Winter Is Coming

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Winter Is Coming

Since creating his first ski film back in 1949, Warren Miller (and now with his company) has kept a tradition of producing one spectacular adventure film every year—films that celebrate the spirit of winter sports and extreme mountain culture.

This year, Warren Miller Entertainment presents No Turning Back, a worldwide look at skiing and snowboarding that follows dozens of top-class athletes across the globe.

The film comes to the North Bay this week as part of a national screening tour. To get your adrenaline pumping, Lagunitas Brewing Company is hosting a pre-release party at its Tap Room in Petaluma. The party includes a look at the trailer for No Turning Back with live music from JimBo Trout and raffle giveaways. A Squaw Valley trip for two with lift tickets and lodging, tickets to the film’s premiere and winter gear are up for grabs.

Later in the week, No Turning Back premieres at the Marin Center. Paying homage to the traditions of adventure filmmaking, the film goes to Alaska, Japan, Norway and other picturesque locales to capture intrepid daredevils in pulse-pounding action. A movie meant to be seen on the big screen, this one-time event is not to be missed.

The No Turning Back pre-party happens on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Lagunitas Tap Room, 1280 N McDowell Blvd, Petaluma. 6pm. Free. 707.778.8776. The film premiere
screens on Saturday, Nov 15, at the Marin Center’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium,
10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 8pm. $20. 415.499.6800.—Charlie Swanson

Debriefer Nov. 12, 2014

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Debriefer Nov. 12, 2014

Election day has come and gone. You may have noticed that Gov. Jerry Brown won re-election, handily—and that California as a whole sort of bucked this whole national GOP trend of cheating, suppressing and bullying their way into congressional dominance. The Nation magazine noted this, in a post-election blog by Jon Wiener that was thoughtful and enthusiastic—except for its evocation of Brown as the great savior of the Earth, not to mention liberalism.

“California Republicans have been stuck for years at around 40 percent of the electorate,” he wrote. “Yesterday’s results provided few signs that the pattern is changing.”

But there are many shades of red in Brown’s blue. This is the Governor who has repeatedly told marijuana-legalization advocates to suck it, even as he’s fondled millions in fracking funds on his way to “saving” California from fiscal ruin. He championed the twin tunnel boondoggle and shuffled state prisoners into county jails (see “Hard Time,” p8). Them’s are facts, and yet somehow Wiener neglected to mention them.

We get a lot of press releases from Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch’s office, most of them reporting on some felon or another who was sentenced or otherwise punished for his or her misdeed. Mostly we come away thinking, “The punishment has indeed fit the crime,” like last week, when we read about a loaded man with a loaded semi-automatic rifle in his backseat. He was speeding on Hwy 121, crossed the double-yellow line, and plowed into an oncoming car. Damodar Chandradas’ actions mean a 5-year-old girl will now be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Yup, that’s 25 years worth of reckless stupid in the big house for you.

Early this week a headline informed us, “Child Molester Denied Parole.” The case involved a sliver of Santa Rosa scum who raped his daughters and was sentenced to 15 to life in 1999. Despicable, but how could anyone resist a dark chortle upon reading this penultimate sentence in the Ravitch release: “After a hearing that lasted the better part of five hours, the two-commissioner panel denied Mr. Dick parole.” He’s lived up to his name, at least.

It’s rutting season, and the sun is setting earlier. That means it’s time for you to hit a deer on Highway 1. But not if you, like, slow the freak down.

Last week Debriefer encountered multiple Bambis wandering the highway between Olema and Bolinas. One night, a wee little bambino was just standing in the opposite lane as we whizzed by.

No surprise that we’ve noticed an uptick in carcasses along the road. On Monday night we were driving home, muttering darkly to ourselves about various petty complaints—and had a premonition there was trouble ahead: dead deer’s curve. We slowed to 35 and there was Bambi the thrill-seeker, waiting for us on the side of the road so it could scamper across our front bumper. And scamper it did.

We came to a dead stop, the groceries flew everywhere, and that lucky deer went on its way. We thought for a moment about some of the impatient tailgaters we’ve encountered on that same stretch of highway, and immediately hated them and everything they stood for. The rest of the drive was uneventful.—Tom Gogola

A Wine Idyll

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A Wine Idyll

The view is almost worth the price of admission at Hamel Family Wines. Arched and bristling with trees, looming darkly over the vineyards of Glen Ellen—all yellow and Halloween orange—from this vantage point Sonoma Mountain looks nothing like the lumpy pile of golden pancakes that slumbers over Petaluma. It would make a fine Badger Mountain indeed, but it is still Sonoma Mountain. And no, Hamel does not mean badger in Old French. So, why a badger?

The short answer why the Hamels chose a scrappy little animal to represent their luxury wine brand is that most of them are alumni of the University of Wisconsin at Madison: Bucky Badger, mascot. The long answer can be found on their website, which offers exhaustive details involving taxidermy, YouTube, a defibrillator, and Richard M. Nixon, as well as, oddly, a warmth and sense of humor that didn’t really come across during my actual visit.

Hamel Family Wines debuted their eco-luxe winery and hospitality center earlier this year. Thus far, it’s somewhat of a secluded find, pending completion of a traffic signal and entrance on Highway 12 at Madrone Road. It’s a stylish place, but the kind of place that piques my interest in its incongruities.

Before becoming enchanted with the idea of building a winery, patriarch George F. Hamel Jr. acquired this parcel as investment property—as did a previous owner, Sen. George Hearst, who replanted vineyards here in 1888. The fanciful suggestion proffered by our plucky host that Hearst Castle was originally planned for this site doesn’t check out.

The architect convinced the Hamels to give up their chateau ambitions in favor of this striking, rammed-earth glamour-shed with energy-saving features. Vineyards are farmed organically by Phil Coturri; a couple of charismatic goats and chickens signify biodynamic ambitions. All this, for about a thousand cases of wine nobody’s ever heard of. But here’s the difference between this joint and the kind of showy little wineries that Napa Valley is lousy with: mostly, they don’t invite you, the unwashed, to come and lounge around their patio for half a day. At Hamel Family, that appears to be the business model.

The 2012 Estate Zinfandel ($45) is a plush, black cherry and plum-fruited sipper accented in black olive. Sourced from some of the most proven Zinfandel ground here in Glen Ellen, it had better be, and they’ve done a good job with it.

Hamel Family Wines, 15401 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma. By appointment only, 10am, 1pm and 3pm. Experiences, $40, $60 and $100. 707.996.5800.

Two Parts Rock

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Two Parts Rock

It seems that after ten years and six albums together, the musical duo of singer/guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber may have just hit their rock and roll stride. Last week, the San Francisco-based indie pair announced their forthcoming new album, titled Individ; and this weekend, they play a special career-spanning set in Healdsburg as part of the first annual Banshee Fest, presented by Banshee Winery.

From his relatively new digs in Berkeley, Meric Long talks with the Bohemian about the new album, scheduled for release January 27, 2015, and about achieving a creative comfort level in the studio. “It’s our heaviest and most upbeat record yet. We tried to make it that way at least,” says Long. “It’s more spontaneous than our previous record, more on the spot. It’s a really fun way to make a record; it felt like we were firing on all cylinders.”

The Dodos are releasing Individ on the heels of their 2013 album, Carrier, a celebrated, but certainly more subdued record. Long explains how working on Carrier led to their new, energetic album.

“There was a big learning curve for us,” says Long. With Carrier, the Dodos found themselves in a new studio space and with new engineers. Just so happened that the space was the legendary Tiny Telephone Studios, and the engineers were the brilliant brothers Jay and Ian Pellicci, who’ve worked with other Bay Area bands like Deerhoof and Rouge Wave.

“By the time we finished Carrier we became comfortable with what we had,” says Long. “We were feeling creative and excited about what we were able to achieve in the studio. It felt like we should continue to do something.

“On the previous records we had practiced a lot more before we went in to record,” explains Long. “And that was the big difference. This time we felt comfortable enough to go in with a skeleton of the song, and, while we’re recording stuff, create the song as its happening.

“We got about seven or eight songs done. Some were spare and mellow, but there were already some pretty, for lack of a better word, gnarly songs on there. And I thought it would be really cool, instead of having the record drop off, have it take off even more in the second half. It never really lets up, it’s a pretty gnarly record.”

With Individ on the way, the Dodos are making their way to the North Bay for a special show at the Raven Theater as the inaugural Banshee Fest’s marquee event, highlighting a day of food, wine and music that benefits the Healdsburg Food Pantry.

The Dodos play on Saturday, Nov 15, at the Raven Theater, 115 North St, Healdsburg. 7pm. $30. 707.433.3145.

Out of Town

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Out of Town

It’s clear to those who live in the North Bay that we have a stunning number of very good theater companies, all working, fundraising, and marketing their shows, often proclaiming—with hyperbolic enthusiasm—that there is no good reason for theater lovers to ever leave the North Bay.

The truth, of course, is that sometimes there is.

It may be heresy to suggest it (you may light your torches now) but despite the unquestionable quality of North Bay theater, there are shows worth crossing a bridge or two for. Sometimes, local artists themselves choose to become involved in shows beyond the North Bay.

Anyone taking the drive to Berkeley this month, to catch Aurora Theatre’s Breakfast with Mugabe (www.auroratheatre.org), should take notice of the elaborate jewelry worn by actor L. Peter Callender as Robert Mugabe, the despotic president of Zimbabwe. In Fraser Grace’s play (Nov 7-Dec 7), a depressed Mugabe, haunted by terrifying visions, seeks the aid of a white psychiatrist. Mugabe’s elaborate jewelry was designed by artist Paige Taggart, a Healdsburg native making her first foray into designing for the stage.

In December, also in Berkeley, The Shotgun Players (www.shotgunplayers.org) will be revisiting Thornton Wilder’s indelible fantasy-drama Our Town. Its sprawling cast includes North Bay favorites Tim Kniffin and Molly Noble as Doc Gibbs and Mrs. Gibbs.

Berkeley Repertory Theater (www.berkeleyrep.org) has extended its run of Party People through Nov 30. Created by the innovative hip-hop performance troupe UNIVERSES, Party People rocks-and-rolls its keen-eyed way through the revolutionary history of the Black Panther movement.

In San Francisco, the addictive multi-sensory eye candy that is Cirque du Soleil (www.cirquedusoleil.com) returns to AT&T Park with its newest high-concept spectacle Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities (Nov 14-Jan 18), putting a stimulatingly steampunk spin on Cirque’s patented assortment of high-wire acts, baby-talking clowns and acrobatic astonishments.

At San Francisco’s venerable American Conservatory Theater (www.americanconservatorytheater.org), huge buzz has been building over Irish playwright Colm Tóibín’s meaty one-woman play, Testament (now through Nov 23). Featuring Canada’s Seana McKenna as Mary, the mother of Jesus, the show portrays one of the world’s most influential mothers, describing her fear and grief as her son’s oratorical skills are gradually co-opted and his path redirected by the “apostles” she sees as dangerous fanatics.

Though not as dangerous, perhaps, as the ones suggesting that there is good theater everywhere, if you are willing to look for it, and travel a bit.

2014 Bohemian Holiday Guide

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2014 Bohemian Holiday Guide

The weather outside is delightful and except for the drought not at all frightful, but believe it or not the holiday season is upon us. And that means nearly two months of holiday fun and cheer are coming your way.

To help you navigate the season and keep your spirits bright, we present our select guide to holiday fun inside and out, from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Compiled by
Jessie Janssen

 

EVENTS 

Napa On Ice

A holiday favorite is back this year with Napa’s outdoor skating rink—and this year, they’re offering skating lessons. Nov 8-Jan 10. $12 admission. napaonice.com. 707.227.7141 

Napa Valley Wine Train Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving on the Napa Valley Wine Train is a traditional Thanksgiving feast in a non-traditional, but memorable setting. Nov 27. Lunch 10:30am-3pm, dinner 4-8:30pm. $129-$159. http://winetrain.com/holiday/thanksgiving 

Yountville 25th Annual Festival of Lights

Join the people of Yountville for a 25-year tradition: a food and wine festival in the holiday spirit, complete with entertainment and performances. Santa Claus leads the big finale when Yountville will be set aglow with thousands of sparkling lights adorning trees and shops all along the main drag. Nov 28, 2-7pm. Free admission, ($15-$35 for food and wine tasting by online pre-sale only). Events are all within walking distance, on Yountville’s Washington Street, at V Marketplace, the Community Center and Edward James Courtyard. 707.944.0904.

Heart of Sonoma Valley 31st Annual Holiday Open House

Toast the holiday season on a tour of over 20 wineries including Imagery Estate, Valley of the Moon, and Paradise Ridge. Includes access to wineries and souvenir wine glass. Nov 28 and 29, 11am-4pm each day. $45 per person, Designated Driver $10/each. www.heartofsonomavalley.com 866.794.9463.

Napa’s 52nd Annual Christmas Parade

An event to look forward to every year, this parade features floats built by Napans themselves, all focusing on the theme “Tis the Season.” Ya think? Saturday, Nov 29, 5pm. First and Second Streets between Franklin and Main Streets. Free. 

Free Thanksgiving Dinner

The Sonoma Community Center will host its 58th annual free Thanksgiving Dinner Nov. 27, starting at 3pm at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall. The free meal, prepared by an all-volunteer crew. 136 1st St. West, Sonoma. 707.938.4626.

Holiday Trolley
Through Napa

Enjoy hopping on and off the seasonally decorated trolley as it makes its way through its regular stops at historic sights in Napa, while enjoying festive Christmas music. Fri-Sun, Dec 5-21, 3-6 pm. Stops at Main and Pearl, Napa River Inn, Coombs at Second (across from the ice rink) and First at Randolph. Free. 

Guerneville Holiday Book and Bake Sale

Find something great to read this holiday season at Guerneville’s annual homemade baked goods sale and used book drive, presented by River Friends of the Library.

•       Wed, Dec 3, 4-7 pm

•       Thur, Dec 4, 10 am – 5 pm

•       Fri, Dec 5, 10 am – 5 pm

Sat, Dec 6, 10 am – 3 pm (Bag Sale), special deals on bags of books! Guerneville Library, 14107 Armstrong Woods Rd.

Calistoga Winter in
the Wineries

Visit 14 different wineries in the Calistoga area by planning your own appointments.

Passports will go on sale Nov 15, 2014, valid Dec 6, 2014- Feb 8, 2015. $50. visitcalistoga.com 

Napa B&B Tour &
Taste Event

The bed and breakfasts of Napa invite you inside to savor select wines and holiday treats. Transportation and entertainment included. Dec 6, 3–7pm. $75 per person. For a list of participating inns, see www.napaholidaytour.com.  

19th Annual Calistoga Lighted Tractor ParadeA celebration of the holiday season and Calistoga’s ag heritage: Lighted tractors are the highlight of this small-town celebration. Sat, Dec 6, 2014, 7–8 pm. Downtown Lincoln Avenue between Cedar and Stevenson, Calistoga. Free.VisitCalistoga.com

Lighting of Sonoma
City Hall

The Sonoma Plaza will light up with a visit from Santa Claus arriving on a fire truck Dec 5 at 5:30pm.

Luther Burbank Holiday
Open House

A holiday tradition in its 35th year, this open house features Victorian-era finery and a tour of the home and gardens, and free rides on Rosie the Trolley to and from the Dickens Holiday Craft Fair held at the Finley Community Center. Woo-hoo!

Sat and Sun, Dec 6 and 7, 10am- 4pm. Entry: 12 and older $2. 707.524.5445. 

ICB’s 46th Annual Winter Open Studios

More than 100 painters, sculptors, fabric artists, jewelers, photographers, multimedia producers, and more. Dec 6-7, 11 am-6 pm. Free admission and parking. 480 Gate Five Rd, Sausalito. icbbuilding.com.

Lighting of the Snowmen at Cornerstone Sonoma

The annual lighting of the tiny snowmen at Cornerstone is a Sonoma Valley tradition. There will be live music, outdoor cinema with holiday films, photos with Santa on the iconic big blue chair, gingerbread decorating and more. Dec. 7 at 3pm. 23570 Arnold Dr. Sonoma 707.933.3010. cornerstonesonoma.com.

Ninth Annual Hanukkah Hootenanny

Enjoy a Hanukkah bash featuring wine, brisket sliders, a latke bar and, of course, jelly doughnuts. Guests are encouraged to bring unwrapped new toys and canned (non-perishable) food items for donation to local Napa charities. Sun, Dec 7, 12-2:30pm. Wine Club Members free, public, $55. Judd’s Hill Winery. juddshill.com 

Windsor Holiday Celebration on the Green

Annual event for kids to take photos with Santa, send letters to Santa, make crafts and ride the Polar Express before the tree lighting ceremony.

Thurs, Dec 4, 2014, 5-8 pm. Windsor Town Green. $1-$10 for a variety of rides, crafts, snacks and more. 

Light Up A Life

St. Joseph Hospice honors lives lost with annual candle- and tree-lighting ceremonies.

Dec 4, 5-6:30pm. Montgomery Village Terrace, 911 Village Ct. Santa Rosa. Free. 

Petaluma Holiday Lighted Boat Parade

A parade of sparkling boats shine on the Petaluma River to ring in the season. Ahoy! Dec 13, 6:30pm. Petaluma River Turning Basin, Petaluma. Free. visitpetaluma.com 

31st Annual Holiday Open House

Travel between 26 wineries throughout Sonoma Valley for this annual celebration; enjoy wine tastings, meet winemakers and pick up holiday gifts. Nov 28 & 29, 11am-4pm, $45, $10 for designated drivers. heartofsonomavalley.com for list of participating wineries. 

Fourth Annual Ring in the Season Holiday Kick-Off Event

The Ring in the Season event features the Katinas, a quintet of Samoan brothers and their Christian Band, plus the Napa High Chamber Choir and St. Helena Choir. Nov 20, 7pm. Napa Valley Performing Arts Center, Yountville. $40. lincolntheater.com

 

SHOPPING

Healdsburg Downtown Holiday Party

Downtown merchants light up their stores in this annual holiday tradition; carolers, entertainment, free horse-drawn carriage rides and pictures with Santa. Fri, Nov 28, 4-9pm, Healdsburg Town Plaza. Free.

Holidays in Carneros

Nearly 20 wineries in the Carneros region of the Sonoma and Napa Valleys will offer a variety of activities including food and wine pairings, live music, art and craft shows and special tastings. Nov 23-24, 10am-4pm. Call the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau at 866.996.1090 or visit www.sonomavalley.com

Gifts ‘n Thyme
Holiday Faire

Forty-two years and counting, the fair highlights more than 85 local and regional artists and makers of fine crafts, holiday pieces and food. Live music. Held at the Napa Valley Expo, 575 3rd St., Napa. Nov. 21-22 10am-6pm and Nov. 23 10am-4pm. 925.372.8691. Entry is free.

Rohnert Park Holiday Arts & Crafts Faire

35th Annual Faire features holiday decorations, music, tasty treats, jolly entertainment and holiday crafts. Nov 28- 29, 10am to 4pm. Community Center, 5401 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. Free. 707.588.3456. 

The Dance Palace Holiday Crafts Fair

The Community & Cultural Center in Pt. Reyes Station rings in the holiday season with its 44th Annual Holiday Crafts Fair. Dec 5, 4-9pm, Dec 6-7, 10am-5pm. Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station. Free. dancepalace.org 

40th Annual Dickens Holiday Crafts Fair

Event features over 70 local artists. Enjoy holiday goodies, entertainment, a prize drawing and trolley rides to the Luther Burbank Holiday Open House. Dec 6, 9am-5pm, Dec 7, 10am-4pm. Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa. $2. srcity.org 

20th Annual Goddess Crafts Faire

Women’s art, music, dance, handmade gifts by local & regional women. Dec 13 & 14, 11am-7pm. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St, Sebastopol. Suggested Donation: $5-$13 (kids free). goddesscraftsfaire.com 

29th Annual Occidental Holiday Crafts Faire

Faire features more than 35 local and regional artists, a traditional bucket raffle, food and bevies—and baked goods by students at Salmon Creek School. Dec 13, 10am-5pm, Dec 14, 10am-4pm. Occidental Community Center. Free. 

FOR KIDS

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival

Santa and Mrs. Claus cruise by tugboat into the Petaluma River Turning Basin and disembark at River Plaza Shopping Center on E Washington St. to take holiday photos until 2pm. Also: KZST’s Brent Ferris emcee’s. Nov 29, 11:30-2pm. Free. 

VOENA: ‘Voices of the Season’ Concert

The angelic voices of this multicultural children’s a cappella choir, Victorian costuming, and musical arrangements come together to create a lively holiday celebration. Audience participation encouraged. Dec 7, 4pm, Lincoln Theater, Yountville, $25. Dec 20, 7:30 pm, Napa Valley Opera House, Napa. $30-$40. voena.org 

 

PERFORMANCE  

The Healdsburg Chorus Presents: ‘A Wonderland of Snow’

A medley of Christmas favorites and other songs of the season from the Healdsburg Chorus. Dec 7, 3pm. $15, Glaser Center, Santa Rosa. Glasercenter.com 

A Chanticleer Christmas

Telling the Christmas story in Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, traditional carols, Franz Biebl’s ‘Ave Maria’, and a traditional medley of spirituals. Dec 14, 6pm and 8:30pm. $35-$69. Chanticleer.org 

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera

The legendary adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s classic novel. Nov 21, 22, 28, 29, Dec 4-6, 8pm. Nov 23, 29, 30; Dec 6, 7, 2pm. Santa Rosa Junior College, Burbank Auditorium. $12-$22. santarosa.edu/theatrearts  

Symphony Pops: A Very Merry Holiday Pops

Santa Rosa Symphony and vocal quintet Five By Design in an afternoon of holiday music from trad to swing to rock. Dec 14, 3pm, $37-$80. 707.546.8742 

Posada Navidena

Experience the folk culture of Mexico in this Christmas production. Free pre-show arts and crafts at 6pm.

Dec 19, 7pm, $5 for children, $10 for adults. wellsfargocenterarts.org

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian ‘Nutcracker’

A Christmas tradition with 40 world-class Russian artists. Dec 20, 3pm and 7pm. $33.50-$181. 707.546.3600. wellsfargocenterarts.org 

The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show

Legends of gospel music perform selections from their Christmas album and other Christmas classics. Dec 21, 8pm, $28-$35. 707.546.3600. wellsfargocenterarts.org 

9th Annual Chris-MIX

Acoustic music starring American Authors, Uncle Kracker, The Voice 2013 Runner-up Jacquie Lee and more. On-site silent auction for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Nov 30, 7:00pm, $20-$30. 707.546.3600. wellsfargocenterarts.org 

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Home for the Holidays!

Traditional favorites along with new works, including a world premiere by Ola Gjeilo, one of the Americas’ most prominent contemporary composers. Appearances by Santa, his elves and reindeer, a 1980s nativity scene (is that Reagan in the Jesus crib?) and an ugly sweater parade; some proceeds to benefit Sonoma’s Face to Face. Dec 6, 7:30pm. $25-$50. 707.546.3600. wellsfargocenterarts.org 

Celtic Woman: Home For Christmas—The Symphony Tour

Multi-platinum Irish Celtic Woman presents ‘Home For Christmas’–The Symphony Tour, featuring music from the all-female music ensemble. Dec 9, 8pm. $59-$85. 707.546.3600. wellsfargocenterarts.org

The Night Before Christmas

Healdsburg Ballet presents the holiday classic. Dancers perform ballet, jazz and hip-hop to classical and contemporary music. Dec 6, 7pm, Dec 7, 2pm.Adults $18, Seniors $15, 8 & under $13 (at door + $2). Raven Theater Healdsburg, 115 North St, Healdsburg. 707.433.6335. Raventheater.org

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Dec 5-21, 8pm, doors at 7:30pm. $20, $10 w/student ID. Raven Theater Windsor, 195 Windsor Road, Windsor. 707.433.6335. Raventheater.org 

A Winnie the Pooh Christmas Tail

Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and their friends in the Hundred Acre Woods in a celebration of friendship, sharing and caring. Dec 13, 14, 20, 21; Sat 11 & 2; Sun 2pm. $10 at the door. Raven Theater Healdsburg, 115 North St, Healdsburg. 707.433.6335. Raventheater.org

SCROOGE, The Musical

Based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this stage musical version has been adapted from the 1970s film. Nov 28-Dec 21. Thurs 7:30pm, Fri and Sat 8:00 pm. Sat and Sun matinees 2:00 pm. $26 Full; $24 Senior/Youth; $22 Student/Children under 12. Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, 5409 Snyder Ln, Rohnert Park. 707.588.3434.

Santa Rosa Dance Theater with Santa Rosa Youth Ballet Company presents The Nutcracker Ballet

This year the dancers get with the Sonoma County Philharmonic for three performances. Sat, Dec 20, 2:00pm and 7:00pm; Sun, Dec 21, 2pm General $30; Senior $28; Youth (12 and under) $25. Additional performances sans-Philharmonic: Sat, Dec 13 2pm and 7 pm; and Sun, Dec 14 2pm. General $25; Senior $23; Youth (12 and under) $20. Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, 5409 Snyder Ln, Rohnert Park. 707.588.3434.

NVOH Presents: Napa Valley Ballet’s Wine Country Nutcracker’

It’s the story of a young girl on Christmas Eve in Napa, preceded by a special dinner, prepared by City Winery. Dec 2, 7, 6pm doors, 8pm start. Dec 7, 1pm doors, 2pm start. NVOH, 1030 Main St, Napa. $20-$35. 

A John Waters Christmas’

John Waters in his one-man holiday show, leave the kids with grandma. Dec 6, 8pm, doors at 6pm. $45-$64. City Winery, 1030 Main St, Napa. Also available is a post-show meet & greet with Waters. 9:45 pm, $45 upgrade, includes time for photos and autographs.  

Christmas the
Cowboy Way

Riders in the Sky musical holiday performance. Dec 16, 8pm, doors at 6pm. $25-$35. NVOH, 1030 Main St, Napa.

CHRISMACABARET-NUKKAH!

An inclusive and jolly tribute to all things holiday. Dec 14, 5:30pm, doors at 4:30. $20. City Winery, 1030 Main St, Napa.

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An Irish Christmas

Music of the pipes, flutes, fiddles, button accordions and bodhráns. Dec 9, 8pm, doors at 6pm. $30-$40. At Marin Center at Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium: Marincenter.org 

Just Dance Academy Winter Performance

An abbreviated version of The Nutcracker, followed by jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, and Bollywood presented by the junior and senior dance programs. Nov 23, 2pm. Adults $22, Seniors 65 and up/ $20 Children 12 & under. 

Stapleton Ballet’s Nutcracker’

Meet and greet with costumed characters after 1pm matinees. Dec 6-7, 1pm and 5pm both days. $34, $22 Seniors and Youth (18 & younger). Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael.

Marin Dance Theatre: Sophie and the Enchanted Toyshop

Dig the Dickensian street scene with gypsies, townspeople, aristocrats, school children, cadets and mysterious masked players. Following the 1pm performance, meet the cast, eat a little something, and take photos with the cast of Sophie dancers. Dec 20, 1pm and 5:30pm. $38 adults and $28 students and seniors. Teddy Bear Tea Party $5. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 

Mayflower Chorus Holiday Performance

Expect familiar holiday melodies infused with emotional content, whatever that means. Dec 12-13, 8pm. $18 general, $15 seniors 60+ and students 13-18, $5 children 12 and under. Showcase Theatre, San Rafael.

Marin Ballet Nutcracker’

This is the full-length ballet, not some holiday “pops” version. Autographs and photos with dancers at the Candy Cane Party on Sat and Sun, following 1 pm performance. Dec 13-14, 1pm and 5pm. $42, $26 seniors and youth 18 and under, $10 Candy Cane Party. Throckmorton Theatre in Yountville: Throckmortontheatre.org 

Michelle Schmitt’s 6th Annual Holiday Benefit Concert

Benefits ExtraFood, which helps feed the hungry in Marin. VIP tickets include a reception by Heidi Krahling/Insalatas, special seating, and Michelle’s upcoming new record. Dec 4, 7:30pm. $25-$100. Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley.

Narada Michael Walden Foundation’s 18th Annual Holiday Jam

Benefit supporting music programs for Bay Area youth “Making a Difference Thru Music.” Dec 20, 8pm. $100-$175.  Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley.142throckmortontheatre.org 

Rock the Season

This Napa Valley Community Chorus event features guest performances by the Napa Valley Ballet, Napa Valley Children’s Chorus, and Ballet Folklorico of Napa. Dec 4, 8pm. $20. Lincoln Theatre, 100 California Dr, Yountville.

Pink Martini with Symphony Napa Valley

It’s a cross-genre blend of classical, Latin, jazz and pop in a Holiday Pops performance with Symphony Napa Valley and guest conductor Thomas Conlin. The performance highlights holiday classics and singer Storm Large. Dec 5, 7pm. Wait list for tickets.  Napa Valley Performing Arts Center, Yountville.

Early Music Christmas: Song of the Morning Star’

Led by Robert Worth, the Sonoma Bach Choir and the period-instrument ensemble Live Oak Baroque Orchestra, with the early brass quintet The Whole Noyse, present Christmas music themed around “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,” which does not translate into “let’s invade Poland.” Music by Praetorius, Scheidt, and Schütz. BachGrounders begins 35 minutes prior to each concert. Dec 13, 8pm. Schroeder Hall, Green Music Center, Rohnert Park. $22 general / $20 senior / $14 student. 

Handel’s ‘Messiah’

American Bach Soloists interprets music of the Baroque era. Dec 21, 3pm. Weill Hall, Green Music Center, Rohnert Park. $45 and up. 

Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2014

Arrangements of seasonal favorites led by multi-Grammy nominee saxophonist Dave Koz. Dec 22, 7:30pm. Weill Hall, Green Music Center, Rohnert Park. $45 and up. 

Sonoma Bach’s period-instrument ensemble Live Oak Baroque Orchestra with countertenor Clifton Massey.

Jan 9, 8pm. Schroeder Hall. $22 general / $20 senior / $14 student.

Hungry Time

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Hungry Time

The holidays are not the holidays without good food. Here are several delicious events around the North Bay worth seeking out.

Napa’s Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant offers a pre-Thanksgiving wine and cheese tasting Nov. 20. The cheese and selected wines are selected to pair with the full range of turkey day food. Ten bucks gets you a tasting of six wines and select cheeses. 601 1st St., Napa. 707.257.5200.

The first Thursday of every month (the next one is Dec. 4) Napa’s beloved Fatted Calf holds a “butcher’s happy hour.” What’s that? Taste local wine and brews while sampling fantastic cured meats from behind the counter while butchers butcher a few animals. Price? Free. 644 1st St., Napa. 707.256.3684.

At the Barlow in Sebastopol, Warped Brewing Co. will be celebrating its 1st anniversary with a chili cook-off and the release of their latest brew Clear the Flag. The event goes down Nov. 20 at 6pm. Five dollars allows you to sample chili and vote for your favorite. 6790 McKinley St., Sebastopol. 707.829.2061.

At the Marin County Mart in Larkspur, the excellent Belcampo Meat Co. hosts a Meat, Wine and Brew Fall Festival Nov. 15. The outdoor event includes a tasting of Belcampo meat and as well food and drink from local brewers, bakers, winemakers and more. A portion of proceeds will go to the benefit fire victims in Weed, Calif. Belcampo’s cattle are raised near Weed. Tickets are $35 at the door or pre-order at brownpapertickets.com/event/889481 2405 Larkspur Landing, Larkspur. 415.448.5810.

On Dec. 6 from 1-3pm, nearby Diesel bookstore holds a “cookbook extravaganza” with four local authors: Josey Baker (Josey Baker Bread), Jean-Pierre and Denise Mouille (French Roots), Bryant Terry (Afro-Vegan) and Karen Solomon (Asian Pickles). Each will offer free samples from their books. 2419 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur. 415.785.8177. —Stett Holbrook

Police Related Death

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Police Related Death

Some of you may be aware that since 2000,
there have been 64 police related deaths (streets and jail) in Sonoma County. But
what about before that?

Almost 20 years have passed since local activists began tracking this nationwide trend. In 1995 and 1996 alone, we experienced six unnecessary deaths by local law enforcement. Then in 1997, eight more died at the hands of the police and we started organizing. After the highly publicized deaths in 1997 of 28-year-old Saloman Hernandez who forgot to pay for $5 worth of gas and then Kuan Chong Kao, who was drunk and brandishing a stick, we started a campaign to invite the U.S. Civil Rights Commission to come to Sonoma County to conduct hearings. After much lobbying they finally came in 1998 and issued their report in May 2000. The government does move slowly.

Anyone following the national shame of police killing the civilians they are sworn to protect will know that one population heavily impacted is that of the mentally ill and/or those under stress from daily living. Police training in how to handle those with mental issues has been needed, yet ignored for decades. Another problem in investigating these killings is the “blue code of solidarity” where even “good” cops will not speak up to expose their brothers who have killed. Further, our local DA’s have consistently  supported this code by ruling these deaths “justifiable,” just as Jill Ravitch did with Deputy Gelhaus. Withholding both mental and physical treatment in jails is another overlooked factor causing unnecessary deaths. For communities of color and disaffected youth, all this has been a dynamic for decades. Fortunately, the growing recognition by the larger population is on the rise and we need to take advantage of that momentum.  

Fast forward to the fall of 2014, the first anniversary of the Andy Lopez killing.  Not much has changed since 2000 except that 64 more people have died at the hands of local law enforcement in Sonoma County. 

Due to the recent killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, these deaths are finally being recognized as a national trend and the militarization of the police has become an important issue. Locally and nationally there is renewed urgency to expose this concept. This issue goes back at least two decades starting with the “War on Drugs” and followed by 9/11 and the “terrorism” threat. This month, those interested in exposing and ending the militarization of police will begin meeting to explore the several manifestations of this concept.

United we will stop the growing militarization of our police and stop unnecessary killings in our community and across the globe.

Mary Moore and Karen Saari are longtime activists on police abuse issues and are currently working with the Justice Coalition for Andy Lopez in Sonoma County.

Drum Solo

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Drum Solo

Damien Chazelle’s much-lauded Whiplash is, at first, very forceful. Practicing at night in a thinly veiled version of Juilliard, the jazz drumming student Andrew (Miles Teller) is recruited by a dynamically sinister school orchestra leader, Fletcher (J. K. Simmons). Fletcher is posed like a black-clad super villain—he doesn’t feel as if he has to introduce himself. The teacher is nocturnal—more than this, he seems like the only teacher in the entire school. Over the months, Andrew’s human qualities are stripped away through the savagery of this sadistic professor.

Simmons has one particularly fine scene: Fletcher’s toxic simplicity goes complex in one quiet moment, right before Whiplash‘s series of endings. Over a quiet drink at a nightclub, we see the serene conviction underneath Fletcher’s insane horror of compromise. He’s more than just a pride-stung jazzman; his obsessions for purity harmonize with the obsessions of the great dictators. The moment of self-realization passes, and Whiplash goes on to say the vicious teachers are the ones that matter. It’s a real Tiger Mom special.

In the performance scenes, Whiplash has kinetic excitement—the jazz instruments are studied and swooped over by the camera. Miles Teller does things that haven’t been seen since John Cusack was young—the flushed face with its multiple brambly scars never gets tiresomely callow. Director Chazelle tries to make this unlikely tale plausible with photos of Buddy Rich on the walls to commemorate a famous secret tape of the jazz drummer unleashing a mighty temper tantrum against his band. You have to take Whiplash‘s tunnel vision for what it’s worth—the idea that there’s only one sort of perfection, only one school worth attending. Simmons has been better elsewhere, but this monomaniac movie is getting him Oscar buzz in the same way that Ben Kingsley got praise for the repetitious, bald-headed dick he played in Sexy Beast. This kind of acting is to acting what a drum solo is to music.

‘Whiplash’ opens Nov. 14 at Summerfield Cinemas, 551 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa. 707.522.0719

Hard Time

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Hard Time

The shift of state inmates to county lockups is putting a strain on Sonoma County jails, in spite of a $32 million contract with a for-profit company to help shore up services in county detention facilities.

The Main Adult Detention Facility in Sonoma County is like many others in the state that have been burdened by the demands of “realignment”—Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2011 initiative that shifted thousands of state prisoners into county jails.

As realignment’s results have taken hold, the California Forensic Medical Group (CFMG), which operates under the umbrella of a $17 billion private equity firm, has highlighted its dozens of contracts around the state, easily worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

And yet Sonoma County officials, citing “staffing and performance issues” with CFMG, signed a supplemental service contract with another forensic firm in October.

Realignment has exacerbated the county’s struggle to provide a safe environment for addicted, ill or mentally challenged inmates. The realignment scheme flooded county jails with offenders flushed from the state system as part of Brown’s solution to state prison overcrowding.

Many “realigned” inmates around the state are non-violent offenders serving long terms—and when those sentences get transferred to the county, so to do all the inmates’ health problems.

“This office has been challenged with managing the effects of realignment,” says Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo. “We’ve done as best as we can,” he adds, noting that the Sheriff’s Office and county have ramped up efforts in community-supervised releases, programs for in-custody inmates, alcohol treatment and other efforts.

But the problem, Carrillo emphasizes, is happening on all over: “These issues that we are facing here in Sonoma County are similar to other issues that counties in the North Bay are facing,” he says. “Jails should not be the place where many of our residents are getting the services they need.”

Especially when some of those residents are dying while they wait for them. Over a period of three weeks in late September and early October, four inmates with medical or mental health issues died while in the custody of the Sonoma Sheriff’s Office.

According to a sheriff’s spokesperson, those inmates were under the care of CFMG, which has a new, five-year contract with the jail worth at least $32 million to provide healthcare.

The county has pledged a full investigation of the cluster of deaths, and at least one local lawyer has taken note. “I am talking to a couple of the victims’ families and we are discussing options,” says Santa Rosa-based attorney Jonathan Melrod, who was at the forefront in calling for police accountability following the death of Andy Lopez in 2013. “I can’t say that much more.”

More broadly, Melrod says he’s stunned at the short-sightedness embodied in “realignment.”

“In an era of limited resources, it’s one thing for Gov. Brown to say, ‘I balanced the budget,’ but look below the surface and you are balancing the budget by dumping on the counties. Overcrowding is a huge issue, but to just force it down the chain, to the counties, it’s flabbergasting,” says Melrod.

The state prison system’s healthcare system is under federal receivership after a 2001 lawsuit found healthcare in the state system unconstitutional. In a recent Prison Legal News report critical of realignment, Nick Warner, legislative director of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, said one concern over realignment was that counties now face the same liabilities that forced the state to spend billions to remedy its prison healthcare system. The CSSA did not respond to a request for comment.

How’s realignment working out for Sonoma County and its sick inmates? The county recently re-signed a contract with CFMG that also came with a $4.73 “per diem” rider pegged to expanded inmate populations—thanks, again, to realignment.

The company gets the per-prisoner fee for any increase in the inmate population above 1,200 between the two adult lockups. The Bohemian has a public records request in with Sonoma County to determine if that per diem has been invoked.

Meanwhile, the county ratified a one-year service agreement with a company called United Forensic Services on Oct. 14. Its function, say officials, is to provide backup forensic services to CFMG, which is contractually on the hook for those services.

“My understanding was that this was a secondary agreement in the event that CFMG was unable to keep up with the caseloads,” says Carrillo.

Carrillo noted that the agreement came out of a recognition that “staffing and performance issues” had arisen with CFMG in 2012 and 2013. “We are working with them to solve this performance issue and the Sheriff’s Office pursued alternative backup resources.”

But the supplemental contract doesn’t address two troubling and potentially related facts: According to its most recent contract, CFMG does not provide an on-site physician to the jail on weekends. And: Inmate Rhonda Jo Everson was found dead in her cell on a Sunday after being locked up on Friday night.

Winter Is Coming

Since creating his first ski film back in 1949, Warren Miller (and now with his company) has kept a tradition of producing one spectacular adventure film every year—films that celebrate the spirit of winter sports and extreme mountain culture. This year, Warren Miller Entertainment presents No Turning Back, a worldwide look at skiing and snowboarding that follows dozens of top-class...
Read more

Debriefer Nov. 12, 2014

Election day has come and gone. You may have noticed that Gov. Jerry Brown won re-election, handily—and that California as a whole sort of bucked this whole national GOP trend of cheating, suppressing and bullying their way into congressional dominance. The Nation magazine noted this, in a post-election blog by Jon Wiener that was thoughtful and enthusiastic—except for its...
Read more

A Wine Idyll

The view is almost worth the price of admission at Hamel Family Wines. Arched and bristling with trees, looming darkly over the vineyards of Glen Ellen—all yellow and Halloween orange—from this vantage point Sonoma Mountain looks nothing like the lumpy pile of golden pancakes that slumbers over Petaluma. It would make a fine Badger Mountain indeed, but it...
Read more

Two Parts Rock

It seems that after ten years and six albums together, the musical duo of singer/guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber may have just hit their rock and roll stride. Last week, the San Francisco-based indie pair announced their forthcoming new album, titled Individ; and this weekend, they play a special career-spanning set in Healdsburg as part of the...
Read more

Out of Town

It's clear to those who live in the North Bay that we have a stunning number of very good theater companies, all working, fundraising, and marketing their shows, often proclaiming—with hyperbolic enthusiasm—that there is no good reason for theater lovers to ever leave the North Bay. The truth, of course, is that sometimes there is. It may be heresy to suggest...
Read more

2014 Bohemian Holiday Guide

The weather outside is delightful and except for the drought not at all frightful, but believe it or not the holiday season is upon us. And that means nearly two months of holiday fun and cheer are coming your way. To help you navigate the season and keep your spirits bright, we present our select guide to holiday fun inside...
Read more

Hungry Time

The holidays are not the holidays without good food. Here are several delicious events around the North Bay worth seeking out. Napa's Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant offers a pre-Thanksgiving wine and cheese tasting Nov. 20. The cheese and selected wines are selected to pair with the full range of turkey day food. Ten bucks gets you a tasting of...
Read more

Police Related Death

Some of you may be aware that since 2000, there have been 64 police related deaths (streets and jail) in Sonoma County. But what about before that? Almost 20 years have passed since local activists began tracking this nationwide trend. In 1995 and 1996 alone, we experienced six unnecessary deaths by local law enforcement. Then in 1997, eight more died at the hands of the police and...
Read more

Drum Solo

Damien Chazelle's much-lauded Whiplash is, at first, very forceful. Practicing at night in a thinly veiled version of Juilliard, the jazz drumming student Andrew (Miles Teller) is recruited by a dynamically sinister school orchestra leader, Fletcher (J. K. Simmons). Fletcher is posed like a black-clad super villain—he doesn't feel as if he has to introduce himself. The teacher is...
Read more

Hard Time

The shift of state inmates to county lockups is putting a strain on Sonoma County jails, in spite of a $32 million contract with a for-profit company to help shore up services in county detention facilities. The Main Adult Detention Facility in Sonoma County is like many others in the state that have been burdened by the demands of "realignment"—Gov....
Read more
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