Roselit Bone is back in town. This Portland band is one of the few acts I have had the pleasure of seeing live from the early days of covering this beat and that just gets better every time. For those unfamiliar, imagine an ensemble act with a heavy Western vibe, like a less jittery Wall […]
Strix Vega
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Music Tonight: Saturday, March 2
Returning Humboldt County pop rock champions The Ian Fays are posting up at the Shanty tonight at 8:30 p.m. for Arts Alive. Popular hybrid rockers Strix Vega has dusted off the amps to join in on the jams, and a group named Rad Bromance, about whom I know near to nothing, has signed on for […]
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Weakness is a Thing Called Man
The early 17th century Christian mystic Jacob Boehme, whom Hegel called “the first German Philosopher,” wrote about the paradox of the human mind trying to hear the voice of God, noting that silence from the self is the key. “Your own hearing, willing, and seeing hinder you, so that you do not see or hear […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Thursday, July 27
Humboldt Folklife continues in the fair town of Blue Lake and better people than myself have reported on the details. I’m here to suggest a free after-show at the Logger Bar at 9 p.m., where local carved burl sound dealers Strix Vega and Oaktop will be auctioning the jams for those lucky enough to have […]
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Nuclear Summer
I watched Oppenheimer this weekend and, as current movies aren’t my beat, I’m not going to comment on the film itself, except to say that “Property is theft” is a Proudhon quote, not from Marx. I felt a lot of things about the movie and, ultimately, left thinking about how depressed George Orwell was by […]
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Music Tonight: Saturday, May 27
Seattle’s Some Surprises is a dream pop outfit fronted by songwriter Natasha El-Sergany, whose tunes jingle and jangle with a pleasant and resonant hum. Let me break cover for a moment and take you through a walk behind the proscenium arch of the Miniplex, where I have in the lost, dewy past played music, served […]
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You Can’t Fight in the War Room
I’ve always found it kind of odd that we call it Memorial Day, since the American consciousness is generally incapable of attaching memory to reflection in a way that serves as a reliable monument to the past. We tend to expand grievances while bumping out facts in favor of a national mythology incompatible with an […]
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A Wee Touch of the Lurgy
I have what I am telling myself is a slight cold. Maybe it has something to do with my multi-generational associates: My friend’s absurdly cute baby seemed a little snottier than usual when I picked her up the other day and I will tell you that nothing is more likely to Trojan Horse disease into […]
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Ascending
Well, I made it home. And after 1,700 miles on a circuitous route from here to Escondido and back, I can now say with some authority that anyone who lives south of Willits is completely out of their mind. I did manage to enjoy myself a bit, however. Sleeping in the band room of the […]
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In and Out of Love
I am tired and the delightful Les McCann reissue from 1966 I am listening to nonstop is putting me down at the coda of a long working day. So instead of blathering, I will share a quick thought with you: As much as I like this record, I’m glad people don’t just casually write break-up […]
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Pictures of Lily
Twee Thursday You can tell by the photo that Humboldt County will love Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys. She’s adorable, like the girl you had a crush on in grade school. The guys are attractive and sincere-looking in that way that only young people wearing natural fibers can be. The beards probably do not keep […]