Cluster of reggae shows close out summer

Summer in California means a crop of music festivals, and local Santa Cruz clubs harvest the best of the fests. Right now, reggae music is in season with a bounty of shows at Moe's Alley and the Catalyst over the next couple of months."We have an unusual anomaly in Santa Cruz," says Moe's Alley owner Bill Welch. "Audiences don't want to see new reggae bands so much, they want to see reggae bands that have been around a long time" These are the classic bands that dominated Bob Marley/Jimmy Cliff era — the Mighty Diamonds [Sept. 6, Moe's] or Israel Vibrations [Sept. 28, Catalyst] — bands going old school, anchored in the roots-reggae style with backing horns and a rock-steady beat.