Thursday, March 26 FLIPPING OUT Acrobatics require precision. So does engineering. What do you get when you combine the two? Cirque Mechanics. The group finds its inspiration from the American industrial scene. Expect to find all sorts of contraptions these acrobats will perform on, such as hoops lifted by a large rotating wheel (such as a Ferris wheel—this show does take place at a fictional amusement park, after all). There will also be plenty of clowning around. From the sets to the acrobatics, it’ll be one awe-inspiring night. [EC] 7:30pm Thursday, March 26. Sunset Cultural Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $45-$65. (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org. Friday, March 27 DUB DOWN The Central Coast’s very own Dub Souljah will bring his custom blend of roots rock and hip-hop to the Salty Seal on Cannery Row for a show that will keep concertgoers grooving until midnight. Although he started out solo, playing and hosting open mics, Dub Souljah, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, has grown into a five-piece squad with Sean McGill on lead guitar, Chris Carothers on drums, Sweesly Maak on keys and Christian Anderson on bass guitar. Dub Souljah has released multiple albums and plans to release new music and videos throughout 2026, alongside touring. [AS] 5pm-midnight Friday, March 27. Salty Seal, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. Free. (831) 920-2327, the-salty-seal.com. SMART MOVE One thing is for certain, with an album called Songs for Smart Adults, Stevie Heger’s album release party will be safe and sane, if a bit loud and raucous. Heger is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with seven solo albums, but he has also recorded with Metallica, Santana, Jefferson Starship and others, including Al Jardine of the Beach Boys. The band he brings along for the ride is equally talented, with performers who have played with the likes of They Might Be Giants, 26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com HISAKO HIBI It’s not too late to visit the Monterey Museum of Art and see a nationally touring exhibit devoted to three trailblazing Japanese American artists and California residents, Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo. Hisako Hibi (1907-1991) was a San Francisco-raised painter and printmaker who experienced, along with over 100,000 Japanese Americans, imprisonment during WWII. After her release, Hibi left for New York, but eventually returned to California and continued to play with art styles—realism, abstractionism, expressionism. On display until April 19. MMA is located at 559 Pacific St., Monterey and is open 11am-5pm Thursday to Sunday. [AP] HOT PICKS MARCH 26– APRIL01 To see more local events, and add your own, visit montereycountynow.com/events HISAKO HIBI SARA RUBIN VISUALS SVH COLLECTION There is a ton of wall space in hospitals, but they are not always treated as exhibit spaces. That is finally changing for Salinas Valley Health, where a new collection—24 works by 23 student artists at Hartnell College, CSU Monterey Bay and Rancho Cielo—now hangs. SVH CEO Dr. Allen Radner decided it was time to do something colorful and uplifting, so the health care district and SVH Foundation donated $5,000 each to the three nonprofits to commission student works. At an opening on March 19, CSUMB junior Zugey Velasco said, “I hope my art can bring a sense of calmness.” (Her inviting charcoal-and-graphite portrait, “Growing Beside You,” shows her brother smiling.) Artworks hang throughout the hospital, mostly near the emergency room. They include “An Ode to Spawning Salmon” (above left) by CSUMB science illustration student Gabriela Aguilar. [SR] A visit to the amusement park typically involves high speeds, frenzied flips and plenty of clowning around. Cirque Mechanics takes this to new heights at the Sunset Cultural Center on Thursday, March 26. KIRK MARSH Matthew Morrison, known for his role as Will Schuester on Glee, brings his vocal talent to the Sunset Cultural Center in Carmel Friday, March 27. (See p. 28) THE PORTRAIT LAB
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