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I planned on writing something about the environment in this intro to fit the theme of this week's issue but, like many of you, I spent Monday watching the immolation of Notre Dame Cathedral. So I am listening to a recording of madrigals by the 16th century Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and thinking about dead air and sacred spaces. KHSU being shuttered in the cold interest of budgeting was a cruel blow to our community last week and now the horror of this fire in the City of Lights has got me down. Maybe there will be a resurrection twist in both stories — certainly France will rebuild what's left of Our Lady (I am reading hopeful reports of relics, artwork and edifice saved) and surely Arcata won't just let its community radio station die a fiduciary death. Expanding some orders of magnitude to the largest and holiest site we have, our mother the planet, I wonder this: Surely we won't wake up one day to find the air hot and silent, and our world burning only because of a psychotic devotion to the petro-dollar. We'll correct our course before making that hellish burnt offering, right? We'll realize how precious clean water, a living ocean and all the wildness of Heaven and Earth truly is, right? Certainly we won't let armed men and indifferent leaders chaperone us through the loss and wreckage of our world.
Right?
Thursday
Poppo & Baloney and the Dream Circus is an original multimedia play at the Sanctuary today at 7 p.m. Following the adventures of a boy named Poppo and his imaginary pet turtle Baloney, the story is a visual collage told by musicians, dancers and puppeteers, featuring members of The Comix Trip and students from Dell'Arte. This family-friendly show is free for children under 12 years of age and a sliding-scale door donation of $10-$25 for everybody else.
Friday (First night of Passover)
The Redwood Jazz Alliance closes down its concert season with a show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art tonight at 8 p.m. ($15, $10 students and seniors). Bassist and former Humboldtian — Humbolshevik? Humboldtipudlian? — Shao Way Wu teams up with pianist Randy Porter and drummer Gabe Porter to present songs from Salting, the album by the eponymous project and trio featuring Wu, Randy Porter and Portland drummer Jason Palmer. This should be an exciting concert in a beautiful setting.
Saturday (4/20 duuuuuuuuuude)
It's the magical marijuana holiday and I am going to ignore my personal grumpiness toward Grateful Dead-adjacent projects and suggest an obvious, appropriate and likely very fun show for your smoky, green evening. Melvin Seals and JGB is a jam band fronted by the longtime organist of the Jerry Garcia Band. Tonight at 9:30 p.m. the group hits the Humbrews stage for the second night of its two-night residency. The only question left is which strain you choose to use to positively augment the tunes.
There's a free show over at The Alibi tonight at 11 p.m. for something a little different. The rockin' honkytonk of Side Iron comes together with McKinleyville's own surf-punk act The Flying Hellfish for a night of snappy drums, poppin' bass and twangy guitars in the dark side of Arcata's best dive.
Easter Sunday
On the day of celebration (for some) of the Paschal mystery and the resurrection of the Lord, and the defeat of the forces of death and damnation, it is perhaps fitting that White Manna emerges again in its newest iteration from the clutches of moribundity and slumber to play a live show at 8 p.m. at Siren's Song. The bill is stacked with great acts: profoundly psyched out and cool Carlton Melton, the crepuscular, liminal cowboy hymns of Mister Moonbeam and The Second Set, of whom I know nothing. But I am sure that given the excellent company it keeps, The Second Set will more than rise to the occasion. All of this for a mere $7. This show's the deal of the week.
Monday (Earth Day)
Anoushka Shankar is considered one of the most accomplished sitar players in the world, as well as a tireless interpreter of her famous late father's work. She began studying the instrument with Ravi, 61 years her senior, when still in the single digits and has since performed around the world with instrumental heavyweights like Jean-Pierre Rampal and Joshua Bell. A celebrated composer in her own right, tonight at 7 p.m. she graces the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts in a show that will likely bridge the classical worlds of Indian and European music ($49).
Tuesday
Here's a venue I've never written about: Toby and Jack's is hosting a night of free bluegrass at 9 p.m., when hillbilly trio Three Legged Dog hits an area designated as the stage for some hootin' and possibly a shade of hollerin' as well. Having only gone incognito to some of the DJ-ed Latin and reggae nights at TJ's, I don't quite know what to expect, but I'll bet it's going to be exciting.
Wednesday
Fur Dixon, formerly of the Whirlybirds, the Hollywood Hillbillys and a little cult band called The Cramps brings her new band WTFUKUSHIMA! to the Old Steeple this evening at 7:30 p.m. ($10). With members from Dick Dale's touring band, garage band royalty The Sonics and the Fuzztones, it's a pretty fair guess that tonight's show will have a little more attitude than most that come through the erstwhile church.
Full show listings in the Journal's Music and More grid, the Calendar and online. Bands and promoters, send your gig info, preferably with a high-res photo or two, to [email protected].
Collin Yeo doesn't believe in going into basements with locks on the outside of their doors, swimming in quarries or waterways where lots of teenagers have died, or arguing with climate change deniers. These are all dead ends. He lives in Arcata.
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