Page 1442 – Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

Live Review: Bassnectar at Hopmonk Tavern

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May 5, 2009

It’s unlikely that Sebastopol is going to see a Monday night anything at all like this for the rest of the year. It felt like Bassnectar’s show at the Hopmonk was everything that the old stone building was built for, all those eons ago: “Avast! One Monday, these walls shall absorb the Earth’s pinnacle of gut-rumbling bass. Build strong, gentlemen!”
Yes, the bass could be heard two blocks away. I am surprised the windows are intact. Inside, the sweet combination of smells that only a packed club creates, fueled by Bassnectar’s singular style that had fans driving from hours away (the show was sold out days ago, but if you had a $20 bill, or a good story about your car breaking down, or were pregnant in a tube top and skirt, the guys watching the side doors seemed amenable).
Bassnectar has been in heavy rotation around these parts, and once an album receives that distinction, it’s time for the knighting ceremony, a.k.a. putting it on cassette. The Side Two to my Bassnectar Underground Communication tape is Spank Rock’s YoYoYoYoYo, a record which shares a lot of the same breakbeat production but has rapping, which is nice. One of my favorites from that album is “Bump,” with a killing verse by Amanda Blank. She’s got a solo album out in June, and judging by the first peek, it looks to deftly rule.
For those who weren’t able get in tonight, across the alley at Jasper O’Farrell’s was the place to be, at the long-running Monday Night Edutainment (“WBLK a dun di place every Monday at Jaspers.” “Seen? Yes Iyah! I-man WBLK a wickid!”). Jacques and Guacamole come up on eight years this summer, and they bring back the Coup’s Pam the Funkstress on June 1 to celebrate. Before that, for some of the best in Bay Area beats, Hopmonk’s got Greyboy coming in on May 14’s Juke Joint, too.
I sometimes have a hard time explaining to adults why a crowd can get excited about a person on stage pushing buttons. I’d hope that tonight would set some of the naysayers straight, if only for variety alone—it’s the only set I’ve heard that’s referenced the Gorillaz, Bill Haley, and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun.” One thing, though, is undeniable: Sebastopol is whipping Santa Rosa’s ass on Monday nights. I drove home, brain still slightly curdled, and downtown Santa Rosa felt like a whimpering dog with its tail between its legs in comparison.

May 2-5: Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Noted

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Apr 29, 2009

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Alcohol-free, family-friendly Cinco de Mayo celebrations take over this weekend! In San Rafael, the Canal Alliance sponsors Unity in our Community with juggling, soccer, a poetry slam and Aztec dancers; performing are hip hop artists Bay S.L.A.M., Stay True Crew, Bajo Zero, Jtrio Juvenil, PHAME, Bang’M Out, Bib Papa Callejero and more on Saturday, May 3, at 91 Larkspur St., San Rafael (1-7pm; free; 415.454.2640). In Calistoga, the Napa Valley Cinco de Mayo kicks off with a noon parade through downtown Calistoga which ends at the fairgrounds with mariachis, live bands and dancers at 1435 N. Oak St., Calistoga (12pm; parade free, festival $5; 707.942.6333). In Santa Rosa, the massive Roseland Cinco de Mayo festival boasts lowrider cars, taco trucks galore, salsa contests, tons of food booths and two stages of live music from latin rock groups, mariachis, young hip-hop artists and the annual breakdance battle on Tuesday, May 5, at 650 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa (4pm-10pm; free; 707.529.8651).Gabe Meline

May 3: CANCELLED – Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, Paris and more at the Mystic Theatre

Noted

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Apr 29, 2009

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THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED

This Sunday, no true hip-hop head should be caught anywhere but at the Hard Truth Soldiers Tour, featuring Paris, Talib Kweli, Pete Rock, Planet Asia, Conscious Daughters, T-K.A.S.H. and more. Bringing together heavyweights and newcomers alike from the independent hip-hop scene, the lineup is headed for a month-and-a-half trek around the country together to spread the testimony of social justice and street poetry. Talib Kweli’s been around these parts before, as has Paris, but those in the know must allow some excitement over Pete Rock. With his back-in-the-day pal CL Smooth, Rock not only produced two albums of early ’90s boom-bap perfection but helmed one of rap music’s all-time greatest tracks, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” driven by an addictive Tom Scott saxophone sample. He’s made beats for B.I.G., Nas, Ghostface, Public Enemy and Mary J. Blige, with a handful of masterful crate-digging solo records released in recent years. Join him and the rest of the Hard Truth Soldiers on Sunday, May 3, at the Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 8:30pm. $30-$35. 707.765.2121.Gabe Meline

May 1: Adam Theis and the Realistic Orchestra at the Hopmonk Tavern

Noted

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Apr 29, 2009

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With one completely sold-out two-hour performance of his hip-hop symphony Brass, Bows and Beats earlier this month in San Francisco, Adam Theis went immediately from a local nightclub treasure to a major jazz talent overnight. While critics and fans stumbled over themselves searching for comparisons (Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ Live at Carnegie Hall? Charles Mingus’ Epitaph?), Theis returned home to his Mission District apartment, pulled out some chart paper, and started poring over some Stevie Wonder arrangements. Once a year, Theis leads his Realistic Orchestra in a birthday tribute to Wonder, and he returns home to Sonoma County this weekend to blast through hip-hop infused versions of “Sir Duke” and “Superstition” at the Hopmonk Tavern. How he’ll fit the 20-member ensemble on the stage is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure: the band is in top form, and Joe Bagale—who brought the house down in San Francisco with his desperate “Love Cry”—will whip the dancefloor into a frenzy with songs in the key of life on Friday, May 1, at the Hopmonk Tavern, 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. 9:30pm. $10-$15. 707.829.7300.Gabe Meline

April 30: Mariza at the Napa Valley Opera House

Noted

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Apr 29, 2009

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“This is the music they make love to in Portugal,” I said. “It’s called fado.” My friends stared at me. Had I really just proclaimed something so corny, they thought? Yet I had put on an Amalia Rodriguez record, and as soon as the first heart-wringing, pining ode finished oozing out of the speakers, they completely understood. Fado is the Portuguese version of James Brown collapsing to his knees, pleading “Please, Please, Please”; It’s Lucinda Williams tracing an ex-lovers scent in “Fruits of my Labor”; It’s Maria Callas despairing through Ebben? Ne andró lontana. No living fado singer can ever fill the shoes of Amalia Rodriguez, who died in 1999, but the feet of the Mozambique-born Mariza are growing into an acceptable fit. Mariza has toured worldwide with an affecting poignancy in her singing that’s helped sell hundreds of thousands of albums and, more importantly, kept fado alive and well across the world. Awe is the common response to her live appearances; she pours her heart out on Thursday, April 30, at the Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. 8pm. $45. 707.226.7372.Gabe Meline

April 30: David Copperfield at the Marin Center

Noted

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Apr 29, 2009

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A lipstick stain, a malignant tumor, a collection of memos authorizing torture—there’s plenty of things in this world that for practical purposes, certain people would love to see disappear. Master illusionist David Copperfield focuses almost entirely on the impractical—making the Statue of Liberty disappear, for example, or a large jet plane—although he did put his famed prestidigitation to good use during a 2006 mugging in West Palm Beach (Copperfield made it appear that he had handed over money to his attacker while secretly concealing his possessions). Perhaps the incident inspired a bit of the opportunist in the famed magician, for during his current interactive show, Copperfield teaches the audience how to predict lottery numbers. No doubt feeling pressure from David Blaine, Copperfield has shied away from his large-scale rock star television specials and refocused on basic illusion; young budding magicians will no doubt squeal in their seats when he appears for two shows on Thursday, April 30, at the Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 5:30pm and 8:30pm. $40-$60. 415.499.6800.Gabe Meline

On the Stereo: Many Thoughts, One Myc

Reviews

Gabe Meline

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Apr 29, 2009

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I write this week about the new hip-hop compilation released by teenagers in San Rafael, Many Thoughts, One Myc, which is as pure a representation as possible of what kids are thinking, hoping, wishing for, copying, creating, decrying and delineating in Marin County. Not everyone wants to grow up to drive their PT Cruiser to yoga class, it turns out. Even intellaFLOW’s track “GoodLife”—he’s the focus of the article—puts a realistic bent on what defines success: “A little bit material,” he raps, “and a little bit spiritual.”
I wasn’t able to talk up the rest of the CD in the paper’s limited space, but Many Thoughts, One Myc reflects a post-Hyphy Bay Area, where stunna shades might be dead but the beat goes on. Consider it a gas, brake, and dip—with a left turn added. Characteristic of the album is Bay S.L.A.M.’s “We From the Bay,” which preaches unity among all races, and H-Block’s piano-driven scraper anthem “Fast and Furious,” which makes me wish I didn’t drive a clunky 1989 Ford van.
Two tracks in particular stick out: the dark instrumental “Flatline’s Slap,” by quiet, 15-year-old producer Flatline. He loops a didgeridoo sound over perfectly synched bass and drums, and when the hi-hats come in, it kills. The flipside is “Taste My Rainbow,” an incredible spoken-word piece from Chinita, which stresses maintaining mentality, showing confidence and staying true to oneself in the face of haters. I’m not sure the BPMs match up, but the two are begging to be mixed together.
Many Thoughts, One Myc can be ordered here.

Hey, Look Over There

Columns & Opinion

Juliane Poirier Locke

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Apr 29, 2009

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04.29.09

Carolyn Scott, founder and director of Reel Community Action in Santa Rosa has been honored as April’s “Vibrant Giver” by the online women’s magazine VibrantNation.com. Selected from among 20,000 members of women over 50, Scott seemed like a perfect candidate for a Green Zone interview because the award announcement said she is “someone who gives back to her community in a big way” and that her work “inspires sustainable communities.” But when I called her up, all Scott wanted to talk about was what other people are doing to save life on planet Earth. “Don’t look at me,” she says. “Look at the real heroes.”

Looking at real heroes is what Scott wants everyone to do. She is an environmental activist and educator who uses film to inspire activism, if not heroism, in everyone. Scott believes we can find our own ability to act by seeing what truly selfless people are doing and what they are risking for the benefit of everyone. Movies are the educational tool she calls “quick and powerful.” To save us the time and agony of wading through well-intentioned mediocrity, she has selected the top films we need to see to get the big picture—story-based narratives that will grab us.

“I want people to watch the best and most entertaining films, the kick-ass stories that blow you out of the water,” Scott says. “There are people out there putting their lives at risk every day, the lowest underdogs fighting the biggest corporate giants and winning. This kind of information doesn’t make it to mainstream media.”

But these stories do make it to independent films, including Scott’s own award-winning documentary Texas Gold, which tells the story of Diane Wilson, a Texan fisherwoman and mother of five who has risked her life and spent time in jail for standing up to the likes of Dow Chemical. The documentary’s synopsis by Judith Hefland reads, “Texas Gold profiles the brave and ballsy actions that have earned Diane Wilson the title of ‘unreasonable woman’: waging multiple hunger strikes, starting up a business bottling toxic water taken from a superfund site—which she creatively labeled and sold back . . . to the tycoons [who] polluted the water—sinking her own shrimp boat on top of a toxic discharge site, and being convicted for trespassing after chaining herself to an ethyl oxide tower at her local Union Carbide plant.”

Wilson displayed upon the tower a banner that read, “Justice for the victims of Bhopal disaster.” The same toxins that poisoned Wilson’s fishing in the Gulf waters caused the death of over 20,000 people when Union Carbide’s chemicals spilled in India. Clearly, Wilson’s fight in Texas is not merely local. And while most U.S. citizens may not have heard about her, she is known and admired internationally, even earning Germany’s Blue Planet Award.

What mainstream media will not deliver, Scott will. She wants us to know about Wilson and others like her. She wants us to know about all the heroes from Maria Gunnoe in Appalachia, who received death threats for standing up against mountain-top removal by coal companies, to Marc Ona Essangui in Gabon, Africa, who has also endangered his life by standing up to mining operations planned by his government in league with Chinese business interests. (Both Gunnoe and Ona Essangui are among recipients of the worldwide 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize.)

Scott is working to get the stories of these heroes spread around. She especially wishes to get filmed stories out to community organizers working to address climate change. Scott’s favorite North Bay models for promoting civic action are the Climate Protection Campaign and Go Local; through these organizations she works to disseminate important films to grassroots organizations via her organization, Turtle Island Films.

Does Scott consider herself a hero? Naw. But she is on the roster of women selected by the 2009 National Women’s History Project for which the theme was “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet.” I think she earned it. We can’t all risk our lives to battle corporate wrongdoers, but when someone does, Carolyn Scott will make sure we know about it.

To learn more about Carolyn Scott, go to www.turtleislandfilms.com and www.thereelgreen.org.

Cleavage Creek

Swirl

James Knight

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Apr 29, 2009

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This week’s tasting is below the radar, off the map, not in the guidebooks. It’s only once a week, for those in the know, and it’s almost guaranteed to attract no tourists. Yes, this week’s story takes place in the Windsor Raley’s supermarket. Friday evenings, the supermarket’s coffee shop, a corral of tables adjacent to the deli, transforms into wine-bar-for-a-night. There’s a fee for tasting that’s refundable with purchase of any $10 wine. The best part, especially in light of the nonexistence of mere thin wafers at $20 fee “luxury” wineries? A huge platter of cheese, bread and fruit. Nosh on. It’s winetasting for the short on time, the masses with no inclination for the wine road near at hand; a pleasant interlude to break up an after-work shopping trip. After all, it’s Friday.

The wines offered are often usual suspects, well-known brands like Turning Leaf and Kenwood, but sometimes they’re the unexpected, as with Cleavage Creek.

I know what it sounds like: a guy’s sophomoric brainstorm dreamt up well past halfway through the bottle. I cannot confirm that; it may have been, until Budge Brown bought the label in 2006. The businessman and grape grower lost his wife to breast cancer the previous year, and he was on a mission. Brown transformed the label into an emblem of activism. Fully 10 percent of gross sales are donated to care and research programs that Brown thinks are on a particularly promising track in battling that scourge that is all too close to many of us.

If there’s a flaw in this scheme, it’s combining serious medical issues with a logo only slightly more highbrow than Hooters, a possibly unnerving combination for a product intended for lighthearted consumption. But I wouldn’t know it from the confident smiles of the women on the label who beam with life and vitality. Each vintage of each varietal features a different survivor modeling a tasteful V-neck against a bright color backdrop. And there they were at Raley’s! Miss Merlot Shiraz explained that women who would like to model on future vintages can contact the winery through the website.

Naturally, if the wine weren’t any fun, I’d be better off checking the donation box on my California tax return (which I did). But the 2006 Chardonnay ($22) entices with an offbeat peanut character, a floral aroma and viscous mouth feel. It’s good and interesting; more like a Roussanne. The intense, grapey and tannic 2005 Petite Sirah ($45) was the showboat of the reds, while the 2005 Merlot Shiraz ($25) was easy drinking, soft and fruity.

A winery is in development, complete with many sustainable and “green” features. Until then, Cleavage Creek can be found at Raley’s, where any number of dinner ingredients can be conveniently found for, oh come on, the perfect pairing.

Raley’s, 8852 Lakewood Drive, Windsor. Winetasting Fridays 5:30–7:15pm. $3 fee. 707.838.6604. Cleavage Creek, www.cleavagecreek.com. 888.295.1280.

View All

This Boys Life

Movies

Bohemian.com

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Apr 29, 2009

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04.29.09

With a tender film and a rollicking memoir under their belts, Logan and Noah Miller are lucky guys. Or are they? “I think luck happens when you work your tail off and you put yourself in a position where, if you see the opportunity, you can jump on it,” Noah declares.

“And you have to be prepared,” adds his softer-spoken twin brother, Logan.

For these bright and charismatic Fairfax natives, who between them seem to carry the force of the sun, success has been especially hard-won—and, yes, has involved plenty of preparation. Let’s just say the odds were against them.

The Miller brothers’ turbulent working-class upbringing, marked by a lovable but alcoholic father, drove them to the sanctity of the baseball field. “We couldn’t have played any more baseball than we did growing up unless God had made more hours in the day,” they recount in their memoir Either You’re In or You’re in the Way: Two Brothers, Twelve Months, and One Filmmaking Hell-Ride to Keep a Promise to Their Father (Harper; $26.99). The discipline of athletic practice, paired with a fierce work ethic, would become the seed of their creative success.

The twins left West Marin to attempt careers in the minor leagues, only to return at the devastating news that their dad had passed away. Local roofer Dan Miller spent the last 15 years of his life homeless, camping out in Samuel P. Taylor Park, and died in the Marin County Jail in 2006.

The average person wouldn’t have responded to such tragedy with a screenplay, much less a beautifully produced film starring the award-winning likes of Ed Harris. But there’s nothing average about the Miller brothers.

By all accounts, their film Touching Home never should have been made. When the Miller brothers set out to make the movie as tribute to their father, they had no money, no industry connections and no experience.

“You probably can’t start any lower in the business than we did, if you just want to put that down on paper,” Noah instructs.

They were not only new to the film biz, but to the practice of writing. Too busy playing catch and laying shingles with their dad to be star students, they’d never bothered learning to type. Even after a reckoning with instructional typing software, Noah remains averse.

“I will not touch a keyboard,” he says defiantly. “That will just ruin it.” Creative flow is apparently a delicate thing, even for a burly baseball player.

“Noah will write freehand and I’ll type, and then we’ll blend what we wrote,” Logan explains.

Such an intimate mind-meld is only to be expected; the twins share almost everything (even their underwear, as they willingly point out).

Their process resulted in the screenplay for the 2008 release of Touching Home, which, after hundreds of rejections, won them the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant. Though prestigious, the grant wouldn’t begin to cover the cost of the film. So the twins began taking out credit cards—17, to be exact. The “hell ride” so well chronicled in Either You’re In had begun.

The soaring triumph echoed throughout the book is that the Millers, in search of the perfect lead actor to play their father, cornered Ed Harris in an alley behind the Castro Theater in San Francisco. After they propped their laptop on a metal Dumpster and showed their two-minute film trailer, Harris agreed by handshake to do the film. The cavalier strategy will likely go down as indie film legend—and was no dumb luck.

“It’s not like we walked down the street and found a million dollars, ” Logan remarks wryly. “There were so many steps along the way that had to be accomplished before we could get in front of Ed Harris.”

Recalling the attitude that drove them to the Castro Theater and beyond, Noah reflects, “We’ve always kept this hope and optimism that, OK, this is just short-term. But long-term, there‘s where we’re gonna go!”

Indomitable in spirit, the Miller brothers radiate a graciousness and positivity that, for all their hard work, make it clear they feel lucky indeed.

“We appreciate a challenge,” Logan says. “It’s just something that helps kinda give a richness to life.”

‘Touching Home’ screens on Wednesday, May 6, at the Smith Rafael Film Center. 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. 7pm. 415.454.1222. The Logans read from and discuss ‘Either You’re In or You’re in the Way’ on Tuesday, May 5, at Book Passage (51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera; 7:30pm, free. 415.927.0960 ) and again on Thursday, May 21, at Copperfield’s Books ( 2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa; 7pm, free. 707.578.8938).

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