Bivalve Bedlam 

One of my favorite sounds is the soft rustle of a breeze through the leaves of a tree. I'm talking about broad leaves here, like a maple tree, not the evergreens that tend to populate our forests, and whose branches creak and groan in the wind like the ghosts of old washerwomen attending to the laundry. This is a summertime sound when the breezes are low and mild, and the deciduous trees are greenest. Some of my finest memories are tied to this gentle soundtrack, basking in the sun of expired afternoons while the rest of the world hums, crackles and explodes far out of earshot.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm a cheap date, particularly in the summer when my calendar oscillates between large spectacles and quiet reveries. The former is happening on Saturday in Arcata's Creamery District, and I am sure that I will glide through to down a few of my favorite shellfish like a carefree and scavenging walrus on a bright Arctic day. I'll probably do my best to avoid the thick of the crowds and am looking forward to the margins of the weekend, where a lot of great shows are going down. Let's explore, shall we?

Thursday

Minneapolis has always been a Midwestern enigma: A town in the middle of the country, in a state known for lakes and long, cold winters, that is nonetheless one of the grooviest places on Earth, home of Prince, Morris Day and the Time and a thriving hip hop scene. Something's gotta get you through the snow, I guess, and I'd rather be shakin' than shivering. Prof is a mainstay of that hip hop scene and tonight his carnival of Gemini-city rappers parks the bus at the Arcata Theatre Lounge at 7 p.m. Join Tae Supreme and Willie Wonka as they show the West Coast what the Gopher State has going for it in the groove department ($23).

Friday

Everyone's favorite local funk band Object Heavy is playing a free gig at the Blue Lake Casino tonight at 9 p.m., in honor of the joint's 20th anniversary. Come join Swislow and company as they rock the casbah in the midst of the bright lights and promises. Good times.

Saturday

Well, it's one of Arcata's big days of the year. And even though Oysterfest isn't happening on the plaza, you can still expect the celebration to spill over that way, much to the ire of some of my friends in the service industry. One place in that vicinity that's putting on a free show is the Jam, where, starting at 1 p.m. you can jam out with your mollusk out to the rocking sounds of E.S.P., Presently Dreaming, The Critics and Orion Jesse Paul.

If you eschew the sunny crowds, prefering darkness and loud music, two spots present themselves as viable this evening. At 7 p.m. at RampArt, Greybush is throwing an EP release party for its newest discog addition This is Punishment, with a heavy lineup featuring Wastewalker, Gurschach and Exile's Erosion. As is often tradition with fliers and social media posts about shows at RampArt, no door charge information is present, so bring a few bucks. Nearby and two hours later at the Miniplex, one of my favorite Humco bands returns from its pandemic slumber for a sophomore show with a great lineup. Blackplate, Shively's trio of tortured psychland warriors, shares the stage with Oakland's trippy The Lodestones and backwoods darkwave act Vulture Feather ($7). I caught the 'plate's debut/reappearance last week and let me tell you, the time off has done nothing but good for these guys. What a heavy, awesome sound.

Sunday

The Siren's Song Tavern has a scorcher going on tonight. Portland and Oakland's Exulansis is an explicitly antifascist, anarcho black metal band and will be joined by Tijuana's melodic crust group Habak, as well as local black metal weirdos Nan Elmoth, thus forging a sick, sick lineup of good, rotten noise. Seven's your lucky number, as in time of the show and amount of dollars needed to get past the door.

Monday

Melbourne, Australia's CS+Kreme is an eclectic electric duo whose music stands out as creepy and beautifully compelling in an overcrowded world of plugged-in acts. I'm listening to the 2020 release Snoopy right now and giving it a rave review in real time. This is some uncannily good music. Whether the two fellas stack up live and in person is another matter, but I intend to find out this evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Miniplex ($12).

Tuesday

No Cover: Live from Savage Henry is a podcast that is taped before a live studio audience, who have, as the title suggests, paid no cover to be among the elect at the Savage Henry Comedy Club. If you'd like to join host Mark Sanders and be counted in that number, roll through around 9 p.m. Sorry, no minors.

Wednesday

Movie night! Being from the VHS rental generation of older millennials who grew up on the cult classics and violent blockbusters from that wonderful era, Paul Verhoeven has always been a hero of mine, sitting up there with John Carpenter and Joe Dante as a master of the form. Verhoeven's World War II childhood experiences with fascism and human savagery have always informed his work, which is unblinking in its gory satire of the worst impulses of government/corporate collusion. Never was this more on display than in his 1987 masterpiece Robocop, a film whose dystopian vision now seems almost quaint and hopeful in 2022 America. You can see it on the big screen at the Arcata Theatre Lounge tonight at 6 p.m. if you are feeling nostalgic for a world in which technocrats actually deliver working products and cops could be good guys ($5).

Collin Yeo (he/him) is doing the best he can with what he's got. He lives in Arcata.