I'm writing this just after the closing celebrations of Labor Day, which, in a country without a strong labor movement or political party invested in such, is basically just a three-day weekend to have one last crack at summer. I hope you all found a slice of the good stuff. Not much more to add there, other than my eyes (and field glasses) are turned to the sea-change beauty of the late summer/autumn transition. Real sublime stuff there.
Enjoy your week.
Thursday
Usually when people refer to elephants, they tend to be talking about the one in the room, an unspoken problem that everyone can see but no one wants to talk about. The list of suspects shortens when there is at least one married couple present. Throw all of that away and freshen your expectations because although the folk duo Ordinary Elephant is indeed comprised of a married couple, all indications would suggest that they delight, rather than unsettle, the room's other occupants. I gave their stuff a listen and found the minimal strings and tight harmonies to be quite serviceable and fine. You can work it all out for yourself tonight at the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m., but I think this show will be a gem ($20, $18 Playhouse members).
Friday
Regular readers will likely remember my tracking of the ascension of Fortuna's The Critics, a very skilled and tight pop rock band with a lot of passion and moxy. I have a soft spot for anyone trying as hard as they do with gobs of talent to get into what I discovered in my 20s is one of the hardest, scummiest and most broke-ass creative industries out there (next to writing). So I am always happy to promote the lads on their latest show, which is happening at Humbrews tonight at 8 p.m. Also on the bill are two exciting young bands from Southern California, Familiar Faces and Hvnted, both of whom are up to a real challenge tonight matching the energy of our local heroes. Come through and see the young do what the rest of us can't anymore ($12, $10 advance).
Saturday
OK, here's something old, something new ... I can't think of borrowed or blue, but it's all worth your time regardless, and I'm happy to celebrate this gig like a posting of the marriage banns from ages ago. Local artist and treasure Violet Crabtree is teaming up with the Outer Space for a fundraiser for her live action/stop motion feature Wildfur, which she has been working on since 2020. But here's the catch: The gig isn't going down at the Outer Space, but rather a new venue called Nowhere at 1925 Alliance Road in Arcata, behind Moon Cycles. I've been on this beat long enough to tell you that Crabtree's work is the Real Deal, and always a pleasure, and tonight's line-up includes the first gig by her projector and musical storytelling outfit The Comix Trip since before the plague years. Also on the ticket are Meg Baird of Winter Band and her own considerable talent, Low Down and Loafers helmed by a couple of talented country and etc. goofballs in our indie scene, and trapeze swing clowning by Dell'Arte alum Damla. The all-ages fun begins at 7 p.m. and, like the Outer Space, this is a sober spot. Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale, cash, and bring a little extra if you wish to snag some cookies and tea. I assure you, it all goes towards a very worthy cause.
Sunday
Unless you are attending day two of Cannifest, where pre-sale single day tickets start around $70 and there are scads of musical acts and plenty of info about them nearly everywhere, there's nothing else I have to report on. So perhaps just listen to "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" by Kris Kristofferson. He's still with us, thankfully, but many of the people who really felt this one aren't anymore, and I get that and embrace its bare truth.
Monday
A large part of aging in this decade is seeing a flier for a show called "Glorv-G and the Chi-Rizzler: Beefing on Stacks with Farto-Hi$$$: THE REMATCH" and knowing by simple instinct that this type of promotional semaphore is designed only to make sense to people born after 9/11 and cause mild irritation or blank nothingness to those of us who remember rotary phones, cooler temperatures, a time before people threw tags around in nature, and the widespread biodiversity of winged insects. Anyway, unrelated to my previous words, the Arcata Theatre Lounge presents at 7 p.m. tonight Off the Xtras: Part 2, featuring 310Babii, Yung Chowder and, most importantly, OHGEESY, for whom you can purchase VIP meet and greet tickets for $150. General tickets start at $45.
Tuesday
It's already the second Tuesday of this newly minted month, which means it's time for another installment of the experimental musicians union meet-up at the Sanctuary. The set-up is simple: You bring your preferred noisemaker, electronic doo-dad or plug-inable instrument, and after a discussion about flow and arrangement, you let loose with a crew of like-minded comrades. The entrance fee is $5-$10, although if you haven't got any scratch, don't sweat it. The fun starts at 7 p.m.
Wednesday
The Arcata Playhouse is once again opening its welcoming wooden nest to a touring crew of masterful and fascinating musicians. Sam Reider and the Human Hands is led by the guy at the top of the masthead, a jazz pianist-turned accordion player and composer who writes an alluring type of music based around many folkloric world sounds. I particularly enjoyed the pieces of bluegrass and tango interwoven into the group's latest release from June of this year, The Golem and Other Tales. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets go for $20, $18 for members of the Arcata Playhouse, which I think is a fine deal.
Collin Yeo (he/him) lives on the far-eastern side of the Pacific Ocean.