The Setlist

Sure, sure, we’ve got some bands playing as the year’s momentum picks up, but what about you? What about your chance to shine? Let’s take a second to look at where and when you can go and place yourself on stage in front of an audience ready to adore you. (We can’t promise that last […]

The old year may have exited with a bang, but this new one arrives with the whimper not atypical for this desolate time of year. The students are gone, those people with means have fled for warmer climes, those without are huddled under blankets debating whether or not to keep watching Black Mirror on Netflix. […]

Dear Esteemed Readers, We’re often warned about assumption. Fair enough — not everything is as it appears. But you often can judge a book by its cover and your instincts exist for a reason. Also, I need a hook upon which to hang this column, so let us postulate for this week are that you, like […]

Let me share with you a heartwarming tale of the season. A couple Mondays ago, three bands were scheduled to play at the Jambalaya. All the bands were there, ready and waiting. A sizeable crowd had turned up. The only problem (as the story was relayed to me) was that something was wrong with the […]

Before we get into this week’s quiz, let’s take a moment to consider People Who Do Good. One such person is the indefatigable Julie Ryan. I first met Julie a million years ago when she was volunteering with Placebo, an organization dedicated to providing safe, all-ages music shows and more. “Volunteering” is an understatement, truly […]

Hello, dear readers! How are you feeling? Perhaps you, too, are struggling to adjust to the early darkness, thinking it must be about time to crawl into bed and then realizing it’s only 7 o’clock. Maybe the lethargy is compounded by the fact that we’re reaching the end of the semester and that people who […]

Let’s take the guesswork out of show attendance with this highly scientific questionnaire. (Note: Scoring totals are a tool to measure quantitative appeal and not a ranking of qualitative worth.) Go: 1. I am: a. over 40 b. 30-39 c. 25-29 d. 21-24 e. under 21 2. My favorite T-shirt is: a. faded tie-dye b. […]

We are entering the holiday season. I know this because I have seen the jingle bells and singing Santas at the stores and my student friends are ricocheting between freaking out about finals and freaking out about visiting family. Fortunately, not only do we have the panacea of live music to help us through this […]

November is a troublesome month. On one hand, you might be trying to recover from October indulgence and saving up for December holiday madness. On the other, local partying options aren’t slowing down one whit. Thursday: Dynamite drums For example, percussive masters Steel Standing release Fine Line at the Arcata Playhouse tonight. The album features […]

Halloween is inarguably the best celebration of the year. New Year’s Eve is fine, but wrapped within the year-end partying is the knowledge of things left undone and the obligatory attempt toward improvement via resolutions — or the acceptance that this is as good as you’re going to get and all that the realization implies. […]

Oh, Humboldt! I’m in love with live music all over again. We’ve had a long relationship, bands playing shows and I, but you know how it is — sometimes you feel like you’ve done everything there is to do, comfortable with what you like and sure about what you don’t, quietly missing the spark of […]