eye street / 8-9-12

12
BY MATT MUNOZ Californian staff writer [email protected] T here’s a lot to be said for a band that went from being saloon ram- blers to bearded cowboys from outer space on MTV. And after four decades of rockin’ around the globe, ZZ Top, the tres hombres of Texas rock, are about to roll into another chapter of their long and winding career. Next month the group will be releasing its 15th studio album, “La Futura,” produced by Rick Rubin, who cut his teeth in the early days of rap and was the man behind Johnny Cash’s musical come- back. On Tuesday, the band will give local audiences a little taste of where they are now at the Fox Theater (and if you procrastinated in getting tick- ets, so sorry: The show sold out last week). ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gib- bons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard bar- reled through the ’70s with razor-cut riffs, a driving back- beat, and humorous lyrics filled with sexual innuendo and Texas slang. Known to fans as “that little ol’ band from Texas,” they carved a niche as purveyors of blues- based rock with a modern country edge. From the open- ing lines of “La Grange” to the screaming soul of “Tush,” Eye Street Editor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail [email protected] Cool buZZ for tres hombres Upcoming album revitalizes bearded bards of Texas rock 20 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012 Index Top drummer leaving town .................... 21 Dinner and a movie .................................. 22 Indie Wednesdays at Maya .................... 23 Arts Alive .................................................. 24 Next best thing to Jackson ...................... 25 The Lowdown with Matt Munoz.............. 26 The Foundry on the move ........................ 27 Calendar .............................................. 29-31 Please see ZZ TOP / 28 ZZ Top When: 8 p.m. Tuesday; the show is sold out Where: Fox Theater, 2001 H St. Information: 324-1369 or vallitix.com PHOTO COURTESY OF ZZ TOP ZZ Top will perform a sold-out show Tuesday at the Fox. Pictured above from left: Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. “Don Rich of the Buckaroos is a personal hero of mine. Nobody could play a Telecaster like him. We loved Buck a whole lot — he’s originally a Texan, you know. You guys should consider carving Bakersfield’s answer to Mount Rushmore with all of those greats taking over a mountain.” Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

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Page 1: Eye Street / 8-9-12

BY MATT MUNOZCalifornian staff writer

[email protected]

There’s a lot to be saidfor a band that wentfrom being saloon ram-

blers to bearded cowboysfrom outer space on MTV.

And after four decades ofrockin’ around the globe, ZZTop, the tres hombres of Texasrock, are about to roll intoanother chapter of their longand winding career. Nextmonth the group will bereleasing its 15th studioalbum, “La Futura,” producedby Rick Rubin, who cut histeeth in the early days of rapand was the man behindJohnny Cash’s musical come-back.

On Tuesday, the band willgive local audiences a littletaste of where they are now atthe Fox Theater (and if youprocrastinated in getting tick-ets, so sorry: The show soldout last week).

ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gib-bons, bassist Dusty Hill anddrummer Frank Beard bar-reled through the ’70s withrazor-cut riffs, a driving back-beat, and humorous lyricsfilled with sexual innuendoand Texas slang. Known tofans as “that little ol’ bandfrom Texas,” they carved aniche as purveyors of blues-based rock with a moderncountry edge. From the open-ing lines of “La Grange” to thescreaming soul of “Tush,”

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

Cool buZZ for tres hombresUpcoming albumrevitalizes beardedbards of Texas rock

20 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012

IndexTop drummer leaving town .................... 21Dinner and a movie .................................. 22Indie Wednesdays at Maya .................... 23Arts Alive.................................................. 24Next best thing to Jackson...................... 25The Lowdown with Matt Munoz.............. 26The Foundry on the move ........................ 27Calendar .............................................. 29-31

Please see ZZ TOP / 28

ZZ TopWhen: 8 p.m. Tuesday;the show is sold out

Where: Fox Theater, 2001H St.

Information: 324-1369 orvallitix.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZZ TOP

ZZ Top will perform a sold-out show Tuesday at the Fox. Pictured above from left: Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill.

“Don Rich of the Buckaroos is a personal hero of mine. Nobody could play a Telecaster like him.We loved Buck a whole lot — he’s originally a Texan, you know. You guys should consider carving

Bakersfield’s answer to Mount Rushmore with all of those greats taking over a mountain.”— Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

Page 2: Eye Street / 8-9-12

Thursday, August 9, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 21

Eye Street

BY MATT MUNOZCalifornian staff writer

[email protected]

The drum cases arrangedneatly around the home ofJarred Pope could easily be

mistaken for furniture.Always within reach, they hold

essential tools of his trade: snares,toms, pedals, hardware and anendless supply of sticks. They gowherever he goes and whenyou’re as in demand as Pope is,the next gig is always just a down-beat away.

“I promise I’m not a drumhoarder,” said Pope, 40, guidingme through a short walkway fromthe front door to the living room.“I’ve got some packing to do.”

But not just for another gig. Afew minutes into our interview heshared some surprising news:He’s packing his bags, bound fora new home in Nashville, Tenn.,next week.

That should come as no sur-prise, given his career aspirationsand talent. Pope’s been a familiarlocal name for years, especiallyamong active musicians who’vesought his talents for every jobimaginable. Plus, he’s loggedmany miles touring on the coun-try music circuit, backing major-label acts stateside and overseas.

It’s a lifestyle he’s becomeaccustomed to, having beaten apath lately between Californiaand Nashville, where jobs formusicians are plentiful if youhave the right connections. Now,he said, it’s time to go to wherethe music is.

“In this business, they wannaknow you’re ready to go anytimethey need you in the city they’rehiring you in. They’re not think-ing about hiring someone fromCalifornia to try and pull it off.”

Muppets drum kitPope got his first drum kit at

age 6 from his parents, RosemaryDel Rio and John Pope. Thesounds of Motown and classicrock were always on the stereo atthe family’s Santa Maria home.

“It was a ‘Dr. Teeth and theElectric Mayhem’ Muppets kit. Iloved it. I beat that thing until itfell apart, then I started usingpots and pans. My mom was coolwith it until I started breaking allthe wooden spoons in the house.I think they thought maybe I’dgrow out of it, but they wouldhave me perform for theirfriends, so it couldn’t have beenthat bad.”

Despite his parents’ eventualdivorce, the pair were united innurturing Pope’s creative inter-

ests. He recalls one Christmasmorning when his father present-ed him with a new student modeldrum kit along with a copy ofKiss’ “Hotter Than Hell” on vinyl.

“I’ll never forget that Christ-mas. I cranked that record all thetime, and my dad created anenvironment for me to playwhenever I wanted to.”

Eager to play for local parties,Pope formed his first rock bands,Saurus and Dismal Void, whilelearning to read drum charts.When he was 15, he and hisfather settled in Bakersfield.Pope’s first question once heenrolled at West High School as ajunior: “Where’s the band room?”

“I didn’t know anything aboutmarching band, I only knewdrum kit. That’s what I wanted todo.”

‘He just wowed me’Former West High music direc-

tor Mike Bhone, who was teach-ing at the school at the time ofPope’s arrival, recalled their firstmeeting during one of his jazzband classes.

“He kind of walked in an intro-duced himself and asked, ‘Do youmind if I just listen?’ Afterwardshe came over and we chatted,and he played a couple charts forme. I asked what kind of musiche listened to. He goes, ‘You everheard of Chick Corea?’ He was lis-tening to the right stuff. Fromthat point on, he just wowed me.We had other drummers whowere great. But it was great for aband director to come acrosssomeone like Jarred, who had theright idea so young.”

Bhone told Pope the only waythe student could continue in thejazz program was if he also tookpart in the marching band. At thetime, West’s band was one of thebest around.

“One season, we didn’t haveenough players to cover all thebass drum parts, so I came upwith this idea to build a setup forall the drums to be played by oneperson,” Bhone recalled. “I putJarred in the pit and he played allof them himself. If you watchedhim, it was like he was playing adrum kit made of bass drums.”

‘When Paul called, Idropped the phone’

Saxophonist Paul Perez, whomet Pope during his visits to WestHigh for music tutoring, saidPope’s drumming was a rare find.

“It was apparent he was leapsand bounds above just an averagehigh school player. He evenlooked and played like (drum-mer) Dave Weckl at that time,when Chick Corea’s band was allthe rage.”

Over at CSUB, Perez, a studentat the time, had assembled a jazz

group called Sneakers, a who’swho of the best musicians of thelate 1980s: bassist Dave Glenn,vocalist Keith Hall, keyboardistJaime Sevilla, late Bakersfield gui-tarist Tim Cartwright and drum-mer John Snider. After Snider left,Perez hit up Pope to fill the covet-ed spot. Soon after, the group wasrecording and collecting acco-lades and awards at the annualPacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festi-val.

“When Paul called me, Idropped the phone. The CSUBjazz music program was thehottest thing going on. All thegood players were there,” Popesaid. “Things just snowballed forme.”

Doug Davis, CSUB professor ofjazz studies, recalled Pope’simmediate impact.

“What I remember is a youngdrummer completely on fire tolearn. His willingness to work wasjust outstanding. My hope forhim was to keep the road as openas possible so he could keeplearning. There was quite a longjazz period that he was represent-ed. The Street Players band cameafter Sneakers, and his involve-ment with other groups. That wasjust more creativity. He was in themix and ready for it.”

The offers began streaming in

from that point on, opportunitiesborn of Pope’s desire to stay opento all types of drumming: jazzfusion, alternative rock, ska,country, Latin and beyond.

“There was a reason I spent somuch time practicing and still do.It’s always been important for meto study and listen to what’sgoing on out there, and stillreaching back to the basics forexercises. People must think I sitaround listening to jazz fusionrecords, but I don’t. Most of whatI listen to has nothing to do withbeing a drummer.”

Pope’s extensive resume coversmyriad genres and musical occu-pations. He’s toured, recordedand performed withsinger/actress Julianne Hough,singer/songwriter Crosby Log-gins, Americana duo Hanna–McEuen, the Smokin’ Armadillos,Monty Byrom, Mother Funk Con-spiracy, and country act WhiskeyFalls, which took Pope on itsEuropean/Japan tour in 2008. Healso has appearanced on “JimmyKimmel Live!,” the “Grand OleOpry” and been featured inDrum! magazine.

“You have to be selfless and beable to create for the artist hiringyou. Be able to step out of yourcomfort zone, and step up whenit’s your time. I’ve been lucky to

play with some great players,”Pope said.

As for the drummer’s absencefrom Bakersfield, Perez said Popewill leave a void. But the timingcouldn’t be better.

“(Jazz legend) Ernie Watts toldus, ‘If you’re genuine and sincerein your presentation and you’reundeniably good at what you do,there’s a place waiting for you.The problem is having patienceto wait for that moment.’ I thinkJarred is at that point,” Perez said.“Now he’s going to a place wherehe can shine.”

Bhone, who performed withPope and Perez for a private showon Saturday, is confident successwill continue to follow.

“Jarred is warm and humble,but he’s confident, that’s anattribute that carries peoplealong in life. His timing is amaz-ing, and he’s a groove-orienteddrummer. Everyone that I knowthat’s played with Jarred knowsthat. I’m really proud of him.”

Pope, who will make the movewithout his family, said he willmiss his three children, Shaylan,Savannah and Alex. But becauseof them and his friends here, Bak-ersfield will always be home.

“If I had never moved here, Iwouldn’t be near the player I amtoday.”

Drummer beats path to Nashville

SHELBY MACK / THE CALIFORNIAN

Jarred Pope plays drums in the home of friend Neil Moralez. Pope, who has been playing the drumssince he was 6, is in the process of moving to Nashville, Tenn., to further his music career.

Bakersfield musicianhopes for big break

Page 3: Eye Street / 8-9-12

BY ASHLEY FISCHERContributing writer

My experience at Movies onthe Patio at ValentienRestaurant and Wine Bar

managed to break one of the centralrules of the cinematic world: Thesequel was better than the original.

Most Saturday nights around sun-down, the owners at Valentien trans-form the small patio area into amakeshift movie theater and showfilms ranging from “Vacation” to“Midnight in Paris.”

It all started fairly simply, when co-owner Jeramy Brown set up a screenand a projector so he and a friendcould watch a movie while they didsome wine tasting. Now, with fouryears of experience, Movies on thePatio has developed into a full-blownevent; and for approximately three tofour months out of the year (theshowings began in April and continueuntil Aug. 25), you can catch dinnerand a movie at Valentien.

Which is what I did — twice. Eachexperience was drastically different.The second outing was great; the firstone, not so much. But with a coupleof rewrites, I’d say Valentien hasscripted a blockbuster way tospend an evening out.

The trick is, you have toknow exactly how youwould like your night to go.Like any well-constructedstory, you need to decideon the particular feelingor mood: quiet andthoughtful? Wordy

and satirical? Or perhaps charminglygritty?

In Hollywood, they have tone writ-ers for that, but for this particularevent, it’s the movie itself that reallydictates the overall atmosphere of theexperience.

Sure, there’s an ambience thatcomes part and parcel with din-

ing at one of the finest restau-rants in town: crisp, whitelinen; friendly, clairvoyantlyattentive service; and amenu that features itemsgarnished with mousses and

sorbets, and topped withquail eggs (no chewy

pretzel and gelati-nous cheese prod-

uct here!).The first time around, however, my

date and I attended a showing of “Dr.Strangelove.” Yes, I’ve seen it. Yes, Ienjoy it. And I’m pretty certain I gotan A on that paper in my college cine-ma course to boot. But do I want tosit on a patio on a sticky summerevening, ignoring my date in myattempt to try and catch every singleline in this dialogue-laden satire? Notexactly.

Add a couple of glasses of wine tothat equation and you’ve got yourselfa pretty impossible task. To be entire-ly fair, neither my date nor I had seenthat movie for quite some time (it’snot exactly up there with “Star Wars”

22 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eye Street

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SHELBY MACK / THE CALIFORNIAN

David Delis, Tara Delis and Yvonne Cavanagh watch “Dr. Strangelove” from their outdoor table at SaturdayMovies on the Patio at Valentien.

Yvonne Cavanagh digs in to her Salad Nicoise at Valentien.

Please see TOWN / 29

Page 4: Eye Street / 8-9-12

Thursday, August 9, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 23

Eye Street

BY ASHLEY FISCHERContributing writer

As summer draws to a close,so does the season of thepopcorn flick. We say so

long to our Batmans and our Spi-der-Mans, our Thors and ourLokis and prepare for the seriousOscar-bait dramas that take overwhen kids return to school.

Fortunately, Maya Cinemas ishere to help us ease our way intothe slightly less explosive fallmovie season with Indie NightWednesdays. This series of one-night-only screenings is dedicatedto the little guys of cinema whoare more concerned with story-telling and depth than cardboardcharacters and CGI trickery.

At 7 p.m. each Wednesday fromAug. 15 through Sept. 12, the the-ater will dedicate one of itsscreens to a low-budget inde-pendent film that may have beenlost in the mega-ton movie fran-chise shuffle.

“The Maya has built up a repu-tation in town for getting more ofthe independent features,” saidBrian Burnham, promotionsdirector for the theater. “We showa lot of those non-blockbusters,and we’re trying to expand on

that. For this series, we were ableto secure five movies that didn’thave very large openings at all,and show them, to the best of myknowledge, exclusively in KernCounty.”

Most of the films included onthe Indie Night roster have beenout for months now, but becauseof the quiet-to-non-existent pub-licity that accompanied theirrelease, you might not have heardof them yet. For instance,“Bernie,” starring Jack Black,Shirley MacLaine and MatthewMcConaughey, has been outsince April and is currently play-ing at East Hills Mall.

Initially released to only a fewtheaters in larger cities, thesescreenings might be Kern Countyaudiences’ only chance to catchthem in theaters.

“A lot of these movies, unlessthey somehow manage to hitvery, very well, will never actuallyopen to a large set of theaters,like most of your larger picturesdo,” Burnham explained.

But just because the flicks aresmall budget doesn’t mean theydon’t have some reasonably bigstars attached to them. And formovie fans who get skittish any

time the label “indie film” getsthrown around, don’t fret toomuch.

Though these aren’t fight-sequence-laden action adven-tures, they’re not exactly DavidLynch curiosities, either.

Perhaps the two movies thatpossess the broadest appeal arethe heartfelt romance “Your Sis-ter’s Sister,” starring Emily Bluntand Mark Duplass, and “CrookedArrows,” a sports drama focusingon a Native American lacrosseteam, starring Brandon Routh(you probably know him best asthat other guy who played Super-man).

Burnham hopes to appeal tothose who already consider theMaya their go-to theater forsmaller film releases, while pro-viding the rest of Bakersfield’smovie fans an inexpensive way tomix up their regular movie rou-tine.

“People in Bakersfield want tosee these movies,” he said. “It’sjust a matter of getting the wordout there. And we find peoplehere are also always looking forsomething a little different to do,so we thought, ‘Let’s give themsomething to do.’”

Not your typical summer blockbustersWhen: 7 p.m. Wednesdays,Aug. 15 through Sept. 12Where: Maya Cinemas, 1000California Ave.

Admission: $6

Aug. 15: “Bernie”

This dark comedy, directed byRichard Linklater (“Dazed andConfused”), transports us to thesmall town of Carthage, Texas,where a local funeral director(Jack Black) befriends the resi-dent embittered widow (ShirleyMcLaine). Quirkiness and sillySouthern accents ensue.

Aug. 22: “Safety not Guaran-teed”

This snarky, heartwarming tale,featuring Aubrey Plaza (the girlwith the deadpan voice andexpressive eyes from NBC’s“Parks and Recreation”) andMark Duplass (“The League”),depicts three young journalistswho decide to interview a manwho wrote a classified ad seek-ing a companion for time trav-el.

Aug. 29: “Peace, Love, and Mis-

understanding”

This comedy/drama introducesus to an “uptight, NYC lawyer,”who drags her angst-riddenteenagers along with her to visither mother’s countryside farm-house. The film boasts thereturn of Jane Fonda to the bigscreen and also stars JeffreyDean Morgan (aka Denny from“Grey’s Anatomy”), ElizabethOlson, Chace Crawford andKatherine McPhee, just to namea few.

Sept. 5: “Your Sister’s Sister”

Iris (Emily Blunt) ships her bestfriend (Mark Duplass) off to herfamily’s secluded vacationhome to deal with the death ofhis brother, and to find himself.Instead, he finds her sister(Rosemarie Dewitt).

Sept. 12: “Crooked Arrows”Starring Brandon Routh, thissports drama offers a fresh takeon the underdog-team-beats-the-odds story with its tale of aNative American lacrosse teamthat takes on a fancy prepschool in the big game.

INDIE NIGHT WEDNESDAY AT MAYA

Page 5: Eye Street / 8-9-12

Even though Spotlight The-atre isn’t producing anyshows of its own at the

moment, it doesn’t mean thestage is dark, says Peggy Darling,who heads the nonprofit organi-zation’s board.

“We’ve been renting it out toother organizations but we won’taccept anything that isn’t theatri-cal,” the chairwoman said in aphone conversation. “The Boysand Girls Club is putting on ashow there this weekend and wehave a grant to continue ourschool in the fall.”

The Spotlight School, under thedirection of Ashten Smith andMarvin Ramey, recently put onthe school’s production of “TheLittle Mermaid.”

And looking even fartherahead, Darling said Thomas G.Robinson, who has been active inlocal theater for several years, hasbooked the Spotlight for eightnights in November. He plans toproduce a play related to “TheHouse on Mango Street,” thisyear’s selection for One Book,One Bakersfield, One Kern.

Meanwhile, the performancesof “Mulan Jr.” this Saturday fea-ture 38 young thespians rangingin age from 6 to 14, said ZaneSmith, executive director of theBoys and Girls Club. They are par-ticipants in the club’s performingarts program.

The staff includes Carly Watts,director; Ariel Clark, assistantdirector; and Ellie Hartman, vocaldirector.

“All have performed in localtheater and are sharing theresponsibility of choreography,”Smith said.

Based on an ancient Chinesepoem and Disney animated film,the musical tells the story of ayoung woman named Mulan whosets out on a dangerous adven-ture to save the emperor from anenemy attack.

She is accompanied by Mushu,a dragon. The score includesfavorites like “Reflection,” “Honor

to Us All” and“I’ll Make aMan Outof You,” aswell asseveral

new songs.Spot-

light’s future

As for when Spotlight will actu-ally be up and running, a year-round season depends to a greatdegree on finding and hiring aqualified person to plan andoversee the theater’s artistic pro-gram.

Jarrod Clowes and Alex Nealshared the artistic director dutiesfor about six months after HalFriedman's resignation in August2011. However, neither is current-ly employed by Spotlight, accord-ing to Darling.

“We need an artistic directorwho has had experience, has apassion for the theater, and whowill accept the salary we canoffer, of course,” she said. “Whatwe need is another Emily (Thi-roux) or Hal (Friedman). We can’tuse just a dreamer.”

Thiroux, who now lives in Ven-tura County, founded Spotlight asa private enterprise; Friedmanmoved to New York City in Mayand recently became executivedirector of Rescue Agreement, aninnovative theater group. Fried-man’s salary at the time of hisresignation was about $24,000 ayear, Darling said.

Yet another factor in attracting“the right person” is successfullycleaning up the theater and itsadjacent rooms and offices. Anadditional task is doing an inven-tory of about 1,000 costumes thetheater has accumulated over theyears.

Spotlight occupies a portion ofa building on 19th Street that isco-owned by Darling. She hasbeen a major supporter of thetheater since it began in 1999.

“We are embarked on a totalrestoration of the theater,” Dar-ling said. “We’ll start right afterthe Boys and Girls Club movesout. It’s mostly cleanup andthere’s some electrical that needsfixing.”

The board recently accepted aproposal for doing the refurbish-ment from Kathy Lingenfelter, alocal bookkeeper, at a cost of$4,000.

“We’ve got a list of about 10things to be done,” Darling said.“Kathy will be in charge, and Iwill supervise.”

Darling said Lingenfelter alsowas responsible for getting Spot-light’s financial affairs in order.

“We are no longer insolventand we have almost all of ourdebts cleaned up,” the chair-woman said. “There’s just one left— to the credit card company —and we’ve been paying it offmonthly; it should be paid off bynext month.”

Spotlight is managed by aboard of directors: Darling; Lau-ren Franconi, secretary; RonSteinman, treasurer; Sally Bylin;Kathleen Faulkner; Dee Slade;and Annette Bridgeman.

Banjo and cello duoAlthough her gig as a banjo

instructor at Tehachapi’s CampKiya ended Wednesday, SharonMartinson is staying over a fewdays and will perform with hermusical partner, cellist Dave Hue-ber, at Fiddlers Crossing Fridayevening.

Debby Hand, owner of the cof-fee house, said the duo met at ajam session in Mammoth Lakesand began performing as The Lit-tlest Birds about two years ago.

“Huebner’s imaginative andenergetic cello is a perfect coun-

terpoint to Martinson’s uniquebanjo frailing style,” she said.“Frailing, or clawhammer, banjois a technique of using just thethumb and the back of one finger,rather than picks as in bluegrass.”

Kids’ art program expanded Side-by-Side, a monthly art

education program for childrenand their parents, begins on Sat-urday at the Bakersfield Museumof Art.

Previously, the program wasopen only to children of pre-school age. Now it’s beenexpanded to include youngsterswho are in kindergarten througheighth grade. Each session lastsone hour and takes place the sec-ond Saturday of each month.

Youth mariachi and dancersA fundraising barbecue dinner

and performance sponsored byKern County Youth Mariachi willbe held on Saturday at a privateresidence on South Sterling Road,according to Manuel Fonseca,director of SoLuna Ballet.

“The proceeds are to benefitthe mariachi group,” Fonsecasaid. “SoLuna is an invited guestat this event, and I am merelyhelping to spread the word.”

Instrumental groups scheduledto perform are Mariachi Juvenilde Aztlan and Mariachi San Mar-cos. Also featured is DaisySanchez, a local vocalist.

24 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eye Street

Disney’s ‘Mulan Jr.’When: 2:30 p.m. and 6:30p.m. Saturday

Where: Spotlight Theatre,1622 19th St.

Admission: $5

Information: 325-3730

Side-by-SideWhen: 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday

Where: Bakersfield Museumof Art, 1930 R St.

Admission: $15 non-mem-bers, $10 members

Information: 323-7219

The Littlest BirdsWhen: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Fiddlers Crossing,206 E. F St., Tehachapi

Admission: $15

Information: 823-9994

Kern County Youth Mariachi concertWhen: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.Sunday

Where: 3434 S. SterlingRoad

Admission: $15 adults; $10children

Information: 871-1164

Camille Gavin CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

GO & DO

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

Banjo-cello duo toplay coffee house

Spotlight keeps humming along

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBBY HAND

The Littlest Birds, with Sharon Martinson on banjo and Dave Hue-ber on cello, will perform on Friday night at Fiddlers Crossing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANUEL FONSECA

Laura Fonseca will be the featured dancer when SoLuna Ballet per-forms at the Kern County Youth Mariachi concert.

Page 6: Eye Street / 8-9-12

BY JENNIFER SELFCalifornian lifestyles editor

[email protected]

He’s got the sequined white glove,black loafers, military jacket and thelaws-of-physics-defying moves that

made Michael Jackson a superstar. But thescary plastic surgery? That was a little toooff the wall for King of Pop impersonatorMichael Firestone.

He uses makeup — lots and lots and lotsof makeup — to get the man in the mirrorto resemble his idol. And glue (don’t ask).

“I have more makeup than you andyour friends combined,” said the LasVegas-based performer, who brings histribute to Jackson to the Fox Theater onSaturday.

“I sweat like crazy. I use a lot of harshfoundation, which is probably why I’mugly in real life. I probably have $700 inbrushes alone. It’s just part of me now.”

But when he started his act 13 years ago,the transformative properties of eyelinerwere unknown to Firestone — a ripped-jeans rocker in his downtime — who reliedon his women friends and drag queens formakeup tips.

Once he got the look down, he discov-ered the real work was ahead of him. Theydidn’t call Jackson the King of Pop fornothing: His talent — and prematuredeath — have put him in the rare companyof other gone-too-soon icons like ElvisPresley and Marilyn Monroe, whose popu-larity shows no signs of diminishing.

“He’s the ultimate superhero humanbeing rock star to me,” Firestone said.“Steven Tyler is the only one who comesclose to Michael Jackson. But not thatclose.”

Firestone usually kicks around Vegascasinos with his Michael Jackson act, but“Moonwalker,” the concert he will performin Bakersfield, is a more ambitious show.Accompanying Firestone are four bandmembers, two backup singers and severaldancers for a two-hour show that runsthrough hits like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,”“Bad” and “ABC.” He sings live — whichhe said not all Jackson impersonators canclaim with a straight face — and has 15costume changes.

“I try to touch every era he did, evenwhen he was a kid with Jackson 5. TheMotown period is sick, but when you putMichael Jackson as a kid on that, it’s evenbadder.”

As for approximating Jackson’s voice —a nuanced instrument the performer couldmodulate from an ethereal fragility to afunky growl and back again — Firestoneactually avoided the source material.

“I had to listen to Whitney Houston toget it down. If you listen to her acappellastuff and you want to sing, she’ll teach youhow to sing.”

And true to the title of his show, Fire-stone will be doing some moonwalking,the backward-gliding dance craze thattook the world by storm — or at least theless jaded world of 1983. The secret to aseamless moonwalk?

“It looks different than it feels, so it does-n’t feel good at all if you’re doing it right,”Firestone said. “It’s not exciting to dobecause you’re not doing anything. You’remaking an illusion. You have to see it fromthe right angle or it’s not even effective.”

But that’s not the only signature moveFirestone attempts.

“I lean at a 45-degree angle on ‘SmoothCriminal,’ with the white suit. It’s a magictrick — there are no strings. So if I bust myface, you’ll know there are no strings. And Ihave fallen almost right down on my face.”

One flourish Firestone has all but ban-ished from the act is the lissome Jackson’spenchant for punctuating a particularmove by standing on his toes.

Firestone’s toes are willing, but his kneesare weak.

“For some guys, it hurts their hips. But ifthey’re not hurting, they’re not doing itright. At the end of the show, all I’m think-ing about is Epsom Salt and Tiger Balm.”

Though Firestone never got to see Jack-son in concert, he had tickets for the Lon-don stop of what was to be the singer’scomeback tour. Firestone remembersreceiving the news of Jackson’s death inJune 2009.

“I woke up to my mother’s phone calland she said, ‘Don’t turn on the TV.’ Don’tturn on the TV doesn’t mean Grandmadied. There’s only one person I would fol-low on TV, and it’s not the Kardashians.”

But Firestone did have a personal

encounter with Jackson, a memory theperformer said perfectly exemplifies howgenerous the star was with his time andkindness.

Firestone had entered a songwritingcontest and though he didn’t win, Jacksonreached out to him with advice.

“We talked all night about so manythings that were amazing. He was the bestguy in the world.”

Firestone is grateful for “Moonwalker,”which allows him to reconnect with hisidol regularly. He said he never tires of per-forming crowd pleasers like “I’ll Be There.”

“My absolutely favorite part of the show,and I pride myself on this, is afterwardwhen I get to meet everybody. I stay forthree hours to meet every person.

“The very last song also is my favoritebecause I got through it again. It’s hard.”

Thursday, August 9, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 25

Eye Street

Jackson impersonator is a thriller“Moonwalker: The Michael Jackson Concert Experience”When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Fox Theater, 2001 H St.

Admission: $34.50 to $74.50; foxthe-ateronline.com

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Saturday, August 1110-11 a.m.Members – $10

Non-Members – $15Make sure you don’t let this great opportunity pass.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art isexcited to introduce an all-new Saturday

art education program. This program will take place on the second Saturday of each

month, beginning in August. This program is a greatway for preschool and elementary school children to discover their artistic talents while buildingstrong relationships with their parents.

This program is open to elementary aged childrenas well. Over these 12 weeks students will have the opportunity to create their own artwork in varyingmediums ranging from sculpture to painting.

MOONWALKERSHOW.NET

Michael Firestone stars as Michael Jack-son in “Moonwalker: The Michael Jackson Concert Experience.”

Live show pays tribute to the late King of Pop

Page 7: Eye Street / 8-9-12

26 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eye Street

After two years of perform-ing at any local venue withan available power outlet,

Bakersfield folk-rock trio KennyReeves & the Clones have decidedit’s time to hit the road.

But before they gas up and go,they’ve got some last-minuteplanning that includes a specialmini-tour kickoff show tonight atSandrini’s.

I got to know the boys whenBakotopia Unplugged Open MicNight at Fishlips was still around.Every week, they faithfullyshowed up in various incarna-tions, ready to play. (Members areKenny Reeves, guitar and vocals,and brothers Kris Borbon, drums,and Bryant Borbon, bass.)

“Kris just emailed a bunch ofvenues and asked if they wouldlet us play,” said Reeves, 23, out-side Starbucks, where he works asa barista. “They would usuallysay, ‘We got an opening here andthere.’ We just took whatever wecould get.”

Looking at their confirmedschedule of shows, they haven’tdone too badly: This Saturdaythey head north to Sacramentofor a trio of shows during theweek, before doubling back toplay Anaheim and Santa Monica.Along the way they may pick upmore shows, in modern-day trou-badour style.

“Our style is real coffee-housestuff. That’s the cool thing about

our setup. We don’thave to bring

much equip-ment. Electricbass and small

amp, acousticguitar, and a

smalldrum

kit. That’s probably taking upmost of the space wherever wego. We asked the venues a lot ofquestions, and most had soundsystems,” Reeves said. “When webooked The Dollhut in Anaheim,we got a little freaked becausethat place is known for hard-corepunk shows. I could just imaginewhat would happen. We stilldon’t know who we’re playingwith, but I think we’ll be OK.”

After I inquired about theirchosen mode of transportation,Reeves suddenly paused.

“We’re not sure yet. We’re run-ning around trying to figure itout. We may just sell my truckand try and buy a van. If we can’tget it sold by Friday, we’ll rent avan,” he said with a laugh.

As ludicrous as that sounds, Iwouldn’t put it past them. Onething I’ve learned after years ofinterviewing bands at variousstages of their careers: If there’s agig, there’s a way.

“I think it’s going to bring ustogether closer as a band if wepull it off. These guys are my bestfriends already, but honestly, Ithink this will help us find ourgroove. Meeting new people andplaying music to a completelynew crowd. My family comes toall our shows in town, but as sup-portive as my family is, I don’tthink there’s anything new I’mnot looking forward to.”

Joining them on their trek as anopening act is Bakersfield singer-songwriter Nathan Zuniga, whogoes by the stage name With EyesSet Forward. Singer ThereseMuller will be dropping in onselect dates to lend a hand onvocals.

All of tonight’s attendees willbe able to snag a copy of theband’s catchy first demo, record-ed live at Fishlips last year duringopen mic. It’s been circulating forsome time now and helped bringvaluable exposure to the band.

Reeves added that while the San-drini’s show and demos are free,donations are being accepted tohelp with meals and gas.

Upon their return they plan torelease a new five-song EP, engi-neered by local musician JasonGrooms.

“We started recording thesesongs awhile ago, but life got inthe way and didn’t allow us tofinish. Most of our material isinspired by different things in mylife, just fun music that peoplecan bounce their head to. Wehave so many new songs, andwe’re ready to get them tightenedup, recorded and leave townagain. Keep the momentumgoing.”

Godspeed, fellas. Today’s free show kicks off at 9

p.m. Sandrini’s is located at 1918Eye St. For more information call322-8900.

Matt’s picksThree Bad Jacks at B Ryder’s

Bar, 7401 White Lane, 9 p.m., Fri-day, $10, 397-7304.

While use of the word “mature”

may contradict Three Bad Jacksinternational reputation as rock’n’ roll wild men, the trio’s mix oftraditional rockabilly with gratu-itous Southern California punk isundeniably smokin’. According totheir bio, the trio has managed to

If there’s a gig, there’s a wayThe 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.

Trio willing to goanywhere for show

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADY CABE

Bakersfield alt-folk trio Kenny Reeves and the Clones appear tonight at Sandrini’s.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THREE BAD JACKS

Punkabilly heroes Three Bad Jacks appear Friday at B Ryder’s.

Please see LOWDOWN / 27

Page 8: Eye Street / 8-9-12

Thursday, August 9, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 27

Eye Street

sell more than 150,000 copies of theirrecordings to date, with numerous songsplaced on television and video-gamesoundtracks. Plus they also went fromselling out Los Angeles venues like theTroubadour and House of Blues to shar-ing bills and touring with the likes oflate-Clash frontman Joe Strummer, “TheKiller” Jerry Lee Lewis and DwightYoakam. Simply put, Three Bad Jacks arenothing less than a hybrid force of Amer-icana. They’ve got wild bandstandaction, a flaming stand-up bass andfashionably tattooed chickadees swoonat the very sight of lead singer and gui-tarist Elvis Suissa.

Their latest CD, “Pictures & MemoriesFrom Home,” is classic Jack. Alsoappearing are Motel Drive and Bakers-field’s elusive Iron Outlaws.

Upground at On the Rocks, 151718th St., 9 p.m., Friday $5, 327-7625.

The eight amigos of Upground wereborn and raised in the barrios of EastL.A. Together, they create a fiesta-rifficmix of ska, reggae, cumbia, punk andmany other genres along with Spanish

and English lyrics. The band has opened for War, The

Killers, Los Lobos and more. They’ve alsoparticipated in two SXSW conferences inAustin and were showcased band at theprestigious Latin Alternative Music Con-ference (LAMC) held in New York.

It’s been a few years since Bakersfieldhas hosted an Upground show and withthe scorcher of a weekend we expect tohave, you can bet things are be evenmore caliente. Highly recommended.

Independent filmmaker Selah Victor, aBakersfield native who now lives in LosAngeles, has launched a fundraising cam-paign using the online crowd-fundingwebsite Indiegogo for her current project,“Trainers,” a comedy Web series about aband of misfit personal trainers who bat-tle clients, each other and the threat oftheir small gym closing.

Selah is a Highland High graduate andgraduated from UC Irvine, where she

studied theater. Victor and Web series co-creator Michael Onofri are both personaltrainers in Los Angeles, and after tradingwar stories about clients and fellow train-ers, they brought that subculture to life.

Crowdfunding is a relatively new con-cept that aids filmmakers with short-termfundraising goals.

If the fundraisers make their goal in theallotted time, all proceeds will go directlyinto the production of the series, and

donors receive their promised incentives,including DVD copies of the series, a co-producing credit and VIP access to thepremiere on a studio lot.

Victor said the crowdfunding goalallows her to connect with supporters,who offer feedback. She said she willupdate donors “the entire way.”

For more, go to indiegogo.com/trainer-swebseries.— Information provided by Selah Victor

Bakersfield native seeks funding for film

BY CAMILLE GAVINContributing writer

[email protected]

Aneed to provide a permanent areato display members’ artwork was akey factor in the decision,

announced Tuesday, to move TheFoundry to a much larger location downthe street.

The owners of the art gallery signed athree-year lease to triple their floor spacewhen they move from their present site on20th Street to a space formerly occupiedby Ellie Jaye’s children’s boutique at 160819th St.The move puts The Foundry inthe heart of downtown Bakersfield’s artsdistrict.

“We’re going from 900 square-feet to2,700 square-feet,” said Foundry co-ownerChristina Sweet. “Our artist club of 54,ever-growing list of mini-art shows andmonthly installations requires a larger andfresher space. The new space providesadequate gallery lighting, space andamenities vital to running the business,”

Sweet, along with graphic artist AlanUrquhart and airbrush artist Alan Willis,are the owners and managers of TheFoundry, which is organized as a club. Tojoin, each member pays a one-time fee of$50.

The new site, which will open on FirstFriday, Sept. 7, is immediately next doorto Don Martin’s Metro Galleries. TheFoundry, Martin said, was the first grouphe approached about renting the space.

“I’ve been in this business for six yearsnow and I’ve seen galleries come and go,”he said. “But what I like about (TheFoundry) is they have a great businessmodel — the main partners have otherjobs and one will have his office there sothey’re not relying on art sales to pay therent.”

Sweet, a full-time insurance broker, isalso a visual artist. She will have a studioon the second floor of the new gallery.Urquhart will operate his graphic designbusiness from an office on the groundfloor.

Martin feels the two enterprises —Metro Galleries and The Foundry — willcomplement each other.

“We both do art but we’re different inwhat we do,” he said. “We handle mid-

career artists, many of them from out oftown, and (The Foundry) focuses on localemerging artists.”

It also fits in with Martin’s plans toexpand his business’ presence by adding1,900 square-feet on the Eye Street side ofthe 19th and Eye building that housesboth businesses. Metro alone currentlyoccupies 4,000 square-feet.

“We’ve exposed the old brick — youknow this is an old building, built in 1893— and it will have an indoor-outdoor feelwith a stage area and a patio,” Martinsaid. “It will be very similar in design tothe Metro but a little more casual withcouches and other places to sit.”

The Foundry originated in November2010 as a cooperative at 1700 Chester Ave.when it shared space with Justin JenningsPicture Framing. In August 2011, it movedto 1602 20th St., next to Dagny’s Coffee.

A multimedia exhibit by Susan Reepwill be the first show at the new Foundry.It will be a tribute to the memory of com-munity leader Wendy Wayne.

Starting in September, The Foundry willbe open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. onSaturdays. For more information, call 340-4771.

Gallery starts thinking bigFoundry moving to largerspace in arts district

Misty Dameron Photography is holdinga grand opening for its new studio inthe Ice House at 6 p.m. this evening at3401 Chester Ave. The celebration willfeature refreshments, snacks, a D.J. andlive music. Big band singer Roger Mar-tin will perform at 8 p.m. The event isfree and open to the public. For infor-mation, call 900-4501.

GO & DO

PHOTO COURTESY OF MISTY DAMERON

Misty Dameron Photography is anew gallery on Chester Avenue.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UPGROUND

Upground from East Los Angelesappears at On the Rocks Friday night.

LOWDOWN: CONTINUED FROM 26

Page 9: Eye Street / 8-9-12

28 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eye Street

they had a flair for craftingmelodies with undeniable catchi-ness. On tour, they brought theirhome state along for the ride,staging shows featuring live farmanimals, native plants and aTexas-shaped stage.

As their reputation grew, so didtheir beards and popularity.

Their 1983 album “Eliminator”would become one the year’srunaway hits, due in part to thevideos for the songs “SharpDressed Man,” “Legs” and“Gimme All Your Lovin’.” All threefeatured sexy models and atricked-out, red 1933 Ford Coupethat became part of the group’ship new image. Soon, the ZZ Topbeard could be seen everywherefrom advertising campaigns toHalloween costumes.

Today, they still bear theirtrademark beards and sunglasses.In 2004, the band was inductedinto the Rock and Roll Hall ofFame.

To stir up some hype for theupcoming record, the groupreleased a four-song EP, “Texi-cali,” earlier this year. It’s a solidreminder of what defines the ZZTop sound: gritty guitars, drivingbeats and gruff vocals. No synthe-sizers, just pure Texas rock.

Guitarist and vocalist Gibbons,62, was good enough to answerThe Californian’s questions viaemail.

How does it feel to be con-sidered one of the most iconicbands of both the ’70s and’80s?

It feels fine ’cause we had a lotof good times then and we’re stillhaving them. We’ve extended our

rock and roll “half life” by keep-ing on keeping on. Fun is theHamburger Helper secret to ourlongevity.

What are your impressionsof producer Rick Rubin?

His talent is his ability to listenand reflect on what he hears.That’s not easy for us, so his con-tribution was very significant.And, you know, look at thatbeard! How could this not haveworked?

What was your favoritemoment of the big MTV videodays?

Winning in our category at thevery first MTV Awards, nowknown as the VMAs, was prettycool. We got to shoot the “Legs”video twice because the labruined the film after the firstshooting and we had to reassem-ble cast and crew one week later,and we really got to know thosegirls pretty well.

One of the original ZZ Topvideo models, Jeana Keoughfrom “Legs,” was last seen onthe reality show “Real House-wives of Orange County.” Youstill keep in touch?

Not only are we in touch withmost of them, but we’ve met theirdaughters!

What was your least favoriteMTV moment?

It’s certainly one of the mostabsurd moments and it lastedlonger than a moment, but whenFrank “discovered” MTV he washome channel surfing and sawthey were playing music.

He stayed up for about 18hours ’cause he didn’t want tomiss any of it, unaware that it was

going on for 24 hours, non-stop. Are your beards insured?Yes, but the deductible is a

killer!Have you ever been offered

money to shave the beardsoff?

Doesn’t matter ’cause there’sno way we’d do it. The prospectof seeing ourselves clean-shavenin the mirror is more frighteningthat just about anything imagina-ble.

You get a chance to checkout any new bands?

Oh, yeah. We’re digging a fewcool new ones. We’re liking BlackJoe Louis and The Honeybearsfrom Austin, and Amplified Heat,too. The latter are a three-piecethat play it really down and dirty.Sound familiar? On the countryside, we’re big pals with JameyJohnson, who really knows howto rock it.

Will we ever see a ZZ Topautobiography? If it was madeinto a movie, which big-timeHollywood actors would youlike portraying you three onfilm?

We can’t stop to get a biogra-phy down ’cause we’re still livingchapters to be written about. Fora film about ZZ Top, we’d haveFrank portrayed by William H.Macy, maybe George Clooney orJohn Hamm to play yours trulyand, of course, we’d ask theLooney Tunes folks to conjure upYosemite Sam to play Dusty.

I once caught a ZZ Top trib-ute with a fourth memberonstage, which seemed a bitodd. What kind of ZZ Top trib-ute would you approve of?

That’s ridiculous! If you can’tdo it with three, don’t do it at all.We’ve heard a whole bunch ofthem over the years and werevery impressed with Fandango!, aband whose drummer was noneother than Billy Bob Thornton.There’s one out there called Elim-inator, but not sure the beards arefor real.

They’re not a ZZ tribute band,per se, but Rick K. and the All-nighters’ version of “SharpDressed Man” is amazingbecause the drummer is so wild.More than 2 million have seenthe YouTube video. Check it out!

What’s the best advice orcompliment you’ve everreceived from one of yourmusical idols?

Jimi Hendrix said he thoughtwe were “more than OK,” andwhen Dusty and Frank weredoing duty as Lightnin’ Hopkins’

rhythm section, they asked himto run down the changes inadvance of the set. His responsewas: “Lightnin’ change whenLightnin’ want to change.” aTheywere really on their toes as aresult.

What kind of set list willfans be getting at your Bakers-field show?

Our aim is to cover as muchterritory as possible, so we’ll goway back to the beginning andbring it right up to the presentwith some stuff from the forth-coming album and maybe somestuff we’ve never recorded, tomake it interesting.

Would you ever considerhaving live animals onstageagain like you did for theWorldwide Texas tour of ’76?

Got that base covered, too.GiZZmo, the band’s mascot, hasbeen known to join us onstage.

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Singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons, left, and bassist Dusty Hill per-form at Abenberg Castle in Abenberg, Germany, in June 2011.

Page 10: Eye Street / 8-9-12

Thursday, August 9, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 29

Eye Street

on our rewatch list), so it required somepretty active viewing on our part — activeviewing that could have better beenachieved in, well, a dark movie theater.

Our focus was on the screen, not oneach other, and not on our food, and thatseemed to be the case with everyone else.Which, when you’re in good company orsavoring dishes as lovely as the ones pre-pared for you at Valentien, seems ratherunfortunate.

But then “Fistful of Dollars” rolled intotown.

Now this is a movie that I not only like,but love. It also requires little explanation,not that “The Man with No Name” is bigon talk anyway. It’s a movie where one ofClint Eastwood’s piercing stares conveysabout as much as a tumbleweed blowingacross the dusty streets of San Miguel.

This left my date and me free to chatand make jokes at the movie’s expense;debate our favorite courses of the evening;and discuss whatever else we felt neededdiscussing.

Not that we were loud and raucous byany means. Both viewing experiences weresurprisingly quiet, the first one almostoppressively so, in spite of the occasionalrumble of the Truxtun traffic.

But the second time around, I took com-fort in the fact that the other couple watch-ing the movie behind us were also talkingand sharing their own private jokes. Myoccasional snide comment didn’t seem toencroach upon their good time, and theirconversations didn’t disturb mine.

In short, go see something you know.Everybody has different cinematic tastes,and Valentien does a pretty decent job ofcatering to that. The movie selections arevaried, and each of them “classic” in a way— some old, some new, some seminal,some cult.

Both nights were warm, but it’s Bakers-field and it’s summer, so that’s prettymuch to be expected. I do wish thesescreenings would continue on into the fall.Coats, scarves, some hot chocolate and aHitchcock film? Sounds like a comfortablycozy October evening to me.

As for the food: It’s Valentien, so bothmeals were unique and delicious butpricey. Dishes come and go from the menupretty regularly, so chances are you won’t

be getting the same thing twice. Sometimes it offers specials to coincide

with the film it’s showing. Brown recalledthat the night they showed “Jaws,” theyalso served shark, which was a big hit. For“Dr. Strangelove,” much to my delight,they offered borscht, a traditionallyUkrainian beet soup, which was somethingI hadn’t seen on a menu since my last tripto Manhattan.

At the end of the day, Saturday NightMovies on the Patio is something I’d hap-pily attend again. And in a town perpetual-ly clamoring for “something to do,” it morethan warrants elevation to its own sort ofcult status.

Just bear in mind that, as with mostthings in life, sometimes you have to takethe good with the bad and the ugly. But inthis case, it’s largely the good.

SHELBY MACK / THE CALIFORNIAN

Zach Hansen and Lisa Sullivan sip wine and beer before ordering dinner whilewatching “Dr. Strangelove” at Saturday Movies on the Patio at Valentien.

Valentien Saturday Night Movieson the PatioWhen: It begins roughly in the springand continues through the summer.There are three more showings thismonth: “Breaking Away,” Saturday;“Stand by Me,” Aug. 18; and “RebelWithout a Cause,” Aug. 25. The moviesthemselves begin at sundown, typicallyaround 8 p.m.Where: 3310 Truxtun Ave.Cost: The movie itself is free, butyou’re obviously expected to order atleast a glass of wine or two. Wines bythe glass start at about $6 or $7, andthe small plates start at $8 and worktheir way up to $14 for the grilled rab-bit loin, which my date and I bothenjoyed.Food: I’d recommend ordering a sam-pling of small plates and appetizers asopposed to full entrees (which startedat $14 and worked their way up to$36). The “snack size” portions lendthemselves to the finger-food appeal oftraditional movie theater fare and, thisway, even if the restaurant isn’t offer-ing themed specials, you can createyour own complementary dining expe-rience. I, for instance, delighted in myown perceived cleverness of nibblingon steak tartare and a huckleberrytorte while watching a classic western.

TOWN: CONTINUED FROM 22

TodayGuitar Masters at The Bell Tower, withPeppino D’Agostino, doors open at 6:30p.m., show at 7:30 p.m., The Bell Tower,1200 Truxtun Ave., Ste. 100. $30, includesappetizers. No host bar. Email [email protected] or 204-7685.Concerts by The Fountain, rock and clas-sic oldies with Triple Threat, 7 to 9 p.m.,The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave.Red Cross New Volunteer Orientation,5:30 to 7:30 p.m., American Red Cross,Kern Chapter, 5035 Gilmore Ave. 324-6427.Social Luncheon, hosted by BakersfieldDeaf Senior Citizens, noon to 2 p.m., Sizzler,900 Real Road. [email protected] Certified Farmers Market, 5 to 8p.m., 5th St. Plaza, Taft. 765-2165.Farmer’s Market, 4 to 7 p.m., TehachapiBlvd. and Robinson St., in downtownTehachapi. 822-6519.Voice Lessons, learn to improve yourvocal range and breathing, one hour lessonsfor six weeks, Juliana’s Art Studio & Gallery,501 18th St. $150. 889-5625.Accordion Lessons, lessons are one hourlong per person for 6 weeks, learn begin-ner’s techniques and several different stylesof music such as Polka, Italian, and Mari-achi music, off of a 124 bass accordion withkeyboard at 501 18th Street. 889-5625.Guitar Class, taught by Mark Albert, forindividuals or a group, Juliana’s Art Studio &Gallery, 501 18th St. $25. call 578-4570 or327-7507 for class details.Bingo, warm ups start at 5 p.m., with earlybirds at 6 p.m., regular games at 6:30 p.m.every Thursday, Volunteer Center of KernCounty, 2801 F St. From $20 buy-in to “theworks.” 395-9787.

FridayMovies in the Park, presents “TheSmurfs,” begins at dusk, Bright House Net-works Amphitheatre, 11200 Stockdale High-way. Free. 326-3866.

River Rhythms Concert Series, 7 p.m.,Riverside Park, 10 Kern River Drive,Kernville. Free. Visit facebook.com/acousti-criver.music.

SaturdayMoonwalker: The Michael JacksonConcert Experience, 7:30 p.m., Bakers-field Fox Theater, 2001 H St. $34.50 to$74.50. foxtheateronline.com.

“Breaking Away” Cinema Saturday,begins at sundown, Valentien Restaurant &Wine Bar, 1310 Truxtun Ave., Suite 160.864-0397.

Annual Kern River Valley HummingbirdCelebration, see six possible humming-bird species, bird walks, bird feeding work-shops, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Audubon Califor-nia’s Kern River Preserve, 18747 Highway178, Weldon. Free but a $10 donation peradult is suggested. Visit onlinekern.audubon.org.

Annual Run to the Pines Car Show,antiques, street rods, classics, food, beginsat 9 a.m., awards 3 p.m., Pine MountainClub Village Center,16300 Mil Potrero High-way, Pine Mountain Club. $20 early car reg-istration; $25 day of event. Visit pinemoun-tainclub.net or 242-2298.

Bakersfield Speedway, late models,street stocks, mini stocks, hard tops, hobbystocks, gates open at 4 p.m.; races begin at6 p.m., Bakersfield Speedway, 5001 N.

Chester Ave. $15; $5 ages 6-12; under 5free. bakersfieldspeedway.com or call 393-3373.Cat Adoptions, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or byappointments, Petco, 8220 Rosedale High-way. $65 includes spay/neuter, vaccinesand leukemia testing. 327-4706.Democratic Women of Kern, breakfastmeeting, 9 a.m. Saturday, Garden Spot,3320 Truxtun Ave. $5. 322-7411.E-Waste Recycling, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bak-ersfield Rescue Mission, 821 E. 21st St. Free.325-4565.Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., BrimhallSquare, 9500 Brimhall Road, and 8 a.m. tonoon, next to Golden State Mall, 3201 F St. Operation: Back to School, financial orschool supply donations are now beingaccepted through Aug. 6; distribution ofbackpacks is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., JesusShack, 1326 30th St. Visit jesusshack.comor 324-0638.Twilight at CALM, bring a picnic dinnerand dine with the animals, 5:30 to 8 p.m.,CALM, 10500 Alfred Harrell Highway. $9adults; $7 seniors; children under 3 are free;CALM members are free. No Twilight at thezoo Aug. 18. calmzoo.org or 872-2256.Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10859,Rosedale & Ladies Auxiliary, 9:30 a.m., Nor-ris Road Veterans Hall, 400 Norris Road.588-5865.Walk for Valley Fever Awareness, 7:15a.m. registration, 8 a.m., Pioneer Village atKern County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave.Pets are welcome on a leash. $10 advance;$15 at the door. Visit valleyfever.com, face-book.com/VFAmericasFoundation or 800-825-3387.Yokuts Park Fun Run, practice racing andearn points, 7 a.m., Yokuts Park, EmpireDrive off Truxtun Avenue. Free. bakersfield-trackclub.com or 203-4196 or 391-7080.

SundayBabbu Maan, doors open at 6:30 p.m.,begins at 7 p.m., Fox Theater, 2001 H St.$40.50-$80.50. vallitix.com or 322-5200.

Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., KaiserPermanente, 8800 Ming Ave. 877-524-7373,

ART“A Time to Write,” part of the Art forHealing program, 1 to 4 p.m. every secondSaturday, Mercy Art & Spirituality Center,2215 Truxtun Ave. 324-7070. Register onlineat mercybakersfield.org/art or 632-5747.

Go & Do

Road to the Fair Karaoke Contest qualifyingToday: 9 p.m. The Old River MonteCarlo, 9750 Taft Highway, 837-0250; 6p.m. Padre Hotel, 1702 18th St., 427-4900; 8 p.m. Bull Shed Bar & Grill,2300 Camino Del Rio, 327-0681.Friday: 9 p.m. Prime Cut Restaurant,9500 Brimhall Road, #100, 831-1413; 7to 10 p.m. Tomi’s Cowgirl Cafe, 1440Weedpatch Highway, 363-5102.Saturday: 8 p.m. Lucky’s Tavern, 1914N. Chester Ave., 333-4331; 8 p.m.Rocket Shop Cafe, 2000 S. Union Ave.,832-4800.Sunday: 9 p.m. Bellvedere CocktailLounge, 3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139.

Please see GO & DO / 30

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30 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, August 9, 2012

Eye Street

Art Classes, in drawing, watercol-or, oils, color theory, for beginnersand advanced, Bakersfield ArtAssociation Art Center, 1817 EyeSt. 869-2320.

Exhibits on Display, Visual ArtsSmall Works Festival,” “Paintingsby Dennis Ziemienski,” “L.A. te:Photographs of Los Angeles afterDark,” “Eye Gallery: A Day in theLife,” now through Aug. 26, Bak-ersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R St.$5 adults; $4 seniors (65+); $2students; children under 6 are free.323-7219.

Jim Bates, featured artist for themonth of August, Bakersfield ArtAssociation Art Center, 1817 EyeSt. 869-2320.

Toni Lott, featured artist for themonth of August, Dagny’s CoffeeCo., 1600 20th St. 634-0806.

Stained Glass Classes, six-weekclass, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays,Juliana’s Art Studio & Gallery, 50118th St. $150. 327-7507.

The Art Shop Club, 9 a.m. tonoon each Thursday, Friday andSaturday, The Art Shop, 1221 20thSt. All mediums. 322-0544, 589-7463 or 496-5153.

THEATER“The Real Housewives of Oil-dale,” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday;2 p.m. Sunday, Gaslight Melodra-ma Theatre & Music Hall, 12748Jomani Drive. $12 to $23. 587-3377.

Improv Comedy Show, withCenter For Improv Advancement, 8to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Satur-days, Ice House, 3401 ChesterAve., Suite M. Adults: $5, childrenunder 12 are $1. ciacomedy.com.

Team Improv I, learn short-formcomedy improv for third to eighthgraders, 10 a.m. to noon Satur-days, now through Sept. 8, TheEmpty Space, 706 Oak St. $150.tonicism.com.

MUSIC

BluesKern River Blues Society Jam, 2to 8 p.m. every second Saturday,Trout’s, 805 N. Chester Ave. 872-7517.

Celtic-bluegrassFiddlers Crossing, 206 E. F St.,Tehachapi, 823-9994; The LittlestBirds, 7 p.m. Friday. $15.

Classic RockBellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;Blond Faith, 9 p.m. Friday andSaturday.

Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, 4310Alfred Harrell Highway, 873-7613;Open Range, 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-0053; Mike Montano Band, 1 to 5p.m. Saturday.

T-Bones Steakhouse, 8020 Dis-trict Blvd., 398-1300; Elevation406, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday andSaturday.

Banacek's Lounge, 4601 StateRoad, 387-9224; Mystic Red, 9p.m. Saturday. The Old River Monte Carlo,9750 Taft Highway, 837-0250; NoLimit, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

ComedyBellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;featuring “The Convicts of Come-dy,” with Chris Gehrt, Adam Feuer-berg, Dimo and others, 7 p.m. Sat-urday. $5. Elevation Lounge, 818 RealRoad, 325-6864; Improv Tuesday- Live comedy with DJ after party,9 p.m. Tuesdays.

CountryBuck Owens’ Crystal Palace,2800 Buck Owens Blvd., 328-7560; Monty Byrom Band and theBuckeroos, 7:30 p.m. Friday andSaturday. $5. Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-8900; Vince Galindo, 9 p.m.Wednesdays.

DancingBeginner 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. Folklorico 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. $22 per month forbeginners; $25 per month foradvance dancers. 833-8790.Greenacres Community Center,2014 Calloway Dr., offers ball-room dance, East Coast swing(jitterbug) and Argentine Tangodance classes; $35, $45 for non-members. 322-5765 or 201-2105. Joaquin Squares, 7:30 to 9:30p.m. Thursday, Rasmussen Center,115 E. Roberts Lane. $5. 324-1390,325-3086 or 399-3658. Mavericks Singles, ballroom andcountry dancing with music byCountry George, 7 to 10 p.m. Fri-day, Kern City Town Hall, 1003Pebble Beach Drive. $7 member;$9 guest. 831-9241. Pairs and Spares Dance, withRich and Randy, 7 p.m. Friday, Ras-mussen Senior Center, 115 E.Roberts Lane. $7; $9 nonmembers.399-3575.

DJBellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;DJ Brian, 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesday.

DoubleTree Hotel, ClubOdyssey, 3100 Camino Del RioCourt. 323-7111; live in the mix: oldschool, ’80s and ’90s music, 9p.m. to 1:30 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. 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.

Jazz Cafe Med, 4809 Stockdale High-way., 834-4433; Richie Perez, 7:30to 11 p.m. Thursdays.

Crest Bar & Grill, inside Bakers-field RV Resort, 5025 Wible Road,833-9998; Steve Woods, 6 to 9p.m. Saturday.

Golden West Casino, 1001 S.Union Ave., 324-6936; RichiePerez, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Satur-day. Free.

Imbibe Wine & Spirits Mer-chant, 4140 Truxtun Ave., 633-WINE; live music & wine bar withfeaturing local artist and Jazz Con-nection, along with 24 wines, 6 to8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday;6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Satur-day.

King Tut, 10606 Hageman Road;live instrumental and vocal Jazz,6:30 to 7:30 p.m. each Friday andSaturday. Free.

La Mina Cantina Bar & Grill,1300 Coffee Road, 587-8777,Mike Montano, 8 to 11 p.m. Satur-day.

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

Que Pasa Mexican Cafe, 2701Ming Ave., 832-5011; Jazz Invasion,9 to 10 p.m. every Saturday.

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

The Nile, Jazz Music, 6 p.m. everySunday. Cost $10 at 1721 19th St.364-2620.

Karaoke Banacek’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.

Big Daddy Pizza, 6417 Ming Ave.,396-7499; 7 to 10 p.m. every Tues-day; 8 to 11 p.m. every Friday.

Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 4200 NewStine Road, 397-5000; 6:30 to9:30 p.m. Thursday.

Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 6111 Niles St.,363-7200; 6:15 to 10:15 p.m. Tues-days.

Chateau Lounge, 2100 S.Chester Ave., 835-1550; 9 p.m.every Saturday.

City Slickers, 1001 W. TehachapiBlvd., 822-4939; 7 p.m. Tuesdaysand Thursdays.

Corona’s Cantina, 9817 S. UnionAve., 345-8463; 7 to 10 p.m. Fri-days.

Don Perico Restaurant, 2660Oswell St., Suite 133, 871-2001; 7to 11 p.m. Thursdays.

DoubleTree Hotel, ClubOdyssey, 3100 Camino Del RioCourt; 8 p.m. to midnight Tues-days.

Elevation Lounge, 818 Real Road,325-6864; 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Ethel’s Old Corral, 4310 AlfredHarrell Highway, 873-7613; 6 to 9p.m. every Wednesday.

Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S.Chester Ave., 831-1315; 7 to 11 p.m.Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Julie’s The Branding IronSaloon, 1807 N. Chester Ave., 6 to10 p.m. every Friday.

Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 WhiteLane, 834-1611; A to Z Karaoke, 8p.m. to midnight Tuesdays.

Lone Oak Inn, 8 p.m. every Tues-day and Thursday at 10612Rosedale Hwy. 589-0412.

Magoo’s Pizza, 1129 Olive Drive,399-7800; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tues-day.

Maria Bonita Mexican Restau-rant, 10701 Highway 178, 366-3261, 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays. All ages.

McMurphy’s Irish Pub & SportsBar, 14 Monterey St., 869-1451; 7p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays.

Pizzeria, 4200 Gosford Road, 397-1111; 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

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.

Replay Sports Lounge & Grill,4500 Buck Owens Blvd., 324-3300; 8 p.m. every Wednesday.

Rocket Shop Cafe, 2000 S.Union Ave., 832-4800; 8:30 p.m.to midnight Saturday.

Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737Meany Ave., Suite B5, 589-6749; 8p.m. Mondays through Wednes-days.

Rocky’s Pizza & Arcade, 2858Niles St., 873-1900; 5:30 to 9:30p.m. Wednesday.

Round Table Pizza, 2060 WhiteLane, 836-2700; 6 to 9 p.m. Tues-day.

Round Table Pizza, 2620 BuckOwens Blvd., 327-9651; The Junc-tion with host Mac Clanahan, 8:30p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.

Round Table Pizza, 4200 Gos-ford Road, 397-1111; 6:30 p.m.Wednesdays.

Rusty’s Pizza, 5430 Olive Drive,392-1482; 6:30 to 9 p.m. everyWednesday.

Sports & Spirits, 6633 Ming Ave.,398-7077; 9 p.m. Thursdays andSaturdays.

Syndicate Lounge, 1818 Eye St.,327-0070; with Alisa Spencer, 9p.m. every Wednesday.

T-Bones Steakhouse, 8020 Dis-trict Blvd., 398-1300; 7:30 to 11p.m. Thursdays.

Tejon Club, 6 to 10 p.m. everySaturday at 117 El Tejon Ave. 392-1747.

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.

The Old River Monte Carlo,9750 Taft Highway, 837-0250;8:30 p.m. every Thursday.

The Playhouse, 2915 Taft High-way; 397-3599; 7 to 10 p.m. Sun-days.

The Prime Cut, 9500 BrimhallRoad, 831-1413; hosted by EdLoverr, 9 p.m. to midnight Friday.

The Regent, 2814 Niles St., 871-4140; 8:30 p.m. every other Friday.

The Wrecking Yard, 9817 S.Union Ave., 827-9192; 7 to 10 p.m.Mondays, Tuesdays and Thurs-days.

The Wright Place, 2695-G MountVernon Ave., 872-8831, 8 p.m.every Thursday.

Tomi’s Cowgirl Cafe, 7 to 10p.m. Friday, 1440 Weedpatch High-way. 363-5102.

Trouts & The BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave., 399-6700; 7 p.m. Mondays and Thurs-days, 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays,Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdaysand Sundays.

Vinny’s Bar & Grill, 2700 S.Union Ave., 496-2502, 7 p.m.Thursdays. 21 and over.

Latin/SalsaDoubleTree Hotel, Club Odyssey,Club Odyssey, 3100 Camino DelRio Court, 633-1949; various lev-els, 3 to 9 p.m. every Sunday. $5per person, per lesson.On the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7685; Upground, 7 p.m. Friday.$10. Tickets, 742-6306. Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,324-6774; The Press, 8:30 p.m.Friday; Los Moonlighterz, 8:30p.m. Saturday. $5 per night.

Mariachi Camino Real Restaurant, 6 to 9p.m. every Sunday at 3500 Trux-tun Ave. 852-0493.

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

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Please see GO & DO / 31

Eye Street Editor Jennifer Selfwill be talking prehistoricsharks this morning with Cali-fornian reporter Steven Mayerand Rob Ernst, of the ErnstQuarries. Kern County has astarring role in a plethora ofnew shark-based televisionprogramming, which startsnext week.

We’ll also give away tickets to“Moonwalker: The MichaelJackson Concert Experience,”which plays the Fox Theater onSaturday. As always, we wel-come your comments. Just call842-KERN.“Californian Radio” airs from 9to 10 a.m. weekdays on KERN-AM, 1180.

‘CALIFORNIAN RADIO’

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Thursday, August 9, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 31

Eye Street

Oldies KC Steakhouse, 2515 F St., 322-9910;Jimmy Gaines, Bobby O and Mike Halls, 6:30p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

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

Open MicFiddlers Crossing, 206 East F St.,Tehachapi, 823-9994; 7 p.m. Wednesdays.$5. On the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7625;musicians, spoken word, poets, comedians,8 p.m. every Wednesday, On the Rocks, 151718th St. Free.

RockB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,, 7401 WhiteLane, 397-7304; Three Bad Jacks, 9 p.m. Fri-day; Glam Cobra, 9 p.m. Saturday. $5 eachnight; 21 and older only.

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

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

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

On the Rocks, 1517 18th St., 327-7625; 8 to10 p.m. Monday.

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

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday 8/20Horse Happy Horse Camp, for ages 8 to17, learn about horses, grooming, horse care,riding lessons, begins every Monday, now toAug. 24. $200 per child, per week, at SiouxCity Ranch, 15101 Sunnybank Ave. 900-4880.

Kern County Rose Society Meeting, 7p.m., Calvary Bible Church, 48 Manor St.327-3228

Tuesday 8/14Farmer’s Market, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.,at James St. and Central Ave., Shafter.Oildale Farmers Market, 3 to 6 p.m., nowthrough August, northeast corner of N.Chester Ave. and Norris Road, Oildale.Sierra Club Conditioning Hikes, three tofive miles, 7 p.m., meet at corner of High-ways 178 and 184. 872-2432 or 873-8107.ZZ Top, 8 p.m., Fox Theater, 2001 H St. $55-$125. vallitix.com or 322-5200. *SOLD OUT.

Wednesday 8/15Fire inspection Fraud Seminar, 8:30 to10 a.m., University of Laverne, 1201 24th St.,2nd floor. Free. 322-2074.Kern Photography Association, all skilllevels welcome, 6 to 8 p.m., Henley’s Photo,2000 H St.kernphotographyassociation.com or 496-3723.

Thursday 8/16Buck Owens Birthday Bash, featuring JoeNichols, Jon Pardi, Monty Byrom, BuddyOwens, John Owens & the Buckaroos, 6:30p.m., Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, 2800Buck Owens Blvd. $87-$112. vallitix.com orcall 322-5200.

Casino Night, roll the dice and try yourluck, 6 to 10 p.m., Moorea Banquet Centre,8700 Swigert Court, #109. Tickets must bepurchased in advance, $25. Benefitting TheGolden Empire Gleaners. 635-2300.Concerts by The Fountain, blues, rockand oldies with the Mike Montano Band, 7to 9 p.m., The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave.Free Admission Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Buena Vista Museum of Natural History,2018 Chester Ave. 324-6350.Kern County Mineral Society, meeting,7:30 p.m., East Bakersfield Veterans Hall,2101 Ridge Rd. 834-3128.Kern Green Awards Dinner, 6 p.m., ThePetroleum Club, 5060 California Ave. $45.412-3780.Taft Certified Farmers Market, 5 to 8p.m., 5th St. Plaza, Taft. 765-2165.Tehachapi Mountain Festival, live enter-tainment, arts and crafts, carnival, petparade, PRCA rodeo, gem and mineral show,Thursday through Sunday, several locationsthroughout Tehachapi. Free. Visit tehachapi-mountainfestival.com or 822-4180.

Friday 8/17“God of Carnage,” 8 p.m. Friday and Sat-urday, The Empty Space, 706 Oak St. $15general; $10 students/seniors. 327-PLAY.“Oliver,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2p.m. Sunday, Stars Dinner Theatre, 1931Chester Ave. $22-$57. 325-6100.2012 Tehachapi Mountain PRCA Rodeo,festivities begin 7 p.m. Friday; rodeo beginsat 4 p.m. Saturday, Tehachapi RodeoGrounds, 415 N. Dennison St., Tehachapi.Advanced tickets are $13 adults, $10 chil-dren 5-12, seniors, military w/ID; At the gate,$15 adults, $12 children, seniors, military.Children 5 and under are admitted freew/paid adult. 557-7336.Bakersfield Blaze vs. High Desert, 7:15p.m. Friday through Sunday (free bam sticksto the first 250 kids Sunday), Sam Lynn Ball-park, 4009 Chester Ave. $7-$12. bakersfield-blaze.com or 716-HITS.Fourth annual Center of the World Fes-tival, three-day festival with an amateurplaywriting competition, music, Chumashstorytelling, reader’s theater performance of10 selected plays, community jam fest andmore, Friday through Sunday, Pine MountainClub, in the village gazebo, 1626 Askin Trail,Pine Mountain Club. cowfestival.org, cen-teroftheworldfestival.org or 242-1583.Los Tucanes de Tijuana, 8 p.m., EagleMountain Casino, 681 S. Tule ReservationRoad, Porterville. $25 general; $35 reserved.Visit eaglemtncasino.com or 559-788-6220.River Rhythms Concert Series, 7 p.m.,Riverside Park, 10 Kern River Drive, Kernville.Free. Visit facebook.com/acousticriver.music.Third annual “Rock Your Socks Off,” raf-fles, prizes, entertainment, 5:30 p.m., Skate-land, 415 Ming Ave. Admission is 3 pairs ofsocks or undergarments. Proceeds benefitsBakersfield Homeless Center. 472-4511.

Saturday 8/18“Find Your Classroom” at BC, 9 to 11a.m., Bakersfield College, Grace Van DykeBird Library, 1801 Panorama Dr. Free. [email protected].

“Stand By Me” Cinema Saturday, beginsat sundown, Valentien Restaurant & WineBar, 1310 Truxtun Ave., Suite 160. 864-0397.

Back to School Block Party, by providingschool supplies, music, food games,jumpers, waterslides, puppet shows, 11 a.m.to 5 p.m., New Life Community Church,1900 Faith Ave. Free. 397-8000.

Rabobank Theater • 800-745-3000

Discounted tickets for Subscribers & Groups 20+ Call 661-852-7309Season Subscriptions Still Available

September 20 • 7:30pmSeptember 20 • 7:30pm

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On Sale This Saturday!

GO & DO: CONTINUED FROM 30