continued from previous page ing jokes; local radio personality John Matthews will serve as emcee (usually Sherae’s job) and Drifter Killer will play a few tunes. There will be cake. “Plus,” as the birthday girl points out, “there’s booze.” Speaking of birthdays and radio personalities, Lyndsey Battle, the uke-slinging host of KHUM’s “Meet Me In The Morning” (Sundays starting at 9 a.m.), is turning 30 and celebrating with something called “Airheads: A local band takeover of KHUM celebrating 30 years of Battle!!!” If you remember the movie Airheads, the story involved the members of a rock band commandeering a radio station to get it to play the band’s new record. Lyndsey’s version is a live broadcast from Redwood Curtain Brewing with a slew of bands and solo performers including Gunsafe (apparently it’s also Stella’s birthday), gypsy jazzers La Musique Diabolique, country swingin’ Kenny Ray and the Mighty Rovers, Beatles tribute Silver Hammer, thelittlestillnotbigenough, Eel River, Kurt Vonnegut’s Orange Chicken, Colin Vance, Josephine Johnson, Chris Parreira, Todd Krider, Lela Roy, Jeremiah Wiebe-Anderson, Cory Goldman (who plays with Lyndsey) “and probably more.” All that between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Then everyone is invited to head over to the Arcata Marsh for a squirt gun fight. San Francisco-based “Americana/folk/ gypsy/jazz/rock/surf” combo The Jaunting Martyrs has roots in Humboldt, so it’s natural that the band is celebrating the release of its eponymous CD with a party Friday night at the Jambalaya. I previewed a few songs on Bandcamp — sounds great. I especially liked the ones with fiddler/mandolinist/guitarist Justine Lucas out front on vocals. Local jazz/funk/blues band River Valley Mud opens. Other grad night haps (on Saturday): Missing Link Soul Night No. 19 at Humboldt Brews will undoubtedly be off the hook. Vidagua is around the corner at the Jambalaya with DJ Gobi and special guest Madi Simmons. The Bruce and the Dancers Relay for Life Fundraiser at the Arcata Community Center has blues by Buddy Reed and the Rip It Ups and the Jim Lahman Band (for dancing). SB Lounge and Space Biscuit share a bill at the Bar-Fly Pub. Seattle’s “tropical punks” Week of Wonders play two shows Saturday, an early Placebo gig at the Ink Annex with Tabor Mountain and Blanket Ghost, then at Five Eleven with those “reverbalicious” Lost Luvs. Blue Lake is hopping with Rooster McClintock and Twist of the Python at the Logger, and Kulica at the Mad River Tap Room. There’s also neo-trad Latin American music by Quijeremá at the Arcata Playhouse.
30 North Coast Journal • Thursday, May 16, 2013 • northcoastjournal.com
And it’s Rutabaga Ball time at the Portuguese Hall with the wild and crazy Kinetic Queen Contest followed by DJ dancing with Itchie Fingaz, Marjo Lak and Pressure Anya. The Eureka Symphony closes its current season with shows at the Arkley Center Friday and Saturday. The concert includes Sibelius’ “Finlandia,” but the main feature is guest soloist, Ivana Bilic, a Croatian marimba virtuoso performing two works for marimba and orchestra: Pablo de Sarasate’s familiar “Carmen Fantasy” and a new piece, Emmanuel Séjourné’s “Concerto for Marimba and Strings.” Show up an hour before the show to hear “Music Notes” by Ron Samuels of Marimba One, an Arcata company that’s one of the world’s top marimba makers. He’ll be talking about recent marimba innovations, and I’m certain he’ll discuss the upcoming Zeltsman Marimba Festival, an international showcase for marimba players coming to Arcata from June 30 to July 13, with a bunch of performances in HSU’s Native Forum and other shows at the Arcata Playhouse. Seattle saxophonologist Skerik plays in about a dozen bands. He’s coming to play at the Jambalaya Tuesday with Bandalabra, a quartet with fellow Seattleites Andy Coe (on electric guitar), Evan Flory-Barnes (upright bass) and Dvonne Lewis (drums) that Skerik describes as “Fela Kuti meeting Steve Reich in rock’s backyard.” Pc4 opens. Wondering what to do next Wednesday? German organist Christoph Bull is at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka playing what he describes as “organ music, rock music and rocking organ music” in a benefit for the church’s summer music and arts camp. L.A.-based electro duo niceFingers is at Nocturnum for Whomp Whomp Wednesday with some of the usual WWW residents. It’s also graduation night for Va Va Voom’s Spring 2013 Burlesque Bootcamp. Prospects for spots in Va Va’s review are strutting their stuff at the Wave Lounge with Pressure/Anya playing for a dance party afterward. Gashcat and Ghost Foot, a pair of alt. rock bands from Shreveport, La., stop off at Jambalaya on a West Coast tour. (Gashcat records for Sub Pop.) And across town at the Arcata Theatre Lounge, it’s the infamous Detroit rapper Danny Brown. Described by MTV as “one of rap’s most unique figures in recent memory,” Mr. Brown has been blowing up big time lately, playing Coachella, and more recently, signing with Goliath Artists, the mega-management team that also handles Eminem and Blink-182. His “Old & Reckless Tour” (named for an upcoming album) also includes the L.A.-based crew OverDoz. Opening the show is my favorite rhyme spitter The L|A Dodger, although I have to admit I’m prejudiced by the fact that she works down the hall from me. Curious? Give her a listen at soundcloud.com/theladodger. •