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»Doin Thethe Funky Chicken:g I _____-board skills nearly match her a vocalist and her repertoireounds of PetalumaBy Patrick Lanzing eta luma may have wnstwrestling and a chicken for every pot, but a. , lively contemporary music scene is onethine this town lacks. Local bars and restaurants like the HIDEAWAY, the WILLOW BROOK INN and the AQUARIUM feature countrv music by regular house bands. But to enjoy live shows’ by name performers and the best’ of Sonoma County’s currently exciting bill of musical fare, your best direction is bevond the city limits.First stop is Cotati, where the INN Or THE BEGINNING presides as the county’s most successful showplace for sounds so diverse it would seem the only hallmark of musical taste here is variety — from the funky and frantic zvdeco of Queen Ida and her Bontemps Band and club favorite Clifton Chcnier to the folky weirdness of the Holy Modal Rounders; from Holly Noar’s political love-ins to rave-ups with Van Morrison, the New Riders of the Purple Sage or Jerry Garcia, INNkeeper Mark Bernstein usuallyoffers music six nights a week, with free admission to folk and rock auditions eachSunday and Wednesday night.To my ears, the best of the INN s regularly featured groups is the Sarah Baker Band. Sarah’s roots are in Southern Baptist church-singing, her voice is opera-trained, and her music _ thanks to her fine four-piece band — exhibits nearly all the popular influences without sacrificing a trace of her potent and still-developing talent.Baker's ke\strengths asincludes an increasing number of original songs. Judging by the large audiences whichturn out to see Sarah Baker at the INN andother clubs, her unaffected but utterly professional style may soon earn her a wider audience and national release for her just-recorded first album.Other i cal acts in the must-see” category include the David Grisman Band, an electric string band of eerily talented players who swing from bluegrass to jazz to blues to Bach. David Songbird and Smokin’ are this region s local exponents of Western Swing-style music, but their humorous style has a twist ofCalifornia sophistication audiences appre-ciate.ristlecone is a ten-piece orchestra led by guitarist Michael Chapman, which has madean impact on the area dance scene. While Bristlecone's big sound stays nearer Latin and rock than disco (which is still out offavor in these parts) their spell-bindingrhvthms are warming the dance floors at theSanta Rosa’s SUNDANCE SALOON, _ the HIGHLAND DELL, located on theRussian River in Monte Rio.After recent expansion and remodeling, the rustic HIGHLAND DELL is now in direct competition with the INN for a share of the night-time pie. Recent appearances here by Mike Bloomfield, Kingfish and Elvin Bishop have drawn large crowds and done much tobolster the club’s reputation.Sarah Baker and Bristlecone regularly play the DELL, as do the Brother Music Boogie, afour-piece rock/blues/disco fusion band led by an ambitious and talented guitarist-singerfrom Utah, Jesi Warburton. Gaining somenotice recently at the DELL are Feather,whose reggae-rock and top-forty tunelist go over well with the DELL s dance-mindedpatrons, and Lvn Rurwell and Lynx, an uneven but explosive rock band led by an almost legendary local culture hero.A favorite of all the country’s better clubs(and that list would have to include theLAGUNAFarlow Banda 1 »■ ▼ a V.4 I » » V * - 'in Sebastopol) is the Billy C . This brilliant guitarist singersongwriter was in large part responsible tor the success of Commander Cody and his Ixs Planet Airmen. His country7 feel is for real,and his intellect and drive should propel his own tight band into a spotlight of their own very soon.The LAGUNA’s entertainment tends to run toward folk and acoustic, though heavies’ like Queen Ida and Sarah Baker play there often. Kate Wolf and Don Coffin, the Cache Valley Drifters and The Perfect (’rime, BlueSage and more of Sonoma County's countryand folk players can be found here on a usual night.(Above) The Moonlighters (Below)Wolf Don Coffin(Left) Sarah BakerI lit? I vJvcii UV)UR UI turn uiuoiv ...----region is the busy Kate Wolf, a singer/The focal point of folk music activity in theguitarist who publishes her own songs, produces, records and distributes her own albums and books her own performances. Currently on tour with her husband Don Coffin to’ folk festivals in the East, Wolf need not fear her local audience will diminish in her absence, what with country radio station KVRE playing requent requests from her first album while fans eagerly await release of her next, entitled Lines on the Paper.dedicated and strong-willed ladyI pod orGr£*n*7** annual folk festival in Santawho has helped organize an annual foosa and raised more ^auses through her benefitconcerts than perhaps any other performer in the area. Now widely respected by local audiences and musicians for her independent and un-commercial approach to both her music and business, Kate has lately signed topublish and produce an upcoming album bythe bluegrass-based Cache Valley Drifters.Before the search for acoustic sounds taken us too far from the Russian River, mentionshould be made of Monte Rios \ illage [NN, the BLUE HERON INN in Duncans Mills and the FORESTVILLE INN, each of whichfeatures a fine menu and offers a varied roster of play-for-donation musicians. Somefine music can be heard at these dining places; Sarah Baker got her local start at the VILLAGE INN only a few years back. Brian Whistler, Jon Margo, Virgil Elliot, Victoria Kirby, Sam Dave and Attila are a few ofthe most-favored performers at these comfortable dinner spots.A unique diversion on the river are theoccasional special shows offered by the “tO NIDO LODGE near Guerneville. This clubgoes for a C-atskills-style supper club scene with good food, steep ticket prices and concerts by well-known names such us the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, Rose Maddox, Johnnie Ray and Liberace. Call for information on upcoming shows and make your reservations early — the special offerings atthe RIO NIDO LODGE are unavailableanywhere north of San Francisco except Tahoe, and are consistently sold out well inadvance.At the BOTTLING WORKS in the far-flung little community of Cazadero, impromptu sets by Collins and Levine and other talented drop-ins are enhancing their bar’s reputation as the place where musicians come to socialize and be among friends.(Left) Wild 'n Wooly(Above) BrotherLast stop on our tour of the Russian River entertainment spots is SEBASTIAN’S, located five miles east of Guerneville on River Road, the main route back to Santa Rosa. SEBASTIAN’S has recently featured local country-flavored acts like Michael Beargrease, Duvalland Silverado.Expanding its influence as a top-flightmusic club is BRENTANO STREET, located just off the 101 freeway in Santa Rosa. Themusic here tends toward jazz and folk and recent appearances by bigger-name talent like blues-harp genius J.C. Burris are drawing more attention to the little-advertisedclub.The SUNDANCE SALOON, on MendocinoAvenue downtown in Santa Rosa, leans almost exclusively to rock and dance music, with Bristlecone and the funky-country of the Wild and Woolly Band, both popular andregular draws. And the MANDALA CAFE, abusy vegetarian restaurant around the corner, shares much the same roster of stand-up talent as the river restaurants.Eastward, the Valley of the Moon just bevond the village of Glen Ellen, the GRIST MILL’s dowmstairs room is featuring hot acts like Bill Kirchen and the Moonlighters (another Commander Cody spinoff), Sarah Baker and Tommv Thompson, a biker favorite who is reputed to be one of the best — ifleast ambitious — rocleblues guitarists in thenation.Located in a charming complex of shopsand green space, the GRIST MILL is housed in a structure over a hundred years old that was used as a distillery through Prohibitionyears. Billy C. Farlow, Collins and Levine and other top area performers are finding that the GRIST MILL’s dark and intimate ambience and prominent stage make it agreat place to entertain.Back to Petaluma, and westward to theCoast, music seekers will fine a fine time awaits them at the MARSHALL TAVERN, where fine musicians from Jerry Garcia s and Jesse Colin Young’s bands come to jam.Southward, just over the Marin County line, is the quietly successful RANCHO N1CASIO, which last year featured talent like Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Garcia andNorton Buffalo. This is the place to have a great dinner, see and hear the best musicians at close range and dance on the same floor with Marin’s well-heeled yet mellow musicalaristocracy.SATURDAY AUGUST 6, 1977 FUNFINDER 17
Newspaper Details
San Rafael Independent Journal
San Rafael, California, US
Sat, Aug 06, 1977
Page 61
Full Page
Clipped by
Samuel H.
USA 28 Sep 2022
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