Thanks for the heads up, Monica!

Refresher #1:

Blakes brothers Snow and Garrett

Refresher #2: The Blakes – \”Don\’t Bother Me\”

Needless to say, we’re very, very excited!

KSLG 94.1 FM turned seven, and to celebrate such an occasion, they threw a party at Hum Brews. After being warned by at least one DJ that I shouldn’t say anything mean about The Monster Women, Dynamite Sweater or any of the festivities occurring that night, I decided to pay some respect to the station that I should probably be thanking for having this job and thought about it for about five minutes before deciding to do it anyway, and go for broke.

More here.

For your visual pleasure on B1:

Arts!Arcata, of course.

The magic of Thursday night karaoke in the Blue Lake Casino’s WAVE with Terrence’s commentary inside.

Plus, Humboldt Brews reopens: Read Josh Duke’s Bonus Tracks‘ review, below.

Thursday night was special to me. A coming home of sorts occurred as Humboldt Brews reopened in all its remodeled glory, ready to serve non-distilled liquid joy to massive throngs of wristband-clad revelers that scrounged to get inside before reaching capacity.

With a new coat of paint, some serious renovations, and a public outcry for a nightlife spot with some actual floor space, Humboldt Brews gave us a venue with plenty on tap, an actual stage, and a rousing band to keep the crowd guessing. But between the sticky floors, fancy lighting, and overactive haze machines, we still couldn’t ignore the fact that we were watching a band named after one of the most annoying Will Farrell characters since “A Night at the Roxbury.”

Elvis Costello once said “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” and I imagine in my mind’s eye that he must have been watching a jam band when he thought of this.

What separated Moo-Got-2 from the usual stoner jam fare is their priority in maintaining a beat and tempo worthy of cutting a rug over. But I would say they retained the basic elements of any jam band: a group of bored jazz musicians, a bass player obsessed with Jaco Pastorius, the ability to improv a single riff in at least twenty-seven ways, and then taking no less than fifteen minutes to do so for each song. And I’m not knocking them; they were the safe, non-abrasive, pastel wallpaper choice for the opening night of a trendy joint that’s not trying to be exclusionary. No one’s gonna think they’re terrible, but they’re in the position where their music can only be enjoyed under the auspices of a crowd that is there to dance.

This review would be entirely different if there had only been a crowd of four or if I were listening to their album at home. The show was good because the crowd had a good time. It was music for the masses that did what it could to pass for clever and complex. I wrestled much with how to review a band that falls in musical realm where my tolerance fails after 10 minutes of STS9, and I saw that the only way to judge a party band is to judge the party itself.

The endurance that shined through their nearly three-hour set prompted me to get a lovely bouquet of the glandular activity of Arcata’s finest, and as the humidity of the room rose ever higher, I found a nice stool to sit on and dodge the elbows of those who have no concept of the personal space they occupy.

I’m glad that Humboldt Brews is back – and hopefully for the better. I’m sure the crowd was good for business, but I will personally be happier when the night arrives when I will not have to wait in line to get in. Waiting in line to see a show was one of the reasons I left L.A. in the first place.

For every e-mail we get praising the keen wit and “fresh approach” of our Bonus Tracks columnist comes one that asks, “Is there any way to get rid of that Josh Duke?” fun@arcataeye.com.

The long-awaited renovation of Humboldt Brews has been completed, and the near-Plaza pub begins the next chapter
in its history this Thursday, Dec. 6. The Eye’s favorite jam band, Moo-Got-2 will take the relocated stage in the newly expanded room – and no columns blocking the view!

Music continues Friday and Saturday with JGB featuring Melvin Seals and David Kemper both nights.

Coming up: Compost Mountain Boys, Womama, Blue Turtle Seduction, Wolf Navarro Band, Triple Junction and a New Year’s Celebration with Ishi Dube and Massagana.