No intro this week. I’m too busy spending my time reading opinion pieces on Twitter and elsewhere explaining why the establishment heads in the Democratic Party hung all of their impeachment hopes on a career G-Man instead of making what I am sure is the very difficult case that we have in office a mendacious […]
The Setlist
Our picks for the week’s best live music plus interviews and music news.
Posted inMusic
To an Oasis, Sprinkled by Stars Above
Last week surf rock icon Dick Dale died. I saw him live twice and was deafened by his massive and beautiful sound both times. Unfortunately, I saw Mr. Dale’s shows because he was forced to tour into his old age and until his death due to medical bills. Dick Dale’s experience was just one example […]
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Spring Reverb
Spring’s coming and along with it is St. Patrick’s Day, the Vernal Equinox, Purim and the Worm Moon. Also a certain group of my friends — you know the ones — tell me that Mercury is currently in retrograde. So, if all of this change going on — the most chaotic of which for many […]
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Soothsayin’
There are many great shows this week. I know I say that a lot but I can assure you I always mean it. I am honest in sharing my opinion, maybe to a fault, though my mom often quoted William Blake to me: “A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you […]
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Anniversaries
One of the promises I made at the end of December was to spend the coming year with less of a dense layer between myself and you the reader. I have heard from some of you — and I thank you all for the feedback. As I have mentioned here before, I was a resident […]
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Tell Me a Story
This week’s live treats mostly belong to the spectre of folk music. And that’s OK, because folk music is a large umbrella whose shade covers quite a lot of ground. We also have storytelling covered and likewise dance music, fiddles, carnival sounds, metal and lo-fi tunes. Homegrown music rules this week’s entertainment and all you […]
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In and Out of Love
I am tired and the delightful Les McCann reissue from 1966 I am listening to nonstop is putting me down at the coda of a long working day. So instead of blathering, I will share a quick thought with you: As much as I like this record, I’m glad people don’t just casually write break-up […]
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The Cold Rain and Snow
In ancient Greece, the Corybants were the dancing priest celebrants of the cult of the northern goddess Cybele. They were characterized by an armed and seemingly unchoreographed dance of wild flailing dedicated to their Phrygian patron. Eventually, the word corybantic came to mean inconsistent and wildly unpredictable behavior. As I write this, I can say […]
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This Wheel’s on Fire
Local fuzzy Americana quartet Hollow Down began the year on the road with a plan to tour the United States in their beloved home and bus, bringing their vibrant live gospel to the masses. Last week that dream was destroyed when the rig in question went up in flames on a lonesome stretch of State […]
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Fiddles, Violins and Killer Sax
This week features a folk-heavy lineup of artists, as well as some odd ducks and assorted bright things. And because I have an interview with one of them elswhere in this issue and an album review in the works, I am going to be a man of few words in this intro and simply wish […]
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Gothically Feminine
Four-time Grammy winner and Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee Rosanne Cash plays with John Leventhal at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. The Journal interviewed her by phone from Nashville about her newest album She Remembers Everything and her relationship with writing. North Coast Journal: What was […]
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From Here to Eternity
Last month McKinleyville native and metal-scene stalwart John Hee passed away at the age of 43. Known for his impressive and kinetic bass playing in many local bands, including Acts of Aggression, Entheogon, Kids for Sale and, most recently, Dead Man’s Tale (winner of the 2013 KMUD Battle of the Bands), John will be celebrated […]