Posts from — March 2009

You know that mysterious act playing at Fernwood last Saturday called “The Beatles’s”? The one with no MySpace page? Turns out it was actually Joanna Newsom trying out new material. How much new material? About two hours’ worth, according to Pitchfork.

The blog Naturalismo has tons of photos and an extensive writeup of the show. Too Cool To Die also has a thorough writeup. Some of the deets: about 50 people attended, some songs ran over 12 minutes long, Newsom was in great voice, and the music is a natural evolutionary step from Ys.

Lesson: learned for future plans: a mysterious, unheard-of act at Fernwood may actually be a big name staying under the radar, and put “The Beatles’s” on your Google Alerts to watch for future gigs!

The Mom Blog touts tent camping as the best way to see Big Sur. She has some great tips on planning your own tent trip.

Saturday’s Mud Run was as full of crazy antics as ever. Here’s some photos from the event:

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a new program of Aquarium Adventures that includes behind-the-scenes and under-the-seas tours, trips on Aquarium research ships and other fascinating trips. Book before they sell out!

Fred Couples talks about golfing with Justin Timberlake in his SF Chronicle blog.

Get a sneak peek at The Spa at Pebble Beach with highlights from photographer Scott Campbell’s shoot.

Get the 17 Mile Drive experience as Danae D shows you around – virtually.

Take a visit to the other side of Monterey County with a pair of RVers who are exploring Salinas.

Foodbuzz gives a foodies-eye view of Passionfish in Pacific Grove.

There’s too little weekend to do all the awesome things in our list.

Friday
The Golden State Theatre’s amazing Golden State Film Festival continues. If you haven’t stopped by yet, you are really missing out. Tonight, Tilda Swinton stars in Julia at 4pm, The Girl from Monaco has its Monterey premiere at 6:30pm, and the documentary New Brow: Contemporary Underground Art has its world premiere after a talk with the director and featured artists at 9pm. Buy tickets online or at the box office.

Go hiking and stargazing at Pinnacles National Monument. Hartnell College professors will lead a hike on the Balconies Trail from 5:30 to 7:30. Then, as you nosh on the picnic food you were clever enough to pack (or subsist on a couple of old McDonalds french fries you found on the floor of your car), more professors, armed with telescopes, will introduce you to the wonder of the starry skies. $5. Call 831-389-4486 x243 to reserve, as space is limited.

Get a sneak peek at the Monterey Museum of Art’s new exhibit, 50/fifty, at the picturesque La Mirada location from 6-8pm. It’s free for members and $10 for non-members. (And no, being their Facebook fan is not the same as being a member!)

The Sunset Center presents an elegant evening of chamber music with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio at 8pm.

Hip-hop artists Euthnasia play their first Wave Street Studios gig at 9pm.

It’s an indie-folk evening at Fernwood Resort in Big Sur, with psychedelic soul outfit White Magic, unique female vocalist Glasser and laid back rock/bluegrass band Big Search. Tickets are $12; the show starts at 9pm.

Saturday
The Mud Run at CSUMB is sold out, but you can still head up there and watch folks get down and dirty as they run up hills, dive over obstacles, and face-plant in knee-deep mud. Starts at 9am at Freeman Stadium. Bring your cameras and point us at the YouTube links.

Enjoy the beauty of spring in Carmel Valley with one of the hikes through Garland Ranch Regional Park hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. The Wonderful Wildflowers hike starts at 9am; it’s three miles long and has a 600 foot elevation gain. The Tremendous Redwood Trees walk is 5.5 miles long with a 230 foot elevation gain, starts at 10am, and requires you to brown-bag lunch. Pre-register online if you plan to attend.

If you think model ships are cool – and who doesn’t? – then sail on over to the Monterey Maritime and History Museum, where the Society of Miniature Ship Collectors is holding a Miniature Ship Model Exhibition.

The Golden State Film Festival continues. The rare 1939 animated feature Gulliver’s Travels shows at 10am. Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha, The Shadow Warrior begins at 11:30am. Environmental documentary Earth Days has its Monterey premiere at 3pm. Director Monty Miranda and actor Bryan Phelan will introduce their buzzy new indie film, Skills Like This at its 7pm Monterey premiere. And, for those who prefer the highbrow classics, Aliens shows at 10pm. (Hey, it won two Oscars!) Buy tickets online or at the box office.

It’s Community Day at Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada! Monterey County residents and visitors get in free. Poke around the 50/fifty exhibit while the kids make postcards at the art activity area.

Jazz vocalist Allan Harris sings Nat King Cole at the Sunset Center at 8pm.

It’s a night of gentle folk music at Fernwood with The Beatles’s and Marie Sioux. Tickets are $12, and the show starts at 9pm.

Sunday
It’s a sad day for Monterey as the Golden State Film Festival wraps up. At 1:30pm, meet director Irvin Kershner, who presents the best Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back. Director Andy Abrahams Wilson introduces the Monterey premiere of his Lyme disease documentary Under Our Skin at 4pm. The yoga documentary Enlighten Up! takes its first Monterey bow at 6:30pm. At 8:30pm, Irvin Kershner holds a Q&A before another showing of The Empire Strikes Back.

Enjoy the poetry of Edgar Lee Master at the Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada, where The Listening Place presents selections from Spoon River Anthology at 1:30pm. Free for members, $5 for non-members.

As always, there’s so much more to do than we can fit in here. Head on over to the Monterey County Weekly calendar section for more ideas.

Joan Baez’s old home in Carmel Valley may get a historic designation.

The Zagat Golf Survey rated Pebble Beach Golf Links the most popular golf course in the United States.

The University of Southern California’s Daily Trojan gives a students-eye view of a Big Sur vacation.

Get tips on hiking at Andrew Molera State Park, Garland Ranch Park, Point Lobos, and more!

Not enough hiking info? Check out our article on the top day hikes in Monterey County.

It must be that time of year, because everyone’s posting gorgeous photos and details of Monterey County weddings! Today’s feature comes to us from nLighten Images, who detail a beautiful wedding at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa that is sure to inspire those planning their own nuptials.

Celebrated science fiction author Rudy Rucker visited Big Sur recently, and uses his experiences and photos to give insight into his creative process. He also gives sneak peeks of plot elements in his next novel, Jim and the Flims, including a scene from the book.

If you’ve ever wanted a racer’s-eye view of the track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, head on over to Google Maps in two weeks. The raceway will be the first to appear in the prominent mapping engine.

Fernwood Resort will host a two day (((folkYEAH))) showcase of folk and indie music this weekend. White Magic, Glasser and Big Search play Friday night, while Mariee Sioux and the Beatles’s grace the stage on Saturday night.

Golfweek says the AT&T will remain at Poppy Hills for now.

The Monterey Museum of Art reopens its Pacific Street location next week with the Fifty/50 exhibit, celebrating its fifty years by showing fifty of its most exceptional pieces of art. This Friday from 6-8pm, they’ll have a special preview of the exhibit.

Niz raved about a drive down Highway One. “It’s got to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world,” he says. He’s got some favorite, must-see stops listed.

Once Wed has a feature on a charming Big Sur wedding, showing ways to capture the natural vibe of the area without emptying your bank account. Wiley Valentine compares that wedding to the original, and much more expensive, Martha Stewart Weddings-featured event that inspired it.

Speaking of gorgeous weddings, Samuel Lippke has photos of a breathtaking Pebble Beach wedding.

Did you know that The Secret Lives of Seahorses opens at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on April 6? We’ve got the inside scoop about the exhibit setup and more. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is even giving away a Seahorse Soiree, with a behind the scenes tour and a private cocktail party. For another sneak peek, check out this video:

Sunset Magazine just named Earthbound Farm in Carmel Valley one of the top 10 western gardens. Congratulations, Earthbound Farm!

The seahorses aren’t the only residents of the Aquarium that are getting press this month. A 50-year old, 11-pound spiny lobster is spending its golden years in the Splash Zone of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The Henry Miller Library in Big Sur is tripling the size of their deck to provide more space for visitors to enjoy its mellow ambiance.

It’s another jam-packed weekend of stuff to do! Here’s our hot picks.

Friday
Today is the 20th, which means it’s free admission for locals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Remember, everyone, free admission for locals is only on the 20th. Mark your calendars for the rest of the year through their October anniversary weekend! (Thanks to Hank Armstrong at the Aquarium for pointing out our error!)

Chateau Coralini rolls out the red carpet with the opening night of their weekly Friday “Uncork and Unwind” event, a mix of live jazz, fantastic wine tasting and delectable hors d’oeuvres. 5:30-8pm. Free this week; future weeks will be $25 per person.

The Golden State Theatre in Monterey has pulled out all the stops for their Golden State Film Festival, which opens tonight. The festivities begin with a reception with Peter Bogdanovich at 6pm, a talk by Bogdanovich at 7:30pm, and a screening of Bogdanovich’s landmark film The Last Picture Show at 9pm. $35 for Bogdanovich’s talk plus the screening; attend the reception with a $120 VIP pass, which gives access to all movies, lectures and the opening reception. Buy tickets online or at the box office.

If you never got to see the Beatles in 1964, enter a time machine tonight with 1964 at the Sunset Center. This Beatles tribute band recreates the band’s performance circa 1964 using period hairstyles, instruments, and even authentic banter the Beatles used on stage. 8pm; tickets are $52 and $47.

Big Sur’s rock band Wandering Minds brings original rock and roll to Wave Street Studios at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10.

Saturday
The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District will teach you how to get that perfect picture of a wildflower. “Seeing Close-Up: The Art of Wildflower Macrophotography” is at Garland Ranch Regional Park Museum and runs from 9am to 6pm. $125. Sign up online.

Take a spectacular guided Redwood Canyon Hike in Carmel Valley. The wildflowers are blooming! The hike is 3.4 miles with a 530 foot elevation change. 9am to noon. Bring water. Free. Sign up and get directions online.

If you think a 530 foot elevation gain is wimpy, head over to Garland Ranch for the Snively’s Ridge Wildflower Hike. This 4.5 mile hike has an elevation gain of 1,600 feet, and what little breath you have left will be taken away by the view from thee top of Snively’s Ridge. 10am to 3pm. Bring water. Free. Sign up and get directions online.

Help restore Palo Corona Regional Park with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, and get a preview of a park that few get to see. The park entrance is just south of the Carmel River on Highway 1. 9:30am-noon, free. Wear heavy gloves and clothes suitable to outdoor work. Sign up online.

It’s another outstanding lineup at the Golden State Film Festival. At 10am, surreal animator Bill Plympton introduces a lineup of classic cartoons from Fleischer Bros. Studios, starring Popeye, Betty Boop and Superman. Tickets are $10. At noon, The Wall Street Journal’s star film critic, Joe Morgenstern, introduces Jonathan Demme’s Melvin and Howard. Tickets are $10. Bill Plympton returns at 4:15pm to introduce the Monterey premiere of his full length feature Idiots and Angels, as well as a collection of his short pieces. Tickets are $15. At 7pm, noted director/producer James Ivory will appear, discussing and showing footage from his recent film The City of Your Final Destination, and introducing his feature The Golden Bowl, based on the Henry James novel. Tickets are $25.

Burgeoning poets, call the Monterey Public library at 646-3949 to sign up for a Poetry Writing Workshop with Patrice Vecchione. It’s free, and will prevent you from cursing the world with verses like And let young and old on this her Jubilee be glad,/And cry, “Long Live our Queen!” and don’t be sad.

Cellist Asier Polo lights up the stage at Sherwood Hall with the Monterey Symphony. Performances are at 3 and 8pm, and the lineup includes Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

Support local theater at 6pm at PacRep’s annual gala at the Monterey Marriott Hotel. The $100 ticket price gets you a jaw-dropping view from the Ferrante Room at the top of the Marriott, dinner, the PacRep auction, and that warm fuzzy feeling from helping out local arts.

Beatlemania returns to Carmel with 1964 at the Sunset Center. It’s like taking a trip back to 1964. 8pm; tickets are $52 and $47.

Hear live, straight-ahead jazz with Along Came Betty at Wave Street Studios at 8pm. Tickets are $15.

Santa Cruz’s neo-psychedelic outfit Byron Space Circus plays Fernwood Resort’s Spring Equinox party at 9pm.

Sunday
It’s another jam-packed day at the Golden State Film Festival. Director Alexander Payne appears at 2pm to discuss past films including Sideways and About Schmidt, as well as his upcoming film A Fork in the Road. Payne’s Citizen Ruth shows immediately after, and his 1999 film Election shows at 4pm. Both films, plus Payne’s talk, are $20. The evening shows dig into the archives for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at 7pm ($5) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly at 9:45pm ($5).

The Monterey Symphony brings cellist Asier Polo to Carmel for a 3pm performance at the Sunset Center. The lineup includes Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

Classic jazz ensemble Patt Casion and I.O.C. appear at Wave Street Studios with a combination of traditional and original music. The tunes start at 7pm. Tickets are $20.

These listings are just the tip of the activity iceberg! Get a full rundown of weekend events at the Monterey County Weekly’s website. For a full schedule of the Golden State Film Festival, which runs until the 29th, see their website.

The Monterey County Weekly just released its Best of Monterey County issue! Make sure to check it out online or grab it in local stores and news boxes.

The San Carlos Cathedral in Monterey has received its crowning touch, a copper finial on top of its bell tower. This isn’t the end of the restoration, however; as the article says, more work is ahead.

The LA Times got breakfast delivered by an elephant during an overnight stay at Wild Things in the Salinas Valley. It’s not just journalists who get the pachyderm attention; Wild Things has a bed and breakfast that is available for booking.

Big Sur’s Japanese Buddhist Sōtō Zen monastery Tassajara has released its 2009 retreat schedule. Each retreat is themed around a different activity, including several that combine Zen and cooking.