Who needs an intro in these short, wet and cold days? By the time I get started the sun will have come and gone and we will all be mocked heartily by the massive frozen charioteers who pull the night across the sky at the bored whim of the gods. (Note: I have never actually […]
Arcata Playhouse
Posted inArts + Scene
Space Force
As a Brit, I’m a sucker for a good pantomime and this year’s offering at the Arcata Playhouse is up there with the best. Robin Hood – Knight of the Stars: A Space-Capade is a space-capade of the highest comedic order. It has everything a good panto should — a ludicrously over-costumed and over-made up […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos from the Arcata Playhouse Holiday Show
The spirit of holiday panto (British traditional winter musical comedy theater) is alive and well at the Arcata Playhouse again this year with Robin Hood – Knight of the Stars: A Space-Capade. A second weekend of shows at 7:30 p.m. will be performed on Dec. 13, 14 and 15 at the Arcata Playhouse ($12, $10 […]
Posted inMusic
Halloween Haunts
It’s the last week of October and you know what that means, fellow Halloweenies. So I am going to keep this intro brief and instead stuff the page with a week of goodies for your social calendar. Get out, have fun and be evil within reason — reason being a rare thing in the spooky […]
Posted inArts + Scene
When Worlds Collide — The Last Weekend of Mad River Festival Theatre
#//<EMBEDDED>//# and Life Beneath the Stars at the Arcata Playhouse, Eli and the Bear at the Carlo Theatre in Blue Lake all challenge our perceptions of reality and our role in the world. #//<EMBEDDED>//# For anyone concerned with humankind’s increasing overlap with, and dependence on, internet-connected machines, this is must-see theatre. The central character, a […]
Posted inArts + Scene
The Papaya Lounge is Ripe for Comedy
The funny, bawdy and sometimes naughty comedy and music show The Papaya Lounge met its goal of turning the Arcata Playhouse into a seedy cabaret nightclub on Saturday, Jan. 27. Velvet Q. Jones (Sarah McKinney) hosted the cabaret, billed as a music, comedy and variety show “with a fruity attitude.” The show was supported with excellent live […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Bar by Bar
They’re both comprised of different sized slats to strike to produce playful melodies. But the marimba, with its double row of wooden bars and metal resonator tubes below, is a far cry from the tinny, rainbow-colored toy you remember from grade school. Instead, it yields a warm, natural resonance like that of an acoustic guitar. […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Grown-up Problems
The Grasshopper and the Aunt Pantomime is a proud European tradition that I’m happy to see gaining a foothold in the U.S., thanks to theatrical funsters like James Peck, Amy Tetzlaff, Alyssa Hughlett and Sarah Peters, the team behind The Grasshopper and the Aunt, the holiday show now playing at the Arcata Playhouse. As with […]
Posted inMusic
Blues, Loops, Peyote Rock and Soulgrass
Thursday Bluegrass returns to the menu at the Mad River Brewery Tap Room this evening around 6 p.m. courtesy of the Compost Mountain Boys. As usual, this is a free show, but that doesn’t mean you can’t throw a few shekels toward the band. The Old Steeple in Ferndale is starting off its season with […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Century Celebration
It took four days to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Creamery Building in Arcata this past week. Building owners Lisa and Brian Finigan, of Arcata, have spent the last 40 years rejuvenating the building and hosting an eclectic mix of tenants in the center of the emerging Creamery District — so they and friends […]
Posted inMusic
Modern History
The music of Jonathan Richman and/or The Modern Lovers showed up on my radar when he started playing shows in Humboldt semi-recently. He has an earned status and a cult following of those in the know about his place in rock ‘n’ roll history. As the frontman and driving force behind The Modern Lovers in […]
Posted inMusic
Rock Rock
Where did “Southern Rock” come from? The easiest answer is “The South” but you already knew that. Things get a bit more complicated after that. With a measure of the blues (from the South), early rock ‘n’ roll (built off the simplicity of the blues) and country music, Southern Rock has mutated and changed over […]