Here’s a trio of ways to celebrate the longest night of the year, laid out in chronological form for your discernment. At the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m., singer and trombonist James Zeller presents the music of Chet Baker (and other Capricorns). He will be joined by his usual cadre of talented cats, Gabe Lubowe, Danny Gaon and Ramsey Isaacs. This is a Sanctuary Production, so a piece of the pie will likely be going toward the restoration of that wonderful spot, which many of you may remember was de-roofed by one of our fiercer recent storms. Tickets are a sliding scale $15-$20 and can be purchased at sanctuaryarcata.org. I suggest you dig deep if you would like to see the beloved venue back in performance shape again.
At 8:30 p.m. at Humbrews, you can get a little ska in your evening with Tucson, Arizona’s Warsaw Poland Bros, a musical crossbreed of dub, ska, Celtic punk and more. Joining these energetic road dawgs will be our own local favorite ska act, Checkered Past. ($10).
And finally at the Miniplex at 9 p.m., former local hero Tabor Mountain will be back to wear your funky backends down to eraser nubs. Also on the bill is a great companion band, Portland, Oregon’s Dancing Plague, a more gothy and darkwave groove machine. This one’s priced the same as the previous gig, so bring at least a sawbuck for the door.
This article appears in ‘A Big Heart’.