SANTA CRUZ
Catch Katchafire at the Catalyst
This week is evidently a big one for Caribbean-inspired syncopated rhythms in Santa Cruz. First up, the New Zealand roots reggae band Katchafire will be coming to the Catalyst Club Thursday.
The Māori group formed in 1997 as a Bob Marley tribute group but have since forged their own identity on their three studio albums and appearances on several reggae compilations. Additionally, they had the best-selling single in New Zealand in 2002 with “Giddy Up” and have shared bills with the Wailers and the Marleys as well as other reggae and R&B acts like UB40, Third World, Steel Pulse, Shaggy and Lauryn Hill. Opening will be Hawaiian singer Jordan T.
The concert is 8 p.m. Thursday at the Catalyst Club, 1101 Pacific Ave. Tickets are $27 in advance and $32 at the door. This is a 16-and-older concert. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.
Big Mountain brings reggae rhythms to Moe’s Alley
The reggae continues at Moe’s Alley the following day with a set familiar to those who grew up in the ’90s: Big Mountain.
The San Diego band formed in 1988 and had their first charting single in 1992 with “Touch My Light.” However, following a lineup change, Big Mountain achieved their biggest success with a cover of Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way” which became a top 10 hit in 1994 after being featured in the movie “Reality Bites.” They performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in Jamaica that same year as well as the following and went on to release eight more albums. In 2022, they completed a new album “Freedom,” which was recorded in Kingston with guest spots from Chinna Smith and Sly & Robbie, among others. Opening will be Jamaican singer I-Taweh.
The concert is 9 p.m. Friday at Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show. This is a 21-and-older concert. For more information, go to MoesAlley.com.
Peter Erskine performs with trio at Kuumbwa
Reggae isn’t the only theme this week. It’s also guys named Pete or Peter. One of them is legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine, who will be performing with the Peter Erskine Trio and special guest Bob Mintzer at Kuumbwa Jazz Monday.
Erskine has been playing drums since he was 4 and has played on more than 700 albums and film scores, won two Grammys, received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee School of Music and has been voted Best Jazz Drummer 10 times by the readers of Modern Drummer. He has performed with the likes of Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall and Mary Chapin Carpenter as well as the philharmonic orchestras of Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Berlin and many other big cities. He will be joined by Yellowjackets saxophonist Mintzer.
The concert is 7 p.m. Monday at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St. Doors open at 6. Tickets are $36.75 in advance, $42 at the door and $21 for students. For more information, go to KuumbwaJazz.org.
FELTON
For Pete’s sake, it’s a Pink Floyd tribute!
If one Peter isn’t enough, how about two? How about a band featuring two singers named Pete paying tribute to Pink Floyd? This group is called Pete Floyd, and they will be playing at Felton Music Hall Saturday.
Led by Pete Delaney and Pete Hale, Pete Floyd are an eight-piece Pink Floyd tribute formed in 2021 by a group of Marin and Sonoma County musicians brought together by their love of the iconic art rock band. With a setlist that spans from “Meddle” to “The Wall” and everything in between, the band captures Pink Floyd’s most prolific era — the ’70s — and are sure to bring audiences back to the days of lying on the floor, listening to “The Dark Side of the Moon” on their record player and absorbing every lyric.
The concert is 8 p.m. Saturday at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $22 for general admission. This is a 21-and-older concert. For more information, go to FeltonMusicHall.com.
This week’s calendar was compiled by Nick Sestanovich.