Thursday, Sept. 10 HONKY TONK The Las Vegas-based honky tonk country band Paige and the Overtones are committed to keeping the spirit of outlaw country alive and well into the 21st century with their live, high-energy performances. The lead singer, Paige—known as the “Angry Songbird”— is joined by Jake Shepard on lead guitar alongside a groovy rhythm section. The crew have collectively opened for Willie Nelson, Dick Dale, Junior Brown and Wanda Jackson, among other iconic country artists and will bring their soulful sounds to the stage of Pop & Hiss. [AS] 7pm Thursday, Sept. 10. Pop & Hiss, 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. $5. (831) 275-3303, popandhiss.net. Friday, Sept. 11 STEINBECK’S EYES The most important Steinbeck scholar in the nation, Pacific Grove-based Susan Shillinglaw, is back with another book. Steinbeck’s Landscapes: Where Story Meets Place is a thick, well-illustrated volume—an offer to see California through John Steinbeck’s eyes, its ”tawny” hills, “comfortable” oaks, “cathedral” forests and the churning Pacific coast of Monterey County. Salinas is the heart of Steinbeck country and there, in the author’s hometown, Shillinglaw will meet with fans and talk about the newly-released book. Shillinglaw spent four decades teaching a Steinbeck course at San José State, directed the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, and later ran the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Her books include Carol and John Steinbeck: Portrait of a Marriage and A Journey into Steinbeck’s California. [AP] 6-8pm Friday, Sept. 11. Downtown Book and Sound, 213 Main St., Salinas. Free. (831) 477-6700, downtownbookandsound. com. Friday, Sept. 11-Sunday, Sept. 13 ITALIAN HOLIDAY Quick quiz: Which would be more fun, a religious ceremony to bless fishing boats or a festival celebrating Italian heritage with food, music, dancing and games? Yeah, that’s an easy one. But Festa Italia had 26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com REX RAY An exciting show arrived at the Monterey Museum of Art. Rex Ray: We Are All Made of Light is a retrospective exhibit of works by Rex Ray, or Michael Patterson (1956–2015). Born on a U.S. Army base in Germany and raised in Colorado, he became involved in the mail art movement, when he first used his artistic nickname. In the 1980s, Rex Ray moved to San Francisco where he succeeded as a drawing artist, painter and graphic designer. With time, he developed a rather characteristic palette with favorite motifs and patterns, a hallucinating personal folklore that proved highly appealing to the audience. Among his designs is the first T-shirt and posters for the San Francisco chapter of the AIDS activist group ACT UP. The above collage with mixed media over canvas is titled “Placidium,” c. 2003. Until Jan. 17. [AP] 10-16 SEPTEMBER HOT PICKS To see more local events, and add your own, visit montereycountynow.com/events VISUALS ANN ARTZ Originally from Sacramento, Ann Artz is an abstract painter who captures nature in a way many naturalists can only dream of. All you need to do is to look carefully, and wait for the miracle to unwrap itself. In her works from 2016, Artz found a new path with charcoal and graphite—on panel, paper, even wood; adding darker lines and emphasizing on black and gray, away from her earlier colorful acrylics. With a background and a long career as a graphic designer, Artz joined the Carmel Art Association in 2021. She is sharing this exhibit with fellow CAA member artist Jessica Bovert. Their shared exhibit is titled Raw. Opening reception: 4-7pm Saturday, Sept. 12. Dolores between 5th and 6th, Carmel. Open 10am-5pm daily. On view until Oct. 5. [AP] Seaside glass artist Jill Casty is one of dozens of artists who are opening their studios for the next two weekends (Sept. 12, 13, 19 and 20). Art buyers and art admirers are welcome at the Open Studios Art Tour (see p. 28). DANIEL DREIFUSS Albert Lee is 82 and still getting it done as a musician’s musician. He played with Eric Clapton, who called Lee “the greatest guitar player in the world.” (p. 29.) RICK MAROUDIAS REX RAY ANN ARTZ
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