Colombian Punk Bands Headline July 4th Outdoor Show in Santa Rosa

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Dead Hero
Dead Hero

This Monday, July 4, a full lineup of young punk rock bands hits the grass at Doyle Park in Santa Rosa for a day of loud tunes and good food to celebrate America’s 240th birthday.
“A Day in the Park” will feature Oakland rockers Sterile Mind, Santa Rosa band Hellbomber, all-female North Bay punks Kitten Drunk and Santa Rosa sludge rock outfit Amnesia, though the local crowds will also get a rare chance to see two bands from Bogota, Colombia–Dead Hero and Final–as they tour through the states this summer.
Dead Hero is a four-piece band playing a classic, riff-heavy punk that recalls late ’70s ripped jeans, big hair and big noise. Final boasts aggressively bold and furiously fast hardcore punk that nails down a darkly double-timed sound.
A Day in the Park will also have barbeque courtesy of Knife for Hire and will run throughout the afternoon on Monday, July 4, at Doyle Park, Santa Rosa. Music starts at noon and admission is free. Donations are requested for bands and food.
Get a listen to Dead Hero’s latest 12″ Antisocial, below.

June 30-July 4: Take the Ride in San Rafael

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June 30-July 4: Take the Ride in San Rafael

For its 75th anniversary, the Marin County Fair is adopting the theme “What a Ride!” to celebrate Marin’s history and the region’s forward-thinking culture. Striving to be a green and healthy event, the fair last year won an award–yes, fairs can win awards–for initiatives that included offering healthy food and drinks, water-refill stations, shuttle service and more. The entertainment this year is packed with chart-topping concerts by the Wallflowers, Sheila E, Foreigner, Plain White T’s and Kool & the Gang, and fireworks light up the sky every night. The fair runs Thursday, June 30, to Monday, July 4, at the Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. Admission, $15–$20; concerts, $50. marinfair.org.

July 1: Mucho Malo in Petaluma

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July 1: Mucho Malo in Petaluma

Guitarist Jorge Santana is most often associated with his brother, Carlos. They played together for many years in the studio and on the road, and even released an album under the name the Santana Brothers. Yet Jorge’s greatest commercial and artistic successes have come from his San Francisco–based band Malo, which first scored a Top 20 hit with “Suavecito” in 1972. Malo cracked the U.S. Top 200 with four albums between ’72 and ’74 before a hiatus and off-again, on-again activity since. This week, Santana revisits those classic hits and offers up a solo Malo-centric concert of fan favorites on Friday, July 1, at McNear’s Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 8:30pm. $22. 707.765.2121.

July 2: Surf’s Up (On Screen) in Sonoma

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July 2: Surf’s Up (On Screen) in Sonoma

Summer in California isn’t complete without surfing, though not everyone gets out on the waves. For the landlocked surf enthusiast, there’s a new exhibit, Surf Craft, that highlights the design and culture of the board at the Sonoma Valley Museum. The exhibit opens this week with Surf Film Night when the museum screens the 2012 movie Chasing Mavericks, about Santa Cruz surfers taking on big waves. On hand for the screening is surf legend Frosty Hesson, played in the film by Gerard Butler, and Santa Cruz Surfshop owner Bob Pearson, who made the boards used in the film. The event happens on Saturday, July 2, at Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway, Sonoma. Reception at 6:30pm; film at 8pm. $20. 707.939.7862.

July 5-6: Revel in Folk in Healdsburg and Petaluma

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July 5-6: Revel in Folk in Healdsburg and Petaluma

Hailing from the musical land of Minneapolis, the Last Revel describe themselves as “front-porch Americana.” Multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Ryan Acker, Lee Henke and Vincenzio Donatelle combine for stirring three-part harmonies and traditional folk melodies, and the band also moves into the realms of rockabilly and soul on their two full-length albums. Live, the trio can deliver arresting ballads and arousing ditties alike. Spending their summer touring the West Coast, the Last Revel roll into the North Bay for two shows, on Tuesday, July 5, at Bergamot Alley, 328 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, at 8pm (707.433.8720) and Wednesday, July 6, at the Big Easy, 128 American Alley, Petaluma, at 6:30pm (707.776.4631).

Reggae Days

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Reggae Days

Formed three years ago in Novato, Ridgway have made their mark with a groove-based blend of reggae, rock and hip-hop that’s a popular staple not only in their hometown, but also at fairs, festivals and venues throughout the
Bay Area.

This weekend, the young and talented group caps off a yearlong project when they release their first full-length album,

Brighter Days, with a show at HopMonk in Novato on July 2.

“Music was always around my house,” says Jordan Kulp, founding member and lead guitarist for Ridgway. His father is San Francisco radio personality Jack Kulp, and Jordan grew up listening to Motown, classic rock and reggae albums. He got his first guitar in fifth grade and immediately took to it.

Kulp met fellow guitarist Jack Buzian in middle school, and
the two started jamming in the garage, at first playing a decidedly metal mix of songs inspired by
the guitar-driven rock and punk
of the ’90s.

Yet the reggae that Kulp grew up around stuck with him. “I had that childhood sentimental connection to it,” he says. By high school, Buzian and Kulp were playing a laidback sound more akin to Sublime than Slayer.

Still, Kulp says Ridgway wasn’t really born until friend and vocalist Forrest Bousquette joined them and added lyrics to the music.

Bousquette coined the name Ridgway from the Santa Rosa neighborhood he grew up in. In fact, the band was originally called Ridgway Space Station, though they shortened the moniker soon after. They also recruited drummer Keelan Scarth and bassist Erik Trignani to fill out the rhythm section and released their first EP, The Extra Mile, in 2014.

For the last year, the band has been busy in the studio recording Brighter Days at NB Recording in Fulton, a small studio run by engineer Nick Botelho.

The new album incorporates a lot of Kulp and Buzian’s riff-based metal from the early days laid over a reggae beat, though the music is appropriately sunny and positive.

Kulp now attends the Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying music business and record production. Other members of Ridgway are also balancing work and classes at Santa Rosa Junior College while remaining involved in music.

“Balancing school is tough,” says Kulp. “We are trying to put our education first, but Ridgway is something we want to put as much time into as we can and eventually make a career of it.”

Bench Mark

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Bench Mark

Downtown Santa Rosa finally has the restaurant it deserves.

For a city surrounded by so many great wineries, farms and ranches, there hasn’t been a restaurant that really capitalizes on our local bounty. But now there’s the County Bench Kitchen and Bar, a long-gestating project from the Chandi Restaurant Group (Stout Brothers Pub, Bibi’s Burger Bar) that does just that.

The place is a looker. The exposed brick walls, long and deep interior, modern furnishings and a glowing bar staffed by vest-and-tie-wearing bartenders make the place feel more like Santa Monica than Santa Rosa.

The cuisine is straight-ahead Mediterranean-American. No deconstructed dishes, foams or high-concept fanciness. That probably wouldn’t fly in Santa Rosa, which, in spite of its wine country location, isn’t Yountville or Healdsburg. The menu is simple and satisfying, with broad appeal. Executive chef Bruce Frieseke and chef de cuisine Ben Davies, two talented veterans of Sonoma County’s restaurant scene, run the kitchen. The two have focused their vision into a relatively compact menu that’s made for sharing.

My favorite part of the menu is the list of starters and small plates. Because there are light soups and salads and more substantial dishes like braised short ribs ($12) and chile-glazed chicken drumsticks ($8), it’s possible to create a full meal without ordering an entrée.

I bet the deviled Brussels sprouts ($4) become one of the most popular items on the menu. Halved sprouts are dabbed with horseradish-spiked deviled eggs. The richness of the eggs and heat of the horseradish are a great foil for the little cabbages.

If it’s still on the menu, try the chilled English pea soup ($9). Topped with pistachios, chile oil and crème fraîche, it’s wonderfully creamy and refreshing on a hot summer night. The butter lettuce and arugula salad ($12) is another good opener. The peppery bite of the arugula plays well off the, well, buttery butter lettuce. Slices of Santa Rosa plums, shaved pecorino cheese, pistachios and a judiciously applied honey-chive vinaigrette make this a winner.

The Spanish-inspired chicken thigh, chorizo and garbanzo stew ($29) in a pimentón (smoked paprika) broth was one of my favorite entrées. It’s hearty and light at the same time.

I loved the simple grilled Pacific swordfish served with sautéed broccoli, citrus and hazelnuts ($24). The fish is moist and pleasantly smoky from the grill. My only quibble is the outmoded presentation—Birds Eye broccoli crowns propping up the fish—that seems straight out of the 1980s.

The list of wines and cocktails is great. There are some hard-to-find, highly allocated wines like local favorites Anthill and Littorai, and a refreshingly deep selection of racy German and Austrian wines. The inviting bar is a destination in its own right. It’s a beauty with creative cocktails to match.

Frieseke’s desserts are quite good. The dense chocolate and cajeta bar ($7) sent me on my way with a sweet taste in my mouth.

County Bench Kitchen and Bar,
535 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.535.0700.

Yes We Cannabis

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</iframe

Prince Ea —hip-hop artist, activist and founder of Make “SMART” Cool — just released a remake of his brilliant music video urging President Obama to end our country’s disastrous war on marijuana.

The 10-minute video is both a history lesson and an advocacy tool that will expand your mind and make you laugh at the same time—a personal and persuasive plea to Obama.

Prince Ea delves into the history of how marijuana became illegal (lies, racism and political opportunism) and the arbitrary distinctions between legal and illegal drugs. He also lays out the harm of drug prohibition (violence, organized crime and mass incarceration) and the benefits of regulation (taxes, safety and control).

The video uses a surprisingly on-point Obama impersonator to channel the president’s inner thoughts on the issue, accompanied by fascinating illustrations to help visualize the narrative. In just this one song, Prince Ea summarizes a book’s worth of information into a clear and powerful argument against marijuana prohibition.

It’s exciting to see how much progress has been made since the first video was released four years ago. When the original video came out, no states had legalized marijuana for adult use. Since then, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. have done just that—and now 2016 is shaping up to be the most significant year yet when it comes to ending marijuana prohibition, with voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada and Arizona deciding on legalization this November.

The California initiative, known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), is the new “gold standard” for marijuana policy and focuses on undoing the most egregious harms of marijuana prohibition. It will greatly reduce—and in many cases, eliminate—criminal penalties for marijuana offenses, reduce barriers to entry to the legal market and drive hundreds of millions of dollars in investments to low-income communities that have been most impacted by the drug war.

Prince Ea has given us a gift with this entertaining, creative history lesson. Let’s share it with the world and vote to end marijuana prohibition this November.

Tony Newman is communications director for the Drug Policy Alliance.

Reborn on the 4th

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Reborn on the 4th

Our cover story this week is an excerpt from William Scott Morrison’s novel The Luck of the Draw. He says he wrote the book so people might be reminded of the perils of engaging in unnecessary wars. It’s a well-timed reminder, as America celebrates its 240th anniversary this weekend, in a 2016 that will be remembered for its raging lies wrapped around a flag of proud intolerance.

I recently watched The Last Days of Vietnam, a documentary about the terror faced by Vietnamese citizens and military officials who had worked for the Americans as the Viet Cong rolled into Saigon in 1975—complete with that desperate helicopter-on-roof scene that came to characterize the rushed and chaotic evacuation. It was not a proud moment for America.

Yet it has always struck me how, just one year later, the fall of the American embassy in Vietnam was brushed aside to make way for the fireworks. Just a year later, there we were, celebrating the Bicentennial and finding all sorts of things to be proud of—especially Rocky Balboa.

Rocky was just one of many Hollywood classics released 40 years ago that framed a new narrative for an America eager to reclaim its place in the world through the magic of Hollywood. This trend would find its apotheosis four years later when a former movie star was elected president. While it wasn’t all escapist, 1976 films reveal a cultural repositioning and an urgency to wrap it up and move on.

We had red-white-and-blue Rocky at the top of the Oscar heap, and All the President’s Men to settle the Nixon score, along with WWII genre movies that included Midway, which looked back to a good war to rationalize the imperatives of a patriotic 1976. But ’76 also saw the release of Taxi Driver, whose anti-hero is a Vietnam vet struggling with a past he can’t shake, no matter how long he stares at the mirror talking to himself.

I think of Travis Bickle’s psychotic break with reality every time Congressman Trey Gowdy opens his mouth and starts talking about the American embassy in Benghazi. This week, Congress released its final report on Benghazi, but for Gowdy, there will never be a final reckoning. For Benghazi diehards, who insist on a narrative similar to Vietnam—the politicians lost the war—those helicopters are still hovering around out there somewhere, anxious to clutch victory from defeat, lest anyone remember the truth of the matter.

Tom Gogola is the news editor of the ‘Bohemian.’

Open Mic is a weekly feature in the ‘Bohemian.’ To have your topical essay of 350 words considered for publication, write op*****@******an.com.

Supreme Drama

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Supreme Drama

When the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade in 1973—making most abortions legal in the United States for the first time—the decision marked the end of a very long road.

But in Lisa Loomer’s remarkable new play Roe, running through Oct. 29 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, the playwright shows that the landmark Supreme Court decision is very definitely not the end of the story. Taking place just before the intermission, the Roe v. Wade decision is merely the first turning point for two real-life women whose names will forever be linked to the abortion question.

One is Texas lawyer Sarah Weddington (Sarah Jane Agnew, marvelous), the young, married attorney who, at the age of 26—in her very first court case of any kind—successfully argued the pro-choice case before the Supreme Court. The other woman is poor, undereducated, frequently pregnant Norma McCorvey (a magnificent Sara Bruner).

Better known as “Jane Roe,” McCorvey was the anonymous plaintiff whom Weddington recruited and then represented in the case. As played by Bruner, she’s also one of the most fascinating, complex, frustrating and hilarious characters to hit the OSF stage in a very long time.

On a spare, mechanized set of gleaming metal, the tale begins as Weddington and McCorvey address the audience, testily battling one another as each attempts to narrate the story. As a large cast portraying dozens of characters, the run-up to the case takes place with mounting drama, followed by the even more remarkable aftermath in which Weddington continues to battle to keep the Roe decision from being reversed or compromised, and McCorvey unexpectedly evolves from defender of choice to primary mouthpiece for the “right to life” movement.

The question becomes, at what point did McCorvey—clearly used by so many different people—finally start playing the system herself? Is she a victim or a con artist—or a little of both?

Directed with impressive reserve and invention by Bill Rauch—who will remount the show next year at Berkeley Repertory Theatre—Roe is surprisingly rich in humor and plot turns. Whatever you think you know about this most divisive of issues—an issue made freshly relevant given the Supreme Court’s ruling on Texas abortion law—you will leave Roe knowing much more, and possibly questioning your own conclusions.

Rating (out of 5): ★★★★★

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival runs yearly from February to October, in Ashland, Ore. For information on all currently running shows—and two more yet to open—visit osfashland.org.

Colombian Punk Bands Headline July 4th Outdoor Show in Santa Rosa

This Monday, July 4, a full lineup of young punk rock bands hits the grass at Doyle Park in Santa Rosa for a day of loud tunes and good food to celebrate America's 240th birthday. "A Day in the Park" will feature Oakland rockers Sterile Mind, Santa Rosa band Hellbomber, all-female North Bay punks Kitten Drunk and Santa Rosa sludge rock outfit...
Read more

June 30-July 4: Take the Ride in San Rafael

For its 75th anniversary, the Marin County Fair is adopting the theme “What a Ride!” to celebrate Marin’s history and the region’s forward-thinking culture. Striving to be a green and healthy event, the fair last year won an award–yes, fairs can win awards–for initiatives that included offering healthy food and drinks, water-refill stations, shuttle service and more. The entertainment...
Read more

July 1: Mucho Malo in Petaluma

Guitarist Jorge Santana is most often associated with his brother, Carlos. They played together for many years in the studio and on the road, and even released an album under the name the Santana Brothers. Yet Jorge’s greatest commercial and artistic successes have come from his San Francisco–based band Malo, which first scored a Top 20 hit with “Suavecito”...
Read more

July 2: Surf’s Up (On Screen) in Sonoma

Summer in California isn’t complete without surfing, though not everyone gets out on the waves. For the landlocked surf enthusiast, there’s a new exhibit, Surf Craft, that highlights the design and culture of the board at the Sonoma Valley Museum. The exhibit opens this week with Surf Film Night when the museum screens the 2012 movie Chasing Mavericks, about...
Read more

July 5-6: Revel in Folk in Healdsburg and Petaluma

Hailing from the musical land of Minneapolis, the Last Revel describe themselves as “front-porch Americana.” Multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Ryan Acker, Lee Henke and Vincenzio Donatelle combine for stirring three-part harmonies and traditional folk melodies, and the band also moves into the realms of rockabilly and soul on their two full-length albums. Live, the trio can deliver arresting ballads and...
Read more

Reggae Days

Formed three years ago in Novato, Ridgway have made their mark with a groove-based blend of reggae, rock and hip-hop that's a popular staple not only in their hometown, but also at fairs, festivals and venues throughout the Bay Area. This weekend, the young and talented group caps off a yearlong project when they release their first full-length album, Brighter Days,...
Read more

Bench Mark

Downtown Santa Rosa finally has the restaurant it deserves. For a city surrounded by so many great wineries, farms and ranches, there hasn't been a restaurant that really capitalizes on our local bounty. But now there's the County Bench Kitchen and Bar, a long-gestating project from the Chandi Restaurant Group (Stout Brothers Pub, Bibi's Burger Bar) that does just that. The...
Read more

Yes We Cannabis

</iframe Prince Ea —hip-hop artist, activist and founder of Make "SMART" Cool — just released a remake of his brilliant music video urging President Obama to end our country's disastrous war on marijuana. The 10-minute video is both a history lesson and an advocacy tool that will expand your mind and make you laugh at the same time—a personal and persuasive...
Read more

Reborn on the 4th

Our cover story this week is an excerpt from William Scott Morrison's novel The Luck of the Draw. He says he wrote the book so people might be reminded of the perils of engaging in unnecessary wars. It's a well-timed reminder, as America celebrates its 240th anniversary this weekend, in a 2016 that will be remembered for its raging...
Read more

Supreme Drama

When the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade in 1973—making most abortions legal in the United States for the first time—the decision marked the end of a very long road. But in Lisa Loomer's remarkable new play Roe, running through Oct. 29 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, the playwright shows that the landmark Supreme Court decision is...
Read more
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