The Victorian era has always piqued a peculiar interest for UC Santa Cruz alum Laura Weinbach throughout her life. As lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for San Francisco’s Foxtails Brigade, Weinbach, along with violin maestro and fellow Banana Slug Anton Patzner, has created a living music box, tightly knit with synchronized harmonies and poetic storybook lyrics.

“There are a lot of intricate details in our music, like a Victorian storybook illustration,” Weinbach writes in an email sent to the Good Times. “We really try to bring that aesthetic to Foxtails Brigade both musically and visually.” That aesthetic is a haunting, eerie cheer, where Patzner’s mewing, heart-wrenching violin glues seamlessly to Weinbach’s ornate melodies and fairytale lyrics, creating the perfect musical juxtaposition to an autumn day’s picturesque whirl of foliage.

After a rewarding stint as a substitute teacher, Weinbach traded in her crayons and lullabies for a more mature sound, hitting the streets busking while putting any spare time into the development of Foxtails Brigade. Originally a solo act, Weinbach eventually teamed up with Foxtails Brigade’s original violinist, Sivan Sadeh, who performs on the group’s upcoming debut studio album, The Bread and the Bait, as well as their 7-inch, Chat with Sivan. Yet once Sivan began her journey into motherhood, she handed the reins to Patzner, who teamed up with Weinbach to create the duo’s current incarnation.

Weinbach is well aware of Foxtails Brigade’s diverse sound, noting “a creature that at one second looks like a spider-covered, human-eating maggot face can shift instantly into a friendly, beautiful fairy villa or something; or the other way around. There's a lot of that in our songs musically as well—sudden switches between super ugly and jarring chord progressions to soothing and harmonious melody lines.”

Two recent concerts brought the Dead to life
Separated by the harbinger of cold rain, but united by Jerry Garcia—a duo of weekend concerts evoked the spirit of musical community.

The Kuumbwa Jazz Center let its hair down on Friday, Oct. 22 when Deadheads gathered to raise funds for the UC Santa Cruz Grateful Dead archive. With chairs pushed to the side, the dance floor filled quickly with community members dancing to Santa Cruz Dead clone band Slugs and Roses—while outside, Dead archivist Nicholas Meriwether slung GD merchandise like a tour rat selling grilled cheese sandwiches in a parking lot. Nitrous tanks were absent, but dreadlocks, tie-dyes and patchouli were in abundance.

Tips on how to book a show at Don Quixote’s International Music Hall
Don Quixote’s booker Tom Miller has been booking shows in Santa Cruz for more than 30 years, so when he tells you how to jump, you say how high?

When asked how a local band should go about booking a show at Don Quixote’s, Miller’s advice is amazingly simple: 1. Play good music, and 2. Have a game plan to get people in the door.

For emerging artists who may not have the immediate name recognition yet, Miller emphasizes that bands need to come to him with the equivalent of a business plan outlining how they will sell the show. Think of it this way, you have fans (customers) who buy your tickets/music/merch (products) and in order to be successful Miller wants to make sure you know how to move some product. One of the top 10 reasons new businesses fail is lack of planning. Don’t be that business.

This just In: Zack Snyder to Direct a Superman Reboot from a story by Christopher Nolan. In local news, Good Times comic book blogger passes out from excitement. Oh yeah, this is the big one. Now I love Superman. He's easily my favorite comic book character of all time which means I will be the first to admit that Bryan Singer's 2006 take on the iconic Kryptonian left much to be desired (despite the fact that Brandon Routh was outstanding in the lead role). So the news that the writing team behind "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" is teaming up with the director of "300" and "Watchmen" to truly bring Kal-El into the 21st century has me chomping at the bit.

So exactly how did all of this come about?

Keeping Santa Cruz funny
You might think that Santa Cruz is off the beaten-track for humor—located on the outermost spoke of the Bay Area comedy hub—but you would be mistaken. For 30 years the Crow’s Nest, on East Cliff Drive in the Santa Cruz harbor, has been presenting four comics on Sunday nights to a mostly sold-out crowd—which means Santa Cruz has one of the longest running comedy rooms in all of California. Locals and tourists jam pack the upstairs area and through the din, clamor and, at times, extremely rowdy environment, road weary stand-up comics and newbies attempt to tickle strangers’ funny bones.

Video games based on comic books are notorious for their lack in quality (Just ask Superman about his Nintendo 64 game). More often than not a company will rush out a half-baked product in order to capitalize on a familiar franchise, usually to coincide with a movie release or something like that. So when one comes along and manages to receive solid to great reviews, it's a very welcome surprise. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions has done just that since it's release this past week and nerds everywhere are singing it's praises.

Tips on how to book a show at The Poet and the Patriot
Booking the music for a venue is usually not a group effort. Normally there is a “booker” and they are the end all, be all. Want a show? Get in line to talk to the booker. If the booker doesn’t like “your kind,” then you can forget about ever getting on the calendar.

Not so at downtown drinkery The Poet and the Patriot, where the entire crew, from sound man to door man, have the power to pencil you in. If you call for a show you might talk to Jason, if you walk in off the street you might talk to Chris or Sean, and if you email you will probably hear back from Tim.

Maggie Vessey, a Soquel High School and Cal Polytechnic University alumna, stands on the maroon track of Santa Cruz High School in a powder-blue sports bra and black shorts. Heat shimmers around the distant bend; the sky is clear and the sun is hot on the neck. A few morning joggers circle her on the outside lanes, and on the grass of the field the groundskeeper sprays yard lines for the upcoming football season.

With a hop-skip into her stride, Vessey runs.

Fast.

Its been a long time coming for comic readers waiting to see Bruce Wayne make his way back into the tights as Batman. After fighting his way through the centuries in Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne and back into the present day, he's all set to reclaim his mantle. But just what would become of Dick Grayson (who's donned the cape and cowl in his absence) has been the big question mark the entire time. Tim Drake has moved on from Robin to Red Robin, so that job's taken. Ditto for his old Nightwing gig (currently occupied) and there was never any chance he'd hop back into his original red and green duds. Well, it turns out the answer's a lot simpler than I would have guessed...they'll both be Batman of course!