The top floor of First Street Cafe has hosted several musical talents over the years and will do so again Friday. The difference is the guests will come from America’s neighbor to the north. The Allison Au Quartet are a Toronto-based jazz group featuring Todd Pentney on piano, Fabio Ragnelli on drums, Dan Fortin […]
Benicia High School spring dance show puts fame under microscope
As the late David Bowie once remarked “Fame puts you where things are hollow.” It is hard to resist the temptation of fame, but living the glamorous life has its downsides, especially when it comes to starting on the path down the rabbit hole of fame. This topic is the subject of Benicia High School’s […]
Vallejo Symphony to present debut performance of string quartet
For its final production of the season, Vallejo Symphony Orchestra will be presenting a chamber performance by New Falcon String Quartet. The group is comprised of violist Raphael Gold, cellist Burke Schuchmann and violinists Joseph Gold and Dan Kristianson. On Sunday, March 6, the quartet will be performing their debut gig together, but […]
Black Irish Band to bring Gold Rush-era sound to Benicia Historical Museum
The Benicia Historical Museum loves its Celtic folk bands, and next weekend, one of Northern California’s most popular Celtic bands will be playing. The Black Irish Band, based out of Sonora in Tuolumne County, will be performing at the Museum to celebrate more than 25 years of playing together as a band. Lead singer Patrick […]
Vallejo Symphony to feature final conductor audition
In its search to find a new permanent conductor, the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra has reached its third and final audition. On Sunday, Marc Taddei will be showcasing three powerful pieces for the concert “The Composer’s Muse.” Taddei was appointed as music director of Orchestra Wellington in New Zealand in 2007 and has conducted every professional […]
Local musician remembers late Tower of Power founding member
Mic Gillette, a founding member of the legendary Oakland-based funk band Tower of Power, died of a heart attack Jan. 17. He was 64 years old. In recent years, Gillette was a member of the Mic Gillette Band. The group featured his daughter Megan McCarthy on vocals and a variety of Benicia residents, including keyboardist […]
Rebel Rebel: A tribute to David Bowie
I woke up Monday morning to look at my phone and saw a notification from my New York Times news application. It read something to the effect of “David Bowie, the legendary rock star, has died at 69.” I re-read it to make sure I was not misreading it in my sleepy state, but no. […]
Golden Bough to bring Celtic sound to Benicia Historical Museum again
For the past 36 years, Modesto-based Celtic folk band Golden Bough have toured the globe, playing haunting melodies reminiscent of traditional Irish folk songs and have gained fans in several corners of the world. One of those places happens to be Benicia, where the trio will play at the Historical Museum, Jan. 16. Golden Bough- […]
Mic Gillette Band to perform New Year’s Eve show at Empress Theatre
The end of 2015 is nearing. People have a variety of ways they can spend their last few hours of the year. They can stay home and watch “The Twilight Zone” marathon or Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin make playful banter until the ball drops, or they can go to the Empress Theatre in Vallejo […]
Fischer-Hanlon House hosts holiday concert
Tim Heney, a longtime Benicia resident and choir director of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, will be performing a piano concert at the Fischer-Hanlon House Sunday for the second weekend in a row. Heney has performed holiday concerts off and on at the historic Victorian home since the ‘70s, but according to Benicia State Parks Association […]