SANTA CRUZ

China Cats go unplugged at Kuumbwa Jazz

For 15 years, Santa Cruz’s very own China Cats have put their spins on countless classic Grateful Dead songs. This Friday at Kuumbwa Jazz, they will be performing them in a whole new way: sans amps.

The China Cats will be playing their first unplugged show, taking a more stripped-down approach to songs by The Dead that still highlights the songs’ timeless melodies.

And that is not all. They will be joined by the Buffalo Blues Trio. The three-piece band pays homage to American roots blues from the 1920s to the ’60s while invoking singers like Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Big Mama Thornton and Janis Joplin. Proceeds from the show will support Soquel Elementary School’s music program.

The concert is 7:30 p.m. Friday at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St. Doors open at 6:30. Advance tickets range from $27.45 to $31.72. For more information, go to KuumbwaJazz.org.

Make way for Mickey Avalon at Catalyst

One year after playing the venue, Hollywood rapper Mickey Avalon — will be making his return to the Catalyst Club Friday.

Avalon was born into a Jewish family with grandparents who survived the Holocaust and lost his father after he was killed by a drunken driver. He went on to experience substance abuse, sold drugs and became a sex worker to make money before he broke into the music industry. His self-titled debut solo album was released in 2006 with the leadoff single “Jane Fonda” getting some minor airplay on alternative rock stations. Over the next few years, Avalon had songs featured in “The Hangover” and “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and became a member of the rap group The Dyslexic Speedreaders with Simon Rex. His latest album, “Never Satisfied,” was released in 2023. Opening will be Baystar and Misolanius.

The concert is 9 p.m. Saturday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Doors open at 8:30. Tickets are $32.12. This is a 16-and-older concert. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.

Life’s too short to miss Too $hort at the Civic

Hip hop has had plenty of prominent scenes throughout the U.S., one of them being the San Francisco Bay Area. Two of the biggest names in this scene, Too $hort and Andre Nickatina, will be teaming up for a show at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium Friday.Too $hort, born Todd Anthony Shaw, was raised in Los Angeles but moved to Oakland when he was 14 and quickly took to the city’s growing rap scene. He released his first album, “Don’t Stop Rappin’,” in 1983 and became a pioneer of West Coast rap, going on to collaborate with the likes of Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and E-40. He was also very influential in the hyphy movement which defined the Bay Area — sorry, “Yay Area” — in the ’90s and 2000s.

Nickatina, who grew up in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, first recorded under the name Dre Dog before switching to his current moniker with his third album, 1997’s “Cocaine Raps.” He gained a major following throughout the region, won a Bay Area Rap Scene Award for Underground Artist of the Year in 2005 and collaborated with other Bay Area rap luminaries like Mac Mall and the late Mac Dre.

The concert is 9 p.m. Friday at the Civic, 307 Church St. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $82.94 for general admission. Photography and recording are not allowed at this show. For more information, go to CityOfSantaCruz.com.

Debbie Millman to discuss gardening journey at Bookshop Santa Cruz

There are many benefits to gardening: the ability to grow fresh produce, access to fresh sunlight, getting exercise and so on. Debbie Millman learned all this, but it took some time. She discusses her green thumb journey in her book “Love Letter to a Garden,” which she will be talking about at Bookshop Santa Cruz Wednesday.

Millman is an artist, designer and host of the Webbs-winning podcast “Design Matters.” She is also a gardener, although by her own admission, she did not think of herself as a great gardener initially. It took a lot of experience, which she recounts in her book about the process to grow a garden and the plants she has cultivated over the years. The book also featured recipes using ingredients grown in the garden and written by Millman’s wife, best-selling author Roxanne Gay. The discussion is co-sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Humanities Institute.

The event is 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave. For more information and to register in advance, go to BookshopSantaCruz.com.

This week’s calendar was compiled by Nick Sestanovich.