the hum / By Bob Doran

Crazy Fools

Ready to dance? The Bay Area Balkan band Brass Menazeriplays for folkdancers Saturday at Redwood Raks, the newly named space in the Old Arcata Creamery Building. At the same time at Freshwater Grange, it’s an”Old Time Country Dance”with music byThe Country Pretenders and The Bayside Quartet with Katie Belknap on piano, Jim Cornwell on guitar and mandolin, and Judy HagemanandBrooks Otis on fiddles. (Bayside Q also plays next Saturday at the Graves for Arts Alive!)

Friends of salmon and wild rivers take note: The quasi-Celtic Druid Sisters Tea Party plays a benefit for the valiant efforts of the Friends of the Eel RiverSaturdayat Mazzotti’s.

Tech Williams of “Do Som Bout It” Productions, takes the party outdoors on Sunday afternoon bringing something called “The Brigade” (a hip hop crew?) to Eureka’s Carson Park, “right in the smack middle of town between the one ways; y’all know were it’s at,” as Tech puts it. He also notes, somewhat poetically, “If it rain, this will not go down, so pray for sun, so we can have fun.”

The local hard rock crowd gathers Sunday evening at the Boiler Room to remember Matt Evans, drummer for Cycle of Violence, who died in February at the age of 26. The Social Ills, Anslinger, The Baby Arms and No Cigar offer heartfelt loudness for the occasion.

You might recall a show back in February with local “instrumetalists” 33 1/3 playing to raise cash to offset legal fees in a copyright infringement lawsuit that has Eugene doom metal trio Middian locked in battle with members of a Milwaukee-based metal band called Midian. While the suit drags on, the Oregonian band is resolute, declaring on their MySpace that “the underground metal community’s love has simply been overwhelming. With your help and support, Middian will stand triumphant against this truly evil attack on our persons and families.” Show your support Sunday when 33 1/3 and Middian play at the Alibi.

The insider show for next week is definitely the Two Part Beast gig Monday, March 31, at the Accident Gallery. Two Part Beast is fronted by Imaad Wassif, a Lou Barlow associate who was in alaska! and The New Folk Implosion, and also served as touring guitarist for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Imaad and 2-Part have a new album out, Strange Hexes, described by booking agent Michelle (of Panache) as “heavy-psyche-folk-rock with eastern modal influence.” The Broken Hearts and Monster Women provide local support for Monday’s show.

The talk of the town this Monday was the upcoming Willie Nelson gig in SoHum set for August 31, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. People Productions has Benbow Lake State Park reserved for the date, and that’s how it’s listed on Willie’s website, but the preferred plan is to use Dimmick Ranch, the new home of Reggae, provided the Planning Commission signs off on an expanded permit. Since Tom Dimmick and People Productions are still locked in a legal battle with the Mateel over the lease for the site, and the Mateel folks are making waves with the Planning Comm., the ranch idea is by no means a done deal. But it is certain that the show will happen one place or the other. And no, I don’t know when tickets will go on sale.

I’m sure this will come as bad news to Glenn Maxon of Redwood Coast Music Festivals. Monday morning we were talking about his decision to move the date for Blues by the Bay from mid-July to Labor Day weekend, in part to pull in the just returning HSU crowd, but also to put the two-day fest on a three-day weekend, one where Glenn saw no local competition. He’s got British blues legend John Mayall as Sunday’s headliner. Will Willie steal the boomer crowd? I guess we’ll see.

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