Page 66 - Sonoma County Gazette - May 2019

Ride the Tiger
May 4 - May 6 ~ From Russia with Love - Santa Rosa Symphony with Bruno and Olga ~ Conductor Laureate Bruno Ferrandis and pianist Olga Kern. Tickets start at $24, Sat & Mon evening performances 7:30p, Sun 3p, Green Music Center, 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, 707-546-8742, srsymphony.org, tickets@ srsymphony.org
May 4 & 5 ~ Allyson Paige & Cabanijazz Project at SoCo ArtFest ~ Allyson & singer friends Annie Sampson, Loralee Christensen and Lisa Kindred. 12-3p, May 4 . Award winning Javier Cabanilla screating a unique sound 1-3p on May 5. FREE, 12-3p, Montgomery Village, 911 Village Ct, Santa Rosa, 707-545-3844, mvshops.com, artrep@sonic.net
May 2 ~ Benefit Concert for Jerry Knight’s Historic River Theater in Guerneville ~ Mad Mama and the Bona Fide Few with The Bedrockers and members of Swoop Unit will raise the roof. $20, 8p 19 Broadway Nightclub & Bar, 17 Broadway, Fairfax, 415-459- 0293, 19broadway.com
- Santa Rosa Symphony with Bruno and Olga ~ Conductor Laureate Bruno Ferrandis and pianist Olga Kern. Tickets start at $24, Sat & Mon evenings 7:30p, Sun 3p, Green Music Center, 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, 707- 546-8742, srsymphony.org, tickets@ srsymphony.org
May 4 ~ Allyson Paige and friends at SoCo ArtFest ~ Free, 12-3p, Montgomery Village, 911 Village Ct, Santa Rosa, 707-545-3844, mvshops.com artrep@sonic.net
May 5 ~ Cinnabar Singers Spring ~ Concert Featuring a mix of music in romance languages, by Ravel, Poulenc, Debussey and more. $15, 3p Elim Lutheran Church, 504 Baker St, Petaluma, 707-763-8920, cinnabartheater.org
May 12 ~ Gualala Arts and Local Eyes present The Coastal Singers Concert ~ Music with a focus on different regions in our world. $15 advance / $20 @ door, 4p Gualala Arts Center (Coleman Hall), 46501 Old State Hwy, Gualala, gualalaarts.org
May 17 ~ Analy High School Bands and Orchestra Spring Concert ~ Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Orchestra and Jazz Band. $7 Adults; $5 Senior/ Student; Under 5 Free, 6:30-8:30p, Analy High School Theatre, 6950 Analy Ave, Sebastopol, 707-824-2337, analybandwagon.org/, coordinator@ analybandwagon.org
May 17 ~ Wild Jane and The Guys at Main Street Bistro ~ Jazz Vocalist Janie Roberts with John Simon on Keys, Tom Shader on Double Bass. No cover, Tips appreciated, 6-10p, Main St Bistro, 16280 Main St, Guerneville, 707-869-0501, wildjanes.com
May 18 ~ Hibiki: Special Pre-Matsuri Festival Concert ~ A concert by Grand Master Riley Koho Lee from Australia and local Master Elliot Kanshin Kallen. $15 adv / $20 door, 7p Church of One Tree, 492 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa, 707- 575-8626, sonomamatsuri.com
May 19 ~ Soul Cafe featuring Mariachi Jalisco ~ Lively Mariachi music! Dinner benefits local non-profit 5-6:30p. Free admission! $10 Dinner/$5 Kids., 5-6:30p, Forestville United Methodist Church, 6550 Covey Rd, Forestville, forestvilleumc.org
May 24 ~ Wild Jane and The Guys ~ Janie Roberts with John Simon on Keys, Tom Shader on Double Bass. No cover, Tips appreciated, 6-9p, Gravenstein Grill, 8050 Bodega Hwy, Sebastopol, 707-634- 6142, wildjanes.com
MAY 13 ~ The Stumptown
Annual ALLWAYS ELVIS OUTTA
REHAB MAMA’S DAY SHOW. ALLWAYSELVIS shows mama the love by channeling The King of Mama’s Boys Today, Alive n’ Kicking, Just not as High. FREE 1 - 5 PM, Stumptown Brewery 15045 River Rd., Guerneville 707-540-1824
Pete Sears refers to himself as “an aging rock ‘n’ roll musician” in our
recent interview, describing the genre as “an all-encompassing form of
music, influenced by everything.” He hit the big stage in 1974, as bassist and keyboardist for Jefferson Starship. It was a utopian era of unbridled optimism, when hopes, dreams, and hallucinations merged with reality.
He’s currently a member of the local bands, Moonalice, the David Nelson Band, and the Green Leaf Rustlers with former Black Crowes vocalist, Chris Robinson.
Sears is easily identified on stage. For many years, he’s worn a fedora he describes as being shaped like an old English farmer’s hat. He denies its purpose is to cover his bald spot.
Born in England in 1948, he grew up in a neighborhood he calls “a bomber alley,” an area badly bombed during WWII. With early bands, he sometimes traveled the British Isles in a beat-up old van. In 1967, Jimi Hendrix sat in at one show for a night of “intense jamming.”
Arriving in America in 1969, Sears spent his first three months living with a friend at the beach in Venice. A management deal with radio deejay Tom Donahue brought Sears to San Francisco, where he played with one of Donahue’s bands, Stoneground. After a period of touring between the U.S. and
May 4 - May 6 ~ From Russia with Love
Photo by Bob Minkin
England, including playing on several of Rod Stewart’s earliest albums, in 1974 Sears joined Jefferson Starship at the request of Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, continuing with them until 1987.
The post-Starship years allowed him to connect with John Cippolina in founding the band Copperhead. Sears also played and recorded with Nick Gravenites. By invitation, Sears joined Hot Tuna for two nights on keyboards at Mill Valley’s Sweetwater in 1992, leading to a ten-year alliance.
Discussing the musical spontaneity of his youth, Sears says, “I feel lucky to have been part of the innovation of that era.”
He sees the ‘80s as a downward turn for rock ‘n’roll. It developed into more of a business, as musicians became intertwined with record companies who, driven by greed, controlled the airwaves and tried to change a band’s sound in a more commercial direction. Musicians often make their own recordings these days, he says, but “it’s more and more difficult for them to make a living. I don’t know where it’s going to end up.”
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Sears, who lives in San Rafael, enjoys discussing his grandchildren and
his life with the woman he married in 1975, Jeannette, who wrote lyrics for some Starship songs. They’ve collaborated on projects and music supporting environmental and human rights groups. In 1988, Jeannette wrote the lyrics to Sears’ album “Watchfire,” about human rights violations in Guatemala. The band included Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Mickey Hart. It’s one of Sears’ three solo albums.
May 25 ~ SonoMusette: The Music of 20th Century Paris Songs made famous by Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, and other iconic performers of the era. $15 adv, $20 @door, 7:30p, parismusique@sonic.net
Jun 1 ~ Gary Weiner ~ celebrating the release of his first full length album, “Released at Last”. $15 adv, $20 @ door, 7:30p-9:30p.
MUSIC cont’d on page 67
“If you stick around long enough, you play with so many different people,” Sears says. “I told myself, when I turn 70 I’m going to start cutting back, but I’m playing more than before.”
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, sebarts.org/sca-events
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