Swing by the Basement tonight at 8 p.m. for a free celebration of the music — and birthdays — of Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, the pioneering jazz violinist and guitarist, respectively, who changed the world of music forever beginning in the 1930s with their group the Quintette du Hot Club de France, ground zero […]
John Ludington
Posted inMusic
In Heaven Everything is Fine
Every so often in the course of my time manning the nightlife section in this paper, I find myself in the unenviable position of having to note the passing of an artist, whether local or more famous. It’s never a fun thing, but I consider it an essential aspect of the job, as “all hands […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Saturday, May 11
John Ludington is generally known in the area as one of our more versatile bassists and singers, providing rhythm and back-up for Canary and the Vamp, or holding it down as one quarter of Absynth Quartet, our beloved oddball jam act, so you know right from the jump here he’s got chops. However, what you […]
Posted inMusic
Hard to Describe
Describing a band’s sound without turning to cliché or meaningless phrases can be a challenge. Press releases ring with adjectives and promises that would also work for wine or new shades of nail polish. For example, from this week’s highlights: “full of grace and style,” “idiosyncratic,” “an incomparable fusion,” “cutting edge” and “fuse together to […]
Posted inArts + Scene
From the Hum: Tonight! Steve Poltz, legendary music, all-round cool guy
And here’s yet another excellent show brought to us by the indefatigable Chris Parreira. This time it’s Southern California’s Steve Poltz, long beloved as both a solo artist and with cult legends the Rugburns, playing with the one, the only, John Ludington, perhaps Humboldt County’s most unique songwriter and always endearing performer. (Also in Absynth […]
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Early Christmas
Hope you enjoyed last week’s bit of a break, dear readers, because we’re barreling down full bore into the holidays now and your things-to-do-places-to-go-people-to-see list isn’t getting any shorter. The good news is there’s a lot of good news, at least when the news is about the fine, fine selection of musical geniuses vying for […]