Page 62 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-19

Trans-Formation
Oct 30 - Oct 31 ~ Frankenstein ~ SSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble brings to life this thriller. $10, 7:30p, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, tickets.sonoma.edu
Nov 1 ~ New Copasetics ~ Album Release Party! Twang-ucopoia is the debut release of New Copasetics, $10, 8:30p Redwood cafe, 8240 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, 707-795-7868, newcopasetics.com
Nov 3 ~ Sonoma County Songwriters Series ~ Roots, Americana, Folk Rock No cover, 3-5p, Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St, Sebastopol, 707-823-1511, seb.org
Nov 5 ~ Open Mic with Stephen Priputnievich. ~ Use your own music or poem. Free, 6-8p, Russian House, 9960 Hwy 1, Jenner, russian-house1.com
Nov 8 ~ Folk Music ~ Music by: Mia Kaneen, Tabitha Antoinette and Karl Young. Free, 5-7p, Russian House, 9960 Hwy 1, Jenner, russian-house1.com
Nov 9 ~ TOTALLY Incorrect ~ An evening of the(twisted) songs of Tom Lehrer. $15+. 8p Russian River Hall, 20347 Hwy 116, Monte Rio, 707-243-3184
Nov 14 ~ The Night Mists Came Rising ~ Dominic Schaner, electric guitar. Free, 7:30-9p, Many Rivers Books and Tea, 130 South Main St, Suite 101, Sebastopol, dominic-schaner.bandcamp.com
Nov 15 ~ 3 Acre Holler ~ with Paul Shelasky and Cary Black. No cover, 8-10p, Murphy’s Irish Pub, 464 1st St East, Sonoma, sonomapub.com
Nov 16 -17 ~ Sonoma County Philharmonic with violinist Pierce Wang ~ By Rossini, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff. $15+, 4400 Day School Pl, Santa Rosa, 800-838-3006,
Nov 23 ~ Jai Uttal “Thanks for Giving” Kirtan and Dance ~ With Jai Uttal & Daniel Paul. $22, 7:30-9:30p, jaiuttal.com
Dec 1 ~ Joyful Noise Gospel Choir: “A Gospel Cantata” ~ Special presentation before the Tree Lighting. Free, 3:30p United Methodist Church, 6550 Covey Rd, Forestville
Weill Hall, Green Music Center, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, 707-546-8742, srsymphony.orgorg
Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct, Occidental, 707-874- 9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Oct 31 ~ Halloween Costume Bash with The THUGZ ~ $15+, 7:30-10p
Nov 8 ~ Ross Daly & Kelly Thoma: Cretan Music! ~ The modal music that Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma explore almost seems to exist outside time. $20, 7:30p
Nov 14 ~ Marley’s Ghost ~ with spot-on feel, from roots to rock, blues to bluegrass, gospel to stone country. $18+, 7:30p
Nov 17 ~ Patrick Ball: Celtic Harp & Story ~ One of the premier Celtic harp players in the world. $20+, 4-6p
Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, mystictheatre.tunestub.com
Steve Froberg grew up in East Petaluma, where he delivered newspapers as a fourth-grader on his bicycle. He traversed bike tracks in fields and swam in creeks, many of which are gone now. His dad was a law enforcement/military man for 45 years. Steve grew up with three older sisters, and had several girlfriends over those years.
Though this may sound like the American Dream, for Steve it wasn’t. He speaks of his “deep denial” about his desires to be a woman. “This has been a long struggle,” he says in our recent interview. “I knew from a very early age, since elementary school.” Steve lived with this dark secret while expanding his realm to include playing bass with garage bands and musicians like Eric Lindell, Levi Lloyd, and Spencer Burrows. He spent a long time as bassist for the award-winning band Frobeck, eight years with Volker Strifler’s band, and
two with Charlie Musselwhite.But inwardly he faced darkness, living a “doomsday scenario,” leading to two suicide
attempts, the last occurrence being four years ago. At that point, he says, “I made the decision I was either going to end it or embrace this.”
Steve officially came out as a female two years ago, then legally changed his name to Emily Rose Froberg six months later. Emily is very open in talking about her situation. It felt “very hard, awkward,” she says. Her changes created friction within the family and with lifelong male friends. A girlfriend at the time became very angry. Emily lost her job of five years with a church.
Her parents, though hesitant at first, now support her fully as “a transgender woman.” Emily avoids being stereotyped, continuing to enjoy long-time activities like backpacking and working on vehicles. At the same she says, “I try to be as feminine as possible. Everything I wear is women’s clothes.” Though her attraction now is
Oct 31 ~ Fruition ~ $15, Doors 7:30p
Nov 6 ~ Charley Crockett with Abraham
more to men, “I could be with anyone if it’s a good person.”
“Not having male levels of testosterone has been a lifesaver. That male
Alexander ~ $16+, Doors 7:30p
aggression is all gone.” She feels more accepting and sensitive, more in tune with her emotions. “I’m a much happier, positive person. The future is much brighter.”
Nov 9 ~ Corduroy ~ Pearl Jam Tribute Band, Longview ~ Green Day Tribute Band. $15, Doors 7:30p
Nov 10 ~ Alborosie & The Shengen Clan with Arise Roots ~ Sicily to Jamaica, this is real reggae music. $23, Doors 7:30p
Nov 11 ~ Portland Cello Project ~ Alt- classical group. $13, Doors 7:30p
Emily has had hormone treatments and several gender-related surgeries (“Surgery is always scary. It sucks”). Still facing several more surgeries, including on her voice, and reassignment surgery (she calls it “bottom surgery”) she explains, “I want to match
on the outside what I’ve always felt on the inside.”
Nov 13 ~ Reckless Kelly with Jeff Crosby
Emily remains a “full-time musician,”
as busy as ever, and has expanded her professional career to include guitar. She continues to play regularly with the bands Gentlemen Soldiers and Third Rail and has many side gigs. Musical friends were more accepting than old friends. “I’ve earned my place as a musician, so that was okay.”
~ Francesco Lecce-Chong conducts Ravel, Copland; Béla Fleck joins on banjo for hisJunoConcerto. Nov 2 ~ Open Rehearsal 2-4p
Nov 14 ~ Flatland Cavalry with Mitchell Ferguson ~ Reid Dillon, Jonathan Saenz, Jason Albers, Wesley Hall. $15, Doors 7:30p
Nov 15 ~ David Nelson & Electric Tumbleweed ~ Grateful Bluegrass Boys perform their tribute to ‘Workingman’s Dead’. $25, Doors 7p
Nov 16 ~ Country Roots Presents: Whitey Morgan ~ “Country music, but dirtier & more dangerous” $20+, 7:30p
Nov 24 ~ Fortunate Youth ~ w/ Mike Love & Kash’d Out $23, Doors 7:30p
Nov 27 ~ One Grass Two Grass x The Timothy O’Neil Band w/ Joshua James Jackson~Highenergy,Castringband music. $16, Doors 7:30
Most of the personal darkness has lifted. “I feel better and more relaxed not hiding. There’s no longer that internal struggle.”
Dec 7-9 ~ Mozart’s Swan Song ~ Francesco Lecce-Chong conducts Haydn from harpsichord; SSU Symphonic Chorus sings Mozart’s Requiem. Dec 7 ~ Open Rehearsal 2-4p, $10+
Gualala Arts Center 46501 Old State Hwy, Gualala, gualalaarts.org
Nov 10 ~ Nikita Borisevich, Violin & Margarita Loukachkina ~ Award- winning Russian violinist Nikita Borisevich is known for the precocious depth and sensitivity. $25+, 4p
Nov 2-4 ~ Master of the Modern Banjo
~ “What country radio would sound like” $20, Doors 7:30p
Emily will be playing with Eric Lindell at the Forestville Club New Year’s Eve.
62 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/19