SANTA CRUZ

Taylor Rae comes home again to Moe’s Alley

Like many up-and-coming Americana singer-songwriters, Santa Cruz County native Taylor Rae Vencill left her home for the bustling music scene of Austin, Texas, more than a decade ago, but she doesn’t treat her hometown like a stranger. She performs in the area often and will be coming back Friday for a show at Moe’s Alley.

Vencill, who performs as Taylor Rae, grew up in Ben Lomond, graduated from San Lorenzo Valley High School and continued to perform at local venues, even winning a Santa Cruz NEXTie award in 2017. Since relocating to Austin, she has performed at venues like Stubb’s and shared the stage with of The Head and the Heart and Brandy Clark. Her newest album is “The Void,” produced by Eric Krasno who has worked with the likes of The Roots and Aaron Neville, and won a Grammy for his work on the soundtrack to the 2014 Memphis soul documentary “Take Me to the River.”

Rae will be joined by Spencer James, a native of Marin County and current Santa Cruz resident who has been the longest-playing member of Rae’s band.

The concert is 9 p.m. Friday at Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way. Doors open at 8. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. This is a 21-and-older show. For more information, go to MoesAlley.com.

Jason Marsalis Quartet brings sound of the Big Easy to Kuumbwa Jazz

Ask people to name jazz epicenters in America, and alongside Harlem and Chicago, New Orleans will inevitably come up. The city has a rich musical legacy, which the Jason Marsalis Quartet will be showcasing at its Monday show at Kuumbwa Jazz.

Marsalis comes from a family with a lot of musical history. His father Ellis was a piano player and jazz educator at multiple New Orleans institutions, and his brothers Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo are also jazz performers. Jason Marsalis and his father and brothers were named Jazz Masters by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2011, and he has had a prolific career on his own as a jazz drummer playing for the likes of Snarky Puppy, Los Hombres Calientes and frequent collaborations with pianist Marcus Roberts. Jason Marsalis has been honored four times in the News Orleans magazine OffBeat’s Best of the Beat Awards, including as Best Drummer in 1999 and Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2013 for “In a World of Mallets.” In addition to his drumming, Jason has made a name for himself as a vibraphone player, which audiences can witness at his Kuumbwa Jazz show.

The concert is 7 p.m. Monday at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St. Doors open at 6. Tickets are $46.62 for advance general admission, $42 for members in advance, $47.25 at the door and $23.50 for students. For more information, go to KuumbwaJazz.org.

Hurray for the Riff Raff bring cheers to Rio

So much of country and folk music is pulling from different experiences. On that level, Alynda Segarra of the band Hurray for the Riff Raff has quite the stories to tell given their upbringing: spending their young adult years without a home, being a non-binary artist in an unexpected genre, etc. They will be sharing those stories with a concert at the Rio Theatre Wednesday.Segarra was born in the Bronx and took in varied musical inspirations from genres such as doo-wop, Motown soul and hardcore punk at a young age. By the time they were 17, they left home and hopped freight trains across North America, becoming a member of the Dead Man Street Orchestra in New Orleans. In 2008, Segarra released their first album under the Hurray for the Riff Raff moniker and within a few years their music featured on the HBO series “Treme” and profiled in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Spin. With a rotating group of musicians, Segarra has collaborated with the likes of Conor Oberst and toured with singers like Norah Jones and Ani DiFranco. Audiences can expect a stripped-down set of songs about the human experience.

The concert is 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $32. For more information, go to RioTheatre.com.

Buzzcocks go steady at the Catalyst

One of the most influential pop-punk bands of all time, the Buzzcocks will be bringing their fast-paced energy to the Catalyst Club Wednesday.

Formed by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley in Bolton, England, at a time when the U.K. punk scene was exploding due to bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash, the Buzzcocks played minimal chords at a high-octane pace while diving into topics such as rebellion, sex and failed relationships on songs like “Boredom,” “What Do I Get?” and “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve).” The latter has become a staple of the ’70s punk repertoire and has been covered by the likes of Fine Young Cannibals and Pete Yorn, who recorded his cover for the “Shrek 2” soundtrack. The band’s sound was very influential on later groups like Green Day. Devoto left the band early on to form Magazine, but Shelley continued at the helm until the band broke up in 1981. The Buzzcocks reformed eight years later, and original guitarist Steve Diggle assumed lead vocal duties after Shelley’s death in 2018. The new lineup released their latest album, “Sonics in the Soul,” in 2022 and will be performing at Riot Fest in Chicago this September on a bill that also includes Blink-182, Bad Religion, Dropkick Murphys and a newly reformed Sex Pistols (minus Johnny Rotten).

The concert is 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Doors open at 7. Opening will be Venice, California, band Strawberry Fuzz. Tickets are $43.95. This is a 21-and-older concert. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.

This week’s calendar was compiled by Nick Sestanovich.