eye street entertainment / 2-7-13

BY SUSAN SCAFFIDIContributing writer

Giuseppi Verdi and RichardWagner dominated themusical world of 19th cen-

tury Europe, particularly theopera world. The two composersnever met, and they couldn’thave been more different as peo-ple or as musicians. Nevertheless,they had one thing in common —they were born in the same year,1813.

Classical music directors theworld over having been waiting— impatiently — for 2013 toarrive so they could do theunthinkable: program Verdi’s andWagner’s music on the same con-cert program to celebrate bothcomposers’ bicentennial birth-days.

“They are the alpha and omegaof musical expression,” said Bak-ersfield Symphony Orchestraconductor John Farrer.

The BSO is joining the party,with a program dedicated to bothcomposers’ music Saturdayevening at the Rabobank Theater.

“There was very vigorousdebate among musical peopleduring the 19th century whetherVerdi was ‘the one’ or Wagner was‘the one,’” Farrer said.

Each composer was heraldedas the exponent of his nationalart and character. Verdi and Wag-ner were both associated, at leastsymbolically, in the unificationmovements of their respectivecountries.

Verdi, whose operas were con-sidered the ultimate expression ofthe Italian style, was noted for hisdeeply emotional romances,expressive orchestration, beauti-ful melodies and immediatelyaccessible, memorable arias, orsolo songs, that soon becamepart of the popular culture.

Wagner sought to create a newartform for German-speakingpeople, his own amalgamation ofmusic and drama that would helpcreate a new German spirit, evena new mythology for the newlyunited German-speaking people.His operas were noted for their

deep psychological component,epic proportions and endlessmelodies that eradicated the linesbetween arias, recitatives andensemble pieces.

“In Verdi’s operas, and mostoperas, once those arias are over,(the music) stops, there is a cleardemarcation,” Farrer said.

Farrer said Wagner’s approach,to let the music unfold withoutrest, was radical.

“You can imagine the effectthat had on the audience the firsttime they heard it,” Farrer said.“It was just revolutionary.”

The first half of the concertprogram will be dedicated toVerdi, with excerpts from three ofhis operas — “La Forza del Desti-no” (“The Force of Destiny”),“Aida,” and “Luisa Miller.”

The second half of the concert,dedicated to Wagner, includes theprelude to “Lohengrin” andexcerpts from Wagner’s famed“Ring Cycle” — Wotan’s farewellfrom “Die Walkure” (“TheValkyries”) and the “Entrance ofthe Gods into Valhalla” from “DasRheingold” (“The Rhein Gold”).

The performance will feature anumber of soloists active in theLos Angeles area. Soprano TeresaBrown will perform the roles ofLeonora and Aida; mezzo-sopra-no Peabody Southwell will per-form the roles of Amneris andFricka. Baritone Roberto Gomezwill perform the role of Wotan;tenor Gabrielo Reoyo-Pazos willsing the role of Loge. SopranosSusan Mohini Kane and ShannonKauble, and mezzo-sopranoGeeta Novotny will sing the roles

of the war maidens Woglinde andWellgunde and Flosshulde.

“The whole point is to cele-brate their birthdays, and by put-ting them on the same program,to let the audiences see howgenius expresses itself,” Farrer

said.Jerome Kleinsasser will deliver

a lecture about the two com-posers and the music on the pro-gram at 7 p.m. The lecture is free,but seating is limited, so earlyarrival is recommended.

Eye StreetEditor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail [email protected]

Composers together at lastBicentennial of Verdiand Wagner themeof symphony concert

18 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, February 7, 2013

IndexSylvia Browne .......................................... 20Art from the heart .................................... 21Arts Alive .................................................. 22Scott Cox .................................................. 23Our Words — Our Books .......................... 23The Lowdown with Matt Munoz ............ 24OLPH Mardi Gras .................................... 25Calendar .............................................. 30-31

Bakersfield Symphony— Verdi and Wagner BicentennialWhen: Lecture 7 p.m.; con-cert 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Rabobank Theater,1001 Truxtun Ave.

Admission: $34 to $50; stu-dent tickets, half price

“They are the alpha and omega of musical expression.” — Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra conductor John Farrer on Wagner and Verdi

AP FILE

Giuseppi Verdi’s operas wereconsidered the ultimate expres-sion of the Italian style.

AP FILE

Richard Wagner sought to cre-ate a new artform for German-speaking people, his own amal-gamation of music and dramathat would help create a newGerman spirit.

SHELBY MACK / THE CALIFORNIAN

Violinists from the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra play at Bright House Networks Amphitheatre in September.

Thursday, February 7, 2013 The Bakersfield Californian 19

Eye Street

BY MATT MUNOZCalifornian staff writer

[email protected]

Art Laboe has built a careerfollowing the hearts ofmusic lovers around the

globe.As the beloved host of one of

radio’s longest-running musicdedication shows, Laboe’s syndi-cated “Killer Oldies” — whichbroadcasts Sunday evenings onBakersfield station Hot 94.1,KISV-FM — has inspired legionsof fans to get their groove on withthe sounds of peace, love andsilky soul.

Today, after more than 50 yearsin the entertainment business,Laboe continues supplying thesoundtrack to the perfect lovers’holiday through his Valentine’sSuper Love Jam series, whichmakes a return to RabobankArena Saturday night.

“I enjoy it,” said Laboe, 87, dur-ing a phone interview from hisoffice in Los Angeles. “There’s alot of love going across thosestage lights both ways. I don’t letit go to my head and always try tobe the same guy I’ve been sincethe beginning.”

A tireless showman, Laboe stilloversees his empire of radio andentertainment-oriented ventures,including his record imprint,Original Sound, which specializesin vintage music reissues on vinyl

and CD. Among the label’s mostpopular releases are Laboe’s best-selling “Oldies But Goodies”series, featuring many of the hitshandpicked from his early yearsbroadcasting live from Scriven-er’s Drive-In in Los Angeles.

“Before rock ’n’ roll, it was allballads: Frank Sinatra, Bing Cros-by, Doris Day and those people inthe mix. Kids began bringing mesongs, mostly rhythm and bluesartists like The Dominoes, JackieWilson, Ray Charles and LittleWalter to play. Then along comesElvis and Jerry Lee Lewis like atremendous tidal wave, and therewas no stopping it. The kidswanted it, and there I was right inthe middle of it all in 1956.”

Laboe recalls many afternoonsat Scrivener’s like a crazed sockhop with overstuffed cars,screaming teens and plenty ofwild dancing.

“It caught on like a forest fire,and there I was riding the surf ontop of it, because I was the firstone to play all that music outhere. Here was this program inthe afternoon. Nobody had everyheard anything like it. Live withkids laughing, honking theirhorns, going from car to car talk-ing to them and getting theirrequests. Some from the estab-lishment, but I didn’t let it get anyworse than it was. They thoughtthe music was going to corruptthe youth. Looking at today’sstandards, it was pretty clean.”

Though the scene has changed,Laboe’s ability to remain timelessowes much to his penchant forkeeping up with the needs of hislisteners, inspiring, for instance,the introduction of his first musiccompilation years ago.

“I remember being with a girl-friend, trying to be romantic andget somewhere and all of a sud-den the music would stop on theold record player. She’d hit me inthe ribs with her elbow and say,‘Go fix the music.’ So I’d have towalk across the room andchange the stack of 45s droppingone at a time. Eventually it’sgoing to run out of music. Thena lightning flashed in my mind,‘All of these people with thesesongs on 45, should have themon album.’

“When I left her place, I went

back to the radio station anddubbed a bunch of songs I likedonto a tape. I thought about get-ting permission from all theserecord companies to put them allon one record and pay them forit. It worked, and the rest is histo-ry.”

Like his favorite mix tape,Laboe has assembled a cross-sec-tion of love-song lovin’ artists forSaturday’s show in Bakersfield:Heatwave (“Always and Forever”);GQ (“I Do Love You”); Peachesand Herb (“Reunited”); Blood-stone (“Natural High”); The Origi-nals (“Baby I’m For Real”); Sly,Slick and Wicked (“Confessin’ aFeelin”); Barbara Lewis (“HelloStranger”); Eddie Holman (“HeyThere Lonely Girl”); The Fuzz (“ILove You for All Seasons”); andMC Magic (“Lost in Love”).

“Oldies but goodies don’t haveto be from the ’50s. We releasedthe first LP compilation in 1959,and those songs were only 5 or 6years old. You gotta rememberthat with teenagers a social lifebegins in junior high school, sosongs that are 5 years old tosomeone that is 18 just seems like

a long time ago. It’s the sametoday. A singer like Akon or AliciaKeys has been making songs formore than 12 years now, butthat’s a long time ago to somekids. If you come to our shows,they’re really all ages.”

Laboe has plans to publish abook about his life in radio, withchapters filled with recollectionsabout everything from his friend-ship with Elvis Presley, keeping awatchful eye on a young, girl-crazy Ritchie Valens and more.

“There aren’t a lot of peoplestill around that can say they sataround and talked to Elvis. That’sa great thing to be able to dothat.”

Art of love: Jamsets V-Day mood

Art Laboe Valentine’sSuper Love JamWhen: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Rabobank Arena,1001 Truxtun Ave.

Admission: $27.50 to 37.50plus service charge

Information: 852-7777 orticketmaster.com

DJ reflects on his rolerock ’n’ roll’s evolution

Art Laboe interviews rock ’n’ roller Ricky Nelson at Scrivener’sDrive-in in Los Angeles in 1957.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ART LABOE

Art Laboe helped popularize theconcept of the mix tape after amakeout session with an oldlove ended when the music did.

BY CAMILLE GAVINContributing writer

Human history began with the tellingof stories. It’s something scholarsrefer to as oral interpretation — a

recounting in words and music of whereone’s ancestors came from and what theyhave done.

Master storyteller Charlotte Blake Alstonof Philadelphia will demonstrate that tradi-tion as part of the local Harlem andBeyond program Tuesday evening at BealeMemorial Library.

In an exchange of emails, Alstonexplained how she became a professionalstoryteller, musician and singer after

devoting nearly 20 years as an educator.“I learned about the West African oral

tradition while I was still teaching,” shesaid. “Storytelling was one of many tools Iincorporated to engage children, and tobring history and literature alive.”

During that time she became interestedin tracing the origins of folktales she readabout in children’s literature.

“Most were stories translated out of theirlanguages into English by western folk-

lorists or missionaries,” she said. “Ibecame curious to see if I could find earlierrecorded versions of those tales and that’swhen my journey began.”

So in 1988 she made her first trip toSenegal, where she found that storytellerswere still performing the ancient tales.

“One evening while dining al fresco at arestaurant by the sea in Dakar, a youngman sat down on a low cushion and begansinging and playing an instrument with aheavenly, harp-like sound,” she said. “Itwas my introduction to the kora and itshistoric role in the recounting of history.We were mesmerized. It was then that Ibegan to (do) research and learn moreabout the tradition of the griot.”

In West African countries, a griot (pro-nounced gree-oh) is a name for a person

Pull up a seat and she’ll tell you a story Family Storytelling ConcertWhen: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Beale Memorial Library, 701Truxtun Ave.

Admission: Free

Information: 868-0745

Master practitioner usesoral tradition of W. Africa

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLOTTE BLAKE ALSTON

Master storyteller Charlotte BlakeAlston will be part of the local Harlemand Beyond program on Tuesdayevening at Beale Memorial Library.Please see STORIES / 26

BY MATT MUNOZCalifornian staff writer

[email protected]

The classic image of the headscarf-wearing gypsy fortune teller may bepopular in Hollywood, but it’s not

welcome in the world of Sylvia Browne.Introduced to American homes as a fre-

quent guest on “The Montel WilliamsShow,” Browne remains one of the mostsought-after celebrity mediums. She offersadvice on just about everything, includingrelationships, and delivers personal mes-sages from loved ones who’ve passed on.

Though she has legions of fans, skepticshave been known to challenge her publicly— and Browne is not one to back down,either from an argument or request forspiritual services.

She’ll allow folks at Eagle MountainCasino to judge for themselves whethershe’s the real thing when she stops for aone-woman show this weekend.

“Honest to God, I’ve been in this all mylife. I don’t know what to call it,” saidBrowne, 76, when asked how she prefers tobe addressed during a recent phone inter-view. “I’m getting to the point that I wantto be known as a ‘spiritual teacher.’ I don’tknow why, but ‘psychic’ sounds as bad as‘fortune teller.’ We have so many nuts run-ning around that you don’t even wannatell people. Through my whole life, I’vetried to clean it up and it hasn’t done a bitof good.”

Browne maintains a solid schedule ofyear-round public appearances and book-

signings, while tending to connectionsmade through her website, which attractsmillions of visitors a day seeking counsel-ing.

“I don’t sleep a lot. I try to answer all myquestions, or at least try and get to themwithin a week. I just got through close to 50on paper, letter questions, and I’ve done 10readings over the phone, then a couple ofinterviews.”

Browne (whose real surname is Shoe-maker) credits her grandmother, Ada Coil,a noted Kansas City medium, with helpingguide her through the earliest paranormalencounters of her youth.

“When I knew people that were going todie, I would see their faces around me.Well, that was a horrible thing. Thank Godmy grandmother was still alive, becausewhen I told her how horrible it was, shesaid, ‘Then, just ask God to remove that.You’ll know when people are going to die ifyou want to, but you’re not going to seethe physical manifestation.’ That’s what Idid, and it went away.”

Browne said her gifts continued todevelop as she grew into adulthood, as dida deeper understanding of her abilitiesbased on both supernatural and scientificresearch.

“When I was around 19 or 20, I remem-ber getting into a crowd of people and justbeing bombarded with messages: This oneover there was getting a divorce, this oneover there was having terrible stomachproblems, and finally I just had to narrowmy light. In other words, I tried to pull mysoul light in closer to my body. Because,you know, we’re very vibratory. We’re actu-ally electrical beings. We can chart that onthe EEG devices that we’re electrical. But Ithink that our electricity can be pulled in.”

Browne’s foray into the realm of psychicreadings began in 1974. Along the way, shedeveloped a rabid group of loyalists,including TV talk show Montel Williams,who featured Browne on his show during“Sylvia Wednesdays.” During her nearly 17years of appearances on Williams’ show,Browne would take questions from audi-ence members on a variety of topics.

There also haven detractors, namelyauthor and skeptic James Randi, who sawBrowne as the perfect target for his studiesand reports meant to debunk the paranor-mal. The two would spar regularly onnational television.

“Everybody has skeptics. You can let thatrule your life or deal with them. People aregoing to love you, or they’re going to hate

you. It’s so silly. Everybody has a right to dotheir own thing. I don’t know why theydon’t leave us alone. Of course, they’re allatheists anyway. I don’t give a darn aboutthem. I really don’t.”

Browne’s advice to those who think they,too, might have the gift is to not be afraid.

“Everybody’s born with a gift. I used tosay that all the time. Interviewing smallchildren, it’s unbelievable. But it getsdrummed out of them over time. It’s like Ialways used to say: All of us were born witha cellphone from God, but somehow wedropped it.”


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Is a trip to psychic in your future?Sylvia BrowneWhen: 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m.Sunday

Where: Eagle Mountain Casino, 681 S.Tule Road in Porterville

Admission: $25 to $35

Information: 559-788-6220 oreaglemtncasino.com

Casino hosts medium famedfor connecting to other side

PHOTO COURTESY OF SYLVIA BROWNE

Celebrity psychic Sylvia Browne appearsat Eagle Mountain Casino this weekend.

“I’m getting to the pointthat I want to be knownas a ‘spiritual teacher.’ I

don’t know why, but‘psychic’ sounds as bad

as ‘fortune teller.”— Sylvia Browne


Eye Street

BY STEFANI DIASCalifornian assistant lifestyles editor

[email protected]

Although the city is just coming off aparticularly strong First Friday, twoshows opening this weekend prove

that Bakersfield has enough talent to cele-brate art more than once a month.

On Friday, artist Christine McBrideopens her show, “Deliverance,” a movingcollection highlighting her battle withbreast cancer, at nXCaffe CoffeeClub &ArtHouse, while Christina Sweet revisitsher past in “Curiouser and Curiouser,”opening Saturday at The Empty SpaceGallery.

Although McBride said her collectionisn’t entirely focused on her health, shesaid her journey — marked by a milestonecheckup — has greatly influenced herwork.

“I met with my oncologist and my testsare clean. I’m a true survivor because I'mat the five-year mark. ... (But) you’re alwayslooking behind you. You get the diagnosis,but you always have this monkey on yourback.”

Even before being diagnosed with breastcancer in 2007, McBride suffered a numberof maladies, including autoimmune dis-eases like rheumatoid arthritis and inter-stitial cystitis. After being hit by a cyclistwhile leaving a salon, she went on disabili-ty.

Undergoing cancer treatments, includ-ing a bilateral mastectomy, the artist livedin a “chronic state of pain of stress.”

But coming out the other side hasallowed her to revisit her art, which hasbeen a lifelong passion.

“The experience of painting came froma different place (as a youth) than it doesnow. It’s a cathartic process. ... What iscoming out on my canvas is my lifestory.”

That story can be boldly depicted, such

Artwork gets inside creators’ mindsWomen open door to theirinspiration at showcases

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EMPTY SPACE

The title work of Christina Sweet’s exhibit, “Curiouser and Curiouser,” which has anopening reception at The Empty Space’s gallery Saturday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINE MCBRIDE

“Masectomies” by Christine McBride.Her exhibit, “Deliverance,” opens Fridayat the nXcaffe Art House.

Please see ART / 29


Eye Street

When Willy Wonka waslifted from the pages ofthe popular children’s

book “Charlie and the ChocolateFactory,” he emerged as the titlecharacter on a theatrical stageand in movies.

On Saturday at Harvey Audito-rium, a large cast made up ofboth adults and children willpresent Bakersfield Music The-atre’s version of “Willy Wonka.”

And director and choreogra-pher Shay Brandon Burke saidthe BMT production will be dif-ferent from other productions,particularly in the area of costum-ing.

“Kathi Lowri designed andmade the costumes,” Burke said.“We didn't model (the show) afterthe movies or other productionsbut tried to create our owndesigns based on the actors play-ing the roles.”

I asked Burke if Willy Wonka(Justin Thompson) would appearon stilts or as a tall stick figurestanding on an actor’s shoulders.But the director was keepingmum about how the eccentricowner of the candy factory wouldlook.

“Our Willy Wonka is nothinglike Johnny Depp or GeneWilder,” he said. “I can't say toomuch since the first sight of himin the second act is a theatricalsurprise.”

He was willing to talk about theOompa Loompas, however. Thesedelightfully named round-bodied,small-statured workers from aplace called Loompaland areplayed by children.

“We have 43 students fromOLPH (Our Lady of PerpetualHelp) as the Oompa Loompachorus and 14 additional childrenas featured Oompa Loompas,”

Burke said. “It’squite

impressivewhen all57 camecrawlingand danc-

ing acrossthe stage.”

Another scene he thinks theaudience will enjoy is the sight ofGrandpa Joe (Randy Jelmini) andCharlie (Ethan Simpson) floatingabove the stage after drinking aconcoction called Fizzy LiftingDrink.

This is the only public perform-ance of “Willy Wonka,” thoughthere will be a total of three per-formances for schoolchildren.Burke explained it was designedas a “Kids Go to Theatre” pro-gram. The first such show was onWednesday, the second is today,and the final one is on Tuesday.

BMT-Stars artistic directorBruce Saathoff said children signup through their schools if theywant to see the show.

“To my knowledge the studentspay nothing to attend,” he said.“The (school) district pays or cor-porate sponsors or some combi-nation of the two.”

Puppet theaterLike many folk tales, “The Fish-

erman’s Wife” is a story with amoral — namely, it doesn’t pay tobe greedy. Or as it might be statedin contemporary times, be carefulwhat you wish for.

In this case, it’s about a womanwho asks an enchanted fish forseveral material things, each onemore elegant the last, and thenbegins to ask to be elevated to ahigher position in life.

It begins when a poor fisher-man lands a large fish that asks

the man not to let him diebecause he, the fish, is actually aprince who can grant wishes. Thefisherman goes home to his shab-by cottage and tells his wife.

At first she asks for a betterhouse. When this wish is grantedshe continues to ask for biggerand better things.

Ultimately, she ends up backwhere she started.

Omnipresent Puppet Theatrewill present two performances ofthe tale using its speciallydesigned oversized puppets atGaslight Melodrama on Saturday.The shows are suitable for pre-school age and older.

Playwright classesA series of nine bi-weekly class-

es for amateur playwrights start-ed on Jan. 25 and continuesthrough April 25 at the PineMountain Club in the Lebec-Fra-zier Park area.

It’s still possible to sign up, saidBarbara Ladin, publicist for thegroup. One class has already beenheld but spaces are available andnew attendees can catch up at themeeting on Saturday.

Judith Cassis, author of “WhenLife Knocks You Down — GetUp!” is the leader of the work-shops.

The author’s instruction will befocused on helping writers under-stand the dynamics of the 10-minute play.

It’s also hoped participants willconsider entering their complet-ed script in a contest sponsoredby the Center of the World Festi-val, an organization based at PineMountain.

“Our actor volunteers will beon hand to read the plays aloud,giving the writer the kind of real-world feedback that really helpsthe creative process,” Ladin said.“Our sincerest desire is that thewriter will not only find this classfun and informative, but that theywill take their creation and enterit for consideration into thisyear’s competition.”

For submission guidelines, goto cowfest.org.

The workshops are funded by a$1,500 grant from the Arts Coun-cil of Kern.

McCracken book signingIn a pre-Valentine’s Day event

local contemporary artist AlizaMcCracken will autograph herlatest book, “A Life of Love” onSaturday at Russo’s Books.

Like her previous books, thecurrent one features inspirationalthoughts along with her colorfuldrawings. An exhibit of her art-work will also be featured.

McCracken said a portion ofthe sales from her books, artworkand boxed greeting cards willbenefit local educational pro-grams.

Jen Bowles exhibits in NYCAn exhibition that opens today

at Agora Gallery in New York willfeature the artwork of Jen Bowles,who majored in art at Cal StateBakersfield and was a featuredartist in The Californian’s EyeGallery art series in 2007.

Bowles, now employed as a carrental agent at Jim Burke Ford —but still making art whenever shecan — said the gallery contactedher last year after coming acrossher work while searching theInternet.

“They asked me to submit my

Need a sugar rush?Try ‘Willa Wonka’

‘Willy Wonka’When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Harvey Auditorium,1341 G St.

Admission: $20; $10 stu-dents


‘The Fisherman’s Wife’When: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.Saturday

Where: Gaslight Melodrama& Music Hall, 12748 JomaniDrive

Admission: $6


Mountain PlaywritingWorkshopsWhen: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-urday

Where: 16331 Askin Drive,Pine Mountain Club

Admission: Free


‘A Life of Love’ booksigning and art exhibitWhen: 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Russo’s Books, 9000Ming Ave.

Admission: Free


‘Degrees of Abstraction’When: 6 to 8 p.m. today

Where: Agora Gallery, 530West 25th St., New York, N.Y.

Admission: Free

Information:212-226-4151

Camille Gavin CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

GO & DO

Camille Gavin’s “Arts Alive”column appears on Thursday. Write to her via e-mail at [email protected]

Show veers a bit fromDepp, Wilder movies

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER BECKMAN

The Oompa-Loompas sing a song about the dangers of watchingtoo much television in “Willy Wonka.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEN BOWLES

“Lost in a Dream” is a work by Jen Bowles, who has an exhibitionthat opens today at Agora Gallery in New York.

Please see ARTS / 29


When author Richard Jeanty began his writingcareer in 2002, he presaged a modern renais-sance of American authors of African descent.

“When I first came on, there were very few of us,” Jean-ty said. “But then there was this explo-sion of writers.

“Everyone seems to have a story totell.”

Six prominent authors will presenttheir stories Feb. 16 at the BakersfieldMuseum of Art in a first-ever event calledOur Words — Our Books, sponsored byRusso’s Books and the Kern County BlackChamber of Commerce as part of BlackHistory Month.

“A lot of times, publishers overlook Bakersfield becauseof Fresno and of course Los Angeles,” said event coordi-nator Jason Frost, who works at Russo’s.

Frost said he sent out about 20 invitations to authorsand was able to land first-time author Kennedee Dove,whose book, “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right…It MakesUs Even,” has been gaining a lot of attention.

“The other (authors) have been around for a while andthey’ve all written a ton of books and have made animpression,” Frost said.


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The Bakersfield Music Theatre and it’s cast of wonderful adult actors

present Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Don’t miss this fun and whimsical production!

Itook my wife to see Styx the othernight, which is totally differentfrom saying that I went to see Styx

the other night. The truth is, I’ve never been a huge

Styx fan, but my wife has been forseveral decades, and it was her birth-day, so off to the Fox we went.

We made it to our (excellent) seatsabout 10 minutes into the openingband’s set. They were a strikinglygeneric hair band. I couldn’t helpthinking that they looked and sound-ed more like a “Saturday Night Live”skit about a rock band than an actualrock band. Not my cup of tea, but hey,my wife seemed to be having a goodbirthday. So far so good. Plus, I wasfresh off a couple of beverages at thePadre before the show, so I was feel-ing pretty open-minded.

A few minutes after they left thestage came that favorite concertmoment: when the band mem-bers dramatically take theirplaces in the dark, and every-body braces for the first notesfrom an epic rock band. “TooMuch Time on My Hands.”Woo!

Now, I’m not gener-ally given to sponta-neous fits of nostal-gia, but I was rock-

eted back to 1979 in a heartbeat. For amoment there I could feel my hairgrowing back. Again, I was there as anobserver more than a fan, but ifthere’s one thing I love, it’s musician-ship, and Styx has that in spades. Any-body who can achieve that level ofvirtuosity can hold my attentionalmost indefinitely.

On the way home, I realized that Ireally miss album-oriented rock. Kidstoday have little or no concept ofwhat that means: Entire groups ofsongs written and performed to beplayed together.

Nowadays, people just downloadwhatever is the big hit of the day.These bands from the album era werebetter because they had to be.Albums these days are generally just abunch of filler surrounding theattempted “hit” song.

The other thing that left mefeeling pretty smug was thetalent of the musicians of“my” era. Every generationthinks that the bands theylistened to were the best,but in my case, I can back

that statement up. Therearen’t a whole lot of

modern musicianswith the chops that Iheard the other

night from a bunch of old-timers.These guys have been doing this for awhile now, and they still bring a veryimpressive degree of energy andshowmanship to the stage everynight. They could easily retire, andlive like sultans on the income fromtheir publishing alone, but they’re outthere on the road, tearing it up onstages all over the world. I say bravo,Styx.

Upon further review, I’m really gladI went. The band was great, the soundcrew did a stellar job, which theyalways seem to do at the Fox. My wifehad a great birthday, and I learned tobe less snotty about ‘70s prog-rock.Mostly I got a reminder of what realmusic sounds like. Come to think ofit, Styx would’ve made the Super Bowlhalftime show infinitely better, butthese days we don’t want music; wewant strippers backed by lots of bass,dancing and lasers.

I didn’t spot anyone under 30 atthis show, so maybe the young peopleare all just unaware. Their loss. But,hey: The next time an actual bandcomes to town, kidnap them and takethem. Who knows, maybe we canbring back album rock. A guy candream.

Now I’m off to see if Pink Floyd isstill touring.

Styx — yes, Styx! — goodlesson for today’s pups

Scott Cox CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST Black authorsseeing anotherrenaissance

Our Words — Our BooksWhere: Bakersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R St.

When: 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 16

Admission: $10; includes a $10 voucher toward thepurchase of any author’s books; available at Russo’sBook and Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce.

Please see HISTORY / 29

Jeanty


Eye Street

Bakersfield will play host to acouple of cool winter showsthis weekend that offer a

glance into two different youth-oriented music scenes.

First up is Los Angeles poppunkers The Dollyrots, a bandwhich, after years of toiling onthe indie tour circuit as the open-ing, opening band, scored amajor coup after their song“Because I’m Awesome” waspicked up by Kohl’s for use in amassive back-to-school ad cam-paign.

And that was just the begin-ning. Before long the band wasfeatured on an episode of “UglyBetty” and the film “Sisterhood ofthe Traveling Pants 2.”

Those are just two of manyadvertising and licensing dealsthe band has scored over theyears, thanks to a willingness togo, go, go, according to guitaristLuis Cabezas.

“We’ve done up to 150 shows ayear depending on if we have arecord out or not, but typically100,” said Cabezas, speaking fromthe home of Dollyrots’ bassistand vocalist Kelly Ogden. The twowere preparing for their latesttrek, which makes an early stop atB Ryder’s on Friday.

“We don’t like to take a day offand play mostly six

to seven daysstraight,”Cabezas said.“Our friends in

Bowling for Souptold us, ‘If

you’renot

playin’, you’re payin.’ It’s thetruth. Touring is expensive. We tryand stay and busy.”

The sound of the Dollyrots,which formed in 2000, is bestdescribed at its core as pop punk.Cabezas has become accustomedto hearing the band’s name asso-ciated with groups like The Ataris,Simple Plan and New FoundGlory, among others. But even asmany of those bands have scaledback their careers for fewer showsor just dropped off the planet,The Dollyrots have kept at it,working year-round whether thegenre is considered in or out withlisteners.

“The definition of pop punkchanges over the years. Whatused to be considered pop punkisn’t what it used to be. TheRamones were pop punk.Paramore is not pop punk. Youshould have some awareness. Ithas to have some elements ofclassic rock ’n’ roll,” he said.

Signed to Joan Jett’s Blackheart

Records in 2004, the bandreleased two records under theguidance of Jett, who gave themstreet cred with punk purists. Theopportunity also provided Ogdena chance to bond with one of theworld’s most iconic female rock-ers.

“Meeting Joan Jett was some-thing that really helped medecide to stay true to who I was,”Ogden said.

“I’d like to set a good examplefor young girls who want to be ina band. Stay true to what youwant to do.”

After leaving Jett’s label twoyears ago, the group decided totake a risk by planning their fol-low-up recording around a Kick-starter crowdfunding campaign.They raised more than $33,000,four times their original goal of$7,500.

“We were completely shockedby the support we got,” Ogdensaid. “We know there are peoplethat like our band, but we only

see pockets of them on tour. Ithink people are a lot happierputting their money directlytowards a musician or someonethey support, but, man, were wefocused on making a good record.Bands don’t have to rely onrecord companies anymore, butyou have to be a lot more creativenow.”

Released in September, TheDollyrots’ self-titled CD doesn’tstray far from previous offerings,with the signature chug-chugstyle and catchy melodies thegroup is known for. Fans of theRamones will once again findplenty to eat up.

“We learned a lot from Joan Jettwhen we were on her label,”Cabezas said. “She sticks to whatshe believes in, what she lovesand what she’s good at. She’sabout being true to rock ’n’ roll.That’s what we wanna do.”

Before leaving to resume load-ing up their home on wheels,Ogden shared an open invitationfor their Friday show Bakersfield.

“If they know the music, theyknow there’s going to be goodsongs delivered in an off-kiltered,

rock show style. It’s not necessar-ily perfect, but it’s a good, sweatyrock ’n’ roll show.”

Friday’s showtime is 9 p.m.with opening act The Aviators.Admission is $5. All ages admit-ted. B Ryder’s is located at 7401White Lane. For more informa-tion, call 397-7304.

Hey Ocean at Jerry’s PizzaGuaranteed to bring some

much-needed sunshine to Bak-ersfield is pop trio Hey Ocean,who roll into Jerry’s Pizza on Sun-day.

Holed up a tiny Eugene, Ore.,hotel room at the time of ourphone interview, guitarist DavidBeckingham described their jour-ney south as just another steptoward discovering as much ofAmerica as they can over the nexttwo months.

“People respect you more ifyou build things up organically,”said Beckingham, sounding opti-mistic about the band’s promo-tional tour in support of their lat-est record, “IS.”

“I’m still gauging what the U.S.

Want punk and pop?Yeah, we’ve got that

The Lowdown with Matt Munoz

Matt Munoz is editor of Bakotopia.com, a sister website of The Californian that devotes itself to promoting Bakersfield’s art

scene. Matt’s column appears every Thursday in Eye Street.

Weekend showscover both genres

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DOLLYROTS

The Dollyrots appear Friday at B Ryder’s. Pictured above from left:Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HEY OCEAN

Canadian pop trio Hey Ocean appear Sunday at Jerry’s Pizza. Pic-tured from left: Dave Vertes, Ashleigh Ball and David Beckingham

Please see LOWDOWN / 27


Eye Street

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THE OFF-BROADWAY SENSATION COMES TO BAKERSFIELD!

BY MIRANDA WHITWORTHContributing writer

Take a trip to New Orleans without leav-ing your own backyard as Our Lady of Per-petual Help transforms the Kern CountyFairgrounds into a scene from BourbonStreet, with a family-friendly twist.

The 38th Annual Mardi Gras Celebrationtakes place Sunday, a benefit for the OLPHcampus and parish facilities.

Event chairwoman Deborah Leary islooking forward to the pre-Lenten partythat she said brings together campusalumni, current students and parishioners.

“Everyone knows that Mardi Gras time isthe time to be at the Kern County Fair-grounds. We have attendees that comebecause they know they will see peoplethat they only see at our celebration.”

While Mardi Gras is usually associatedwith wild behavior and adult-only festivi-ties, Leary said the local celebration isabout bringing everyone together.

“This is generational. We have peoplewho sit on our committee who went toOLPH when they were children. For me, Iwent to OLPH, my children went to OLPHand my grandchildren have also attended.This is for the whole family.”

Vendor booths, entertainment and plen-ty of snacks will be on hand, with a specialsection packed with fun attractions forkids. Face and hair painting, a fishingpond, carnival games and crafts will beopen for children while adults can partakein the traditional activities and deliciouseats for which the celebration is known.According to Leary, some of the biggestdraws are the ones that tickle the taste buds.

“The Knight of Columbus will have theircake walk. That’s always a favorite. Theyhave been out there with us since it began,and the cakes are all homemade. Everyonelooks forward to that.”

If taking a chance on a cake walk is toorisky for those seeking sweets, there’sanother homemade option: Cream puffswill be offered for sale.

“We always have a wonderful group ofladies make them and this year it’ll theOLPH faculty,” Leary said. “The recipe hasbeen passed down for generations and wehave people who come to Mardi Gras justto get them. They are wonderful.”

A barbecue steak or chicken dinner withbeans, salad, roll and dessert will be forsale from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets will besold at the door.

Proceeds this year are earmarked for thecampus and parish facilities, specificallyan increase in security for students and theparish grounds.

“We have children here from 6 a.m to 6p.m. with kids as young as preschool all theway to eighth grade,” Leary said. “With allof the recent activities going on around thecountry, we just want to make sure theyare protected.”

Mardis Gras: All the fun,without all the sinCatholic school back withfamily-oriented tradition

Our Lady of Perpetual HelpMardi Gras CelebrationWhen: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Kern County FairgroundsBuilding No. 3, 1142 P St.

Admission and parking: Free

Steak or chicken dinner: $17; $7 forchildren; tickets for dinner available atthe gate.



Eye Street


Tom Rigney and Flambeau are com-ing to town, just in time for MardiGras. The Cajun-zydeco band will

perform on Monday evening as part of thisyear’s Bakersfield Community ConcertAssociation season at the Rabobank The-ater.

This is a busy time for Flambeau, withback-to-back concert appearancesthroughout the Mardi Gras season. Rigneyand his band — guitarist Danny Caron,pianist Caroline Dahl, drummer BrentRampone and bassist Steve Parks — are allveteran musicians with considerable per-formance credits, including stints with thebands of Charles Brown, Queen Ida,Clifton Chenier, Maria Muldaur and manyothers.

And while the musicians make their liv-ing playing the music of the MississippiDelta, they all made their reputations inthe Bay Area in the American roots musicscene.

Rigney, a California native, was alreadyan established fiddle player when he gotthe Cajun bug and got a call from famedaccordionist and bandleader Queen Ida,who was living in the Bay Area.

“Ida was a friend of mine,” Rigney said.“She needed a fiddle player for a six-weektour.”

“She called on a day when I wasbetween bands.”

Rigney said after that tour, he was“hooked” on the music of the Delta.

“I would say the rhythmic intensity, theeffect it had on the dancers, that reallyhooked me,” Rigney said.

Soon after, he started the first of severalbands, and began creating his own versionof the music.

“I was going to take a lot of ingredientsof that and make it my own,” Rigney said.“I’ve always been someone who’s bor-rowed elements wherever I’ve found them

and made them into something of myown.”

With Flambeau, Rigney has created whathas been called “musical gumbo.”

“The music is an eclectic blend of a lotof American roots music styles,” Rigneysaid. “Zydeco, Cajun, New Orleans music,rhythm and blues.”

“You might also hear Western swing,country, boogie-woogie, rock,” Rigney said.

Underlying the various styles are theessentials of Cajun and zydeco — dancemusic in the forms of two-steps, shuffles,waltzes and ballads.

“The Cajun music comes out of theLouisiana French Cajun culture of south-ern Louisiana, and the zydeco comes fromthe Black Creole and blues music,” Rigneysaid.

“We use elements of both,” Rigney said.“We’re more Cajun than zydeco, but it’shard to separate the strands.”

The group mixes original tunes withtheir own versions of such classics as “Jam-balaya,” “Drivin’ That Thing” and “Houseof the Rising Sun.” Whatever styles emergein a performance, Rigney said one thingthat’s consistent is the passion in theband’s work.

“I think (the audience) is always sur-prised by the variety and the passionateintensity with which we play,” Rigney said.

Pro-rated season tickets are on sale atthe door and are good for this and theremaining three concerts in the season.

Cajun-zydeco getsMardi Gras goingRoots music aficionado gets‘hooked’ on delta music

Bakersfield Community ConcertAssociation presents TomRigney and FlambeauWhen: 7:30 p.m. Monday

Where: Rabobank Theater, 1001 Trux-tun Ave.

Admission: Available at the concert,$60 for adults; $30 for full-time col-lege students; $20 students throughhigh school.

Information: 205-8522 or email [email protected]

whose job it is to tell about and maintain apeople’s history.

The kora, one of several instrumentsAlston plays, has with 21 strings.

“My primary instrument is my voice,”she said, adding that any musical instru-ments she brings to a concert dependsupon her mode of travel.

“If I fly I generally carry my kora (and) inthat instance, I pray a lot,” she said. “Bag-gage handlers, non-temperature controlledcargo holds and large, delicate, hand-madeinstruments do not always make for ahealthy combination.”

Alston has no idea how many stories shehas in her repertoire. She doesn’t readfrom a script either.

“In terms of memorization, I know thestories, I have lived with most of them for along time,” she said. “That means I may

not necessarily tell them exactly the sameway each time. I do have to memorize ifI’ve written a story in rhyme and verse.”

Harlem and Beyond coordinator BrendaScobey said hosting Alston’s appearancehere is a high honor. She holds two hon-orary doctorates and received the Circle ofExcellence Award from the National Story-telling Association.

Alston has given performances in suchdiverse places as the Kennedy Center, theSmithsonian Institution, the Kimmel Cen-ter in her hometown of Philadelphia, theWomen of the Word Festival in Cape Town,South Africa, in prisons and detention cen-ters, and a refugee camp in northern Sene-gal.

The event is sponsored by the Bakers-field African American Read-In Commit-tee, Harlem and Beyond Planning Com-mittee, and Kern County Library.

STORIES: CONTINUED FROM 19


Eye Street

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music scene is like, because all I know iswhat it’s like at home.”

Also featuring bassist David Vertesi andvocalist Ashleigh Ball, Hey Ocean is big intheir native Canada, where Ball also worksas a prominent animated voice-overactress. Parents and kiddie cartoon afi-cionados may be familiar with some of herwork in “Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!,” “Bar-bie: The Princess and the Popstar,” “MyLittle Pony,” “Friendship is Magic” and“Bratz.”

“Ashley flies back and forth all the time.She’ll rejoin us back in San Francisco. Whatwould the kids do without her?”

Sweet-toothed and crafted to pop radioperfection, there’s a lot to like about HeyOcean’s music.

They’re nothing like fellow CanadianJustin Bieber, whom Beckingham prefersto keep out of the equation; instead HeyOcean has more in common with the alt-rock brilliance of Metric.

(And let’s not forget Arcade Fire, whosesuccess in America the group wouldn’tmind following.)

“That’s a huge thing to aim for, butthere’s so many good bands coming out ofCanada right now. We just want to conveythings through our music that resonatewell with people, because they can seethrough everything.”

One fan who saw potential for the groupin the States was Kiss bassist Gene Sim-mons, who joined scores of music scoutsinterested in getting a piece of the Canadi-an music boom.

“Gene was looking for a few bands fromCanada to work with and asked if we

would put on a show just for him, whichsort of speaks of his ego-maniacal ways.We halted our schedules, but the onlything we could do is book an early openingslot with a punk band in a very small clubin Vancouver. It was actually pretty funnyand even weirder for the punk band whenwe asked them. Gene showed up, took usto dinner and told us what he liked anddidn’t like.”

The situation became even moreuncomfortable for the band when Sim-mons put them in the studio to record ademo of Janis Ian’s 1970’s teen dramaanthem, “At Seventeen.”

“He was obsessed with that song. It’s abeautiful melody but doesn’t really fit us.We’d also found out he’d tried having amale artist record it, which was, again,really weird. While we were recording hesaid, ‘Dumb it down and stop singing.’ Atone point, I think he said, ‘Like a retarded12-year-old,’ which was really offensive.Ashleigh got really drunk and sung it slop-pily, and he was like, ‘Perfect, that’s whatI’m looking for. You gotta dumb it down forthe people.’”

Months after parting ways with Sim-mons, Beckingham said today they stillfind themselves questioning if that experi-ence actually happened.

“That whole situation was so bizarre, butyou shouldn’t expect anything less fromGene Simmons.”

Doors open at 6 p.m. Sunday. Admissionis $10. Show is all ages. Also appearing arebands Arizonity, Streetside Vinyl andAutumn Breeze. Jerry’s Pizza is located at1817 Chester Ave. For more information,call 633-1000 or visit loveheyocean.com.

LOWDOWN: CONTINUED FROM 24

BY HANNAH DREIERThe Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — A newly announced “Star Wars” sequelwas on everyone’s mind when J.J. Abrams took the stageWednesday at a Las Vegas video game conference, but hemade only a sideways mention of the film he has beenhired to direct.

The reference was a throw-away joke from his last fran-chise reboot. The director played a scene from his 2009“Star Trek” film to illustrate the importance of embroider-ing films with subtle details, and freeze-framed on a shotof a familiar “Star Wars” robot peeking from space junk.

“So they’re looking at all the debris that’s out there, andcuriously, it’s R2D2,” he said, drawing a roar of laughter.

Gabe Newell, president of video game developer Valve,shared a stage with Abrams at the Design, Innovate, Com-municate, Entertain Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel &Casino.

“So now I have to go back through your movies lookingat all the debris to figure out what movie you’re going todirect next?” Newell asked.

Abrams has given die-hard fans few clues about hisvision for the seventh live-action “Star Wars” film. He wasannounced as its director in January.

The Sin City appearance left fans of The Force hunger-ing for more insight.

“I’d love to know who they’ll focus on, what character,how far in the future it will be set, things like that,” saidSadierose Schwartzmiller, 19, a comic-book creator whowon her ticket to the event in an art contest.

Abrams has made a name for himself as a trusted stew-ard of beloved fantasy universes, directing well-receivedadditions to the “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible”franchises.

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas opened the door tothe latest round of spin-offs when he sold his Lucasfilmempire to The Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion last fall.The company is planning three sequels and two peripher-al movies focusing on characters.

“Episode VII” is tentatively scheduled for release in thesummer of 2015. Last month, Abrams told a group of

reporters that he wanted to make sure the sequel was“something that touches people.”

On Wednesday, he did give his audience of nerds andgamers one revelation when he announced his intentionto collaborate with Newell — the man behind the hitgames “Portal,” “Half-Life” and “Counter-Strike.”

“There’s an idea that we had for a game that we’d like todevelop,” he said.

Fans wanted more information on that, too.“If they would reveal even the genre,” said Kellen Small-

ey, 32, a gamer. “If they would bring what J.J. does withstories to the ‘Star Wars’ games, it would be very fun.”

Abrams’ development company, Bad Robot Interactive,has released apps related to his movies. Newell said hiscompany would like to work with Abrams on a movieadaptation of “Portal” or “Half-Life.”


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MARCO DELLA CAVAUSA TODAY

One day last fall, a heated debateraged on the Paramount Studios L.A.set of NBC’s “Community” overwhether two actors could do a weirdrobotic dance while handing over acontainer of stale chip dip.

“I think the dip dance reallyworks,” insisted Danny Pudi, whoplays nerdy Abed, one of the sevencommunity college study-group palswho anchor this fan-beloved but rat-ings-challenged sitcom (averaging 4.4million viewers last season). PleadedAlison Brie, who plays Annie, “Weworked so hard on it.”

Director Tristram Shapeero sighed,then relented. At “Action,” Pudi, Brie,Yvette Nicole Brown (who playsShirley) and Donald Glover (Troy)started gyrating like deranged pen-guins. Only Chevy Chase (Pierce)stood immobile as cameras rolled.His look: What the heck is going on?

What the heck, indeed. On the onehand, this scene represents business

as usual for a show that’s defined byits quirky characters and surreal setpieces. On the other, things couldn’tbe more off-kilter for Community.

Last spring, creator Dan Harmonwas fired after leaking a scathingvoicemail from Chase. In October,just as “Community” was due to kickoff Season 4, NBC hit a half-yearpause button. (The show finally sur-faces for the season 8 p.m. tonight)Then in late November, with two of13 episodes left to shoot for the sea-son, Chase quit.

The cast’s optimistic mantra is “sixseasons and a movie.” And series starJoel McHale says he’s shooting for “12seasons and a theme park.” But atthis point, a Season 5 would be asmall miracle.

“It may be ridiculous, but we havefaith” the show won’t be canceled,says David Guarascio, who executive-produces the show with Moses Port(both are veterans of Happy Endingsand Just Shoot Me). “But I kind ofwish we could just put out all 13

episodes at once, Netflix-style.” Hedoesn’t rule out trying to keep theshow alive if network execs kill it. “Itseems the more niche the outlet youhave, the more freedom you have togive your rabid fans what they want.”

“Community’s” calling card isunabashed strangeness. Where elsewould characters turn into anima-tion, disappear into a video game or,as tonight, stage a “Hunger Games”battle over a class about ice cream?

This season, there’s a Halloween-themed visit to Pierce’s creepy man-sion, a Thanksgiving family feud atShirley’s house, and a showdownbetween Jeff (McHale) and his long-lost father (guest James Brolin).

“We have one foot in old TV andone in a TV world that hasn’t yet beendefined,” says Gillian Jacobs, whoplays Britta.

“Fans create sites about our show,live-blog it, tweet it. We have a youngviewership that’s not casual, andthat’s a crowd executives and adver-tisers should want.”

Quirky, underrated ‘Community’ struggles

JAE C. HONG / AP

Director J.J. Abrams, who helped reboot the “Star Trek”franchise, has been picked to direct the next “StarWars” movie.

as in the piece “Chemo Bytes,” which jux-taposes the organic (a woman sproutingvines) and inorganic (the connecting tubesof a chemotherapy machine).

“It’s a depiction of me from the chest up,and I’m bald, but I have flames coming outof my head. (With chemo), you feel likeyou’re burning from the inside out.”

McBride welcomes strong reactions toher work, positive or negative.

“I definitely want it to be an emotionalexperience with every painting. Whether itis delight or despair, I want to touch them(viewers) in some way.”

Her collection of 25 works ranges from5-by-7 ink and watercolors to some large-scale work, which she did more of beforebeing limited by arthritis. Her physicaljourney shaped many of the pieces depict-ing the female form.

“I just love the body, especially thefemale body. I think it’s beautiful. Goingthrough this (cancer), having the changesgo through my body, my definition ofbeauty has changed. At 48, I’ve had every-thing that defines me as a woman surgical-ly removed from my body, but I’ve neverfelt more like a woman. That feeling offemininity has to do with where you are atspiritually.”

The theme of deliverance is one thatMcBride embraces as she focuses on mov-ing her career forward.

“I’ve been cocooning. ... What I’ve gonethrough has been what the caterpillar goesthrough to become a butterfly.”

‘Curiouser and Curiouser’Speaking of caterpillars, Christina Sweet

brings one to life along with a menageriestraight out of Wonderland for her showopening Saturday at the newly renovatedEmpty Space Gallery.

A series of nine paintings, “Curiouserand Curiouser” explores the charactersfrom Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures inWonderland.”

Sweet connected with the book as ateenager when she lived in Roundup,Mont., for a summer.

“I had a lot of time to myself away fromall I was used to here growing up in Bak-ersfield. It was a whole new world.Roundup had a population of approxi-mately 1,000 people at the time. It was as ifmy normal world (here in Bakersfield) wasturned upside down. Not in a bad way, butjust totally different.”

Sweet plays with her past and her pres-ent by introducing some familiar faces tothe classic characters.

“I used my likeness for the Queen ofHearts because of my serious and some-times volatile side. (Gallery curator andfriend) Jesus (Fidel) for the Mad Hatterbecause of his witty and spontaneousnature. Emily, my 10-year-old daughter, asAlice because she is my most curious child.And, yes, Charlie, my cat, as the Cheshirecat.”

Fidel said he was touched by his inclu-sion as the Mad Hatter, noting that, as aserver, “He even looks like me. He’s gettingplates thrown at him.”

Sweet’s favorite in the show is the titularpiece, depicting her daughter as the hero-ine:

“It nails my daughter, Emily’s, expres-sion. It tells a private personal story ofmine. As I painted this piece, I learned a lotabout myself, my role as a mother and Ifound a few deep scars as well as pleasantmemories tucked far within me.”

The artist was excited to have the firstshow in the remodeled gallery, with a newtextured paint job, crown molding and

track lights.“The Empty Space looks amazing. The

crew all worked so hard on revamping thespace. I’m honored to be the first soloshow in the newly remodeled space. I hopethis will be the first of many successfulshows.”

The reception will embrace the themewith tea party treats, from the beverage tocucumber sandwiches and tea cakes, Fidelsaid.


Eye Street

Games, Booths, Entertainment, Food, Snacks

Harris Ranch NY Steak or Chicken Dinner served 2:30-5:30pm BBQ Tickets: $17.00 - Available at the Door

Kern County Fairgrounds Bldg. 3

FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING

A Day of Fun for the Entire Family

12:00-6:00pm

Sunday, February 10, 2013

For more information: 323-3108 327-7741 • 872-1543

In addition to Jeanty and Dove, the eventincludes Christian fiction writer VictoriaChristopher Murray; inspirational writerReShonda Tate Billingsley; talk show hostand novelist Pat Tucker; and novelist LolitaFiles.

Frost said he chose to have the three-hour event at the museum to take advan-tage of the large space.

“We want to give people room to walkaround, for the authors to meet peopleand answer questions,” Frost said.

The event coincides with currentexhibits from artists of African descent,including “Embracing Diverse Voices: 80years of African-American Art,” and “You,Me, Them: Mequitta Ahuja and RobertPruitt.”

Black Chamber of Commerce spokes-woman Carol Holley said she is excitedthat so many authors are coming to Bak-ersfield.

“We don’t have a lot of variety as far asblack authors, so this is putting a face to alot of authors,” she said. “We’re hopingmore people will find books (they like) andread.”

Jeanty noted the explosion in the num-ber of black authors has nearly “saturated”the book market.

“But it’s a good thing, because blackpeople are reading more, they’re readingstories they can related to,”said Jeanty, a“positive fiction” writer, who brings a dif-ferent perspective from the street culturethat often stereotypes black art.

“I come from a middle-class family; myexperience was different,” Jeanty said.

Still, his background didn’t spare himfrom hardship, though it did make himdetermined not to be conquered by it.

“I pretty much grew up on my own fromthe time I was 14,” said the writer, whofound himself starting to “live the life” onthe streets.

“For me the choice was harder for me tobe on the street than to stay in school,”Jeanty said.

He finished high school, then college,and finally graduate school. After sometime as a high school teacher, Jeanty start-ed writing professionally.

“I wrote a short story in graduate school;my professor encouraged me to write,”said Jeanty, noting that his personal suc-cess has led to the positive perspectivenoted in his works.

“I always feel if someone’s going to reada book they should get something out ofit,” Jeanty said.

HISTORY: CONTINUED FROM 23

work to the gallery for a curatorial reviewand possible show,” she said.

“After submitting several paintings, Iwas accepted.”

In a press release describing her work,the gallery said: “Bowles drops andthreads her paint like (Jackson) Pollock,but her end product is something com-pletely different: unified, intimatelycropped, and thoughtful rather thanactive.”

Bowles has three pieces in the exhibitbut won’t be at this evening’s party to greetvisitors.

“I regret that I won't be able to attendthe opening in New York City,” she said,“but I will be celebrating from afar.”

The show will be up at Agora Gallery,which is in the Chelsea district of Manhat-tan, through Feb. 27.

After-school theater Tonicism, a theater workshop for chil-

dren, will begin after-school classes nextweek, which will run every Tuesday andThursday through April 18 (with theexclusion of spring break week, March 25-29). Cost is $275, and the program is look-ing for benefactors to supply scholar-ships.

The students will take on the musical“Disney's Little Mermaid Jr.”

The Tonicism website said the programis geared to children ages 5 to 18 and suit-able for both first-timers and veterans.

The workshop meets from 3:45 to 5:45p.m. beginning Tuesday. Performances areMay 3, 4 and 5. For more, go totonicism.com or call 861-1314.

ARTS: CONTINUED FROM 24

‘Deliverance’ When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: nXcaffe CoffeeClub & Art-House, 2995 N. Baker St.

Information: 303-4601 or 301-1362

‘Curiouser and Curiouser’When: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Empty Space Gallery, 706Oak St.

Information: 327-PLAY

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EMPTY SPACE

“Mad For You” by Christina Sweet, partof her exhibit,”Curiouser and Curiouser,”which has an opening reception at TheEmpty Space’s gallery Saturday.

ART: CONTINUED FROM 21


Eye Street

Today“The Tuskegee Airmen: TheyFought Two Wars,” documen-tary about the Tuskegee Airmenwho battled prejudice at home inAmerica while fighting the Axispowers in Europe and North Africaduring World War II, 2 p.m., BealeMemorial Library, 701 Truxtun Ave.868-0770; and 6 p.m., South HighSchool, 1101 Planz Road. Free.“Pay less to send your kid to agreat college,” workshop, 6 to7:30 p.m., United Way of KernCounty, 5405 Stockdale Highway,Suite 200. Free. FamilyCollege-Funding.com.South Valley Sound ChorusAcapella Practice Night, 7 p.m.,Central Baptist Church, 203 SouthH St. southvalleysound.org or 346-6190.Bingo, warm-ups 5 p.m., earlybirds at 6 p.m., regular games at6:30 p.m., Volunteer Center ofKern County, 2801 F St. From $20buy-in to “the works.” 395-9787.

FridayCondors vs. Las Vegas, Cirquedu Condorstown: with high-flyingaerialist, contortionist, stilt walk-ers and more at the CondorstownCircus, 7 p.m., Rabobank Arena,1001 Truxtun Ave. $8 to $30. Tick-ets: Rabobank box office, bakers-fieldcondors.com or 324-7825.Electronic waste recyclingevent, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday andSaturday, CSUB, in back of HardtBaseball Field, near Camino Mediaand Southwest Road. Free. 654-2581 or 654-6320.FLICS International CinemaSociety, presents “Sidewalls,”7:30 p.m., Fox Theater, 2001 H St.$5. flics.org or 428-0354.Intocable, 8 p.m., Eagle MountainCasino, 681 South Tule ReservationRoad, Porterville. $25; $35reserved. eaglemtncasino.com or559-788-6220.KHSD third annual High School18-Hour Film Project, studentshave 18 hours to plan, write, pro-duce and edit a short movie forcash and prizes, Friday and Satur-day, East Bakersfield High School,2200 Quincy Ave. Visit 18hfp.com,email [email protected] or [email protected].

Saturday“A Life of Love” Valentine’sbook signing, and art exhibitwith artist and author AlizaMcCracken, 1 to 3 p.m., Russo’s,9000 Ming Ave. Portion of pro-ceeds benefits local educationalprograms. 665-4686.“Murder at the Museum,” appe-tizers, dinner, 6:30 to 9 p.m., BuenaVista Museum of Natural History,2018 Chester Ave. $65; $50 muse-um members. 324-6350.Animal Rescue Adoption Event& Bingo Fundraiser, hosted by ASafeFurr Place Animal Rescue,prizes, 2 to 5 p.m., Curtis ElectricalConstruction, Inc., 3310 Arrow St.$25. 399-9026.Art Laboe Valentine’s Super

Love Jam, 7:30 p.m., RabobankArena, 1001 Truxtun Ave. $36.80to $48.50. ticketmaster.com or800-745-3000.Bakersfield Art AssociationMeeting, guest artist DianaCampbell-Rice, 9 a.m., BakersfieldArt Association Art Center, 1817Eye St. Free. 869-2320.Bakersfield Symphony Orches-tra, presents “Verdi & Wagner:200th Birthday Celebration,” 8p.m., Rabobank Theater, 1001 Trux-tun Ave. $34 to $50; full-time stu-dents half price. bakersfieldsym-phony.org or 323-7928.Celebrity Sports Dinner, featur-ing Bill Madlock, with raffles andsports memorabilia auction, 6p.m., Cerro Coso Community Col-lege, Gymnasium, 3000 CollegeHeights Blvd., Ridgecrest. $20;$10, 12 and under. 760-384-6384.CSUB Men’s Basketball, vs. CalState Marcos, 7 p.m., CSUB, IcardoCenter, 9001 Stockdale Highway.$5-$50. gorunners.com or 654-BLUE.CSUB PEAK Club Valentine’sRun/Walk 5k & 10k, awards, raf-fle prizes, registration 7 to 8:30a.m., 9 a.m., CSUB, 9001 StockdaleHighway. $25. active.com, valenti-nesrun.com, or 654-6084.Free Home Improvement Work-shops, “Interior Paint,” 10 a.m.Saturday and “Install Tile — Wall &Floor,” 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday,Home Depot locations. homede-pot.com or call 800-430-3376.Friendship Lunch, hosted byCamp KEEP Foundation; opportuni-ty baskets, presentation by theKEEP Foundation members, 11 a.m.to 2 p.m., Hodel’s Country Dining,5917 Knudsen Drive. $25. camp-keep.org.Mayor’s Freeway Cleanup,meets prior to 9 a.m., Park & Ridelot on Stockdale Highway, west ofOak Street. Group will travel bybus/van to various cleanup loca-tions. 326-3770.Pet adoptions, cats from The CatPeople, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Petco,8220 Rosedale Highway. $65includes spay/neuter, vaccines andleukemia testing. 327-4706; petsfrom the Shafter Animal Shelter; 11a.m. to 3 p.m., PetSmart, 4100Ming Ave. $75, includes spay/neuter and vaccines. 746-2140.Relay for Life Valentine’s BakeSale, hosted by Team G.E.E.K.,noon to 5 p.m., Otto’s Games andMore, 7701 White Lane, Suite A1.Free. Proceeds benefit AmericanCancer Society — Relay for Life.

Sixth annual Valentine’s Wine& Chocolate Walk, with eightwine tastings and chocolates, 6 to9 p.m., in downtown Tehachapi.$25 advance; $30 day of event.Tickets at The Apple Shed Restau-rant or via PayPal. 822-6519.Sylvia Browne, 8 p.m., EagleMountain Casino, 681 S. TuleReservation Road, Porterville. $25;$35 reserved. 559-788-6220 oreaglemtncasino.com.The Living History Exhibit, re-enactments from African Ameri-can history, 6 p.m., BakersfieldSenior Center, 530 Fourth St. Free.Trollbead Valentine TrunkShow, 10 a.m., Beladagio, 9500Brimhall Road, Suite 705. Free.829-2288.Valentine’s Day Dance, hostedby The Black Hole BakersfieldChapter; DJ Raully D in the Mix,raffle, 8 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m.Sunday, Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.Chester Ave. $5. 706-9294 or 754-1824.Veterans of Foreign Wars Post10859, Rosedale & Ladies Auxil-iary, 9:30 a.m., Norris Road Veter-ans Hall, 400 Norris Road. 588-5865.Yokuts Park Fun Run, 7 a.m.,Yokuts Park, Empire Drive off Trux-tun Avenue. Free. bakersfieldtrack-club.com or 203-4196.

SundayBakersfield Friends of Wine,presents wines from RodneyStrong Winery, food from Steak &Grape, 4:30 p.m., Steak & Grape,4420 Coffee Road, Suite A. $80.871-6463 or 871-6830.Kern Audubon Society FieldTrip, to Col. Allensworth State His-toric Park and Pixley WildlifeRefuge, with ranger Bill Moffit,meet at 1:30 p.m., at RosedaleCostco parking lot, near gas sta-tion. Bring sack lunch, water,binoculars, snacks. kernaudubonsociety.org or 805-0232.OLPH’s Mardi Gras Fundraiser,games, entertainment, food, noonto 6 p.m., Kern County Fair-grounds, 1142 S P St., Building #3.Barbecue steak or chicken dinnerwill be served from 2:30 to 5 p.m.,$17; $7 children 10 and under. 323-3108 or 872-1543.

THEATER“9 to 5” the Musical, 7:30 p.m.today through Saturday, Stars Din-ner Theatre, 1931 Chester Ave.$52-$57, $37 for students; showonly: $37, $22 for students. 325-

6100.“Lord of the Flies ... & MoreTales of High School,” 7 p.m. Fri-day and Saturday, Golden ValleyHigh School, 801 Hosking Ave. $5;$4 students with ID. 827-0800.“Spring Awakening” A NewMusical, 8 p.m. Thursday throughSaturday, The Empty Space, 706Oak St. $15; $10 students/seniors.327-PLAY.“The Fisherman’s Wife,” pre-sented by the Omnipresent PuppetTheater; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Satur-day, Gaslight Melodrama Theatre& Music Hall, 12748 Jomani Drive.$6. 587-3377.“The Good, The Bad & TheFunny,” 7 p.m. Friday and Satur-day; 2 p.m. Sunday, Gaslight Melo-drama Theatre & Music Hall, 12748Jomani Drive. $12 to $23. 587-3377.“Willy Wonka,” 2 p.m. Saturday,Bakersfield High School, in HarveyAuditorium, 1241 G St. $20 adults;$10 children 12 & under. 325-6100.Improv Comedy Show, withCenter For Improv Advancement, 8p.m. Fridays, JC’s Place, 1901Chester Ave. $5. 322-8209.Major League Improv, improvi-sational comedy show, appropriatefor families, 6 p.m. Saturdays, TheEmpty Space, 706 Oak St. $10.327-PLAY.

ART“Deliverance,” opening recep-tion, for Christine McBride, 7 p.m.Friday, nXcaffe CoffeeClub & Art-House, 2995 N. Baker St. 303-4601 or 301-1362.Daddy ’n’ Daughter Date Night,paint a Valentine’s gift for Mom orpaint something for each other, 6p.m. Friday, Color Me Mine at TheMarketplace, 9000 Ming Ave. $15plus cost of pottery.bakersfield.colormemine.com or664-7366.“Curiouser and Curiouser,”artist reception, for ChristinaSweet, 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, TheEmpty Space, 706 Oak St. Free.327-PLAY.Art Classes, in drawing, watercol-or, oils, color theory, for beginnersand advanced, Bakersfield ArtAssociation Art Center, 1817 EyeSt. 869-2320.Art for Healing program, class-es that alleviate stress, resultingfrom illness, or grief. Classes arefree but some suggest a donationand are held at Mercy Hospital,Truxtun Campus, Truxtun and A St.mercybakersfield.org/art or 632-5357.Exhibits on display, “EmbracingDiverse Voices: 80 years of AfricanAmerican Art,” “You, Me, Them,”and “Texture of Place,” nowthrough March 10, BakersfieldMuseum of Art, 1930 R St.bmoa.org or 323-7219.Patti Doolittle, featured artist forFebruary, Dagny’s Coffee Co., 160020th St. 634-0806.Stained Glass Classes, six-weekclass, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednes-days; 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays,

Juliana’s Art Studio & Gallery, 50118th St. 327-7507.The Art Shop Club, a quiet placeto paint, 9 a.m. to noon eachThursday, Friday and Saturday, TheArt Shop, 1221 20th St. All medi-ums. New members and guestswelcome. facebook.com/pages/art-shop-club or 322-0544,832-8845.Youth Art Contest, for all KernCounty students, ages 5 to 18, oneentry per student. Entries must befilled out and emailed [email protected] Feb. 15.

MUSICAcousticFiddlers Crossing, 206 E. F St.,Tehachapi, 823-9994; Eidolon, 3p.m. Sunday. $20.

Alternative Elements Venue, 3401 ChesterAve., 215-9407; The Orwells, 7p.m. Wednesday. $10. tim-gardeapresents.com. All ages.

BluesKern River Blues Society Jam, 2to 8 p.m. Saturday, Trout’s, 805 N.Chester Ave. 872-7517. Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-0053; English Revolver, 1 to 5 p.m.Saturday. The Prime Cut, 9500 BrimhallRoad, 831-1413; Freebo andFriends, 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Classic rock Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;Lost Vinyl, 9 p.m. Friday; Really BigMidgetz, 9 p.m. Saturday. The Lone Oak, 10612 RosedaleHighway, 589-0412; Mystic Red,9 p.m. Friday. The Prime Cut, 9500 BrimhallRoad, 831-1413; Juxeboxx, 9:30p.m. Saturday, $5, 21 and over; TheAviators, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

ComedyElevation Lounge, 818 Real Road,325-6864; Improv Tuesday, withDJ afterparty, 9 p.m. Tuesdays.

CountryBuck Owens’ Crystal Palace,2800 Buck Owens Blvd., 328-7560; Monty Bryom & theBuckeroos, 7:30 p.m. Friday andSaturday. Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-8900; Vince Galindo, 9 p.m.Wednesdays. Trout’s & The BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave., 399-6700; Red Simpson, 7 p.m. Monday.

DancingFolklorico Classes, advancedancers/performing group 6 to 8p.m. Fridays; and beginners, allages, 10:30 a.m. to noon Satur-days, Fruitvale-Norris Park, 6221Norris Road. Per month: $22 forbeginners, $25 for advancedancers. 833-8790.

Go & Do

Join the Eye Street crew — Jen-nifer Self, Stefani Dias and MattMunoz — on “CalifornianRadio” this morning. They’llchat about all the great thingsto see and do in these part overthe next week.

They’ll also give away threebooks: “Stupid Ancient History”by Leland Gregory; “The Seven-

teen Solutions: Bold Ideas forOur American Future” by RalphNader; and “The Naked Consti-tution: What the Founders Saidand Why It Still Matters” byAdam Freedman.

Listen for your cue and thendial 842-KERN. The show airsfrom 9 to 10 a.m. on KERN-AM,1180.

‘CALIFORNIAN RADIO’


Eye StreetJoaquin Squares, 7:30 to 9:30p.m. Thursday, Rasmussen Center,115 E. Roberts Lane. $5. 324-1390,325-3086 or 399-3658.

Beginner Belly Dance Lessons,5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays, CentreStage Studio, 1710 Chester Ave.323-5215. $45 regular session; $65combo session. bakersfieldbelly-dance.biz.

Pairs and Spares Dance, withAfter Hours, 7 p.m. Friday, Ras-mussen Senior Center, 115 E.Roberts Lane. $7; $9 nonmembers.399-3575.

Greenacres Community Cen-ter, 2014 Calloway Drive, offersballroom dance, East Coast swing(jitterbug) and Argentine tangodance classes; $35, $45 for non-members. 322-5765 or 201-2105.

DJDoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,3100 Camino Del Rio Court. 323-7111; live in the mix: old school,’80s and ’90s music, 9 p.m. to1:30 a.m. every Saturday. Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 WhiteLane, 834-1611; with DJ Chill in theMixx, 5 p.m. every Friday until 2a.m. Saturday. On the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7625; DJ Chuck One, 9 p.m. Friday.Free. Visit facebook.com/onthe-rocksbakersfield.Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737Meany Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749;DJ James, 9 p.m. Thursdaysthrough Saturdays. Free. The Bull Shed Bar & Grill, atHotel Rosedale, 2400 CaminoDel Rio Court, 327-0681; with Meg,7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139; DJBrian, 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Folk rock On the Rocks Bar & Grill, 151718th St., 327-7625; Rob Larkin &Joesph Eib, 9 p.m. Thursday. $5.21 and older.

Indie pop Jerry’s Pizza, 1817 Chester Ave.,633-1000; Hey Ocean, 6 p.m. Sun-day. $10. timgardeapresents.com.All ages.

JazzCafe Med, 4809 Stockdale High-way., 834-4433; Richie Perez, 7:30to 11 p.m. Thursdays. Imbibe Wine & Spirits Mer-chant, 4140 Truxtun Ave., 633-WINE; live music with a local artistand Jazz Connection, 6 to 8:30p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 6:30to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.King Tut, 10606 Hageman Road;live Instrumental and vocal jazz,6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Sat-urdays. Que Pasa Mexican Cafe, 2701Ming Ave., 832-5011; Jazz Invasion,9 to 10 p.m. Saturdays. The Nile, 1721 19th St. 364-2620;6 p.m. Sundays. $10.Wine Me Up, 3900 Coffee Road,588-8556, Mauro with RicoVelazquez and Jamie, 7 to 11 p.m.Saturday.

Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 WhiteLane, 834-1611; Bakersfield JazzWorkshop, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.Wednesdays.

KaraokeBanacek’s Lounge, 4601 StateRoad, 387-9224; 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.Fridays. Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139; 9p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays and Sun-days. Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 4200 NewStine Road, 397-5000; 6:30 to9:30 p.m. Thursday. Chateau Lounge, 2100 S.Chester Ave., 835-1550; 9 p.m.Saturdays. Don Perico Restaurant, 2660Oswell St., Suite 133, 871-2001; 7to 11 p.m. Thursdays. El Torito Restaurant, 4646 Cali-fornia Ave., 395-3035, with IrishMonkey Entertainment, 8 p.m. Sat-urdays.Julie’s The Branding IronSaloon, 1807 N. Chester Ave., 6 to10 p.m. Fridays. Lone Oak Inn, 8 p.m. Tuesdaysand Thursdays at 10612 RosedaleHighway. 589-0412.Maria Bonita Mexican Restau-rant, 10701 Highway 178, 366-3261, 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays. All ages.Pour House, 9 p.m. Fridays andSaturdays at 4041 Fruitvale Ave.589-9300.Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-0053; 8 p.m. to midnight Satur-days.Rocket Shop Cafe, 2000 S.Union Ave., 832-4800; 8:30 p.m.to midnight Saturday.Round Table Pizza, 2060 WhiteLane, 836-2700; 6 to 9 p.m. Tues-day. Sports & Spirits, 6633 Ming Ave.,398-7077; 9 p.m. Thursdays andSaturdays. The Old River Monte Carlo,9750 Taft Highway, 837-0250;8:30 p.m. Thursdays. The Playhouse Lounge, 2915Taft Highway; 397-3599; 7 to 10p.m. Sundays. The Prime Cut, 9500 BrimhallRoad, 831-1413; karaoke for teamRelay for Life: Cancer Fighter, 9p.m. Friday. $5. The Regent, 2814 Niles St., 871-4140; 8:30 p.m. Fridays.The Wright Place, 2695-G MountVernon Ave., 872-8831, 8 p.m.Thursdays. Tomi’s Cowgirl Cafe, 7 to 10p.m. Friday, 1440 Weedpatch High-way. 363-5102. Best Western, 2620 Buck OwensBlvd., 327-9651; The Junction withhost Mac Clanahan, 8:30 p.m.Tuesdays through Fridays.Big Daddy Pizza, 6417 Ming Ave.,396-7499; 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays; 8to 11 p.m. Fridays. Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 6111 Niles St.,363-7200; 6:15 to 10:15 p.m. Tues-days. City Slickers, 1001 W. TehachapiBlvd., 822-4939; 7 p.m. Tuesdaysand Thursdays.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,3100 Camino Del Rio Court; 8 p.m.to midnight Tuesdays. Elevation Lounge, 818 Real Road,325-6864; 9 p.m. Wednesday.Ellis Island Pizza Co., 3611Stockdale Highway, 832-0750;karaoke contest, four $25 gift cer-tificates will be given away, 6 to 9p.m. Tuesday.Ethel’s Old Corral, 4310 AlfredHarrell Highway, 873-7613; 6 to 9p.m. Wednesdays. Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.Chester Ave., 831-1315; 7 to 11 p.m.Wednesdays and Thursdays. Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 WhiteLane, 834-1611; A to Z Karaoke, 8p.m. to midnight Tuesdays. Long Branch Saloon, 907 N.Chester Ave., 399-8484; 8 p.m.Wednesdays. Magoo’s Pizza, 1129 Olive Drive,399-7800; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tues-day. McMurphy’s Irish Pub & SportsBar, 14 Monterey St., 869-1451; 7p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays. Replay Sports Lounge & Grill,4500 Buck Owens Blvd., 324-3300; 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737Meany Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749; 8p.m. Mondays through Wednes-days. Rocky’s Pizza & Arcade, 2858Niles St., 873-1900; Joey Zaza’sKaraoke and Stuff, 5:30 to 9:30p.m. Tuesdays. Round Table Pizza, 4200 Gos-ford Road, 397-1111; 6 to 9 p.m.Wednesdays. Rusty’s Pizza, 5430 Olive Drive,392-1482; 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednes-days. Sky Bar and Lounge, 4208Rosedale Highway, 633-1116; withBen Lara, 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays. Syndicate Lounge, 1818 Eye St.,327-0070; with Alisa Spencer, 9p.m. Wednesdays. Tejon Club, 117 El Tejon Ave., 392-1747; 6 to 10 p.m. Saturdays. The Bull Shed Bar & Grill, atHotel Rosedale, 2400 CaminoDel Rio Court, 327-0681; 7 p.m.Tuesdays and Thursdays.The Junction Lounge, 2620Buck Owens Blvd., 327-9651; 8:30p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Trouts & The BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave.,399-6700; 7 p.m. Mondays andThursdays, 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays,Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdaysand Sundays.

MariachiCamino Real Restaurant, 6 to 9p.m. Sundays at 3500 TruxtunAve. 852-0493.

Music showcaseThe Prime Cut, 9500 BrimhallRoad, 831-1413; featuring localartists, 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays.

Old SchoolQue Pasa Mexican Cafe, 2701Ming Ave., 832-5011; Al Garcia &the Rhythm Kings, 8 to 11 p.m.Thursday.

Open micJuliana’s Art Cafe, listen to localperforming artists, guitar and sax-ophone players, 7 to 9 p.m. Fri-days, 501 18th St. 327-7507. Free.

Fiddlers Crossing, 206 East FSt., Tehachapi, 823-9994; 7 p.m.Wednesdays. $5.

On the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7625; musicians, spoken word,poets, comedians, 8 p.m. Wednes-days. Free.

R&BSeñor Pepe, 8450 Granite FallsDr., 661-588-0385, RebeccaAguilar and Lost Vinyl, 7 to 10 p.m.Thursday.

RockB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; Dolly-rots, 9 p.m. Friday. $5. All ages.

Narducci’s Cafe, 622 E. 21 St.,324-2961; The Reckless Ones, 7p.m. Friday. $10. timgardeapre-sents.com.

Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737Meany Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749;live bands, 9 p.m. Thursdays.

KC Steakhouse, 2515 F St., 322-9910; Jimmy Gaines, 6 to 10 p.m.Tuesday through Thursday; JimmyGaines, Bobby O and Mike Hall,6:30 to 11:30 p.m., featuring Glen-da Robles, 8 to 11:30 p.m. Fridayand Saturday.

Soft rockOn the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7625; Midnight Run, tribute toJourney, 9 p.m. Saturday. $7advance; $10 at the door.

Steak and Grape, 4420 CoffeeRoad, 588-9463; 7 to 10 p.m.Thursday through Saturday. Free.

SongwritersThe Bistro, 5105 California Ave.,323-3905; Brent Brown, 6 to 8p.m. Fridays.

Trivia nightBellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139; 7p.m. Tuesdays.

Chuy’s, 2500 New Stine Road,833-3469; 7 p.m. Tuesdays.

On the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7625; 8 to 10 p.m. Monday.

Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-8900; with Dave Rezac, 10 p.m.Tuesdays.

VarietyGolden State Mall, 3201 F St.,872-2037, Joe Loco Duet, 2 to 5p.m. Sundays.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday 2/11Blood Drive, sponsored by Bak-ersfield Republican Women Feder-ated; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday andWednesday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tues-day and Thursday, Houchin BloodBank, 11515 Bolthouse Drive. 323-4222.

Kern County Rose SocietyMeeting, 7 p.m., Calvary Bible

Church, 48 Manor St. 327-3228

Tom Rigney & Flambeau, pre-sented by Bakersfield CommunityConcert Association, 7:30 p.m.,Rabobank Theater, 1001 TruxtunAve. $60 for four remaining con-certs. bakersfieldcca.org or 205-8522 or 589-2478.

Valentine’s Comedy MagicShow, with Chris Mitchell, 7:30p.m., The Gaslight Melodrama,12748 Jomani Drive. $20. Reserva-tions, 587-3377.

Tuesday 2/12“Little Mermaid Jr.” TheatreWorkshop, for ages 5 to 18, 3:45to 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thurs-days, through April 18, and 3:45 to5:45 p.m. April 22 to May 3, TheEmpty Space, 706 Oak St. $275.861-1314.Bakersfield Pregnancy Center’sBenefit Banquet, featured speak-er Abby Johnson, 6:30 p.m., OliveKnolls Church of the Nazarene,6201 Fruitvale Ave. Complimentarytickets can be requested atbpcbanquet.org or 326-1915.Fat Tuesday Party, with MentoBuru and DJ Mikey, 7 p.m., BuckOwens’ Crystal Palace, 2800 BuckOwens Blvd. Free. 328-7560.Harlem & Beyond: StorytellingConcert, with Charlotte BlakeAlston, 6 to 8 p.m., Beale Memori-al Library, auditorium, 701 TruxtunAve. Free. 868-0770.

Wednesday 2/13South Oswell NeighborhoodClean Up, meet at 5:45 p.m., atthe southeast corner of SouthOswell and Zephyr Lane. 549-0517.

Tehachapi Car Club, dinner at5:30 p.m., meeting at 6:30 p.m.,Tehachapi Moose Lodge, 123 W. FSt., Tehachapi. 822-5092.

Thursday 2/14“Paint by Candlelight,” includeschocolates, strawberries andsparking cider, 6 to 10 p.m., ColorMe Mine at The Marketplace,9000 Ming Ave. $20 per couple.bakersfield.colormemine.com or664-7366.

Guild House Valentine’s DayDinner, five-course meal, 6 p.m.,The Guild House, 1905 18th St.$65. 325-5478.

Harlem Globetrotters, 7 p.m.,Rabobank Arena, 1001 TruxtunAve. $21-$103 plus fee. ticketmas-ter.com or 800-745-3000.

Red Cross New Volunteer Ori-entation, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.,American Red Cross, Kern Chapter,5035 Gilmore Ave. 324-6427.

Sixth annual Good for theHeart Singles Dinner, with raf-fles, mini speed dating session,dinner at 6 p.m., activities at 6:30p.m., The Garden Spot, 3320 Trux-tun Ave. Free but you need a tick-et, which may be picked up atrestaurant from 2 to 8 p.m. Mon-day through Friday. 323-3236.

South Valley Sound ChorusAcapella Practice Night, 7 p.m.,Central Baptist Church, 203 S. HSt. southvalleysound.org or 346-6190.

eye street entertainment / 2-7-13

Documents

verdis operas

music stops

ofhis operas

cert program

new german spirit

memorable arias

linesbetween arias

newlyunited german