A Year in Beer

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A Year in Beer

October

Oct. 3 Cloverdale Oktoberfest. 707.328.2147.

Oct. 2–4 Sonoma County
Harvest Fair. harvestfair.org.

Oct. 10 Cotati Oktoberfest. 707.795.5508.

Oct. 17 Biketoberfest in Fairfax. biketoberfestmarin.com.

Oct. 31 Russian River
Brewing Co. Halloween Party. 745 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.545.BEER (2337).

November

Nov. 27 Fairfax’s Iron Springs Pub and Brewery releases winter four packs (2015 Winterscotch, Chardonnay Barrel Aged 10 Years Strong, 2014 Quad, and the coffee-infused Mark Twain’s Summer Ale). 765 Center Blvd., Fairfax. 415.485.1005. Ironspringspub.com.

November, Henhouse Brewing Co. releases it Belgian Style Golden Ale. In**@*************ng.com.

December

Dec. 14 Third Street AleWorks releases it 2014 Brass Parachute Barleywine. 610 Third St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.3060.

Dec. 19 Baeltane Brewing’s Third Anniversary and Winter Solstice Party. 401-B Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato. 415.883.2040.

Dec. 31 Fogbelt Brewing Co. New Year’s Eve Celebration. fogbeltbrewing.com

January

Jan. 22 Third Street AleWorks releases its Double Standard Double IPA. 610 Third St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.3060.

Jan. 30–31 RateBeer Best Beer Festival. More than 40 breweries from around the world will be pouring their stuff. Ratebeerbest.com.

January Henhouse Brewing Co. releases it Big Chicken, a bold Double IPA. In**@*************ng.com

February

Feb. 5 Russian RiverBrewing Co.’s Pliny the Younger released. Get in line now. 745 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.545.BEER (2337).

Feb. 13 Fogbelt Brewing Co. anniversary celebration and seasonal beer release. Fogbeltbrewing.com

Feb. 27 Sonoma County Beer, Cider & Spirits Conference. The event is full, but there is a wait list. Contact the Sonoma County Economic Development Board at 707.565.7170.

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March

March 8 Third Street AleWorks 20-year anniversary party. 610 Third St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.3060.

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day at a pub near you. Duh.

Mid-March Fairfax Beer Festival. fairfaxbrewfest.com.

March 28 Battle of the Brews, Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Battleofthebrews.com.

April

April 1 North Bay breweries deliver cases of free beer to ‘Bohemian’ offices.

April 30 Pagan party at Baeltane Brewing to mark the arrival of spring. And beer. 401-B Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato. 415.883.2040.

April Tentative opening of Henhouse Brewing Co’s new Santa Rosa Taproom. In**@*************ng.com.

May

Late May Rohnert Park Craft Beer Festival, Sonoma Mountain Village Event Center. Rpcraftbeerfest.org.

Late May Sonoma County Home Brewer’s Competition, Petaluma. petalumadowntown.com/schbc.html.

June

Early June Beerfest, the Good One, Wells Fargo Center, Santa Rosa. beerfestthegoodone.com.

June 18 California Beer Festival, Stafford Park, Novato. californiabeerfestival.com/marin.

July

Early July The Breastfest Beer Festival, Marin Center, San Rafael. Fundraiser featuring beer from over 40 of the best California breweries to support the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic, a state-licensed nonprofit offering alternative medical treatments for low-income women diagnosed with cancer. thebreastfest.org.

August

Mid-August Ales for ALS. Top North Bay brewers join forces and craft distinct beers that all share the same hop profile, specifically for this event, which raises funds to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease. alesforals.com.

Mid-August Lagunitas Beer Circus, Petaluma Fairgrounds, Petaluma. lagunitas.com/beercircus.

September

Mid-September Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival. Over a dozen North Bay brewers set up shop on the riverfront walkway, with live music and more. petalumarivercraftbeerfest.org.

Mid-September Napa Valley BBQ & Beer Battle, Napa Valley Marriott, Napa. nvef.org/events/napa-valley-bbq-beer.

Mid-September Beer in the Plaza, Healdsburg Plaza, Healdsburg. sihealdsburg.org/beerintheplaza.html.

Enter Stage Left

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Enter Stage Left

There was once a tiny theater tucked into a corner of the Luther Burbank Center, at the northernmost edge of Santa Rosa. From the way people talk about it today, it’s hard to believe such a place was ever real.

Though the space is gone, replaced almost 10 years ago by offices and storage space at the center—since renamed the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts—the shows that were performed at Actors Theatre during its mighty reign have lingered in the memories of North Bay theater fans and artists. Some of those productions—Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Joan Ackermann’s Off the Map—have become the stuff of local-theater legend.

“It was an amazing time, and the best artists in the area did great work there,” says Argo Thompson, who joined the company after its foundation, and served as artistic director of Actors Theatre from 1997 to 2005. “It changed the scene completely, proving that when groundbreaking theater is being done by first-rate artists, people will make the effort to come see it.”

Actors Theatre soon earned such a stellar reputation that audiences from as far away as Berkeley and San Francisco would make the drive to Santa Rosa to see what was happening. Thompson was there when the company—formerly a breakaway from the long-established Santa Rosa Players—rejoined to create the 6th Street Playhouse, folding both companies into one under the 6th Street banner. After serving as executive director of 6th Street for three years, a reorganization of management effectively ended Thompson’s participation in the North Bay theater scene for the next decade.

Thompson has finally reentered the scene with Left Edge Theatre, a brand-new company in Santa Rosa, performing its first season of shows within a few hundred feet of where the original Actors Theater once stood. Beginning with David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People, Left Edge Theatre has officially landed at the Wells Fargo Center, where two resident theater companies, Roustabout Theater and North Bay Stage, also operate.

“We have a strong season of four great shows to kick this off,” says Thompson. “Once we make it through this first year, we will see what happens next, but my goal is to establish Left Edge as a professional theater company. The best thing for building an audience for theater is having good theater available. So that, more than anything, is our goal.”

Album Review: Katie Phillips “Killer” EP

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phillips
Recorded last Valentine’s Day and released last month, the five-song “Killer” EP from Santa Rosa singer-songwriter Katie Phillips is strong. From the easy, muted strumming to Phillips’ fearless voice, this largely acoustic Americana rock offering is potent with stirring melodies and memorable hooks.
One third of local band the Bootleg Honeys (who perform this weekend at the American Roots Music Festival), Phillips says she takes influence from Karen Carpenter and Led Zeppelin, though on this new collection there’s plenty of other artists that come to mind, like John Mellencamp and Fiona Apple. Joining Phillips on the record is drummer and producer Mark Tarlton, who also provided the studio space in his Sonoma location.
For me, the best track is “Baby Blue,” which builds with a driving rhythm and features a powerful conclusion. “Hobo” is also an interesting turn, finding Phillips singing nearly a capella while Tarlton’s drums underscore her vocals like a roots rock chant, or a chain gang hymn. In fact, each track on the EP is a solid, confident outing that encourages repeat listens. Sample the EP below and see Phillips and Tarlton play as the Katie Phillips Duo on Friday, Sept 18, at Pub Republic, 3120 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma.

Listen to Ezra Furman Cover the Replacements

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furman
Photo by: Cantwell Faulkner Muckenfuss IV

Since moving to Oakland, songwriter Ezra Furman has become a popular, though often enigmatic figure, in the Bay Area. As the leader of Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, or any of the many other collaborations the artist engages in, Furman delights with great songs and heartfelt delivery.
With a new album, Perpetual Motion People, released two months back on Bella Union, Furman today unveils a cover of the song “Androgynous” by the Replacements, one of five cover songs recorded for a special edition of the album that’s due out later this year.
Since Furman personally identities  as gender-fluid, this new take on the classic 80s song written by Paul Westerberg speaks volumes about finding happiness any way you can. Listen to the track below, a simple shot of guitars and vocals that absolutely nails the emotion of the original.

Watch the Music Video for The Illumnignarly’s “Tall Can”

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[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/128705403[/vimeo]
Santa Rosa surf punks the Illumnignarly take things to the next level with pummeling rhythms and lightning fast guitars. Though they’re an instrumental outfit, these guys know how to tell a story, as evidenced in their funny and fast music video for the song “Tall Can.”
Following a tale as old as time –waking up late for work– the video follows our intrepid hero as he attempts to deliver a pizza while hipsters and jerks try to keep him down. Directed, shot and edited by Timmy Lodhi with Khan Videos, this is a great way to get primed for the weekend.
The Illumnignarly play next Friday, Sep 18, as the house band for North Bay Cabaret’s True Fiction, the Quentin Tarantino-inspired variety show in Santa Rosa.

Trump’s Unforced Immigration-Plan Omission

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Trump’s Unforced Immigration-Plan Omission

Can you spot the missing word in this section of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s immigration “reform” plan? 

Did you miss it?

“…we need to companies to hire from the domestic pool of the unemployed.”

The missing word is force, and it’s the only word that fits, as in: We need to force companies to hire from the domestic pool of the unemployed. 

Encourage? C’mon. Gently cajole? No way; this is Trump we’re talking about. Not his style.  

It’s no surprise that the campaign never bothered to fill in the blank, and let a benignly unspecified “requirement” stand as placeholder until another day. In the meantime, there are other, quite forceful parts of the plan to distract Trump supporters’ attention from the slippery omission: Trump pledges to force Mexico to build a wall along the border. He’s going to force 11 million undocumented Mexicans to leave this country. 

Read on, and he’s going to [DON’T GO THERE!] American employers to hire unemployed Americans.

Can you imagine the Trump campaign hovering over that sentence as it tried to figure out how to phrase it so it didn’t sound so…dictatorial? So…bullying? I can. 

Because, really, who are these companies that Trump speaks of? I’d venture that it’s the less-tolerant wing of small business America, tradesmen and men in construction, those sorts of professions. The Iran-irate Joe the Plumbers in red-blooded American hypocrite trucks, cruising the “Real America” of Sarah Palin in search of the nearest Home Depot of cheap Mexican labor. Paleface forty-somethings with a resentful mortgage payment that’s due and an open-carry hostility to those shifting electoral demographics, along those lines.

Does Trump believe he’s really going to force that voting bloc to hire unemployed Americans after what they’ve been through these past six years? 

I think it’s fair to say there’s a lot of touchiness regarding the use of force under President Barack Obama coming from the president’s detractors out there in the “Real America.” To wit: Why should I be forced to buy health insurance, if my preference is to stand in line at the emergency room with a don’t Tread on Me flag wrapped around my gaping wound of victimization?

Or, why should I be forced to send my children to a Michelle Obama fat camp, where they will be forced to eat granola bars and recite the Internationale at top volume? 

Force is a loaded word—so loaded that it’s just about to go off in my hand—and we know who the real dictator is here. Hint: Trump smirks that he was born in Kenya, and that he’s a stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid man.

The omission is part and parcel of the overarch that defines Trump’s entire campaign: Elect me, and we’ll fill in the blanks later as we strive to make America hate again. 

Why force the issue if nobody notices in the meantime?  

Fruit Bats Reform

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Eric D Johnson
Eric D Johnson

After a two-year hiatus, indie alternative rockers Fruit Bats are back together and back on the road. The band is fronted by Eric D Johnson, known best here in the North Bay as one of the founders and organizers of the Huichica Music Festival at Gun Bun Winery in Sonoma. Next month, Fruit Bats’ current tour will take them to Gun Bun’s historic Redwood Barn on Friday, Oct 9.
Supposedly, the band called it quits back in 2013, with Johnson continuing to play under his own name. Earlier this year, Johnson wrote that after years of having to write (Fruit Bats) in parenthesis after his own name, Johnson decided to start doing Fruit Bats again, “full steam ahead.”
Johnson also announced that Fruit Bats would be releasing a new album in 2016 and hitting the road this fall for a full US tour. That tour kicked off yesterday in Chapel Hill, NC. Fruit Bats will be making their way to the North Bay on Friday, Oct 9, at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 2000 Denmark St, Sonoma. 7pm. $28. fruitbatsmusic.com.

Sept. 11-13: Anniversary Weekend in St Helena

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Sept. 11-13: Anniversary Weekend in St Helena

Originally built in 1872, the former Carriage House on Sulphur Springs Ave in St Helena is known these days as the White Barn, an intimate venue showcasing local and international musicians. This weekend, the White Barn celebrates their 30th Anniversary in enchanted fashion with three performances. While the gala dinner and concert by soprano Marnie Breckenridge on Friday, Sept. 11, is sold out; there are still two chances to celebrate. On Sept. 12, “Broadway Tonight” relives the Golden Age of musical theater. On Sept. 13, the family-friendly “One-Ring Circus with Strings Attached” puppet show dazzles all ages on the barn’s lawn. The 30th Anniversary program takes place Friday, Sept 11, through Sunday, Sep 13, at the White Barn, 2727 Sulphur Springs Ave, St Helena. 707. 251.8715.

Sept. 12: Communal Oneness in Sebastopol

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Sept. 12: Communal Oneness in Sebastopol

The annual wONEderfest is a celebratory exploration of healing arts in the North Bay community. Each year the fest selects a theme. This year it’s yoga and includes a daylong open studios tour and more. First, join with others for a morning yoga session leading up to the festive “Parade of Flowers” in Sebastopol Plaza with live music, dancing and colorful floral displays. From there, yoga studios around town open their doors and talk about their teachings. Everything wraps up with a joyful Kirtan dance and closing ceremony in the evening. wONEderfest strikes a (yoga) pose on Saturday, Sept. 12, in Sebastopol Plaza, Weeks Way, Sebastopol. 9am to 9pm. Free. Wonederfest.com.

Sept. 12: Graphic Storytelling in Mill Valley

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Sept. 12: Graphic Storytelling in Mill Valley

Comic books aren’t just for kids anymore. From Alan Moore’s Watchmen to Charles Burns’ Black Hole, it’s become clear that graphic novels can tell adult, emotionally charged stories with stunning visual expressions. No one knows that better than comic book writer, illustrator and lecturer Scott McCloud, who presents a talk titled Comics and the Art of Visual Communication. The author of non-fiction books like Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, McCloud is a longtime leading voice for the evolution of comic books, and this weekend he shares his knowledge about the industry and stories about its importance in modern culture on Saturday, Sep 12, at Mill Valley Library, 375 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 7pm. Free. 415.389.4292.

A Year in Beer

October Oct. 3 Cloverdale Oktoberfest. 707.328.2147. Oct. 2–4 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. harvestfair.org. Oct. 10 Cotati Oktoberfest. 707.795.5508. Oct. 17 Biketoberfest in Fairfax. biketoberfestmarin.com. Oct. 31 Russian River Brewing Co. Halloween Party. 745 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.545.BEER (2337). November Nov. 27 Fairfax's Iron Springs Pub and Brewery releases winter four packs (2015 Winterscotch, Chardonnay Barrel Aged 10 Years Strong, 2014 Quad, and the coffee-infused Mark...
Read more

Enter Stage Left

There was once a tiny theater tucked into a corner of the Luther Burbank Center, at the northernmost edge of Santa Rosa. From the way people talk about it today, it's hard to believe such a place was ever real. Though the space is gone, replaced almost 10 years ago by offices and storage space at the center—since renamed the...
Read more

Album Review: Katie Phillips “Killer” EP

Recorded last Valentine's Day and released last month, the five-song "Killer" EP from Santa Rosa singer-songwriter Katie Phillips is strong. From the easy, muted strumming to Phillips' fearless voice, this largely acoustic Americana rock offering is potent with stirring melodies and memorable hooks. One third of local band the Bootleg Honeys (who perform this weekend at the American Roots Music...
Read more

Listen to Ezra Furman Cover the Replacements

Since moving to Oakland, songwriter Ezra Furman has become a popular, though often enigmatic figure, in the Bay Area. As the leader of Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, or any of the many other collaborations the artist engages in, Furman delights with great songs and heartfelt delivery. With a new album, Perpetual Motion People, released two months back on Bella...
Read more

Watch the Music Video for The Illumnignarly’s “Tall Can”

https://vimeo.com/128705403 Santa Rosa surf punks the Illumnignarly take things to the next level with pummeling rhythms and lightning fast guitars. Though they're an instrumental outfit, these guys know how to tell a story, as evidenced in their funny and fast music video for the song "Tall Can." Following a tale as old as time –waking up late for work– the video...
Read more

Trump’s Unforced Immigration-Plan Omission

Can you spot the missing word in this section of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s immigration “reform” plan?  Did you miss it? "...we need to companies to hire from the domestic pool of the unemployed.” The missing word is force, and it's the only word that fits, as in: We need to force companies to hire from the domestic pool of the...
Read more

Fruit Bats Reform

After a two-year hiatus, indie alternative rockers Fruit Bats are back together and back on the road. The band is fronted by Eric D Johnson, known best here in the North Bay as one of the founders and organizers of the Huichica Music Festival at Gun Bun Winery in Sonoma. Next month, Fruit Bats' current tour will take them to Gun...
Read more

Sept. 11-13: Anniversary Weekend in St Helena

Originally built in 1872, the former Carriage House on Sulphur Springs Ave in St Helena is known these days as the White Barn, an intimate venue showcasing local and international musicians. This weekend, the White Barn celebrates their 30th Anniversary in enchanted fashion with three performances. While the gala dinner and concert by soprano Marnie Breckenridge on Friday, Sept....
Read more

Sept. 12: Communal Oneness in Sebastopol

The annual wONEderfest is a celebratory exploration of healing arts in the North Bay community. Each year the fest selects a theme. This year it’s yoga and includes a daylong open studios tour and more. First, join with others for a morning yoga session leading up to the festive “Parade of Flowers” in Sebastopol Plaza with live music,...
Read more

Sept. 12: Graphic Storytelling in Mill Valley

Comic books aren’t just for kids anymore. From Alan Moore’s Watchmen to Charles Burns’ Black Hole, it’s become clear that graphic novels can tell adult, emotionally charged stories with stunning visual expressions. No one knows that better than comic book writer, illustrator and lecturer Scott McCloud, who presents a talk titled Comics and the Art of Visual Communication. The...
Read more
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