Thursday, Nov. 13
Ex Factor
You know, it’s a funny thing. If you treat music as a beach vacation – carefree, open to anything, fun – it actually turns out pretty well. Really well. That’s what Frank LoCrasto does with his collaborative band Kolombo. For their recent album Sandy Legs, they all piled into an apartment in Brooklyn, recording on 8-track with instruments as fundamental as guitar and drums, as curious as the triangle and a glockenspiel. Intrigued? The sound is vintage lounge jazz, but not cheesy. It is bossa nova, with no blame. It is exotica, with all the playfulness. Kolombo creates a party. Just one more thing: Kolombo is coming to Pacific Grove. [DF]
7pm Thursday, Nov. 13. Pop & Hiss, 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. popandhiss.net.
Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 13-17
You’ll Be Great
Gypsy is a Broadway classic, considered by some as one of the best musicals of all time. The story focuses on Gypsy Rose Lee, the ultimate show business mother with great ambitions for her two daughters. Some iconic songs came out of the show like “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and “Let Me Entertain You.” If you’re putting on Gypsy you have to have a performer who can match the outsized character of Rose, and thankfully PacRep has got just the performer, Malinda DeRouen. DeRouen has wowed local audiences in recent performances: as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill; Emilia in Othello; and Leonata in Much Ado About Nothing, among others. Hearing DeRouen belt out those iconic songs is worth the price of a ticket alone. The musical previews Nov. 13-14, opens Nov. 15, and runs through Dec. 21. [PM]
7:30pm Thursday-Saturday and 2pm Sunday, Nov. 13-Dec. 21. Golden Bough Playhouse, Monte Verde between 8th and 9th, Carmel. $13-$46. (831) 622-0100, pacrep.org.
Friday, Nov. 14
Deep Blue
If there’s a place on Earth where imagination feels most at home, it might be the big blue sea – a world where millions of species swim or crawl across ocean floors that never see the light of day. From the intertidal zone to the continental shelf, there are countless ocean stories to explore. No one is better at bringing those stories to life than the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is partnering with the Pacific Grove Public Library to host an event for children in grades two through five all about the intertidal zone. Three interactive stations will be set up for kids: one featuring a virtual reality headset supplied by the Aquarium to explore rocky shores, another dedicated to arts and crafts, and a final station where students can examine animal models to learn how their anatomy helps them survive and thrive in their natural habitats. [KR]
3:30-4:30pm Friday, Nov. 14. Pacific Grove Public Library, Joe Rock Children’s Room, 550 Central Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. (831) 648-5760, pacificgrovelibrary.org.
Saturday, Nov. 15
Super STEM
The fields of science, technology, engineering and math are cool on their own (well, some of us might debate the latter. We’re writers, after all). Combine them and you get an even cooler acronym: STEM. And with STEM, you get to do some cool stuff: launch rockets, explore microscopic worlds, build robots. And the coolest thing of all? They’ll all be in one place during Monterey Peninsula College’s Family STEM Day. The event features various hands-on activities and exhibits, along with demonstrations and live music throughout the day. It proves that learning is fun. [EC]
10am-3pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. Free. Register at bit.ly/FamilySTEMDay2025.
Whose Birthday?
Young Annie Ide wasn’t thrilled that her birthday fell on Christmas – it meant she only got presents one day of the year, not two. So in 1891, author Robert Louis Stevenson gave his Nov. 13 birthday away to Annie through a formal letter. Still, it doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate Stevenson’s birthday, even if he no longer considered it his own. The Monterey Public Library and Robert Louis Stevenson Club mark the occasion with an “Unbirthday Celebration,” featuring cake, tea and a presentation by John Sanders. Sanders will share how the adobe restaurant of Jules Simoneau in the former Mexican capital played a role in shaping Stevenson’s career. [EC]
2-5pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Monterey Public Library, Community Room, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. Register at bit.ly/UnbirthdayCelebration2025.
Big Birds
The nonprofit Ventana Wildlife Society got its start in 1977 focused on rehabilitating the bald eagle, then evolved to focus on California condors. For decades, they’ve been doing the hard work of conservation. And now, thanks to a grant from PBS, they’re telling the remarkable story of the condors’ comeback in an hour-long documentary called Condor Canyon. This screening is followed by a panel discussion with leaders from the Ventana Wildlife Society and Rumsen Ohlone Tribe for a conversation. Members of the tribe also present a condor dance, showing how these birds play not just an ecological role, but also a cultural one. [SR]
2-4pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Asilomar Conference Grounds, Fred Farr Forum room, 800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. (831) 646-6440, ventanaws.org/condorcanyon.html.
Air Power
The squad consists of three sergeants, with an airman first class along if needed. They are on a mission, operating out of Travis Air Force Base – and it’s a pretty lofty one: “to honor, inspire, and connect through musical excellence.” It’s a goal that resonates in the wake of Veterans Day. And the clarinet quartet from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West can easily soar through the military songbook. But they are versed in classical favorites and are also eager to bring out new pieces. Despite the uniforms, the group doesn’t mind challenging clarinet quartet convention. Simply put, this is just a really great set of musicians. [DF]
3pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. Free (RSVP required). (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.
Hitting the High Notes
Trying to find new music to listen to is a bit of a project, which is why listeners might thank Ensemble Monterey for selecting what they promise is “the best music you’ve never heard.” The season kicks off with a program fittingly titled “Fresh Voices!” featuring a new, young generation of artists. Guest conductor Alan Truong, who is also the music director of Youth Music Monterey County, leads a program including “Sinfonietta” by Benjamin Britten, a Mozart quintet (arranged by Truong) and a contemporary work by composer Ealaph Tabbaa. Tabbaa, a student at Manhattan School of Music, says “Meditation on a theme by Mitri el-Murr” – based on an old Lebanese song, “Ya Laure Hoboki” – is a different kind of meditation. “Most people associate that with a state of serenity and calm,” he wrote in the program notes. “My piece conversely explores the inner turmoil and struggle one can feel while searching for spiritual enlightenment.” Enjoy the journey. [SR]
7pm Saturday, Nov. 15. First Presbyterian Church, 501 El Dorado St., Monterey. $63; $53/seniors; $22/students; $12/children. (831) 333 -1283, ensemblemonterey.org.
Therapeutic listening
Lifting the Sky is a group formed to create a unique listening experience they liken to alchemy – Deva Munay of Big Sur plays singing bowls, interwoven with Peter Gordon of Carmel Valley on flute. Munay began her journey in India, studying the Dalai Lama’s teachings on mindfulness and meditation. She has a degree in sound healing and therapy, and is on the faculty of Esalen Institute. Gordon is a Grammy-nominated producer and the former vice president of the Monterey Jazz Festival. The group’s performance in Carmel Valley is titled “Music For Well-Being.” [AP]
7pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. By donation. (831) 624-1525, hiddenvalleymusic.org.
Bad Is Good
Some say rock died when words-and-music succumbed to electronics-and-dance. Others say the last gasp came when Steven Tyler joined the American Idol panel of judges – although technically its health had been a serious issue ever since Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” received extensive airplay. But in Monterey there is a band intent on reinstating rock to its independent, rebellious, powerful yet soulful musical throne. To start with, Bad Machine has the classic five-person lineup. Joao Brandi mans the guitar with purpose – driving songs, ripping into mesmerizing solos and peeling in behind the audacity and passion of Karma’s vocals. Martin Binder and Pete Hoegemier set the rhythm while Sindy Shen on keyboards reminds us why synthesized music doesn’t soar as high as the real, raw thing. Want more? They write original songs. To hell with weak covers of rock’s heyday. Bad Machine is doing it right. [DF]
7:30pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. $25. (831) 655-2010, wavestreetlive774.com.
Final Frontier
If there was any lesson to be learned from USS Enterprise starship Captain Kirk, it may be this: Take off your shirt and wake up next to an alien. Kirk’s leadership skills could be hotly debated against Captain Picard’s, but for this event, William Shatner will be in the chair, likely fully clothed (too bad for any concupiscent aliens in the audience). Think of this as an augment to the screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – antithetical to those that came out of the Eugenics Wars that led to the antagonist’s schemes. You’ll likely hear some emotional wisdom that Star Trek never fails at providing, and maybe even an iconic name shouted to the rafters of the Golden State Theatre. If Shatner’s still got it, and we think he does, it should echo into the far reaches of the galaxy. [SC]
7:30pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $55-$129. (831) 649-1070. goldenstatetheatre.com.
Monday, Nov. 17
Tuff Enough
Calling all those jonesing to kick off their week on a high note – the Fabulous Thunderbirds are in town for one night only, taking the stage at the Golden Bough Playhouse. The Thunderbirds are on tour promoting their latest and greatest (and Grammy-nominated) album, Struck Down, a record that blends the blues with raunchy modern rock. The album features epic guest appearances by Billy Gibbons, Bonnie Raitt and Elvin Bishop. Since 1979, the band has released 29 albums packed with tunes that’ll get you hopping out of your seat and dancing to their harmonica-driven, guitar-fueled, no-frills rhythms. Over the years, they’ve opened for the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, climbed the charts as a top-ten album rock band, and earned the W.C. Handy Award for Best Blues Band. [KR]