Arts and Entertainment, pt. 1

BestOf
MONTEREY 07

•ARTIST

STEVEN WHYTE

In 2000, a commission for the 100th US Open at Pebble Beach introduced bronze sculptor Steven Whyte to the charms of California. Since then, the British-born artist has maintained a Carmel studio where he carries on the work that he likens to a historian’s: “creating characters of yesterday’s community and today’s society for tomorrow’s viewers.” Equally at home sculpting soaring mythical figures and lifelike busts of contemporary mortals, Whyte is a Weekly reader favorite and, we hope, a sight around town for a long time to come.

•ACTOR

L.J. BREWER

Just as easily as he dons black stockings and a tight dress to star as a transvestite in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, L.J. Brewer throws on a suit and tie to play a lewd and back-stabbing office mate in Fat Pig. Brewer, co-owner of the Paper Wing Theatre Co., helps bring gritty and controversial drama to downtown Salinas. Onstage, the tall actor is a versatile yet consistently captivating figure. Offstage, he’s charmingly resistant to creeping stardom. After performing Rocky Horror he’ll graciously thank attendees and shake hands, a 6-foot-tall he-she with a heart of gold.

•PHOTO GALLERY

WESTON GALLERY | Sixth and Dolores, Carmel • 624-4453

Art lurks in unexpected subjects: a basement spider web illuminated by a crack of sun, the world-weary face of an elderly immigrant, the shadow cast by a kid on a bicycle. But sometimes it takes a photographer’s light-sensitive eye to reveal the inspiration in the ordinary. Carmel’s Weston Gallery, founded in the mid-’70s by Cole Weston’s ex-wife Margaret, celebrates the transformative power of photography through the work of historic and contemporary masters such as Edward, Brett and Cole Weston; Diane Arbus; Robert Mapplethorpe and Carmel’s own Ansel Adams. A stroll through the intimate gallery will reveal the world in a new light.

•ART GALLERY

CARMEL ART ASSOCIATION |Dolores between Fifth and Sixth, Carmel • 624-6176

For 80 years, Carmel’s oldest gallery has dedicated itself solely to showing the work of Peninsula artists. Back in the early days that meant showcasing Armin Hansen, E. Charlton Fortune and other now-famous painters. Today it means showing 120 talented local painters, sculptors, even cartoonists who carry the torch of Carmel’s artistic heritage, treating familiar and exotic subjects with skill, imagination, beauty and humor. Weekly readers love it. Go see why.

•CLUB DJ

DJ ANGEL

DJ Angel has woven himself into the fabric of Monterey County nightlife. The best DJ in the best nightclub, according to voters, he’s built a small dynasty in this category, celebrating his fourth straight victory. If further proof of his wheels-of-steel supremacy is required, one need simply check out the crowd that gathers at Club Octane every Friday to hear him spin everything from hip-hop to classic rock, with the occasional indulgence in the original Grease soundtrack.

•KARAOKE

THE BRITANNIA ARMS | 444 Alvarado St., Monterey • 656-9543

It’s fun to watch “American Idol” rejects make fools of themselves while singing karaoke. But here’s something even better: watching their wives’ or girlfriends’ faces as they warble “La Bamba” or hump the mic to Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Do Me.” One woman’s agony is the entire audience’s ecstasy. And this kind of top-notch entertainment happens every Sunday and Wednesday night, starting at 9pm, at the Brit. Luckily for everyone involved, the English pub and restaurant also has a huge selection of beers on tap that help numb the pain and humiliation that come with the 15—or sometimes only three—minutes of fame.

•BAR FOR FOLKS OVER 50

MISSION RANCH | 26270 Dolores St., Carmel • 625-9040

The piano bar at Mission Ranch is one of the best bars around for adults of any age, and might even be of interest to anthropologists. It’s a must for anyone curious or doubtful about the aging process, as well as for the aging themselves. Think of it as an indigenous environment where songsters can be observed in the wild as they splash and play around a grand piano—a watering hole of sorts. A few cocktails can induce the spontaneous birth of a songster, and a visitor may witness this phenomenon or perhaps even hear her own voice erupting forth.

•PLACE YOU CAN’T TAKE YOUR PARENTS

NU-ART THEATER AND FREMONT ADULT BOOKSTORE | 2116 N. Fremont St., Monterey • 372-9430

A newbie to town might cast about blindly for a place to find smut. The Yellow Pages don’t help: the “Adult” section lists hospices, “Porn” is nowhere to be found, and “Sex” references various medical clinics. Which leaves the restless newcomer wandering the streets of the Peninsula, hoping against hope to find a vibrator for sale somewhere. She might not know the Fremont Adult Bookstore by its name, but a foray inside reveals a tasteful array of shafts, skinful DVDs, and yes, “personal massagers”—plus, neighboring Nu-Art Theater airs three continuous XXX flicks for just 10 bucks. When her ‘rents come to town, she’ll be glad it’s so discreet.

•ROCK CLUB

LAVA LOUNGE | 321 Alvarado St., Monterey • 646-9244

While clubbers get down to hip-hop on the black-lit dance floor of Club Octane, hardcore rock fans mosh to distorted guitars and screeching vocals in the Lava Lounge downstairs. The small, dark venue is really the dungeon of Monterey, and bartender and manager Paul Hastey is its gatekeeper. Tattoo-armed Hastey books a steady rotation of touring rock and punk bands like Lavish Green and Los Dryheavers. While he’s not blowing flames from behind the bar, Hastey also does sound for the show—and he likes it loud.

•BLUES CLUB

SLY MCFLY'S | 700 Cannery Row, Monterey • 649-8050

It happens all the time—some lucky couple visiting Cannery Row for the first time chances upon Sly McFly’s and drops in for a beer. They look at the menu and decide to stay for dinner. As they’re finishing up their meal, they see that a band is setting up and figure, what the heck, we’re on vacation, let’s stay. Two hours later they’re still on the dance floor, having the time of their lives. Sly’s does a lot of things well, but the key to its success is great live music seven nights a week, including a rotating lineup of the Bay Area’s top blues bands.  One of the best things about one of the best nightclubs on the Central Coast is that it is Monterey County’s best club for blues.

•JAZZ CLUB

CIBO RISTORANTE ITALIANO | 301 Alvarado St., Monterey • 649-8151

When jazz was in its heyday, people in the know gathered in swanky dinner clubs where they could relax and enjoy life’s more sophisticated pleasures: a great meal, a glass of good wine or a well-made cocktail, and seriously fun live music. That time-tested mix can still be found six nights a week at Cibo. In addition to reggae, funk and dance music, Cibo regularly features some of the area’s best jazz players, for discerning guests who understand that sometimes there’s no improving on a classic combination.

•DANCE CLUB

CLUB OCTANE | 321 Alvarado St., Monterey • 646-9244

Every weekend night, a crowd of dressed-to-impress people line up on a red carpet in front of Club Octane. Once past security and up the stairs to the three rooms of the popular dance venue, they down fluorescent shots of liquor from what appear to be test tubes and are compelled to get down with themselves on the dance floor. Why do they keep coming? The answer is obvious: with three rooms playing three different types of dance music, Club Octane has enough variety to peel all sorts of wallflowers off the club’s margins and onto the dance floor.

•LOCAL MUSICIAN

MIKE MAROTTA

If you’d played squeeze box for almost 75 years, you’d have a lot of great stories, too, but they probably couldn’t compare with those of 85-year-old accordionist Mike Marotta, Sr. After starting his music career at age 12 with a band of roving Pebble Beach balladeers, Marotta joined the military and performed for wounded American soldiers back from the battles of World War II, traveling all over the Eastern seaboard and mingling with do-gooder celebrities like Cary Grant. Marotta recalls playing for Charlie Chaplin and Ginger Rogers as they lounged by the pool at Monterey’s Hotel Del Monte. And he still plays all sorts of music, from jazz to Swiss polkas, at weddings, corporate functions and local venues including Lugano’s and Monterey Live. “We tear the place apart,” he says.

•LOCAL BAND

JONAH AND THE WHALEWATCHERS

It’s not that easy for a local band to consistently pack the house and always compel a portion of the audience to dance. But the highly rhythmic, horn-heavy roots reggae band Jonah and the Whalewatchers manage to do this every time they play. Now, with a big win as the best local band, it’s time to tip your Rasta-colored beanie in salute to this always-great group.