It’s the last Thursday of the last month before the summertime, which means our options are usually some mix of scant and quaint, so let’s spin the wheel and see what pops up. OK, how about the Open Mic Jam at the Logger Bar, hosted by Soul Trip, starting, I’m guessing, after 7 p.m. and […]
the Basement
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Music Tonight: Thursday, April 18
Local guitar playing and soothsaying storyteller Anna Hamilton brings her trio and its blues to the Basement tonight for a free recitation at 8 p.m. I remember her tunes and chatter fondly from the good old days at the Clam Beach Inn (RIP), where she’d take over a corner and fill the barroom with her […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday, April 11
The Basement continues its hit parade of steady weekly shows featuring killer local acts. Tonight’s feature is the jazz fusion group RLAD, which, when I saw them last in 2023 was composed of Tim Randles on keyboard, Ken Lawrence on bass, Mike LaBolle on drums and Doug Marcum on drums. Skilled players, all of them, […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday, April 4
The Alley Cats, also known as the Opera Alley Cats when they play the Speakeasy on that street, are a fine jazz group of varying size depending on who is up for the gig. However large or small, these cats know their stuff, and provide an excellent cool jazz atmosphere for the lucky folks in […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday, March 14
Sansfu is a portmanteau word for sans Tofu, which isn’t a menu option, but rather a reference to the members of Absynth Quartet when they are performing without the drummer (his nickname is Tofu, you see). However, the plot thickens tonight at the Basement because the group is working with some additions: new mandolin player […]
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Music Tonight: Wednesday, Feb. 14
Depending on what your personal belief system involves, today is either just another hump day (I mean the middle of the week, not the other thing), the beginning of Lent and/or the most romantic day of the year. I make no judgment, only merely speculate that there are a lot of different ways to perceive […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday, Feb. 8
The Basement hosts one of Humboldt County’s musical oddities this evening at 8 p.m., a little trio-plus called The Blueberry Hill Boogie Band. I say “trio-plus” because in addition to the fine musicians on hand, there’s a homemade jukebox that allows the audience to pick tunes from the group’s expansive songbook of pop, rock and […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday, Jan. 18
Here’s a couple of shows with no cover if you are looking for some entertainment that won’t drain your resources for the coming weekend. At 7 p.m. at the Logger Bar, Bayou Swamis member and scene stalwart Jeff Landen brings the oomph and va-voom to a songbook of tunes — original and otherwise — that […]
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Music Tonight: Saturday, Dec. 30
The Arcata Playhouse is presenting a New Year’s Eve Eve Party tonight at 7:30 p.m. The evening starts off with a variety show featuring some of the regular Playhouse players, including but not limited to: Jackie Dandeneau, Julie Fulkerson, David Ferney, Peggy Martinez, James Zeller and others. After that, it’s a dance party amid the […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday: Dec. 28
Here begins the long weekend to the New Year. I’ll be frontloading these days, especially the big evening itself, because, as is often the case, there are ghost days in the very start of January. Not tonight though, as you will find Swingo Domingo at the Basement putting on a free set of jazzy swing […]
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Music Tonight: Friday, Dec. 22
Big 8 is playing the Basement tonight at 9 p.m. What is Big 8, you ask? Why it’s a New Orleans/Southern soul, blues and vintage country band helmed by a crew of the following local allstars: Jeff Landen, Paul DeMark, Robert Franklin and Justin Brown. No cover charge, so plenty of pocket money to spare […]
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Back Down to the Basement
After a brief run, the Basement was shuttered by the pandemic and the space that once housed Abruzzi’s below Plaza Grill, just under the slope of the Arcata Plaza, spent years dormant. According to the jazz lounge’s manager Dillon Savage, he approached owner Bill Chino about reopening the club after a couple of other ventures […]