Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events 28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 2-8, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com open conversations and break through stigma. [KR] 5-7pm Saturday, April 4. MCJ Academy at The Village Project, 1450 Sonoma Ave., Seaside. Free; RSVP in advance. (831) 392-1500, bit. ly/mindshiftseen. FUNNY AND TRUE DJ Sandhu knows he’s a disappointment to his parents. They wanted him to go to med school, but he would rather stand on stage making fun of others in front of others. Sandhu chose the latter, and we’re glad he did. The comedian headlines Comedy Night in the Barn at Rustique Wines, where four comics share the absurdities of daily life in a hilarious way. You’ll be laughing because just about everything they say is true. Sandhu has performed at such major events as the World Series of Comedy and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He’s joined by Bay Area comedians Colin Casados, Andrew Holmgren and Johnny Stein in this 21-and-over show. [EC] 7:30pm Saturday, April 4. Rustique Wines, 1010 River Road, Salinas. $34; ages 21+. (831) 320-7565, rustiquewines.com. LAUGH TRACK We are curious why no one has pointed out an obvious problem with Folktale Winery’s Best of San Francisco Comedy Competitions events. They have small bites and good wine for guests to enjoy. But there are comedians—hilarious ones. Take a sip at the wrong time and the person across the table from you will be splattered with Chardonnay. And with stand-up comedy stars like Auggie Smith—he’s been making people fall from their chairs for 30 years—along with Natalie Diaz and Narcus Howard, there are no safe moments to take a sip of wine. Prepare to leave with a laundry bill, unless you save your drinking for in between acts. [DF] 8pm Saturday, April 4. Folktale Winery, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $50-$60. (831) 293-7500, folktalewinery.com. A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING Three years in the making is a short time in band years. For local “eclectic” rock band The Transducers, it’s just enough because that’s how long it took them to produce their debut album, Emerald. In addition to the title track, the album features nine other songs that all have soul, blues, progressive rock and funk inspirations. At the release party, you’re bound to hear something that you can relate to—even a breakup song (we’ve all been there). Adrea Castiano makes some time from splitting hers in Nashville to open for the band, making the record’s message clear: The grass isn’t always greener. [SC] 8pm Saturday, April 4. Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. $30; $35/at the door. (831) 655-2010, wavestreetstudios. com. Tuesday, April 7 WAR ON TERROR How and why does a group, a country or an individual land on a so-called terror list? Is such a list a tool necessary for national security or just a power weapon? Professor Jason Blazakis, the director of Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at Middlebury Institute, has some answers. He will discuss and sign his new book, Branding the Enemy: Terror Lists, Venezuela & the Fight Over ‘Antifa.’ His talk explores how designations are made, how evidence is—and isn’t—tested and what happens when governments push the boundaries of “terrorism” to target opponents or messy political movements. [AP] 5:30-7:15pm Tuesday, April 7. Middlebury Institute of International Studies, 499 Pierce St., Monterey. Free; registration required. (831) 647-4123, tinyurl.com/ WarOnTerrorMISS. Hot Picks by Sloan Campi, Erik Chalhoub, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Popęda, Katie Rodriguez, Sara Rubin and Aric Sleeper. HOT PICKS Americana Music Honors & Awards for two consecutive years, and have performed in stadiums alongside superstars such as the Rolling Stones, Zach Bryan, John Legend and Van Morrison. Their music is an ode to joy, love and hope, woven into a bluesy fusion of Americana, Southern soul, gospel, country and rock ‘n’ roll. [KR] 7:30pm Friday, April 3. Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $45-$65. (831) 6202048, sunsetcenter.org. Saturday, April 4 ODE TO POETRY Gather around and hear the tale/when people entered First Theater under the bones of a whale/to listen to verses by local scribes/waxing poetic and to which poetry they subscribe…Enough of our clumsy attempt, we’ll leave poetry to the talented local poets who submitted their verses in advance for Poetry in the Park, an event celebrating National Poetry Month inside California’s First Theater, located within Monterey State Historic Park. Come listen to creators read their poems out loud inside the historic theater, honoring all the poets who have become before us calling Monterey Bay their home. A booklet featuring selected poems will be available at the event. [PM] 1-3pm Saturday, April 4. California First Theater, corner of Pacific and Scott streets, Monterey. Free. (831) 649-2907, thomas. campbell@parks.ca.gov. SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS Local jazz musician and plastic surgeon Dr. David T. Morwood will bring his quartet—consisting of Paul Tarantino on saxophone, Ayanna Bradley on keyboards and Etienne France on acoustic bass—to Colton Hall for 90 minutes of jazz jams from the Great American Songbook. Local hepcats may recognize Morwood, who is the house drummer at the Hyatt Regency Monterey and host of the latenight jam sessions after the Monterey Jazz Festival. Morwood has performed at jazz festivals across the country, at a televised Monday Night Football game and at the White House—and of course, right here at home. [AS] 4-5:30pm Saturday, April 4. Colton Hall, 570 Pacific St., Monterey, Free; RSVP required. (831) 646-3933, montereypl.libcal.com. SOMETHING TO SEE HERE When it comes to the struggles and stigmas that affect today’s youth, there’s no one better to tell those stories than young people themselves. SEEN is a youth-created play that follows a group of friends navigating breakups, group chats, unread messages and the unspoken responsibility of carrying each other’s mental health alone. Through spoken word, movement, music and raw dialogue, the production explores the weight of high-functioning pain, digital pressure and the fear of being “too much.” It brings to light the often “quiet” aspects of teen mental health, aiming to spark Local jazz musician and plastic surgeon Dr. David T. Morwood brings his jazz quartet to Colton Hall in Monterey on Saturday, April 4, for an hour-and-a-half-long jam session. COURTESY OF DAVID MORWOOD DJ Sandhu brings one of the best beards in comedy to Rustique Wines for a night of laughs. He’ll be joined by three other comics on Saturday, April 4. COURTESY OF DJ SANDHU
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