forest vibes
The annual Hipnic Music Festival – three days of camping and music at Fernwood in Big Sur – is back for the 13th year. “Thirteen years later, Hipnic has become the little engine that could,” write the organizers. “Less is more in the land of the giant ancient redwoods… The emphasis is on the songs, the setting and the connection between people and nature.” Howlin Rain and more. All deep in the redwood forest of the Big Sur Valley. If that sounds right up your alley, the bad news is that this year’s event is sold out. Celebrate this year in spirit and look forward to the 14th edition. [TCL]
Friday 20 May to Sunday 22 May. Fernwood Campground and Resort, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Sold out. folkyeah.com.
Hoedown throw
Pull on your boots, jeans and cowboy hat (if you have one – it’s not a must, but boots really do seem to be an important part of the uniform) and stroll to a night of country line dancing at the new hacienda . Don’t know how to line dance? Fear not – there will be a teacher to guide you through each dance. They go through a simple choreography for each song, then the music kicks in and it’s time to stir up some dust. And if this whets your appetite, there’s food to buy. This is a regularly recurring event. So if you miss it, keep an eye on the hacienda’s calendar for more. [TCL]
6-9pm Friday 20 May. Hacienda, 7180 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. $25/adult; $10/kids. 293-8133, haciendacv.store.
movie magic
What did film critics know that moviegoers didn’t? Find out on Saturday, May 21st in Soledad. Premiere Cinemas is holding its long-awaited grand opening ceremony on Saturday morning. The high school band will perform, important people will give speeches, radio star Matthew Arnett will host and keep things going – it’s a big deal. But don’t get too distracted by the preliminary rounds. To celebrate the official opening, Premiere Cinemas is screening the 2005 sci-fi adventure comedy Zathura: A Space Adventure, for free. Adapted from a children’s book, the film is fun for the whole family – or should be. Critics raved, but the film barely made it at the box office. How could a movie where kids have to win an all-too-real board game before their dad gets home (or they’re destroyed by Zorgons–bad, arguably worse)–not catch on? It’s free to find out. The film runs at 10:30 a.m. Zorgons appear not long after. [DF]
Saturday, May 21, 10 a.m. Premiere Cinemas, 499 Nestles Road, Soledad. Free. premierecinemas.net.
through a telescope lens
Visit the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (MIRA) for a free annual Chesley Bonestell Memorial Lecture. This year’s presentation is titled “The Amazing Universe of the James Webb Space Telescope” and will be given by Alice Shapley of UCLA, where she is a professor and vice chair of the department of astronomy and astrophysics. The launch and successful deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope in late December 2021 was an incredible leap for mankind – and a transformative one for astronomy. Hear from Shapley how the telescope is designed to enable extraordinary breakthroughs, from our study of planets around other stars to the search for the earliest stars and galaxies in the cosmic dawn. In this talk, Shapley describes how the new tool is used to understand the formation and evolution of galaxies like our own Milky Way. [AP]
Saturday, May 21, 7:30 p.m. Monterey Peninsula College, Lecture Forum #102, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. Free. 883-1000, mira.org.
music in the forest
Steve Vagnini is a household name on the local music scene as the promoter and director of the Monterey County Chapter of the nonprofit Guitars Not Guns. He is perhaps better known as the man behind Sand City’s annual West End Celebration, held each August. Now, under his company SLV Management, Vagnini is launching a new musical series in Carmel at the Outdoor Forest Theater aptly named Music in the Forest. The first part of the series introduces three talented singer-songwriters, ranging from veteran performers to one still in the early years of what is sure to be a long career. Award-winning Cindy Alexander released her first album in 1999 and has since recorded nine solo albums. Hayley Jane draws inspiration from a wide range of styles, from ’60s and ’70s rock and pop to musical theatre, folk, blues and soul. Finally, there’s up-and-coming Katherin Lavin, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from the Monterey Peninsula known for performing at local events. Vagnini also promises to announce the lineup for this year’s West End Celebration. [PM]
5-8pm Saturday 21 May. Forest Theater, Mountain View Avenue and Santa Rita Street, Carmel. $25/adult; $15/children under 18 years old. Proof of vaccination required. 601-9609, pacrep.org.
Ticketing
How about a trip to – well, wherever you want to go – via a sidewalk book sale? While it’s true that you can purchase books at various times from Friends of the Marina Library’s permanent Friends of Marina Community Bookstore (which is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 12pm to 4pm and Saturday from 10am to 4pm), it there’s nothing quite like a book sale. As long as Washington Post Book critic Michael Dirda observed in his book SearchShe admits to a lifelong addiction to book sales: “Anything can be anytime, anywhere.” Also, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Here’s a chance to stumble upon treasures, and for a good cause. The non-profit group of friends was founded in 1990; They sell used books to raise funds to support Marina Library programming and maintenance, and to purchase new books, e-books, and videos for library collections. The bookstore has been in operation since 2017. [AP]
11am-3pm Sunday 22 May. Friends of the Marina Library Community Bookstore, 330 Reservation Road, Marina. 747-1850, friendsofthemarinelibrary.org.
Rhythmic reverie
It’s reasonable to expect greatness on stage this evening of sitar and tabla music. That’s no exaggeration – this performance features some of the best not just regionally or nationally, but from around the world. Sitarist Indrajit Banerjee comes from the Indian musical nobility: he spent 25 years studying sitar with his grandfather Bankim Kumar Pal and uncle Kartick Kumar, a student of Ravi Shankar. He performs with Shri Nikhil Pandya, who is best known in the Hindu music world but spreads widely in terms of musical style. He has performed a great deal of non-classical Indian music and has collaborated with musicians from around the world whose repertoire spans many genres. This pairing is characterized by a fusion of musical voices – and by musical excellence. [SR]
Piter Witer 