The little hill town that sits on the convergence point of three counties is making some noise – quite literally.
The Aromas Grange is the community centerpiece of Aromas which, despite its small size, is part of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. Now the Grange is looking to be a musical center for the area as well.
On Friday, the Grange will welcome the popular Santa Cruz folk duo Keith Greeninger and Dayan Kai as a part of a new initiative to be a regular spot for live music in the area. In recent years, the Grange Hall has been used for various community events and meetings. But, said Grange member Rich Saxe, presenting live music has become a priority.
“The hall is so beautifully built for performances, but it was never really utilized for that much, at least in the ’90s. When I joined the Grange, they had not had anyone on the stage in over a decade.”
The Hall, built in 1919, seats about 200 and has hosted sporadic concerts, including a twice yearly community talent show called “Aromas Live.”
Greeninger and Kai – who have performed and recorded together, including on the 2009 release “Make It Rain” – have in common a deep sense of rootedness in central California, Greeninger having grown up in Santa Cruz County and Kai in neighboring San Juan Bautista. Greeninger said that wherever the two play across the country, they bring with them a uniquely California aesthetic, drawn from a variety of influences from Western music to Mexican culture to 1960s-style folk/rock.
Saxe said the Grange will be hosting talented acoustic guitarist Nina Gerber and ex Mumbo Gumbo singer Chris Webster for its next show on March 10, followed by Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen later in March and the Rayburn Brothers in April.
“Give us a little time,” said Saxe of the new Grange music series, “and we’ll be a well-oiled machine.”
