that it does a lot with a little – there’s no sacrificing technical acuity or grandiosity, but there is a greater sense of intimacy. The New York-based ensemble the Manhattan Chamber Players excel in that setting. At this performance, hear Grace Park and Brendan Speltz on violin, Luke Fleming on viola, cellist Andrea Casarrubios and pianist Adam Golka. The program includes works by Mozart and Shostakovich, and a piano quintet by Casarrubios, wearing her other hat as a composer – this marks the world premiere. [SR]
7:30pm Saturday, Nov. 11. Sunset Center, San Carlos at 9th Avenue, Carmel. $65-$75. 625-2212, chambermusicmontereybay.org.
Blast to the Past
Ever wonder what a 1940s big band-style cover of The Cure’s seminal ’80s hit “Lovesong” would sound like? How about a ragtime version of the Bee Gees’ iconic disco anthem “Stayin’ Alive,” or a doo-wop take on Britney Spears’ millennial pop hit “Lucky”? If so, you’re the lucky one, because Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is coming to Monterey this week. Pianist Bradlee founded the project in his Queens basement 12 years ago, and since then he and a rotating cast of collaborators have toured the world, bringing audiences reimagined versions of modern pop hits played in the classic styles of yesteryear. It’s like a jukebox-slash-time machine come to life, and should make for a rollicking evening of musical fun. [RM]
8pm (doors open at 7pm) Saturday, Nov. 11. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $30-$180. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.
Tuesday, Nov. 14
California Dreamin’
California Bluegrass Reunion, a collective of renowned-in-their-own-right musicians, returns to the Otter Opry. There’s Brandon Godman and Chad Manning on fiddles, John Reischman on mandolin, Bill Evans on banjo, Jim Nunally on guitar and vocals and Sharon Gilchrist on bass. Each musician in this group has their own accolades – there’s a Grammy Award and a Steve Martin “Excellence in Banjo” Award among the bunch – and each has ties to the Golden State, hence the group’s name. The show is sure to be a toe-tapping good time. [TCL]
7pm Tuesday, Nov. 14. Monterey United Methodist Church, 1 Soledad Drive, Monterey. $35; $30/California Bluegrass Association members; free/ages 15 and under; $12.50-$17.50/pre-show dinner. otteropry.org.
Banjo Nation
Banjo legend Béla Fleck, tabla master Zakir Hussain and double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer join forces for this show – and a new album – with Indian flutist Rakesh Chaurasia. Both grew out of the musicians’ ability and interest in improvising across genres, blending bluegrass, Indian classical music and Western classical music. The results can be heard on As We Speak (2023), or live at the Sunset Center. “When we are performing on stage, in composing mode or creating mode, we are basically having a conversation,” Hussain said, of the music the trio has created. “So the music emerges as we speak.” [TCL]
7:30pm Tuesday, Nov. 14. Sunset Center, San Carlos Street at 9th Avenue, Carmel. $49-$85. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.
Wednesday, Nov. 15
Father Land
Donald Kohrs, a librarian and historian at Hopkins Marine Station, started researching John Steinbeck’s paternal ancestors in Hollister because – as is often the case in life – one thing led to another. Kohrs had been doing research about Steinbeck’s maternal ancestors, the Hamiltons, and Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw approached Kohrs and asked what he knew about the author’s paternal side. So Kohrs got to work, and what he learned is the subject of this lecture. Steinbeck’s father and uncles were agents with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and helped facilitate the transition in the late 1800s of the Salinas Valley’s economy into a wheat and barley producing hub. The railroad also owned the grain storage facilities and lumber yards near the train stations that dotted the region at that time, which might not be legal today for antitrust reasons, but was good for business while it lasted. Kohrs covers family history and regional history: Before the Salinas Valley was a salad bowl, it was a bowl of grain. [DS]
1:30-2:30pm Wednesday, Nov. 15. Monterey Peninsula College Room LF-103, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. Free. gentrain.org.
Shticks and Stones
As competitions go, Beatles vs. Stones: A Musical Showdown is pretty easy. If longevity tells the tale, it’s the Rolling Stones by a landslide. If it comes down to marketing smarts, the Stones crush the Beatles again. After all, Mick Jagger was a student of economics and was one of the first to figure out that corporate sponsorship could cover the cost of a tour. Maybe it’s a knock-down, drag-out, last-man-standing donnybrook. In that case the Stones win again. Keith can’t be killed. After the apocalypse, it will be cockroaches and Keith Richards left on the Earth. So the outcome is a foregone conclusion. But if you must, tribute bands Abbey Road (as the Beatles) and Satisfaction (playing the winners) battle it out on stage for musical supremacy… which, of course, is no real contest, but loads of memories and fun. [DF]
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