The Old Town Bar and Grill reunion at Humboldt Brews a couple of years ago brought together musicians and music fans from near and far. Among them, the soulful Bishop Mayfield, who was part of the Humboldt music scene from the ’70s through the ’00s. “I was in all kinds of bands: Straight Shot, Two […]
Bob Doran
Freelance photographer and writer, Arts and Entertainment editor from 1997 to 2013.
Posted inArt Walks + Festivals
Arts! Arcata November 2012
Friday, Nov. 9, 6-9 p.m. in and around downtown Arcata 1. ABRUZZI 780 7th St. Live music. 2. ARCATA ARTISANS COOPERATIVE 883 H St. Tapestries by Holly Garbutt, jewelry by Alex Connell, bead and tapestry art by Oceana Madrone. Wine served to benefit Humboldt Community Breast Health Project. 3. ARCATA CITY HALL* 736 F St. “Who You […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Turkey Time
Now that Halloween is over, it’s time to start thinking about the next big holiday, Thanksgiving, aka “turkey day.” But first comes another turkey day, an Arcata tradition in the making known as The Awesome Autumn Feast. The idea is simple. “Eat from your watershed!” as it says on the event poster. The concept […]
Posted inMusic
Music and Politics
Everything in life is political. You have your office politics, sexual politics, environmental politics, food politics, local, national, international and — particularly right now — straight-ahead electoral politics. How does music fit in? As we head toward Tuesday’s big election, we’ll take a look. The eco-political Environmental Protection Information Center, aka EPIC, celebrates its […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Cross Examining Marriage Equality
Four years ago, on Election Day 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that overturned a state Supreme Court ruling saying that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. A protracted legal battle followed, leading to a dramatic 2010 federal trial where marriage equality was once again on the line. The appellate […]
Posted inArts + Scene
One Singular Sensation
Perhaps it was the meta nature of the story — a musical about the lives of dancers auditioning for a musical — but A Chorus Line became a true Broadway sensation. The 1975 production with a book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics by Edward Kleban and music by Marvin Hamlisch swept […]
Posted inMusic
Raising the Dead
Humboldt is a place where day-to-day fashion statements, say wearing kitty ears and a tutu when you go to the store, make it seem like it could be Halloween year ’round. But toward the end of October the admonition to dress up for seasonal events ramps up. This year, with All Hallows Eve falling on […]
Posted inMusic
Close Your Eyes
Some band had canceled, leaving an open slot at the very end of the North Country Fair. The winners of a drawing held that day took the stage and unleashed a mighty roar, dark soaring chords shot through with feedback kissing the gray sky. The psych-rock noise machine White Manna was in fine form. […]
Posted inArts + Scene
The Black Pirate
It’s a tradition. Every year the ArMack Orchestra, comprised of students from McKinleyville and Arcata high schools, heads out on a journey to play a concert and learn more about music some place far away. Last year it was London. The next big trip is to New York City where the orchestra will compete […]
Posted inMusic
Pressure Drop
It is you, oh yeah. It is you, you, oh yeah. I said pressure drop, oh pressure, oh yeah pressure’s going to drop on you. “Pressure Drop” by Toots and The Maytals Thursday night at some as-yet-undisclosed location in northern Humboldt dubbed “Club More Fyah,” a fiery Jamaican dancehall shouter known as Capleton is […]
Posted inMusic
Ball of String
One thing for certain: Humboldt loves its string bands, be they traditional or alternative, and both are in evidence this weekend as sting music abounds. A big ball-o-string unravels Friday night at the Arcata Theatre Lounge with Absynth Quintet, local practitioners of something the band calls “high energy gypsy jamgrass,” presenting a seven-band mini-festival, the […]
Posted inNews
A Different Sort of Green House
Green buildings are the wave of the future. And our local schools are catching that wave with students from Arcata and McKinleyville high schools Humboldt Regional Occupational Program building trades construction class involved in the planning, design and every phase of the building process of a just-completed green home in McKinleyville. The kids and their […]