News Briefs

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News Briefs


Photo by Janet Orsi

High-wire act: On Wednesday, line crews in Forestville cleared felled trees. High winds knocked out phones and 80,000 county customers lost power.

Hell and High Water

SONOMA COUNTY “I’ve seen every flood since 1947, and I never saw the water come up this fast,” said Forestville campground owner Bob Burke, as the Russian River climbed up its banks Tuesday afternoon. While the muddy torrent swept logs and debris across his submerged picnic area, he marveled, “I was out here fishing just yesterday morning, and the water was too clear to fish.”

Chris Godley, an assistant emergency services coordinator for Sonoma County, says the rate of the river’s rise accelerated fourfold in some areas Monday evening, to rise as much as two feet per hour. “There’s not a steady rate of rise throughout the river,” he adds. “Different areas absorb the runoff to varying degrees.” The steep topography of the area of the river’s headwaters tends to channel runoff from that area into the river flow more rapidly than downstream, he adds.

But it is the rapid development of lands downstream that is compounding the problems, according to Sebastopol hydrologist Eugene Boudreau. “Urbanization is not just creating more impermeables” such as buildings, streets, and parking areas, he says, “it also includes storm drainage. This means the flood peaks go way up and occur more often than normal.”

Moreover, “if you urbanize 10 percent of the area, you don’t get 10 percent more runoff, you get five times more,” he continues.

Boudreau says this cause-and-effect relationship between development and flooding has been well documented by the U.S. Geological Survey in other areas, but he charges that local officials have “turned a blind eye because they’re so pro-development. They don’t ever talk about what the cumulative effect is.”

Rainfall from this first-of-the-season storm varied throughout the watershed, but averaged eight inches, enough to abruptly bring us back to historic seasonal averages. Only an unexpected break in the series of storm systems moving landward let the waters recede earlier this week after cresting about four feet below flood level late Tuesday.

But with the two major floods of last January and March still fresh in local memories, the near-miss this time is a source of more worry than relief, as the rest of the winter rains still lie ahead.

Property Values Slip

SONOMA COUNTY Property tax revenues barely kept pace with inflation this year, as the total assessments countywide totaled about $273 million, just 2.5 percent over last year’s figure. The flat numbers reflect stagnant home values locally, as a real estate industry source reports that 24 percent of the homes sold in the county this year were bought for less than the seller paid. Last year, that number was 25 percent. The county has reassessed 1,200 homes downward this year, mostly in Petaluma, Sebastopol, Healds-burg, and the unincorporated portions of the county. Another 900 requests are still pending.

Convention Center Vote

SANTA ROSA Plans for a long-sought hotel and convention center adjacent to Railroad Square are expected to take a step forward Dec. 18 when the status of negotiations with the prospective developer is discussed in a joint meeting of the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency, at which a feasibility study will also be presented. In the 9.5-acre city-owned site, Santa Rosa has “the land and the ability to put in public improvements, which paves the way for private development,” says redevelopment director Steve Burke. But the history of the property, which includes a brewery, tannery, gas station, lumber yards, railroad spur, and auto dismantling yard has left a toxic legacy, including lead in the soil and other problems.

A $3 million cleanup program will be needed before the convention center project can begin, but Burke remains hopeful the city can get the site “ready for groundbreaking in 1997.”

Homeless Program Set

PETALUMA Under a new interfaith program, four local churches will begin opening their doors to homeless families beginning Jan. 1. Two daily meals and transportation to schools will be offered. Meanwhile, the City Council last week narrowly approved a homeless drop-in center at the Petaluma Kitchen, a block away from the public library. Foes complained about the high number of social service programs in the area. In recent weeks the county had hired a security guard to patrol the library grounds, a frequent hangout for the homeless.

Flores Appointed Mayor

ROHNERT PARK Politically confused City Council members have elevated Councilman Armando Flores to the position of mayor, after two earlier attempts to fill the position failed. Flores replaces Dave Eck, who now becomes vice mayor. Two other council members, Dawna Gallagher and Linda Spiro, had withdrawn their names because of deep political divisions in the city government.

Open Space Saved

PETALUMA For nearly a million dollars, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District has purchased two parcels that will remain undeveloped in the future. Those include a 116-acre ranch on the western side of Taylor Mountain on Petaluma Hill Road southeast of Santa Rosa and a 17-acre tract on the McNear Peninsula that juts out into the Petaluma River along Lakeville Highway.

Moratorium Lifted

WINDSOR After keeping a tight lid on new residential development for the past six years, the Windsor Town Council voted 3-2 last week to end their moratorium and allow new subdivision applications to be filed. However, the city has not yet finalized its own General Plan, which means new applications will be processed under the 1986 council planning policies, which applied prior to the town’s incorporation. The moratorium was adopted in 1989 when the town ran out of sewage capacity.

Short Take: A former Sonoma County jail sergeant has been charged with torturing a Santa Rosa man to recover some money the officer had lost. David Phillips may face a state prison term if convicted of the assault.

From the Dec. 14-20, 1995 issue of the Sonoma Independent

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team.
&copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

No Nudes

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For Hot Oil Wrestlers, No Nudes Is Bad News


Photo by Greg King

Bare none: California Hardbodies performers don provocative costumes that sometimes slip off to expose their breasts and buttocks.

California Hardbodies may challenge new Santa Rosa law

By Bruce Robinson

It’s certainly going to modify some costumes,” says Bob Manthey, manager of the California Hardbodies, who insists that Santa Rosa’s newly adopted anti-nudity ordinance will not put an end to his group’s local performances.

The Hardbodies–a troupe of trim, buxom young women–have been staging “oil wrestling” performances twice a month at Magnolia’s, a popular Railroad Square nightclub for the past five years. Those topless shows stop short of full nudity, but clearly will no longer be legal when the new ordinance goes into effect on the first of the year.

The new law, passed Nov. 28 on a 4-0 vote, prohibits exposure of a list of specific anatomical areas by anyone “participating in any live act, demonstration, performance or exhibition” for which they are paid, when it occurs in “a public place, a place open to the public, or a place open to pubic view.”

It specifically applies to anyone working in an establishment that serves any kind of food or beverages, alcoholic or otherwise.

“It was specifically drafted so that it deals only with commercially related nudity,” explains Lt. Scott Swanson of the Santa Rosa Police Department, which wrote and promoted the measure. “That’s where we see the nexus between nudity and crime–prostitution, assault, those sorts of things. We look at it as a public-safety issue, not some behavior that we might disagree with.”

Swanson also noted that a related concern was “the economic vitality of downtown. Nude entertainment is something we don’t think is in the best interest of the downtown.”

The measure was prepared because “we have been receiving a variety of inquiries from enterprises that were inquiring about whether they could legally bring nude activities into Santa Rosa,” Swanson adds. Although most such enterprises would need to get a special permit from the city, and any that serve alcohol would have to comply with the standards set by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, there were still loopholes to close off.

Prior to the new ordinance, “there was no mechanism to ensure that [the requirement to get a permit] would occur in every case, and that mechanism might not apply to existing businesses if they wanted to transition to nude entertainment,” Swanson says, adding that “Sacramento has had a problem with juice bars that feature a wide range of nude entertainment,” but are not subject to the ABC restrictions because they do not serve alcohol.

Scott Goree–the owner of Magnolia’s, where the Hardbodies have been performing regularly on Monday nights–is not convinced. “They can already stop anybody by not issuing a use permit in the first place,” he says. During the past six months, as he has tried to win city approval for a teen-oriented club in the downtown area, “I’ve already seen that if they don’t want something to go in downtown, they have plenty of ways to stop it,” he adds.

When the anti-nudity measure was presented to the City Council last month, the police “never provided one name or application or supplied any information that there was anybody coming [to town to promote nude entertainment], other than rumors about these mythical people who are about to come in here and turn downtown into strip joints,” Goree objects.

Since he began hosting the Hardbodies shows, “there haven’t been any complaints, there haven’t been any police calls,” he says. “At the public hearing, they made a point of saying they had no problems with Magnolia’s; the place was run really well.”

For Goree, the Hardbodies shows are an economic issue. He was desperate to keep the door open during the slow winter months when Magnolia’s first tried a Hardbodies show. “I’m not a proponent of strip clubs or the flesh trade. I was very skeptical until we tried,” he recalls, “and then it went gangbusters. I made more money in four nights than the whole rest of December.”

Despite that success, he insists that the topless shows are only to keep the venue for live music. “I’m not terribly happy about it,” he says, “but I’m in the entertainment business, and there are only so many ways I can make money in that location.”

Hardbodies manager Manthey says he is willing to make whatever changes are necessary to keep the shows legal in Santa Rosa. “We are certainly willing to meet with the Santa Rosa vice [officers] and have them define exactly what they consider ‘the cleft of the buttocks,'” he said, referring to the most ambiguous anatomical reference in the law. ABC rules say dancers, of either sex “can’t show the cleft of the buttocks when they’re within six feet of a customer,” Manthey continues. “Santa Rosa is unique in trying to prevent the cleft of the buttocks on stage, as well as when they’re close to the customers.”

As for the immediate future, Manthey says, “The December show at Magnolia’s will be the same as it’s been for the past five years, and it will be legally topless. The January show may or may not be topless, depending on how the individual entertainers feel about the Police Department’s definition of ‘cleft of the buttocks.'”

Manthey also is “considering legal options to challenge and overturn the ordinance.”

Those options will depend extensively on how the new ordinance is enforced, says Paul Neuer, the Santa Rosa attorney retained by Manthey. “That’s where it gets down to the nitty-gritty. It’s patently constitutionally unenforceable and constitutionally flawed.”

The key issue, he says, is the ordinance’s conflict with the constitutional First Amendment right to freedom of expression. “There are a multitude of cases that hold that nudity does not equate to obscenity,” he adds. “Entertainment is protected the same as speech and all the other rights we have under the First Amendment.

“Nudity, if it constitutes entertainment, is a protected area.”

Although the Santa Rosa law does include an exemption for any “theater, concert hall, or similar establishment that is primarily devoted to theatrical performances,” Neuer dismisses that clause as “vague.”

“Define what a ‘theatrical performance’ is,” he says.

Neuer presented the City Council with copies of the comparable ordinance from San Francisco, as well as the ABC regulations, both of which have been contested in court and upheld, but “it went right over their heads. They were hellbent for election, to outlaw nudity in this jurisdiction, and that was the end of it.

“They had a mindset that was frightening.”

At that same City Council hearing, several speakers affiliated with a conservative religious group called Hope in Sonoma County spoke in favor of the ordinance. Although this is the same group that successfully promoted the “blinder law” that requires adult magazines to have their covers masked in local stores, Lt. Swanson insists Hope did not initiate this law.

“When we had it ready to go, we contacted them to let them know,” he says, although he added, “They have a whole series of proposals that we have just been made aware of, that they will want to be bringing forward.”

Phone calls to the organization about this additional agenda went unreturned.

From the Dec. 14-20, 1995 issue of the Sonoma Independent

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team.
&copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

Public Eye

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Public Eye

Election Tango

Former Rep. Doug Bosco has tentatively thrown his hat into the ring, sort of, for the North Coast’s 1st Assembly District. Last week, Bosco filed a notice of intention that he may run for the old post that he held from 1978 to 1982 before his stint in Congress. That’s giving the shivering fits to progressive Democrats in the county, who speak about Bosco as though he’s just to the right of Attila the Hun because of his conservative stance on the economy and the environment. With state Assemblyman Dan Hauser stepping down in 1996 because of term limits, there is no incumbent in the race. Meanwhile, Hauser has decided not to enter the conga line of Demos moseying up for a chance to unseat Rep. Frank Riggs, R-Windsor, though a spokesperson for his office says she isn’t ruling out the possibility that Hauser will pursue federal office sometime in the future.

Time of the Sign

What is a motel sign worth? In one instance, a lot of county time. The management of the Holiday Inn in Bodega Bay discovered that the sign outside the establishment had never been formally approved, even though it has been in use for several years. So they asked that it be approved. No, said the county Design Review Board, how about a nice nautical, carved wooden sign instead? “That would be prohibitively expensive,” said company representative John Knott, and besides they need the internal illumination to combat the fog, and the “standard corporate sign” for customer recognition. So it was appealed to the county Planning Commission. They voted 5-0 against the sign. Now the motel company is preparing to take the case directly before the Board of Supervisors, seeking redress because other businesses in Bodega Bay, including a competing hotel, use the same type of signs. “It’s quite a discreet sign,” says motel manager Hamish Scotts Knight. “It’s all a storm in a teacup, really.”

English as a 1st Language

That’s one of the worst pieces of syntax I’ve ever seen,” grumbled Supervisor Mike Cale, alluding to an ill-turned phrase in a series of transportation policies the board was reviewing. The errant sentence suggested that local governments should “encourage Caltrans to improve Highway 101 south of Petaluma in order to eliminate direct vehicle access.” Taken literally, that would certainly ease congestion on the highway, but Cale and his colleagues agreed that was not exactly what the writer had in mind.

Missed Media

When Jeffery Gordon of Seatac, Wash., won a free Snapple vending machine for a year, he was featured in a nationally aired television commercial. But when 11-year-old Robin Burger of Petaluma claimed the same prize last Friday, “the media stayed away in droves,” reports her father, attorney Richard Burger. The 550-pound vending machine, which required a four-man crew to unload, was far too big to set up in the house and has now taken up residence in the family garage, where it will dispense free bottles on demand for the next 51 weeks. But even without cameras and reporters, the news moved quickly on the neighborhood grapevine. “That day after school, the doorbell started to ring,” Dad recalls, and a major youthful party is coming up this weekend, although “we’re still negotiating over the length of the guest list.”

From the Dec. 14-20, 1995 issue of the Sonoma Independent

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team.
&copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

Shuggie Otis

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Blues Deluxe

Guitarist Shuggie Otis steps centerstage

By Greg Cahill

It was love at first sight. At a time when most kids were playing sandlot baseball and dreaming about joining the big leagues, Shuggie Otis had his sights set on the stage. At age 4, he started drumming on his own traps, a three-piece white-pearl drum set that his famous father, bandleader Johnny Otis, had given him for Christmas.

But it was the guitar that really intrigued him. Not just any guitar, but a bright red glittered Telecaster that Pasadena R&B wonders Don Harris and Dewey Terry used to play whenever they came over to Otis’ big house in the Sugar Hill district of Los Angeles.

“I remember seeing my father’s band rehearse and seeing Don and Dewey come in with their red-glitter guitar,” says Shuggie, reclining on the sofa in the living room of his home in Petaluma. “I may have been more interested in the drums at the time, but the guitar thing was something that I was watching in the back of my mind.”

Johnny Otis Jr.–the oldest son of the R&B pioneer and the prototypical blues prodigy–made his recording debut in 1962 at the tender age of 12, playing guitar behind former Raylette singer Ethel Fort.

In the past four decades, the 42-year-old guitarist, songwriter, and arranger has played his tasteful staccato licks behind most of the legends of R&B and recorded with everyone from Charles Brown to Sugarcane Harris, Louis Jordan to Frank Zappa. His own recording career peaked in the early to mid-’70s with a string of solo albums on the Epic label. Most recently, he played acoustic rhythm guitar and arranged about half of the songs on Johnny Otis & His Orchestra’s Grammy-nominated Spirit of the Black Territory Bands (Arhoolie).

He currently leads a crack four-piece blues band of his own that features his brother Nicky on drums and his son Lucky (Johnny Otis III) on bass. That band performs this week at Magnolia’s in Santa Rosa.

Not surprisingly, Otis grew up surrounded by music, mostly the early rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and R&B heard on his father’s popular records and radio and television shows. At 13, he began performing R&B on nightclub stages with his father. In the early evening hours, they held court at the Club House in Santa Monica, moving at closing time to an after-hours joint called the Blue Bunny in neighboring Montebello.

As his interest in the guitar grew, Shuggie began ditching classes and eventually dropped out of high school, all with the blessing of his father, who figured that Shuggie’s future lay in the music industry anyway.

In 1967, he recorded his first sessions with Johnny Otis and His Orchestra, playing a simmering blues guitar on his father’s 1968 comeback album Cold Shot (Cadet). It was Frank Zappa who suggested to the owners of Cadet Records that they give Johnny Otis a call. On the strength of that platter, Johnny signed a lucrative major label deal with Epic Records. That deal helped set up a number of important recording projects for them and paved the way for Shuggie’s solo recording career.

In 1969, Shuggie recorded three tracks for Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats (Barking Pumpkin) album, one of which–“Peaches en Regalia”–was used on the album. But 1970 proved a high-water mark for Shuggie. At 15, he released his solo recording debut, Here Comes Shuggie Otis! (Epic-BN 26511), and shared songwriting credits with his father on “Shuggie’s Boogie.” Johnny Otis produced the album. Later that year, Shuggie, sporting a full-blown Afro, was showcased on the classic Live at Monterey! album, performing an impressive live version of “Shuggie’s Boogie” and backing such blues and R&B legends as Joe Turner, Roy Brown, Little Esther Phillips, Ivory Joe Hunter, Pee Wee Crayton, and Margie Evans.

He hit his stride with 1974’s ambitious Inspiration Information, which features Sly Stone-style ’70s funk arrangements that hold up surprisingly well two decades later. Unfortunately, Otis spent so long recording the album that the record label dropped his contract. Ironically, keyboardist and ace session player Billy Preston phoned Otis around that time to say that the Rolling Stones wanted to ask him to join the band and fill the lead guitar spot vacated by Mick Taylor. Shuggie declined.

“I had my own group. My own label deal,” he says. “I just wanted to do what I want to do. I had my own identity.”

These days, Shuggie has revamped his own band and is looking for a niche for his unique blend of power blues, rock, jazz, funk, and country.

“I think it’s a real honor to be regarded in some quarters as a great bluesman, but I don’t even consider myself to be a blues player,” he says. “I’m a music man. What I want to do is play it all. Believe me, I’m thankful to be known at all, but I don’t want to be labeled. I don’t think it’s right to label people.

“All I know is that I’m anxious to get it goin’. “

Shuggie Otis performs with the Otis Connection on Friday, Dec. 22, at 9 p.m. at Magnolia’s, 107 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. Tickets are $5 in advance, $6 at the door. 526-1006.

From the Dec. 14-20, 1995 issue of the Sonoma Independent

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team. &copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

Gagging Non-profits

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Gag Rider

Congress’ bid to muzzle non-profits

By Bruce Robinson

“This is evil.” Karen Johnson is not one to mince words, and the specter of the federal Istook Amendment has the executive director of the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County alarmed in a big way. This bill, which has been proposed as a rider to various other legislative measures, including a lobbying reform bill under consideration by the House of Representatives this week, is a deceptively punitive effort that would bluntly curtail the First Amendment rights of any organization that receives federal money.

Under the guise of reining in the political lobbying activities of non-profits, a premise that on its face hardly ranks with the most pressing issues confronting Capitol Hill, the bill, introduced by Ernest Istook, R-Okla., bans awarding federal grants to any group that engages in “political advocacy,” which it then defines so broadly as to include such basic activities as writing letters to local representatives or testifying about proposed legislation.

“We’re starting to be told we can’t have a voice,” Johnson frets. “The best way to describe it is a gag rule.” Not only does the Istook bill threaten to cut off funds for groups that dare voice an opinion on public policy questions, but it also extends its controls to the organization’s entire budget, not just that portion made up of government money.

This last element may be the measure’s Achilles’ heel, as it is here that Istook would most egregiously trample the basic rights of the groups his bill would govern. “They can’t regulate how you use private money,” Johnson exclaims, adding that the entire amendment is overkill since federal law already prohibits the use of government grants for lobbying.

But the real agenda behind the bill is not reform, it is pure conservative ideology. “There is a group of people who want to close down the liberal agenda any way they can,” Johnson continues, her momentum building. “There’s no allowance for any diversity of belief structure in any of this amendment.”

Typically, the devil is in the details. By applying the measure to any and all recipients of federal money, its provisions would extend to schools and universities, state and local governments, and any businesses that hold contracts with Washington, effectively blocking them all from input on matters of critical importance. Farmers who receive payments from any of a dozen farm support programs could not comment on agricultural policies. Even veterans’ groups would be banned from employing the rights they fought to preserve.

Moreover, the text includes a budget-throttling Catch-22 clause, according to an analysis of the bill by Rep. David Skaggs, D-Colo., who notes that all national non-profits with annual budgets over $3 million “are prohibited from getting grants if they apply for grants: applying for a grant is defined to be a ‘lobbying contact,’ and any such organization having a single ‘lobbying contact’ is ineligible for any grant.”

The reporting requirements, meanwhile, are clearly meant to impose a substantial administrative burden on organizations whose resources are already being stretched ever thinner. The result will be more staff time spent on federally required paperwork and less time available to pursue the goals that are central to the organization.

“They want a trail, so they know whom you have contacted,” Johnson says grimly.

Perhaps worst of all, Istook has included language giving watchdog powers to any interested third party, giving anyone with an axe to grind “the right to file suit alleging violations of the restrictions on political advocacy,” according to the analysis of the bill by Independent Sector, a support organization for non-profits in Washington.

This provision alone, they continue, “would expose federal grantees to a serious risk of legal harassment.”

And consider who would be affected by all this: not just the scourge of the conservative right like the Environmental Defense Fund and Planned Parenthood, but such middle-of-the road do-gooders as the Red Cross, YMCAs, and the March of Dimes. Even the American Lung Association would be blocked from continuing its anti-smoking efforts, as that, too, would be considered advocacy.

Even without Istook’s subtle legislative assault, non-profits across the country are hard-pressed to meet the real human needs in every community. Past experience with “trickle-down” economic theory has not borne out the contention that private charity increases to offset cutbacks in public support. But those cuts are clearly going to continue, and get worse.

As public monies dry up, “every 10 percent that is cut requires a 150 percent increase in local philanthropy,” says Johnson, adding quietly, “I don’t know that any community is going to be able to rise to the occasion.”

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team.
&copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

Woronov and Warhol

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Morphine’s Sister

Staying afloat in Andy Warhol’s world

Swimming Underground
by Mary Woronov
Boston: Journey Editions. 1995,
230 pp.; $19.95

Reviewed by Gretchen Giles

In the late 1960s, actress Mary Woronov was hanging out with Andy Warhol’s crowd at the Factory in New York. With its walls decorated entirely in silver paper torn from the inside of cigarette wrappers, the Factory–Warhol’s grimy party studio–was the in place to be. Rocker Lou Reed and the derelict poets from his Velvet Underground hung out there; Warhol was busy making such films as his Screen Test, which involved an unmoving camera staring directly into an unmoving face for upwards of 15 minutes; everyone was stoned.

In Swimming Underground, Woronov’s autobiographical account of that time, we learn just exactly how stoned everyone was.

An on-the-fringe B-actress, Woronov has most famously starred in the Warhol underground film Chelsea Girls and in Paul Bartel’s acclaimed sexual cannibalism frolic Eating Raoul. Her other credits include such non-events as Mortuary Academy and Silent Night, Bloody Night.

She’s lucky that she can write.

And write she can. In a breathless, claustrophobic, and gripping narrative voice, Woronov exactly renders the junkie’s inertia and fear. Woronov details her life over an inexact period of time–refusing to remember summers or springs or numerical years. But it couldn’t have been more than three years from her first visit to the Warhol Factory as a sculpting student on a field trip with her class from Cornell to her final fall into a drug-induced abyss.

A speed freak from a wealthy, hateful family familiar to anyone who’s read Anne Sexton, Woronov fell into a deep, platonic mind-meld with Gerard Malanga, a filmmaker and sometime poet who introduced Woronov to Warhol, and into The Life.

Together, the two became the onstage dancers for the Velvet Underground, undulating next to the band with bull whips and syringes, acting out savage sadomasochistic war dances while Reed droned the words to “Heroin.”

Woronov was possibly only 20. She was with Warhol making Art. Paranoid and violent (there is one terrifying passage in which she describes her unsuccessful attempt to murder a Factory groupie who idolized her), she could zing along on methamphetamine for days at a time, swoop home to her parent’s house to sleep it off, and emerge fresh, ready to start again. And then it all started to go terribly wrong.

The end started fairly quickly for Woronov, when Warhol took his entourage and the Velvet Underground to L.A. to storm the West Coast. They barely raised a breeze. “Without the protective shell of New York, we seemed to have lost our magic,” she writes. “Our pale skin and black clothes were no longer threatening under the relentlessly happy California sun. We were reduced to wallflowers; even Andy had nowhere to go.” While Reed played to an empty club, Frank Zappa packed a crowd in two blocks away and jeered at them from the stage. Warhol tried to declare the end of art by mounting a show consisting of nothing but silver helium balloons floating forlornly six inches off the floor of an bright, empty gallery.

Without ever actually putting him down, Woronov lets her disdain for Warhol matter-of-factly seep onto the pages. She spills secrets: at most gatherings, one of Warhol’s entourage would be the designated “babysitter” and would remain with Warhol to help combat the artist’s morbid fear of people. One of Warhol’s favorite games was to pretend that he and a companion were 11-year-old girls at a slumber party. With his ghastly pale skin and wig set askew, Warhol and a comrade would swing their legs excitedly back and forth over the bench in a nightclub, whisper, trade notes, and giggle.

Returning to New York, Woronov sunk below the glitz of Andy’s premier strata, finding herself horribly attracted to a group of hangers-on that called itself the Mole People. Sleeping all day, high all night, these junkie-artists were starved and pale and mean. Woronov fell in love with Ondine, their brilliant and cruel homosexual leader. Always just out of Woronov’s reach, Ondine would swoop down on her when she least expected it, taking her for dazed cab rides in search of dope, having her steady him in a grimy bathroom while he shot up through his eyeball.

Woronov’s story has a happy ending, of sorts. She survived. Briefly detailing her life after the fall, it’s clear that Woronov has pulled herself together. But there is an aching sense of loss in Swimming Underground, and it’s not only the loss of youth and innocence. The darkest loss was Woronov’s chance to shape herself as an artist. With these first laps, she’s warming up.

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team.
&copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

Robben Ford

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Blues Boy

Robben Ford revisits his roots

By Bruce Robinson

It started with a single record album. Robben Ford was barely a teenager in Ukiah, a saxophonist who was also “kind of noodling around on the guitar,” when he found inspiration in the local record shop. “It was the first Butterfield Blues Band album,” he recalls. “They had one copy. It sat on a stand behind the counter for months, because the owner’s son thought it looked cool.

“One day I bought it, just out of curiosity, and it changed my life.”

Inspired by Mike Bloomfield’s fretwork, Robben got serious about his own guitar playing. In rapid succession, he heard and assimilated the widely influential music of other stellar guitarists: pre-Cream Eric Clapton, B. B. King, and later, Jimi Hendrix. As his skills advanced, Ford’s listening preferences veered into exploratory jazz, with bebop jazz saxophonists in the lead: Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter with Miles Davis.

“That music really started influencing my playing a lot,” he says. “That’s where I found my own thing. There really weren’t a lot of electric guitar players who were playing with a jazz influence, but with a blues tone.”

From his earliest professional days, backing Charlie Musselwhite (along with his brother Patrick on drums) at the age of 18, through his stint as a featured soloist with the contemporary jazz quartet he founded, the Yellowjackets, blues has remained a core part of Ford’s musical expression. “I’m very familiar with that turf,” he acknowledges by phone from the set of Stephanie Miller’s new TV talk show, where he is spending the week sitting in with the one-man house band. “I love the music.

“It’s at the center of most of what I do.”

That’s demonstrated anew on his recently released third “solo” album, Handful of Blues. The new recording consolidates Robben’s recent concentration of vocal music, which has been a progressively larger part of his solo work over the course of three albums. “I came to a place where I wanted my voice to be as good as my guitar playing, because it’s just as much out there,” he says. “I would say that I’m finally starting to sing well.”

He displays his refined vocal chops to excellent effect on a sultry, slowed-down reading of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” and a smooth, jazz-inflected version of “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” that is beginning to garner airplay.

Like its predecessor, Handful of Blues was recorded with Ford’s backing duo, the Blue Line (Roscoe Beck, bass and drummer Tom Brechlein), but the set also features guest appearances by renowned session guitarist Danny Korchmar, who produced the disc, Yellowjacket Russell Ferrante, and Ford’s younger brother Mark, on harmonica, who also appeared on Robben’s two previous records.

“When it came to this album, I thought about other possibilities, because Mark doesn’t really do it professionally, he does it for pleasure,” Robben says. “But when it came down to it he was the only guy who could come in and play in a variety of styles and also play his butt off. He’s the most versatile harp player I know, so he was the best guy for the job.”

Mark, Robben, and Patrick reunited briefly last summer, resurrecting their Charles Ford Band (named for their father) at the Sonoma County Blues Festival at the county fair in a show that was their first performance together in more than nine years. “We could have used a little more rehearsal,” Robben said, looking back, “but the people were just great.

“You got the feeling that they were just glad we were there and it didn’t have to be the tightest thing in the world.”

Robben Ford and the Blue Line will perform Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. at the Mystic Theatre, 21 Petaluma Blvd. North, in Petaluma, with the Soul Drivers. Advance tickets are $13 or $10 for SSU students; $15 at the door. 765-9211.

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team. © 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

Calendar 12/7

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Calendar December 7-14, 1995

[ Art | Clubs & Cafes | Events | Field Trips | Film Lectures | Meetings | Music | Readings | Theater | Workshops ]

Art

Aesthetic Approach, mini-theater, Great Petaluma Mill, 6 Petaluma Blvd South. 765-9633. Through Dec 16, mixed media by Dolly Cahill Johnson. Hours: Daily, 10 to 6.

Alinder Gallery, 39165 Hwy 1, Gualala. 884-4884. Through Feb 11, group show “But It Doesn’t Match the Couch: Exceptional Photographs for Your Walls.” Hours: Thursday-Monday, 11 to 5:30, and by appointment.

Art Advisory Group, 8463 Peachland Ave, Sebastopol. 579-7977. Ongoing, work of Mary Silverwood. Hours: Saturday-Sunday, 11 to 5. Art for Living, 216 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma. 766-1553. Through December, “Small Treasures,” group show in multimedia. Also, recent work by Camille Przewodek. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 to 5; Sunday, noon to 5.

Arts Guild of Sonoma, 140 East Napa St, Sonoma. 996-3115. Nov 30 through Dec 31, “Holiday Show,” mixed-media group exhibit of ornaments, cards, and other holiday items. Reception: Dec 2, 5 to 7. Hours: Weekdays and Sunday, 11 to 5; Saturday, 10 to 5.

Arts in Action: Cultural Arts Council sponsors free art events in Santa Rosa Plaza. Dec1 at noon and 5, Aymuray (traditional Christmas music). Dec 2 at 3, Twelth Night Singers. Dec 4 at 10:30, Forrestville School Youth Orchestra; at 7, Rohnert Park Community Band. Dec 6 at 7, Alma Andina (traditional Christmas music).

Artwalk: After-hours tour of Sebastopol galleries features chance to meet artists; also music and food. Galleries include Quicksilver Mine Co., Millennium Arts, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, and West County Museum. Dec 7, from 5 to 8. Free. For maps and details, call 829-2416.

Atelier de Chant, 2 E St, between Sonoma Avenue and Second Street, Santa Rosa. 525-8810. Ongoing, works of Gail Packer, El Meyer, J. D. Mayhew, and Edmund Dechant. Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 to 5. Belvedere Winery, 4035 Westside Road, Healdsburg. 433-8236. Through December, porcelains by Virgina Graves. Hours: Weekdays, 10 to 4:30.

California Museum of Art, LBC, East Mall, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. 527-0297. Through Dec 23, “California Small Works.” Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 to 4.

Christopher Queen Galleries, Hwy 116, Duncans Mills. 865-1318. Dec 1 through Jan 1, group mixed-media Christmas show. Hours: Wednesday-Monday, 11 to 5.

Coop Fine Art/Craft Gallery, 14775 Third St Alley, Occidental. 874-1937. Through Dec 31, second anniversary show. Hours: Friday-Monday, noon to 5.

Dolphin Gallery, next to post office in Gualala, Hwy 1. 884-3896. Through Jan 8, “Holiday Boutique,” local gift items. Hours: Weekdays, 10 to 3; closed Tuesday.

18 Western, 18 Western Ave, Petaluma. 763-4586. Ongoing, artifact paintings by Charles V. Parker, plus antique art of American Indians. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 to 5.

El Sueno, 17175 Bodega Hwy, Bodega. 876-3056. Through December, group show featuring steels by Gerry Anderson and Homer Johnson, enamels by Alana Clearlake, mixed media by Dian Becker, and mixed metals by Cathy Richardson. Hours: Friday-Sunday, 11 to 5.

Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave, Santa Rosa. 543-3737. Through Jan 5, group show by members of Curtis Etching Press and Life Drawing Studio, photgraphy by Frank Kasino, and holiday greeting cards by artists both professional and amateur. Reception: Dec 8, 5 to 7. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 to 7.

Franki Waters Gallery, 1588 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay. 875-3388. Ongoing, “Monet Four,” etchings by Gail Packer. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 to 5; Sunday, 10 to 4.

Freestone House Gallery, 306 Bohemian Hwy, Freestone. 823-3710. Ongoing exhibit of garden art and landscapes by local artists. Hours: Thursday-Monday, 9 to 5.

Gallery Gae Shulman, 115 East Napa St, Sonoma. 939-9600. Through Dec 31, “Adornments: Personal and Otherwise,” multimedia group show focusing on home and life art-accessories. Hours: Sunday, Thursday, and Friday, 11 to 6; Saturday, 11 to 8; Monday, 1 to 6.

Greta Peck Gallery, 531 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 578-9202. Ongoing, new works by Jean Mooney, Ali Golkar, and Louisa King Fraser. Reception for Golkar: Dec 1, 6 to 9. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 to 6.

Healdsburg Museum, 221 Matheson St, Healdsburg. 431-3325. Through Feb 4, “Antique and Collectible Toys: 1880-1939.” Open house for children: Dec 3, 12:30 to 3:30. Free. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 to 4.

Henley’s Gallery, 1000 Annapolis Road, Sea Ranch. 785-2951. Through Dec 31, “Christmas at Henley’s,” group show of fine arts and crafts. Hours: Daily, 11 to 5.

Jesse Peter Museum, Santa Rosa Junior College, 1501 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 527-4479. Ongoing, “America’s Heritage: Indian Art from Many Nations.” Hours: Weekdays, noon to 4.

Karl Walburg Gallery, 129 Fourth St, Railroad Square, Santa Rosa. 546-4760. Ongoing, pastels by Maya Speilman, oils by Timothy Dixon, and photography by Bob Nixon. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 to 6; Sunday, 10 to 2; Monday by appointment.

King-Heller Gallery, Salmon Creek Road at Bodega Hwy, Bodega Bay. 876-3305. Through Dec 9, sculpture and drawings by David Hamilton and Joy Fibben. Hours: Saturday, 10 to 7; Sunday, 10 to 4.

Lee Youngman Galleries, 1316 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga. 942-0585. Ongoing, American traditional paintings by Maurice Harvey, Paul Youngman, Ralph Love, and others. Also, bronze and wood sculpture by Bob Boomer, Bill Girard, and Mehl Lawson. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 to 5.

Local Color Artist Gallery, 1588 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay. 875-2744. First anniversary show, featuring work by Audrey Jacobs, Bob Martin, Bettey Weaver, and others. Dec 9, 1 to 4. Ongoing, work by artists’ collective in all media. Hours: Daily, 10 to 5.

MamaLuna Gallery, 6906 McKinley St, Sebastopol. 829-7625. Through December, “New Glass Visions,” stained glass by Tia Juana Finnegan. Reception: Dec 1, at 7.

Margaret Douglas Gallery, 124 West Napa St, Sonoma. 935-6254. Through Dec 30, contemporary glass by Dale Chihuly. Hours: Monday and Wednesday-Sunday, 11 to 5.

Milagros, 414 First St East, Suite D, Sonoma. 939-0834. Ongoing, Oaxacan wood carvings, masks, paintings, clay pottery, and other indigenous Mexican folk art. Hours: Daily, 11 to 6; closed Tuesday.

Millennium Arts, on Sebastopol Plaza. 829-5541. Through Dec 24, “Fast Food, Fast Cars, Fast Dogs,” oils by Mylette Welch. Reception: Dec 7, 5:30 to 8. Hours: Monday and Wednesday-Saturday, 10:30 to 5:30; Sunday, 11 to 4.

North Eagle Gallery, 6191 Sonoma Hwy, Santa Rosa. 538-2554. Dec 1 through Jan 1, group show by Creative Connection artists. Ongoing, bonsai plant collection, and ceramics by Caryn Fried and Wayne Reynolds. Hours: Daily, 10 to 5:30.

Osborn Gallery, 31 East Napa St, Sonoma. 935-3442. Ongoing, group show featuring paintings by Hal Larson, Richard Evans, and Judith Stewart. Hours: Thursday-Tuesday, 10 to 5:30.

Pacific LifeCare, 438 First St, #430, Santa Rosa. 579-ARTS. Through Dec 8, “A Burst of Local Color,” pastels, watercolors, and acrylics by Marsha Connell, Don Van Amerongen, and David Kingwill. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 to 12 and 1 to 5.

Paradise Ridge Winery, 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa. 528-9463. Through Dec 31, “Lavender Blue,” pastels by Mary Silverwood. Hours: Daily, 11 to 6.

Passage Art Gallery, 414 First St East, Sonoma. 939-1190. Through Dec 25, group exhibit and holiday show featuring silk painting by Jean Monroe and Dana Draper, silver ornaments by Laurie Marson, porcelain work by Lynn Swan, and Chinese brushwork by Andrea Allen. Hours: Friday-Monday, 11 to 6.

Petaluma Historical Museum and Library, 20 Fourth St. 778-4398. Ongoing, historical representations of south county life over last century, including Miwok artifacts, dairy production, and culture, art, and clothing. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 to 4; Sunday, 1 to 4.

Press House Gallery, At Buena Vista Winery, 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma. 935-1729. Dec 1 through Jan 14, watercolors by Sheila Golden. Reception: Dec 3, 1 to 4. Artists work in-residence Wednesday-Sunday. Hours: Daily, 10:30 to 4:30.

Querica Gallery, 25193 Hwy 116, Suite C, Duncans Mills. 865-0243. Through Dec 31, “Water, Fields, and Skies,” oils by Joseph Bellacera. Hours: Wednesday-Monday, 10 to 5.

Quicksilver Mine Company, 154 North Main St, Sebastopol. 829-2416. Through Jan 7, “A Sense of Place,” Polaroid transfers by Kathleen Carr, assemblage by Kay Nelson, and paper art by Sharon Robinson. Reception: Dec 1, 5:30 to 7:30. Hours: Daily, 10 to 5:30.

Redwing Blackbird Gallery, 5531 Old Redwood Hwy, Santa Rosa. 528-0779. Ongoing, electronic and wood sculptures by Charles Churchill. Hours: Daily, 9 to 6.

Ren Brown Collection Gallery, 1781 Hwy 1, Bodega Bay. 875-2922. Ongoing, contemporary Japanese prints and works by local artists. Hours: Thursday-Monday, 10 to 5, and by appointment.

Santa Rosa City Hall, City Council Chambers, 100 Santa Rosa Ave. 579-ARTS. Through Jan 5, works of artists exhibiting at new and ongoing Artisans’ Fairs. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 to 5.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 500 North Main St. 829-4797. Through Dec 18, “Of This Earth,” works by Darlene Boy, Tomas Hakanson, J. C. Henderson, and others. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 1 to 4.

Silver Mine Trading Company, 122 Kentucky St, Petaluma. 765-1176. Silversmith work by Bufford Dawahoya, Ray Tracey, and Lynol Yellowhorse, plus Hopi and Acoma pottery. Ongoing. Hours: Daily, 9 to 8.

SoFo Gallery, Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County, 300 South A St, Santa Rosa. 579-ARTS. Dec 1 through Dec 25, “Interiors,” mixed-media group show featuring Marylou Downing, Noriko Hasegawa, Sally Baker, and others focusing on art, furniture, and paintings for the home. Reception: Dec 1, 5 to 7. Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 to 4.

Sonoma County Board of Supervisor’s Office, 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa. 579-ARTS. Through Jan 20, “In the Eye of the Beholder,” photographs by Peggy Morgan. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 to 5.

Sonoma County Museum, 425 Seventh St, Santa Rosa. 579-1500. Through Jan 1, “The Giant Who Swallowed the Moon: Indonesian Children’s Art from Java and Bali.” Adjunct Saturday afternoon events accompany exhibits through Dec 16 at 1. $2, adults; $1, students/seniors; 12 and under, free. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 to 4.

Sonoma County Office of Education, 5340 Skylane Blvd, Santa Rosa. 579-ARTS. Through Dec 15, “Autumn and Winter Landscapes of Sonoma County,” works by Robert Easley, Sheila Golden, Bernice Iriks, and others. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 to 5.

Soundscape, 314 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 578-4434. Dec 1 through Jan 27, “Science and Fantasy,” group exhibit featuring work of Randall Jahn, Hoitis, and Tim Cantor. Reception: Dec 1, 7 to 10. Hours: Weekdays, 11 to 7; Saturday, 12 to 5.

SRJC Gallery Bussman Hall, 1501 Mendocino Ave. 527-4298. Through Dec 10, “Mysterium,” group show examining search for luminous and transcendent in art, featuring work by Gay Shelton, Katherine Sherwood, Jeff Adams, Larry Thomas, and others. Hours: Tuesday-Friday and Sunday, noon to 4.

Steele Lane Community Center, 415 Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. 5434-3282. Through Dec 8, hats by Amy Smith and drawings by Stefan Boales. Hours: Weekdays, 10 to 5.

Transmission Co-op Gallery, 312 South A St, Santa Rosa. 5256-1108. Artists open studios for two-day open house and holiday sale. Artists include Lauren Altman, Michelle Broe, M.J. Burtleson, Steven Milton, Vic Ruggles, and Kathleen Thompson-Siegel. Dec 2-3, 11 to 4. Free.

Tribal Beginnings American Indian Art Gallery, 6914 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol. 829-2174. Ongoing, antique Navajo textiles and antique baskets, jewelry, and pottery. “First Tuesday” discussion series on first Tuesday of each month. Free. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 to 5:30.

University Art Gallery, SSU, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. 664-2295. Through Dec 17, two contemporary photography shows, “Street Engagements: Social Landscape Photography of the Sixties” and “The Urban Landscape: Recent Photographs.” Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 to 4; Saturday-Sunday, noon to 4.

Village Art Supply, 525 Hahman Drive, Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa. 575-4501. Through Dec 9, oils by Mark Jacobson. Hours: Monday-Wednesday and Friday, 9:30 to 6; Thursday, 9:30 to 8; Sunday, 10 to 4.

Vision and Magick Fine Arts Gallery, 21 Fourth St, Petaluma. 1-800-41-VISION. Ending Dec 3, “Trance’N’dance: Shamanic Visions,” multimedia group show. Adjunct activities include exhibiting artist presentations on Sunday from 2 to 4. Free. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 to 6; Sunday-Monday, 11 to 5.

West County Museum, 261 South Main St, Sebastopol. 829-6711. Through February, “Eclectic Collections,” selections from some 30 Sonoma County residents’ personal collections. Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 1 to 4.

William Lester Gallery, 11101 State Route 1, Point Reyes Station. 415-663-9365. Ongoing, watercolors by Joyce Laws, oils by Stan Painter, and pastels by Clark Mitchell, as well as work by other Northern California artists. Hours: Thursday-Monday, 10:30 to 6.

Wilson Street Gallery, 602 Wilson St, Santa Rosa. 523-1950. Formerly known as American School of Japanese Arts. Ending Dec 3, “In the Circle,” mixed media by Mario Uribe. Dec 9-23, “Almost Only Nudes and Angels,” group show in mixed media. Reception: Dec 8, 5 to 8. Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 1 to 5.

Wolfard and Company, 2408 Magowan Drive, Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa. 542-7426. Through Jan 30, “Capturing the Challenge of Watercolor,” with work by Katherine Fell, Sally Cataldo, and Lori Paternoster. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 to 8:30; Saturday, 10 to 6; Sunday, 10 to 5.

Clubs, Cafes

Acapulco, 505 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 544-8400. Karaoke, Thursdays-Saturdays, at 9.

A’Roma Roasters and Coffeehouse, 95 Fifth St, Railroad Square, Santa Rosa. 576-7765. Weekend jazz and acoustic music from 8 to 11. Nov 30, Daniel Hannaford (Spanish guitar). Dec 1, Dianne Patterson Trio. Dec 2, Jump Monk Duo.

Bleachers, 1801 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa. 523-4301. Open 9 to 1. Wednesdays, country DJ dancing, $3. Fridays-Saturdays, Latino DJ dancing, $5.

Blue Heron, Hwy 116 at Moscow Road, Duncans Mills. 865-9135. Closed Tuesdays. Live music on weekends in evening.

Blue Rose Cafe, 420 Center St, Healdsburg. 433-8489. Thursdays, Tribal Love Party with Earl Thomas and Mark Huls (blues).

Brick House Cafe, 134 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma. 762-3656. Wednesdays, Trivial Pursuit contest. Thursdays, open mike with Buzzy Martin. Live music.

Calistoga Inn, 1250 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga. 942-4101. Nov 30, Frederick Nighthawk (New Orleans—style piano). Dec 6, Rick Hatfield (harmonica) and open mike.

Cantina, 500 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 523-3663. Wednesdays, from 5 to 8, free evening child care for patron parents with kids ages 2-10. Friday-Saturday nights at 9, Cantina becomes Arriba, with DJ Stefan Gilmore on Fridays and DJ Kenny Anderson on Saturdays.

Club Max, at Red Lion Hotel, Rohnert Park. 584-5466. Thursdays, from 8 to 12, DJ dancing with Arturo. Fridays-Saturdays, from 9 to 1:30, Unrelated (live music).

Coffee Catz, 6761 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol. 829-6600. Tuesdays, D. Jaz Band. Wednesdays, open mike with Don Cobb. Thursdays, Extended Family (jazz). Dec 1, Melange. Dec 2, Adina Sara.

Copperfield’s Cafe, 144 Kentucky St, Petaluma. 762-8798. Wednesdays, trivia night. Dec 1, 4 Wheel Jet, Amanda. Dec 2, Lids. Dec 7, Bones (acoustic rock).

Cricklewood, 4618 Old Redwood Hwy, Santa Rosa. 527-7768. No cover. Fridays-Saturdays, Bob Lucas (jazz piano and vocals).

Dancing Goat Coffee Roastery and Cafe, 324 Center St, Healdsburg. 433-9081. Nov 30, Mark Taylor (guitar), Martin Matz (poetry). Dec 1, Bananafish. Dec 2, Buzzy Martin. Dec 7, Karry Walker (blues).

Elite Cafe, 8465 Old Redwood Hwy, Windsor. 837-8800. Thursdays, Steve Wolf’s Jazz Cruisers.

Flamingo Resort Hotel, 2777 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 545-8530. Thursdays and Sundays, dancing to music by DJ Fabian. Dec 1-2, Unrelated.

Fourth Street Bistro, 645 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 526-2255. Thursdays and Sundays, Michael Stevenson (classical guitar); Fridays, Mark Taylor (flamenco); Saturdays, David Pope (baroque guitar).

Friar Tuck’s Pub, 570 East Cotati Ave, Cotati. 792-9847. Thursdays, modern music DJ.

Funhouse, 120 Fifth St, Santa Rosa. 545-1773. Wednesdays, Funhouse becomes Recreation with classic modern and house music. Thursdays, country music and line dancing. Fridays-Saturdays, R&B, hip-hop, techno, house, and retro music. Sundays, it’s Heaven, gay and lesbian dance club.

Heaven, 120 Fifth St, Santa Rosa. 545-1768 or 544-6653. Sundays only. Gay and lesbian dance club featuring DJ music and pool tables. No cover before 6. Dec 3, moonlight dancing.

Higher Grounds, 1899 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 525-8125. Tuesday-Wednesday nights, acoustic guitar. Open mike every night.

Inn of the Beginning, 8201 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati. 77-TUNES. All ages welcome. Most shows $3. Nov 30, Bananafish. Dec 1, Lion Pride. Dec 2, Windcave. Dec 3, 7th Heaven. Dec 4, Dave and Grant. Dec 5, Jim Ruslik and Upstarts. Dec 6, Gypsy Caravan and Light Rain. Dec 7, Alice D. Micelle and Copperwimmin. Dec 8, Commons. Dec 9, Patch, Blindspot, Cropduster.

Jasper O’Farrell’s, 6957 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol. 823-1389. Open mike, Tuesdays at 8. Sports and darts, Wednesdays. Dec 1, True Blue (Motown). Dec 2, Caffeine. Dec 3, Rick Hatfield (harmonica). Dec 7, Michael Ratkin.

John Barleycorn’s, 2700 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa. 526-3511. No cover. Nov 30, Midnight Sun. Dec 1, Blenders. Dec 2, Shed Yer Blues. Dec 6, Gary Roché.

Kodiak Jack’s Honky-Tonk and Saloon, 256 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma. 765-5760. Nightly country dance lessons from 7 to 9, Tuesdays-Sundays. $3, free on Fridays and Saturdays. DJ dancing at 9 every night.

La Grande’s Restaurant, Todd and Stony Point roads, Santa Rosa. 584-8803. Fridays-Saturdays, 7 to 11, Jess Petty and Ken Chambers Duo (ballroom dance).

Lena’s, 509 Adams St, Santa Rosa. 542-5532. Saturdays, Johnny Otis, two shows, at 9 and 10:30.

Lyon’s, 190 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa. 528-9311. Tuesdays, from 6 to 8, Ron Thompson (jazz).

Magnolia’s, 107 Fourth St, Railroad Square, Santa Rosa. 526-1006. Nov 30, Madge, Sir Reale.

Mama Donna’s Restaurant, 8868 Lakewood Drive, Windsor. 838-3371. Every Sunday, from 3 to 7, Steve Wolfe’s Jazz Cruisers.

Marty’s Top o’ the Hill, 8050 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol. 823-5987. Free country dance lessons every Wednesday, 9 to 12. Thursdays, karaoke.

Midway Cafe, 15045 River Road, Guerneville. 869-0501. Sundays, blues with Levi Lloyd and Nils Moline. Mondays, football with cheap beer and pool. Tuesdays, open mike with John Van Riper. Thursdays, “Absolutely Fabulous,” British sitcom. Dec 1, Scenic Drive. Dec 2, Kitty and Delta Hairballs.

Molly Malone’s, 245 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg. 431-1856. Mondays, pool league; Wednesdays, dart league. Sundays at 8, Cisco and Reynolds.

Mudd’s Cafe and Juice Bar, 1426 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 573-7180. Mondays, Russian River Writers Guild. Tuesdays, Mudd’s becomes Multimedia Cafe with presentations of different aspects of interactive digital media. Thursdays, Mudd’s Study Hall (quiet music, student discounts). Nov 30, record release party with Diesel Boy, Ten Foot Pole, and Patch.

Murphy’s Irish Pub, 464 First St East, Sonoma. 935-0660. Nov 30, Amy Kirsh and Carlo Calabi (traditional songs and harmonies).

Mystic Theatre, 21 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma. 765-6665. Nov 30, Mother Hips, Nuts, Papas Culture. Dec 1, Moana. Dec 2, Hangman’s Daughter, Sweet Virginia. Dec 6, Robben Ford, Soul Drivers. Dec 8, Johnsons.

Negri’s, 3700 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental. 823-5301. Nick Gravenites every Friday.

New George’s, 842 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415-457-1515. Nov 30, Cosmic Picnic. Dec 2, Pele Juju.

Old Vic, 731 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 571-7555. Jazz on Sundays, blues on Mondays. Dec 9, Sorrentinos.

Papa’s Taverna, 5688 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma. 769-8545. Sundays, Greek dancing and lessons, from 12:30. Dec 1, Nearly Beloved (C&W).

Petaluma Queen, 255 Weller St, Petaluma. 1-800-750-7501. Live music on cruise boat. Sundays, Jazz Etc.

Phoenix Theater, Washington and Keller streets, Petaluma. 762-3566 or 762-3565. Fridays and Saturdays, live rock, reggae, punk, and ska bands. Dec 8, Stone Merlin, Mindtwist, Fingers, Dancing Algerians.

Piero’s, 96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa. 523-3800. Open Wednesdays-Saturdays, 9pm to 2. Wednesdays, comedy night. Thursdays, college night. Saturdays, club becomes “Union” with DJ Dave Matthias.

Prospect Park, 515 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 526-2662. Fridays, jazz sax with Cash Farrar.

Quincy’s Pub and Cafe, 6590 Commerce Blvd, Rohnert Park. 585-1079. Wednesdays, modern, techno, and alternative DJ. Thursdays, country music and dancing with Q105 DJ Bonnie Hendrin. Fridays, Top 40 dance music DJ.

Redwood Cafe, 8240 Old Redwood Hwy, downtown Cotati. 795-7868. Acoustic music. Sunday brunch music. Acoustic open mike every Monday starting at 7. Open-mike poetry every Tuesday at 8 with host Pierrette.

Ristorante di Mare, 2001 Hwy 1, Bodega. 875-3333. Fridays-Saturdays, Primavera Duo (classical guitar and violin).

Santa Rosa Brewing Company, 458 B St at Seventh Street, Santa Rosa. 544-HOPS. Sundays, Celtic Happy Hour from 5:30. Tuesdays, jazz sax with Cash Farrar. Nov 30, Derek and Aces.

Sellini’s 2250 Airport Blvd, Santa Rosa. 573-6900. Sundays, noon to 3, live jazz with Bob Lucas and friends.

707 Club, Los Robles Lodge, 1975 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa. 542-3330. Steady weekly entertainment. Mondays, football. Tuesdays-Wednesdays, karaoke. Thursdays, free West Coast swing dance lessons from 7 to 9; dancing after. Fridays, dance music with David Wayne. Saturdays, request night.

Slice of Life, 6970 McKinley St, Sebastopol. 829-6627. Saturday-Sunday nights at 6, classical and flamenco guitar of Daniel Hannaford.

Station House Cafe, 11180 State Route 1, Point Reyes Station. 415-663-1515. Music every weekend. Saturdays, Bart Hopkin (acoustic guitar). Sundays, jazz duo Bart Hopkin and John Goodman. Dec 1, Artifacts (masters of folk and swing). Dec 8, Mark Naftalin (blues piano).

Steamer Gold, Great Petaluma Mill, Petaluma Blvd South. 778-2267. Country dance lessons Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays, college night. Saturdays, music of ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s with DJ Seanee. Sundays, C&W dancing. Mondays, West Coast swing with lessons. Free on weekends, $3-$5 weekdays.

Stony Point Grill, 138 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa. 578-1953. Karaoke on Saturdays. Sundays, Steve Wolfe’s Jazz Cruisers, 11:30am to 2:30pm.

Sweetriver Saloon, 248 Coddingtown Center, Santa Rosa. 526-0400. Comedy every Friday and Saturday at 10. Dec 1-2, Michael Meehan, Gina Faldetta.

Sweetwater, 153 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415-388-2820. Mondays, open mike with John Egan, 8:30. Nov 30, Box Set. Dec 1, Jimmy Dillon and Gypsies. Dec 2, Norton Buffalo and Knockouts. Dec 5, Patchwork. Dec 6, Greg Piccolo and Heavy Juice. Dec 7, Jesse Colin Young.

Tradewinds, 8210 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati. 795-7878. Live music, no cover. Nov 30, Pulsators. Dec 1, Groove Makers. Dec 2, Hell Hounds.

Twin Oaks Lounge, 5745 Old Redwood Hwy, Penngrove. 795-5118. No cover. Fridays and Saturdays, Cisco and the Kids Band (country rock), from 9 to 1:30.

Villa, 3901 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. 528-7755. Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 1, Metro (live R&B).

Dance

Force in the Crowd: University Dance Ensemble presents “tapestry of individual student visions” with student choreographers and dancers performing to works of Fats Waller, Henry Mancini, Soundgarden, and Anointed. Nov 30 and Dec 1-2 at 8. SSU, Dance Studio Theatre PE 1, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $3-$7. 664-2353.

Gypsy Caravan: Belly dancers undulate to strains of music by Light Rain. Dec 6 at 8. Inn of the Beginning, 8201 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati. $5. 77-TUNES.

Nutcracker Performances

Petaluma City Ballet: Dec. 1-3. Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. Veterans Memorial Bldg., 1094 Petaluma Blvd. $9-$14. 765-3972.

Redwood Empire Ballet: Dec. 8-10. Friday at 8; Saturday at 2 and 8; Sunday at 3. Sugar plum parties follow matinée performances, $3-$5 extra. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $7.50-$15. 523-3046.

Contessi Ballet: Dec. 9-10. Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30; Sunday at 2:30. Preview performance Dec. 2 at 1 at Oliver’s Market, 546 East Cotati Ave, Cotati. Regular shows at Evert Person Theatre, SSU, 1501 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $10-$12; preview free. 795-1999.

Ballet Califia: Dec. 15-17. Friday-Saturday at 8; Sunday at 2:30. Spreckels Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $12-$16. 584-1700.

Ballet California: Dec. 16-17 at 2 and 7. Meet the cast after the show, $3 extra. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $10-$19. 546-3600.

Events

Adobe Luminaria Fiesta: Old Adobe State Park reverts to grand old days of General Vallejo with re-creations of holidays past, Las Posadas procession, and lighting of 800 luminaria candles at dusk. Dec 9, 2 to 5. Adobe and Casa Grande roads. Free. 762-4871.

Ashes to Ash: Chef John Ash celebrates release of new healthy-cooking cookbook with reception and reservations-only dinner, sponsored by Copperfield’s Books. Nov 30 at 5. John Ash & Co., 4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa. $5, reception; $40, dinner. 526-7687.

Billiards Tournament: Qualifier tournament of World Open Billiards Championships. Finals in January to be filmed by ESPN and hold $310,000 purse. Dec 9-10, from noon. Open to public spectators. Team Player’s Billiards, 625 Fifth St, Santa Rosa. For details, call 526-3901.

Calistoga Community Christmas Bazaar: Get early start on holidays, buy tree from Boy Scouts, and help support community organizations. Plenty of food. Dec 2, 9 to 4. Calistoga Fairgrounds, Oak and Fairway. Free. 942-6972.

Chanukah Book Fair: Storyteller Ruth Halpern tells tales old and new at synagogue book sale and event. Refreshments available. Dec 3, 12:30 to 4; Halpern at 2:15. Ner Shalom Synagogue, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. $2, individuals; $6, families. 664-8622.

Christmas at the Mission: General and Mrs. Vallejo entertain visitors in costumed finery for old-fashioned evening of singing, candle processions, hot chocolate, and mission tours. Los Bohemios singing group entertains. Dec 10. Barracks open at 5:30 to hand out tickets on first-come, first-served basis for 6 and 7pm tours. Free, but non-perishable food donation suggested. Sonoma Mission, First Street East at Spain Street. 938-1519.

Christmas with the Kids: Year-round Santa Bob Burke dons red fuzzy hat again to host holiday revue and feast with his group of kids fighting leukemia and cancer. Dine at Farmhouse Inn and watch the show. Dec 6, 6 to 9. 7871 River Road, Forestville. Free, but donations heartily accepted. 887-3300.

Community Awards Dinner: Hispanic Chamber of Comerce hosts dinner to honor individuals and businesses that have distinguished themselves in public service. Dec. 5, 5:30 to 9. Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club, 5110 Oak Meadow Drive. $35. 526-7744.

Crafts Fair: Santa Rosa Recreation and Parks Dept hosts 20th annual holiday crafts fair with musicians, food, and crafts of all kinds, including drop-in holiday crafts for kids. Dec 2-3. Saturday, from 9 to 5; Sunday, from 10 to 4. Kids’ crafts, both days from 10 to noon and 2 to 4. Held concurrently at Steele Lane Community Center, 415 Steele Lane, Santa Rosa, and Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave, Santa Rosa. Free. 543-3737.

Dickens Fair: Downtown Cloverdale is transformed into olde England with carolers, crafts, vendors, tree lighting, and more. Dec 2-3, from 10. Tree lighting, Dec 1 at 5:30. Downtown Cloverdale. Free. 894-4470.

Feasts of Four Cultures: Sonoma County Museum hosts meals in conjunction with exhibit of childrens’ art from Bali and Java. Feasts begin at 7 and include drinks, tax, and tip. Reservations suggested. Dec 5, Indonesian cuisine at China Room. All meals $32-$35. 579-1500.

Festival of Lights: Osher Marin Jewish Community Center hosts annual Chanukah celebration with crafts, games, storytelling, latke brunch, and candle lighting. Dec 10, noon to 2. Hoytt Theater, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. Free admission. 415-479-2000.

Festival of Lights: Six Kenwood wineries participate in well-lit evening of holiday wine-tasting, singing, appetizer eating, and unbridled shopping. Guests encouraged to progress from one winery to another. Dec 7, 5:30 to 8:30. Various locations. $15. For map and details, call 833-5891.

Forestville Tree Lighting: Join others in community event with caroling, candy canes, cider, and Santa. Dec 2 at 5. Oddfellows Hall, Front and Covey streets. Free. 887-3300.

Frogs! West County Museum hosts crafts and frog sale. Dec 9, 1 to 4. 261 South Main St, Sebastopol. Free. 829-6711.

The Giant Who Swallowed the Moon: Monthlong series of Saturday afternoon events to complement childrens’ art exhibit at Sonoma County Museum. All events at 1. Dec 2, lecture by exhibit curator Joseph Fischer. 425 Seventh St, Santa Rosa. $1-$2; children under 12, free. 579-1500.

Handmade Holidays: Artisans’ Fair returns to Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa with storytelling by Georgia Churchill, jazz guitar by Chris Wood, and a bevy of pre-pubescent wünderkind musicians, as well as plenty of handcrafted gifts. Dec 2, 10 to 5. Free. 576-0924.

Healdsburg Parade: Santa comes to town in antique fire truck to kick off holiday season with plenty of good cheer. Parade begins Dec 3 at noon. Piper and Center streets. Ends at Plaza. Free. 433-6935.

Heritage Homes: Four Petaluma Victorian homes open their decorated parlors to public for self-guided tour. Dec 3, 6 to 9. Various locations. $8. For map and details, call 762-3456.

Holiday Boat Parade: Decorated boats illuminate Petaluma River, arriving at turning basin to show off finery, and allow Santa to do his stuff. Dec 9 at 6:30. All along river, basin in front of Great Petaluma Mill, 6 Petaluma Blvd South. Free. 778-1833.

Holiday Festival: Lincoln Arts Center artists open their studios for sale of crafts, jewelry, scuplture, furniture, and more. Dec 9-10, 11 to 6. 709 Davis St, Santa Rosa. Free. 544-8618.

Holiday Open House: Luther Burbank Home and Gardens deck out for Victorian Christmas with gifts for sale, and auction of cutting from Burbank’s original Cedar of Lebanon tree. Dec 2-3, 10 to 4, at Santa Rosa and Sonoma avenues. Free. 524-5445.

Las Posadas: Mother Lode Musical Theatre re-creates traditional Hispanic honoring of Our Lady of Guadalupe by performing play of holy family seeking asylum before birth of Christ. Adjunct art show in lobby, caroling, refreshments, and more. Dec 12 at 7. LBC, Main Theatre, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $5-$7. 546-3600.

Light up a Life: Home Hospice of Petaluma offers public chance to honor loved ones who have died by buying light for hospice tree. Dec 1 at 7. Center Park, in front of Mystic Theatre, 21 Petaluma Blvd. South. $10 for light. 542-5045.

Mark West Tree Lighting: Mark West Estate Vineyard lights 80 foot Christmas tree while carolers carol and public munches free popcorn and chestnuts. Dec 3. Event begins at 2; tree lighting at 5. 7010 Trenton-Healdsburg Road, Forestville. Free. 544-4813.

Memorial Service: Home Hospice sponsors this quiet candle-lighting service to pay tribute to loved ones. Dec 6 at 6. LBC, lobby, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. Free. 542-5045.

Model Train Layout: Demonstration version of Sonoma County Model Railroad Society’s layout at Showcase of Trains event. Dec. 2-3, from 10. Santa Rosa Christian School, 950 South Wright St. $3; under 12, free. 542-4759.

Multicultural Kids: MamaLuna Gallery and others sponsor daylong kids’ event with storytelling by childrens’ author Matthew Gollub, drumming and rhythm jam session with Phillip Ross, and bilingual songs and games. Bring instruments and sense of joy. Dec 2, from 10. Sebastopol Plaza. Free. 829-7625.

Occidental Crafts Fair: Local artisans sell their wares while Santa poses with the kids. Raffles and food too! Dec 9-10, 10 to 5. Occidental Community Center, corner of Bohmenian Hwy and Graton Road. Free. 874-1673.

Open House: Hanna Boys Center hosts 46th annual holiday open house with gift items, facility tours, and band concert. Dec 3, 1 to 3. 1700 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. Free. 996-6767.

Our Lady of Guadalupe: Art for the Heart folk art gallery sponsors Las Posadas procession, ending in gallery reception. Dec 12 at 5:30. Bring candle for procession. Meet at Fulton Plaza, across from post office. Free. 579-8248.

Russian Heritage Christmas: Guerneville celebrates Slavic founding with monthlong series of events, including crafts fair Dec 2, and horse drawn carriage rides Dec 16. Merchants offer plenty of surprises and special promotions. For details on all, call 869-9000.

Singing for AIDS: Randy Rowlands’ Christmas Choir puts on holiday show to benefit Home Hospice and Face to Face. Cocktails precede. Dec 3. Cocktails at 6:30; music at 8. Friedman Center, 4676 Mayette Ave, Santa Rosa. $15, cocktails; $10, concert. 544-6653.

Spirit of Christmas: County’s mother of all crafts sales at fairgrounds features over 250 exhibitors as well as music of Michael Bolivar (Dec 1), Blue Moon (Dec 8), Pride & Joy (Dec 9), and others; children’s shows and crafts workshops. Dec 1-3 and Dec 8-10. Fridays, noon to 9; Saturdays-Sundays, 10 to 6:30. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. $1-$4; Fridays are free. 575-WELL.

Stories of Strong Women: Storytellers Georgia Churchill, Sandra McLees, and Lynn Van Cleave weave tales of humor and surprise. Dec 9 at 7. Sitting Room, 170 East Cotati Ave, Cotati. Free. 7695-9028.

Surprise and Delight: Storytellers Chris Amberger, Georgia Churchill, and Kate Luna gather to tell stories guaranteed to surprise and delight. Dec 2 at 7:30. Redwing Blackbird Storytelling Theatre, 5531 Old Redwood Hwy, Santa Rosa. Ages 6 and older, please. $5-$10, sliding scale. 528-0779.

Victorian Holiday Tea: Living history re-creation of proper high tea, set in beautiful old Petaluma Museum and Library. Dec 3, at 1, 3, and 5. Reservations required. 20 Fourth St. $25. 778-0123.

West Marin Crafts: Dance Palace in Point Reyes comes alive with artisans’ works, food, and music. Dec 1-3. Friday, 3 to 9; Saturday-Sunday, 10 to 5. Fifth and B streets. Free. 415-663-1075.

Winery Open House: Martini & Prati Winery offers samplings of traditional Italian food, mulled wine, and tours of winery. Dec 2-3, 10 to 5. Bring Toys for Tots donation and receive discount on winery goods. Tours at 11 and 3. 2191 Laguna Road, Santa Rosa. Free. 823-2404.

Winter Solstice Goddess Crafts Fair: Holiday crafts with a decidedly pagan twist are highlight of this female-oriented crafts fair. In addition to artisans, look for belly dancing, drumming, tarot readings, sacred theater, and more. Dec 10, 10:30 to 5:30. Sebastopol Veterans Bldg, 282 High St. $2. 795-8403.

Women’s Winter Crafts: Fair sponsored by Harmony Network and Women Against Rape offers early holiday shopping with objects made by female artists. Dec 3, 11 to 6. Sebastopol Veterans Bldg, 282 South High St. $2-$5, sliding scale. 823-9377.

Ye Olde Christmas Faire: Spanish-speaking Santa, local artisans, and charcoal portraits of children are only some of treats in store at crafts fair. Dec 10, noon to 6. Windsor Senior Center, 9231 Foxwood Drive. Free. 838-1250.

Field Trips

Annadel State Park, Channel Drive, off Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. 539-3911. Fishing, hiking, mountain biking, trails.

Austin Creek State Recreation Area, 17000 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville. 16 miles of trails; Douglas fir, madrone, and oak forests; campgrounds.

Howarth Park, Summerfield Road between Mongomery Drive and Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa. 524-5115. Boating, fishing, carousel, train ride, nature trails, tennis courts, animal barn, and playground.

The Inside Track, Join others for social walking program within confines of Santa Rosa Plaza. Daily, 6 to 10am. Free. For details, call 544-SHOP.

Jack London State Park, London Ranch Road, west of Glen Ellen. 938-5216. Author’s grave, museum, Wolf House ruins, history trail, hiking, and historic buildings.

Lake Sonoma, 3333 Skaggs Springs Road off Dry Creek Road, near Healdsburg. Water-skiing, jet-skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking, over 100 campsites, and boat rentals.

Petaluma Peds, Free guided walking tours of Petaluma’s historic downtown district led by costumed docents are offered every Saturday and Sunday morning at 10:30. Meet at Petaluma Historical Museum, 20 Fourth St. Donations accepted. 778-4398.

Skateboard Park, at Youth Community Park, Fulton Road, across from Piner High School. 524-5115. Large bowls and snake run for skateboarders; picnic areas and playground. Hours: 6am to 9pm.

Spring Lake, between Howarth Park and Annadel Park, Santa Rosa. Nature walks, hiking, boating, camping, and summer swimming. On Mondays, at 5:45pm, meet other singles and enjoy brisk trek around lake. For details, call 575-0355.

TrainTown, 20264 Broadway, Sonoma (Hwy 12, one mile south of plaza). 938-3912. Scenic miniature railroad runs through 10 acres of trees, animals, bridges, waterfalls, and historic replicas. Trips take 20 minutes. Fridays-Sundays, 10 to 5, through June 1. $3.50, adults; $2.50, children and seniors.

Warm Springs Dam and Fish Hatchery, 3333 Skaggs Springs Road off Dry Creek Road, near Healdsburg. 433-9483. Visitors’ center with exhibits and displays. Hours: Daily, from 9 to 4.

Wild-Bird Walks, Wild Bird Center offers walks first and third Saturday of each month. Meet at store and carpool to local destination. 1573 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa. 8am. Free. 546-9425.

Winter in the Wild, Learn how plants and animals adapt to changing seasons in lecture and field study. Dec 2, 10 to 4. Point Reyes National Seashore. $30. For details, call 415-663-1200.

Film

Les Blank Retrospective: Second part of festival focuses on two recent works, “Sworn to Drum” and “Maestro,” with appearance by Blank. Dec 2 at 7:30. Gualala Arts Center, 38001 Old Stage Road, Gualala. $7. 884-1138.

Raven-MAD Midnight Movies: Raven Theater extends success of “Bob Dole” films with series of offbeat, violent, and beautiful films. Saturdays at midnight. 415 Center St, Healdsburg. Dec 2, Mel Gibson stars in “Road Warrior (Mad Max 2).” $5. 433-5448.

Sonoma Film Institute, Darwin Theater, SSU, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. 664-2606. Dec 1-2 at 7, Robert Altman’s cinematic collection of Raymond Carver’s short stories, “Short Cuts.” $4-$2.50.

For Kids

After Hours: YMCA offers safe social gathering place for teens, with emphasis on recreation, peer interaction, and self, offering Ping-Pong, swimming, basketball and volleyball, movies, pool, weight lifting, and more. Saturdays, 8 to midnight. 1111 College Ave, Santa Rosa. $3, non-members; free to members. 545-9622.

Boxing Program: Basic skills and amateur competition. For ages 8 and over. $20 for one year includes insurance and registration. $35 for coaches and officals clinic. Call American Made Boxing at 579-8043, Double Punches Boxing at 546-5011, or Community Boxing Center at 584-3892.

Card Workshop: Kids learn to make their own holiday greeting cards. Cards will be judged and distributed to needy seniors who could use cheering up. Dec 2 and 9. Plaza North Shopping Center, 259 North McDowell Blvd, Petaluma. Free. 762-2234.

Christmas Magic: Snoopy and his pals hit the ice again in new Christmas show visiting Paris, Aztec ruins, castles, and more. Dec 7 through Dec 30. Most shows at 3 and 7. Redwood Empire Ice Arena, 1667 West Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. $10-$32. 546-3385.

Discovery Center: Santa Rosa Plaza Mall, B Street side. 575-1014. Hands-on fun for kids to hammer, record, build, destroy, and just generally mess around (shh . . . while they learn). Wednesdays and Saturdays-Sundays, noon to 5. $2, members; $3, non-members.

Holiday Sing-Along: Children’s entertainer and songwriter Tim Cain leads evening of holiday fun for families. Dec 7 at 7. Polly Klaas Performing Arts Center, 417 Western Ave, Petaluma. $3. 765-1962.

Holiday Workshops: Kids learn to make homemade gifts, decorations, ornaments, and cards. Dec 2 and 9, 10 to noon and 2 to 4. Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 500 North Main St. $20, includes materials and snacks. 829-4797.

Kid Street Theatre: Non-profit organization devoted to helping kids from all backgrounds and situations feel self-esteem and joy of accomplishment through drama, art, dance, and interaction offers new fall drop-in program for youths ages 5 to 18. Volunteers needed. 54 West Sixth St, Santa Rosa. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 9 to 5. $5 per day, per child; free for families on AFDC. 525-9223.

Kids’ Nite Out: Sonoma County Family YMCA offers monthly overnight for kids ages 6-11 with swimming, games, crafts, movies, snacks. $5-$20. For details, call 545-9622.

Meet the Berenstein Bears: The whole Berenstein family will be on hand to meet kids, shake hands, and share a few life lessons. Dec 2, 10 to noon and 1:30 to 4. Treasure Books, Red Lion Plaza, 101 Gold Course Drive, Rohnert Park. Free. 584-3992.

More Santa: Santa comes steaming up by boat in town of Bodega, landing at Bodega Harbour Yacht club. Face painting and cookies help kids wait. Dec 9, 1 to 3. 21301 Heron Drive. Free. 874-1714.

Pippi Longstocking: Broadway for Kids, a national touring company, brings its version of the tale of the little red-headed girl with erect pigtails who lives happily outside adult rule with animal friends and a free-flowing soda fountain. Dec 1 at 7. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $8-$10. 546-3600.

Santa Arrives: Santa arrives at Sonoma Plaza Dec 1 at 5:30. Hot chocolate and cookies add to the cool pleasure. Free. 996-1033.

Santa in Situ: The Jolly One will take up residence at Circle of Friends store Dec 2 from noon to 4 and Dec 8 and 15, from 1 to 5. Kids get treats, tell wishes, and can have photo shot for $4. 126 Kentucky St, Petaluma. Free. 769-9707.

Youth and Government: Sonoma County Family YMCA offers program for sophomores, juniors, and seniors to participate in youth state government. For details, call 545-9622.

Lectures

Beijing Report: Teacher Dorothy Battenfeld reports on her trip to NGO conference on women’s rights in China. Sponsored by United Nations Association of Sonoma County. Potluck precedes. Dec 11 at 6. First United Methodist Church, 1551 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. Free. 526-2693.

CoHousing Orientation: Learn more about communal life in slideshow and lecture offered by Acacia CoHousing Group. Dec 2, 2 to 4. Central Santa Rosa Library, Third and E streets. Free. 524-3928.

Community Education: Healdsburg General Hospital offers free Wednesday night lectures from 7:15 to 9 on various health issues. Dec 6, “Men’s Health Issues.” 911 Medical Center Plaza, Suite 24, Windsor. 837-8811.

Family and Friends: Series of evening lectures intended for family and friends of addicted or alcoholic individuals, but open to all. Every Thursday, 7 to 8:30. Nov 30, “The Disease Concept of Alcoholism and Addiction.” Dec 7, “The Making of a Co-dependent.” Senior Center, Room 18, 704 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. Donations welcome. 546-3705.

Help for Single Parents: Youth and Family Outreach Center sponsors series of Saturday morning lectures for one-parent families. Dec 2, “Parenting Styles.” Dec 9, “Kids’ Grief.” 5200 Country Club Drive, Rohnert Park. $20/month. For times and details, call 579-0131.

Middle East Peace: San Francisco State Professor Dwight Simpson lectures on issues germane to current troubles in Middle East. Dec 4 at 7. LBC, Gold Room, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $2-$10. 573-6014.

Peace and Justice: Center offer Thursday night drop-in discussions, speakers, videos, and letter-writing opportunities. Every Thursday, 7 to 9. Nov 30, an evening of Thanksgiving sharing with video “The Visionaries” about Colombian street children and work of Father Xavier. Dec 7, “Spirituality and Political Action: Is There a Connection?” Free. 575-8902.

Peace Problems: Therese Mughannam-Walrath speaks on “Peace in the Middle East?” at potluck lecture. Bring dish to share and own table service. Dec 8 at 6. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sonoma County, 3641 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa. Free. 546-1019.

Publishing Salon: Writer Christina Salat offers series of lectures on various topics germane to publishing world. Fridays, 6 to 7. Dec 1, “Paid Word Lovers: Jobs in the Publishing Industry.” The Sitting Room, 170 East Cotati Ave, Suite C, Cotati. $10. 795-9028.

Speak Progressively: Speeches about global warming, nuclear disarmament, environmental issues, abortion laws, etc. First and third Mondays of each month at 7. Peace and Justice Center, 540 Pacific Avenue, Santa Rosa. Free. 942-0546.

Talks for the Evolving Human: Santa Rosa Therapy Network presents free Thursday Brown-Bag Lunch Break lecture series from noon to 1. Dec 7, “Body, Heart, and Soul: Being Oneself.” Santa Rosa Therapy Network, 201 D St, above Copperfield’s Cafe, Santa Rosa. Free. 544-8879.

WOMENSPEAK: Series of talks by women engaged in cultural transformation takes place on Thursdays at 7:30. Nov 30, “Zen and the Art of Mothering,” with Virginia Matthews. Downtown Art Space, 172 B North Main St, Sebastopol. $5 each, or $20 for series. 824-8741.

Meetings

ACES: Association for Children for Enforcement of Support works to assist parents not receiving entitled support. Meets fourth Tuesday at 7, every month at Veterans Memorial Bldg, North Room, 1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa. 524-7176.

Adoption Process Support Groups: Hestia House weekly support groups. Birthmothers, Tuesdays at 5:30. Birth grandparents and triad group meet as needed. 882 Second St, Santa Rosa. Free. 527-1312.

Adult Children Anonymous: Open meeting for gay, lesbian, and straight folks. Thursdays at 7:30 at 1300 St. Francis Road in Learning Center Youth Room, Santa Rosa. Fridays from 8 to 9:30 at Christ Church United Methodist, 1717 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa. 544-2130.

Bodega Bay Allied Arts: Meetings second Thursday of every month at 7:30 for presentations and discussions of art. Bodega Bay Community Center, 2255 Hwy 1. 875-3449.

Breast Cancer Support: Share feelings and experiences, explore treatment options, and learn how to cope, do breast self-exam, and deal with work and insurance. Facilitator Eileen Jensen, RN, MSN, family nurse practitioner. First and third Tuesdays of each month, from 6 to 8, at 6800 Palm Ave, Suite C-1, Sebastopol. Educational seminars at Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol on second Tuesday each month at 7. Free. 579-2490.

Caregivers Support Group: Provides information and support to family members and staff caring for elderly. Every second and fourth Monday, 1:30 to 3:30. Russian River Senior Center, 15010 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville. Free. 869-0618.

Central Sonoma County Art Association: Open to painters and sculptors in all media (no crafts, please). Meetings every third Thursday at 7. Dorothy Spreckels Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $25 yearly dues. 546-6156.

CHADD: Information and support group for parents of children with attention deficit disorder meets second Monday of each month from 7 to 9. Rancho Cotate High School Library, 5450 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. 765-4863.

Children’s Group: Teaching children to focus anger, express feelings, and solve problems is among topics to be addressed in group with adult facilitator. Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6. Family Education Center, 629 East D St, Petaluma. $45 per month. 762-8835.

Concord Coalition: Local chapter of organization dedicated to “educating the public about the destructive impact of the federal budget deficits on the economy.” Free. Call 545-0745 for time and place.

Contra Dances: Don’t expect to waltz with Ollie North; these aren’t Iran-Contra, just good old-fashioned country jigs. No experience or partner necessary. Third Friday of each month at 8. Monroe Hall, 1400 College Ave, Santa Rosa. $5-$6. 795-1011.

Dual Recovery: Self-help anonymous group for people facing mental or emotional illness combined with chemical or alcohol addiction. Every Thursday at 2. A Step Up, 420 East Cotati Ave, Cotati. 795-4336.

Fem-to-Fem Fun Day: Meetings last Sunday of every month for “fem” gay women to get together for various activities. Call for changing North Bay locations and information. Free. 824-1603.

Green Earth Community Circle: Celebrating earth spirituality. Every Monday night at 7. Fred’s Gathering Place, 1215 Morgan St, Santa Rosa. Donation of $4. 585-8714.

Healing Service: Congregation Beth Ami offers non-denominational service for those who need emotional or spiritual healing. Third Monday of each month at 7:30. 4676 Mayette Ave, Santa Rosa. Free. 545-4334.

Home Hospice Support Groups: Sonoma County chapter of Home Hospice announces 14 new support groups for bereaved parents, groups for kids and teens, and new Spanish-language meetings, to assist in coping with parent loss, AIDS, suicide losses, and more. Call for different times and locations. Most meetings held at Home Hospice, 1110 North Dutton Ave, Santa Rosa. Free; donations accepted. 542-5045.

Independent Arts Coalition: Meetings to establish a non-profit, all-volunteer independent venue for do-it-yourself bands and artists. Every Sunday at 7. Higher Grounds Cafe, 1899 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 578-5865.

Mental Health Board: Sonoma County Mental Health Board meets fourth Wednesday of each month at 6. Planning Commission Chambers, 575 Administration Drive, #107, Santa Rosa. 576-4850.

North Bay Adoptions: Parent-led international adoption agency. Informational meetings on last Tuesday of every other month at 7. Church of the Roses, 2500 Patio Court, near Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa. Open to public. Free. 837-0277.

NOWO Local chapter of National Organization for Women meets third Monday of every month from 7 to 9, at Peace and Justice Center, 540 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa, for lecture, discussion, and networking. Business meetings on first Monday of every month from 7 to 9. Call 527-8562 or 523-9533.

Old World Carolers: A-cappella choir meets every Thursday for practice sessions to prepare for holiday season. For information and meeting times, call 829-5443.

Prostate Cancer Support: Group gives men afflicted with this serious disease a forum to discuss problems, share experiences and information. First and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:30. Cancer Center, 3555 Round Barn Blvd, Santa Rosa. Free. 545-6720.

Rational Recovery: International, non-profit, secular, self-help organization for people recovering from dependence on alcohol or other substances. Thursdays, from 6 to 7, in Conference Room 1 of Community Hospital, 3325 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa. 539-9627.

Redwood Empire Rose Society: Meets third Thursday of month for study group at 6:30; meeting at 7:30. Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa. Free. 539-9006.

Sacred Movement: Group erases mental conditioning through body and voice improvisation. First and third Saturdays each month at 7:30. St. John’s United Church, 5051 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $10. 585-6828.

Salon Night: Artists and art enthusiasts welcome at this non-structured forum. Last Friday of every month at 7. Sponsored by California Museum of Art at LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. Free. 527-0297.

Self-Healing Support Group: Group focuses on women dealing with cancer and other illnesses through self-trust and self-healing. Second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7. $10-$15/session, sliding scale. For location and details, call 579-2081.

Sexual Assault Support Group: Women Against Rape’s peer-led meeting for survivors. Thursday nights from 7 to 9. Free. Call 24-hour crisis line, 545-7273.

Sierra Club Population Committee: Meets second Tuesday each month from 6:45 to 9. Environmental Center, 632 Fifth St, Santa Rosa. 578-0595.

Singles Connection: Non-profit organization hosts weekly Tuesday meetings featuring speakers, with socializing after lecture. Red Oak Room, Los Robles Lodge, 1985 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa, at 7. $5 donation. 5798-4677.

Sonoma County Genealogical Society: Fourth Saturday of each month at 1. SRJC Lark Hall, Room 2009, 1501 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. Free. 538-1775.

Sonoma County Woodworkers Association: Amateurs and professionals share ideas, techniques, and encouragement. First Tuesday of each month at 7. Call for changing location and information. 524-7942.

S.T.O.P. 187: The coalition of Solidarity to Overturn Prop 187 meets every other Saturday at 5. 1700 Corby Ave, Santa Rosa. 545-6381.

Survivors of Incest: Anonymous meeting for male and female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Meetings scent-free. Every Sunday at 7:30. Sebastopol Community Church, 430 Murphy Ave. Free. 829-5771. Rohnert Park group meets first and third Sundays at 7. Rohnert Park Health Center, 1450 Medical Center Drive. Free. 795-1853.

Tall Club: Redwood Empire Tall Club welcomes members who stand at or taller than 5 feet 10 if female, or 6 feet 2 if male, to weekly Friday night happy hour and monthly house parties. 545-TALL.

Tayu Meditation Center: Free introductory meditation group meets second and fourth Tuesdays each month at 8pm. 898 Daniel St, Sebastopol. 829-9579.

Vegetarians of Sonoma County: Monthly meeting with potluck dinner, second Sunday of every month, starting at 5:15, talk at 6. Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 840 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa. Bring your own eating utensils and dish or contribute $5. 526-4834.

Vipassana Meditation: First Sunday of each month from 10 to noon at 11214 Occidental Road in Sebastopol, 823-0818. Sundays from 10 to noon at Anderson Hall in Camp Meeker, 874-2234. Thursdays at 7 in Sebastopol, 829-6796. Tuesdays from 8 to 9am in Cotati, 792-2635. Wednesdays at 7:30 at Creekside Apartments Clubhouse, 1130 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. Thursdays from 10 to noon in Sebastopol, 823-3391.

We the People: Progressive, grassroots organization concerned with Sonoma County political and social issues meets first Wednesday of each month at 7. Labor Center, 1706 Corby Ave, Santa Rosa. 433-6946.

Women of Color Fun Day: Meetings on first Sunday of month, at noon, to hike, talk, see movies, eat, go thrift-store shopping, and more with other women of color. Call for changing North Bay locations and information. Free. 824-1603.

Women’s Writing: Ongoing group seeks experienced writers to read and critique each others’ fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. For details, call 539-8239.

Music

Afro-Cuban Jazz: Innovative Afro-Latin traditionalist John Santos and his friends perform evening of Caribbean-influenced music. Nov 30 at 8. SSU, Warren Auditorium, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $5-$10. 664-2353.

All That Jazz: Mel Graves directs SSU Jazz Ensembles in series of concerts on Nov 30 and Dec 7. Nov 30 is free concert at noon; Dec 7 at 8. SSU, Warren Auditorium, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. Evening concert $3-$7. 664-2353.

Bananafish: Acoustic duo out of Seattle perform songs from their Christmas album of covers and originals in two local shows. Dec 1 at 8:30, Dancing Goat Coffee House, 324 Center St, Healdsburg. $5. 433-1103. Dec 3 at 7, Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, Tasting Room, 23555 Carneros Hwy, Sonoma. $8-$15. 996-7256, ext. 239.

Carols in the Caves: Specializing in rare and ancient instruments, musician David Auerbach conducts evenings of secular and sacred music in underground caves at area wineries. Wine tasting is included. All performances at 7. Dec 3, at Clos Pegase Winery, 1060 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga; Dec 9-10, at Schramsberg Vineyards, Schramsberg Road, Calistoga; Dec 15-17, at Rine Ridge Winery, 5901 Silverado Trail, Napa. $23. 224-4222.

Chamber Music: Concert of vocal and instrumental music for small ensembles presented by University Chamber Music Workshop group. Dec 5 at 8. SSU, Ives Concert Theatre 119, 1501 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $3-$7. 664-2353.

Fiddle De Dee: Irish fiddle great Kevin Burke’s band Open House jams with the Caswell Carnahan Band. Fiddle and dance workshops precede in day of Celtic merriment. Dec 9. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St. Workshops, 2 to 4; concert, 7:30. Concert only, $10-$14; workshops, $18-$20; Concert and workshops, $28-$30. 823-1511.

Robben Ford and Blue Line: Blues extravaganza with journeyman Ford, and his band. Must be 18 or older. Dec 6 at 8. Mystic Theatre, 21 Petaluma Blvd. South. $10-$15. 765-6665.

Barbara Higbie: Windham Hill recording artist sings and performs on violin and piano. The Other Side opens. Dec 2 at 8. IMA Center, 585 Salmon Creek Road, Bodega. 413. 876-3004.

House Jacks: In-your-face a cappella from this “rock band without instruments.” Dec 1 at 8. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $10. 546-3600.

Ottmar Liebert: New Age guitarist plays benefit concert for Tibet with his band Luna Negra. Dec 2 at 8. Marin Center, Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $25-$75. 415-472-3500.

Mr. Music: Jim Corbett presents Christmas sing-along with variety of performers leading audience in songs sacred, secular, and silly. Dec 8 at 8. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $5-$7. 546-3600.

Occidental Community Choir: Director Doug Bowes leads choir in winter holiday concert of secular and sacred songs. Dec 9-10. Saturday at 3 and 8 at Occidental Community Church, Second and Church streets; Sunday at 7:30 at Sebastopol United Methodist Church, 500 North Main St. Free. 869-0102.

Party Time: Record-release party for Diesel Boy, also featuring performances by Ten Foot Pole and Patch. T-shirts and record giveaways. Nov 30 at 8:30. Mudd’s Cafe and Juice Bar, 1426 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. $4. 573-7180.

Redwood Empire Jazz Fest: Junior and senior high school jazz bands vie for regard in 26th year of festival. Mel Martin and Bebop and Beyond perform at noon. Dec 2, from 8 to 6. SSU, Ives Hall and Evert Person Theatre, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $6, festival; $6 additional for Martin concert. 664-2353.

Requiem: Sonoma State’s University Chorus goes mostly Mozart with performance of “Requiem,” appropriately performed in area churches. Dec 8-9, at 8. Friday, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 8460 Alden Lane, Windsor; Saturday, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholica Church, 35 Liberty St, Petaluma. $5-$12. 664-2353.

Santa Rosa Symphony: Jeffrey Kahane conducts orchestra and baritone Hector Vasquez and violinist Jennifer Koh in “The Greatness of the Human Spirit,” an evening of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in B Flat and works by Dvorak and Vaughan Williams. Pre-concert talks one hour before performances. Dec 2-4. Saturday and Monday at 8; Sunday at 3. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $15-$27. 54-MUSIC.

Skin Talk: Percussionist Carolyn Brandy and her band beat the skins in night of world beat. Dec 2 at 8. LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $13-$15. 546-3600.

Sonoma Valley Chorale: Chorale group returns from European tour to perform Gould’s “Serenade of Carols,” Ohrwall’s “Gaudette,” and Thompson’s “Alleluia,” as well as other holiday favorites. Dec 9-10. Veterans Bldg, 126 First St West, Sonoma. Saturday at 8; Sunday at 2 and 7:30. $8-$10. 935-1576.

Spirit of the Season: Soprano Seldon Murphy and cabaret singer Claire Victor lead evening of holiday songs with Heart Sounds Choir in benefit for Santa Rosa Church of Religious Science. Dec 7 at 7:30. LBC, Concert Chamber, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $7-$10. 875-2892.

TRADJASS: Traditional Dixieland music is further enlivened by appearance of Devil Mountain Jazz Band. Dec 3, 1:30 to 6. Red Lion Hotel, 1 Red Lion Drive, Rohnert Park. $5-$7. 542-3973.

Readings

The Annex, 650 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 545-5326. Copperfield’s Santa Rosa store offers free, informative, and innovative events for public at 7. Dec 9, Richard Paul Evans reads from and signs “The Christmas Box.”

Barnes & Noble, 700 Fourth St, Santa Rosa. 576-7494. All events free. Nov 30 at 7:30, storyteller Dawn Floodman with stories for the soul. Dec 3 at 7:30, Paddi Selwyn and Sally Raspberry unleash their common sense and sense of joy, reading from and discussing “Living Your Life out Loud.”

Bella Vita Cafe, 8429 Gravenstein Hwy, Apple Valley Plaza, Cotati. 794-0168. Wednesdays, at 7:30, open mike with Buzzy Martin.

Brew Moon, 16248 Main St, Guerneville. 869-0201. Thursdays at 7, Jus’ Us Jams (open mike and collective music making).

Cartwheels on the Faultline, Anthology by 27 Sonoma County women writers includes works by the Independent’s own Sara Peyton and Simone Wilson, as well as writing by Robin Beeman, Susan Swartz, and Elizabeth Herron. Writers gather in free events to read aloud from volume. Dec 14 at 7, Copperfield’s Books, 138 North Main St, Sebastopol. 823-0677. Dec 17 at 6, North Light Books, corner of Fifth and Wilson streets, Santa Rosa. 576-7765.

Coffee Bazaar Cafe, 14045 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville. 869-9706. Wednesdays, open mike at 7.

Copperfield’s Bookstore offers free readings at 7. 138 North Main St, Sebastopol. 823-2618.

Live Literature, Jonah Raskin reads from his upcoming biography of Abby Hoffman, and poet Elizabeth Herron read recent works in conjunction with SSU’s School of Arts and Humanities reading series. Dec 4 at 7:30. SSU, University Art Gallery, 1501 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. Free. 664-2353.

Open Mike Poetry, Redwood Cafe, 8240 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati. Every Tuesday evening at 8 with host Pierrette. Free. 795-7868.

Russian River Writers Guild meets Monday at 7:30, featuring live readings from county’s most prestigious poets and writers. Dec 4, poets Suzanne da Rosa and Gus Kearney. Mudd’s Cafe and Juice Bar, 1426 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. 573-7180.

Theater

Babes in Toyland: Santa Rosa Players present story of love triangle in Mother Goose Land as two men vie for the affections of Mary Mary Quite Contrary. Thursdays-Sundays, Dec 1 through Dec 23. Thursdays-Saturdays at 8; Sundays at 2. Special matinée Dec 23 at 2. Lincoln Arts Center, 709 Davis St, Santa Rosa. $10-$14; $2 discount Dec 14. 544-STAR.

Bullshot Crummond: Main Street Theatre presents melodrama parody of low-budget ’30s detective movies, starring Eric Cook. Thursdays-Saturdays at 8, through Dec 16. Special Sunday shows Dec 3 and Dec 10 at 7. 104 North Main St, Sebastopol. $10-$15. 823-0177.

Celebration of Peace: Kid Street Theatre presents original show in evening benefit for this hard-working children’s organization. Dec 2 at 6:30. Reception precedes show. 54 West Sixth St, Santa Rosa. $25. 525-9223.

A Christmas Carol: Sonoma Community Center mounts musical production of Dickens’ classic tale with Sonoma Childrens Chorale, and host of local talent. Doors open early for pre-show reception. Canned food donations for local agencies are encouraged. Dec 14-17 at 8; matinée performances Dec 16-17 at 2. 276 East Napa St, Sonoma. $5-$8. 938-4626.

A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley Pacific Alliance Stage Company presents holiday classic, with update by adaptor Israel Horovitz. Thursdays-Sundays, Nov 30 through Dec

Local Scene

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Phoenix Rising

Local alternative rock scene takes its licks and stages a comeback

By Greg Cahill

Tina–a skinny teen with three nose rings and baggy jeans that keep slipping to her knees–is moshin’ in the pit. Not a serious vortex-swirling slam dance, but a playful, mockish sojourn around the fringe of the knot of oddly subdued fans clustered in front of the Phoenix Theatre’s darkened stage.

In contrast, Mark–“just Mark”–the 18-year-old bass player for the Irish punk band Ash, is giving it his all. Dressed in soiled Convies, tattered jeans, and a Dumpster Juice T-shirt, his long, sweaty blond locks falling across his eyes, the punker reels across the stage like a drunken dervish as he stabs the air with the neck of his vintage Gibson Firebird bass guitar.

The cavernous venue–a one-time opera house and silent movie theater that now sports restored deco wall panels beside spray-painted graffiti art–is reverberating with the melodic punk of “Different Today.” The lyrical message is pure teen angst. The music is loud, fast, and hard.

It’s Saturday night at Phoenix Theatre–part concert hall, part teen center, part sanctuary–where local teens gather throughout the week to play video games, shoot pool, and garner sage advice from owner Tom Gaffe. It’s the heart of Sonoma County’s alternative-rock scene, a suburban punk emporium that over the years has provided a training ground for such nationally known local bands as Victims Family while serving as a stepping stone for the likes of Green Day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, and Jaw Breaker.

In 1993, Gaffe turned down the volume, figuratively speaking, when he stepped back from handling the booking and left that duty to a variety of local promoters. The result, for the most part, was a string of weekend shows almost exclusively devoted to local hardcore punk, hard rock, and ska bands. That has been good news for such struggling, homegrown alternative rock bands as Caffeine, the Conspiracy, and Blind Spot.

But other than an occasional national act like Fish Bone or Gwar–usually sponsored by Associated Students Productions of Sonoma State University–the shows there have kept a distinctly local flavor.

The person responsible for the new turn of events at the Phoenix Theatre is Glenn Rubenstein, 19, of Petaluma, the in-house booking agent and promoter. Soft-spoken and businesslike, he hopes to bring the venue back to its glory days when thrash-metal kings Metallica opened their 1991 world tour at the Phoenix and punk-funk masters Primus spent two nights warming up for a headlining spot on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour.

Rubenstein still plans to book local bands, but also wants each month to book four or five national acts that travel between San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. He scored his first major coup just a few weeks ago when the Rentals–led by Weezer bassist Matt Sharp and signed to Madonna’s Maverick label–played the theater just as the band’s single “Friends of P” leapt into the Top 10 of the college radio charts.

“It was so last-minute,’ says Rubenstein, a Casa Grande High graduate and video game reviewer for the San Francisco Examiner. “I saw their video once on MTV and said, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to get them at the Phoenix?’ and called their booking agent. By the time of the show, there was a story on ‘MTV News’ that mentioned they were playing in Petaluma.

“In a way, that show has kind of blown open this chance to have huge bands–obviously not the Elton Johns or someone like that–but the kind of up-and-comers that the Phoenix was accustomed to having in the past.”

Two weeks ago, he landed Ash and China Drum, a British punk trio, both on major labels and seeking to garner the kinds of record sales that the San Francisco-based Green Day has elicited with its watered-down version of British-style punk.

It was a rather shaky summer that saw the dissolution of Cafe This in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square, a storefront nightspot the size of a typical suburban living room, where teens lounged on overstuffed sofas, sipped Brain Drain natural sodas, and listened to touring Sub Pop acts. Its demise was a major loss, considering the slim number of local venues hosting alternative music acts.

The reinvigorated Phoenix Theatre–and other recent developments–herald at least a hope that things may get back on track for those music fans whose taste runs more towards Dieselhed than the herd of singing cowboys who cater to the 4X4 pickup crowd at local concert halls and nightclubs.

“There aren’t a lot of places to play, and for bands it is a struggle, but that’s not only true for here–it’s true for the entire Bay Area,” says Rubenstein. “If you look at things, we haven’t seen a lot of Bay Area success stories over the past few years, certainly not in the same way as Seattle or Los Angeles or other bigger music metropolises.

“Even if you look at San Francisco itself, there are very few places for local bands to get good exposure because they’re competing with big bands that are coming through. In some ways, one of the things we’re trying to do to prevent that kind of competition from happening is to give local bands an opportunity.”

Ironically, one of the most likely substitutes for the punk and trance-pop scene that once revolved around Cafe This may come from a group of ambitious young musicians and artists who grew disillusioned with what they saw as the inside politics at Cafe This. The Independent Arts Coalition plans to open an all-ages, no-alcohol, drug-free community center–probably in Santa Rosa’s industrial district–devoted to nurturing local alternative arts and music. “Until we do lure a few more artists into our, shall I say, sinister plot, it mostly focuses on music,” explains Erin Mayer, 20, an SSU student and full-time department store clerk who is booking some of the IAC shows. “It will be like the Phoenix, but on a smaller scale and run by volunteers.

“We’re hoping to be able to feature a lot more local shows, mostly aimed at high school and college students.”

Thus far, the non-profit IAC has raised $6,000 of its targeted $10,000. In the past, the group has held shows in Sebastopol and Monte Rio, including the recent Ruckus on the River, which featured almost a dozen local alternative rock, rap, and reggae bands. The organization’s next benefit concert on Friday, Dec. 8, at the Phoenix Theatre will feature seven local bands: the Invalids, Kid Dynamo, Ground Round, Mickey and the Big Mouths, Allegiance to None, Foray, and the Block Heads.

“We plan to focus on independent bands, those with no corporate affiliation–mostly people like us who are putting out our own music and shows with little or no corporate support,” adds Mayer, bass player with the now-defunct band the Twerps. “This country already has a large network of places like this, catering to local and touring acts. We just want to be the place where people can come to Santa Rosa and play a well-advertised show. I went on tour this summer [as manager of the Invalids] and saw many venues that are similar to what I want to help create through the IAC. That was a real kick for me. But the real driving force is that we’re starting to see that it can happen. People with almost no organizational skills or any connections or sponsors have raised $6,000 in the past year.

“That’s something that keeps you going, when you realize that you can actually start doing stuff.”

While the Phoenix Theatre struggles to stay afloat–in the past, the venue has hosted a series of benefit shows to pay off its huge electricity bill–the IAC is taking a fiercely anti-commercial tack. “I started booking for the same selfish reason a lot of people like me do, which is that there are shows around but they’re not the kind of shows you want to see,” Mayer says. “I get calls all the time from really sincere musicians from a lot of different places who would like to have their band play here. They’re not looking for $100 guarantees and they don’t have outlandish riders on their contracts to provide free beer and they’re not looking for thousands of fans.

“They’re just looking for a place to play in front of 25 or 50 people, and that’s the kind of thing we’re aiming at.”

Not everyone who ventures into the alternative rock scene is so nonchalant about the business side. At the newly renovated Mystic Theatre in Petaluma–where moshing punkers stood in stark contrast to the young singles and baby boomers bouncing to the beat of Bay Area Motown revues during more sedate weekend nights–owner Ken O’Donnell tried to tap the college music market and decided it might not be for him.

After just a couple of Midweek Madness shows–part of a Thursday night series of alternative rock dance concerts, featuring the Portland-based Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and several local acts–O’Donnell and co-booking agent Sheila Groves have decided to tone down that part of the dance hall’s programming. Their last scheduled Midweek Madness event, featuring the Mother Hips (in conjunction with SSU’s Associated Students), is Thursday, Nov. 30.

“We’re probably going to do alternative rock shows on a scattered basis, whenever we feel they’re worth opening the doors for,” says Groves. “Those shows require additional costs because we have to hire extra staff to deal with crowd control. That’s a real consideration because we have to open the doors to 18 and over to fill the room, while checking IDs for those to whom we are serving liquor.

“While the crowds were good for both of the first two shows, they were a lot of effort.”

On the other hand, Rubenstein sees the Phoenix as playing a key role in helping foster the local alternative music scene. “I spend a great deal of my time on the phone, talking with agents and letting them know that we’re a viable venue, because some of these agents go, ‘Oh, Petaluma. What do we want to do there?'” he says, during an interview in his cramped office.

Still, some booking agents–like those handling Ash’s tour–are quick to recognize the potential of an area bestowed with a university, a junior college, and 12 high schools in a 20-mile radius.

“It’s the perfect place to spotlight an up-and-coming band.” he says, adding that big-name acts also help give exposure to local bands opening the shows. “We took the Rentals and put Skillet–a local band that’s an eclectic mix of rap and rock–on the bill with them. Now we’re hoping that a lot of the folks who came to check out the Rentals will come back to see Skillet when they play at this acoustic Christmas charity show next month, this sort of campy, cabaret show that’s going to include all kinds of local hardcore punk, rap, and ska bands changing their sound.

“We’re still trying very hard to give the local bands as much exposure as possible, so we can build up a community feeling between the band and the audience.”

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team. &copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

McDougall Program

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Healthy Holidays

Restaurants countywide offer healthful fare to keep your spirits up

By Liesel Hofmann

After the gobbler was gobbled, with all its calorific sidekicks, around the table were groans of “Oh God, I ate too much.” The litany of the holiday season.

Pushing yourself away from the table on Thanksgiving, you were full, all right, but probably depleted. As Garrison Keillor observes, non-judgmentally, in the current issue of Time magazine, “The dirty little secret of the dinner is melted animal fats: in all the recipes, somewhere it says, ‘Melt a quarter-pound of butter.'”

With more than a month of feasting ahead, can you eat, drink, and be merry and not feel like hell afterwards? Can you put up with the hectic demands of the holiday season without bogging down and wondering whether it’s worth the hassle?

There is a way: the McDougall Program. If you follow it as often as you can when eating in restaurants during the days ahead, you’ll have energy to spare, be happily satiated, and feel surprisingly upbeat.

The McDougall way is vegan (no animal products), without any oil added. This sounds so spartan that McDougallites are frequently asked, “But what on earth do you eat?” The key word here is earth. Foods from the earth, plant foods, with the emphasis on starchy foods like beans, potatoes, rice, corn, pasta, and breads, along with fruits and vegetables.

For over 20 years, Dr. John McDougall, a vibrant, seemingly tireless man who runs the McDougall Program at St. Helena Hospital in Napa Valley in addition to writing best-selling books about his program and hosting a radio program, has tested this ancient diet and found it the best way to prevent or reverse the “diseases of affluence”–such as heart disease, strokes, cancer, and arthritis–that afflict those who follow the typical high-fat, high-protein American diet.

Among the beneficial effects of McDougall’s regimen is that it wards off depression and anxiety by naturally raising the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is what popping a Prozac pill does, at a cost. Not the least, the program enables you to drop weight effortlessly while eating as heartily as you want.

“Why,” asks Dr. McDougall during an interview, “would anyone want to eat any differently? It’s a phenomenal way to eat. Those who don’t try it don’t know what they’re missing, how good they’d feel.”

The plethora of honest foods, often lavishly laced with herbs and spices, can meet anyone’s nutrition needs, including protein, of which most Americans eat twice as much as they need, mainly in the form of meat. But as McDougall points out, “A dead animal doesn’t make the pasta any better.”

If you’re going to dine out a lot during the month of frenzy ahead, you’re lucky to be living in Sonoma County, where there’s a wealth of restaurants–from fast-food to upscale types–that offer McDougall-style dishes to help you dine out superbly and sanely.

To find them easily, get a copy of Dining out McDougall Style: A Guide to Healthy Dining in and Around Sonoma County ($7.95), compiled by Jacque Pedgrift and Phyllis Grannis, which lists almost 100 restaurants, delis, and bakeries with examples from their menus. Just published and available in most bookstores and health-food stores, this nifty booklet includes dozens of pointers on adhering to the program even in those restaurants that don’t list McDougall items.

“You should feel comfortable requesting healthy food,” McDougall insists.

If you can’t follow the program all the time, he recommends doing it really right at least some of the time by adhering completely to it per meal. And each time you do, he says, “you can pat yourself on the back, observe the difference it makes to eat this way, and treat it as a learning experience.”

Go ethnic with McDougall-style cuisine at French, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Indian restaurants. Or go to a fast-food restaurant like Carl’s Jr. for a baked potato (with salsa or barbecue sauce) and a salad. One potato isn’t enough? Have two; have three. In a pizzeria, just tell them to hold the cheese. Tell them to hold it–and the sour cream–in Mexican restaurants, too. If you’re still hungry after a giant burrito at El Patio in Santa Rosa, you’ve probably got a tapeworm.

You won’t have to worry about the cheese or any other dairy products in Chinese restaurants, because they don’t use them. Among the county’s many Chinese restaurants that honor the McDougall way, the Szechuan Palace, just south of Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa, offers a particularly wide choice of dishes and will make any vegetable dish oil-free upon request. Incidentally, you’ll never feel hungry an hour after a Chinese meal if you eat it as the Chinese traditionally do–adding various vegetables to mounds of rice.

Montgomery Village is a small example of how simple it is to McDougall it. If you’re aching for a pastry break, stop by Michelle Marie’s Patisserie, where you can have your “cake” and eat it too. Each day the bakery offers cinnamon rolls and four varieties of large, fat-free muffins. Get there early for the rolls, though; they usually sell out before 11 a.m. For a meal nearby later on, there’s East-West Cafe, the Round Table, and Hemenway’s Restaurant.

From a hefty sandwich at Subway to a posh meal at John Ash & Co., you’ll find hundreds of menu choices. You won’t be sacrificing culinary joys. You’ll only be giving up bad health. And perhaps you’ll become enticed enough to finally be able to dispense with that naggingly familiar New Year’s resolution to do something about your diet.

This page was designed and created by the Boulevards team. &copy 1995 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.

News Briefs

News BriefsPhoto by Janet OrsiHigh-wire act: On Wednesday, line crews in Forestville cleared felled trees. High winds knocked out phones and 80,000 county customers lost power.Hell and High WaterSONOMA COUNTY "I've seen every flood since 1947, and I never saw the water come up this fast," said Forestville campground owner Bob Burke, as the Russian River...
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No Nudes

For Hot Oil Wrestlers, No Nudes Is Bad NewsPhoto by Greg KingBare none: California Hardbodies performers don provocative costumes that sometimes slip off to expose their breasts and buttocks.California Hardbodies may challenge new Santa Rosa lawBy Bruce RobinsonIt's certainly going to modify some costumes," says Bob Manthey, manager of the California Hardbodies, who insists that Santa Rosa's...
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Public Eye

Public EyeElection TangoFormer Rep. Doug Bosco has tentatively thrown his hat into the ring, sort of, for the North Coast's 1st Assembly District. Last week, Bosco filed a notice of intention that he may run for the old post that he held from 1978 to 1982 before his stint in Congress. That's giving the shivering fits to progressive...
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Shuggie Otis

Blues Deluxe Guitarist Shuggie Otis steps centerstage By Greg Cahill It was love at first sight. At a time when most kids were playing sandlot baseball and dreaming about joining the big leagues, Shuggie Otis had his sights set on the stage. At age 4, he started drumming on his own traps, a three-piece white-pearl drum...
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Gagging Non-profits

Gag RiderCongress' bid to muzzle non-profitsBy Bruce Robinson"This is evil." Karen Johnson is not one to mince words, and the specter of the federal Istook Amendment has the executive director of the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County alarmed in a big way. This bill, which has been proposed as a rider to various other legislative measures, including a...
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Woronov and Warhol

Morphine's SisterStaying afloat in Andy Warhol's world Swimming Undergroundby Mary WoronovBoston: Journey Editions. 1995,230 pp.; $19.95Reviewed by Gretchen GilesIn the late 1960s, actress Mary Woronov was hanging out with Andy Warhol's crowd at the Factory in New York. With its walls decorated entirely in silver paper torn from the inside of cigarette wrappers, the Factory--Warhol's grimy party...
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Robben Ford

Blues Boy Robben Ford revisits his roots By Bruce Robinson It started with a single record album. Robben Ford was barely a teenager in Ukiah, a saxophonist who was also "kind of noodling around on the guitar," when he found inspiration in the local record shop. "It was the first Butterfield Blues...
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Calendar 12/7

Calendar December 7-14, 1995 Art Aesthetic Approach, mini-theater, Great Petaluma Mill, 6 Petaluma Blvd South. 765-9633. Through Dec 16, mixed media by Dolly Cahill Johnson. Hours: Daily, 10 to 6. Alinder Gallery, 39165 Hwy 1, Gualala. 884-4884. Through Feb 11, group show "But It Doesn't Match the Couch: Exceptional Photographs for...
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Local Scene

Phoenix Rising Local alternative rock scene takes its licks and stages a comeback By Greg Cahill Tina--a skinny teen with three nose rings and baggy jeans that keep slipping to her knees--is moshin' in the pit. Not a serious vortex-swirling slam dance, but a playful, mockish sojourn around the fringe of the knot of oddly subdued fans...
Read more

McDougall Program

Healthy Holidays Restaurants countywide offer healthful fare to keep your spirits up By Liesel Hofmann After the gobbler was gobbled, with all its calorific sidekicks, around the table were groans of "Oh God, I ate too much." The litany of the holiday season. Pushing yourself away from the table on Thanksgiving, you were full, all right,...
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