Book by Luc Sante YETI Books Sixteen years ago Luc Sante’s first book, Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, explored the the sheer weirdness and teeming danger of life on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 19th and early 20th century, conducting a vividly impressionistic tour of a world of […]
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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Another Year, Another Weekend
As I sit typing on a dark Sunday night it’s still 2007, but with the wonders of time shifting and the inherent lag in the print medium, by the time you read this it will be two thousand-ought-eight. Yes, a new year is upon us and, to borrow from that catchy Brett Dennen song they […]
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A Cup o’ Kindness
Well, we’ve survived another year. To paraphrase (and reverse) Dickens, 2007 was neither the best of times nor the worst of times. So we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, and make plans to celebrate the coming of a New Year. You might want to stay home and see if Dick Clark is still alive […]
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Little Kingdom
CD by Citay Dead Oceans/Important Records Originally spawned as a studio-only project by Ezra Feinberg and Tim Green of the Fucking Champs, Citay quickly garnered critical acclaim within independent music circles with their 2006 self-titled debut, a release well noted for its warm and vibrant tones, lush harmonies and discerning compositions. It is a formula […]
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Manufactured Landscapes
DVD, directed by Jennifer Baichwal Mongrel Media In some ways watching Manufactured Landscapes made me think of another famously slow documentary, Baraka. But at least in that 1992 film — a montage of stunningly rich moving images of the modern world — director Ron Fricke (cinematographer for Koyaanisqatsi) uses a combination of time-lapse photography and […]
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Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
CD by Rivers Cuomo Geffen Records Rivers Cuomo, the frontman of Weezer, once famously remarked that to be a true fan of his band, you have to hate it. Weezer injected a much-needed sense of playfulness to the grunge era with Weezer ("the Blue Album")(1994) and Pinkerton (1996). In fact, the fresh-faced earnestness of those […]
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Bess Dove 2007
‘Tis the week before Christmas and through most of the county, not much is stirring — with a few exceptions. We’ll run through a handful of notable shows and then move on to some ideas for last minute Solstice/Xmas/Kwanzaa/belated-Hanukkah holiday shopping for music lovers — yes, the annual "best-of" lists. Most touring bands must be […]
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The Rubberneckers
Live, Dec. 15 at the Logger Bar This show reminded me why I try not to go to shows at bars. Came home from work, tired. Took a shower and ate to replenish my energy. Then I went to Mosgo’s to see Ash Reiter (Feist, Rilo Kiley-ish, singer songwriter from Santa Cruz). The show started […]
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The Rest is Noise: Listening to The Twentieth Century
Book by Alex Ross. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux "Nothing in the annals of musical scandal — from the first night of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ to the release of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the U.K. — rivals the ruckus that greeted [Arnold] Schoenberg early in his career." From any other critic, that statement might […]
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Dirt Farmer
CD by Levon Helm. Vanguard Records. Levon Helm, drummer and one of the vocalists with The Band, has ended his musical dormancy with Dirt Farmer, his first album of new material in 15 years. It marks a return to the southern roots that his former band encapsulated so well. This is Helm’s first album since […]
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Heavy Metal Parking Lot
Directed by Jeff Krulik and John HeynFilm Baby On May 31, 1986, amateur filmmakers John Heyn and Jeff Krulik pulled into an arena parking lot outside of Washington D.C., unpacked their equipment, and proceeded to shoot footage and conduct interviews with the scores of fans who had gathered to prepare for that evening’s Judas Priest/Dokken […]