T Sisters (photo: Joshua Huver)

With so much amazing music taking place this month, we’ve been trying like hell just to keep everything in order. On Thursday, June 8, PNW roots rockers Kuinka returned to Santa Cruz with the T Sisters in tow.

The Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz has long been a storied institution, being favorited for warming up classic artists like Neil Young ahead of his tours as well as the Pixies’ latest return to the world touring arena. One of the things that makes the club so adaptable and long-standing, though, is the front room. Featuring large doors and windows for opening the room wide (although I have never seen it so open), the room is appropriately known as The Atrium and can host upwards of 300 people, making for an intimate experience where you are never too far from the stage.

For most of 2017 Kuinka, the four piece band (plus one smooth horn player) had the date settled. After opening for Nahko and Medicine For The People at the Catalyst’s main room last October, Kuinka (formerly known as Rabbit Wilde) knew they had found a comfortable home in Santa Cruz, and enlisted the aide of Oakland’s favorite family group, T Sisters.

The six-piece band fronted by the triple-threat harmonies of Erika, Rachel, and Chloe features amped energy and a striking stage presence. Each sister sings, strums and slaps along with several instruments and are supported by Steve Height on upright bass, Andrew Allen Fahlander on mandolin and guitar and timekeeper Marlon Aldana holding the rhythm steady.