How about another free rock show at the Shanty tonight? This one is full of local critters, all from the neighborhood of punk and metal, but represent some of the coolest cats on that block. So come through at 9 p.m. and check out the bangin’ and clangin’ of Berk and the Jerx, Ultramafic and […]
Ultramafic
Posted inThe Setlist
Sideways
This one goes to a hard deadline and print on the first Election Day of 2026 for us Californicators, so bear that in mind while reading whatever comes next. Regarding the gubernatorial race, I am tempted to write “whoever wins, we lose,” but that’s not my exact sentiment. I’ll be cautiously optimistic if Tom Steyer […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Monday, June 30
It’s another Metal Monday at Savage Henry Comedy Club, and this line-up looks cool. San Diego’s black/doom group Woods Witch is joined by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s solo black metal violinist Joey Molinaro, along with excellent local acts Ultramafic and Psyop Victim. As ever, the show starts at 7 p.m., it’s a $5-$20 sliding scale, and while […]
Posted inMusic
That Summer Feeling
We live in a culture where apology, a change of temperament or evolving ideological alignment are considered signs of weakness. This seems like an intractable, complex problem, but it’s simple to sidestep when you remember everyone who runs things here is stupid as hell and arrogant to boot, and that you don’t have to be […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Saturday, April 12
I am happy to report that the Siren’s Song Tavern is still up and running, and hosting a wicked and heavy show tonight at 6:30 p.m. Two of my favorite local amp slappers Ultramafic and Psyop Victim will be testing the earthquake retrofitting of the building, while another act I have yet to experience live […]
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Wildegeeses
Last week saw the departure of two very different musicians who have been extremely important to me throughout my life and to a great many other people as well, I would guess. First was Michael Hurley, the outer than outer limits singin’ stranger, with a singularly baffling songwriting skill that worked as an organic lightning […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Friday, Oct. 11
I love a good show at the Arcata Veterans Hall, and tonight’s line-up can’t be beat, especially the headliners. I’m talking about the return of the Bow-Legged Buzzards, my favorite rot-gut country thrashers led by the devil’s own fiddler himself, Phill Irvine. Rounding out the bill are mega-riffsters Ultramafic and Marble Jar, for whom I […]
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John Brown’s Body
I’ve been trying to make sense of how so many people, some of whom I once considered to be moral, ethical, and generally “good eggs,” as Bertie Wooster would say, can’t seem to take a hard line on the genocide our country is currently abetting in Palestine and now Lebanon. Some things don’t have the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Music Tonight: Saturday, May 25
It’s Kinetic kick-off day, and there are a lot of officially sanctioned diversions and pleasures to be found from now until Monday, which I will leave to the side for your discretion. One off-the-books gig I will mention is happening on the race route near the Manila Community Center at 1 p.m., where Black Plate, […]
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Hardcore UFO’s
Well, it’s finally here, Memorial Day weekend, which locally means the Kinetic Sculpture whatever it’s called these days. The weather looks promising, and this stuff is always fun, a welcome diversion and genuinely organic article of regional fun that hasn’t been digested by the tasteless acid pit of global consumerism (yet). I’m looking forward to […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Tip the Band at Bandcamp and Do Some Virtual Busking
Humboldt music fans can still support some of the local bands and musicians they love, even as the bars and venues that host them stand closed. Take for example the grinding sounds of Ultramafic, local talent our Setlist columnist Collin Yeo once referred to as “space-bong lords.” You can find a slice of the band’s […]
Posted inMusic
All of Us
Enough time has passed since Super Tuesday that I feel it necessary to thank Humboldt County specifically and California broadly for voting and generally supporting Bernie Sanders in the democratic primary. Now let’s get the rest of those votes counted fairly and delegates assigned. This primary season isn’t over. Why am I so blunt and […]