Josh Windmillerโ€™s The Crux turns 15

At times, Santa Rosa seems a sleepy little rural town, a regional center almost by accident, built through decades of accumulated suburbs.

At other times, it feels loud as hell, especially when folk-punk rock bards The Crux are playing. This year, The Crux turns 15, with a show scheduled to celebrate their anniversary at McNearโ€™s Mystic Theater in Petaluma on Dec. 17. It also happens to be the 40th birthday of singer, songwriter, guitarist and art-scene catalyst Josh Windmiller.

I sat down with Windmiller for a chat under the condition that I wouldnโ€™t embarrass myself, but screw that. You see, I am a HUGE fan of the band and his. It has taken me years to stop bouncing up and down in his presence. Now that Iโ€™ve calmed down, it feels that we are becoming friends. I suspect a lot of artists around the region feel that way.

Indeed, Windmiller is more than a frontman of the most interesting band in the North Bay. He is a dedicated professional community organizer whose efforts have brought such jewels to Santa Rosa as the Railroad Square Music Festival and the Lost Church, both endeavors that lift up local artists, expanding the available cultural options for residents of the city. This whole ethos is baked into the wacky-weird beauty of The Crux.

Traveling Band That Stays Home

It might help to get a picture of the band in action, lest my praise come off as hyperbole to the uninitiated, the unconverted, the not yet saved. With the full band playing in the pure white of a gospel choir while clanging away on the full range of Americana instruments, some possibly hand-made inventions, Windmiller has indeed been on stage in character as a snake oil salesperson, a frontier preacher and a contortionist starting shows chained in a box below center mic. These are factual descriptions, yโ€™all.

My personal favorite incarnation is the old west circuit gospel faith healer, supposedly just rolled into camp to uplift the poor souls of the audience. As Windmiller booms a sermon between tunes, lost souls stagger up from the audience to place their foreheads into his outstretched hand and โ€œHallelujah!โ€, they are healed and raise their voices to the heavens before joining the band on stage. This is how the backup singers are introduced, through the grace of God.

Throughout the show, members join and leave the set. โ€œThe original idea behind The Crux in many ways was inspired by the idea of a traveling show,โ€ Windmiller told me. โ€œThe idea of rotating groups of people is important to that. [Our shows have] that feeling of momentum. I want, when people go to a Crux show, to feel like they’re transported somewhere.โ€ 

Santa Rosa Arts

In a way, momentum is what Windmillerโ€™s work is all about. 

Even though he has a fascination with the idea of travel, Windmiller said, โ€œThere’s something about my approach to the arts that’s very much rooted in the local.โ€ That contrary nature shows up in The Crux. โ€œIt’s at one point about characters and stories and movement, while at the same time, you know, being about your neighbors and your neighborhood.โ€ 

Indeed, The Crux began all those years ago in neighborhood living rooms and barns around Santa Rosa, shows where the boundary between the audience and the players was a permeable thing.

It was the kind of scene at the time that seemed a launching board to that travel, the movement elsewhere, yet was rooted right there in Santa Rosa. โ€œSometimes it’s been hard to reconcile. I never really planned on being, you know, in Santa Rosa all the time.โ€

Yet, Windmillerโ€™s presence is foundational in the local music scene. As development director of the Lost Church, and co-founder of the Railroad Square Music Festival, he has poured his heart, soul and sweat into building momentum for artists and concert-goers in Santa Rosa.

For those not yet familiar with the Railroad Square Music Festival, the annual event pulls in 6,000 attendees to see dozens of bands right in the square. 

โ€œOne of the main things behind the Railroad Square Music Festival is to make a music festival that you could wander into by accident. It’s right there in the heart of Santa Rosa,โ€ said Windmiller about the free event. โ€œWe try to make it as accessible as possible.โ€

Venue Guy

The Lost Church, tucked away in the back of the Press Democrat building on Ross Street at Mendocino Avenue, is a funky little spot custom built for intimate shows. A branch of the Lost Church non-profit out of San Francisco, the venue exists for the purpose of maintaining the sustainability of a community stage that is open and accessible to the community.

โ€œI never thought I’d be a venue guy,โ€ Windmiller laughed nervously. โ€œVenues are such a big task.โ€ Pulling on his antiquely-styled beard in thought, he noted that these days it seems that music is so often tied to events, rather than just a thing to go out and do.

The median age in Santa Rosa is 35 years old, with a lot of families. Having music just in bars and clubs that play until midnight is not going to work for a lot of people. Windmiller and the teams behind the Lost Church and the Railroad Square Music Festival are committed to being more inclusive. Shows at the Lost Church are all ages and always end by 10:30pm.

Time to Celebrate

To have a band with a strong local following for 15 years is quite a feat. โ€œIt’s nice to have a history,โ€ said Windmiller. โ€œWe’ve created a history together, and we’re growing together.โ€

The show at the Mystic will feature the return of co-founder and early days co-lead singer Tim Dixon, and of course a rotating cast of local music characters gathered to celebrate the achievement of these beloved local folk-punk freaks.

โ€œIโ€™ve just had the fortune of working with incredible musicians and artists of all kinds,โ€ said Windmiller, reflecting on the depth of the local scene and his roots in Santa Rosa.  โ€œIโ€™ve tried to live this life the way I want to. Iโ€™ve [considered] moving a few times, but then, you know, before I can pack my bag, Iโ€™ve got [to run to] a coffee date with a local piano player. โ€œ


The Crux plays with La Gente SF at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma on Dec. 17. Tickets available online at mystictheatre.com. Learn more about the Lost Church at thelostchurch.org. Musicians interested in playing the 2023 Railroad Square Music Festival can contact ra*************************@***il.com.

Culture Crush, Week of Dec. 7

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Music and Mayhem

Santa Rosa

Joe Craven and Sheridan Malone will perform โ€œAn Afternoon of Music and Mayhemโ€ at The Lost Church Santa Rosa on Sunday, Dec. 18. Craven is well known as a multi-talented musician and popular festival MC with lauded improvisational skills, and Malone is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who has performed for years in a variety genres, including opera and musical theater. The duo promises an early evening of Americana improvisation that might align with those whose tastes include Steve Polz, Painted Mandolin and Achilles Wheel. Vaccines, boosters and masks are strongly encouraged, but are not required, as per local policy. Joe Craven and Sheridan Malone perform from 4:45-7:30pm, Sunday, Dec. 18 at The Lost Church, 427 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/CravenMaloneDec18.

Santa Rosa

โ€˜Sleighโ€™ Hunger Food Drive

The Redwood Empire Food Bank has a plan to slay hungerโ€”or, at least, sleigh it this winter seasonโ€”with its  holiday food drive, a.k.a, the Redwood Empire Food Bank Sleigh Hunger Food Drive. Those who are able to contribute are encouraged to bring food donations to the drive this Saturday, where there will be a photo op with โ€œSanta Causeโ€ and free carriage rides, courtesy of Railroad Square. Among the most needed items are canned tuna, canned chicken, peanut butter, rice, pasta, oats, dry beans and low sugar cereals. Redwood Empire Food Bank Sleigh Hunger Food Drive goes from 11am to 3pm, Saturday, Dec. 10 at Railroad Square, 9 4th St., Santa Rosa. For more information, visit refb.org.

Napa

Cool Yule

Blue Note Napa presents Kellie Fuller and the Mike Greensill Trio for โ€œCool Yuleโ€ on Thursday, Dec. 22, a night filled with a mix of vintage holiday and winter jazz classics. Fuller and Greensill have gathered an all-star band featuring Ruth Davies on stand-up bass and Jack Dorsey (not the Twitter founder) on drums for a festive evening of winter classics and holiday cheer. Doors open at 6pm, and dinner, wine, beer and cocktails are available throughout the evening. Tickets range from $15- $30 and can be purchased at www.bluenotenapa.com. Due to the intimate size of the club, advance tickets are strongly recommended. Blue Note Napa is located on the first floor of the Napa Valley Opera House at 1030 Main St., Napa.

Mill Valley

Four Women

What began as an exploration of works of teachers and their students sparked a conversation about the importance of mentorship and support among women artists. Hereโ€™s how the dots connect: Jane Rosen introduced the work of Daniella Dooling, who was her student and first assistant. Gale Antokal was a teacher at San Jose State University who taught Shannon Belardi, later recommending her for a position as Rosenโ€™s studio assistant. Each of these artists acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the women artists who have supported them along the way. Reflecting this ethos is a joint exhibition, โ€œFour Women,โ€ on view through Jan. 15 at the Seager Gray Gallery, 108 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. For more information, visit seagergray.com.

Open Mic, Week of Dec. 7

Men and Hijabs

Another case for equality 

By Dr. Martin Blinder

Like most everyone fortunate to live in a free society (and doubtless a goodly number of people who donโ€™t), I am astonished and proud of the extraordinary bravery of the women of Iran, risking their lives to protest a cruel and bizarre dictum by Iranian men apparently so insecure about their manhood that they force their women to shroud themselves from head to toe like lepers. 

But there may be another different strategy that I believe is not only supremely effective, but less likely to place these women in such peril.

Specifically, in that the Iranian government seems convinced that the wearing of this piece of black cloth is absolutely essential to the peace, tranquility, safety and moral fiber of the nation, I would suggest that rather than fighting to do away with this mandate, women should instead insist that men be afforded the same constitutional right to serve the nation that only women presently enjoy. Henceforth, men should be expected to appear in public wearing the hijab. It would be most interesting to hear Iranian men explain why they should be denied the opportunity to add to this priceless and righteous contribution to their nationโ€™s well-being.

Presently, a policy where only women get to wear a hijab in public is manifestly discriminatory against men who are thus left bereft of their right to publicly demonstrate their deeply felt righteous morality. Furthermore, while women can rely on a hijabโ€™s protection year-round against the harsh Iranian climate, burning hot in summer, freezing cold in winter, men have only scraggly beards to protect their faces.

Presently, should a courageous Iranian man protest this injustice by appearing on a public street wearing a hijab, the morality police would be on him in one jihad second. Doubtless they would not wait to haul him back to pious headquarters to beat him to death, but would stone him right there on the spot. This is blatantly unfair. Time for Iranian men to rise up and join their women-folk in the demand to be treated equally.

Dr. Martin Blinder lives in San Anselmo.

Free Will Astrology, Week of Dec. 7

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky wrote, “To be free, you simply have to be so, without asking permission. You must have your own hypothesis about what you are called to do, and follow it, not giving in to circumstances or complying with them. But that sort of freedom demands powerful inner resources, a high degree of self-awareness, and a consciousness of your responsibility to yourself and therefore to other people.” That last element is where some freedom-seekers falter. They neglect their obligation to care for and serve their fellow humans. I want to make sure you don’t do that, Aries, as you launch a new phase of your liberation process. Authentic freedom is conscientious.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The term “neurodiversity” refers to the fact that the human brain functions in a wide variety of ways. There are not just a few versions of mental health and learning styles that are better than all the others. Taurus musician David Byrne believes he is neurodiverse because he is on the autism spectrum. That’s an advantage, he feels, giving him the power to focus with extra intensity on his creative pursuits. I consider myself neurodiverse because my life in the imaginal realm is just as important to me as my life in the material world. I suspect that most of us are neurodiverse in some senseโ€”deviating from “normal” mental functioning. What about you, Taurus? The coming months will be an excellent time to explore and celebrate your own neurodiversity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet Jane Hirshfield says that Zen Buddhism is built on three principles: 1. Everything changes. 2. Everything is connected. 3. Pay attention. Even if you are not a Zen practitioner, Gemini, I hope you will focus on the last two precepts in the coming weeks. If I had to summarize the formula that will bring you the most interesting experiences and feelings, it would be, “Pay attention to how everything is connected.” I hope you will intensify your intention to see how all the apparent fragments are interwoven. Here’s my secret agenda: I think it will help you register the truth that your life has a higher purpose than you’re usually aware ofโ€”and that the whole world is conspiring to help you fulfill that purpose.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Author Flannery O’Connor wrote, “You have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” I will add a further thought: “You have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it and strive to transform it into a better place.” Let’s make this one of your inspirational meditations in the coming months, Cancerian. I suspect you will have more power than usual to transform the world into a better place. Get started! (PS: Doing so will enhance your ability to endure and cherish.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Many sports journalists will tell you that while they may root for their favorite teams, they also “root for the story.” They want a compelling tale to tell. They yearn for dramatic plot twists that reveal entertaining details about interesting characters performing unique feats. That’s how I’m going to be in the coming months, Leo, at least in relation to you. I hope to see you engaged in epic sagas, creating yourself with verve as you weave your way through fun challenges and intriguing adventures. I predict my hope will be realized.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Venus is too hot and dry for humans to live on. But if travelers from Earth could figure out a way to feel comfortable there, they would enjoy a marvelous perk. The planet rotates very slowly. One complete day and night lasts for 243 Earth days and nights. That means you and a special friend could take a romantic stroll toward the sunset for as long as you wanted, and never see the sun go down. I invite you to dream up equally lyrical adventures in togetherness here on Earth during the coming months, Virgo. Your intimate alliances will thrive as you get imaginative and creative about nurturing togetherness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As far as I’m concerned, Libran Buddhist monk and author Thรญch Nhแบฅt Hแบกnh was one of the finest humans who ever lived. “Where do you seek the spiritual?” he asked. His answer: “You seek the spiritual in every ordinary thing that you do every day. Sweeping the floor, watering the vegetables and washing the dishes become sacred if mindfulness is there.” In the coming weeks, Libra, you will have exceptional power to live like this: to regard every event, however mundane or routine, as an opportunity to express your soulful love and gratitude for the privilege of being alive. Act as if the whole world is your precious sanctuary.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A reader named Elisa Jean tells me, “We Scorpio allies admire how Scorpios can be so solicitous and welcoming: the best party hosts. They know how to foster social situations that bring out the best in everyone and provide convivial entertainment. Yet Scorpios also know everyone’s secrets. They are connoisseurs of the skeletons in the closets. So they have the power to spawn discordant commotions and wreak havoc on people’s reputations. But they rarely do. Instead, they keep the secrets. They use their covert knowledge to weave deep connections.” Everything Ella Jean described will be your specialties in the coming weeks, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Sagittarians are least likely to stay in one location for extended periods. Many of you enjoy the need to move around from place to place. Doing so may be crucial in satisfying your quest for ever-fresh knowledge and stimulation. You understand that it’s risky to get too fixed in your habits and too dogmatic in your beliefs. So you feel an imperative to keep disrupting routines before they become deadening. When you are successful in this endeavor, it’s often due to a special talent you have: your capacity for creating an inner sense of home that enables you to feel stable and grounded as you ramble free. I believe this superpower will be extra strong during the coming months.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn author Edgar Allan Poe made this mysterious statement: “We can, at any time, double the true beauty of an actual landscape by half closing our eyes as we look at it.” What did he mean? He was referring to how crucial it is to see life “through the veil of the soul.” Merely using our physical vision gives us only half the story. To be receptive to the full glory of the world, our deepest self must also participate in the vision. Of course, this is always true. But it’s even more extra especially true than usual for you right now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian theologian Henri Nouwen wrote, “I have discovered that the gifts of life are often hidden in the places that hurt most.” Yikes! Really? I don’t like that idea. But I will say this: If Nouwen’s theory has a grain of truth, you will capitalize on that fact in the coming weeks. Amazingly enough, a wound or pain you experienced in the past could reveal a redemptive possibility that inspires and heals you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen says it’s wise to talk to yourself. No other conversational partner is more fascinating. No one else listens as well. I offer you his advice in the hope of encouraging you to upgrade the intensity and frequency of your dialogs with yourself. It’s an excellent astrological time to go deeper with the questions you pose and to be braver in formulating your responses. Make the coming weeks be the time when you find out much more about what you truly think and feel.

Letters, Week of Dec. 7

Cycle of Life

As a former member of PETA, I am often asked why I no longer support the work of this once-great organization. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk’s [Open Mic column], titled “Least We Can Do: Doing More at COP27,” is a perfect example of how compassion and empathy for animals can become irrational and divisive. 

Her statement, “Itโ€™s because of fishing that billions of fish are suffering in hideous ways as theyโ€™re hauled out of their aquatic environment to die in agony on their way into human stomachs,” shows a lack of understanding, if not a complete denial, of the aquatic food chain. It is one thing to protect animals from cruelty and quite another to insist that our fellow human beings remove themselves from the cycle of life. Who can take this woman seriously?

Dino Colombo

Stinson Beach

Missing the Big Picture

Once again, Peter Byrne picks the low-hanging fruit. Five thousand cattle on 50,000 acres. Hardly a Central Valley feedlot. Why doesnโ€™t Mr. Byrne focus his myopic view on the big picture? Sonoma Valley. Thousands of Indigenous acres converted to grapes. Oh yeah. Gourmet. Thatโ€™s why they are called “Winos.”ย 

And then we have elephant seals in Big Sur-Piedras Blancas. When I lived in Big Sur in the โ€™70s, there was one colony of elephant seals. Now, there are 25,000 lolling on the shores. These beasts attain 6,000 lbs. How much fecal waste are they producing? Oh, but they are “natural.” 

Does Mr. Byrne care? Where is his next “expose”?ย 

Zoey Prunuske

Occidental

Sonoma County moves ahead with teacher housing project following COVID delays

With teachers struggling to afford housing, Sonoma County last week unveiled a partial solution in a long-delayed project: publicly-financed housing dedicated to public employees.

On Nov. 30, the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) announced that it had purchased a Juniper Avenue home located next to Amarosa Academy in southwest Santa Rosa. With the addition of the newly purchased property, SCOE now owns a parcel of land stretching from the front of the school campus along Dutton Avenue back to Juniper Avenue.

Next, the county agency plans to rezone the property and construct โ€œa high-density housing developmentโ€ with 60 rental units for educators and other public employees.

According to a SCOE announcement, the project, dubbed Casitas de Amarosa, was a priority for three-term Superintendent Steven D. Herrington. 

โ€œCasitas de Amarosa was one of my main project goals during my last term,โ€ Herrington said in a statement last week. โ€œCOVID delayed the project from moving forward, but I am so proud to have it back on track.โ€

SCOE first announced plans for a three-acre property next to Amarosa Academy in August 2018. That month, the Press Democrat reported that SCOE planned to build 30 to 35 townhomes on the property, with hopes of finishing the project in three years.

Now, the delayed project will be picked up by Amie R. Carter, who will take over as superintendent later this month.

โ€œBuilding housing that school staff can afford is essential to our mission of serving students,โ€ Carter said. โ€œThis housing will help us realize our goal of strengthening and diversifying our educational workforce.โ€

The teacher housing problem is not new in California or Sonoma County.

Other Bay Area municipalities, including Daly City, have built housing for teachers and, with laws passed in recent years, the state legislature has attempted to make the process easier. 

AB 2295, a bill passed this year, would allow school districts to build worker housing on their property without requesting zoning changes from the relevant city or county beginning on Jan. 1, 2024.

Squirrel Nut Zippers Jazz Up Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre

By L. Kent Wolgamott

Jimbo Mathis isnโ€™t from New Orleans. But the Squirrel Nut Zippers sure sound like they inhabit Crescent City on their current album, The Lost Songs of Doc Souchon.

โ€œMost of my band is from there,โ€ the Zippers founder said from his Oxford, Mississippi home. โ€œItโ€™s been a big part of my life. Itโ€™s just down the road. Iโ€™ve been involved in that city most of my life, mostly through music.โ€

In fact, The Lost Songs of Doc Souchon, which adds a strong New Orleans jazz flavor to the Zippersโ€™ mix of early jazz, R&B, swing and jumpinโ€™ blues, was recorded there two springs ago around shows Mathis was playing in the cityโ€™s clubs.

Who is Doc Souchon? And why should we care?

Well, the answers start with the late, legendary Memphis music man Jim Dickinson, who, among other things, produced The Replacements and Big Star. He also played piano on the Rolling Stonesโ€™ โ€œWild Horses.โ€

Dickinson hipped the Zippersโ€™ founder and frontman Mathis to Souchon, an obscure New Orleans musician, at a recording session a few years ago.

Edmund Souchon “grew up in the early days of vaudeville down there,โ€ Mathis said. โ€œHe was one of the first to start preserving the old songs. Before the jazz revival of the โ€™50s, he made an album, just a few hundred copies, to sell around town.”

Mathis was told he had to hear the album and a few days later, Dickinson showed him his copy. A few days after that, Mathis was heading to New Orleans to record another album when he walked down Decatur Street and was bitten by fate.

“There used to be a lot of rummage shops thereโ€”lo and behold, on a table in front of one of those shops sat (Souchon’s) record,” he said. “Thereโ€™s a lot of cool songs on there. It really is a spirit guide to early New Orleans jazz and the early roots of it.โ€

Souchonโ€™s loose-limbed, swaggering โ€œAnimule Ballโ€ opens the album that carries his name, and the trumpet-and-trombone, old-timey jazzer โ€œCookieโ€ turns up near the end of the record that typifies the Zippersโ€™ approach to its music.

โ€œWe always dug into that early era of jazz, vaudeville, cabaret and all that stuff,โ€ Mathis said. โ€œWe were always a little earlier than what you would call swing music. We get as much inspiration from Kurt Weill and โ€˜Three Penny Operaโ€™ as anything. … Even more than that, I’ve traced it back to Stephen Foster. My research in American jazz goes all the way back as far as I can.โ€

In fact, Mathisโ€™ appreciation of the writer of โ€œOh, Susana,โ€ โ€œCamp Town Racesโ€ and โ€œBeautiful Dreamerโ€ can be heard on the Zippersโ€™ 1998 album โ€œPerennial Favoritesโ€ and on Fosterโ€™s โ€œSummer Longing,โ€ which closes the new record.

Foster “was the originator of what became American music,โ€ Mathis said. “He was like the Elvis Presley, the Louis Armstrong, whoever you want to pick as the signifier of American music. Before him, we didnโ€™t have our own music.

“It was European music,” he said.

Thatโ€™s sort of what the Zippers have done since Mathis put the first version of the band together in North Carolina in the mid 1990s, spinning early jazz, swing, R&B with traditional pop and even Klezmer and Balkan music into a mix of their own.

Tagged as part of the swing revival, the Zippers had a hit with the single โ€œHellโ€ from its platinum 1996 album โ€œHotโ€ and found themselves playing President Bill Clintonโ€™s second inauguration and at the Super Bowl.

But the Zippers imploded in 2000 and went quiet until Mathis heard suggestions to bring back the band in 2016 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of โ€œHot.โ€ He decided to put together a new version of the bandโ€”heโ€™s the only original member in the current alignmentโ€”but not for commercial reasons.

โ€œIt just intrigued me again,โ€ Mathis said. โ€œI felt like it was a waste for it to be sitting on the shelf gathering dust. I knew I could put together another great orchestra and renew this thing, not just replicate what weโ€™d done.โ€

Five years in, SNZ II has recorded a pair of albums and toured extensivelyโ€”at least up through March 2020โ€”exceeding Mathisโ€™s expectations when he put the new band together.

โ€œItโ€™s greater than I thought it could be,โ€ Mathis said. โ€œThe albums are fantastic. The shows are fantastic.โ€

The current nine-piece band that features three horns, a full rhythm section with piano and three lead singers, including Mathis, who plays guitar, will play a show that covers a quarter-century of Squirrel Nut Zippers music.

But it wonโ€™t include any Mathis solo material.

โ€œThe Zippers are just a different thing,” he said. “I keep a good rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll band on the side for that.โ€

Mathisโ€™ solo work, however, canโ€™t help but be connected to the Zippers and his love for early American music, an exploration he began years before most of todayโ€™s deep roots music purveyors.

โ€œIโ€™m proud to have been a pioneer in that,โ€ he said. 

After his first stint with the Zippers, he put out a solo albumโ€”blues, rock and folkโ€”and then found his way to electric blues, which he performed with Buddy Guy. What’s next is still a mystery, he says. 

“I’ve been exploring honky tonk, rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll, acoustic music,” he said. “Youโ€™re not going to know what comes next.โ€

The same holds true for the Zippers. There’s always a surprise track on the horizon. For example, Frankie Valliโ€™s โ€œCanโ€™t Take My Eyes Off of Youโ€ jumps off the new album in spooky calypso style.

That cover came courtesy of the band’s banjo player, a man known as Dr. Sick.

โ€œThatโ€™s why the Squirrel Nut Zippers are a unique beast,โ€ Mathis said.

Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas Caravan Tour plays at 8 pm, Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Blvd. No., Petaluma. Tickets are $33-$43 and available at mystictheatre.com.

Nautical Nonsense: ‘SpongeBob’ at SRJC

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As anyone born in the last 40 years can say, Bikini Bottom is the home of SpongeBob SquarePants. Itโ€™s a place where bright colors and sublime silliness make real-world topics palatable for all ages. The Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) theatre arts department has a production of The SpongeBob Musical running through Dec. 4.

It begins with SpongeBob (Samuel J. Gleason) bidding farewell to (an amazing) Gary the Snail and embarking on a typical โ€œBikini Bottom Day.” The audience meets various citizens through song before being interrupted by an earthquake. It turns out that the nearby Mount Humongous volcano is going to erupt at sunset the next day! 

Add into this an evil plot by Plankton (Calvin Sandeen, in an amusing Bond-villainesque performance) to hypnotize the whole town, an ineffectual mayor (Abrea Tillman), an opportunistic Mr. Krabs (Jace Hassler), a fear mongering reporter (August Perez), a fanatical squad of proselytizing sardines and Squidwardโ€™s need for stardom (a solid Colette Van Meter), and the stage is set for chaos. 

Can SpongeBob and Sandy (Phoebe Pruitt) save the town? Will Pearl (Sydnie Crumrine-Thomsen) get to see the Electric Skates? Will Patrick (Aidan Pryor) find more snacks? And will Patchy the Pirate (a standout performance from Anderson Templeton) get to meet his idol?

The predictable but satisfying plot is told through a song list that reads like a whoโ€™s who of musical legends. Songwriters include David Bowie and Cyndi Lauper, among others. Musical director Nate Riebli does an admirable job in conducting the award-winning score, but the quality of singing does not match its level. Notes were sour and choral harmony was hit and miss at the mid-week show I attended. But since this is a college program, one should not expect the consistency of a professional company. Students with class loads and a general disregard for sleep should be given a little leeway. 

While excellent set and costume design work by Peter Crompton and Colleen Scott Trivett were on display, the direction and staging seemed sloppy. Occasionally, the show hit (Squidwardโ€™s โ€œIโ€™m Not a Loser” was a highlight), but more often than not the pieces felt as if director Reed Martin had deemed them โ€œgood enough.โ€ Two-and-a-half hours is a long time to watch โ€œgood enough.โ€

As colorful as it is, itโ€™s unfortunate that the SRJC production of The SpongeBob Musical lacks the whimsy and precision the show deserved.

โ€˜The SpongeBob Musical’ runs Thursโ€“Sun through Dec. 4 in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Burbank Auditorium Main Theatre, 1501 Mendocino Ave. Thursโ€“Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $5โ€“$25. 707.527.4307. theatrearts.santarosa.edu.

Enter the Dragon: Harnessing primal energy

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โ€œWhat are you afraid of?โ€ Merlin asks the young Arthur.

โ€œI donโ€™t know!โ€ cries the lad, stunned after having withdrawn the sword from the stone and heralded the king. 

โ€œIs it the dragon?โ€ Merlin asks.

โ€œDragon?โ€ Arthur shouts in fright. โ€œWhat dragon?โ€ 

The dragon that is everywhere, explains the wily magician.

โ€œWhat should I do?โ€ queries Arthur. โ€œSleep?โ€ 

Merlin shrugs. โ€œJust sleep in the arms of the dragon.โ€ 

The following morning, Merlin awakes to find Arthur practicing with his new sword.

โ€œThe dragon is great with the sword!โ€ Arthur beams. 

โ€œYes, yes,โ€ Merlin says, rising. โ€œYou learn quickly.โ€ 

The 1981 film, Excalibur, contains several such scenes sparkling with wisdom drawn from the esoteric tradition, specifically the regal initiation undergone by sacred kings who were chosen by Providence to establish empires. But what is this dragon that is everywhere, with which one entwines in order to sleep, and employs in armed combat?

In keeping with traditions that trace their way back to primordial times, medieval alchemy posited a universal agent unique in essence that serves as the primary energy source of everything in the universe, from the base matter of a stone to the wellspring of the loftiest artistic inspiration. 

This energy, which is tripartite in natureโ€”active, passive and neutralโ€”was often depicted as a dragon. It is the fifth element that makes possible the other fourโ€”earth, air, fire and water. Greeks called it the ether, Hindus akasha and modern science โ€œdark energy.โ€ It is the plastic medium engendered in the Book of Genesis when God says โ€œLet there be light,โ€ the invisible energy field into which the universe was manifest, from vast galaxies to the human beings who gaze up at them in wonder. 

Medieval alchemists often depicted something else: a hermaphroditic figure, half king and half queen, who stands atop a subdued dragon. In mythology, dragons typically guard priceless treasureโ€”and beautiful princesses. The hero who conquers this primordial energy wins the gold, which is knowledge, and mates with the princess, absorbing her primordial feminine attributes, for the dragon that is everywhere is dual-polarized: positive and negative, masculine and feminine, spirit and matter. 

Tai chi may look pointless to a fatuous materialist, but initiates see a meditative dance with the dragon. For the body is not mere bone and tissue but intelligent energy, and the air around us is not empty space, but a magnetic field capable of guiding a sword to victory. 

In the end, each of us is Arthur, the solar king, with a fair princess for a soul and a crafty magician inside of us who mediates between this world and the world of the dragon. 

Ubuntu: ‘I am because you areโ€™

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By Robert C. Koehler

A young man clothed in body armor entered Club Q in Colorado carrying an assault rifle and started shooting as a drag queen danced. In maybe two minutes, he killed five people and wounded, according to some accounts, 18. Then a patron risked his life, tackled the shooter, held him immobile till police arrived.

Five people killed, a few more critically injured. This time the minority group targetedโ€”โ€œthe enemyโ€โ€”was the LGBTQ community.

Hatred, guns, โ€œpermission.โ€

In that sense, yes, America is the land of the free: free to imagine an enemy . . . free to project your own self-hatred outward, onto a specifically defined group of people and sculpt them into the enemy, perhaps with the help of others, especially via social media. We are also free, for the most part, to purchase guns, including assault rifles, and lots of ammo, and plan an attackโ€”at a church, a school, a grocery store, a nightclub, whatever.

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, for instance, who tweeted remorse about the Club Q shooting and said the victims and their families โ€œare in my thoughts and prayers,โ€ had, until then, been a notorious tweeter of anti-LGBTQ blather, making the fact-free case that they were โ€œsick, dementedโ€ people bent on โ€œgroomingโ€ innocent children to become gayโ€”kind of in the same way, it seems, that refugees, according to Donald Trump, not only take our jobs but are often rapists and murderers. Create an enemy, get a following! (And guns are just for self-defense.)

We canโ€™t stop tolerating hate until we realign ourselves with what it means to be alive, for which South Africans have a term: ubuntu: โ€œI am because you are.โ€

And now we need a national stopping point, as we let this truth transform us. This will never be a perfect world. This will never be a world without conflict. But letโ€™s pause in this moment, calm ourselves, set down our hatred and look each other in the eyes. I am because you are.

Robert Koehler is the author of โ€˜Courage Grows Strong at the Wound.โ€™

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