Photo by Wingspan Media/Courtesy of the artist
Rosalind Parducci plays the Westhaven Center for the Arts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14.
It's been an active week for a news junkie like myself. Johnathan Franzen took a backheel approach to climate change in the pages of the New Yorker and, in doing so, cemented for all time the terminal uselessness of the establishment liberal position on nearly any topic. A brave banjo-wielding man busted the crap out of the charging bull statue on Wall Street, exposing its hollow core — an act millions of us could peacefully replicate on any given day in the streets of this country to pop the thin balloon-skin of the death cult of capitalism. Our president redrew the lines of a hurricane to justify the stupid eruptions of his stupid brain, as his administration hastily redrew the rules to deny sanctuary for Bahamian climate refugees fleeing Hurricane Dorian. Make no mistake, this is evil fascist bullshit but with the added patina of an emperor without clothes. The people running this country are actively lying to you to prop up a demented White Power King. I'm not a fan of bullshit, so forgive me if I say it like it is: This really sucks and many people will die because of this racist cruelty.
Meanwhile, we have ourselves, each other and our community. We have art and music. Don't you ever let even a bit of that go. Cede no ground because even the little things matter more than the stars these days.
Have a great week.
Thursday
Albanie Falletta is a New Orleans-based guitarist who plays the kind of jazz that New Orleans was famous for before the mid-century brought big electric amps and keyboards. It's a backroom mix of Django Reinhardt and Jelly Roll Morton, with a Dixie street swing cool enough to keep your hat cocked and your hips loose. Tonight she brings her very talented band to the Sanctuary for an evening of pre-plastic music at 8 p.m. ($10-$25 sliding scale).
Friday
I'm a sucker for a local music showcase and the Miniplex has been making some nice waves with that very format in the last year or so. Full disclosure: I sometimes work sound or the door for bands here, but I do not allow that fact to interrupt my commitment to professionalism. Sure, I like the place but I only mention shows in this column I think are especially worth going to. I might be living the career-less bullshit reality of the gig economy but I'm no sell-out. And tonight's no-cover lineup seems like a must because I actually haven't heard any of these bands live yet. So if you want to be like me and discover the sounds behind the names Funeral Cops, Firstwife and Tonalites, be sure to show up no later than 10 p.m.
Saturday
The Westhaven Center for the Arts' musician in residence is the uncommonly talented Rosalind Parducci, a guitarist/fiddler whose Gillian Welch obsession has led her to record a cover from Ms. Welch's songbook that I consider to be superior to the original. Rosalind will be showcasing her new developing sounds today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the aforementioned sylvan home of art. Also on display will be the visual artwork of Justine Bartow-Funk. Donations appreciated.
The Little Red Lion has a wicked one on tap tonight. The always amazing Blackplate is joined by the pure Eureka punk-poetics of The Bored Again, as well as Former Chimps. This is going to be a fun show and if I can secure a designated driver, I will likely attend, for abstemious as I may be, the environs demand a bit of a suckle of booze for this writer at least. 9 p.m. ($3).
Sunday
The brothers Pacheco are back in town with their "psychedelic Cumbia punk" sound rolling out of the tight machine of their band Tropa Magica. You can catch the magic tonight at the Arcata Playhouse at 8 p.m. with local Latinx surf warriors Los Dune Bums. This show is free to Humboldt State University students and a mere $10 for the rest of us listless squids.
Monday
Daniel Rodriguez is the ace in the pocket, back-up player for Colorado's jam-folk scene band Elephant Revival, sadly now on hiatus. Tonight he's bringing his considerable solo-songwriting abilities to Humbrews. Melodious guitar lines await those who enter the club tonight at 9:30 p.m. ($15, $12 advance).
Tuesday
The Minor Theatre is celebrating the third anniversary of its re-opening after a big-time remake/remodel with three nights of free mystery films in its main screening room. Tonight's film is a "date night" flick, with promises of a "star-studded cast and timeless romance." Based on that description, I can only draw the conclusion that the movie being shown tonight is the 1986 cartoon masterpiece The Transformers: The Movie, a film that contained the last performances of mega-stars Orson Welles and Scatman Crothers, and which cemented my lifelong — and timeless — romance with alien robots. At 6 p.m., open seating.
Wednesday
Oakland duo Silence in the Snow is a synth-y guitar and drum sound machine that creates music which sounds like dance remixes of early '80s tracks from the 4AD record label. Tonight at 8 p.m. they appear at the Siren's Song for a show with local goth vinyl pusher DJ DastBunny (price TBA).
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 music@northcoastjournal.com.
Collin Yeo is a man of few zealous ambitions and petting a cat at least once a day is one of them. He prefers he/him. He lives in Arcata.
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