Page 4 | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

Farewell, Shokkako, Beloved Asian-Inspired Food Truck Closes

Locals

Apr 14, 2026

Farewell, Shokkako, Beloved Asian-Inspired Food Truck Closes

The story has ended. Now is the time to ask: What did it all mean? I had gathered with Kayla Hendrix, Elijah Trujillo and Kazuya Makishima, the three co-owning operators of the Shokkako food truck, to ask that basic question. It was a solemn and tender task.

They were a team, forged in cook fire, tempered in all-weather food service. Each an industry all-arounder, able to rotate spots in a rush. Each had their specialization.Trujillo was “the brain” and “the train conductor,” mostly responsible for set up, chefing and menus. Makishima was “the muscle” and the man on the chicken fryer. Hendrix was “the yapper” and “the glue,” “holding the Icarus ropes” to keep their ambitions from flying (frying) too high.

With such a loyal following, why was their ride now ending? Cite rising costs, burnout and life changes.

Cincinnatus Hibbard: What would you like to say with this modest public platform?

Trujillo: Just, thank you.

Hendrix: To everyone that came and supported us—the customers; we had support of other vendors and our families. This has been a village more than a three of us type of thing.

Could you each tell us your favorite menu item?

Hendrix: The Kamikaze fries with fried Spam and spicy poppy kimchi, fermented pepper paste, sweet chili mayo, Bachan’s original bbq sauce and scallions.

Makishima: Messy fries. My favorite dish—one that I invented. The Sisig pork don.

Trujillo: I’m going to have to go with The Mother Clucker—it’s my baby. I spent a lot of time figuring out that Bang Bang sauce.

Could you each give a piece of advice for someone entering the food truck business?

Trujillo: Be comfortable with pivoting.

Hendrix: Have patience—with others, but mostly with yourself.

Makishima: Look at it like a 10-year plan. It’s a long-term investment. It will be hard. Sometimes it will be really fun. It’s like you’re going to war together with your brothers and sisters. What you can look forward to is suffering together. It’s not pretty—but it’s beautiful.

What are some of the highlights from your two years?

Makishima: We have a lot of accolades that we would love to share. One in my mind was the Old Caz “Clash of the Cuisines” competition that we did. We put our heart and soul into that, and we took first place.

Hendrix: We were congratulating the other vendors, when one of the judges started talking about a bento box that we did, and we started looking at each other and started screaming.

Trujillo: Those moments, in the middle of a crazy rush going a million miles a minute, and a random customer would bang on the window to take a few seconds to tell you how much they enjoyed the food.

Hendrix: Or how far they had driven to try it.

Trujillo: It’s very proud and very humbling.

As I was preparing to leave, Hendrix asked me whether I knew what “Shokkako” meant. I had not thought to ask, but it answered the interview’s one basic question. It means “a small but certain piece of happiness on a rough day.” That is what they were. That is what they are.

Learn more: There will be just one more chance to taste Kamikaze fries before they pass into legend. Shokakko and co. will have their final night, as part of SPICEWORLD—a Spice Girls cosplay and karaoke dance floor, from 7 to 11pm, April 24, at The Arlene Francis Center for Spirit, Art and Politics, 99 6th St., Santa Rosa. Tickets and info at bit.ly/spiceworld2026.

Dead Again, Songbird Parlour and Tender Hearts Club

Crush

Weeklys Staff

Apr 14, 2026

Dead Again, Songbird Parlour and Tender Hearts Club

Forest Knolls

EP Drop at Papermill

Bay Area multi-instrumentalist Eli Carlton-Pearson brings his far-ranging musical passport to Papermill Creek Saloon for the release of Consolation, a new solo EP built mostly from acoustic guitar pieces and recorded entirely to quarter-inch tape on an eight-track machine in Berkeley. Known for projects spanning Cambodian traditional music, gypsy jazz, heavy rock and assorted genre mischief, Carlton-Pearson takes a quieter turn here—offering what he describes as a balm for overstimulated ears and overburdened hearts. The evening begins with a solo set from Carlton-Pearson before widening into two of his current ensembles: Prog Frog, billed as an eclectic collision of Celtic psychedelic jazz chamber popcorn surprise, and Hallie Austin, whose songwriter instincts meet fuzzed-out rock energy somewhere between Kim Deal and Big Thief. In other words, subtle beginnings, stranger endings. 8:30pm, Saturday, April 25, Papermill Creek Saloon, 1 Castro St., Forest Knolls. papermillcreeksaloon.com.

Petaluma

Must Have Been the Roses

Petaluma’s Grateful Dead tribute band, Dead Again, comes out of a two-year hiatus for a one-night-only benefit with an aptly chosen title: “It Must Have Been the Roses.” The reunion concert raises funds to restore the rose window at the historic 1901 Brainerd Jones-designed church at 5th and B, now home to the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma. The band plans a flower-forward setlist drawing from American Beauty and other Dead favorites, featuring roses, fire and fellowship. Joining the evening are vocalist Jenna Mammina, bringing her jazz-inflected virtuosity, and the Larking About Choir. A silent auction adds further temptation with signed books, rare Grateful Dead memorabilia, photographs, tie-dye works and other treasures for devotees and collectors alike. The sanctuary’s stained-glass rose window—featuring blue, red and purple floral motifs and likely designed by Jones, who trained as a glazier—requires substantial restoration. Once repaired, it promises to shine both inside the building and outward onto B Street as a public artwork for the community. 6:30pm doors, 7pm show, Friday, April 17, Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, 5th and B streets, Petaluma. Suggested donation $10–$20; no one turned away for lack of funds.

Glen Ellen

Le Cordon Bleu at Songbird

French technique meets Sonoma abundance when winemaker and author Paula Moulton hosts an intimate culinary and wine experience at Songbird Parlour on April 20. The afternoon features a live cooking and pâtisserie demonstration by Le Cordon Bleu chef Sebastian Rast, whose classical training meets modern gastronomy through seasonal, farm-driven ingredients sourced from Sonoma County. Guests can expect chef-prepared bites alongside a curated tasting led by master sommelier Matthieu Longuère and Moulton herself, who will share her approach to pairing, balance and the art of entertaining through wine. More salon than seminar, the gathering is designed for conversation and close-up access to the talent in the room. With limited seating, the event offers a rare chance to sample global culinary pedigree grounded in local flavor. 3–5:30pm, Monday, April 20, Songbird Parlour, 13690 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen. Limited tickets available. songbirdparlour.com.

Petaluma

Tender Hearts Club

In an era that often mistakes cynicism for sophistication, Tender Hearts Club: Volume One arrives with another idea: love as resistance. The new anthology from Feather Press gathers Bay Area poets and artists exploring love in its many unruly forms—romantic, communal, grieving, joyful, erotic and quietly enduring. The Petaluma launch at Copperfield’s Books offers a chance to hear from contributors including Alexandria Giardino, Anne Marie Wenzel, Jennifer Barone, Jonathan Siegel, Joseph Voth, Lynn Light, Kary Hess, Luisa Giulianetti, Maggie La Rochelle, Michelle Patton and Ruth Crossman. Edited by poet and publisher Ingrid Keir, the collection positions tenderness not as retreat, but as a force capable of widening our circles of care. 7pm, Saturday, April 25, Copperfield’s Books, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma. Books available for purchase.

Garage to Vineyard, the Hamiltons Persevere

Food & Drink

Amber Turpin

Apr 14, 2026

Garage to Vineyard, the Hamiltons Persevere

Lindsay and Greg Hamilton first met in Glasgow, Scotland, where Greg was working as a wine merchant and Lindsay was visiting from California.

Marriage, moving to Berkeley and making garage wine soon ensued. And even through terrible disasters and loss of a home, the Hamiltons’ resilience ultimately shaped what Hamilton Family Wines is today, with a new chapter involving a rebrand to Hamilton Family Wines, Kitchen, & Mercantile, including a menu featuring the Scottish favorite: Toasties.

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Greg Hamilton: My wife, Lindsay, and I started making wine in our garage in Berkeley in 2011. At that time, it was just for fun and our own consumption. In 2016, we moved to a small vineyard property in Kenwood. At that time, we felt like we had a pretty good handle on the fermentation side of wine making, but not so much the farming side. As any good winemaker will tell you, great wine starts in the vineyard, so we wanted to better understand that aspect…

Fourteen months after we moved to Sonoma, we lost our home in the 2017 wildfires, and a week or so after that we decided we were going to launch Hamilton Family Wines. As we still had our day jobs, we hired Sonoma native Jess Wade as our consultant winemaker and have worked with him ever since. We launched in June of 2019 and opened our tasting room in Kenwood in 2022.

Did you ever have an ‘aha’ moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.

Yes. I grew up in Scotland and was lucky to spend a lot of time in France. I was in my mid-teens and was with my parents on a trip to the Rhône to pick up some wine. On our second stop, which was literally in a barn with the stereotypical plank across two barrels for a counter, we tasted some wines. I believe it was in Gigondas, but it could have been Vacqueyras, and as soon as I tasted the second wine something clicked.

What is your favorite thing to drink at home?

Wine. I enjoy a cocktail, a cold beer and even an occasional Scotch, but wine is my passion.

Where do you like to go out for a drink?

I prefer to drink at home, but if I’m grabbing a drink with a friend I’ll typically head to Palooza in Kenwood. If it’s a date night with my wife, then we most frequently head to Salt & Stone in Kenwood.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?

Seeing as it’s a desert island, I’d probably want our Rosé of Grenache … the ultimate rosé varietal, and ours is truly delicious.

Hamilton Family Wines,8860 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 707.408.3090, hamilton.wine.

Forever Punk, Museum Showcases History of Local Scene

Don R. Lewis

Apr 7, 2026

Forever Punk, Museum Showcases History of Local Scene

“You’re not punk, and I’m telling everyone” goes the zinger opening line from Jawbreaker’s song “Boxcar,” off their 1994 album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. It’s a zinger because the song was an indictment of the ultra judgy, gatekeeper mentality that plagued the ’90s punk scene in the Bay Area, including Sonoma County’s scene, which was vibrant yet oft overlooked.

Now everyone, punk or not, is welcome to dive headlong into the Sonoma County punk scene of yesteryear via longtime scenester (and current KQED senior arts & culture editor) Gabe Meline, who has curated “Disturbing the Peace: Sonoma County’s Early Punk Underground,” a first-of-its-kind retrospective and visual history of Sonoma County’s punk scene, at the Museum of Sonoma County.

KQED is sponsoring the opening night at the museum on April 17 from 5-7, as well as the kickoff party at Barrel Proof Lounge (located at 501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa), featuring local punk/jazz/thrash legends Victims Family with openers The New Trust and A New Low.

When asked how the exhibit came to be at a place one may not expect it to be, Museum of Sonoma County exhibition and facilities manager Jon Del Buono says it came from a notion that starts many, if not most, punk bands.

Del Buono says he was meeting with the museum’s curator of history, Eric Stanley, and “he had a catalog of different exhibitions that were coming out, and there was one on the New York punk scene. I saw it, and I just told him, ‘We could do that. We could do that here, and I think I know the people who could probably help us make this happen.’” From there, much like forming a band, he set out to find a group of people to help make his vision come true.

Cue a call to Meline, who cemented himself as a fixture in the Sonoma County scene in the early to mid-’90s and who, at that time, was 19-year-old creator and editor for the popular zine Positively 4th Street, which chronicled the street and music scene of Santa Rosa. He was also a musician in bands Ground Round, The Blockheads and Tilt.

Del Buono figured correctly when he reached out to Meline, who himself still had a large collection of clippings, flyers and zines from the ’90s and also knew of people he could turn to who likely had similar archives from the ’70s-’80s. As such, the show will feature the largest-ever public display of vintage Sonoma County punk flyers from 1980–1999, devoted to bands like AFI, Dead Kennedys, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Operation Ivy, Primus, Mr. Bungle, Neurosis and Black Flag, just to name but a very few.

With Meline knee-deep in curation, Del Buono needed someone to handle the design work for promoting the show. He reached out to longtime local musician and artist Josh Staples (who also plays in The New Trust) since next to Meline, there’s few people in the area these days who have been part of the scene for such a long time.

Staples also says he was the sort-of Petaluma side to Meline’s Santa Rosa in terms of the major epicenters for the punk scene. “Gabe and I have known each other for such a long time and worked together on other projects,” says Staples, adding that he also helped brainstorm bands, shows and parties from days of old. “I’m sort of the Petaluma representative because Gabe has Santa Rosa totally covered,” he adds with a laugh.

Meline says he has a pretty deep archive of flyers, photos and more, but “for an exhibit like this, I’ve gotten in touch with so many people. There’s probably, at this point, up to 30 people that I’ve worked with to get stuff for the exhibit and flyers in particular.” He notes that the flyers collected represent a huge swath of time and that “there were people who had more than me from the very early ’80s, even from the late ’70s, like bonafide punk shows at the Showcase Theater,” before it was later resurrected as the Phoenix Theatre.

Another highlight is the digitization of several recordings which were made on cassette, vinyl and/or CD before music went digital. Tracks from bands like the aforementioned Tilt as well as Nuisance, Disciples of Ed, Conspiracy, Skankin’ Pickle and Tsunami Bomb were preserved again, just to name but a few. At the retrospective, there will be listening stations for digitized media as well as vinyl record players and cassette decks so young folks can enjoy the nostalgia of their parents.

Of course, sourcing and culling all of this detritus and ephemera is overwhelming. But was there anything that sparked a light bulb in Meline’s head during this walk down memory lane?

“If anything, I’ve been surprised at where shows happened because punks are nothing if not resourceful and scrappy, and all you need is a place to plug in your amps,” says Meline. He continues, “There have been some utterly ridiculous shows in Sonoma County that I knew about or participated in myself, but learning that Fang played at an Odd Fellows Hall out on Highway 12 across from the St. Francis Shopping Center… Or, a barn party in Healdsburg way up on West Side Road that Operation Ivy played…”

Continuing on the DIY ideology behind the punk rock ethos, Meline notes the unique nature of Sonoma County in terms of how “punk rock” may not fit the rural aesthetic. “A big part of this exhibit is shows in fields, in barns, in backyards, in chicken coops,” he says with a laugh.

“That was one of Sonoma County’s own spins on what punk was,” he continues. “San Francisco had Mabuhay Gardens, and Berkeley had Gilman, but Sonoma County—you couldn’t play shows in clubs here because club owners hated that. It was too loud. The crowds were kind of chaotic, and they couldn’t really sell a lot of beer because punks drink in the alley around the corner.”

By now, longtime music fans in Sonoma County are “what about-ing,” and not to worry; the Phoenix Theatre, Arlene Francis Center and other small notables are featured. In fact, mid-chat with Meline and Del Buono, the former notes he is set to pick up a metal trash can from Phoenix Theatre manager Tom Gaffey that has been in-use in the lobby since 1984. One read that correctly; the same metal garbage can has stood in the Phoenix lobby for more than 40 years, which is a story unto its own.

While the opening night preview and reception are now sold out, “Disturbing the Peace: Sonoma County’s Early Punk Underground” will run all the way through Aug. 23. It is open to all ages.

The Museum of Sonoma County is located at 475 Seventh St., Santa Rosa. Further information on this exhibition and more are online at museumsc.org.

Star Power: Sebastiani Theatre Fundraiser in Sonoma

Weeklys Staff

Apr 7, 2026

Star Power: Sebastiani Theatre Fundraiser in Sonoma

There are fundraisers, and then there are evenings that resurrect an entire era. On Saturday, April 11, the Sebastiani Theatre makes a play for the latter.

Billed as “The Golden Age of Hollywood,” the Sebastiani Theatre Foundation’s annual gala leans into the venue’s natural advantage: It already looks like a place where something glamorous ought to happen. The trick, of course, is filling that space with enough energy to justify the architecture. This year’s answer is a hybrid of concert, costume party and civic ritual, all in service of keeping one of Sonoma’s most storied cultural institutions thriving.

At the center of the evening is SUSU, the New York rock outfit fronted by Liza Colby and Kia Warren, who will expand into an eight-piece big band for the occasion. Colby and Warren will also serve as hosts, guiding the night’s proceedings alongside music director Tony Bruno, whose resume includes work with Rihanna and Enrique Iglesias. Backing it all is the Neil Fontano Band, providing a local anchor to the otherwise cosmopolitan swirl.

The Sebastiani isn’t just presenting a show; it’s staging a case for itself. Historic theaters have a way of becoming either mausoleums or miracles, depending on whether a community decides to keep showing up.

Jocelyn Simone Rhude, the theater’s director of marketing and social media, frames the stakes in generational terms. “I work in marketing at the Sebastiani Theatre, a purposeful choice made due to a deep personal connection. My grandmother, my mother and I have all performed on that stage, a shared experience that makes the theater truly feel like part of my family,” says Rhude.

After returning from New York, Rhude decided to devote her time to helping the theater grow and flourish as a vital community hub.

“Preserving historic theaters like this, while planning for the future, is so important. They serve generations of our community, and they give us a place to gather, to laugh, be enriched by artistic programming and to pause for a moment in a world that’s moving so fast,” she says. “One day, I hope that when I have kids, they’ll get to grow up here too, going to camps, watching movies and experiencing live music at the Sebastiani Theatre just like I did.”

That sense of continuity—past bleeding into present, present angling toward future—is the quiet theme beneath the evening’s overt spectacle.

Local musician Tanner Walle of Little Worth captures the feeling from the stage-facing side of the footlights. “As a songwriter and performer in Sonoma, I’ve never felt more inspired than when I step into the theater—on stage or in a red seat,” says Walle, who credits music director Bruno’s talent for programming the venue as an indicator of the coming evening’s success. “It’s a rare privilege to create within a place that holds so much memory.”

The evening features a live auction led by Ellen Toscano, Sonoma’s “Singing Auctioneer,” with more than $100,000 in offerings: a Vail getaway, a four-night stay in Scottsdale, private flights over the Bay Area, rare magnums of wine and much more.

Throughout, there will be wine, canapés and photographers documenting the evening (guests are requested to be attired in black and gold, which will look marvelous against the red carpet).

Doors open at 5:30pm, Saturday, April 11, with the event beginning at 6pm at the Sebastiani Theatre, 476 1st St. E, Sonoma. Tickets range from $150 general admission to $250 VIP, available at sebastianitheatre.org.

Becoming a Regular: Don’t Judge a Bar by its Cover

Jeff Burkhart

Apr 7, 2026

Becoming a Regular: Don’t Judge a Bar by its Cover

I pulled up and parked along what passed for a curb. Really it was just a pile of asphalt, which certainly didn’t give it any air of edging permeance at all.

Surely, this couldn’t be the place. My friend pulled up behind me.

“Is this the place?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said.

“You’re sure?” said I.

“I’m sure,” he said.

The mostly plywood front door opened outward, and the faded live band flyers stapled to it flapped in the breeze created exclusively by its movement.

They say to never judge a book by its cover, and the same could be said of bars. Or more correctly not their covers, but rather by their front doors. I know of at least two bar/restaurants that have amazing newly remodeled facades. Unfortunately, the interiors are still the same tired old ones.

But once inside this out of the way spot, those bright lights lit up pool tables, video games and the bar. Much brighter than one would have expected from the other side of that plywood.

“Hello, fellas,” said the bartender, who could have been straight out of mixology central casting. Suspenders, scruffy beard, craft beer T-shirt and a black baseball cap. It’s not really a uniform, but it sure could be.

And he also seemed genuinely glad to see us.

“Table or bar?” he asked.

“Table?” we answered.

“Here’s some menus,” he said, handing them to us. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

He bopped in and out from behind the bar. Making drinks for the people scattered about the room and then delivering them. He was a picture of efficiency. His hands were never empty. Dirty plates gave way to full drinks which gave way to plates of food. In between there was plenty of hand washing, hands which he dutifully dried on the white towel slung over his shoulder.

One can get an immediate sense of a bar within the first 30 seconds of meeting the bartender. And this bartender worked like a well-oiled machine. It didn’t matter if the customers were at the bar or at a table. Everyone was attended to. There are some bartenders who won’t ever wait on tables, and there are some bartenders who get miffy about what cocktails are ordered. Mr. Central Casting was neither of them.

I’ve worked with many bartenders in many different establishments all over California, and this young man, in the most out of the way place imaginable, might have been one of the best that I have ever seen. He certainly understood the job, and he understood his role, and he intertwined both in the most fluid way possible.

There weren’t going to be any lectures on whiskey, or eye rolls about one’s choice of beer. I knew he was just as comfortable making a Cosmo as he was an espresso martini, because I watched him make both, in between serving pitchers of beer and plates of chicken wings. And everybody seemed happier for it, including both me and my friend.

“See you guys next time,” he said, waving to us, on our way out the door.

“Absolutely,” I said. I believed he meant what he said. And surprisingly, so did I.

Leaving me with these thoughts:

• “No matter where you go, there you are,” said actor Peter Weller as the lead character in the 1984 film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

• Just because your Manhattan costs $20 doesn’t mean that it’s worth $20.

• If you only treat your customers like customers, then they can never be your friends.

• Sometimes the worst bar is situated in the best part of town, and ironically, sometimes it is exactly the other way around.

Jeff Burkhart hosts ‘The Barfly Podcast.’ More at jeffburkhart.net.

Renegade Orchestra, Doc Film Fest and Poet Ada Limón

Crush

Weeklys Staff

Apr 7, 2026

Petaluma

Renegade Orchestra

If a symphony loosened its tie, cranked the amps and invited the audience to have a good time, it might look something like Renegade Orchestra. The Bay Area ensemble—helmed by conductor Jason Eckl and cellist Rebecca Roudman—has built a reputation for turning rock classics into full-bodied orchestral experiences, where strings meet rhythm section and “sit quietly” is replaced with “move and groove.” Expect a set that blurs the line between concert hall and rock show, with symphonic takes on familiar material delivered at full volume and without pretense. It’s less about reverence and more about release—the beauty of a symphony with the soul of a rock band, as the tagline goes. 7pm, Saturday, April 11, The Hall of the Above,199 Petaluma Blvd N., Petaluma. Tickets and info at renegadeorchestra.com.

Sebastopol

Documentary Fest

Nonfiction takes center stage when the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival returns with four days of films, filmmakers and reality refracted through the cinematic lens. Now an Oscar-qualifying festival for short-form documentaries, SDFF brings 55 films to screens at Sebastopol Center for the Arts and Rialto Cinemas, with more than 50 filmmakers on hand for Q&As and conversations that extend the experience beyond the frame. Known for its progressive programming, the festival leans into social justice, journalism and competing perspectives—often presenting multiple takes on the same story. In a moment when “what’s real” feels increasingly slippery, SDFF makes a compelling case for documentary as both art form and cultural record. Highlights include portraits of boundary-pushing figures and deep dives into stories that refuse easy answers. April 9–12, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., and Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. Single tickets $15; passes available at sebastopolfilmfestival.org.

Kentfield

Masterworks 3

The Marin Symphony leans into contrast for Masterworks 3, a program that pairs lyrical introspection with rhythmic fire under music director Fawzi Haimor. Concertmaster Ani Bukujian takes the spotlight in Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Ernest Chausson’s Poème, while the rest of the evening ranges from the electronic pulse of Mason Bates’ Mothership to the galloping energy of Alberto Ginastera and the theatrical flair of Manuel de Falla. Consider it a well-traveled night of orchestral storytelling. 3 and 7:30pm, Saturday, April 11; 3pm, Sunday, April 12, James Dunn Theatre, 15 Laurel Ave., Kentfield. $47 and up; youth $24. marinsymphony.org.

Corte Madera

Ada Limón

Poetry gets a midday revival courtesy of Ada Limón, the 24th poet laureate of the United States, who arrives at Book Passage with Against Breaking. Limón’s work frames poetry as a living force—capable of healing, stirring action and reminding readers of their better, messier, more human selves. Those drawn to the nature-infused lyricism of Robin Wall Kimmerer or the contemporary introspection of Jesmyn Ward will find familiar terrain here, though Limón’s voice remains distinctly her own: clear-eyed, tender and quietly galvanizing. Consider it an invitation to recalibrate, one line at a time. 1pm, Saturday, April 11, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. Free. bookpassage.com.

Singing Waiter: Surviving a Life that’s Arts-Adjacent

Daedalus Howell

Apr 7, 2026

Singing Waiter: Surviving a Life that’s Arts-Adjacent

A friend of mine called me a “singing waiter.” This was new slang to me, and I didn’t want to throw a good glass of pinot noir at him until I knew the deal.

“Your career is bifurcated between making art and making media,” he explained.

I blinked until he explained what “bifurcated” meant too.

I replied that I was making a living.

After he stopped laughing, he said that’s why I’m a singing waiter—I’m sublimating my art into the day job.

I made a case for being a practitioner of the “fine art of media,” which convinced neither of us.

A fancy business newsletter I read encourages brands to identify tensions in our culture and market their resolution. The go-to example is usually some do-gooder company that helps high-end consumers assuage their guilty participation in an inherently exploitative capitalist system by leveraging part of their purchase into the service of a cause. These companies proliferated in the aughts and teens.

Now, a tension I perceive amongst my cohort is this singing waiter issue my pal sees in me: Creative people have arts-adjacent careers but aren’t necessarily working artists. We live in Wine Country, but few can afford the Wine Country lifestyle sold to tourists. It proliferates from here—into housing, into time, into the quiet erosion of the hours one might otherwise spend making something strange and possibly great.

Sure, there has never been a true meritocracy in the arts, but there also has never been an algorithm that can make some gibberish on TikTok the font of a sustainable career as a “creator.” Yay, more tension to resolve. I don’t have the word count for that here, but suffice it to say: Live your legend now. Flip the script on arts-adjacency. Be like the raver in the ’90s who asked me what I do “on the side”—as if a career was merely a means of supporting a primary occupation as a raver. There’s wisdom in that inversion.

If you’re a singing waiter, like me, sing louder—sing weird, profane ballads about the life you’re actually living. Let them curl out into the room, into the margins, into the in-between spaces where your aesthetic DNA has already taken root like tendrils in the imaginations of others. That’s the work. Not someday—now, between shifts.

Who knows who will hear it? One of the earliest known singing waiters was Izzy Baline at a hotel bar in 1905. He later changed his name to Irving Berlin and wrote “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Super-duper.

Daedalus Howell is editor of this paper, host of ‘The Drive’ on 95.5 FM, and sings loud as the director of ‘Werewolf Serenade’ and a newsletterist at dhowell.com.

Message From Earth: Xochitl of Coyote Creates

Locals

Cincinnatus Hibbard

Apr 7, 2026

Message From Earth: Xochitl of Coyote Creates

We met at the entrance to the Sonoma Community Center. Just inside, two volunteers were set to raise two chandeliers strung with tiger-striped fabric scraps—as if to open the Trashion Fashion season upon our entrance.

Xochitl, the mononomic, multi-hyphenate head of Coyote Creates, was dressed to the teeth—in her own words—in the style of an evil Pokemon gym leader. Her look—a preview of her upcycled trash fashion collection—cut a nostalgic Pokemon comforter together with a black blanket into a comfy-cozy two piece ensemble with the sharp lines of streetwear (for a living picture of this look, watch her walk in Sonoma’s 16th annual Trashion Fashion Runway Show; details at end).

She completed her look with a pair of black, bad girl Doc Martens, and a wide bag she had made from a man’s blue collar work shirt.

This collection will be Xochitl’s first presentation on the Trashion Fashion runway, but she aims to make a splash by entering an entire collection of five thematic looks (into a show of mostly single look entries). Her favorite piece from the collection is made from Star Wars sheets recut to resemble a dress worn by Queen Amadala (iykyk). After visiting her folkloric-styled entries in Trashion’s mini couture Barbie show, we found a leafy outside spot by a big wicker elephant for a brisk chat.

Cincinnatus Hibbard: Xochitl, you live in Napa. Throw off a few locations in Xochitl’s Napa.

Xochitl: CP Thrift, Napa Library and the Sunshine Cafe.

You have a lot of projects under the umbrella of Coyote Creates. Tell me about what ties it all together.

In describing the brand, I usually say, “Escaping the matrix through creation.” That’s my tagline.

Your main medium and money maker within your Coyote Creates brand is music—typically voice, self-accompanied by guitar. But with your upcoming album, Alien Nation, you’re taking your belated pop turn.

My last albums have been “sad girl music”—which is great—but I really want to show my fun side. Sonically, my inspirations for this album have been a lot of the pop of the 2010s. Lady Gaga, Kesha, Katie Perry—our leading ladies were really pop pop popping then. But I am trying to throw in some ’80s [hair] metal that I love so much—these big choruses, five people singing all at once unnecessarily, big reverb drums.

I saw the BTS from your promotional shoot for Alien Nation—your hair was teased up like a vixen from a White Snake video… An alien visiting Earth is also the premise of the children’s book that you self-illustrated. What message do you have for earthlings?

A lot of adults lose playtime. We’re scared to play—we’re scared to not be good at something. And we are scared to have a hobby that doesn’t make us money. But I’m telling you right now—as someone who is a full-time artist—that play time is crucial to our being. Whether it’s just playing with Legos or a paint night with your friends. Pick up that old paintbrush. The world would be a much happier place if you did. Creation is so important to us; we are part of the universe—and the universe creates.

Learn more: Connect with Xochitl through her instagram, @coyotecreates, or her glossy website, coyotecreates.com (which opens on a finely filmed self-statement). Her collection upcycled from nostalgic old bedspreads can be witnessed at Sonoma’s 16th annual Trashion Fashion Runway Show, April 18, at Sonoma’s Veterans Memorial Hall, 126 1st St. W., Sonoma. Tickets start at $20 for the 1:30 and 5pm seatings.