The Bay Area’s own Ariel Marin and her tribute to Sade to play two intimate shows at Blue Note in Napa. January 19.
Although “Smooth Operator” singer Sade doesn’t tour these days, fans can rejoice and revel in her music again at singer Ariel Marin’s upcoming show. The daughter of a professional rock singer, Marin spent much of her youth in the company of countless Bay Area royalty. As evidenced by her four-octave voice, she can tackle pretty much any genre.
Her upcoming shows will feature music from Sade’s storied back catalog, including (but not limited to) ‘Diamond Life,’ ‘Promise,’ ‘Stronger Than Pride,’ ‘Love Deluxe,’ and ‘Lovers Rock’ with a band led by powerhouse producer James “Jae E” Earley.
Expect to hear hit songs and fan favorites such as “Smooth Operator,” “No Ordinary Love,” “Paradise,” “Is It A Crime,” “Your Love Is King,” “Sweetest Taboo,” and much more.
For the uninitiated, The Ariel Marin Band has played all around the area and has 30 years of combined performance experience between the members. Once more, they’ve excelled at playing Motown, Top 40 classics, rock, pop, folk, country, R&B, gospel, & jazz.
We caught up with Ariel during preparation for her upcoming show in Napa.
Bohemian: What about Sade’s music inspired you to embark on a tribute?
Ariel Marin: I’ve been enamored with Sade since I was a child. Her unique smoky tone, timeless sound, and stunning features had me at hello. Since I favor her physically, serendipity stepped in and I was offered the opportunity to honor her in concert. I graciously accepted.
Bohemian: How long has this tribute been playing live?
Ariel Marin: I launched it in 2020. Originally we had a live show planned, but quickly pivoted to a streaming concert. Needless to say it was a hit! Once the world re-opened, the show has been booked regularly at premiere venues including Yoshi’s (Oakland) and the Blue Note, as well as various festivals and resorts.
Bohemian: Do you have more shows planned in 2024?
Ariel Marin: Absolutely! We’re expanding the tour nationally. Locations are in the works as we speak. We’d love to bring it to Sonoma County.
Bohemian: Have you and the rest of the band actually seen Sade live when she toured?
Ariel Marin: Short answer; Yes! My viola player Keith Lawrence toured with Sade & John
Legend as well as Amy Winehouse. My percussionist is Juan Escovedo (Sheila E’s brother) from the famed Escovedo family. They’ve toured with Prince and countless other world-renowned artists. My musical director, James “Jae-E” Earley, was a multi-Platinum producer for MC Hammer. He also produced En Vogue, One Voice, David Bowie, and my most recent single called “Supa Supa.” The video is on YouTube now. We’re completing my premiere album this year. My sax player Jimmie Weaver toured professionally in Japan for years and my current drummer, Pierre Parker, tours with Lenny Williams (Tower or Power). This show at Blue Note will be epic.
Ariel Marin’s tribute to Sade plays Friday, January 19, at Blue Note located at 1030 Main Street in Napa. The early show starts at 6:30pm and the late show kicks off promptly at 9pm. Tickets range from $35 to $65 advance and can be purchased at www.bluenotejazz.com. Ages 8 and over are welcome.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries chemist Percy Julian (1899–1975) was a trailblazer in creating medicine from plants. He patented over 130 drugs and laid the foundation for the production of cortisone and birth control pills. Julian was also a Black man who had to fight relentlessly to overcome the racism he encountered everywhere. I regard him as an exemplary member of the Aries tribe, since he channeled his robust martial urges toward constructive ends again and again and again. May he inspire you in the coming weeks, dear Aries. Don’t just get angry or riled up. Harness your agitated spirit to win a series of triumphs.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus actor Pierce Brosnan says, “You struggle with money. You struggle without money. You struggle with love. You struggle without love. But it’s how you manage. You have to keep laughing, you have to be fun to be with, and you have to live with style.” Brosnan implies that struggling is a fundamental fact of everyday life, an insistent presence that is never far from our awareness. But if you’re willing to consider the possibility that his theory may sometimes be an exaggeration, I have good news: The coming months could be less filled with struggle than ever before. As you deal with the ease and grace, I hope you will laugh, be fun to be with and live with style—without having to be motivated by ceaseless struggle.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author and activist William Upski Wimsatt is one of my role models. Why? In part, because he shares my progressive political ideals and works hard to get young people to vote for enlightened candidates who promote social justice. Another reason I love him is that he aspires to have 10,000 role models. Not just a few celebrity heroes, but a wide array of compassionate geniuses working to make the world more like paradise. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to gather new role models, dear Gemini. I also suggest you look around for new mentors, teachers and inspiring guides.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I want you to fulfill your desires! I want you to get what you want! I don’t think that yearnings are unspiritual indulgences that divert us from enlightenment. On the contrary, I believe our longings are sacred homing signals guiding us to our highest truths. With these thoughts in mind, here are four tips to enhance your quests in the coming months: 1. Some of your desires may be distorted or superficial versions of deeper, holier desires. Do your best to dig down and find their heart source. 2. To help manifest your desires, visualize yourself as having already accomplished them. 3. Welcome the fact that when you achieve what you want, your life will change in unpredictable ways. You may have to deal with a good kind of stress. 4. Remember that people are more likely to assist you in getting what you yearn for if you’re not greedy and grasping.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I regard Leo psychologist Carl Jung (1875–1961) as a genius with a supreme intellect. Here’s a quote from him that I want you to hear: “We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect; we apprehend it just as much by feeling. Therefore, the judgment of the intellect is, at best, only the half of truth, and must, if it be honest, also come to an understanding of its inadequacy.” You may already believe this wisdom in your gut, Leo. But like all of us, you live in a culture filled with authorities who value the intellect above feeling. So it’s essential to be regularly reminded of the bigger truth—especially for you right now. To make righteous decisions, you must respect your feelings as much as your intellect.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Poet Rainer Maria Rilke exalted the physical pleasure that sex brings. He mourned that so many “misuse and squander this experience and apply it as a stimulant to the tired spots of their lives and as a distraction instead of a rallying toward exalted moments.” At its best, Rilke said, sex gives us “a knowing of the world, the fullness and the glory of all knowing.” It is a sublime prayer, an opportunity to feel sacred communion on every level of our being. That’s the erotic experience I wish for you in the coming weeks, Virgo. And I believe you will have an expanded potential for making it happen.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Even if you are currently bonded with a spouse or partner, I recommend you consider proposing matrimony to an additional person: yourself. Yes, dear Libra, I believe the coming months will be prime time for you to get married to your own precious soul. If you’re brave enough and crazy enough to carry out this daring move, devote yourself to it with lavish abandon. Get yourself a wedding ring, write your vows, conduct a ceremony and go on a honeymoon. If you’d like inspiration, read my piece “I Me Wed”: tinyurl.com/SelfMarriage
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Talking about a problem can be healthy. But in most cases, it should be a preliminary stage that leads to practical action; it shouldn’t be a substitute for action. Now and then, however, there are exceptions to this rule. Mere dialogue, if grounded in mutual respect, may be sufficient to dissolve a logjam and make further action unnecessary. The coming days will be such a time for you, Scorpio. I believe you and your allies can talk your way out of difficulties.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian cartoonist Charles M. Schulz wrote, “My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?” I suspect that in 2024, you may go through a brief phase similar to his: feeling blank, yet quite content. But it won’t last. Eventually, you will be driven to seek a passionate new sense of intense purpose. As you pursue this reinvention, a fresh version of happiness will bloom. For best results, be willing to outgrow your old ideas about what brings you gladness and gratification.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): We all go through phases that feel extra plodding and pedestrian. During these times, the rhythms and melodies of our lives seem drabber than usual. The good news is that I believe you Capricorns will experience fewer of these slowdowns than usual in 2024. The rest of us will be seeing you at your best and brightest on a frequent basis. In fact, the gifts and blessings you offer may flow toward us in abundance. So it’s no coincidence if you feel exceptionally well-loved during the coming months. PS: The optimal way to respond to the appreciation you receive is to ratchet up your generosity even higher.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the fall of 1903, The New York Times published an article that scorned human efforts to develop flying machines. It prophesied that such a revolutionary technology was still at least a million years in the future—possibly 10 million years. In conclusion, it declared that there were better ways to apply our collective ingenuity than working to create such an unlikely invention. Nine weeks later, Orville and Wilbur Wright disproved that theory, completing a flight with the airplane they had made. I suspect that you, Aquarius, are also primed to refute an expectation or prediction about your supposed limitations. (Afterward, try not to gloat too much.)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your sweat and tears are being rewarded with sweets and cheers. Your diligent, detailed work is leading to expansive outcomes that provide relief and release. The discipline you’ve been harnessing with such panache is spawning breakthroughs in the form of elegant liberations. Congrats, dear Pisces! Don’t be shy about welcoming in the fresh privileges flowing your way. You have earned these lush dividends.
Homework: Indulge in ‘Healthy Obsessions’—not ‘Melodramatic Compulsions’ or ‘Exhausting Crazes.’ Newsletter: FreeWillAstrology.com.
Pivotal is a description often applied to August Wilson’s 1985 play, Fences. It’s the third play written, but chronologically sixth in Wilson’s famed “Pittsburgh (or Century) Cycle”—10 plays that span across decades to document African American experiences in the 20th century. Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse has a production running through Feb. 4.
It’s considered pivotal because showing POC without the white gaze is sadly—and unsurprisingly—new in American theater. The concept of the global majority’s importance without white society’s validation is so new that we Chicanos didn’t have a theatrical presence until 1965, the first AAPI play wasn’t performed on Broadway until 1972 and Fences originally premiered only four days before director Jourdán Olivier-Verdé was born.
Troy Maxson (Keene Hudson) is a former Negro League player turned garbage man whose troubled relationships, strained parenting and lack of self-awareness often bring comparisons to Death of a Salesman’s Willy Loman. Like Loman, Maxson’s world is changing in post-WWII America. And like Salesman, Fences hinges on an empathetically-nuanced playing of the lead character to elevate him from a delusional bully into someone for whom an audience can root.
Hudson never achieves that elevation because he doesn’t know his lines to the point of needing an obvious earpiece to enable the play to progress. This level of unprofessionalism is astounding and disappointing.
But, as Rose Maxson (Val Sinckler) tells us, “You can’t visit the sins of the father upon the child.” Indeed, Sinckler’s Rose is a powerhouse of self-possession.
Similarly, Mark Anthony’s Cory is heartbreakingly truthful as the distraught son seeking validation from a distant father.
As for the rest of the cast, De’Sean Moore’s portrayal of older son Lyons is charming but needs more gravitas. Nicholas Augusta gives a mature, almost sweet portrayal as Troy’s best friend, Jim Bono. Young Eden Kuteesa Oland (sharing the role of Raynell with Nadia Hill) is delightful, and Jim Frankie Banks’ performance as Troy’s younger brother, Gabriel, is simply beautiful.
Aissa Simbulan’s set is an excellent example of how to do intricate realism on a small stage. Aja Gianola-Norris presents beautiful mid-century costuming (even if Sinckler forgot to remove her anachronistic eyebrow piercing), and Ben Root’s sound design celebrates the intertwining of music and Black culture.
Fences is a compelling and important play. It’s unfortunate that, in this case, the sins of the father marred what could have been a fantastic production. Let’s hope that, in time, Hudson can rise to the level of the others.
‘Fences’ runs through Feb. 4 on the Monroe Stage at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. 6th Street, Santa Rosa. Thurs-Sat., 7:30pm; Sat-Sun, 2pm. $29-$45. 707.523.4185. 6thstreeetplayhouse.com.
As a popular Tahoe ski resort digs out from a tragedy that killed Kenneth Kidd, a 66-year-old resident of Point Reyes Station, and buried several others, scientists say predicting how the warming planet will affect avalanches is elusive at best.
An array of factors such as wind, rain, previous snowpack and temperatures can all enter into the equation of what causes a mass of snow to slide down a mountain.
“We are humans working in a natural world. And so everybody does the best they can,” said Jim Steenburgh, a University of Utah professor of atmospheric sciences and author of the book Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth.
The circumstances that lead to avalanches are multifaceted, Steenburgh said: a weak layer in the snowpack, a steep slope and a trigger—usually people on the slope. The frequency of human-triggered avalanches in the future will continue to depend in large part on how many skiers and snowboarders recreate in risky backcountry areas.
That also means untangling the effects of climate change is especially difficult, or “elusive,” as one team of scientists said.
Still, researchers are making a few predictions. Lower-elevation areas that see less snow in a warmer future may see fewer avalanches, but higher elevations could see more intense storms, and the potential effects on avalanches there are uncertain.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2019 that there was medium evidence for less avalanche hazard at lower elevations, and mixed changes at high elevation. Though the report predicted an increase in avalanches involving wet snow, they found “no clear direction of trend for overall avalanche activity.”
Avalanches involving wet snow could increase—as could conditions where scarce snow and cold, clear weather combine to cause persistent weak layers in the snowpack, creating “a major threat to recreationists,” a team of researchers from Switzerland, Italy and the U.S. wrote in a 2021 review paper.
Trauma and injuries could rise as snowpacks dwindle, with less snow to cushion blows from the terrain. And wetter avalanches also could increase buried victims’ risk of suffocation in the higher-density snow.
“There will be a higher risk of disastrous events where poorly managed winter tourism activities, transportation routes, and exploitation of natural resources lead to increases in exposure,” the international study said.
Mixed findings also were reported on other mountain ranges around the planet. Climate warming was linked to an increase in wet snow avalanches in the Western Himalayas—which the researchers said “contradict the intuitive notion that warming results in less snow, and thus lower avalanche activity.”
But three years later, another team found that the number and magnitude of avalanches dropped substantially at low-to-medium elevations of the Vosges Mountains in northeast France as snow became scarce. They predicted that the increases observed in the Alps and Himalayas “will eventually vanish as warming will become more pronounced to reduce snow cover at increasingly higher elevations.”
Mike Reitzell, president of Ski California, a trade association of 36 ski areas in California and Nevada, said ski resorts in avalanche-prone terrain already have programs to reduce the dangers—regardless of the impacts of climate change.
“The slope angles aren’t going to change with climate change,” Reitzell said. “The type of snowpack that there is, whether it’s a wet snow versus a drier snow, those are things they would already be analyzing anyway.”
‘Dangerous Avalanche Conditions’
Ski resorts have long used explosives and artillery to trigger avalanches and remove the mass of snow before it can produce avalanches dangerous to visitors. “This greatly reduces, but does not eliminate the avalanche threat,” Steenburgh said.
Before the deadly event last Wednesday, the Sierra Avalanche Center forecast a “considerable” risk of avalanches in the Central Sierra Nevada backcountry.
“Dangerous avalanche conditions will continue today. New snow and high winds have loaded existing weak layers in our snowpack. Large avalanches are the main concern today, failing well below our recent storm snow. High winds will also continue to create slabs of wind blown snow in exposed areas,” the center reported early last week.
The resort had already seen a smattering of storms in the months before. Then the wind picked up last Monday night, and light snow started last Wednesday morning before the avalanche occurred, according to Chris Johnston, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. The storm dropped about 14 inches of snow on the resort’s upper mountain area over 24 hours.
The avalanche occurred just minutes after the resort opened on a steep, black diamond run made famous during the 1960 Olympics’ alpine skiing events at the resort, then called Squaw Valley. It was the first day that the famed KT-22 lift had opened for the season. While Palisades reopened last Thursday, KT-22 and nine other lifts remained closed.
Craig Clements, a San Jose State University chair and professor of meteorology who teaches a mountain meteorology class that covers avalanche mechanics, said conditions were primed for an avalanche because high winds transported snow to form a thick slab atop of weak layers of snow.
“You have a weak shear zone there, and so basically, all that new snow can slide … you just need to trigger it,” Clements said. “And then it will slide downslope—and that is dangerous.”
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Trauma and injuries could rise as snowpacks dwindle, with less snow to cushion blows from the terrain. And wetter avalanches also could increase buried victims’ risk of suffocation in the higher-density snow.
In wine country, we’re used to the notion of aging—especially when it comes to wine and cheese. But when it comes to our lives, will they also improve with age? The jury is still out—and hopefully on a prolonged recess.
When I was young, some called me an “old soul,” which is fitting since I’ve been having a midlife crisis since I was 15. Now that I’m entering the third act, as it were, I have both an old soul and an old body. My actuarial table needs a shim.
To assuage my misgivings, I turned to some experts.
Erin Partridge has so many letters after her name it looks like someone spilled alphabet soup on her business card: Ph.D., ATR-BC (which my copy editor tells me means she’s a board-certified art therapist). But beyond her clinical experience, Partridge is also a key member of Enso Village, a senior living community recently opened in North Healdsburg.
This is all to say when a question I posed about how the different generations are embracing aging came her way, she shut it down with both eloquence and wisdom.
“Anti-ageism researchers and advocates suggest spending less time focusing on generational labels and more time focusing on the things that connect us. Which is a positive change!” says Partridge, who’s worked in community, pediatric, forensic and geriatric settings and has published in the areas of art therapy, arts access, elder care, gender, research methods, professional development and technology. She adds, “Our collective experiences over the past few years highlight the harm possible from loneliness and isolation.”
Admittedly, Partridge’s assertions make me feel a bit naive, which is like feeling young again—you know, back when being rightfully schooled by one’s elders was a daily occurrence. It’s refreshing since these days, I’m usually schooled by teenagers and ChatGPT.
That said, it doesn’t allay my fears regarding aging or my hope that I can stop aging but without dying since I’m well past the “Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse” phase.
“With regard to fear and hope, this is another area of interesting research—a negative view of aging (in general, or about oneself) can create poor health outcomes,” says Partridge. “As we see more examples of supportive, intergenerational communities, we will hopefully see a reduction in the negative views about aging.”
To that end—literally—there are benefits to be experienced while traipsing to the inevitable.
THERAPEUTIC Erin Partridge is the head of inspirement at Healdsburg’s Enso Village.
“One of the biggest benefits we saw in a community project about growing older, and that I have since heard echoed over and over in practices, is the perspective and increased self-confidence that comes with more life experience. One way we might be able to better grow older is to embrace our curiosity. This was recently exemplified by a resident at Enso Village who described herself as ‘all in’ for new experiences,” Partridge notes.
Wise and dare I say, inspiring? It would stand for reason—Partridge’s title at Enso Village is “head of inspirement.”
Boomers in particular may need some “inspirement,” as 2024 marks the year the youngest among them turn 60.
“Born between 1946 to 1964, boomers are age 60 to 78,” reminds Mindy Solkin,the founder and creator of BB Babes, the fashion, fitness and health network for baby boomer women. To that end, Solkin is marking 2024 as “The Year of the Baby Boomer Woman.”
“Hitting age 60 is a milestone, somewhere between thinking about retiring, already retired or never going to retire,” she says.
“Boomers are re-inventing themselves and giving back, helping themselves while they help others,” says Solkin. “I went from coaching 30-year-old runners to creating a new venture focused on bringing my five decades of knowledge and experience to boomer women who want to look and feel their best at every age.”
Susan Williams, RN, a senior health expert with extensive experience in gerontology and senior care, concurs.
“Having redefined every life stage they’ve passed through, boomers are now redefining retirement, often seeking active, purposeful post-retirement lives,” says Williams, who is also a senior health contributor at Retirement Being, specializing in aging demographics and elderly care. “They are not just settling into traditional retirement but are exploring new careers, engaging in volunteer work and even starting businesses. Boomers view retirement as a new phase of opportunity and adventure, often focusing on personal growth, lifelong learning and community involvement.”
Conversely, on the other end of the spectrum, Williams perceives millennials’ approach to aging as a “mix of apprehension and proactive planning.”
“They are more inclined to focus on wellness and preventive care from a younger age, showing a keen interest in holistic health approaches and technological innovations in healthcare. This generation is also more vocal about mental health, seeking to destigmatize related issues and incorporate mental wellness into their aging process,” she says.
Common fears across these generations, according to Williams, include health decline, financial insecurity and the loss of independence. Millennials worry about the long-term impacts of their lifestyle choices and environmental factors—and perhaps the availability of avocado toast. Whereas boomers and Gen X often fear age-related diseases and losing the ability to care for themselves.
And the upside?
“Conversely, their hopes are centered around healthy aging, maintaining independence and having fulfilling, active lives even in later years,” says Williams. “Growing older brings many benefits, such as increased wisdom, deeper self-understanding and a clearer sense of what’s truly important in life. Seniors frequently report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction compared to younger individuals.”
Williams reminds us that to age better we should all embrace a healthy lifestyle, maintain social connections and engage in lifelong learning.
“It’s also important to plan for the future, including financial planning, healthcare and living arrangements, to ensure a comfortable and fulfilling older age,” she adds.
One of the upsides to aging that hadn’t occurred to me until researching this piece is that mainstream culture has time to catch up to generational tastes. As Mary Westheimer, author of the upcoming book What Nobody Tells You About Getting Older, points out, “We finally like the music in the grocery store.”
The art of stand-up comedy seems to provide audiences a window into the inner life of a fellow human. Or perhaps it’s a funhouse mirror.
Matt Braunger’s stand-up performances and albums over the years have detailed his life from stand-up circuit partyer through single life and on to parenthood. The Portland-raised comic spins mildly explicit yarns with an eye to drawing the audience into the story before whacking them on the head with the dumbest and therefore the most genius part of the joke.
In recent years and under the microscope of contemporary critical culture, confrontational comedy has taken its turn in the woke spotlight, and this writer has certainly gone off of comedians that he previously loved—too queer for Dave Chappelle anymore at this point.
But in the interest of a good time and appreciation of art, Braunger points out that one can’t believe everything one hears from the mouths of known liars-for-a-laugh like comedians.
“If you push the envelope and you’re funny, you’ll probably do better than someone who’s not pushing the envelope,” said Braunger in a phone call that had us both chuckling. “It’s kind of like [rappers] N.W.A when I was in middle school.”
“I listened to them and was like, ‘These guys are murdering people and having sex with multiple women a day; this is insane!’ Like, I believed it. But no, they’re full of crap,” he pointed out. “If they made songs about, like, ‘I went to the store today and I found a delicious cupcake,’ no matter how good the beats are, you’d still be like, ‘I don’t care about the cupcake boys.’”
That juxtaposition makes for a very interesting social environment for comedy today. Add in the creative industry shift toward independent creators, it feels like a whole era to Braunger. One he appreciates.
“When I first got known—around 2007-2008—the internet was a burgeoning thing where you’d put your stuff online [and] it was a good way to find people,” said Braunger. “Now people literally build their own studios for their stand-up podcasts, and you have YouTube comedians coming into clubs.”
“It’s a great time for comedy because it’s really much easier to find and connect with the type of comedy you enjoy,” he added. “But it is certainly the Wild West like never before.”
Braunger said he learns so much from the Zoomer generation creators that he follows online “who are way funnier than they should be for their age, you know? It’s great.”
While his comedy stays true to his Gen X roots, it is important to Braunger that he keeps growing with the times. Watching the next generations gives this father of a toddler reason not to fear the future.
“You know, the environmental climate, the economic climate, what the kids are talking about these days, it’s fascinating and there’s a lot of anger, which is very healthy,” he acknowledged, “but there’s also a remarkable amount of hope.”
With a young child at home, Braunger doesn’t tour as much as he used to. And so like any supportive, engaged dad, he relishes those rare times he does get away.
His upcoming Saturday night show will be his first time in Petaluma. About playing in a new town, Braunger said, “That’s the juice, that’s the adventure, finding a place to get great coffee, get some good food, go find the record store and comb through some vinyl.”
Noting that I too am a father, he mused, “You know what I’m talking about, [just] to have peace and quiet that’s not [because] my kid is somewhere in the house sawing something in half.”
Finally our call had to end. Braunger had to run to “an audition for the role of a neighbor who people think is a serial killer but he is in the witness protection program. That Hollywood writing, still good.”
An Evening of Comedy With Matt Braunger plays at 8:30pm, Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Blvd. No., Petaluma. 21+. Tickets available for $25-$37 at mystictheatre.com.
Many survivors of the Nazi concentration camps and the Holocaust wrote memoirs to permanently record what had happened, with a belief that such atrocity should never happen again.
Many authors credited their survival to the desire to make sure they lived to tell the story. If it was so important to them that the world know what happened, then reading seemed the least I could do.
The banality of evil was a term coined by Hannah Arendt to capture the ordinary and mundane daily lives people lead while atrocities were being committed. For example, one reads about the stench of death and the impossibility of ignoring the smell; how could the people of Auschwitz pretend they did not know what was going on?
It does not take a case like South Africa has now brought to the International Court of Justice to beg many of these questions. South Africa is accusing Israel of genocidal acts, according to the charges. As Al Jazeera reported, during the “three-month war in Gaza, more than 23,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, lawyers told the top United Nations court. Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has been displaced, and an Israeli blockade severely limiting food, fuel and medicine has caused a humanitarian ‘catastrophe.’”
Genocide is a serious charge, and crimes against humanity have a burden of proof like all others. I am troubled by even more latent questions; if it is not ruled genocide, does that make it somehow OK?
Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza within the first six days of war—for comparison, that is about what the U.S. dropped in Afghanistan in 2019—how many of those bombs do we want to assume responsibility or pay for?
In the first six weeks of the war, Israel deployed more than 22,000 U.S.-produced bombs on Gaza, according to intelligence figures provided to Congress. Individually and collectively, we need to stop supporting it with our tax dollars and silent complicity, or, preferably, just stop it. Forget ceasefires; let us finally put an end to war before war puts an end to us.
Wim Laven, Ph.D. teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution.
Shortly the U.S. Supreme Court will rule whether or not an American president can be prosecuted for alleged crimes committed while in office. It is my hope that the justices and especially the “strict originalists” take note that though we greet them with “Your Honors,” a president is addressed simply as Mister.
The Founding Fathers apparently wanted to make clear that a president is nothing like a king. He’s just an ordinary citizen who for four years may have been given some special responsibilities but who is nonetheless subject to all the laws of the land just as they apply to the rest of us.
Seems to me Mister Trump has already been granted extraordinary latitude. Were you or I to face a fraction of those charges leveled against Mister Trump, we’d be awaiting trial in a cell—no bail, no possibility of parole. Our passports would be under lock and key as well. And what would happen to us were we to regularly, publicly and often obscenely insult the presiding judge and for good measure, slander his clerk?
I hope The Supremes do not see this repeat offender as a “unique” litigant entitled to special favors, and that he will be known to them only as Mister Trump—until such time as he is obliged to give up his name for a number provided by the Federal Penitentiary in Lompoc.
Santa Rosa, on the crease of urban and rural, is the perfect place to launch a reconnection with the night sky and the stars that are obscured by earthly development. Such is the intent of local musicians teaming up with the Robert Ferguson Observatory, which provides observational astronomy classes and star gazing parties. Produced by performer Brightdarkdawn, the show is a “two-hour immersive music concert that uses songs, video, and audience participation.” The queer-forward event evokes multiple cultural traditions of the interplay of light and dark, including by Sindhu Natarajan, a South Indian classically trained singer. I’ll Show You the Night, 6:30-8:30pm, Saturday, Jan. 27, Arlene Francis Center, 99 6th St., Santa Rosa. $20. Telescopes provided for stargazing.
Petaluma
Act Local
There may be no more beloved volunteer organization in Sonoma County than Daily Acts. The wisdom of taking little actions everyday to address the greatest challenges of our time could just be the answer to climate change and so much more that our world needs right now. The group has installed greywater systems, no-water native plant lawn conversions and a whole lot of hope. One such act is the maintenance of the Cavanaugh food forest every month. Join other volunteers to prep the garden for the growing season by pulling weeds, pruning plants and making friends. Cavanagh Center Food Forest Maintenance, 10am-12:30pm, Friday, Jan. 19, Cavanaugh Center, 426 8th St., Petaluma. Those who can’t attend can donate at dailyacts.org.
Napa
Get Those Chills
Has there ever been a better voice in popular music than Sade? From her pop debut in the ’80s right through to today, the sounds of Sade Adu continue to exceed nostalgia or kitsch. Her music sounds as contemporary as ever, almost more relevant than many a current chart topper. So all praise to singer Ariel Marin for her tribute performance of Sade material that will “transport you into a world of love, heartache, and soul.” And give those chills of joy. Ariel Marin – Tribute to Sade. Two shows, 6:30pm and 9pm, Friday, Jan. 19, Blue Note Napa, 1030 Main St., Napa. Tickets start at $35 with two drink minimum. Ages 8 and up.
Mill Valley / Online
With the Band
BandWorks runs music programs connecting developing players of all ages with bands of their peers. Students get an instructor and placement in a band. After practicing for eight weeks, the bands play a culminating show with youth and adult bands alternating. But performances like the upcoming show at Sweetwater are meant to be just the beginning. Says program manager Stace Wright, “Our whole goal is just to build bands, to help them find their people.” For those who can’t attend, a live video feed and an archive of past performances is online at facebook.com/bandworks. 5:30pm, Monday, Jan. 22, Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. $15. All ages.
On Monday night, a coalition of concerned citizens presented a draft resolution to the Petaluma City Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of all hostages. It was the product of work by local activists who have felt at times nervous about publicly taking on the issue that has proven divisive across the U.S.
Sam, a long time resident of Petaluma, is Jewish-American. He has also been involved in “meetings of Jewish folks who are opposed to the occupation.” Like the other activists interviewed for this article, Sam asked the Bohemian not to use his last name, choosing anonymity for safety. He said, “I don’t want this to blow back on my family.”
“We did a lot of preparation around de-escalation of any hecklers,” said Luigi, a Petaluma Italian- and Palestinian-American organizer who participates in the weekly demonstrations downtown. “But we found an outpouring of support. A couple of people shouting disagreements, but more people stopping and asking how they can join.”
The Bohemian asked Hanan, another Palestinian-American organizer, why the prevalence of Ukrainian flags in Petaluma but not the same visible support of Palestine? She said, “We see in times like this that in Petaluma people are pro-white. [I]t’s not as progressive as people want to think.”
Asked if the Hamas attacks that triggered the current conflict complicated support of Palestine, Hanan said, “[Hamas only] complicates the response because there’s a lack of knowledge of the actual current situation in recent history,” asserting that the 70 plus year conflict has often been one-sided, favoring the well-funded and internationally supported nation of Israel.
The goal of the resolution is to put pressure on federal officials who are not taking action. A similar campaign was effective in helping end the Vietnam War.
An Obligation to Speak Up
“Memories of the Holocaust hung over my family while I was growing up,” said Sam, who is in his 70s. “Most of my family, who I never got to meet, was wiped out during the Holocaust.”
“I became an activist out of a strong sense of my understanding of Jewish values and traditions,” said Sam, recalling firsthand his visit to the Palestinian territories. “It was just intolerable to me as a Jewish person to think that my people were conducting this violent occupation of another people.”
“I’ve been a civilian in a war zone,” said Luigi, “and you always have somewhere to hide.” This writer has family in Kiev, Ukraine, and for years has heard the updates of family members retreating to the apartment block basement as drones and bombs rumble. “With 2,000 kilogram ‘bunker busters’ being dropped on residential buildings, then you have nowhere to hide.”
Support for “Israel’s right to defend itself” or the “liberation movement for the oppressed people of Palestine” are issues that quickly become mired in political and social abstraction. The coalition members want to bring attention and action to address the suffering of people on the ground in Gaza, Israel, and throughout the war-stricken region.
“One of the things that our group is trying to get the City Council to understand is that representation of Jewish people should not be limited to the synagogue,” pointed out Hanan. “There are many Jewish community members who do not go to the synagogue and are not religious. Their voices should be counted as well.”
Many Petalumans have to face this double-edged sword, dealing with rising antisemitism while also facing backlash from their own friends and families if they speak out about the actions of Israel, where the horrific attacks of Hamas that killed over 1,500 in one night have been answered with a military assault that has killed tens of thousands in the continuing response.
The difficult work will have to continue; on Monday night at a contentious meeting, the City Council of Petaluma declined to advance the resolution for a ceasefire and return of hostages to a vote, leaving the effort in limbo.
The Bay Area’s own Ariel Marin and her tribute to Sade to play two intimate shows at Blue Note in Napa. January 19.
Although "Smooth Operator" singer Sade doesn’t tour these days, fans can rejoice and revel in her music again at singer Ariel Marin’s upcoming show. The daughter of a professional rock singer, Marin spent much of her youth...
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Twisted Mister
Shortly the U.S. Supreme Court will rule whether or not an American president can be prosecuted for alleged crimes committed while in office. It is my hope that the justices and especially the “strict originalists” take note that though we greet them with “Your Honors,” a president is addressed simply as Mister.
The Founding Fathers apparently wanted to make...
On Monday night, a coalition of concerned citizens presented a draft resolution to the Petaluma City Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of all hostages. It was the product of work by local activists who have felt at times nervous about publicly taking on the issue that has proven divisive across the U.S.
Sam, a long...
