‘Unprecedented’
A generous donation has Fortuna High’s music program reaching for the high notes By Thadeus Greenson
Cover Story
‘Unprecedented’
Ron Samuels is walking through Marimba One’s sprawling shop off O Street in Arcata. The place is filled with the whir of industrial fans and a constant pinging from five separate tuning stations spread through the facility, where tuners are hitting rosewood keys with custom mallets and grinding layers from their undersides until they find…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, May 29
Chris Pureka is a singer-songwriter from Portland whose music is layered in certain country essentials (lap steel, acoustic guitar, shuffling rhythms) that offset the folkier aspects of their general approach — especially the singing — to deliver a vibe that is both rooted and ethereal. It’s a nice trick, if you can pull it off,…
UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed in Last Week’s Crash ID’d
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Corner’s Office has identified the 66-year-old pedestrian killed May 22 as Eureka resident David Sprague, according to a news release from the Eureka Police Department. The multi-car crash remains under investigation, the release states, and witnesses are being asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) at (707) 441-4300. PREVIOUS: The Eureka Police…
Judge Kreis ‘Censured and Barred’ in Agreement to Close Ethics Case
Former Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Greg Kreis has resolved the ethics complaint lodged against him by the Commission on Judicial Performance, admitting to 17 charges that he violated the code of judicial ethics and agreeing to be publicly censured, resign his position and never seek judicial office again. Kreis, whose campaign to retain the…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, May 28
I’ve been hearing talk about a new “coming weekly” thing, which, by the time you read this, will have already kicked the bugs out of its inauguration and will be ready to roll on through the arc of its lifespan. I’m talking about the Beer Pong Open Mic at the Eureka Vets Hall, which looks…
Music Tonight: Monday, May 27
Oakland’s Sugar Candy Mountain trades in all things vintage and psychedelic, from the soul sounds of Shuggie Otis to early Krautrock and Brazilian tropicalia, with the well- tempered musical clutch of a duo tuned instinctively to the transmission of cross-genre vibes. They’ll be laying and playing it out tonight at the Miniplex for an early…
Music Tonight: Sunday, May 26
Hawaiian slack-key guitarist, wide-range singer and multi-instrumentalist Led Kaapana returns to our county to share the sounds he has made famous for most of his 75 years on the planet. I’m lucky enough to have seen him live before and will confirm he is a master of his form in every sense of the word,…
Music, Law Enforcement and Linguiça
This week we’ve got a feel-good story about how a groundbreaking Fortuna woman’s life was changed by music and the legacy she left to Fortuna High School. We’re also looking at what civilian oversight for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department would mean. Finally, all the salty, spicy details from the Portuguese linguiça cook-off. Hit subscribe…
Music Tonight: Saturday, May 25
It’s Kinetic kick-off day, and there are a lot of officially sanctioned diversions and pleasures to be found from now until Monday, which I will leave to the side for your discretion. One off-the-books gig I will mention is happening on the race route near the Manila Community Center at 1 p.m., where Black Plate,…
Music Tonight: Friday, May 24
There are two separate local indie rock band shows tonight that are worth your time, only one of which you can choose due to both occurring at 9 p.m., and the limiting nature of the hours in our particular dimension of reality. Wild Abandon is playing a free one over at the Logger Bar if…
Glory Days are Here Again
Summer’s unofficial kick-off starts this weekend with everyone’s favorite art-in-motion jaunt through the streets, dunes and waters of Humboldt County. Slather on the sunscreen and get ready to follow your team with the fervor of a Deadhead — the Kinetic Grand Championship is here. Start at the Arcata Plaza on Saturday, May 25, to watch…
Last Call for Soup at Japhy’s
Tera Mar and Kate Manley showed up at 10 a.m. to stake out the first spot in line for a last meal from Japhy’s Soup and Noodles today. The restaurant announced its closure this week after a quarter century in business and the line for its final lunch service stretches up the block to Northtown…
Music Tonight: Thursday, May 23
It’s the warm-up to one of the most cherished long weekends of the year, and depending on your personal calendar, this evening might even be considered a tailgating countdown to kickoff. If you are looking for some easy fun, go check out Low Class Jazz at the Basement at 8 p.m. The name really says…
How the Linguiça is Made
Earlier in the day, there was some dispute as to how much Pabst Blue Ribbon to add to the cast iron pan of linguiça chunks Ariel Peugh is stirring. Given the cooling effects of the breeze outside the Ferndale Community Center, where five teams are grilling, boiling and simmering for the Linguiça Cook-off, some of…
mRNA Vaccines vs. the Pandemic
“I knew that [mRNA] can be used for everything and I had a kind of a Cassandra feeling, that I can see the future and nobody believes me.” Katalin Karikó, winner, with Drew Weissman, of the 2023 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine I was overjoyed when, late last year, the Nobel committee announced…
Establishing Secure Connection
An Iranian cartoonist, a French gallerist and an American art writer walk into Old Town, Eureka. OK, so not exactly, but kind of. Within a few minutes of stepping into Epitome Gallery to see the provocative and emotional pen and ink drawings by Kian Rad Pouyan, I was talking with him, face to digitized face…
Could it be
Could it be Could it be I’d forgotten During the long months Of clouds and fog Forgotten the unbelievable bliss Of falling into the Infinite depth Of a clear sky full of stars On a warm night ✨ Dottie Simmons
Trinidad Art Night
Featuring Barking Dogma at the Saunders Park bandstand and Ponies of Harmony in Trinidad Town Hall. This town-wide walk includes a variety of live music, artist receptions, crafts, face painting, skate ramps, pop-up sales, oyster, cider or wine tastings, and more. Presented by Forbes & Associates – Sarah Corliss; produced by Westhaven Center for the…
A New Brain‘s Snappy Synapses
Director, actor, choreographer and wicked talent Alex Blouin let the new Redwood Curtain production of A New Brain marinate for years. Her persistence and ambition in getting this charming musical produced by Redwood Curtain Theatre finally comes to fruition in a spectacular way at 5th and D Street Theater. With star-studded local theater familiars, beautiful stage…
Youthful Escapades
Attentive readers will note the conspicuous omission of this weekend’s new releases from this column; fair enough and an explanation may be in order. First and most importantly, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black looks pretty bad. I hope I’m wrong and it is actually a delicately crafted, insightful examination of a troubled,…
Grand Jury Recommends Civilian Oversight of Sheriff’s Office
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury is calling on the county to implement a layered system of police oversight of the sheriff’s office similar to a model being used in Eureka. “The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the board of supervisors establish a civilian oversight board to review, report on and make recommendations…
Hardcore UFO’s
Well, it’s finally here, Memorial Day weekend, which locally means the Kinetic Sculpture whatever it’s called these days. The weather looks promising, and this stuff is always fun, a welcome diversion and genuinely organic article of regional fun that hasn’t been digested by the tasteless acid pit of global consumerism (yet). I’m looking forward to…
‘Such a Relief’
Editor: Such a relief it was to read Thadeus Greenson’s interview with CPH’s Chief of Staff Mark Johnson (“False Narratives,” May 16). Given the administration’s behavior in the last month — a weeks-long “hard” campus closure, a loud helicopter circling overhead for hours, police officers hauled in from all over the state — I personally…
‘Not Protesting’
Editor: Regarding the Pro-Palestinian protests at Cal Poly, my perception is that there exists an arrogant, myopic attitude on the part of many of these protesters (“In Defense of the Occupation of Siemens Hall,” May 16). Protesting is a viable action and I fully support its value, but barricading and vandalizing the infrastructure is not…
‘Lost the High Ground’
Editor: The purpose of peaceful assembly, protected by the Bill of Rights, and proven effective in struggles from Indian independence to the Civil Rights Movement in America, is totally lost on the “protesters” at Cal Poly Humboldt. The point of peaceful protest is to highlight an issue, gain sympathy from the citizenry and promote change.…
‘Enabling an Antisemitic Moment’
Editor: No antisemitism at CalPoly? A majority of Jewish students surveyed in the U.S. said there was threatening and derogatory language toward Jewish people; faculty abusing their authority in support of the anti-Israel protests. Is CalPoly an exception? Not according to statements from Jewish students there. The campus protesters are likely not antisemitic. But that is…
