Hailing from Germany, The Monks were an unconventionally timeless band, making their mark with a single record. Originally released in Europe on Polydor in 1965, with only 3,000 records issued, Black Monk Time failed to garner U.S. distribution. And after three-odd years of exhaustive touring, the band dissolved. It would be difficult to imagine then […]
Music
Coverage of the music scene in Humboldt County with upcoming shows from locals and out-of-town acts, reviews, interviews and more.
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Please, Please, Please
Can’t say exactly when it was, maybe nine or 10 years ago, when I first saw JP Hasson performs as Pleaseeasaur. The made-up dinosaur was one of many personas he took on that night in the Plaza Grill View Room, singing and dancing to intentionally cheesy nightclub music in front of a portable back-drop that […]
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City of Subdued Excitement
What if a drug existed that gave you energy, inspired you toward happiness, was only addictive in the most positive sense and cost under $20 for a near-lifetime supply? What if all that was true of a particular new CD? Music is just about the cheapest mood-altering substance out there. Let’s say I bought City […]
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Country Club
It’s a long time a comin’. For decades, John Doe, cornerstone founding member of the seminal LA punk band X, has hinted at his country roots with songs such as "Poor Girl" and "Burning House of Love" from his days with X. Then there was his side project, The Knitters, with X band members Exene […]
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Epic
Mermen guitarist/leader Jim Thomas doesn’t like to tour. He doesn’t even play all that much in Santa Cruz or San Francisco, the coastal cities where he spends most of his time. He has a studio at home, but it’s been a long time since he’s released a record. Thomas says he’s almost done with a […]
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Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle is singer/songwriter Bill Callahan’s sophomore release under his own name. His near-20-year nom de plume of "Smog" or "(Smog)" has plainly cleared, leaving Callahan ample breathing room for space, orchestration and clarity to his songs. Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle may be his finest release to […]
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Miles Ahead
As I strolled up G St. in Arcata Friday evening I had little idea what the night held in store. I did know that Mike Kapitan’s stellar band, Miles Ahead, would be interesting as always. And from what I had heard, the newly renovated Arcata Theatre Lounge was a nice new venue. Exterior changes to […]
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I Like It Like That
It’s been a long time coming, three years in the making, but Axis Mundi, the debut album by Moo-Got-2, is finally done — and it’s a blast, with the band stretching out with a dozen tracks exploring funk, reggae and jamrock. The start for Moo-Got 2 came when two other bands, Old Man Clemins and […]
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Live In London
Leonard Cohen has the ability to articulate the loneliness of the heart, even if situated in the center of urban bustle. Longing and sadness linger, as if his voice is articulating some form of beauty coming to its end. Having published three books of poetry and a novel before the release of his debut record […]
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Hard Truth
They call it the Hard Truth Soldiers Tour, the all-star collection of independent underground hip hop artists making their way across the U.S. and Canada, starting out on May Day in Eureka. The Soldiers have a bullet-point manifesto with promises to "be strong and irreverent in the face of oppression," "to encourage and support efforts […]
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Bunny Gets Paid (Deluxe Reissue)
Chicago has a reputation for being a tough town. A Midwestern ethic infused (or grew from) this city of power and corruption, once the center of the nation’s meat packing industry, where immigrant labor was used to make the machine run. "(Chicago is) the only major city in the country where you can easily buy […]
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Arcata Sectarian
In the beginning there was music. It was simple at first — grunting, belly-drums — later lutes. As the tribes spread, different groups developed their own traditions, such as Gregorian chants, Tuvan throat singing and elementary explorations into salsa. Today the world of music is an advanced and esoteric state of war, with Humboldt as […]