Think Fast
Who was the first drummer for the Beatles? Yeah, you probably know that one. What tune is our national anthem based on? If you said the British drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven” you’d be spot on. Now try another, maybe a bit more obscure. Name the only major league baseball player who wore three numbers that were retired. Gotcha! Cliff Mapes wasn’t that great, but he did don 3 (also Babe Ruth’s) and 7 (worn later by Mickey Mantle) for the New York Yankees and 5 (Hank Greenburg’s) while with the Detroit Tigers. This is the sort of thing you can expect at the weekly Hacienda Trivia Night – stumpers in all categories, teams of trivia buffs hastily shuffling through their collective memory banks, answers blurted cautiously (or perhaps with certainty). It happens on Thursday. So put together a team and be ready to claim trivia bragging rights. Just don’t expect softballs. When was the War of 1812? Not happening. [DF]
6-8pm Thursday, Aug. 11. Hacienda, 7180 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. $3 per person. 298-8133, haciendacv.store.
Deep Dive
What cool things are students learning at CSU Monterey Bay? The ninth annual summer research symposium is your chance to find out. This event features oral presentations and poster presentations from over 100 students in 12 disciplines, reporting on research conducted over the summer. Expect their topics to be wildly varied. [SR]
9am-2:30pm oral presentations at College of Arts & Humanities; noon-2pm poster presentations in T&A Library, Friday, Aug. 12. CSUMB, 3050 Divarty St., Seaside. Free. csumb.edu/uroc/summer-research-symposium-0.
Comedic Gold
“One hotel suite, four tenors, two wives, three girlfriends, and a soccer stadium filled with screaming fans,” the plot description for comedy writer Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors begins. “What could possibly go wrong?” What indeed. Why all those elements are contained in this particular play is not immediately explained, nor, frankly, easy to get to the bottom of. But apparently, the results are funny. A Theater Mania review of a 2017 production of the play in New Jersey called it “120 minutes of idiotic bliss.” If you’re in need of such a laugh you’re in luck – the play, which is a sequel to Ludwig’s Tony Award-winning Lend Me A Tenor, is coming to Salinas. [TCL]
7:30pm Fridays-Saturdays and 2pm Sundays (plus 7:30pm Thursday, Aug. 18), from Aug. 12 to Aug. 28. Western Stage Studio Theater, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $28. 755-6816, westernstage.com.
Sunday Funday
Paper Wing Theatre’s decadent brunch and a show is back by popular demand. This is the Diamond Drag Champagne brunch, where talented drag queens from Los Angeles, the Bay Area and closer to home perform and crack jokes while you enjoy an unlimited brunch buffet. The Sunday scaries are notoriously hard to fight, but laughter (and a little Champagne, should you choose) might just do it. [TCL]
10am-2pm Sunday, Aug. 14. Paper Wing Theatre & Supper Club, 711 Cannery Row Suite I, Monterey. $39. 905-5684, paperwing.com.
Fire on the Mountain
Wildfire does more than just burn in the West, it can also be vital to regenerating wilderness that – over millions of years – has evolved to adapt to fire, and sometimes even relies on it to sprout new seedlings. Author Robin Lee Carlson, whose recent book Cold Canyon Fire Journals went on sale Aug. 2, is making a visit to Big Sur to discuss this topic, and perhaps call into question many people’s prevailing views about wildfires just being purely destructive. Carlson’s book is based on her extensive experience studying the landscape at Cold Canyon (near Lake Berryessa), a UC Davis nature reserve that burned in 2015 and then again 2020. Per the statement by her publisher, the book “illuminates the necessity of disturbance and renewal forged by flame.” Learn about how California newts protect themselves from fire by creating a foam on their skin that prevents them from getting burned, and how wildflowers chase the burnt land, bringing it back to life. The afternoon has all the makings for a fascinating, thoughtful discussion. Coffee and tea will be available, feel free to pack snacks, and as always, it’s best to bring an open and curious mind. [DS]
3-5pm Sunday, Aug. 14. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free (donations accepted). 667-2574, bit.ly/RobinLeeCarlsonChat.
Flamenco Night
Like Portuguese fado, Andalusian flamenco is an art of passionate lament, a Gypsy tradition brought to the Iberian Peninsula from northwest India as early as the ninth century. Seattle-based Flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes and singer/multi-instrumentalist Diego Amador Jr. together present Night Flowers, an evening of flamenco. Fuentes was born in Seattle to parents of Puerto Rican and Irish ancestry. Her fascination with flamenco dance (baile) and singing (cante) came to her in early childhood, fueled by watching a flamenco performance on television. “Although I was just a child, I felt an immediate connection to the art form,” she wrote. Amador comes from the legendary Amador family, famous for fusing flamenco with blues, jazz and salsa. He sings, plays piano, bass and percussion. His father is the celebrated flamenco pianist/composer Diego Amador and his uncles are Rafael and Raimundo Amador – flamenco royalty. [AP]
8pm Sunday, Aug. 14. Carmel Valley Community Youth Center, 25 Ford Road, Carmel Valley. $27; $40/VIP; $18/students; $12/children. 659-3983, bit.ly/NightFlowers2022.
Tune In
Mac DeMarco has built a successful musical career out of lo-fi basics. His style has been described as “slacker rock,” and for a time, he played a $30 Teisco guitar until it literally fell apart. But DeMarco is not a slacker, despite his detractors. His vocals are easygoing, covering themes of love and self-aware reflectiveness. Synth-heavy songs create an atmospheric base on which to layer vocals. Detractors see DeMarco has a hipster imposter of sorts, making easy-listening music out of nothing, but critics loved his 2014 album, Salad Days, and its ironic, thoughtful lyrics. DeMarco also enjoys something of a cult following – whether for the vibe or the music, we can’t say – and his shows often sell out, fast. His first of two local appearances already has. [SR]
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