thursday 4|10

Gearheads Unite

THE SEA OTTER CLASSIC The bicycle is a very cool little machine when you think about it. And like everything else, we humans have evolved this device and the people who ride them to perform better and better. (See story page 24). Check out everything from stunt shows to world class road and mountain bike races to freeride clinics at this local cum national event, billed as the "largest bicycle extravaganza in North America." Enough said. [AS]

Various times, today through 4/13. Free today; on the weekend, children under 12 are free and adults pay $10 a day or $15 for a weekend pass. Laguna Seca Raceway, Highway 68, Monterey. For more information consult www.seaotterclassic.com or call (530) 661-9500.

Smooth Music

TYRESE R&B singer Tyrese is undeniably a musician who connects with his audience. When his first album, 200 Watts, came out, he got an overwhelming response from listeners who said the music was so sexy, it was the soundtrack they chose when they were gettin' it on. His second album, I Wanna Go There, is a response to all those faithful listeners--basically the whole album is about gettin' it on. Tyrese himself is an object of lust for many, with his long, muscular body covered in tattoos and the alluring, half-closed look in his eyes. His voice is great, and so are his abs. And his pecs. [KF]

Late (after the comedy show). Planet Gemini, 625 Cannery Row. 373-1449.

friday 4|11

Ensemble Of The Year

KALICHSTEIN-LAREDO-ROBINSON TRIO When a classical trio is named Musical America's 2002 Ensemble of the Year, it seems worthwhile to take notice when Chamber Music Monterey Bay brings them to town. Since making their debut at the White House for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977, pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robsinson have garnered more than their share of musical awards. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "Their concert was one of those standard-setting events by which other groups will be measured." Tonight the trio performs Beethoven's Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 44; Shostakovich's Piano Trio #2, Op.67, in E Minor; and Dvorak's Trio in E Minor, Op.90, "Dumky." [SF]

8pm. $30 and $40, students $15. Golden Bough Theater, Monte Verde between Eighth and Ninth, Carmel. 625-2212.

When Love Dies

BETRAYAL Playwright Harold Pinter's look at the ins and outs of extramarital affairs is one of his sharpest theatrical indictments of modern society and the human animals that inhabit it. Jerry Gill, who has been directing a number of smaller, interesting productions the past few years, tackles this play with a tight, experienced cast; the results of their efforts opens tonight (see theater listings pg. 39). [SF]

8pm tonight and Saturday, 2pm Sunday. $5 advance, $15 at the door. SRO Studio Theater at Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. 646-4123 or centerstageticketing.com.

They Don't Make Towns Like They Used To

PACIFIC GROVE'S GOOD OLD DAYS America's last hometown has the Peninsula's last word on cute, quaint, and continuity, and PG won't let anyone forget it. For 46 years, the Good Old Days weekend celebration has been an invitation to literally dance in the streets (the Weekly's own Jessica Lyons will be belly-dancing with the Troupe Diva on Saturday). The event starts off tonight on a more introspective note: at 7pm, New York City firemen who helped saved hundreds during the 9-11 attacks will speak at the PG fire department. Saturday and Sunday, more than 230 artists will hold the county's largest arts and crafts show all along Lighthouse Avenue, with 35 food vendors, and three stages featuring live performances ranging from Red Beans and Rice to the Baybelles Women's Barbershop Chorus. At Caledonia Park, pony rides and a petting zoo entertain the wee ones, plus all wanna-be Tiger Woods are invited to a mini golf course. Sweat, blood and ferocious competition from elite desk-warriors is promised at the Media Challenge basketball tournament at Caledonia Park, starting Saturday at 10:30am (just after the pancake breakfast at Jewell Park.) [BW]

Events start at 7pm on Friday and continue throughout downtown Pacific Grove until Sunday evening. Free. 373-3304.

Love And Marriage

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM CSUMB's Institute for Teledramatic Arts and Technology in collaboration with Pacific Repertory Theatre present Shakespeare's famous comedy about love, dreams and the stuff of both. Enter these enchanted woods where mortals are merely amusing playthings of the Fairy Queen and their chief henchman, the mischievous Puck. Two sets of human couples search for love, and with the help of a little magic, the Fairy Queen falls in love with a donkey-headed weaver named Bottom. Pacific Repertory Theater artistic director Stephen Moorer directs students and community members in a laudatory cooperative effort linking Carmel's Equity theater with the university. [JL]

8pm tonight and Saturday; 2pm Sunday. CSUMB World Theater, Seaside. $10 general admission; $5 students. 582-4580.

saturday 4|12

Fun Grapes

STEINBECK WINE COUNTRY WINERIES SPRING FEST Lavender lupin and bright orange California poppies dot the landscape, fresh from April rains. Cows trot down green hills on one side of the road, while crops of lettuce poke up from the fertile earth on the other. And, like the curtain drawing back at the beginning of a play, eight wineries of the Salinas Valley are simultaneously opening their doors all day, setting up tables of nibbles, bringing out the band, and offering complimentary wine tastings. It's a beautiful day in the vintner's neighborhood. [BW]

11am-4pm. Call for locations. Free. Call for info and map 678-2132.

Make A Statement

CASA JAM Every year, more than 5,000 children are abused and neglected in Monterey County. Tonight, Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Monterey County will host its major fundraiser of the year, "A CASA JAM: Preserving a Powerful Voice for Children." There will be dinner, dancing, live music by the Cachagua Playboys and the Doo Dads, and a silent and live auction. Money raised will promote the fight against child abuse during April--National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. [JL]

6pm-midnight. CSUMB Ballroom, Seaside. $75. 455-6800.

sunday 4|13

Electric Music

MATT THE ELECTRICIAN Matt Sever is a local guy, a PG High graduate who now lives in Austin, Texas--by day an electrician, by night a rock/folk/country star, at least to those who know of him. Matt the Electrician comes back to town tonight with his own sweet brand of music following the release of his third well-received album. As with many musicians, Matt cultivates a sort of slacker image, the laid-back musician whose talent comes with little effort and much brilliance. As his website states, his style is "held cohesive by his deft guitar skills and liquid vocals of a young Paul Simon wrapped around a Tom Waits heart." And, in a pinch, he can rewire your house. [KF]

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 214 Lighthouse, Monterey. Free. 643-9169.

Hip-Hop as Therapy

TRANSMISSIONS The healing power of music is explored when the Second Chance youth program in Salinas teams with CSUMB's Institute of Visual Arts to put together Transmissions Main Street, a hip-hop based music event to take place in Salinas. (See story pg. 30.) [KF]

3pm. In front of Steinbeck Center, One Main St., Salinas. 582-3130.

Spring Suites

MONTEREY SYMPHONY Spring showers bring May flowers. If you've been outside lately you'd know it's true. The hills are bursting with wildflowers and buzzing with life. While new forms of music capture some things well, there's nothing quite like symphonic interpretations of nature's beauty. Mark the coming of spring with performances through Tuesday of Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Franz Joseph Haydn's "Spring". [AS]

3pm tonight and 8pm on April 14 at Pacific Grove Middle School on Forest Avenue. Tickets are $46, $36, $26 and $15. Also at 8pm, April 15 at Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main in Salinas. Tickets are $35, $31, $25, $20 and $15. 624-8511.

monday 4|14

Boy Wonder

PETER CINCOTTI CONCERT Of course, not every seven-year-old is asked to perform with Harry Connick, and not every nineteen-year-old is compared to Frank Sinatra, and sure, he's the youngest player to ever be booked for a month-long engagement at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, and his CDs are selling like hotcakes...okay, enough, already, there is no "but". Peter Cincotti rocks, or more accurately, jazzes, to such an extent that his piano playing and vocals have earned him a spot at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival. He croons tonight at the Jazz and Blues Company--with very limited seating. [BW]

7:30pm. Jazz and Blues Co., 236 Crossroads Blvd., Carmel. $40. Seating limited to 70. Call 624-6432.

tuesday 4|15

Life's Not Fair

VIOLINIST Caroline Campbell made her solo debut as a violinist with the Reno Philharmonic at the age of eight. She went on to solo with the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Indianapolis Symphony, and she's won several awards including the Paganini Prize in Switzerland. Now, at the ripe old age of 23, she's got another one to add to her list--Campbell is the 2002 Carmel Music Society's Instrumental Competition Winner. She's also a '98 Presidential Scholar, a student at Stanford University and she has toured with the Brandenburg Ensemble. And if that's not enough, she also performs many benefit concerts for children. Yup, she's sickeningly perfect. [JL]

8pm. Golden Bough Theater, Monte Verde between Eighth and Ninth, Carmel. $10. 625-9938.