For reasons that should be obvious to anyone with a passing interest in international news, I've been reading about the current evolutions going down in the world of asymmetrical warfare, specifically in drone technology. Since the days of David and Goliath, the idea of the big guy/little guy match-up being won by novel ingenuity rather than brute force has always been a compelling story, and seeing the modern technological advances of empire being used against the agents of that empire is similarly interesting. My politics have shifted so much over the years that my only real hope for humanity to survive itself is heavily invested in the forced pluckiness and adaptations of the underdog because, let's be real, the current situation is intolerable. Setting the world on fire to make the absolute shittiest people on Earth richer than Croesus, with their eyes set to attaining immortality, is something even the Pharaohs — like Ramesses II (aka Ozymandias) couldn't imagine. It's a monumental failure of our species that we not only know the name Elon Musk, but that our communities are infested with toadies who have mistaken his breathtaking stupidity — and those of his peers — for brilliance. We really must do better.
What can I say? You have caught me during a news cycle involving another market crash where the assholes with money will likely unload their risk share onto the general public, and a large-scale regional war is brewing in the Middle East, from which we can expect the belligerents to escape any justice or even inconvenience. Hope still springs eternal though, somehow.
Throw a dime in the wishing well for me — and all of us — and have a nice week.
Thursday
Faun Fables are back in town, playing an immersive theatrical gig at Synapsis at 8 p.m. ($15-$25 sliding scale). Regular readers might recognize the name from an interview I did two Junes ago with the duo, creator/singer/performer Dawn McCarthy and multi-instrumentalist and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum member Nils Frykdahl. As was the case before, this show is guaranteed to entertain in a variety of ways, theatrical and musical, and as is often the case in the charmed life of our local scene, it's being hosted at the perfect venue to compliment and cultivate its artistry.
Friday
I am hearing news that this afternoon and evening will see the final Arts Arcata, which I am receiving with stoic indifference because I have learned to never say die about our institutions — even when the organizers of those institutions are saying it — and because Arts Arcata honestly never did much for me. Sorry, Eureka has always done this sort of thing better. But if you are nicer than me and have some nostalgic attachment to the deal, I can suggest a gig within strolling distance to settle any dancing desires you might have. DJs Anya Slayer and Zero One are posting up at the Basement at 8 p.m. for a Flashback Friday: '90s Edition. You'll have to see for yourself what that sounds like but, based on previous raves from this duo, I have some ideas, and they are all pretty righteous. No cover as of press time but even if that changes, it's seldom more than $5.
Saturday
If you like day-glo and oil-slicked psychedelia from a better time, when San Francisco had more soul than capital, you're in for a treat tonight at the Miniplex at 8:30 p.m. Magic Fig plays its own shimmering pop dewdrops of lysergic dee-lite channeled by a host of musicians from various Bay Area garage bands. Also on the band is a local gem featuring Ethan Miller of Howling Rain and Comets on Fire, whose Silver Current record label released the Fig's tunes. I'm talking about Winter Band, a collective that includes Meg Baird, Tavan Anderson from CV and White Manna on drums, and Ben Chasny of Comets and Six Organs of Admittance fame. This show is a lock of the week, as far as I'm concerned, and $15 at the door ($10 advance) is just right.
Sunday
No Metal Monday this week but Metal Sunday ain't too shabby. At 6 p.m., you will find Sorcia, Witch Ripper and Tigers on Opium holding down the volume knob at the regular spot, Savage Henry Comedy Club, for the usual price of $5-$10 sliding. As always, this gig is all-ages but you need an ID to drink.
Monday
I have been using our quieter nights to showcase the music of musicians who we lost last year, and this week's pick saw the loss of two of its foundational members, which is pretty heavy for a trio. I am referring to Japan's Yellow Magic Orchestra, whose keyboardist/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto I wrote about upon his passing, as he was a favorite of mine. But nobody in that group was a slouch and certainly not drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, who passed in the beginning of last year. The group's original run, from 1978 to 1984, is my favorite era, a period which saw the band essentially inventing brand-new genres of music, often in the same song. I dislike labels, but we live in a world of descriptors, so I'd say for the casual listener, the group might be classified as technopop jazz, but they blew the wheels off a lot of prevailing musical trends and created a sound that influenced everything from video game soundtracks to dance music, worldwide. I'd suggest the band's second record Solid State Survivor as a good starting point. Enjoy.
Tuesday
It's Taco Tuesday at Richards' Goat, which means the place is open at 6 p.m. for dinner for those in the know. Two hours later in the attached Miniplex, you will find the musical stylings of Rushadicus the Cello Goblin, a guy with a cello who has turned his musical virtuosity into something whimsically out of pocket. If that is of interest to you, $15 will get you inside for a gander at the goods.
Wednesday
Animator Don Hertzfeldt has transitioned from an early-'90s wunderkind of the festival circuit to a lasting figure in the cultural landscape. His ability to merge an expansive versatility with certain enduring aspects of his unique style is a salient feature of his later work, which is especially on display in his World of Tomorrow series: a brilliant, oddball trio of films centered around a girl named Emily and her clones from two centuries in the future. The entire series is playing at the Arcata Theatre Lounge for a Sci-Fi night that is guaranteed to scratch a few spots for those in love with animation in cinema. As is the usual case, doors at 6 p.m., the show starts at 7 p.m., with a raffle and pre-show in between. It's $6 to get in, $10 to get in and leave with a poster. Excelsior.
Collin Yeo (he/him) is far enough removed from the fraudulence of the Obama years to use the word "hope" again somewhat earnestly. He doesn't expect this to last. He lives in Arcata.