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Apples vs. Eggs
Reggae, reggae, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. That’s how it’s been in the Napa Valley, whose reggae fans have had to drive an hour or more to see the actual stuff live and onstage instead of on Vimeo. That drought is over this weekend with the introduction of Reggae in the Valley, an all-day festival of positive vibes and conscious rhythms at the fairgrounds. In what will hopefully be an annual event, over seven reggae acts are scheduled to usher in the summertime festival season. Among them are David Kirtan from Barbados, Ras Indio from Belize, Ishi Dube from India and acts from California’s own turf, including Rocker T, Mystic Roots and Midnight Sun. There’s even Napa’s own C. R. Vibes. It all goes down on Saturday, April 24, at the Napa Valley Expo Fairgrounds. 575 Third St., Napa. 4pm to 11pm. $20–$25. 707.225.5649.
It happens every year, and we can’t figure out why: Sebastopol’s Apple Blossom Festival always takes place on the same day as Petaluma’s Butter & Eggs Day. Must we Sonoma County residents be forced to choose? Both boast plenty of food, frivolity and fun, so it’s not a tough decision for the festivalgoer. Who really hurt are the kids in band class expected to march in both parades. After all, they’ve got to line up in Sebastopol for the 10am parade, march down Main Street, hop on a bus and drive to Petaluma, line up on Fourth Street, march through downtown and whew! All this in a hot uniform and sometimes lugging a very heavy instrument to boot! Let’s hear it for the kids when both festivals take place on Saturday, April 24. Main Street and Ives Park in Sebastopol; downtown Petaluma. Sebastopol parade at 10am; Petaluma at noon. Both free.
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Can’t, Shan’t, Aunt
Parsing Politics
The East Bay foursome the Shants were just taking a lazy weekend trip up to Monte Rio, that’s all. Some hiking, some barbecuing, maybe strumming some new tunes. But the magic charm of the redwoods took hold, and lackadaisical pleasures turned to musical endeavors. In a rustic cabin, the band set up some microphones and captured eight songs live, full of such immediacy that they’ve been officially released as Russian River Songs. Though now residing in Oakland, members of the Shants come from such locales as South Louisiana, Minnesota and here in California. “I figure we sound exactly like those geographies,� writes frontman Skip Allums. “Sad, lush and vibrant; bleak and windy; and sunshine and green hills.� They return to Sonoma County on Saturday, April 24, at the Lagunitas Tap Room. 1280 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma. 3pm. Free. 707.778.8776.
“Energy crisis.� “Tax relief.� “Voter revolt.� These are everyday phrases that we read in newspapers and take for granted. UC Berkeley professor of linguistics and cognitive science George Lakoff doesn’t. As the author of several books on language and politics, including the excellent Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate, Lakoff takes progressives to task for accepting and perpetuating the framework of language set forth by conservative think tanks. Take “tax relief,� for example—one gets relief from sickness, from disease, from exhaustion. In this single phrase, adopted during the Bush administration, conservatives were able to dictate taxes as a plague instead of a patriotic duty. Lakoff appears in conversation with Marin author Joan Ryan on Wednesday, April 28, at 142 Throckmorton Theatre. 142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 7:30pm. $12–$15. 415.383.9600.
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THE BOHEMIAN
04.21.10-04.27.10
35