Last night Santa Cruz was partied by us, and it was fun, and it was more than partying too, because there was music. Victor Kenyon, the other Victor (sorry man, I don’t remember the last name), Cliff Greenwood (with Miles), and I played. OK, it was in a college house, and college kids were there, and it was fun. It was a bit chaotic in some ways, but everyone one was there in one form or another to enjoy the music, at least while the music was going.

I remember looking up the few times during my set that I wasn’t sort of sweating/and or closing my eyes and there was this room packed with people and they were all hell of into it. The arrival of my brother Pete’s friends definitely made the party climb to a new level, and the comraderie in general made it so much more than a normal show.

Then, as parties tend to do, especially when big, it went into decline. This whole crew of young ‘gangster’ kids showed up, and kind of randomly crashed the party. This is a regular state of party life in Santa Cruz. It was just kind of out of control, and it wasn’t like this new group of thirty or so high schoolers were adding anything particularly cool to the scene, so they were asked to leave. A couple, one in particular, refused to leave on the basis that he was “from here”, meaning Santa Cruz.

The locals vs. college students thing. I mean, first off, it is … dumb. I remember living there and finding out that certain beaches were “locals only”, (but it applied more to surfing in theory). Whatever. And as much as I want to write it off, I think on how in Mendocino, Portland, even here in Nevada City, there is this xenophobia that arises… though xenophobia doesn’t quite sum it ALL up… the sense of ‘being from’ somewhere is obviously very strong, and it is easy to say “dumb tourists, they are always driving funny and are in my way”, or, “wow I am really FROM Portland now since I am completely stoic and cold (something like that)”. I mean, the Ukiah connection. Strong. So, I can… understand where its coming from to some extent, but, if anything it reminds me that it is certainly not something to get in fighting mode over per se.

Anyways, the party was really cool, the music was fun to watch and to play, and I can only thank my brothers Nate and Sam (and housemates, including the yorkiepoo) not enough. They are awesome and rule. Effing slugs.