Cover Story
Dead and Disconnected
William Cody Waldron’s birthday came and went two Mondays ago, on Sept. 23. If he is alive, he is now 71 years old and, quite likely, drunk. But chances are he is not alive. Chances are, he is mystery corpse “John Cooper-Gulch-Swamp Doe,” found burned beyond recognition on March 14 in a swampy homeless camp…
From the Hum: Monday Weirdness
Tapping nodding shaking grooving shimmying. Mind freed by music an electronic shortcut to meditation. Happily lost somewhat confused unafraid even as the crescendo builds. Cave’s music “rolling funk minimalism”? Sure that’ll do. Some instrumental music leaves me cold, but this is all hot energy and I’m wanting more. Maybe that’s the fever talking — don’t…
From the Hum: Dance Your Pants Off
One time I danced at Soul Night in boots far too high for that sort of thing. Another time I wore pleather pants that disintegrated off my body from all the sweat-inducing hip-shaking. Neither aching feet nor the implied danger of my clothes literally falling apart detracted from the fun. Never stop dancing, Humboldt. Dress…
From the Hum: What You’re Supposed to Do (Sallie Ford)
“Tell me what am I supposed to do/Tell me what am I supposed to do/Tell me what am I supposed to do/Tell me what am I supposed to do…” OK! Watch the video and then go experience Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside with Wooden Indian Burial Ground at Humboldt Brews tonight at 9:30 p.m. Tickets…
From the Hum: Friday Night ’80s Night with DJ Red
Photo by Jen McFerrin Hi DJ Red! Of course I can include info about your ’80s night! I totally love your ’80s nights! They’re like actually being in a rad club in the ’80s except no cocaine and fewer Porsches! Also fewer fluorescent socks. Also I don’t, like, know about the cocaine, it’s just a…
From the Hum: Sex on a Stick
She wants to just say, “Look. Listen.” A glance, a snippet, what more do they need to know? Must she say out loud that this band is sex on a stick? The idea of objectifying them troubles her — slightly — but sweet Jesus, look at them. Even in the still pictures, that dark timeless…
From the Headline: Best DJ in the World?
Do you know Mark Farina? You can learn about him in the video above. Also here is some info about him: “While exploring purist forms of house music, Mark developed his trademark style, known as ‘Mushroom Jazz’: acid jazz infused with the West Coast’s organic productions along with urban beats.” I wanted to tell you…
From the Hum: Psychedelic Folk, Revived
They smile at each other, slap knees, and pass the pipe as talk of those days flutters back and forth. Oh, the protests! Oh, the music! Oh, the hair and clothes, flowing long. It was a beautiful time. If only we could revisit it, they think, swapping out another Dead album on the turntable for…
The County’s Guiding Principles in Time-Lapse
Arguments at the county government level don’t get much more fundamental or important than the ongoing debate over the guiding principles in Humboldt County’s General Plan Update. In essence it’s an argument about priorities for future land use. In planning for the next 20-odd years do we want to emphasize environmental protections and productive resource lands…
Well, that’s offputting
White, slimy nodules of tapioca-like substance oozing from your lovely fresh-caught salmon. Yick. It’s a find only Walter Bishop would find delightful. Anyway — the Two Rivers Tribune reports that “Chinook salmon caught in the Klamath River were found infested with a white and egg-shaped parasite named Henneguya embedded in their muscle tissues.” The parasite is…
Claudia Swings
The complex music of the Claudia Quintet relies on somewhat unusual instrumentation – including accordion and vibes, at times bowed – providing a dense, beautiful setting for drummer/bandleader John Hollenbeck’s pieces. Innovative, improvised, at times carefully composed, sometimes not even written down, it’s what we call jazz these days, for lack of a better word. And…
How Much Did EPD’s Free Truck Cost?
Humboldt County’s beefiest new truck was given to the Eureka Police Department gratis by the Defense Department last week. The catch? EPD had to pay to haul the 25-ton truck down here from Fort Lewis in Washington. How much does that cost, you might wonder? $5,500, total said EPD Chief Murl Harpham. The department paid…
Feeling OK
Pop quiz: Sarah Palin, in a speech during the 2008 presidential campaign, famously accused candidate Barack Obama of “palling around with terrorists.” Who were these terrorists she was referring to? Bonus question: How did at least one of these said terrorists handle all of the attention, much of it threatening, that blossomed during the campaign? Answer:…
On Fire at Arts Alive!
There’s always too much art and music at Arts Alive! And too many people to talk to. But always enough time for a tune by Rick Fugate. I’d planned catching Orr Marshall’s show at the Sewell, but I missed his opening. Instead I had a long talk with the Korean photographer Young Suh about his…
Pastels, Lumberjacks and more
The sun shown bright for a perfect Saturday for the 26th annual Pastels on the Plaza Northcoast Children’s Services ran the show… …with Executive Director Kathy Montagne in charge (on left) Arcata artist Alan Sanborn did a pastoral farming scene Joyce Jonte’s pastel for Los Bagels A Humboldt State artist works on a piece for…
From the Hum: Saturday stoner rock, singers and songwriters
Tonight, Flagstaff’s Greco provide the Euro-pop and Seattle’s Ancient Warlocks (!!!) bring the stoner rock to the Alibi for another $5, 21-and-over show that’ll keep you up late as the music doesn’t start till 11 p.m. or so. Fans of Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age should make a point to get out to this…
Tattoos with a Cause
Is it time to cover your ex’s initials? Or that Chinese character that does NOT mean double happiness? Lucky for you, Primate Tatu in Eureka is doing $25 cancer ribbon tattoos from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Proceeds go to children’s cancer research and treatment. So you’re kind of a jerk if you…
What’s a Bobarazzi?
Just so you’re in on the lingo, Bobarazzi is a made-up word based on another made-up word, paparazzi. Fellini coined it in La Dolce Vita to describe pesky photographers chasing after celebrities. (There was even a character named Paparazzi in the movie.) The news cameramen used flash cameras that made a popping sound — there’s…
Not Every Park Is Shut!
Dearest citizens of the U.S. of A., Yes, your national park system units are shut down for as long as your national government is in powerdown mode. Rage against the closures if you must; we’ve heard, back-channel, that some people want to storm Samoa Beach — the portion operated by the Bureau of Land Management…
Sheriff Downey: ‘It Sickens Me What’s Happening to Our County’
Members of the Buckeye Conservancy gathered along with HSU faculty, local business owners and timber industry professionals last night for a presentation by Sheriff Mike Downey on the impact of industrial marijuana grows. “It sickens me to see what’s happening to our county,” said Downey. In a 20-minute slideshow presentation the sheriff illustrated the environmental…
Pie vs. Brownie
Have cupcakes had their moment? Is it time for another dessert to step up to the plate? Got a tip about the Very Berry pie at Ferndale Pie Company (543 Main St., Ferndale), specifically the crumb-topped one. (If you have a lead on a favorite dish in Humboldt, now would be a good time for…
Smudge Factor
Pastels beat chalk any day. As a medium, pastels have all the artistic cred of oil paint and all the childhood fun of crayons and finger painting combined. Pastels on the Plaza is back in Arcata Saturday — what, already? Yes, the weather this summer threw you off, but it’s October now. Put your hoodie…
You’d Better Sit Down
Quickly — if you’re an early bird who picked this up on Wednesday, know that the Jambalaya has Shigeto, Beacon and Nitemoves tonight. You dig electronica, minimalist R&B-influenced instrumentation and explorations of the way simple melodies and rhythms can grow into more complex relationships? Great. You’ll want to be there. Showtime’s at 10 p.m., more…
Fortuna First Friday
Find art, music and fun in downtown Fortuna on the first Friday of every month, 6-9 p.m. Artists interested in participating should contact fortunadowntown@sbcgobal.net. BARTOW’S JEWELERS 651 12th St. Charles Fred Reed, photography. COAST CENTRAL CREDIT UNION 1814 Main St. Paula Anderson, Louise Bacon-Ogden, Haley Hicks, Paula Redtfledt, Abbie Perrott and Natalya Drew. Demonstrations, food…
Green-eyed Cops
We get a lot of press releases here at the Journal, a steady drip of emails announcing everything from ribbon-cuttings to dance recitals to (let’s see what’s at top of my inbox here) a Holiday Gift Guide pitch for German-made electric irons. (Eat your heart out, Clark Kent.) Our favorites by far are law enforcement…
Man Up
Reviews DON JON. My affinity for Joseph Gordon-Levitt predisposed me to enjoy this, his debut as writer-director. Add in the ubiquitous trailer with its hypnotic repetition and slick pacing, and I had set up some mighty high expectations. The actual movie is entertaining and enjoyable, and I liked it very much, but in a different…
Hounding for Huckleberries
There is no shortage of huckleberry products out there: I have encountered huckleberry candy and huckleberry barbecue sauce, and last week I drank some huckleberry tea. They’re all disappointing. Nothing matches the taste of an actual, freshly picked huckleberry. These tiny blue-black orbs take forever to ripen, but they have a unique tangy-sweet flavor that…
Child’s Play
through autumn air the children make their froggy leaps into frosted pools of leafy joy spent summer shade splashes red as windblown cinders soft as ash and laughter lapping at the edge of evening
The Air on Mars
That last breath you took? You can thank the Earth’s magnetic field for it. Without the field, researchers believe that solar wind (energetic protons and electrons streaming out from the sun) would have stripped much of the air from our planet long ago. For the field, you can thank the giant, molten ball of iron…
First Saturday Night Arts Alive!
Presented by the Humboldt Arts Council and Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and performances are held the first Satruday of each month. For more information, phone Eureka Main Street at 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org 1. EUREKA INN 518 Seventh St. Lauren Cogan Jones, mixed media. 2. HUMBOLDT ARTS COUNCIL at the…
Faire Thee Well
Editor: Good day to all of the Lords and Ladies of the North Coast Journal. As founder of the Excalibur Medieval Tournament and Market Faire I send words of praise and gratitude for your coverage of our event. And many thanks to Jennifer Fumiko Cahill for the wonderful Sept. 26 article “Going Medieval” and her…
Trinidad Art Night
The last Trinidad Art Night of the year! 1. TRINIDAD TRADING COMPANY 460 Main St. Locally crafted art. Music by Kahish Kverda. 2. WINDANSEA 410 Main St. Local art and gifts. 3. TRINIDAD MUSEUM 400 Janis Court at Patricks Point Dr. “Large Baskets from the Permanent Collection,” and “Photographs of Native Americans of Northwest California.”…
Jesus Abuse
Editor: Kudos to Bill Herman and Jean Damon for their letters in the Sept. 26 issue. I agree with the sentiments expressed. Jesus is not to be conveniently used by people when it suits their agenda. John Chiv, Eureka
‘Is-ism’
Editor: I’m willing to admit I may be incorrect. It’s been over 20 years since I last taught English 100 or substituted in a local high school, junior high school, or middle school English/language arts class. But your recent lead story title “Water’s for Fighting” (Sept. 19) left me befuddled. I further admit that due…
Worse Than Weeds
Editor: Genevieve Schmidt needs to add reason number 11 to her very enjoyable rant against hideous landscape fabric: It does not go away (“Why I Hate Landscape Fabric,” Sept. 19). After it shreds into a disgusting tangle, somebody has to pull it up and haul it to the landfill where it remains forever and a…
A Better Best
Editor: I was reading the “Best of Humboldt” choice list (see page 7) and did not see anything in relation to conscious living/health topics. I am sure most of us would love to see a “Best of Healthy Humboldt” that includes massage therapists, doctors, healthy restaurants, healing schools/institutions, yoga teachers/classes, martial arts, meditation teachers/classes, etc.…
Pissed-o
Editor: Brief research into the history and etymology of the word pesto reveals a different story than opined in the recent article, “Pesto Goes Rogue” (Sept. 19). Like many culinary icons pesto derives its name from the vessel in which it is originally made (paella, catapalana, terrine, tart, etc.), in this case the mortar and…
How You Like Them Apples?
The Apple Harvest Festival in Fortuna pays weekend-long tribute to the humble, versatile, universally loved apple. Right now, someone is objecting and saying he or she hates apples. Wrong. You’re forgetting apple pie, apple-smoked bacon, caramel apples, apple fritters, apple martinis (oh, don’t turn your nose up — we saw you in the ’90s), green…
Glue Gun Show
Does this look trashy? Good. The Kinetic Kouture: Fashion with a Re-purpose battle royale is going down at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Eagle House Inn ($10, $7 if you BYO non-disposable cup). In this benefit for the Kinetic Universe, contestants glue, sew, rip and recycle refuse for the runway, hoping to be crowned Trashionista…
The Day the Music Died
At home, or in your car, radio’s free. You may have to sit through some insufferable ads between songs, or you may feel compelled to donate to your local public station, but once you’ve bought the box, you can hear all the songs you want from the airwaves. But turn on a radio for customers…
An Extraordinary “Oddist”
If you’re a regular at Eureka’s Arts! Alive, you’ve surely seen him. He’s the older guy with a ponytail wearing a full motorcycle helmet and pausing to examine each and every work of art he comes across. His signature monthly appearance may be unmistakable, but underneath that magenta and silver helmet, the artist Orr Marshall…
