Music, Arts & Culture, North Bay Bohemian

Mountain Hop

Anna Hecht — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

After four decades, a return to Mt. Tam by Anna Hecht Steve Bajor was 17 when he stepped out into the hazy sea of stoned people crowded in the Mountain Theatre. Members of the Hell's Angels had already escorted Jefferson Airplane to the stage atop Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley, and the band proceeded to play its signature psychedelic rock songs.…

'Yeezus' Season

Gabe Meline — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Kanye West's new album by Gabe Meline Kanye, Kanye—petulant child, Kanye. By now we've sent Kanye West to his room so many times that he'd have to eventually emerge with the album of his career, right?…

Both Sides Now

Gretchen Giles — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Marc and Nicole Katano's 'Akin' exhibit strikes a rare, natural balance by Gretchen Giles She captures nature and makes it appear abstract. He makes abstracts that appear to come from nature.…

Outside the Lines

Nadav Soroker — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Artists with disabilities highlighted in four shows by Nadav Soroker The unique art on display at the Gallery of Sea and Heaven, operated by Becoming Independent, is spreading to new locations this summer. Becoming Independent is the largest nonprofit services provider for the North Bay's disabled, and one of is primary programs is ArtWorks.…

Time Is Tight

Richard von Busack — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

'Before Midnight' advances love's messy saga by Richard von Busack Those two young lovers of 1994's Before Sunset——Celine, a Parisienne (Julie Delpy), and Jesse, a Chicagoan (Ethan Hawke)—have aged. In Richard Linklater's Before Midnight, they're successful but burdened middle-agers on vacation in Greece.…

On This Night

David Templeton — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

A new Argentina at the Raven by David Templeton 'Imagine growing up in Argentina," says John DeGaetano, "loving musical theater, knowing all about Eva Peron, hearing the soundtrack to Evita your whole life—a musical that is set in Argentina—and hoping that someday, somehow, you would end up playing that role. "That," he says, "pretty much describes Ana Laura Nicolicchia."…

Northern Lights

Jacquelynne Ocaña — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Getting out of town for the woodsier fests by Jacquelynne Ocaña With summertime come festivals aplenty in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties—but what about the many just a short trip outside the immediate North Bay? Down south, there's Outside Lands, Treasure Island and First City, but if you're like us, you find yourself headed up 101 North at least once a year in an annual migration.…

Steel Reserve

Richard von Busack — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Superman updated, not outdated, in 'Man of Steel' by Richard von Busack It's not your father's Superman, but is it your kid's? Man of Steel reprises the plot of Superman II (1980), with Earth attacked by a squad of evil Kryptonians.…

Big Ideas

Nicolas Grizzle — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

TEDx brings lofty goals to Santa Rosa by Nicolas Grizzle TED talks can be fascinating. Lectures on subjects ranging from neuroscience breakthroughs and motivation techniques to new musical languages dot the top 40 most-viewed talks, with the top one being watched over 16 million times.…

Back on the Block

Gretchen Giles — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Sonoma County Museum ready to expand in more ways than one by Gretchen Giles Back in dim old 2002, I enthused in these pages at enormous length about that unknown time ahead when star architect Michael Maltzan would transform the Sonoma County Museum (SCM) into a 44,000-square-foot, block-long international phenomenon including a James Turrell sky space, an Andy Goldsworthy nature installation and a Gaye LeBaron history room. Foie gras, now so very illegal, was even mentioned as a logical museum cafe food.…

Pick Me!

David Templeton — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Four local plays justify their existence by David Templeton As if we North Bay residents didn't already have too many entertainment opportunities every weekend, local theaters are making it even harder to decide what to do with our spare time. This weekend, four different theater companies open four new shows.…

Dig This Douglas

Nicolas Grizzle — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Down-home dobro as Jerry Douglas plays Napa by Nicolas Grizzle Wanna make it big in the music biz? Get a vest, some wool pants, old shoes and some kind of stringed instrument, sing about something nostalgic, and—boom!…

The Big Night

Gabe Meline — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Announcing the 2013 NorBays and 24-Hour Band Contest! Vote and sign up here. by Gabe Meline Get Ready: the 2013 North Bay Music Awards and 24-Hour Band Contest goes down on Saturday, July 13, at the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa! After the crazy packed success of last year's party—see here for photos and video—how could we not do it again?…

Royalty's Brush

Nicolas Grizzle — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

The art of Miles Davis at Napa Museum by Nicolas Grizzle Miles Davis. The very utterance of the jazz pioneer's name evokes the sound of a muted trumpet, lyrical and soaring.…

Banding Together

Gabe Meline — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

'Real Music' at Oliver's Markets by Gabe Meline There I was, in Whole Foods about six years ago, standing in the checkout line near a small handful of Putumayo and Norah Jones CDs on an impulse rack, when I heard the guy in front of me ask the checker, "Hey, do you know any record stores in town that sell CDs?" "Uh, probably Best Buy," the checker replied, to my astonishment.…

Quality Spending

Jacquelynne Ocaña — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Sebastopol label celebrates triple album release by Jacquelynne Ocaña There's no stopping Sonoma County's former hip-hop collective Sonicbloom. The band-turned-label has become a cornerstone for artists to pursue independent careers in rapping and beat production.…

Lady in Red

David Templeton — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Cinnabar gets 'Carmen' right by David Templeton Georges Bizet's Carmen is one of the most popular operas ever written. Why then has Petaluma's Cinnabar Theater, known for 40 years as the primary North Bay presenter of chamber opera, never once staged it?…

Beyond Kabul

Leilani Clark — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Khaled Hosseini appears at Santa Rosa High School by Leilani Clark Americans hear about Afghanistan with steady regularity as the never-ending war on "terror" drags on, but it's rare that we're able to put a human face on day-to-day life there. Perhaps that's why so many readers gravitated toward Khaled Hosseini's first novel, The Kite Runner, which took place in Afghanistan over a 30-year span, and which spent over a hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list while millions of copies worldwide.…

Grand Rapids

Gabe Meline — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Father and son communion in sensitive dude flick 'WaterWalk' by Gabe Meline A buddy adventure movie is only as good as the adventure itself. Two hours of guys exploring the mall on Segways?…

Reverence for Life

Gabe Meline — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Jazz legend Charlie Haden to appear at much-deserved tribute this weekend by Gabe Meline 'You have to figure out where you are and why you're here," says the voice on the other end of the phone line. "And once you've figured that out, you have to figure out why you've been given the gift of music.…

New Waves

Richard von Busack — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Greta Gerwig stunning in 'Frances Ha' by Richard von Busack With such robust wit, speed and delight, Frances Ha doesn't have to be likened to Annie Hall. True, like Allen, director Noah Baumbach looks back at the French New Wave, and shoots the film in radiant black-and-white.…

Down to Earth

Jonah Raskin — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Romanowski DJs 'Cosmic Terrain' closing party by Jonah Raskin The artists in "Cosmic Terrain" don't care for labels. Labels are for art critics, not for working artists like Damon Soule, Oliver Vernon and Mario Martinez, aka Mars-1.…

Dawn of a Decade

Nicolas Grizzle — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

The New Trust 'Keep Dreaming' by Nicolas Grizzle They've toured around the world with popular bands, playing to thousands. They just recorded their new full-length album, Keep Dreaming, with legendary engineer Steve Albini in Chicago.…

Raka Party

Jacquelynne Ocaña — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Latin hip-hop duo Los Rakas play Petaluma by Jacquelynne Ocaña NOTE: This show has been canceled.Latin hip-hop has been coming up this past decade, and the West Coast produces some of the best artists in the game. But while the industry keeps busy hyping New York rappers with Caribbean ties, groups like Oakland's Los Rakas are keeping independent hip-hop about the community.…

One Big 'Sound'

David Templeton — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Classic musical is super-sized on Mt. Tam by David Templeton Few American stage musicals are as well known and beloved as Rodgers and Hammerstein's Sound of Music. So it's funny that so few of its fans have ever actually seen the show onstage.…