the hum / By Bob Doran

No Bubblegum

Also on Friday, J.B. Beverly and the Wayward Drifters play roadhouse-style honky tonk country at SoHum’s authentic roadhouse, the Riverwood Inn, marking Loreen’s last music event before a summer break. J.B. started out as an old school punk in the Washington D.C. area and to some extent applies that ethic to his music. About 12 years ago he met Wayne “The Train” Hancock (who played at the Jam last week) and changed tracks to old school country a la Hank the First, etc. (He’s toured with Hank III.) J. B. is out front on guitar and vocals. The Drifters are Dan “BanjerDan” Mazer on banjo, dobro and mandolin and former lawman Johnny Ray Carroll (aka Johnny Lawless) on upright bass. They kick ass. They’re drifting around the country, singing songs like “Wayward Drifter”: “The one I love has gone away, she could not be true / so I packed some things, took off my ring, and put on my walking shoes. I headed out the door like I’d done before, but this time with a plan: / Going to pick some tunes by the light of the moon, just roaming around this land. I’ll be that Wayward Drifter, walking down the railroad tracks. Lord, if I get gone, I’m rambling on and I ain’t looking back.” If you can’t make it down to the Ave. of the Giants, don’t fear. Saturday the Drifters drift north for a show at the Jambalaya with Phantom Club, a like-minded trio from Trinidad.

Bluesman Tommy Castro and his band make a northern foray Saturday playing as part of a benefit for the Piercy Volunteer Fire Dept. The event at the Peg House (two miles north of Leggett, across from Standish Hickey State Park) starts with a biker’s Poker Run. Veteran Bay Area garage blues/rockers The Sinners the open the music portion around noon; expect the Tommy Castro Band to hit the stage around 5.

Elsewhere Saturday: Billy Allen and the Roadhouse Rockets play Humboldt-style roadhouse rock and country at Bear River Casino. Michael Ward is up from the Bay Area for a show at Humboldt Brews mixing R&B, country, world music, etc. in fine-crafted songs. Lief Sorbye and Tempest do their Scandi-Celtic-rock thing at the Blue Lake Casino that night. They might still be playing when The Joyce Hough Band finishes their set on Dell’Arte’s outdoor stage as part of the big Tim Robbins “Prize of Hope” to-do kicking off this year’s Mad River Festival.

The Eureka Summer Concert Seriesstarted last week and runsThursdays, starting at 6 p.m., on the Boardwalk in Old Town. This week they have smooth bluesy keyboard/sax jazz by The Lao Tizer Band;next week it’s Southern rock byBig Rain.

Speaking of jazz, the Jazz in June series at the Benbow Inn kicks off Sunday, June 22, with the Hard Bop Trio featuring saxophonist Noel Jewkes. Monday it’s Easton Stuard on keys; the Sam Maez Quartet plays Tuesday; Humboldt Time on Wednesday and next Thursday, June 26 it’s the Francis Vanek Quartet.

Reggae? You got it, mostly at the Red Fox. In addition to the usual Thursday dancehall blast With Rude Lion Sound, DJ Jimmy Jonz and friends, Bonus Ent. has a show Friday with the always irie family band Morgan Heritage plus little sister Laza from LMS and Irie Love from Hawaii. Tuesday, June 24, the Fox has Roots of Creation, a reggae/jamband from New Hampshire. Wednesday, June 25, at the Jam, it’s Woven Roots, a reggae/blues/folk trio from Dublin, Ireland. Then next Thursday, June 26, at the Red Fox, Proper Productions presents reggae legends The Wailing Souls, who also happen to be on the lineup for the Mateel’s Reggae on the River revival, set for July 29 at Benbow.

And that brings us to the big Reggae news of the moment: the end of the Reggae War, or at least the lawsuit. The Mateel, People Productions and Tom Dimmick have all confirmed that they reached a negotiated settlement last Friday (the Thirteenth) following a 15-hour session with Judge James Warren. Terms have not been revealed, but should be by the end of this week. Presumably both Reggae on the River and Reggae Rising will take place as planned. Let’s hope this bring peace to SoHum.

Incidentally, pending approval by the Planning Commission, Reggae Rising will not be the only concert at Dimmick Ranch this summer. Dimmick is asking for “an additional one-day event on the last weekend of August in each subsequent year until 2015,” at the commission’s June 19 meeting. If approval is granted, the sold-out Willie Nelson show will move to the ranch allowing for additional ticket sales — and who knows what’s to come next year.

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