the hum / By Bob Doran

Take Something Old

The promo package from Portland’s Professor Gall grabbed my attention, but not exactly in a good way. The band’s new CD was taped into a black plastic foam meat tray along with a (fake) hypodermic needle and a little plastic bag of some unknown white powder. A card identified this as “Professor Gall’s Reincarnation Kit” and offered instructions that I did not follow except for the part about putting on the copy of the album, Intravenous Delusion . (OK, I get it.) Apparently Prof. Gall is the alter-ego of Drew Norman , guitarist/songwriter for another Portland band, The Cow Trippers. Here he plays banjo and several other instruments on dark songs vaguely reminiscent of Rain Dogs-era Tom Waits, but slightly perkier and with occasional twang. Saturday Prof. Gall plays the Logger Bar along with resident troublemakers The Rubberneckers plus two more Blue Lake bands on the theatrical side: Tainted Zucchini and The Brendas (the latter borrowed their name from the Logger’s bartender).

The folks from the Forks Lounge in Willow Creek call the all-day rock show there Saturday a “ Harvest Party .” Rhythm Method , TheKent Stephenson Band and Jimi Jeff and The Gypsy Band play outside from noon on. Things move indoors at 6 with St. John and The Sinners followed by Taxi . Additionally, as St. John explained in an invite, the inside portion is also a “Pagan/Wiccan rock ‘n’ roll wedding party” for St. John Hunt (son of notorious spy and Watergate/JFK conspirator E. Howard Hunt) and his betrothed, Mona Arnold of Arcata. Congrats! And rock on!

Three choices for next Wednesday, Oct. 17: Young Hawaiian ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro strums and picks mellow tunes on his uke in HSU’s Kate Buchanan Room.

The Red Fox has Lotus , a 5-piece electro-jamband from Philadelphia who cross genres, melding rock with drum ‘n’ bass, dub and trance to draw in the dance club crowd.

And last but certainly not least, at the Jambalaya, The Soundcatcher Tour featuring the incredible DJ Vadim , a Russian-born, London-raised, New York-based producer/turntablist, plus his wife, Yarah Bravo , a spoken word artist born in Sweden to Chilean and Brazilian parents, and Abstract Rude from L.A. of Abstract Tribe Unique and Haiku D’Etat fame. Supporting acts include Pugslee Atomz of the Nacrobats crew out of Chicago and 3WS . Be prepared to be amazed.

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