The Shady Rest Band: Rooted in the Santa Cruz Mountains
By Julie Horner
Cheryl Rebottaro, lead singer for the Santa Cruz Mountains based band The Shady Rest, has a confession: she was one of the singing waitresses who danced on stage at the old Ciao Bella restaurant in Ben Lomond years ago. She was also the first waitress at Spanky’s Cafe, the breakfast spot that still slings home fries and eggs sunny side up just down the street in the middle of town. “I’ve lived in the valley for 18 years, most of it in Ben Lomond,” she said. She married at Highlands Park, her kids went to Boulder Creek Elementary and SLV High, and the family was active in Little Peoples’ Repertory Theater. She likes to joke that The Shady Rest formed because she and guitarist Joe Bac lived on the same street and he left his garage door open while noodling; the sound of live music wafting through the neighborhood was too compelling to ignore.
Cheryl and Joe quickly became a popular duo. By 2017, The Shady Rest was formed with Ariana Ebrahimian on violin and vocals, Pat Greene on drums, Helder Carvalheira on bass, and Max Ebrahimian on congas. The group comes from a place of deep friendship. “The spouses, the children, we feel like a family. It’s really kind of a beautiful thing.” The band got their name from the 1960s TV sitcom Petticoat Junction and The Shady Rest Hotel at the center of the fictional town of Hooterville.
Now based in Scotts Valley, The band has been tapped to play the Mountain Parks Foundation 28th Annual Lobster Feed Fundraiser on Saturday, October 12 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. Now’s the time, Cheryl noted, to brush up on their rendition of the B52’s Rock Lobster! This is the band’s second time playing for this event, and she said, “It’s a lovely crowd of people, makes it so nice and so fun!”
The band has a few originals, which have seen airplay on KPIG radio, but they mostly do covers of danceable rock classics and sing-alongs. They originally pulled inspiration from the Americana blues/rock outfit Tedeschi Trucks and branched out from there into hits from Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, The Pistol Annies, The Doobie Brothers, and many more, and they have a hoot of a time weaving in funk, rocksteady, and additional genres. “We’re all pretty bonded,” Cheryl said. “We love each other, we love our fans, we love the venues. We have buddy bands that we’re rooting for. It feels like a community, it’s not a competition.” The Shady Rest has played Steel Bonnet, Kissed by an Angel Wines, and Bruno’s in Scotts Valley, and Stockwell Cellars on the Westside of Santa Cruz, among others. She said, “Joe’s Bar is a frickin’ blast. It’s like Christmas with your favorite uncles and aunts. It’s a great valley melting pot. I see a lot of community and kindness, people showing up for each other.”
Catch The Shady Rest band at these upcoming events:
October
Sat 12 Lobster Feed, Henry Cowell Redwoods 4:30-7:30PM BUY TICKETS HERE
Fri 25 Stockwell Cellars, Santa Cruz, 5:30-8:30PM
November
Sat 2 Bruno’s Bar and Grill, Scotts Valley, 5-8PM
Sat 16 Kissed by an Angel Wines, 4:00-6:30PM
Fri 22 Fuego Sports Bar, Sunnyvale, 6-9PM
December
Fri 13 Bruno’s Bar and Grill, Scotts Valley, 7-10PM
Sat 14 Kissed by an Angel Wines, 4:00-6:30PM
Fri 27 Stockwell Cellars, Santa Cruz, 5:30-8:30PM
Featured photo: The Shady Rest Band, l to r: Helder Carvalheira, Pat Greene, Cheryl Rebottaro, Joe Bac, Ariana Ebrahimian, Max Ebrahimian (Photo contributed.)
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