Arts

For more than two decades, the Allan Hancock College Dance program has impressed audiences with its ability to express emotion, ideas, and concepts through dance with its Dimensions in Dance production. This year, the department taps into the talent of students, both present and past, as well as tenured faculty, to produce the 22nd celebration […]

With its unforgettable sound, an organ can be a majestic centerpiece to a concert or worship, but it can just as easily be used to bring a new element to ordinary music or even provide amazing sound effects. The instrument’s versatility is often underestimated, probably because it’s been used to such great effect: Listeners may […]

Each Passing Day—with a sound that resembles Iron and Wine, Damien Rice, and Death Cab for Cutie—explores relationships, both the bliss and the pain. But for lead singer Loren Radis, it was the pain that was the catalyst for motivation. A bad breakup prompted him to seek comfort in his music, and that music helped […]

You don’t need a map to find something special at a thrift store, although having good directions helps. I believe women have a shopping gene. Or, more specifically, a bargain-shopping gene. So when I found myself with a free day and six hours before I had to pick the boys up from school, mine kicked […]

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band’s music has been featured in films, on recordings with other artists, and even on Air Force One’s onboard entertainment system. But when Goodwin was asked to play the Solvang Jazz Festival, the musical opportunity had a more personal meaning. The person proposing the invitation was Goodwin’s high school musical idol, […]

There’s just something about art and books together. They pair up like peanut butter and chocolate or cookies and milk. And that’s certainly the case at the Santa Maria Public Library. The new library has been in the public eye quite a bit since its August opening, followed by a library shop and a cafe;. […]

Autumn is on its way, but Santa Maria Civic Theatre is presenting one more taste of good old-fashioned summertime musical comedy to kick off its 50th season: the world-premiere of Sugar! Oh, Sugar! Sugar! is a melodrama that invites you to “boo” and “hiss” the villain, cheer the hero, and “awww” the heroine. Fans of […]

It’s said that everyone has a story, and in PCPA’s version of The Weir, everyone does—each one filled with sadness, laughter, torment, and a bit of the supernatural. To summarize this play is to do it an injustice. It’s simple in concept—set in the fictional rural Irish town of Carrick, four local men are having […]