| 2 |

GREEK FESTIVAL at Custom House Plaza (424-4434) Don’t have to feel weird about the whole olive and feta fetish.

THE BARD OF AVON—Did the Earl of Oxford, Sir Francis Bacon and Queen Elizabeth really write all of Shakespeare’s works?

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at the Fox Theatre—Note to self: Do the Time Warp again.

AUTUMN COLORS by Barry John Raybould at Oceanview Fine Art Gallery. The perfect show for fall. Raybould’s colors are amazing.

| 3 |

REGGAEFEST at Monterey Fairgrounds (394-8047)—After a decade of increasingly righteous shows, this baby’s ready to blow. Two words: Alpha Blondy. (Through the 4th.)

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL at The Western Stage—Campy musical about misunderstood, sharp-fanged freak. Sondeim meets the grocery line tabloids.

ERIN LEE GAFILL at Full Spectrum Gallery—Gafill talks about the creative legacy of Jane Gallatin Powers, her great-great-grandmother and co-founder of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

| 6 |

THE BEST AMERICAN CRIME WRITING from Harper Perennial—Cool new anthology edited by Carmel resident and noir master James Ellroy.

| 8 |

THE DAY THEY SHOT JOHN LENNON at MPC Theatre—Still pissed they shot Lennon. People in this play are too.

EAST COAST BOOGIEMEN/Club Octane—Remember to drink a lot of water before dancing to this DJ duo.

TARBOX RAMBLERS/Monterey Live—If too tired to dance at Mint, check out the Tarbox Ramblers. This band sounds like Morphine playing rough-edged blues rock.

Take “Solace” in the soothing, haunting images of JACK CASSINETTO and ROSANNA SALONIA at Lisa Coscino Gallery.

| 10 |

BIENNIAL EXHIBITION AND GEOGRAPHY OF MEMORY at Monterey Museum of Art.

THE SOUNDS AND VISIONS OF THE DREAMTIME at Henry Miller Library—Aboriginal paintings, live music and storytelling in the redwoods. ‘Nuff said.

INTIMATE APPAREL IN HEAVY METAL by Linda Raynsford at Savage Stephens Contemporary Art Works—Winner of the best exhibit title of the season. Hands down.

| 11 |

FESTA ITALIA at Custom House Plaza (649-6544)—Take Italian-by-osmosis existence to the next level. Pre-festival fast starts now.

MARK DELAVAN, one of America’s sought after and versatile baritones, sings at Sunset Center.

| 15 |

Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel from Knopf—In her eagerly awaited new book, Carmel Valley resident JANE SMILEY assesses the 100 books she read after 9/11.

| 16 |

MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL at the Fairgrounds (925-275-9255)—Perhaps the greatest example of Monterey’s ability to compete with the 10-million-strong metropoli in terms of entertainment. (Through the 18th.)

CHERRIES JUBILEE at Laguna Seca and downtown Monterey (759-1836)—Remember to register the ’57 Chevy for Alvarado cruise. Definitely will help pull girls for dance-party-performance-food smorgasboard at Seca. (Through the 18th.)

TERRY HANCK at Sly McFly’s—This tenor saxophonist toured with Elvin Bishop in the ‘70s and ‘80s, likes to play blues, soul and East Bay funk.

FOLK FESTIVAL/Fernwood—Another couple of days of strange acoustic music in Big Sur. Tonight: Scottish singer/songwriter Alasdair Roberts. Tomorrow night: fingerpicker Jack Rose.

| 18 |

New exhibit of work by ROMAN LORANC at Photography West. Unforgettable black-and-white nature photography.

| 21 |

JOHN MAYALL, ERIC BIBB & ROBBEN FORD at the Sunset Center—Three blues heavyweights on one evening? Heck yeah!

| 23 |

THE WAITING ROOM at The Western Stage—Take mom to this darkly comic and poignant play about women’s rights and the medical establishment.

| 24 |

The Monterey Symphony Season opens with a Gala Concert Celebration at the Sunset Theater, featuring conductor Arthur Post and pianist Andrew Armstong. GERSHWIN’S RHAPSODY IN BLUE!

The 17th MONTEREY COUNTY ARTISTS’ STUDIO TOUR is the art event of the season. Better every year.

| 25 |

KDON’S FREESTYLE EXPLOSION at Salinas Sports Complex—Cypress Hill’s B-Real. The Mary Jane Girls. Mack 10. Angelina. Spanish Fly. Natalie. Damn.

Concert guitarist TERRANCE FARRELL plays at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula. Darn.

| 29 |

TASTE OF CARMEL (624-2522) All the cultural and epicurean richness of Carmel in one circuit. And it benefits the community.

|30 |

CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW at Salinas Airport (888-845-SHOW). The speed of sound doesn’t stand a chance—these flyboys are world class.

OTHELLO at Outdoor Forest Theater—Oooh this is a nasty one. Intense, brutal, tragic, unforgettable. And outdoors too. Shakespeare at its best.

THE PINK BROTHERS at Cherry Hall—The world premiere of MPC Professor Allston James’ first full-length feature play. Don’t miss this!