I’m still buzzing from the Napalm Death show last Saturday so I will keep this brief. Have a safe Labor Day weekend and if you go on a trip, look out for the other drivers. And if you stick around, try to catch a few shows because, as that lovely Calvin and Hobbes collection reminds […]
the Jam
Posted inArts + Scene
The Spirit of Mike Lee
It started out as a cold and gray Arcata afternoon. Rain was sprinkling down lightly as I walked into The Jam at 1 p.m. for a memorial “getdown” for cellist Mike Lee, who’d tragically drowned on the last weekend of January while surfing off the coast of Morocco. The stage was set for an ensemble […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Follow the Beat
On any given night, you can follow the sound of music and find yourself a good time in Arcata’s bars, restaurants, clubs and on sidewalks. Here are five rock-solid places to let the sound of local and visiting acts move you. The John Van Duzer Theatre on the Humboldt State University campus is the closest […]
Posted inStories
Follow the Beat
On any given night, you can follow the sound of music and find yourself a good time in Arcata’s bars, restaurants, clubs and on sidewalks. Here are five rock-solid places to let the sound of local and visiting acts move you. The John Van Duzer Theatre on the Humboldt State University campus is the closest […]
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
Folklife and the Trane
Thursday The Humboldt Folklife Festival continues tonight at the Carlo Amphitheatre with “Bluegrass and Beyond” starting at 6 p.m. You’ll hear from locals The Compost Mountain Boys and Clean Livin’ along with the excellent — and formerly local — Jenny Scheinman all playing out in the Blue Lake sunshine. The sun’s been setting about a […]
Posted inMusic
Get the Folk Up
Thursday You might want to start getting comfortable up in Blue Lake in the run up to the Humboldt Folklife Festival. Start off this evening at the Mad River Brewery with folky fiddle tunes from Fingal, which will be starting it up around 6 p.m. and for free. Remember, kids and dogs are welcome, but […]
Posted inMusic
Looking for America
Among the few American songwriters who have profoundly impacted the American Songbook as I hazily define it, most would agree Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan are somewhere toward the top of the list. I wouldn’t be alone in putting Paul Simon way up there, too. With his early songwriting career rooted in folk music and […]
Posted inMusic
4 + 20 More
Humboldt has its own complicated and multifaceted relationship with its best-known cash crop. Whether you are hip enough to call it cannabis or still call it “the dope,” it’s tough to fully appreciate the extent of its influence on our county. I don’t have the space/time/patience to go into depth here in this column but […]
Posted inMusic
Parties, Pre-Parties and Celebrations
Thursday Get your string thing on tonight — sounds dirtier than I planned it — down at The Jam in Arcata where local string bands Thursday Night Bluegrass and The Gatehouse Well take the stage around 9 p.m. for a $5 show. Be prepared to cut a rug. At the famous Logger Bar in Blue […]
Posted inMusic
The Godfather
Just like many of you, I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard James Brown. I was a kid riding along in my mother’s car in the morning with the radio on. Her favorite station would play what they called “golden oldies,” which didn’t mean much to me as an 8-year old. […]
Posted inMusic
Music in the Time of Crisis
Every year it’s harder to tell the next generation borrowing money for college is a good idea. Tuitions are on the rise — imagine them ever going down! — and student loans linger longer and longer. However, one tremendous benefit of college remains: being surrounded by peers who share the sensitivities to the overwhelming and […]