Saturday March 10 @7 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents famed folk singer/songwriter duo Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen from Vermont! Gillette (Darcy Farrow; Bed of Roses; Back on the Street Again) and his wife, singer-instrumentalist Mangsenwill delight you with traditional and contemporary folk songs, rich harmonies, accomplished guitar, banjo, and concertina accompaniment, and a good dose of humor. $18 Advance /$22 at the door. Fine refreshments for sale. Art Gallery open. Wheelchair Accessible. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. 707-874-9392.
Sat. February 24 @ 7:30 pm. French Oak Gypsy Band at Occidental Center for the Arts. Come on down to our acoustic sweet spot to enjoy a fresh spin on French and American Swing Era classics, Django –inspired, plus world music tunes. This popular local band features magnetic vocalist Stella Heath, with Gabe Pirard on guitar/vocals (both formerly of Djiin), Jimmy Inciardi on sax, and TBA. $18 Advance/$20 at the door. Fine refreshments including wine and beer. Wheelchair Accessible. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org .707-874-9392
Sunday, March 4 @ 3 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents: Dan Crary, Bill Evans & Wally Barnick: Americana Masters!
Join flat picking pioneer and ‘Bluegrass Alliance’ founder Dan Crary, banjo legend Bill Evans, and SoCal acoustic favorite Wally Barnick as they come together as a trio of Americana Masters to perform cutting edge bluegrass, folk, and Americana music at our acoustic sweet spot on a Sunday afternoon! Get your reservations soon! $25 Advance/$30 at the door. Fine refreshments and Art Gallery open for viewing. Wheelchair Accessible. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. 707-874-9392
Americana Masters Dan Crary, Bill Evans & Wally Barnick
Cajun Dance Music: Saturday February 17 @ 7 pm.Occidental Center for the Arts. Cajun Mardi Gras Dance Party! with Suzy Thompson & Aux Cajunals. Renowned roots musician/fiddler Suzy Thompson sings and plays Cajun accordion, fiddle and guitar joined by Eric Thompson, vocalist daughter Allegra plus other fine musicians for some foot-stomping, smoking hot Cajun blues and dance music. Suzy has performed with Louisiana’s finest and formed the award-winning ‘California Cajun Orchestra’ among other well known bands. $20 Advance/$25 at the door includes Dance lesson at 7pm! Dance space available. Beads will be provided; costumes optional but fun! ‘Let the bon temps roll’! Fine refreshments, beer and wine for sale . 707-874-9392. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City and several artists delivered powerful statements about sexual harassment, immigration, and the overall state of America. Throughout the night, the LGBTQ community was well-represented on stage and among the winners, writes Jeremy Blacklow, GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Media.
One of the night’s most powerful moments took place midway through the broadcast when Kesha, who was up for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance (and who also identifies as bisexual) took the stage alongside Julia Michaels, Cyndi Lauper, Andra Day, Camila Cabello, and Bebe Rexha, for an emotional performance of her single “Praying.” The Grammy-nominated song is widely considered to be about her ongoing sexual harassment accusations against producer Dr. Luke. Janelle Monae gave a moving speech about the Time’s Up movement before introducing the performance.
Out songwriter and GLAAD board member Justin Tranter, who was nominated for Song of the Year for “Issues” with his songwriting partner Julia Michaels, wore the GLAAD ampersand pin on the Grammys red carpet, which represents the Together Movement, a symbol of solidarity with other marginalized communities. Justin, along with many other celebs, also wore white roses in support of the Time’s Up movement.
Earlier in the evening, Lady Gaga shouted out the Time’s Up movement in-between her ballad performances of “Joanne” and “Million Reasons.”
Kendrick Lamar opened the show with a high-energy politically-charged performance of “XXX” which riled up the crowd.
“America, God bless you if it’s good to you… Donald Trump’s in office, we lost Barack / And promised to never doubt him again / But is America honest or do we bask in sin?” he rapped. He was later joined by U2 for a performance of their collaboration, “American Soul.”
Later in the broadcast, U2 performed their ode to immigrants, “Get Out of Your Own Way,” on a barge on the Hudson River in front of the Statue of Liberty. Camila Cabello introduced the band with a touching speech about her roots as a “proud Cuban-Mexican immigrant.”
Beyond Kesha and Lady Gaga, several LGBTQ performers graced the Grammys stage. Midway through the show, gay singing legend Elton John performed his hit song “Tiny Dancer,” accompanied by Miley Cyrus. Out performer Sam Smith performed his new song “Pray” earlier on in the broadcast.
Saturday January 27 @ 7pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents: Paul McCandless/Christian Foley-Beining Collaboration. Sterling jazz quartet featuring Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist McCandless (Paul Winter Consort; Oregon) and guitarist Foley-Beining with Tom Shader on bass and Tom Hayashi, drums playing original compositions at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot. $18 Advance/$22 at the door. Cabaret seating. Fine Refreshments. Wheelchair Accessible. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. @Harmony Village, Occidental. www.occcidentalcenterforthearts.org; 707-874-9392.
Saturday December 16 @ 8 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts. Guitar VirtuosoPeppino D’Agostino ! Internationally renowned finger picking acoustic guitarist, composer and master teacher D’Agostino will present a dynamic 8 pm concert covering his original classical, folk, Irish, Italian, Brazilian, flamenco and jazz compositions as well as holiday music. Don’t miss this warm and engaging award-winning performer as he brings his mesmerizing virtuosity to OCA’s acoustic sweet spot for the fourth holiday season! $25 General. Fine Refreshments available. Art Gallery open for viewing and gifts. Accessible to people with disabilities. OCA is a non profit arts center staffed by volunteers. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; 707-874-9392.
December 2,3,8,9,10 .The Occidental Community Choir Winter Concerts: ‘Alleluia Anyway’. Guest Music Conductor Sarah Saulsbury. OCC ushers in the holiday season with its unique blend of original compositions, old favorites, and contemporary and classical music from across the spectrum of genres and traditions.This year’s offering celebrates the necessary art of kindling light during the dark months of winter, as well as the dark times we face in our lives and in our world. Quirky, fresh, funny, touching, and inspiring, the 40-plus member OCC is a West County cultural icon, keeping the community bonfire burning since 1978. Adults $15. Kids 12 and under Free. Dec. 2 @ 7:30 pm is Community First Night: $10. www.occidentalchoir.org for ticket information. All concerts will be held at Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, except Dec.10 (Glaser Center, Santa Rosa).
Saturday November 18 @ 8 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts Patrick Ball: Come Dance With Me in Ireland: A Pilgrimage to Yeats Country. World renowned modern day bard and premier Celtic harpist Patrick Ball tells a musical and dramatic new story based on the life and works of Ireland’s greatest poet W.B. Yeats. He weaves the narrative together with ethereally gorgeous Celtic harp melodies into a warm and magical performance that will leave the audience spell-bound. $20 Advance/$23 at the door. Fine refreshments for sale; Art Gallery open for viewing. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. 707-874-9392. Wheelchair Accessible.
THOSE DISPLACED BY NBAY FIRES GET COMP TIX TO OCA EVENTS CALL 707-874-9392
The acclaimed San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) returns to Santa Rosa, CA for the 27th Annual “Home for the Holidays” concert in Santa Rosa, benefitting Face to Face. This year, the concert is being held in the historic performance auditorium of Santa Rosa High School.
The recent and devastating wildfires that swept through Sonoma County in early October will make finding suitable housing for F2F’s most vulnerable clients more difficult, but not impossible. Your support of the 27th Annual “Home for the Holidays” Concert will provide necessary resources to satisfy the agency’s most vital needs.
“Home For The Holidays” is an incredible holiday celebration, full of humor, personality, and gorgeous choral music. SFGMC’s performance features classic holiday favorites, alongside some new works that are sure to warm your heart and get you in the festive mood. Expect over-the-top production numbers mixed with stunning, tender moments – all done up with SFGMC’s trademark flair.