Marc Cohn is lucky to be alive. You can hear it in his voice when he says, “I’m so happy for those two hours on stage, it almost makes those other 22 hours of travel worth it.” You can hear it in almost every song on his new album. It’s in the voodoo skeleton rattle that opens “Dance Back from the Grave” and the reminder to “live every moment like it just might be the last” that echoes through “Live… Read More »
You gotta hand it to Queen Latifah. Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center, she invited all three of her backup singers center-stage for a turn in the spotlight. And all three blew her off the stage. As jazz singer and torch-song revivalist, Her Highness is merely average. But what she has that they don’t is a bubbly, sassy infectious cult of personality. It’s what propelled her far beyond the hip-hop arena in the ’80s, onto the big screen and… Read More »
The bird has landed. Which means you’re trying to shake the turkey hangover. Which means leftovers don’t help. Not even day-old gravy. And while family is family, and you can never get too much face-time with the relatives, at some point you gotta get off the couch, get outta the house and make a night of it. The Weekend Top 5: Pat Jordan Band @ The Last Day SaloonQuintessential party boy and hometown hero, Pat Jordan offers “Hugs Not Drugs”… Read More »
Forget about Carnegie Hall or the Wiltern, when George Carlin’s new HBO special kicks off next year, you’ll hear “Live from the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California…” broadcast all over the world. (Streaker alert: beefed-up security will be in full force). It’s official: TV land has discovered the former church turned arts mecca (does this mean they’ll finally replace the 1950s TVs in the lobby?). It all started with Ellen DeGeneres who kept raving about… Read More »
Estimated viewing time: 1:41 “We used to be The Feud,” says Paul Riley, tipping back a cowboy hat. “Now we’re merely a squabble.” He and the rest of the infamous cowpunk band are taking a rehearsal break in a homemade studio somewhere in the dark of night off South Santa Rosa Avenue. You can smell the chickens. Dogs are barking. Hamm’s is the beer of choice even though Lagunitas is available. Friday night, they plug in for a 20th anniversary… Read More »
R&B Hall of Famer Johnny Otis may live in Los Angeles these days, but his fans in Sebastopol, his longtime home, haven’t forgotten their hero. Saturday night, the inaugural Sebastopol Documentary Festival offered a sneak peek of filmmaker Bruce Schmiechen’s “Every Beat of My Heart: The Johnny Otis Story.” When tickets sold out overnight, organizers added a second screening at The French Garden Restaurant (hats off to co-owner Joan Marler, who has turned the foodie haven into a community gathering… Read More »
Forget about television, if this writers’ strike thing is contagious, just think of the global impact. Scribes and hacks walking off the job all over the planet. With apologies to Letterman, here goes a Top 5 of the ones you’re really gonna miss: 1. The dude who writes the ad copy for the Vitamin Water bottles. Have you read this poetry? Thanks to Dragonfruit flavor, tweens the world over have learned that “Kissing someone in your bathing suit won’t make… Read More »
Once again, just another random Wednesday night in Forestville: Burly mountain-man rocker and Melvins castaway, Joe Preston, unloads a new batch of tremors from his longtime solo project Thrones. Sir Plus and Miss Minor of The Moggs show off their steamy analog chemistry. David Scott Stone (aka Sir DSS) busts out the synth. But the furry, plushy shakedown you don’t wanna miss Wednesday night: Bobb Bruno prancing around the woodsy pool-table-in-the-back roadhouse that is the Forestville Club. He’ll be the… Read More »
All ye Trekkies and Trekkers, here’s a quickie to kick off your week: Saturday night (Stardate 11.10.07), after another Fox Comedy Night at the Last Day Saloon, something funny may actually transpire: The Sac-Town band Warp 11 will take the stage and rock the house with original songs inspired by Star Trek. The new album: “It’s Dead, Jim” The block-rocking intergalactic new single: “Jerk My Kirk.” Somewhere Gene Roddenberry is smiling. Look for an update later in the week….
Update: Billy Ray Cyrus hopped on stage to sing “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” with his daughter Miley last night at the Oakland Arena. Will she return the favor tonight at the Wells Fargo Center? WFC programming director Rick Bartalini asked their manager if he needs to beef up security tonight. The answer: “Don’t know yet.” Hmmmmmmmmmm….. 11/01/07: There’s been a lot of chatter lately about special guests. Last week it was The Boss. Will Springsteen show up at the Bridge… Read More »
