It’s a heartbreaking week for artists and venues in the North Bay, with the fires still raging in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino. Electronic music pioneer Bernie Krause lost his home, all his equipment and his two cats. The Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa suffered some damage, and along with the Green Music Center and other venues, remains closed indefinitely. Same for the di Rosa in Napa, the Napa Museum, and the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center. The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma opened its doors as a shelter, but resumes programming on Friday (Oct. 13).
The Hop Monk Taverns in Sonoma and Sebastopol are canceling weekend music shows, but owner Dean Biersch says they’re still hoping to do a Sunday show with John Doe of the band X at their Novato venue, depending on air quality. The Inaugural Wine Country Spoken Word Festival is offering a special rate of five dollars for tickets to their Ghost Stories event at Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma (Oct. 13), and for their shows on Saturday (Oct. 14), with half the proceeds to be donated to fire victims and their families. Our thoughts are with you all you.
Meanwhile here’s our show, a refuge against stress, of joy through art, in the midst of tragedy, with my colleague, Interactive Producer Kevin Jones, as co-host.
