the hum / By Bob Doran

Natural Ball

Aside from that, it’s still pretty lean on the NoHum live music scene, with most clubs laying low until the students return to Capistrano (no, wait, that’s swallows) and others relying on the ever present DJs. Extra bonus at Indigo Saturday - Foam Party! (What is that, like a wet t-shirt contest crossed with a DJ night?)

Did you hear a rumbling sound coming from down SoHum way over the weekend? It might have been the sound of the other shoe dropping in the Mateel/People Productions/Reggae on the River standoff. As you might recall, the two sides were in mediation, with only rumors as to how it was going. Apparently it was not going very well.

A letter from the Mateel Board sent out Friday announced that the board “regrets to announce that extensive mediation with People Productions has failed to produce a favorable result for both parties. The Board remains completely committed to the continuation of Reggae on the River, and is moving forward to ensure the successful production of the festival in 2007. Unfortunately, part of that process is ending the existing contract with PP, as Carol Bruno has publicly announced that she will not work under that contract with this Board and E.D. In order to move forward, the MCC has taken the necessary step of ending the contract with People Productions.”

Translation: They decided to call Carol’s bluff and see if they can run the festival themselves. Well, not exactly by themselves. They go on to explain that “The MCC board feels that a short term licensing of the event is the best course of action,” to get the cash flow going and to “guard our intellectual property that is Reggae on the River and give us time to gather community input on the direction of the show. The MCC will announce the licensee in January of the new year.”

As of press time, they’re being tight-lipped about who that might be, but I have my hunches. The announcement goes on to offer an olive branch to anyone who worked on the show in the past, in the hopes that the crucial nature of the event will inspire the community to pull together in unity once again to save the day. The board concludes by “gratefully acknowledg[ing] the love, hard work and years of dedication” of Carol Bruno and her hardworking husband John Bruno, “expressing its gratitude” even if it could not figure a way to get along with them.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that the Mateel staff was laid off before the holidays, there’s one of those classic help-your-neighbors benefits scheduled for Friday, Jan. 5, at the Mateel, specifically a “Sherri Nelsen Fire Relief Benefit,” supporting a Salmon Creek family whose home burned to the ground in November. This is one of those sliding scale things where they hope you feel generous.

Incidentally, the money is much needed, since the generous donations already collected for the family were stolen by a truly dastardly thief who broke into the Mateel and (I’m told) busted open a big glass bottle full of cash. Man, that’s low.

The benefit starts with dinner at 5 p.m. by Chef Rene Pineda, with Reggae recycler Pepper Sanborn providing acoustic background followed by Elise and Johnny Walker‘s rootsy folk and blues, countryish rockers Black Sand and last but not least Albino!, a hot 12-piece Afrobeat band from San Francisco channeling the spirit of Fela Kuti. (I’ve heard them, and they really are hot.) You may remember them from their last gig at the Mateel, the night of the all-out family quarrel at the annual Mateel meeting. You know, the night when Carol Bruno announced she wanted out of her contract and the board said no way. But wait, you probably did not hear them that night, since pretty much everyone went home mad before the band got to play. Judging from the action on the blog message boards, it will be a long time before the battle in SoHum cools down. Yes, it’s time for some unity - and, to quote Los Lobos, “Peace, peace, peace in the neighborhood…”

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