I have a lot on my mind and no space to get to any of it with the proper clarity due, so I will instead drop a snapshot. First off, the title of this week’s column comes from my favorite Bill Frisell album Ghost Town, which I am listening to as I’m clacking at the keys. I have also found a great bird watching spot, a place where I can observe a Northern Harrier work its terrifying magic on the local critters without my presence disrupting its hovering swoops. I have also discovered, in the same neighborhood, a Bald Eagle larger than any I have previously seen south of British Columbia. This is a big deal for me, a guy whose life can be measured by watching these glorious monsters do their thing until the sky reminds me of other obligations. I work to live, not the other way around, and living for me has a great deal of moments where I often try to be the stillest animal in the landscape.
Finally, I rewatched — with a dear one — The Straight Story, directed by David Lynch, based on a true story about a man using some tractors to visit his stroke-stricken brother, and often considered his most wholesome and least Lynchian film. Wrong. It is pure Lynch, beautifully acted, shot and directed, and bookended by the vastness of space, one of his constant central themes. The shots are like midwestern paintings, and at the very end Richard Farnsworth and Harry Dean Stanton act with their eyes in a way that is a dying art. Pure humanity. May we all get some doses of that again and again.
And again.
Thursday
The Logger Bar is at it again with a limited run of live theater, this particular stretch going from Tuesday to Sunday. Tonight’s show will be, like every other performance other than the ultimate one on Sunday, at 6 p.m., and will last about an hour. There is limited seating, and tickets cost $23. Oh, and the play is called Logger Legends, Liars and Lookers, so I’d expect a series of vignettes about the various barstool warmers and shitkickers who darkened the doors of this beer hall, gin joint and pressure reliever over its many decades of operation.
Friday
Making good on my promise to keep promoting the shows at the Siren’s Song Tavern as long as the doors remain open and the taps are running, here’s an all-ages, 8 p.m. gig that will satisfy anyone looking for something with a bit of mental in the experimental, and plenty of brilliant electronic and organic psychonaut adventures. Two duos of note in that sweet spot arena of krautrock, psyche and jazz tones will be sharing the stage, with Shiny Eyes headlining and Elegant Humanoid holding pole position. I have seen and enjoyed both of these acts in a variety of places, and can vouch for them without reservation. Speaking of reservations, don’t worry about that or even a door price, as this gig is as free as the night sky.
Saturday
If you missed last night’s sonic orgasmatron at the Eagle House, fear not, for the second evening is afoot tonight at 9 p.m. I’m talking about the return of long-revered — around here — retro, electro, hillstomp act Beats Antique, whose sound harkens back to a more innocent time when a certain quasi-illegal economy held up a rather vibrant music scene for the locals and seasonal world visitors to enjoy alike. Also on the bill are DJs Blancatron, Zero One and Dragonfly to keep the vibes rolling throughout the double-night affair. If you are only interested in one of these shows, then tickets will run you $40 at the door, $35 in advance and $50 for a VIP experience. If you feel like doubling your pleasure, you can catch both nights for $50 or a double-night VIP for $80. Enjoy.
Sunday
Asheville, North Carolina’s Toubab Krewe have been riding the rails of the instrumental jam scene for two decades, propelled by a unique mix of fusion, African rhythms and good ol’ improvisational jam rock. A favorite in the college and festival scene, these fellas have something in the way of magic when it comes to bringing a unique light to a fairly clustered genre of starlight beams and lasers. You can catch ’em tonight at Humbrews at 8:30 p.m., where $25 will get you stageside, $5 less if you buy in advance.
Monday
I don’t have any children and by the time you are reading this, I will have carved another notch into my early 40s. Age, my general temperament and economic status puts the likelihood of offspring ever lower on the actuary board. Which is fine; I’m at least one special niece’s favorite uncle and a fairly decent cat dad, which works fine with my disposition. That being said, I’m going to drift into some unknown territory here and recommend a gig that’s strictly for the kiddos and their patient parents. Apparently, there’s a very popular series of children’s books illustrated and co-written by a chap named James Dean — not that one, obviously — called Pete the Cat, and the enterprise has turned into a minor industry including live musical storytelling, as far as I can tell. Anyway, a certified production of said material will be rolling through the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts today at 6 p.m. Tickets are $23 for kids 16 and under (although I can’t imagine too many surly teenagers will be in a froth to fill the seats) and $32 for the adults and parental units chaperoning the younger set. Enjoy.
Tuesday
The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet — and drums — are an interesting group, as are most of the musical caravans who drift through the oasis of the Arcata Playhouse. Named in homage to the late, pioneering, transgender saxophonist Billy Tipton, this all-female sax quartet — again, with drums added — has a wide range of styles at their flesh-to-metal fingertips, spanning the language of world music and jazz, from big-band standards to modern free improvisational spirals. From the roots to the sky, this stuff hits. And 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night isn’t much of an ask, nor is the $20 entrance fee.
Wednesday
OK, I’ll admit it; as much as I enjoy reporting on sci-fi night at the Arcata Theatre Lounge, tonight’s offering has actually “stumped the band.” Meaning that, despite my general knowledge of all things B-movie, cult and otherwise, I haven’t seen Forbidden World, which is pretty rare for an R-rated space flick that came out in the year I was born. I did, however, watch the trailer, which suggests an exploitation flick trying to ride the coattails of Alien a few years too late, and with pacing and subtlety traded in for flesh and gore. However, I am nothing if not a complete sucker for practical effects and this one appears to have the goods. I can’t quite endorse it but I will say that it looks like an ugly good time. Same deal as usual: Get your seats between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., and cough up $6, or $10 for the added pleasure of a poster.
Collin Yeo (he/him) is a dangerous radical because he believes people deserve the chance to live in dignity and peace. He will continue to state this position after it becomes illegal to do so, come what may.
This article appears in There’s a Fish Market Splashing into Eureka.