05/28 bakotopia

INTERVIEWS! TAKING BACK SUNDAY & B-REALPHOTOGRAPHER JOSEPH GOMEZ’ LENS MANIA

BBaakkoo’’ss bbiiggggeesstt aannnnuuaallbbaannddaappaalloooozzaa iiss bbaacckkttoo bbllaasstt yyoouu iinnttoo ssuummmmeerr!!

w w w . b a k o t o p i a . c o mF R E EF R E E

MAY 28, 2009 -JUNE 10, 2009

BAKOTOPI

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BBAAKKOOTTOOPPIIAA..CCOOMM Contribute your own articles/stories/events. Upload photos.

E D I TO R ’S N OT E

Matt Muñoz,Bakotopia Editor

BAKOTOPIA 3

BAKOTOPIAOlivia Garcia Publisher

[email protected] 395-7487

Matt Muñoz Editor/Product [email protected] 395-7660

Gene Garaygordobil Managing [email protected]

Teresa Adamo Associate Editor [email protected]

EDITORIAL

STAFF

Kent Kuehl Designer [email protected]

Jaime De Los Santos Sales Manager [email protected] 716-8632

David Alanis Sales Executive

Katie Blair Sales Executive

Gustavo Carrillo Sales Executive

Angela Espinoza Sales Executive

Samantha Vilchis Sales Executive

Mark Wells Sales Executive

Marisol Sorto Office Administrator [email protected] 716-8640

P.O. Box 2344Bakersfield, CA 93303

ART

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BAKOTOPIA

It’s been a strange trip for Bakersfield's Rockin’ Roots Fest.What started out as a reggae fest with irie vibes and hacky sack has now turned into amonster of a rock show - we mean that sincerely.Promoter Tim Gardea, who always has some crazy idea rollin’ around his cranium - has

returned to give music freaks and fans more of what they want. With top notch headliners,plus some of Bakersfield’s hottest local bands, it’s bound to be another scorcher.

To give you a taste of what’s going down at this year’s party in the sun, we have interviewswith Taking Back Sunday’s Mark O’Connell, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and all of our regular fabufeatures. PLUS! Check out all the fantastic photos by Joseph Gomez.

If you were at last year’s fest, you saw the Millionaires’ show get so crazy, that wild fansalmost made the stage collapse. Well, our favorite Bako cover/party girls from the OC areback again this year - make sure you check ‘em out. They gotta lotta of love for Bako.

Oh yeah, bring sunscreen and drink a lot of water. Bako heat can put a damper on eventhe wildest punk, headbangin’ metal chick, and shoe gazing emo - so be warned.

Keep this issue close to maybe score an autograph, and stop by our Bakotopia booths -coming to the KRAB Free 4 All 2 on May 30, and at Rockin Roots on June 7!

Thanks to all of our fantastic advertisers who keep Bakotopia free for you andyours. Congrats to my son Mark and his friend Lily on your graduation - get ready for high

kiddoes! We’re all proud of you!Peace,

BAKOTOPIA 4

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Aboutthecover

By Matt Munoz, Bakotopia Editor

Photographer Joseph Gomez,what can we say?He definitely has a way with the ladies.If you’re familiar with his work making waves

around previous issues of Bako and on the Web,you know what we mean. Pretty models, and musi-cians are his photo forté, so if you need to get youract together with some good face promotion - he’s

your guy.Take our latest cover model for example - the

very lovely, Micaela Carrasco, from right here inBakersfield. Poised to be a force to be dealt with inthe modeling world, the girl’s “it” factor is off theRichter … Wow!

Thanks to Joseph and Micaela, and make-upartist Salina Marie for their fantastic work thisissue. Check out cool behind the scenes video

from the photo shoot at our youtube channel:

www.youtube.com/bakotopiaWant the Joseph Gomez photo treatment?

On the web:

www.myspace.com/josephgomezphoto E-mail: [email protected]

Photographer Joseph Gomez

Above: model Micaela Carrasco

At right: Bakersfield make-up artist SalinaMarie appliessome touch up tomodel MicaelaCarrasco duringthe Bako cover-shoot on May 15.

PHOTO BY MATT MUNOZ

BAKOTOPIA 6


By Jen Raven, Bakotopia.comContributor

BECA ... that word hasbeen thrown arounda lot, lately - and if

you’re involved in the localarts scene, you’ve probablyheard it mentioned morethan once. But do you knowwhat it stands for? Or, moreimportant - do you knowexactly who BECA standsfor? It just might be you!

Bakersfield EmergingContemporary Artists, orBECA, is a new arts organiza-tion, and an offshoot of the“Burn the Witch” movement.BECA founder and PresidentNyoka Jameson saw how muchreal progress was beingmade among the womenin our arts community, asa result of participationin “Burn the Witch” eachyear; and she decided totake that progress a stepfurther with a new club... one for the dudes, aswell as the chicks. “Notthat ‘Burn the Witch’ wasever a guy-bashing move-ment, or anything likethat,” Jameson is quickto point out.

But it has been acommunity-building move-ment. This annual eventhas given local artistsnew confidence throughteam-building, skills andpresentation workshops,and active participation within theevent itself.

Jameson is hoping to furtherbuild up this sense of community ona larger, co-ed scale, with BECA.“Activism for Artists!” is the club’smotto; and at only six months of age,this club is already extremely active,and working to build and better ourarts scene.

Working out of The BasementGallery in downtown Bakersfield,BECA holds free meetings, and allartists are welcome and encouragedto participate. But this group does alot more than just sit around andtalk. They’ve already helped to raisemoney for The Alliance by pairing upwith The Empty Space for V-DAY. Theyrepresented with their fellow artists

at Divine Fusion. And their firstevent, “Artuary,” was a smashing suc-cess.

“We’re still getting calls and e-mails from artists, asking us, whenare we going to put on another‘Artuary?’ The response from thecommunity has been very positive,”

says Jameson. Since “Artuary” in February, sever-

al BECA meetings have included freemini-workshops and lectures on top-ics ranging from hanging hardwareand artist’s statements, to self-pro-motion and business skills. The clubalso offers an excellent chance forartists to meet, catch up and net-

work.“It’s nice to have a chance to just

hang out together. Usually, we allonly see each other when we’reworking (an event),” Jameson pointsout.

At a typical BECA meeting, youcan find musicians and sculptors,painters and dancers - all in thesame room - passing out flyers fortheir upcoming events, catching upon the latest gossip, and gleaninginformation from their fellow localartists. Need a portfolio photogra-pher? Want the skinny on the bestway to fire a clay pot? Searching

for studio space?Chances are, youcan get theanswers to allthese questions,and more, just byattending a BECAmeeting.

There’s no slow-ing down. This sum-mer, Jameson hasbig plans forupcoming eventswith BECA thatinclude a plein airepainting day, fieldtrips to arts eventsin L.A. like“Cannibal Flower”and more.

“We’re going to be hostingour first group arts exhibit,‘Fields and Foreclosures,’”Jameson says. “And, ofcourse, we’re still having ourregular free meetings forartists!”

Scheduled upcomingBECA meetings andevents:

• 5 p.m., Friday, June5, First Friday

• 2 p.m., Sunday, June7, BECA Meeting

• 7 p.m., June 13,“Fields and Foreclosures”

opening reception• 2 p.m., June 20, “Fields and

Foreclosures” closing reception• 2 p.m., July 12, BECA meetingMeetings held at: The Basement

Gallery, 1532 19th St.For more information on BECA, or

for artists’ requirements for theupcoming “Fields and Foreclosures”group arts exhibit, please visit:www.myspace.com/activism4artists

BECA Beckons You!Some of Bako’s most creative forces have come together and need your support

Above: BECAPresident,Nyoka Jameson

Above: BECA teacher, Robyn Lace PHOTOS BY TODD POWERS

BAKOTOPIA 7


By MeestroBakotopia.com contributor

If you have yet to experience the magic ofDarkstar Records, now’s the time.

They will be celebrating their one-year anniver-sary June 14, starting at noon in and around thestore’s extended courtyard, across from theRabobank Arena, at 1024 Truxtun Ave. at N St.Dubbed the “Darkstar Records Birthday Jam,”thisfamily-friendly event is open to the public, and isas owner Dan Robertson says, “a thank you to thelocal music community for making this store possi-ble.”

Its quaint entryway soon takes a backseat to anaural and visual array of music and memorabiliaunlike anything this town has ever seen. It’s likewalking through a time machine or perhaps a crys-tal ball into Bakersfield’s future. Either way, it’s agreat getaway from the norm; the location, invento-ry, and overall vibe capture the essence of everymusician and music fan’s fantasy hang. This musicdreamland has been downtown Bakersfield’s realityfor the past year.

Owned and operated by the Robertson family;father Dan, and his two sons Andrew and Steven,Darkstar is home to high-quality vinyl records,music and film related books, cult films, comics,and other related memorabilia. You won’t find clut-tered aisles, dusty vinyl or 50-cent bargain bucketshere. Everything at Darkstar is top-shelf quality,and each owner is happy to talk shop about theirareas of expertise. Dan has played a part in theBakersfield music scene for more than 30 years. Along-time employee and dear friend of the lateBuck Owens, Dan has been able to build up a

large knowledgeand selection of alltypes of music, notjust country.

Stepping footinto Darkstar’sdoorway, I feel thecomfort of beingin one’s home.The Robertsonfamily definitelytreats it as

such, thus redefining“good hospitality.” It’s beyond service with

them, it’s simply an extension of their lifestyle.Between the classic cuts that play over the store’sPA, to the tapestries and rare photos of JerryGarcia and The Grateful Dead among other greats,I get an instant flashback to some of my favoriteshops in the Haight and Ashbury district of SanFrancisco.

Readers might be wondering how on earth a for-mer employee of Buck, still located in a town ofhonky-tonk origins, could successfully meld hiscountry roots with such inspiration from the BayArea. Any fan of Jerry or the Dead would know the

huge influence Buck and Merle both had on boththeir songwriting and live act. In any given night,you would hear two or three Merle Haggard songsblaring out of their earth rumbling Wall of Sound(setup by lead roadie and current Moonalice roadmanager, Steve Parish).

Thumbing through Darkstar’s selection, youwon’t only find the golden oldies, either... my lastventure into the store landed me right in front ofBob Dylan’s latest release in both vinyl and CD for-mats. Local legends, and lifelong friends of Dan,Big House also have their latest release on sale atDarkstar. Big House band members Chuck Seatonand Monty Byrom, along with other local musicoslike Matt Muñoz, Buck Owens, and Merle Haggardhave inspired Dan to always carry a good variety ofmusic. This inspired variety has also come inhandy for Dan when working his other stint as anevent MC and DJ.

There will be live music by some of

Bakersfield’s finest, and some refreshments.Surrounding businesses such as Pete’s Seats andCoffee Cottage also will remain open to betterserve the event-goers. Sound will be provided byrecording artist Lisa Bowman and recording studioowner, Paul Serpa. When asked if this will becomean annual event, Dan confirmed, “If it works well, itwill happen every year.”

This destination spot is one worth checking out,whether for a specific title, bringing in merchandiseof your own, or just a friendly conversation. Comecheck out Darkstar Records & Books and let theRobertson family offer you an experience like nonebefore.

Dark Star Records Store Hours:9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday-Saturday12 - 6 p.m., SundayOpen every holiday.Store Info: 859-0241

Bakersfield loves a party,so make plans to attend onJune 14!

PHOTO BY JOSEPH GOMEZ

Above from left: The Roberstons - Steven, Dan, and Andrew inside Dark Star Records.

Dark Star Record’s B-Day Bash

The Kern CountyHispanic Chamber of Commerce

presents

Latino Food Festival &11th Annual Menudo Cook-Off

Sunday June 7th • 11am - 6pmKern County Fairgrounds

1142 South P Street •Bakersfield, CA

$8/Advance • $10/At The DoorC H I L D R E N U N D E R 5 F R E E

Menudo Contest

Entertainment by:The “Latin Legends”

and Thee MidnitersLocal Latin Legends - Mento Buru

Mariachi Juvenil de Aztlan

El Chicano

1st Prize = $5002nd Prize = $3003rd Prize = $200

Best Decorated Booth1st 2nd 3rd Place Trophies

Food Booths • Live Entertainment • Vendor Booths • Kid's EntertainmentJalapeno & Ice Cream Eating Contest!

Tierra

For Information On Getting Your Business Involved As ASponsor or Vendor Call The Kern County Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce at (661) 633-5495

Tables 4 Fun

BAKOTOPIA

BAKOTOPIA 9


Welcome to Rockin' Roots 09!

It's back!The annual Rockin' Roots Festival is onebehemoth of a musical mish-mash ofbeats, riffs, and straight-up noise. Don'tya love it? Of course you do! That's whyyou're planning on going, or reading this

on the Stramler Park grounds, on June 7th -the day of the fest. Gates open at 11am.Bakotopia welcomes you and would like tomake sure you and all your rowdy friends

have a great time. Some of this year's highlights include theMiss Rockin' Roots contest, Pro WrestlingUnplugged, the DJ Dance Tent, and the Bro-Olympics.Over ten stages will keep your eyes and earsrockin' from sun-up to sundown. Keep themap below close so you don't get lost, butmore importantly - don't miss your favoriteband!There's something to please everyone -

Taking Back Sunday, B-Real fromCypress Hill, Anberlin, Saosin,

King Spade, Bizzy Bone, ShinyToy Guns. Of course, Bako

bands and celebs like -

Shilo, Dub Seeds, Vanity Avenue, TheCouncilmen, DJ Mikey and KRAB's Meatheadwill keep you in step all day.Last year we featured MySpace phenoms,the Millionaires - Melissa Marie, Allison, andDani on their first magazine cover as theywere about to blow-up on the scene. A yearlater, they're bigger than ever - and on thisyear's VANS Warped Tour! Congrats you crazyparty girls!Everybody be good humans and keep yourheads cool, for music is the universal lan-guage of friendship. Keep reading Bakotopia!GET A BAND SCHEDULE AT ENTRANCE, ANDUSE MAP BELOW! WILL ALSO BE POSTED AT:WWW.BAKOTOPIA.COM

BAKOTOPIA 10


By Matt Muñoz, Bakotopia.com editor

Taking Back Sunday isn’t about letting the majors killtheir DIY spirit.Returning to headline this year’s Rockin’ Roots

Fest mainstage on June 7, their return is a rebirth on afew levels. After the departure of guitarist/vocalist FredMascherino in ‘07, who left to form The Color Fred, theband’s four remaining members - Adam Lazzara - vocals,Eddie Reyes - guitar, Mark O’Connell - drums, and MattRubano - bass, are back with new guitarist/vocalist, MattFazzi.

Armed with a strong new CD, “New Again,” droppingJune 2, a hit single, “Sink Into Me,” and a newfound per-spective on band life, the quintet from Amityville, LongIsland, New York, are truly re-born.

TBS drummer O’Connell, shared some insight via tele-phone with Bakotopia into the band’s psyche and memo-ries of a hot Bakersfield summer stop, before a recentsold-out show at the House of Blues in Cleveland.

So how does it feel to be coming back to Bakers-field?

O: I have a soft spot in my heart for Bakersfield. Thelast time we were there in ‘06, I brought my bike on tour. Itwas like 110 degrees. I took my bike and rode every-where in Bakersfield for five hours, through side streets,and the main roads. I even went to Quizno’s. I had a nicelittle time by myself in Bakersfield.

You guys just hit the road, are you ready to do this allover again?

O: We were in Eddie’s house in Cleveland, I was sayinghow psyched I was. Physically, playing wise, mentally, andas a band - I’m more excited to go on this tour than I havebeen in a longtime.

You, Eddie and Adam, and have seen Taking BackSunday go through most of the band’s line-up changes -why have you chosen to keep the band going?

O: We’ve all worked so hard to get where we are.Those early CDs are like our “babies.” There have beenrough spots, and there have been times where I’ve askedmyself, “Do I wanna do this?” At the end, there’s just nopossible way I could quit. This is what I love. It’s my life,and what I know. No matter what problems we do have,I’m always willing to work through them.

It’s not easy as a musician to find other people to playwith, that you can just feel that emotion in the music, soto give that up isn’t an easy thing. I love being in thisband, and I love the music that we make.

Adam stated in your bio, that, the “band took thelongest break it ever has to learn how to be people ...”How does being on the road for so long affect yourfriendships?

O: I think it’s about being able to live your life. I gotmarried, Eddie’s married with two kids, and Adam is nowmarried with his first child. The three of us have been trav-elling together since we were about 19, so it’s been ourlife. You miss out on so many things when you’re out onthe road - family holidays, seeing your friends and yourfamily, so it was really nice to just take a long break.The first single and video to “Sink Into Me,” off yourupcoming album, “New Again,” is about as catchy as itcan get, especially when the band is kind of goingthrough another re-birth. What’s the rest of the albumlike?

O: Every song has its own personality. We chose “SinkInto me,” as the first single, because it was so right offthe bat. I showed it to my wife, I had never shown it to herbefore, and right away she started moving. “She was like,

“Oh, you never showed me this, this is like my favoritesong on the album!”

I can’t really say the album is like this or like that. Youhave to listen to it for yourself. It’s Taking Back Sunday,but it’s just like another growth in the band.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?O: You get older and you get into different things, dif-

ferent music, and whatever comes out of you comes outof you. It wasn’t a choice, these songs came out naturally.

There are a lot of bands who say, “OK, it’s time tochange and we’re gonna write this kinda album,” and itcomes out like this unnatural thing. What we did is just areal organic thing, and it just came out of us. Plus,wehave Matt Fazzi in the band now. He brings just a realrelaxed feeling and just a joy to writing songs.

We were in a tiny little room where we wrote most ofthe album together. Sometimes, someone would have ariff, and then you just take that riff and just go with it.

Most of the band’s performing at the Rockin’ RootsFestival on June 7 share a lot of your early experiences,what advice do you have for them?

O: We recorded our own demos and got the word outourselves without any help. We got our van, and bookedour own tours, back when nobody wanted to sign us. Evenwhen you get frustrated and tired of it, you gotta keep ongoing. This was our dream to be in a band, make music,and this to be our career. And we did it!

Any message for your Bakersfield fans comingto the show?

O: We’re really proud of this album. We think it’sour best album to date, so come down to ourshow. It’s going to be better than the last one!

Will you be bringing your bike again toBakersfield?

O: I didn’t bring it along this time! (laughs)

Taking Back Sunday’s Mark O’Connell has plenty ofindie wisdom to share - live at Rockin’ Roots, June7

Just Do It

COURTESY PHOTO

Above from left - Eddie Reyes, Matthew Fazzi, Adam Lazzara, Matt Rubano, and Mark O’Connell of Taking Back Sunday.

BAKOTOPIA 11

May 28, 2009

Interview: Legendary MC,B-Real, has a solo hit onhis hands - at Rockin’Roots June 7!By DJ Mikey, Bakotopia.com contributor

For Cypress Hill’s B-Real, there is no other way but tokeep it bona fide.At a time when the roots of hip-hop seem to struggle

for credibility in a music biz only concerned with bootyanthems rather than lessons in reality, B-Real’s here to re-school fans. Bringinging his groovetastic greenery to theRockin’ Roots main stage June 7, it’s time spark it uponce again.

If you’re a Bako hip-hop historian, you might rememberCypress Hill’s Bakersfield appearance in the early ‘90s atthe Kern County Fairgrounds, courtesy of local DJ/pro-moters, the Baka Boyz. Plus, it’s no secret that Cypressintroduced the blunt to b-boy style - pre Dr. Dre’s “TheChronic.”

Awarded the VH-1 Hip-Hop Honor in 2008 for thegroup’s contribution to all things hip-hop, the multi-talent-ed producer/MC has just dropped a solo set of hits(“Smoke N Mirrors,”) to keep you rollin’ away into yourgood night.

Bakotopia recently spent a few moments with B-Realvia-telephone from his LA office:

Before you formed Cypress Hill in South Gate,Califor-nia, you were in a group called DVX. How did it get start-ed and who was in the group?

B: Basically, it was Mellow Man Ace, Sen Dog, D-Funkfrom Funkdoobiest, myself and one female rapper - she’snot around anymore. But we all came from the samearea. Mellow went to start his own career, and Sen and Iwent to do our thing.

When we got our record deal, we had to come up witha different name for the group because DVX just wasn’tcuttin’ it. DJ Muggs had played us a track from the “WildStyle” soundtrack, and this old school rapper namedGrand Mellow Z shouted out this place called “CypressHill.”

Cypress Avenue was the name of the block that welived on, so we were like, “we should call ourselves“Cypress Hill?” We lived on the Cypress Avenue block, sowe just had to add the Hill and that’s pretty much how itstarted.

In 1991, Cypress Hill’s self-titled album is released.How was it coming out as a one of the first Latino hip-hop group's to hit the mainstream?

B: It was a little hard at first, but we didn’t let themlabel us as a Latino group, because we knew if we wouldhave done that, they would have only marketed us toLatin audiences. Plus, at that time - outside from the kidsin the street - there was no big demand for hip-hoprecords as far as the Latino music market.

We were just labeled as a hip-hop/rap group, andeventually, later on, people came to find that we were Lati-no. But that was later after we made our mark.

Your new album “Smoke N Mirrors” is out now now,released on your own Audio Hustlaz label. How’s theresponse been?

B: The response has been pretty good,man. Surpris-ing for me, you know what I mean, because I know we dida great record, but there’s a bunch of critics out there thatbring you down and try to de-value what you’ve done. For-tunately, we’ve been getting a lot of great comments anda lot of good reviews. You can’t please everyone, so thereare gonna be some f****d up reviews, but for the mostpart, it’s been well received.

On this album, you worked with Alchemist (DilatedPeoples), Xzibit, Kurupt and Too Short, among others.

You got reggae on one side and straight West Coast hip-hop on the other. How was it working with Damian Mar-ley and Snoop?

B: Well, with Snoop, I’ve worked with him before, andwith Damian, on two separate occasions, so there wasalready a history there and it made it easy. Snoop Dogg -with him, it’s just getting around his schedule. With Dami-an, it’s the same thing ‘cause he’s so busy. He travelsback and forth from Miami to Jamaica, and then off ontour and stuff like that.

What can we expect from B-Real on stage at Rockin’Roots June 7?

B: You know, I’m gonna try to give a live, energetic per-formance. Same as we do with Cypress.

www.cypresshill.com

COURTESY PHOTO

Above: B-Real of the mighty Cypress Hill is ready to light it up again on June 7 in Bako.

As REALas it gets

MAY 28Karaoke (Every Thurs. & Sun.)The Belvedere3090 Brundage Lane9 p.m. / 21+ / 325-2139

MAY 29Moosehead BandEthel’s Old Corrall4310 Alfred Harrell Hwy.7 p.m. / 21+ / 873-7613

Wine Tasting Imbibe Wine Bar4140 Truxtun Ave.4 p.m. / 21+ / 633-WINE

Prisioneros of LoveNarducci’s Café622 E. 21st St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2961

Elevational 406Fishlips1517 18th St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557

Foster Campbell & FriendsRandolph’s Lounge7737 Meany Ave.7 p.m. / $5 / 21+ / 615-1490

Really Big Midgetz (alsoSat.)The Belvedere3090 Brundage Lane9 p.m. / 21+ / 325-2139

MAY 30KRAB Free 4 All 2w/ The Higher, Vogue Inthe Movement, Single File,Riverboat Gambler, PilotSpeed

Brighthouse AmphitheatreStockale Highway & BuenaVista Road5 p.m. / FREE! / All Ageswww.krab.com

Marc Ford - LIVE!& SoulajarFishlips1517 18th St.8pm / $10 / 21+ / 324-2557

Tribute to Bill Gruggettw/ Deke Dickerson, RedSimpson & moreTrout’s805 N. Chester Ave.1 p.m. / 21+ / 399-6700

MAY 31The RefugeesThe Spotlight Theater1622 19th St.7 p.m. / $25 - $20 / 831-3100

Club Goddess (Gay & Les-bian) - every Sun.The Nile Bar 1721 19th St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 323 - 8575

Pato Banton & Dub SeedsFishlips1517 18th St.8 p.m. / 21+ / 873-7613

JUNE 1Alisa’s Karaoke Nation(Every Mon.)Riley’s Tavern1523 19th St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-3268

JUNE 2Mac Attack’s Karaoke (Every Tues. & Wed.)The Junction2620 Buck Owens Blvd.8 p.m. / 21+ / 327-9651

JUNE 3311 - LIVE!Fox Theater2001 H. St.8 p.m. / $35 /322-5200www.vallitix.com

Beer Pong LeagueFishlips1517 18th St.

8 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557

JUNE 4Imbibe BEER Tasting!Imbibe Wine Bar4140 Truxtun Ave.6 p.m. / 21+ / $32.50 - 2for $60633-WINE

School House Rock Live,Too!The Spotlight1622 19th St.6 p.m. / $12 - $7 / 634-0692

JUNE 5First Friday Art Walk19th & Eye streets 5 - 9 p.m. / FREE / All Ages

School House Rock LiveToo!The Spotlight1622 19th St.6 p.m. / $12 - $7 / 634-0692

“Like These Guys”Stand-Up Comedy Nitew/ John Patrick Wells,

AGENDAWHAT’S ON IT

B

BAKOTOPIA 12


661-588-0065 661-588-0065

10711 ROSEDALE HWY Bakersfield, California

B

= Highly recommended

B

Nick Rutherford, AalapPatel and Matteson PerryThe Empty Space706 Oak St. (next to Pizzav-ille)8 and 10 p.m. / $10 / 326-PLAY

Chop Tops, 800Lb Gorilla,Fatt Katt & The Von Zip-persFishlips1517 18th St.8 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557

DON’T DRINK & DRIVE!

“Refresh Rhyme Scheme”Spoken Word NightThe Basement Gallery1532 19th St.8 p.m. / 281-4752

Standing Bear Pow WowBakersfield College1801 Panorama Drive5 - 10 p.m. / $5 / Kids 10 &under free

Wine Tasting Imbibe Wine Bar4140 Truxtun Ave.4 p.m. / 21+ / 633-WINE

Prisioneros de AmorNarducci’s Café622 E. 21st St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2961

JUNE 6Hip-Hop at The Basementw/Scarub of Living LeendsNatural Movement, & more!The Basement1532 19th St.8 p.m. / $10 / All Ages

FunkyJahPunkysSilver Fox, 702 18th St.

8 p.m. / 21+ / 324-6972

Brigette Handley w/ The CouncilmenJerry’s Pizza1817 Chester Ave.7 p.m. / All Ages / $10

Scottstock '09w/ Paul Chesne, BuckShot, Grant LangstonFishlips1517 18th St.8 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557

Standing Bear Pow WowBakersfield College - alsoSun.1801 Panorama Drive10 a.m. - 10 p.m. / $5 /Kids 10 & under free

School House Rock LiveToo!The Spotlight1622 19th St.2 p.m. / $12 - $7 / 634-0692

JUNE 7

BAKOTOPIA.COM/SEEN

EVENT PHOTOS & MORE!Latino Food Fest & MenudoCook-Off w/ Tierra, El Chi-cano, Thee Midniters & Mento Buru LIVE!KC Fairgrounds1142 South P. St.11 a.m. - 6 p.m. / $8 adv. -$10 doorKids under 5 FREE! 633 -5495

“Leather Outlaw Prod.”Bako BBQ & Beer BustShriner’s Park700 S. P. St.10 a.m. - 7 p.m. / $25 /220-0299

JUNE 10Bako’s “Noche de Rumba”Salsa NightCabana Palms3001 Calloway DriveFree Salsa Lessons: 7:30p.m. /DJ Mickey Rock: 9pm 21+ / 588-5888

Beer Pong LeagueFishlips1517 18th St.8 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557

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SUNDAY, JUNE 7Rockin’ Roots Fest 2009Taking Back Sunday, B-Real, Anberlin,Saosin, Shiny Toy Guns, King Spade, DJMikey, Millionaires & MORE!Stramler Park, 3805 Chester Ave11 a.m. - ? / $29 / All AgesWWW.TIMGARDEAPRESENTS.COMPost your events at: www.bakotopia.com to be listed in our calendar!

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Q: I got pulled over and the police found a joint in my car. They gave me a ticket. What should I do?

A: Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable as an infraction. You can only get a fine and not jail time. You could just take the fine and get it over with. The court or D.A. might also offer you a counseling program, which, if you complete it, would result in the dismissal of the charges. Or you could consult with a Public Defender or private attorney to see if your rights were violated during the stop, which could result in the evidence being suppressed and the case dismissed.

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No Doubt, May 20, Rabobank.Photo by Joseph Gomez

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Carrie UnderwoodWednesday, July 22, 2009

Journey & HeartThursday, July 23, 2009

Kelly ClarksonFriday, July 24, 2009

Tim McGrawSunday, July 26, 2009

Judas Priest and Whitesnake

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

KISSTuesday, July 28, 2009

Black Eyed PeasThursday, July 30, 2009

Dave Koz & Brian Culbertson

w/special guest Peabo BrysonFriday, July 31, 2009

Country Rodeo Finals with Little Texas

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Special KRAB

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Paramore, May 20, Rabobank.Photo by Joseph Gomez

By Twinkie & Bakotopians

The following discussion wastaken from Twinkie’s Bakotopia.comblog “Do our music choices defineus?”

What do you call somebody thatlikes some pop, rap, alternative, jazz,bluegrass, mariachi and somecumbia music?

It depends on who you talk to, Iguess? What do you think? Me? Iconsider myself multifaceted. Musicmakes me happy.

Now I ask you, “Is that a badthing?” Does it disgust you that Ican dance all night at a salsa club,then two-step all afternoon at theCrystal Palace? Then rock out to yourpunk band?

What do your music choices sayabout YOU? And if you like screamo,is your personality compatible withsomebody who prefers jazz.

Here's a portion of the ongoingdiscussion…

“I think music only defines musi-cians and sometimes a musician’smusic may be defined by experi-ences, philosophies and emotions ...An influence on people can be musicof course. But I’d like to think peopleare a bit deeper than just self-definedby a band or a genre.” - thenovelist

“I am mostly a rap guy, so it doessurprise people when after listeningto song by Snoop Dogg, followed byJuan Gabriel with mariachi, If GarthBrooks had a song I liked, I wouldbump it. Marilyn Manson will neveradorn my CD case but “BeautifulPeople” is a badass song! Only youknow what you like depending on thatday’s mood.” - Japo

“I think the only way musicdefines who you are is when you

don’t know who you are. When youlet other things define you, you aren’tbeing yourself.” - AnnieLWhite

“I think music makes it easier forone random person to explore theway another random person choosesto express their perspective on life inthis world. Whether this actually pro-vides any REAL insight is an openquestion. I’ll leave that for the mar-keting execs to explain.” - Foxymoron

“My wife loves techno rave andstuff like that, but I hate it. Do wehate each other because of ourmusic choices? Of course not, thereare far better reasons why we hateeach other.” - RobShock

“I feel that music is a part of whoyou are, but it doesn’t define you.You could have a mass murderer wholoves to listen to Mozart & you couldhave a rocket scientist who loves tolisten to KORN. People make stereo-types on the type of people that lis-ten to certain music & it’s sad thatour world is easily influenced bythese stereotypes. I for one have aniPod full of the most random music.That’s how I have always describedmy “taste” in music as random.

Some of my favorites are DaveMatthews, Frank Sinatra, Boyz II Men,Janet Jackson, Green Day, LinkinPark, Metallica, Tim McGraw, The ChiliPeppers, Incubus, Stevie Wonder,Linda Ronstandt, Buena Vista SocialClub & of course the local favorite,Mento Buru. The music we choose tolisten to is just the score for our biog-raphy. It makes life a little more up-beat.” - palooka5

Start your own discussion - see it inBakotopia magazine! Start yourFREE blog today at:www.bakotopia.com

BAKOTOPIA 17


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Wild Westentertainment

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If you’re a death-metal, classical,salsero - this one’s for you!

Do Our MusicChoicesDefine Us? Rob Zombie at

Rabobank Arena. CALIFORNIAN FILE PHOTO

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