Keep On Truckin’ Spring 2021
Thanks to our friends, neighbors, supporters, and 45 astonishing artists, our Truckin’ shows were fun and uplifting — and just what we all needed after a long and difficult year!
This past year, we presented 96 ‘mini-shows’ for over 3,800 audience members, with musicians, singers, circus performers and a magician. Artists were from Santa Cruz, as well as the Bay Area and as far away as New Orleans. A wide variety of styles and genres of music included Brazilian, Blue Grass, R & B, Latin, Soul, Gospel, World Music, Circle Songs, Classical, Rock, Celtic, Traditional American, Body Music, Step Dancing, and Grateful Dead covers—from a capella to guitar, bass, clarinet, lap steel guitar, keyboard, kahon, harp, dulcimer, conga, and banjo. Everyone danced and sang along — with old friends and new acquaintances!! Our circus performers and magician wowed us and made us laugh out loud.
This was the first live concert for many of the artists since before the shut down. Thanks to these performers for their gift to our community:
Coventry and Kaluza (Natasha Kaluza & Jamie Coventry); Claudia Villela and Ricardo Peixoto; Patti Maxine; Ariel Thiermann and Jemila Pendleton; Keith Terry and Evie Ladin; Sunshine Garcia Becker and Matt Hartle; Bryan Dyer; Dave Worm and Voices in a New World; Iman Lizarazu; Calvin Kai Ku; Omar Ledezma, Jr., Camilo Landau and Ayla Davila; Tammi Brown, Ryan Price & Dylan Rose; Jeff Gallagher and Ben Dorfan; Shelley Phillips and Neal Hellman
And our deepest thanks and gratitude to our Donors and our Sponsors for Keep on Truckin’
Roberta Bristol (Legacy Gift)
Rowland and Patricia Rebele
The Hyatt Family
Jennifer Spinach
California Arts Council
Arts Council Santa Cruz County
National Endowment for the Arts
If you would like to support our work, including Keep On Truckin’ shows in the fall, please visit our Donate or Sponsor pages. We thank you in advance for your generosity!
Photos and bios of Our Spring 2021 Keep On Truckin’ Artists
Coventry & Kaluza—April 3
Coventry and Kaluza, the award winning clowning duo from the Bay Area. Credits include: Sweet Can Productions, Circus Bella, New Pickle Circus, Teatro Zinzanni Events, Flynn Creek Circus, NY Clown Festival and more.
You may have seen them in Tandy Beal & Company’s JOY and Mixed Nutz shows, and in our ArtSmart Family Series downtown—or as teachers in our ArtSmart zoom series in public schools.
Claudia Villela and Ricardo Peixoto — April 10
The NY Times wrote of Claudia:“ Remarkable, beautiful, towering voice…” Bela Fleck said: “She is pure music.”
Ricardo has performed with Flora Purim & Airto, Bud Shank, Toots Theilemans, Dori Caymmi and more.
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Claudia and Ricardo are both from Rio de Janeiro, and we will be playing Brazilian Music, plus songs from their album Inverse Universe and new compositions.
Patti Maxine—April 17
Lap steel virtuoso and vocal stylist, Patti Maxine is well-known in the Santa Cruz area as well as Hawaiian circles. She handles a variety of styles with ease, sliding gracefully from Hawaiian to swing, from Country to R & B and back again. Her incredible musicianship, unique vocal interpretation along with her easy and fun stage presence, make her an audience favorite. Patti has played in Santa Cruz as a solo artist and in collaborations since her arrival in the seventies.
Patti began her lifelong love affair with lap steel guitar as a young girl in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She played professionally at an early age and is returning to her early music influences for this event.
Patti began her lifelong love affair with lap steel guitar as a young girl in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She played professionally at an early age and is returning to her early music influences for this event.
Ariel Thiermann & Jemila Pendleton—April 18
Two Thirds of the beloved a capella trio Mayim
Mayim is praised for making vocal music of heartbreaking clarity, music so pure and sublime, close your eyes and you'll see colors. (Santa Cruz Sentinel). Mayim received the Gail Rich Award in 2007 for their contribution to the arts in Santa Cruz.
Join them in song as they brighten your spirits with World Music sung in sweet harmony.
Keith Terry & Evie Ladin —Sat. April 24 —Body Music, Box, & Banjo
Keith Terry & Evie Ladin - Crosspulse
Keith Terry and Evie Ladin, innovative musicians/dancers with a quirky, neo-trad soul, bring together diverse influences – Jazz and World Music, Appalachian Banjo and Step Dancing traditions, Found Sound – with delightful humor, skill, and the kinetic thrill of percussive dance.
Trained as a jazz drummer, Keith Terry is a renowned percussionist/rhythm dancer, the founder of the International Body Music Festival, and a collaborator with a host of inventive performers from Bobby McFerrin, Tex Williams and Robin Williams, to Turtle Island Quartet, Charles “Honi” Coles and Bill Irwin.
A prolific singer-songwriter, percussive dancer and square dance caller, the polyrhythmic heat of Evie Ladin’s clawhammer banjo has been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Born and raised on Southern music, from inner city Baltimore to Oakland, she has taken home ribbons at stringband contests and won awards for albums.
Sunshine Becker & Matt Hartle — 2 Days of Shows
Sat. May 1 — San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek
Sun. May 2 - Santa Cruz City Parks
“Fun and Grateful-Driven Rock & Soul for All Ages”
Sunshine (García) Becker is a vocal & flute performance educator, songwriter and improviser, known for her many global tours and performances with Furthur, Melvin Seals & JGB Band & vocal group SoVoSó.
Matthew Hartle is a music educator, the guitarist and singer for Painted Mandolin, China Cats, producer and engineer of his own music studio, and the host of Grateful Sunday’s at Michael’s on Main.
Bryan Dyer — Sat. May 15 - Santa Cruz City Parks
A veteran of acapella music for over 30 years, Bryan Dyer is a performer and educator who has worked in all aspects of the business from stage to film, and radio to recording.
Bryan has traveled throughout the world with various projects and groups like Street Sounds, SoVoSo, Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir and The International Body Music Festival.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Dave Worm & Voices in a new world
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Voices in a New World are a group of folks that formed a community to sing together when lockdown began in March of 2020. Zoom meetings, streaming sessions, and distanced singing in backyards, and city streets kept them sustained in community and brought them closer as a unified breath of change. They are determined to bring about Life Giving with their Breath, their Poetry, their Artwork, their Dance, and their possitivity-filled hearts. They are honored to be working with Tandy Beal on this Project.
David Worm, Founding member of the bay areas own SovoSo Original member of Bobby Mcferrin's Voicestra, Hard Choral, Circlesongs and Gimme Five Brings his New project "Voices in a New World" to Santa Cruz California, for Tandy Beal's Keep on Truckin. 20 Voices, from all walks of life ages 15 to 78 bring their improvisational spirt and engaging energy, Inviting you to sing and interact with them.
Iman Lizarazu — Sun. May 23
Eccentric Clown/Juggler
Iman was born in a small village in the Basque region of France, and studied at the School of Mime with Marcel Marceau, and with Masters Julie Goell and Avner the Eccentric. This background helped Iman combine her training with her rich cultural background, resulting is a compelling, intoxicating show.
Iman also performs in Tandy Beal and Company’s Mixed Nutz!: the Nutcracker REMixed to glowing reviews.
Iman was born in a small village in the Basque region of France, and studied at the School of Mime with Marcel Marceau, and with Masters Julie Goell and Avner the Eccentric. This background helped Iman combine her training with her rich cultural background, resulting is a compelling, intoxicating show.
Iman also performs in Tandy Beal and Company’s Mixed Nutz!: the Nutcracker REMixed to glowing reviews.
Calvin Kai Ku — Sat. May 29
Magician/Illusionist
With a mission to build meaningful connections through humor and empathy, Calvin Kai Ku uses his growing, versatile experience working as a professional variety performer to build bridges with his audience, to transform stressful environments, and to create joyful, safe spaces.
Calvin has performed in the prestigious WuQiao Circus Festival in China, Fortune 500 company events in the U.S. and Internationally, and for circus companies including Teatro Zinzanni and Circus Bella. Calvin has performed in TBC’s HereAfterHere: a self-guided tour of eternity as well as Mangia del Arte.
Calvin is in his 4th year as Director of the Bay Area Medical Clown Project. A founding clown at Medical Clown Project’s birth in 2010, he has continued therapeutic clowning across a variety of healthcare environments: Pediatric Units, Intensive Care Units, Emergency Departments, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Acute Care, Specialty Nursing, and Disaster Relief Zones.
Calvin has performed in the prestigious WuQiao Circus Festival in China, Fortune 500 company events in the U.S. and Internationally, and for circus companies including Teatro Zinzanni and Circus Bella. Calvin has performed in TBC’s HereAfterHere: a self-guided tour of eternity as well as Mangia del Arte.
Calvin is in his 4th year as Director of the Bay Area Medical Clown Project. A founding clown at Medical Clown Project’s birth in 2010, he has continued therapeutic clowning across a variety of healthcare environments: Pediatric Units, Intensive Care Units, Emergency Departments, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Acute Care, Specialty Nursing, and Disaster Relief Zones.
Trio Sin Lio — Sun. June 6 — Santa Cruz City Parks
Trio Sin Lio is a small band with a big sound. Made up of veteran musicians from the Bay Area, Trio Sin Lio packs the dance floor with raucous and rocking son, salsa, boogaloo, merengue, and Post-Latin psychedelic jams.
Camilo Landau (Guitar, vocal), David Belove (Bass, vocal) and Omar Ledezma Jr. (Percussion, vocal) come together with the energy of a hot salsa orchestra commanding dance floors but fitting in living rooms.
Tammi Brown — Sat. June 12 — Santa Cruz City Parks
Drenched in the uplifting and sultry sounds of Gospel and Jazz music, Tammi’s voice is filled with rich tones, elegant phrasing, and vocal versatility, giving it a unique flavor. Brown has performed with some of the most notable Music Industry Icons including renowned Music Producer, Quincy Jones, Stanley Jordan, Dr. Maya Angelou, Joan Baez, Spyro Gyra, and Eric Bibb to name a few. She is currently a vocalist in the two-time Grammy Award nominated Vocal Ensemble, and The Cultural Heritage Choir led by the Legendary, Musicologist, Linda Tillery. Tammi’s music journey has placed her on several stages in more than ten countries worldwide including the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, The Monterey Jazz and Blues Festivals, and various prestigious venues throughout Europe and abroad.
D&G Musical Transport Co.—Jeff Gallagher & Ben Dorfan—Sun. June 13 — Santa Cruz City Parks
D&G Musical Transport Co. consists of Ben Dorfan, piano, and Jeff Gallagher, clarinet. In addition to being friends, they have been in musical cahoots with each other for the past 7 years. The duo regularly performs music from the 18th to the 21st centuries throughout the Monterey Bay and we look forward to collaborating with Tandy and her terrific, talented troupe each and every chance we get!
Ben Dorfan is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Santa Cruz.
Jeff Gallagher has been performing locally on woodwinds since 1992 with an array of fine organizations including the Santa Cruz County Symphony, the Ensemble Monterey, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Cabrillo Festival, and the Santa Cruz Chamber Players, to name a few.
Ben Dorfan is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Santa Cruz.
Jeff Gallagher has been performing locally on woodwinds since 1992 with an array of fine organizations including the Santa Cruz County Symphony, the Ensemble Monterey, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Cabrillo Festival, and the Santa Cruz Chamber Players, to name a few.
Neal Hellman & Shelley Phillips — Sun. June 20 - Santa Cruz City Parks
Neal & Shelley will be performing on harp and dulcimer, mostly instrumental pieces which will include Celtic, Traditional American music early music, and some contemporary tunes.
Shelley Phillips is much in demand as a studio and pick-up musician for the professional folk and baroque crowd, playing with many local and international groups, teaching with Community Music School, and recording with Gourd Music. She was the Santa Cruz County Arts Commision’s 2017 Artist of the Year.
Neal Hellman has been active in the folk world for the past four decades. He has authered many books of arrangements on the Mountain dulcimer and is the president for life of Gourd Music where he has been working and recording with Shelley Phillips since 1987.