Every piano has a potential, my piano tuning/repair mentor Larry Keast is fond of saying, and that goes for even the most aged of instruments. Well, some are hopeless, let’s be real. But, pianos are quite resilient and can remain (relatively) playable even as they get on in years. Such is the case of the […]
The Campfire Cabin’s 100-year-old piano gets some much needed attention
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Kings of Swing dance instructor David King passes away
A longtime dance instructor in the Santa Maria Valley and throughout the Central Coast, David King, passed away on Jan. 5 at the age of 68. King and his wife, Marie, are known throughout the valley from their dance studio Kings of Swing, which enjoyed several locations over the years. The Kings taught several styles […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang’s third Wednesday event includes artsy activities
Solvang hosts a townwide event each month, its popular Third Wednesday events, which includes a cash mob, wine and beer walk, a lunchtime seminar, and offers and discounts at local businesses. The upcoming event on Jan. 20 will also include a few arts-related activities for visitors and locals alike. Third Wednesday attendees looking to get […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Valley Art Gallery offers Friday Fun Night
The Valley Art Gallery, a kind of co-op local art gallery staffed by its members, presents a Friday Fun Night at the Gallery event on Jan. 15 with activities for adults at the gallery in Orcutt. Member artists/teachers Michael Corob, Claudette Willdard, and Martin Johnsen will demonstrate Sumi ink painting techniques, including acrylics and pastels. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Valley Arts Council features block printer at quarterly forum
The Lompoc Valley Arts Council holds a quarterly forum and features presentations by local artists, with the next forum scheduled for Jan. 21. The featured speaker is Angelina La Pointe, a singer, songwriter, upright bass player, fashion stylist, and artist who will share her block printing techniques. The presentation, titled Block Printing in the Modern […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Art of the abstract: Kurt Waldo shows at the C Gallery
If you hopped into a time machine to meet up with artist Kurt Waldo a little more than five years ago, he probably wouldn’t believe you when you explained his success as a contemporary abstract artist. Waldo’s life included several monumental changes, “almost like a country song,” he told the Sun, including getting fired from […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Small lot, big attitude: Paso Underground–a tasting room collective of boutique makers–pours off the beaten path
A train barrels by just one block from Paso Underground, obscuring the sound of drizzling rain. I’m sipping one of Orion Stang’s ultra-small-batch Dilecta label releases, his 2013 “Match” blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvedre sourced from three Paso vineyards. The wine—like the nearby locomotive—boasts a lingering finish that haunts the senses long after the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Erin Williams
Santa Ynez High School senior Erin Williams was kicking a soccer ball around before she started kindergarten. Next fall, she’ll be doing it under scholarship at UC Santa Barbara. Though Williams committed to play for UCSB more than a year ago, the excitement around her future hasn’t diminished. “I’m going to be studying economics,” Williams […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Beyond our border: Righetti high centerfielder spends winter break on baseball trip to Cuba
When Righetti High School sophomore Jaden LyBurtus found out that he would be spending five days in Cuba over winter break, he started scouring the Internet to try to familiarize himself with the far-off island. “I tried to read up on Cuba before I went; I didn’t want to be too clueless,” LyBurtus told the […]
Posted inOpinion
Trees, bees, and sleaze
Hear ye! Hear ye! The Santa Barbara County grand jury has spoken! And ye wee peasants need to listen. A county ordinance enacted in 2003 is declared a success. A success, I tell you! Deciduous oak trees have been saved in Santa Barbara County. Saved, I tell you! After this clown of a vintner cut […]
Posted inOpinion
Listen up, Guadalupe council
Even before I quit the Planning Commission, I wrote letters on May 7, 2005, to the city attorney about unapproved specified plan and no “CUP” conditional use permit on one big project. On June 3, 2005, I wrote another letter that the Planning Commission was being compromised, the city attorney, City Council, and the city […]
Posted inOpinion
PG&E should pay
Panels on my roof make more electricity than I use. As more roofs get photovoltaics, Diablo will no longer be needed. PG&E should pay for terminating their mistake—not us citizens.