Page 661 | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

Animal Attraction

Movies

Charlie Swanson

May 25, 2016

The defining characteristic of The Lobster is its bizarre plot. In a near-future dystopia, the city sends single men and women to a remote hotel where they have 45 days to find a soul mate or be turned into an animal of their choice. With that unusual device in place, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ first English-language film explores the nature of modern relationships with twisted and unsettling results.

The film introduces us to the recently divorced David, played with desperate restraint by Colin Farrell, who once again proves he’s best when he plays it quiet rather than heroic. A clinical narration by Rachel Weisz (who we will meet later) describes David’s situation as he attempts to find his mate.

In an early interview with the hotel manager, David is asked which animal he would like to be turned into should he not succeed in pairing up. He chooses a lobster for its longevity and lifelong fertility, and the manager commends him on an excellent selection before having one of David’s arms handcuffed behind his back.

While everything at the hotel is meant to encourage coupling, it is all done in the most detached manner. Conversations are emotionless, smiles are nonexistent and residents of the hotel are all defined by their least attractive quality, such as “the man with a lisp” (John C. Reilly).

This stilted atmosphere permeates the entire film, at first nearly destroying any affection the audience might have for the characters. As the film progresses, however, and the strangeness intensifies, such as when the hotel residents are sent out to hunt the loners who live in the woods, The Lobster‘s alienating nature starts to intrigue rather than repel.

By the time David makes it back to the city, the true stifling horror of the film reveals itself and the parallels to our own social obsession with beauty and romance become clear. Moreover, in a world where a leading presidential candidate calls women “fat pigs” and “disgusting animals,” The Lobster begins to seem not so bizarre after all.

‘The Lobster’ opens Friday, May 27, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. 707.525.4840.

Let It Slide

Music

Eddie Jorgensen

May 25, 2016

Slide-guitar blues player Roy Rogers and his Delta Rhythm Kings will grace the well-worn stage in Healdsburg’s Plaza Park to kick off the popular Tuesdays in the Plaza summer concert series on May 31.

Also included in this year’s fantastic series are Cajun crooners Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Brazilian band Grupo Falso Baiano, local rockers the Sorentinos and Hall of Fame bluesman Charlie Musselwhite, to name a few.

While his latest record is an 11-track barnburner appropriately titled Into the Wild Blue, Rogers doesn’t need to rely solely on current material to draw a sizable crowd, having been a fixture in West Coast rock and roll since the ’70s. For the uninitiated, the blues guitarist and Grammy-winning producer learned much of his slide technique after hearing records by Robert Johnson. He toured with John Lee Hooker for years, featured the late pianist Allen Toussaint on his 1987 Sidewinder release, and even worked alongside Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne.

“I use open tuning in my music, and we do lots of improvisation,” Rogers said during a 2012 interview. “These open tunings take various forms and can move music in a lot of places.”

Check him out during this rare Sonoma County soiree, and expect to find Rogers doing some free-form solos. May 31, Healdsburg Plaza, 217 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 6pm. Free. All ages. 707.433.6935.

Business Unfriendly

Rolling Papers

Tawnie Logan

May 25, 2016

Cannabis is one of the hottest topics in the media. But can too much exposure put lives at risk?

Local cannabis operators across Sonoma County wince as the press digs into the private lives of the few brave first applicants, exposing every intimate detail—from Google searches to property sales—broadcasting their locations, their history and their business plans.

This may not seem like an issue to other small businesses, many of whom wish they could get this type of front-page attention for their organic cafe or public service project. But for new cannabis-business operators, this type of exposure can be an issue of security and safety. Not only are the applicants put at risk, so too are the employees and families who now have to answer for their association in a time when the prohibition stigma is still heavy.

While hundreds of operators would like to apply for a business permit this fall in Santa Rosa, many of them are not only too scared to be dragged through the press, but also fear vandalism and theft, as future permits require publicly posting intent.

“The process is already public enough,” says Aaron, a local cultivator waiting to apply for a cannabis business permit in the fall. “I can understand informing the immediate neighbors of your business application, but blasting pictures of the address and the building across the news is just excessive, let alone unsafe.”

In Oakland, operators applying for permits receive certain protections: the locations of the businesses are kept private, which can prevent the violent crimes and vandalism that have plagued the cannabis industry for decades.

With no privacy standards in place yet, and the media featuring the nitty gritty details of every applicant, who will step up to apply for Santa Rosa’s conditional use permit?

If the goal is to encourage the local cannabis industry to follow the new regulations, get permits and pay taxes, then the program has to change, and so do actions by lawmakers, law enforcement, regulatory agencies and even reporters.

In order for this newly emerging industry to work, it will be a team effort as we share the heavy lifting of prohibition and herald in a new, more sophisticated generation concerned with public safety, environmental responsibility and strengthening our local economy.

Tawnie Logan is the executive director of the Sonoma County Growers Alliance. Go to scgalliance.com for more info. Send comments to co******@*********ce.com

Moving On Up

Music

Charlie Swanson

May 25, 2016

Volunteer organizers Bill Myers and Linda Pavlak have two loves: live music and the outdoors. Three years ago, they combined these elements for the Funky Fridays summer concert series, a weekly event originally held at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park that raised funds to keep the once failing park open and active.

Last year, Funky Fridays encountered a peculiar problem. It became too popular, and the state cut the allowed capacity from the 300–400 average number of attendees to a conservative 125. For Myers, it was a huge setback.

“We were up to 500 people in the third season, that’s when the state came down hard,” he says. “There was just no more room.”

Undaunted, Myers and Pavlak began in earnest to find a new home for Funky Fridays after last summer’s season ended. In December, they happened upon a new spot, Hood Mansion on Pythian Road, between Santa Rosa and Kenwood.

Working alongside Melissa Kelley, executive director of the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, Myers and Pavlak are revamping the Funky Fridays event for a fourth season featuring all-star musicians and family-friendly outdoor fun. This week, Funky Fridays returns on May 27 with beloved soul and funk band the Bruthas, led by Levi Lloyd.

“It’s a gorgeous venue, with a huge front lawn where the concerts will take place,” says Myers. “You’ve still got a view of the Myacamas Mountains in the background, especially Hood Mountain, the tallest point in Sonoma Valley.”

Built in 1858 by William Hood, the impressive Hood Mansion was constructed from bricks made onsite. In the last 160 years, it has gone through a series of owners, including Utah senator and mining and railroad magnate Thomas Kearns in the late 1800s, and the fraternal organization the Knights of Pythias in the early 20th century.

Now owned by Sonoma County, the building sits empty. Myers and Pavlak’s fundraising vision to benefit the county’s regional parks foundation includes improvements to the site and Hood Mountain regional park.

This year, Funky Fridays has upped the ante in its offerings: wine from local vineyards, beer from Henhouse Brewing and barbecue from Tri-Tips Trolley will be sold at the concerts. Attendees may bring their own picnic options if they choose. The event will also offer a kids’ area with activities.

“Moving forward, we know we’ve got a winning combination here, supporting local musicians and local parks,” says Myers. “And it’s just going to keep growing.”

Funky Fridays kicks off the season on May 27 at Hood Mansion, 1450 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa. Doors at 5:30pm; music at 7pm. $10; kids under 18 free ($10 parking per car). 707.833.6288.
www.funkyfridays.info.

Comeback Cab

Swirl

James Knight

May 25, 2016

Whatever happened to Laurel Glen? There’s an older generation of wine lovers who still have Laurel Glen Cabernet from the 1980s stashed in their cellars, winery owner Bettina Sichel tells me, but the younger generation has never heard of the winery. When I first looked up Laurel Glen, it sounded like an echo of past cult-Cab glory. But the winery—and, importantly, the Sonoma Mountain vineyard—never did drop off the map.

Today, Laurel Glen is easier to find than ever—even if the tasting room is tucked away on a quiet side street in Glen Ellen. Sichel explains that she took over from winery founder Patrick Campbell in 2011, with a group family friends and investors.

The group brought in current winemaker Randall Watkins and David Ramey as consultant. Watkins grew up in nearby Bennett Valley, where his father made two barrels of wine a year, according to his friend Patrick Campbell’s detailed handwritten instructions for “white vino” and “red vino.” At 11, he first walked the 14-acre Laurel Glen vineyard, which is uniquely planted to its own “Laurel Glen” clone of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2015 Crazy Old Vine Rosé ($30) is the closest to a white wine currently on offer. Half of this dry rosé comes from one remaining row of the original mix of vines planted in the 1880s. The winery’s least expensive, get-to-know-us Cab, the juicy, nicely integrated 2013 Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon ($40), includes fruit from neighboring properties.

While Laurel Glen is no hotbed of oak experimentation, Watkins laments, he’s not at all inclined to change the practice of barreling the wine down in mostly one brand of cooperage, Taransaud, and only about 50 percent new. The 2012 Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($75) is certainly not dominated by oak, showing a light toast of graham cracker at most, over a richly floral, chocolate cordial and plum aroma. Ready to drink, with classic cassis-flavored fruit, this silky yet textured Cabernet has no need of the chunky, awkward tannins that make many younger Cabs so quickly tiresome.

For perspective, Laurel Glen offers one library vintage with each regular tasting flight. Though the 2009 Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($85) was made in a different facility by a different winemaker, its kinship with the 2012 is readily apparent: a little more subdued, perhaps, with an impression of dusty gravel settling over a brooding plum aroma, this is just as juicy on the palate, and makes clear to me why people are getting reacquainted with this special old vineyard.

Laurel Glen Vineyard, 969 Carquinez Ave., Glen Ellen. Daily, 11am–5pm. Tasting fee, $20. 707.933.9877.

London Calling

Theater

May 25, 2016

Slavery was still legal in England in 1833, when American actor Ira Aldridge became the first black man to appear on stage in London. Following the death of famed actor Edmund Kean, Aldridge was called upon to play the lead in Shakespeare’s Othello, alongside white actors at Keane’s Theater Royal, in Covent Garden.

With Abolition just three months from becoming law, the city was in a state of turmoil, hardly the best time to challenge centuries of tradition and deep-seated prejudice. Aldridge did go on to critical acclaim and popularity in France, Germany, Russia and Budapest, but his London debut was as steeped in drama, scandal, deceit and betrayal as Othello itself.

Playwright Lolita Chakrabarti has written a deftly entertaining examination of a little-known turning point in theater history, and the San Francisco Playhouse turns it into one of the best Bay Area productions of the year. Directed by Margo Hall with marvelous command of the script’s complex blend of social comedy and raw drama, Red Velvet features a towering performance by Carl Lumbly as Aldridge, initially appearing in old age, then in flashback preparing to first take the London stage.

The superb supporting cast includes Sonoma County actor Tim Kniffin, excellent in a tricky role as the dying Keane’s affronted actor son Charles, whose rising indignation at watching a black actor play Othello—a role he’d expected to assail himself—is hilarious and chilling. Also strong are Richard Louis James in dual parts as Aldridge’s long-suffering dresser and a stodgy Shakespearean actor; Susi Damilano as Charles’ actress fiancée, Ellen Tree; and the effortlessly accent-shifting Elena Wright in a trio of key roles, including that of Aldridge’s white, English-born wife.

Chakrabarti’s robust script does stretch believability in an effort to have fun with Aldridge’s initial backstage arrival at Theater Royal. That quibble aside, Red Velvet stands as a thing of graceful beauty, earning its way, line by line, to its heartbreaking climax. Along the way, Chakrabarti gleefully crams in dozens of historical tidbits illustrating 19th-century acting styles, pre-Victorian restroom customs and the acrobatic language of polite English racism.

Supremely satisfying on many levels, this is a must-see historical drama. In eschewing simple conclusions or one-dimensional characterizations, Red Velvet delivers a 180-year-old story that, sadly, feels vividly and unnervingly contemporary.

Rating (out of 5):

‘Red Velvet’ runs Tuesday–Sunday through June 25 at SF Playhouse,
450 Post St., San Francisco. Show times vary. $20–$150. 415.677.9596.

Free Speech Radio

Open Mic

Robert Feuer

May 25, 2016

The communities of Sebastopol, Santa Rosa and surrounding areas need community radio. Community radio means a wide range of creative shows, produced by local volunteers, in the areas of music, art, spoken word and open-minded discussions of aging, healing, gardening, astrology, fitness, feminism, LGBT concerns—all commercial-free.

KOWS radio has been providing this for nine years. Its doors are always open for people to drop in and air their views, or for musicians to play on-air. Stay awhile and produce your own show. You will be trained. It doesn’t take long. KOWS is free-speech radio, and other than FCC limitations on foul language, there’s no censorship.

The problem for these nine years is that few people can hear KOWS on the radio (107.3-FM). The antenna is in a tree in the Occidental hills, with many geographical impediments to transmission. KOWS streams from its website (www.kows.fm), where anyone can tune in, or view the station’s schedule and see what opportunities it offers. You can sign up as a volunteer there. But streaming has limitations, due to slow or no connectivity. Many can’t afford it.

Currently, KOWS is seeking approval from the Sebastopol City Council for a new antenna on a hill above Sebastopol. It is small and not comparable to a cell phone tower. Emitted radiation, in the area, is about 1/2500th of FCC limitations, significantly less than the smartphone many people carry in their pockets. The antenna will be partially visible from fewer than 20 adjacent homes.

KOWS has won approval from the city planning commission for a use permit to build an antenna support structure at a utility facility owned by the city, but this decision has been appealed, and won’t be finalized until a May 31 city council meeting at 6pm at the Sebastopol Community Center. Public support is invaluable. Please attend and express your interest in radio that will belong to you. Alternatively, you can send a message to mg******@**************ol.org. Please stand up for the greater good, and the cultural needs of the community.

Robert Feuer is a KOWS volunteer broadcaster and a music writer.

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

A Palooza, for Oysters

Dining

Casey Dobbert

May 25, 2016

Oyster-centered festivities will commence at Rocker Oysterfeller’s Kitchen and Saloon this Saturday, May 28. Oysterpalooza has been held annually since 2008 at the Valley Ford restaurant. Offering both food and music, this one-day festival will feature five bluegrass bands performing on two stages: Mr. December, Highway Poets, Vintage Grass, Abalone Grey and the Bootleg Honeys. Festival-goers can watch the bands while choosing from a wide selection of food. There will be barbecue oysters, fried oyster po’ boys, smoked brisket tacos, tacos dorados, Lagunitas beers on tap, local wines, Hurricanes and more. $20 advance (25 bucks at the door); $10 for kids ages six to 12; free for kids under six. The doors open at 12:30pm, and the last act of the night ends at 8:15pm. 14415 Shoreline Hwy., Valley Ford. oysterpalooza.brownpapertickets.com.

Green Music Center Story Told in New Book

News & Features

May 24, 2016

GMC_Book The visually stunning and acoustically renowned Weill Hall is the crown jewel of Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center. Though the hall has been around since 2012, the process that lead to its existence dates back to the 1990s, when Donald and Maureen Green first envisioned a performance space for the Santa Rosa Symphony on the campus of the university.
Now, the stories of this ambitious endeavor is told through revealing and personal stories in the new book, “For the Love of Music,” available now through the Sonoma State University Bookstore, in the lobby of Weill Hall at the Green Music Center and at Copperfield’s Books.
The book was conceived by Marne Olson, wife of SSU president Ruben Armiñana and vice chair of the Green Music Center Board of Advisors, as a tribute to the donors and staff who brought life to the music center, now considered one of the premiere music halls in the country.
Aside from tales of Weill Hall’s creation, the book also offers a history of the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Green Music Center’s equally impressive Schroeder Hall, completed last year.

Subscriptions for the Green Music Center’s 2016-2017 season are on sale soon. “For the Love of Music” retails for $39.95. Contact the SSU bookstore at 707.664.2329.

Watch the Music Video for Royal Jelly Jive’s “Dear Mr Waits”

News & Features

Charlie Swanson

May 19, 2016

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cX96CwR6o4[/youtube]
Bay Area favorites Royal Jelly Jive are beloved for their blend of swing revival and soulful grooves, and the band employs all the tricks of their trade in their upcoming album, Stand Up, due out on June 24.
This week, the band previews their latest with a new video for the album’s first single, “Dear Mr. Waits.”
If you are familiar with North bay music, you may have already guessed the titular Mr. Waits is, in fact, iconic songwriter and reclusive west Sonoma County resident Tom Waits, who regularly records at Prairie Sun Studios, where Stand Up was also recorded.
Royal Jelly Jive will be appearing at the sold-out BottleRock Napa Valley on May 29 and the free Railroad Square Music Festival on June 5. Check out the details here.

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Animal Attraction

Let It Slide

Business Unfriendly

Moving On Up

Comeback Cab

London Calling

Free Speech Radio

A Palooza, for Oysters

Green Music Center Story Told in New Book

Watch the Music Video for Royal Jelly Jive’s “Dear Mr Waits”

Animal Attraction

Let It Slide

Business Unfriendly

Moving On Up

Comeback Cab

London Calling

Free Speech Radio

A Palooza, for Oysters

Green Music Center Story Told in New Book

Watch the Music Video for Royal Jelly Jive’s “Dear Mr Waits”