Kids’ dance productions are about that: kids dancing. Artistic director Victor Temple’s version of the siblings sent to the woods fairytale gave a lot of kids a lot of chances to dance up a storm. His choreography, appropriate to the abilities of the children, gave them their proper placement in the oeuvre of classical ballet. […]
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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abstract dissident
He calls his new album Newspeak, a reference to George Orwell’s 1984 that’s far from accidental. Ivan Ives was born in Russia, son of a dissident artist. "My dad’s still not welcome there," he told me, calling from L.A. "Even though it’s kind of a democracy now, there’s still a lot of KGB around and […]
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Actor
St. Vincent is an unusual character. Berklee College of Music dropout, Polyphonic Spree alumnus, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, Annie Clark adopted her stage name, "St. Vincent," from the New York hospital where poet Dylan Thomas died (hours after being carted out of the White Horse Tavern). In 2007, after touring with Sufjan Stevens’ band, Clark […]
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101 Milestones
It doesn’t get any more Humboldt than Bill Morrill, creator of 101 Milestones. Morrill wasn’t exactly born here in Humboldt County, but he moved here in ’72 so forget about it. He’s been here for days. Some time ago, back in 2004, Morrill came up with the 101 Milestones concept. Morrill recognized how rich the […]
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Black Monk Time (reissue)
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 […]
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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 […]