My country is raining death upon one of the largest and oldest cities in the world, and as one of the apparently few genetically abnormal American mutants who experiences grief and empathy, even for total strangers, this has gotten to me. Heavily. Let me distract myself with a little housecleaning. When I wrote years ago that western liberal democracy is a mirage and the [REDACTED] won the Cold War, I was sadly on the nose, and any dorks who [REDACTED] whining about it can [REDACTED]. May your next intrusive doubts [REDACTED]. As for any conservatives in the audience, two things. One [REDACTED], and two, because you only experience the world through [REDACTED] levels of selfishness, let me frame this in a way you can understand: Your preferred party that controls the country is currently exploding the deficit to hike your gas prices and cost of living. What’s likely coming economically has the potential to be powerful enough to drill through the [REDACTED] obliviousness surrounding your [REDACTED] existence to actually negatively affect you personally. Perhaps [REDACTED] the kind of jolting self-reflection usually associated with military-grade hallucinogens.
As for the rest of you, the majority, dear readers, sorry for the format. It’s not my usual style but I am influenced by the Epstein Files — remember those? — which have been heavily edited by the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] to protect the powerful child-[REDACTED] who are destroying everything beautiful in this world. We are really on our own here, all we have is each other, so talk to your neighbors, grow gardens, learn handy skills and how to [REDACTED], and for the love of [REDACTED] take care of each other. We can do this, but it might get a little [REDACTED] and some really terrible [REDACTED] might have to be thrown screaming into [REDACTED].
Have a lovely week, you beautiful [REDACTED].
Thursday
If you are hankering for some excellent contemporary jazz fusion, tonight’s the night. Over at the Basement at 7:30 p.m., HDMB will be joined by Sheldon Brown, a Bay Area composer and woodwind multi-instrumentalist whose career has straddled the world of live avant jazz and jam rock with energy and innovation. And it’s only $5, which is a total steal.
Friday the 13th
It’s the second of three Fridays the 13th for this year, and with the last one coming up in November, it’s going to be an extended spooky season past Halloween if we are all alive to experience it. If not, extra spooky, I guess. Anywho, there’s 13th bash over at the Eagle House tonight at 8 p.m. featuring young Mendocino County guitar prodigy Bella Rayne and her band rocking their jammy mix of psychedelic, grunge and Southern rock for all comers. Also on tap is the Joe Marcinek Band. Tickets are going for $20 for early birds, $25 at the door and a VIP package for $50.
Saturday
I went to see some friends jam at the Kaptain’s Quarters play a fun set recently, and in the true half-assed friend energy for which I am known, I forgot the band’s name. Todd’s something or other. Sorry, Corbin and Logan — you’ve known me long enough to understand the deal by now. Regardless, I enjoyed being in the space again and wanted to promote a gig there, so here we are. There’s an indie rock showcase starting at 7:30 p.m. called Pennies and Friends Vol. II, featuring Kieler Avery, Kasper KH, Pennies for Pluto, Luna Sofia and My Ex Wife. A suggested donation of $5 is mentioned on the flyer. Enjoy.
Sunday
Savage Henry Comedy Club has a dark post-disco, post-punk DJ spun dance show presented by Dastbunny tonight at 7 p.m. For $10 you can duck and groove to tunes curated by Tiffadelic, Yama Uba, DJ Datura Prime and Trakmar.
Monday
Humbrews is back at it again with a Grateful Dead-adjacent act. Tonight’s stars are The Garcia Project, a national touring act that painstakingly recreates exact setlists from the live history of the Jerry Garcia Band, which, you can imagine, hasn’t been doing much on stage since Jerry Garcia’s death 30 years ago. If you want to relive some old times or enjoy a collective flashback to a memory you don’t yet have, come through at 8:30 p.m. and plunk down $30 or plan ahead and get your $25 advance ticket earlier.
St. Patrick’s Day
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. St. Patrick’s Day is back again, a rare cross-cultural experience that Americans have chosen to celebrate in our truly stupid custom of polluting all meaning into an inebriated all-day war of attrition and orgy of crude stereotypes the scope of which won’t be seen again until Cinco de Mayo. Not a favorite holiday of mine, obviously, but one which I am happy to report on this year because there’s a great show to plug. Some top-notch local musicians have come together to form The Rebel Liberties, a tribute act to the Celtic rock powerhouse band Flogging Molly. It’s all going down at the Basement tonight at 8 p.m. sharp, with two sets, no opener and $10 at the door. No pre-sale tickets, so first come, first serve this fun bash.
Wednesday
In the midst of the disgusting hell on earth being unleashed in Iran by America and its murderous client state, it’s easy to forget the same belligerents are also still executing an ongoing genocide in Gaza. It’s probably going to be illegal soon to discuss these horrors or do anything other than parrot the fascist talking points burbling from the managerial demons currently destroying the world under the banner of freedom, so the least we can do is gather, observe and pitch in aid. You can do all of the above with the Shine a Light on Palestine spring film series, which starts tonight at the Minor Theatre at 7 p.m. with All That’s Left of You, a multi-generational story about a Palestinian family with a narrative that spans from the Nakba to the current ethnic cleansing of the West Bank. Tickets are a sliding scale $10-$20, and the money goes towards aid to families in Gaza, so dig deep. Don’t turn away, and don’t let anyone shame you for having a conscience, a solidarity with the dispossessed and downtrodden, and a heart that beats with all of humanity.
Collin Yeo (he/him) is [REDACTED]. Hopefully not permanently.
This article appears in Granny Rage on Women’s Day.