‘m hereby announcing a Mac McCaughan tribute band called SuperMo that features Mark Weiss on not quite tuneful vocals, Steve Rothblatt on congas, and an assorted and rotating and non-repeating cast of other not quite melodic or rhythmic side peoples, funicular if not exactly fun or funny — the name references Glasgow Rangers vs Celtics kind of thing, Alan Black, tranispotting — I’m from Frisco, yo.
Mac’s new song reminds me of Michael Fracasso Patty Griffin jam from yesteryear. I mean 2004 not 1962. It’s zero snub. All in. dig it all. Ones and Zeros. Us vs Nigeria.
I’m somehow confusing vincula or vinculum for funicula funiculum for no reason other than the true fact that Hershel Yatovitz of the rock bands Black Dog and Chris Isaak once used this term when he would come over to my apartment at 400 Vallejo near Cafe Trieste in North Beach and give me guitar lessons and I said my phone number was 3, 9, 8, 3, 9, 8, 3
I just got word that a Jenny Scheinman project has been announced for onsale at Stanford Live Arts, for January, 2022. It’s called “Kannapolis” and is a performance piece that combines live performance of written and improv music in reaction to a set of archival footage from North Caorlina 100 years ago called “Kannapolis”. I think, from the video that promotes the event, that the show might include Jenny Scheinman on violin and voice, Rob Gjersoe on guitar and Robbie Fulks on banjo. I saw the trio play their own songs or Robbie’s music at Chicago and Springfield, IL in summer, 2009. Jenny was scheduled as part of a project with Allison Miller to play Mitchell Park Community Center El Palo Alto room in March, 2020 — it was the first of 10 events cancelled due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile I am happy to announce a bit cheekily a collaboaration that is slightly hypothetical that would include the meeting of Jack Tuttle, renowned music teacher and family band leader and Aleta Hayes of Stanford. Aleta, Terry, Steve, Aleta’s mother and I all caught Sullivan Tuttle, Jack’s son, with AJ Lee Blue Summit at the Amaranta Gallery a house concert that is not really a house its a chapel last week. Jack will be giving Aleta some fiddle lessons, and I am predicting that, at least here in the parallel universe Plastic Alto that they will record or perform together some day soon. Aleta is mostly known for dance, singing, drama and teaching – -she was recently named a Senior Lecturer in Dance at the presitigeous Stanford University – but she also plays or played or will play the fiddle. The collaborator for Jenny’s piece, Finn Taylor has made a couple indie films I’ve seen and I think, not to gossip, that he once dated Noe Venable. Who made a portrait of Alex and Elliot, my brother’s small dogs, long gone. Dig?
There are also seven female soccer players from Stanford including a couple with peninsula prep ties, plus Maddie Price the former Menlo High sprinter, competing for Canada.
Just as a skateboarder sees a new plaza with benches and steps and thinks its a skatepark, when I hear tell of a new arts center in East Palo Alto, EPACenter at 1950 Bay Road, I think concert series in and around the facility. Stay tuned.
Part of the purpose of the concert series is to draw attention to the excellent exhibit the black index running concurrently
NOTE: LA DONA APPEARS LIVE IN PALO ALTO SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021 AT MITCHELL PARK BOWL, 600 EAST MEADOW DRIVE, PRESENTED FREE BY EARTHWISE PRODUCTIONS — ADVANCE TICKETS AT EVENTBRITE
This is an idea I had at the art center the first is Queene Amirian 1908 1988 she was a founder of the Art Center, Palo Alto citizens for a cultural center which opened in 1971. The second is a young photographer who was on the cover of the weekly self portrait of Emma Sloan which I’m guessing is about 60 years later.
edit to add, less than a week later: I met Sloane The subject of the self-portrait above outside of a Café in Palo Alto; Sloan says that Cal Arts is the next step in Sloan’s development as an artist. Sloan is a graduate of Gunn whose parents may have graduate from Paly if I got the story correct. I guess I should get straight whether I need the “E” or not. Close enough for the Internet. Did I mention that Sloan was a winner of $500 and the Palo alto weekly photo contest and also besides having to work published is on display at the art center in the conference room near the Blach index exhibit. Met a woman named KREMER who said that she’s a Castilleja grad and one of her photos was also in the exhibit.
As a journalist turned concert promoter, I am quite often pitching stories to writers, not exclusively about my own shows. And a lot of my booking ideas come from print sources like the Chronicle, the Mercury, the New York Times the online Los Angeles Times, Downbeat or The Rolling Stone.
As I am waiting for my on-sale for my first concert in 17 months, it is reassuring that jazz scribe Andrew Gilbert profiles convincingly Cecelia Cassandra Peña-Govea, pka La Doña, who performs at the Palo Alto Art Center 2 PM Saturday, August 7 for EarthWise productions my company. The article is pegged to her free larger show Saturday 1 PM Yerba Buena Gardens near the San Francisco Museum of modern Art. I will be there passing out hand-bills, although it’s possible my show will be already sold-out by then. I sent Andrew Gilbert notice of my show (which is a subtle pitch for publicity or to promote my artists) around midnight, Tuesday and 24 hours later I noticed the online version, then got up today, and Duffy and I walked to Mac’s Smoke Shop to buy the hard copy. Terry for whatever reason likes to throw away all my clippings and tear sheets.
I approached Dr. Jacob who was trying to read a Rob Reid novel and pitched him this story. Even with the billions of social media users I still believe a lot of artist development is word-of-mouth and person-by-person.
Viva La Doña Y sus cuates. Buddies can you spare, dime, talkin’ bout a revolution. Whisper . This is my 3,052nd post –not all is about music, or maybe it is.
edit to add: I went back to the coffee shop and shot another picture, this time focused on the artwork in the form of art-knots made by Windy Chien, the former owner of Aquarius Records on Valencia in San Francisco.
And1: Steve, Duffy and I are off to see Robert Glasper at Frost.
NOTE: LA DONA APPEARS LIVE IN PALO ALTO SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021 AT MITCHELL PARK BOWL, 600 EAST MEADOW DRIVE, PRESENTED FREE BY EARTHWISE PRODUCTIONS — ADVANCE TICKETS AT EVENTBRITE
OK I will admit they’re only four of the preceding 20 Photos are actually art or detail of art that can be found in the excellent art exhibit the black index at the Palo Alto Art Center through August 14 that is to say for about another month. The rest are free associations that as I was scrolling through my phone looking for actual art my fingers were compelled confusedly perhaps to click or tap or touch or choose.
edit to add:
RE HUMPHREY:
Today, the California Supreme Court upheld Californians’ fundamental right to pretrial liberty in a unanimous decision in In re Kenneth Humphrey. In their decision, the court found that California unconstitutionally detained Petitioner Kenneth Humphrey by setting a bail amount without considering his ability to pay or considering nonmonetary alternatives.
In the three years since his release, Humphrey has satisfied every court mandate and thrived. “I am pleased other people will have the same opportunities I had to change their lives and they will not have to wait in jail for years because they are too poor to pay bail,” Kenneth Humphrey said.
The Court declared that California’s pervasive practice of requiring money bail in most cases is unconstitutional and that courts must consider all non-monetary alternatives to detention. While the Court did not rule on the process for denying bail, it reiterated past federal precedent in United States v. Salerno that “liberty is the norm, and detention prior to trial or without trial is the carefully limited exception.”
“Today’s decision will go a long way toward eradicating wealth-based human caging from our society,” said Alec Karakatsanis, Founder and Executive Director of Civil Rights Corps. “The police, prosecutors, and bail bond companies who benefit from pretrial human caging are working hard to ensure that any system that replaces this money bail system reproduces its harms; however, today’s victory provides us much needed energy as we continue our fight for basic liberty and for returning people to their families and communities.”
“Today’s historic decision affirms that people like our client Kenneth Humphrey, who bravely fought for his pretrial freedom, can no longer be locked up in jail simply for being poor and when they pose no threat to public safety. Mr. Humphrey’s success while out of custody shows what can happen when we invest in people, not cages, and my office is committed to continuing to push for changes that will result in more fairness and equity for all Californians,” said Mano Raju, Public Defender of San Francisco.
The case originated in 2017 when Humphrey was kept in jail because he was unable to pay the $350,000 bail set after his arrest. The San Francisco Public Defender along with Civil Rights Corps represented Humphrey in the subsequent appeals process.
and1:
EDIT TO ADD: NOTE: LA DONA APPEARS LIVE IN PALO ALTO SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021 AT MITCHELL PARK BOWL, 600 EAST MEADOW DRIVE, PRESENTED FREE BY EARTHWISE PRODUCTIONS — ADVANCE TICKETS AT EVENTBRITE
La Doña y Sus Cuates at Stern Grove opening party, June, 2021
After 17 months of silence, Earthwise Productions is roaring back with a free concert by La Doña, also known as Cecilia Peña- Govea, or La Doña Y Sus Cuates — her buddies. The show will be Saturday, August 7 at Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, at 2 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Friday for the free event on EventBrite.
NOTE: EVENT MOVED TO MITCHELL PARK BOWL, 600 EAST MEADOW STREET
All persons must have their ticket, in advance. For those who do not use the internet but can read this post, please call (650) 305-0701 for reservations.
I’ve produced a handful of events at the art center but this show is unique in that as a matinee the attendees will also be able to see the art exhibit, which in this case is called “The Black Index”. The exhibit has a social conscience purpose, and artwork by a group of artists including Lava Thomas. I would say that Cecilia Peña Govea, pka La Doña is also activistic in her music; not sure how the art exhbit and the concert affect each other beyond the fact that I am the producer of the event and both music and art (and social consciousness) affect me. (If you are a male and you go into the rest room of the Palo Alto Art Center, there is a blue sticky note I put a week ago above the sink that says “LAVA” which refers to the artist and is also the Spanish word for “wash”)
La Doña is also playing a free show at Yerba Buena gardens this Saturday, June 17 at noon and has festival and club dates coming up in Austin, Chicago and Brooklyn. She has a new single or a set of songs in the ranchera style coming out this week as well. Chica, GO!
And(ale): The show with La Doña at Palo Alto Art Center is actually part of a series:
Saturday, July 31: Scott Amendola Philip Greenlief Duo; Motoko Honda opens
Saturday, August 7: La Doña Y Sus Cuates;
Saturday, August 14: David James Trio featuring Beth Custer and Al Williams. Just added: Vetiver, trio.
All shows 2 p.m. — reservations required. One ticket per customer. Fijate.
Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss 