The Outer Space presents an evening of performance art, stop motion animation and interactive illustrated storytelling. 7 p.m. ($5). Artist and local treasure Violet Crabtree brings a new panel-animated musical adventure to the stage with her group The Comix Trip. Genderqueer artist Llano River Blue's sci-fi web series Chenille Stems & the Dream Machine will have a screening and Llano's band The Sweet Trade will play some tunes. Finally, local artist, model and daring demimonde Ms. Adeveve Glitterstorm will perform some hyper-mutant futuresong version of the beguine or something. Come find out.
While the mighty moving statues of the Kinetic Grand Championship make their revolutions from pavement to sand in the fog-belt, you can find yourself far from one madding crowd and deep into another scene down in Redway as KMUD celebrates its 31st anniversary with its annual block party at noon (free, but donations to the station are welcome). Acts like That Captain, Ari & Ruby and Back to the Hill share the stage with many more at a birthday party that lasts past the gloaming.
Downriver in Ferndale at 5 p.m., string band The Ukelaliens are throwing a CD release party, benefit show and goulash dinner at the Our Savior's Lutheran Church (price TBA). Copies of the album will be available to those who donate to The River Life Foundation.
And finally tonight at Humbrews, it's Soul Party #12, with the usual suspects Red, Jay Morg, Tanasa and special guest DJ Rascue at 9 p.m. ($5). Come cut a rug or parquet floor or whatever with the best vinyl twisters in town.
Celebrate community radio and good times with KMUD at the station's annual Block Party, Saturday, May 26, from noon to 9 p.m. (free, donations gladly accepted). Join the folks at the KMUD studio for a lively day of music, food, drinks and dancing. Plus the station's biggest music sale. Organizers have dusted off stacks of vinyl and CD treasures waiting for you to rifle through and take home.
There's plenty of live music, too. Enjoy a healthy dose of bluegrass, folk, rock and reggae performed by local musicians like Ari and Ruby, Savannah Rose, BeTH isBell, Thornbirds, Rebecca Wudarski, Sleepwalker, TransAm Mullet, That Captain and Back to the Hill (for the complete music lineup, visit www.kmud.org). And bring some extra cash for the variety of vendors on hand — arts and crafts, plants, food and drink. There's plenty to keep the kids happy at this family-friendly event, especially in the Kids Zone, with face painting, trash art (with Lolo Trash), hula hoop lessons, chalk drawing and more.
Head to Redway, have a great time and help support listener-sponsored community radio. Proceeds go to operating the nonprofit's station.
It rolls, floats and treks around just once a year, but the planning, prepping and giddy anticipation of this Memorial Day weekend juggernaut goes on year-round. The Kinetic Grand Championship, the art/engineering mashup marvel that covers sea, sand, mud and land is here, May 25-28, and dedicated teams are going for the glory, glory. Hallelujah.
This year, the Kinetic fun extends over four days with the addition of the Kinetic Thrills Pageantry Party on Friday, May 25 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Arcata Community Center (free). You can get a sneak peek of the teams while they entertain you with song, dance, skits and stories. If you behave accordingly (i.e. show up, have fun), organizers may bring it back next year.
Rest up from the extra day of revelry and head to the Arcata Plaza on Saturday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to watch racers take laps around the plaza testing brakes and priming for the noon-ish kickoff when the Rutabaga Queens send them on their merry way. Teams then head to Manila on State Route 255 for the first leg of the race, crossing June's Dunes before seeing how they fare on Deadman's Drop at 1 p.m. Wrap up the day with the racers at Halvorsen Park for the Finish Line Party, 1 p.m. (Rutabaga time) to dark.
Sunday, May 27 racers climb back on their horses (or lobsters or chickens or dragons) and cross the bay to climb Loleta Hill, then descend into Fernbridge on Monday, May 28 to cross the finish line in Ferndale. And all along the way, they'll be exemplifying the words of race founder Hobart Brown: "Adults having fun so children will want to grow up."
For a complete schedule of events, check www.kineticgrandchampionship.com.
There's a nice pre-race Kinetic kick-off party tonight at the Outer Space at 8 p.m. ($4). It's all brass music, baby, featuring the marching meters of Bandamonium and LOUD neighbors. Come get a piece of it.
An hour later there are two shows, one in Eureka and one in Redway, perfectly showcasing the aesthetics of their respective citizens. At the Mateel you will find the island reggae tones of Hawaii's J Boog with similarly aligned acts I-Octane and Westafa ($40, $30 advance).
Meanwhile up at The Siren's Song, artist Jullia Finkelstein will be doing live paintings while The Bored Again entertains with solo punk stylings and "trash slam poet" Wil Gibson spits something stinky over the greasy grooves of Hollow Down. Come on out and get a little paint or somethin' on ya ($5).
Jazz pianist and Grammy-nominated composer Pascal Le Boeuf presents his work at The Sanctuary tonight at 7:30 p.m. ($20, $10 students). Joining him for a recital of his newest piece "Ritual Being" is the Friction Quartet, featuring Arcata High alum Otis Harriel and that's just right.
Siren's Song hosts a Hip Hop and Ladies Comedy Night at 9 p.m. ($5). The unusual assemblage features local DJs, rappers and female comedians in a likely fun mash-up. Full disclosure, I have a pig in this poke — my insanely talented middle brother Ian will be spitting his spoken-word rap stylings under the moniker Rufian so you bet your brass monkey I'll be there. So will DJ Goldylocks, Flow J Simpson, Jessica Grant, Melissa Gordon and many more.
Why is my pulse elevated, my pupils dilated and my body hair erect? Because OG punk/thrash masters D.R.I. — Dirty Rotten Imbeciles — are playing the Arcata Vet's Hall tonight at 7 p.m. ($20/$15 advance). And although I have listened to them since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I have yet to see the esteemed Messrs. Brecht and Cassidy live. My inner disaffected youth is knifing his way out of my pathetic, aged carapace to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war once again. Deathwish, Scythe and Scum Lourdes provide support.