The China Cats

Santa Cruz, CA

The China Cats — Matt Hartle, Scott Cooper, Steve Sofranko, Rockin' Roger, and Michael Owens — have anchored the Santa Cruz Dead scene for well over a decade, with a standing series of dance-party shows at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building and regular stops at Club Fox and Felton Music Hall. The band is explicit that it is not recreating any particular year: as they told the Mercury News, they are playing this year's version of the song, and what happens inside it is up for grabs on the night.