Page 66 - Sonoma County Gazette June 2019

Poet of the Absurd
By Date
Jun 7 ~ Wild Jane & Company at Main Street Bistro- Jazz Vocalist Janie Roberts with John Simon-Piano, Rob Wright-Bass, Tom Hayashi-Drums No cover, 7p-10p, Main Street Bistro, 16280 Main Street, Guerneville, 707-869-0501, wildjanes.com
Jun 9 ~ The Ernest Bloch Bell Ringers & Friends in Concert -Benefit concert for Coastal Seniors’ Meals on Wheels program. $15 Adv, $20 @ door, 4p Gualala Arts Center, Coleman Hall, 46501 Old State Highway, Gualala, gualalaarts.org/2019/06/the-ernest- bloch-bell-ringers-and-friends-in- concert/
Jun 10 ~ The Pine Needles - Acoustic band comprised of stand up bass, vocals, guitar, fiddle, and drums. Free, 7p-8p, Northwest Regional Library, 150 Coddingtown Center, Santa Rosa, sonomacounty.libcal.com
Jun 15 ~ The Pine Needles - Adult Summer Reading - The Pine Needles are an acoustic band comprised of stand up bass, vocals, guitar, fiddle, and drums. Free, 2p-3p, Sebastopol Regional Library, 7140 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 707-823-7691, sonomacounty.libcal.com
Jun 16 ~ Wild Jane & Company at Ukiah Brewing Company -Jazz Vocalist Janie Roberts with Tom Shader-Bass, Christian Foley-Beining-Guitar. No cover, Tips appreciated, 6p-8p, Ukiah Brewing Co., 102 State Street, Ukiah, 707-468-5898, wildjanes.com
Jun 28 ~ Wild Jane & Company at Gravenstein Grill - Janie Roberts- Vocals, John Simon-Piano, Tom Shader- Bass, Kendrick Freeman-Drums No cover, 6p-9p, Gravenstein Grill, 8050 Bodega Hwy, Sebastopol, 707-634-6142, wildjanes.com/
Jul 11 ~ BrightSide Blue - A Benefit Concert for Ceres Community Project - Join us for an unforgettable soul- filled performance. Proceeds benefit the Ceres Community Project. $65, 6p- 9p, Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, 209 Bohemian Hwy, Freestone, 707-823- 8231, osmosis.com
Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct, Occidental, 707- 874-9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Roy Zimmerman, a San Francisco native, speaks by phone from Madison, Wisconsin, where he’s performing. Though they live in Lake County, he and his wife, Melanie Harby, spend two-thirds of the year traveling to shows together, which he has called “entertaining the troops.”
Jun 7 ~ Roy Zimmerman - Rize up!
Photo by DC Anderson
four men). There was also the Twang, a humorous country-rock band. Zimmerman’s career spans over 30 years. All songs have been written by himself or, these days, co-written with Harby. His brand-new release RiZe-
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
His writing process begins with “a hook,” which he calls “an ironic statement, a little snatch of lyric and melody which encapsulates the song. It’s the memorable part you’re going to go away humming.”
Free art projects for all ages. Bring sketch pad and sketch the band. Free, 2p-4p
Talking in terms of a current “national nightmare,” he says he meets many people around the country who are dealing with it. “We always stress the laughter, but encourage people to come away from the show empowered, not just entertained.”
Bringing laughter and encouragement to progressive-minded people everywhere, with his trusty guitar. $20 adv / $25 @ door, 7p
“It’s a whole new political landscape, unfortunately it’s a Jackson Pollack.”
Jun 15 ~ Monica da Silva & Chad Alger: Indie Nova A Brazilian American duo incorporating Bossa Nova & international influences. $15 adv / $20 @ door, 8p-10p
Jun 23 ~ Claude Bourbon: Medieval & Spanish Blues Acoustic fusion of blues, jazz, folk, classical, international, accentuated by soulful vocals. $18 adv / $22 @ door, 5p-7p
Cloverdale Arts Alliance, 204 N Cloverdale Blvd, Cloverdale, cloverdaleartsalliance.org
Jun 13 ~ Beatles Study Group, led by Bob Lee Music Workshop series dedi- cated to the music of the world’s most celebrated pop group. Free, 7p-9p
Zimmerman’s early influences were Tom Lehrer and Phil Ochs, admiring these artists’ “attitude” and their “ability to question authority.” Coming from a conservative family, he calls these musical experiences “guilty pleasures.”
He began writing funny, topical songs in junior high, going on to form “cabaret-style
acts,” in the 1980’s and ‘90s, while performing in San Francisco comedy clubs. These groups included the Reagan Brothers and the Foremen (consisting of
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, sebarts.org/sca-events
Up, (note his initials in there), his tenth as a solo artist, includes a number of song parodies for the first time. “People get the joke right away and they’re right into it,” he says. He refers to this CD as the best work he and his wife have ever done.
Jun 1 ~ Gary Weiner ~ celebrating the release of his first full length album, “Released at Last”. $15 adv, $20 @ door, 7:30p-9:30p.
Harby once worked as a guitar tech for Joni Mitchell, while also researching and editing liner notes for two of her albums in 1996. Mitchell once said of Zimmerman, “Roy’s lyrics move beyond poetry and achieve perfection.” Lehrer said, “I congratulate Roy Zimmerman on reintroducing literacy to comedy songs.”
R and B Music Jam every Thursday. Bluegrass Jam every 2nd and 4th Monday. Both at 7 p at the Sebastopol Grange unless it is otherwise booked. Call Peter, 829-9052, to confirm Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Sebastopol Ave, Hwy 12, Sebastopol, sebastopolgrange.org/ Music Jams
One of Zimmerman’s many brilliant and hilarious songs says—“Abstain with me, baby, all night long.” This changes variously to “refrain with me, baby,” “feel the strain with me, baby,” and “be in excruciating pain with me, baby.”
Asked about incidents with hecklers, he says “occasionally I get heckled, but more often I hear, ‘I disagreed with everything you sang, but I laughed anyway.’”
Jun 23, 30, Jul 7 ~ Summer Patio Series
He says this was a reference to Bush-era official doctrine. “It’s an absurdity.
As a satirist, you’re taking the exact opposite viewpoint, and you’re stating it with such clarity and vehemence that the absurdity becomes obvious.”
SEE Page 20 for a COMPLETE CALENDAR of Summer Outdoor Concerts for FREE or less than $25.
KEEP it all SUMMER!
The Occidental Center for the Arts, which has evolved into one of the county’s premier venues, presents Zimmerman’s show on June 7 at 7 p.m.
“It’s just me and my guitar,” he says, and will include a good mix of Zimmerman classics with songs from his new CD. It promises to bring the house down.
TICKETS & Show times/dates: brownpapertickets.com/event/4226142 & occidentalcenterforthearts.org
66 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 6/19