In Between Days 

We are now seated in the festival section of the summer, where outdoor collections of music and people mix with fairs and rodeos to bridge the entertainment gap through late summer and into the fall semester. There are still shows, but they are fewer in number and sometimes less reliable than those staged during the colder months of the year. This week's edition reflects that, as the back end of the column is filled with a varied style of movie nights. There are some good gigs this week, too, though, so don't sleep on them. There are more ways to feed your attention than watching the Olympics, after all. For my own part, and likely due to recent events, I've been reading about a favorite politician of mine — as a subject for study, not an aspirational figure — someone who rose from attorney, to California senator, to vice president, drafting on the ticket of an older man who cast a long shadow over the career ambitions of his younger veep. I am of course talking about Richard Nixon (who else?), who if alive would have started the year celebrating his 111th birthday and would doubtless be currently stewing on the 50th anniversary of the denouement of the Watergate scandal, the "Smoking Gun Tape" and his national de-pantsing, all coming in the first week of August. We need our problematic interests, and Nixon remains one of mine. I rarely agree with the politics of our leaders, but I am deeply fascinated by their tragedies and generational hubris. You don't watch Macbeth or Lear to root for the king.

Have a solid week.

Thursday

The Logger Bar is the spot for some country-tinged, folky rock music as Portland's Cruise Control coasts into town for an evening of free music starting at 9 p.m. I listened to some of the group's tunes online, and found them to be some sweet, light-hearted stuff. Also on the bill is a brand new local band called Buzz Buzz Radio, so for those of you looking to get in on the ground floor of fandom, tonight's the night.

Friday

Speaking of the Logger Bar, there's a show going down tonight that is tailor-made for the venue. I'm talking about the return of Gunsafe, the formerly Humboldt-based dark street-country and jumped-up death blues vehicle helmed all these years by Stella Martinez. The roots run deep with this one, and longtime locals and new converts alike ought to converge to celebrate the midsummer return of this stellar group. The show starts at 9 p.m. No cover, but bring a few bucks for our travelers come home.

Saturday

There's a rock show brewing at the Miniplex tonight. Color Green is a Los Angeles quartet that specializes in nifty, riffy and soulful pulls off the amp's fuzzy peaches. The band's steady and rollin' Yin will make a fine complement to the very loud Yang of local heavies Sugar Boys. It's all about balance in this world, and we have struck a good one tonight. There's a 9 p.m. kickoff, and tickets are going for $15, $10 advance.

Sunday

It's the season of festivals, and I am a happy promoter of our more homegrown varieties, best personified in today's Westhaven Wild Blackberry Festival at the Westhaven Volunteer Fire Department. This free event offers lots of fun, but my beat is ever the music scene, so here's the goods there. Starting at 10 a.m., you can enjoy the sounds of Elfgame, followed by Down the Street Pete, Turtle Goodwater, Dessert First and Secret Club, in that order. Speaking of "dessert first," word has it there will be a lot of pies made from the eponymous berries available for sale. Proceeds go to the venue.

Monday

Tonight is the start of a triptych of movie nights, beginning with a kind of ouroboros affairs over at Savage Henry Comedy Club where, at 9 p.m., you will find a free screening of a documentary about ... all things Savage Henry. Specifically the magazine and comedy fest. The film is called Savage Remote, and the viewing is all a part of comedian Evan Vest's ongoing comedy movie series Evan Vest Watches.

Tuesday

The Humboldt Unitarian Fellowship in Bayside presents the new documentary Where Olive Trees Weep, which is all about the situation in Palestine as seen by various people in the thick of the horror. For those of you interested in acknowledging the strange fruit of American foreign policy, the film starts at 6 p.m., and comes with a $10 admission. Come and see.

Wednesday

American cultural relics from the 1980s reflect the extremes of the era in a way that is often imitated, but never quite replicated. A perfect example of this in cinema is the 1987 commercial toy tie-in Masters of the Universe. Fascistic hulks of hypermasculine perfection ooze and blend with high camp theatrics, goofy comedy bullshit and an arcing lightshow of practical effects and film graphics-based movie magic as He-Man attacks his nemesis Skeletor across the realms of the universe, specifically his home of Eternia and our own. Dolph Lundgren is pure euro-himbo in his first starring role, while the excellent Frank Langella plays the main villain with a relish that melts through the latex makeup. In the ultimate scene, Skeletor powers up in a cosmic space castle from the energy beaming through what appears to be a solar anus, a literal set-piece and not the figurative variety of French philosopher Georges Bataille. This is the mystic spectacle of the stupid and absurd, where even the score see-saws between silly synths and epic orchestrations. A big budget flop-turned cult masterpiece through the extravagant alchemy of the era. And you can see it on the big screen tonight at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. The usual boilerplate applies: Doors at 6 p.m., but get there before 7 p.m. for seating and a chance to enjoy the pre-show and raffle. $6 admission, $10 if you wish to leave with a poster. You have the Power.

Collin Yeo (he/him) would like to congratulate the Democratic Party for holding off a potential Horace Greeley outcome in the looming election. He lives in Arcata.