It's yet another installment of the popular electro, deep bass-informed, and heavily modulated chiptune soundscape/dance escape at The Jam called Whomp Whomp Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ($5). This week's featured artists are ChopsJunkie, Tropic Tiger, Aneurhythm and Eternalized. If those names mean anything to you then I need hardly say more. If not, then rest assured that the artists will do all of the tricks they can to make the PA go whomp.
The Siren's Song hosts an evening of folky far-left aligned political music as three Seattle bands merge with a local outfit to form a more perfect union of sound. The Window Smashing Job Creators play a folk punk blend with a touch of horns for that majestic edge while Geophasia is a similarly minded collective. The odd ducks on the touring bill would be Ghost Teeth, who have played here before and who are also steeped in the acoustic punk sound, albeit with a more hands-off approach to the serious side of lyricism. The excellent and eminently pure bluegrass and country sweethearts in Dead Bird Son will provide some of that priceless homegrown Humboldt stride with their je ne sais quoi oomph doling out some much needed down-home levity at 7 p.m. (price TBA).
Local funky outfit Dan and the Americans play Blondies again tonight at 7 p.m. as a part of its ongoing odd-weeknight residency. The price is unknown to me but the show will likely pull a fun little crowd.
If music doesn't do it for you and you want a rare treat for the coming Winter Season, how about you head on down to Belotti Hall in Ferndale for some ice skating action? The last time I went ice skating was in the Harlem end of Central Park about 15 years ago and I got absolutely rinsed by some school kids who knew their shit on the blades and weren't afraid to school adults. Prior to that it was at least another 15 years back when we had a rink in my childhood neighborhood in San Francisco. I still remember the cold smell of the indoor ice, hot chocolate and Pac-Man in the concession area and watching my friend's evil little brother Trevor pull his dad's sweatpants down in the midst of a well-attended family circle skate. What I am saying here is, go make some real full-sensory memories with some loved ones today from 2 to 8 p.m. ($12, $8 kids).
It's Gaudete Sunday, aka the joyful third Sunday in Advent season, which makes it a perfect day for the religious and secular alike to enjoy a 3 p.m. matinee of the McKinleyville Community Choir's Holiday Concert at the Arcata Playhouse. The show is free — donations are appreciated — and the show will feature a live backing band and many of the usual suspects in regards to seasonal songs as well as tunes in Latin, Spanish and Czech. Czech? Could it be that the choir will be performing the famous English carol about the "good" Bohemian King Wenceslas — who was famously fratricidally murdered — in the modern language of his people? There's only one way to find out.
Portland, Oregon's folk punk working class hero Casey Neill brings his band The Norway Rats to jam out bayside at the Eagle House this evening at 7:30 p.m. Touring on their newest album Subterrenne Mr. Neill and his large ensemble group of musical rodents will likely entertain all comers, particularly those of the ballad and anthem-loving section of society. Opening up the night are fellow Oregon coevals Ashleigh Flynn & the Riveters, whose roots rock tunes will make for a good pairing ($12, $10 advance).
Change your point of view at Friday Night Noir: Lady in the Lake (1946), Friday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Eureka Theater ($5). Audrey Totter stars as a "lady editor of a crime magazine" in this one-of-a-kind noir based on the Raymond Chandler novel. Robert Montgomery directs and stars in this caper where the POV is yours, viewer, and you and private eye Philip Marlowe solve a murder mystery together while delivering knock-out dialogue.
Ferndale at Christmastime is small-town America at its finest. Its charming shops are decorated with wreaths, ribbons and lights, and the tall, tall tree at the end of Main Street sends beautiful illumination all over town. Every year, farmers and ranchers decorate their trucks and tractors for an old-fashioned parade down Main Street to the delight of onlookers, mesmerized like Deeres in holiday lights. This year, Ferndale's Christmas Lighted Tractor Parade gets chuggin' along Sunday, Dec. 16 starting at 4:30 p.m., with judging and parade at 6 p.m., while Ferndale Community Church serves up free cookies, cocoa and cider to help sweeten the evening.
Another lighted evening delight is Humboldt Botanical Garden's Holiday Candlelight Walk, this year taking place on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. ($10 adults, $25 families up to five with additional children $5 each, free for kids 2 and under, free parking). Bring loved ones out for luminaries and live music, refreshments and merriment as you stroll the garden and greenhouse, all decked out in spectacular fashion with thousands of lights and hundreds of luminaries. The greenhouse will be offering complimentary cider and cookies, coloring activities and ornament making for the kids, plus a visit with Santa. And there are two roaring bonfires for warming hands and roasting marshmallows on the grounds. Be sure to bundle up and wear good walking shoes. Bring a flashlight, too. The special event runs rain or shine.
Psych, jazz and raga ramblers Ms. God are puttin' on The Jam tonight 9 p.m. ($3 suggested donation). Expect cyclical riffs and saxophonic passages with drums and rhythmic vocals. Also on the bill are the excellent and suitably heavy sounds of sympatico trio Frog. Rounding out the bill is a new band in town whose mysterious sound can only be reported on by this writer after I've seen the show. Moan Alisa is the name and that's all I know as of presstime.