It’s official: Country music icon Willie Nelson is coming to Humboldt County for a Labor Day weekend show on August 31, produced by People Productions. Willie’s website lists the show as taking place at the Benbow State Recreation Area , and the park is reserved, but if all goes according to plan the show will […]
Bob Doran
Freelance photographer and writer, Arts and Entertainment editor from 1997 to 2013.
Posted inMusic
Funky As Ever
The Greyboy Allstars first came together 15 years ago at the Green Circle Bar in San Diego, a club that’s now gone like a cool breeze. A DJ who calls himself Greyboy spun funk, soul and boogaloo jazz records there. A scene developed and there was a call for live music. With the help of […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Hopeless Endeavor?
It’s a question that’s been nagging the city of Arcata and those who run the nonprofit Arcata Endeavor since the organization formed nine years ago. What’s the best place to offer services for those who are most in need, who don’t have the money for food, who don’t have a place to sleep or bathe […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
‘Happiness’ Is Runner-Up
We’d heard that Jessica Knapp from North Coast Prep was chosen to go to Sacramento for the California Poetry Out Loud state finals, a contest that involves reciting other people’s poems. She didn’t win, but she did make it to the tie-breaking third round, as noted in this press release: Sacramento – Placer County student […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Congratulations Sara Bareilles – Vanguard Artist
If you’re someone who follows the Billboard charts, you already know that Humboldt native Sara Bareilles is doing well. Her single ” Love Song ,” has been hovering near the top of the charts for weeks — it’s No. 4 this week. Her Little Voice album has gone platinum — it’s in the top 10 […]
Posted inMusic
The Irish Connection
Monday is St. Patrick’s Day, which makes this St. Paddy’s weekend — a time when Celtic bands are sure to find work. In oh-so-green Humboldt County that pretty much boils down to two bands: the quartet Good Company, who play Saturday at Muddy’s Hot Cup, and Scatter the Mud, a somewhat wilder band that leads […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
The Wire creators on how to end the Drug War
The best show on TV — ever — ends its five-year run tonight. I’m not going to go into detail on why you should watch The Wire , let’s just say it’s offered us a glimpse of the dysfunctional state of the inner-city we haven’t seen elsewhere and are not likely to see again. In […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Is Rob Arkley a Billionaire?
While he is commonly referred to a either a billionaire or a kazillionaire in the local press and blogosphere, Security National CEO Rob Arkley Jr. does not show up on Forbes Magazine ‘s recently issued list of the world’s billionaires . Forbes online allows you to array the list in various ways. A look at […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Groceries for a Small Planet
It was all part of someone’s insidious plan, and I fell for it. As I wheeled my cart through the door of the supermarket, I saw the display of carefully arranged peaches, looking, well, just peachy — and in February. Knowing full well that peaches are a summer fruit, which meant these came from halfway […]
Posted inMusic
Looking for Nothing
It’s not hard to imagine Iowan folksinger Greg Brown climbing out of a dusty, battered pick-up truck parked down some lonesome road, pulling an equally battered guitar and canvas bag full of fishing tackle from the back and ambling down an overgrown path looking for a hole where they’re biting. That’s the picture he paints […]
Posted inMusic
Dreamers
Joseph Shabalala, leader and founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has told the story of his dream many times. He told it to me years ago when the group was on one of many world tours. The dream came in 1964. "In my dreams I heard children singing sweet harmony," he said. "These children were singing […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photographic Alchemy
Call it alchemy. It isn’t, really, but there is a certain degree of sorcery involved in the creation of a fine photo using the old-school method. You know, the kind of print made back in the day, when photographers used film and did their post-shoot work in a darkroom, not at a computer screen. More […]