Cover: Beach, Beach, Beach
Every summer, the valley's heated masses yearn to breathe free at the beach--and Santa Cruzans burn to send them back across the county line. Their rallying cry strikes a chord with beach folks everywhere: Valley Go Home.

News: Perking Up
Electronics companies, competing fiercely to attract workers, are packing workplaces with fringe benefits that seek to meet every human need.

The Beat Goes Down: Neal Cassady's house--once a pit stop for Kerouac and Ginsberg, bites the dust.

Public Eye: Sikh temple fight gets political.

Polis Report: SJSU's still multicultural, in spite of Proposition 209.

My Shao-lin Clementine: Go West, young martial artists, advises Once Upon a Time in China and America.

Not So Lovely: Nick Cassavetes is under the wrong influence in She's So Lovely.

Chainsaw of Fools: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation proves that you can't go home again to the house in the woods.

Fiddling Around: At the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in the Santa Cruz Mountains, folk-music lovers get a dose of unregimented rhythm.

Afrobeat Warrior: Remembering Fela, one of African music's greatest heroes.

Remember Their Name: Switching from atonal experimentalism to a simpler pop aesthetic, the Dambuilders start to crawl out of the underground.

Led Lives: On Conspiracy A-Go-Go, Floodland channels the musical spirit of Led Zeppelin.

The Return of Funk: Earth, Wind & Fire and Larry Graham resurrect funk at Soul Music Festival.

Beat Street: Radio Free Los Gatos and Gaslighter connection.

Earthy Pleasures: Golden browns, bright yellows and rusty reds--the autumnal hues of the Red Sea's Ethiopian cuisine portend of warm, earthy flavors.

Vegging Out: These three spots are must-stops for vegetarians and lovers of Asian noodles.

Dream vs. Reality: The rift in the heart of Chicanos is powerfully exposed in Santos & Santos.