BY STEFANI DIASCalifornian assistant lifestyles editor

sdias@bakersfield.com

We’re still six monthsout from the world’sbiggest comic book

convention, but the BakersfieldMuseum of Art is turning itsown pop culture page with twoevents tailored to comics fansand art lovers alike.

In a new direction for themuseum, the shows will high-light the work of artists TomHodges and Todd Nauck withactivities allowing patrons acloser look at the artisticprocess.

Jason Gutierrez, the muse-um’s marketing director and alifelong comic book fan, cameup with the idea for the uniqueevents.

“I thought it would be inter-esting to present comic art;portraits, original pieces ofwork and limited-edition cre-ations, in a museum setting.

“The art is captivating, andbeing able to hear directly fromthe artists the process and sto-ries behind the work is a spe-cial touch that most people vis-iting a museum don't normallyreceive.”

Picking up the sketchpadfirst is Hodges, well-versed inthe Star Wars universe with awebcomic and co-creator of“MidKnight,” who will sketch atFriday’s Talk & Draw event.

The artist appears at a varietyof conventions throughout theyear — from the five-dayComic-Con fete in San Diegowhere numbers swell to120,000 daily to smaller, one-day gatherings — and said helikes what the more intimateevents can offer.

“It's nice to have a smaller,concentrated audience that Ican focus on. It's more person-al for those involved as well.”

This week, the museumsought suggestions via its Face-book and Twitter pages forcharacters for Hodges to draw.Although he made his bonesdrawing characters from agalaxy far, far away, Hodgessaid he likes to test his skillswith some classic characters.

“Honestly, I would have to

say (my favorite characters todraw are) Batman and theJoker. I love the characters. Ilove Batman's Rogues Gallery.It's the greatest in all of comics.

“I love Star Wars, but I’vedrawn the various charactersseveral times over and overagain. It's nice to break it upand draw non-Star Wars some-times.”

The pieces Hodges sketchesduring his talk will be for saleas well as commissioned headsketches (both $10), assortedworks and a signed sketchbook.

“It's loaded with everythingfrom my favorite characters todraw and some original con-cepts along with an entire sec-ond half devoted to Star Wars.”

Hodges also will offer a limit-ed-edition Star Wars-relatedprint exclusive to the event.(Check it out ontomhodges.com.)

“He will have 30 of themavailable, and they will be soldfor $30,” Gutierrez said. “He

Eye StreetEditor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail jself@bakersfield.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON GUTIERREZ

This is a sketch of Darth Vader by Tom Hodges, who will hold a talk-and-draw session at the Bakersfield Museum of Art on Friday.

A superhero’s welcome Comics artists headto museum for pairof events for fans

16 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

IndexAnnual Burns Supper................................ 18John McCutcheon .................................... 19Quilt show ................................................ 20Review: ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ ............ 21Jay & Silent Bob........................................ 22Kern on screen ........................................ 23Flamenco lessons.................................... 24Calendar .............................................. 28-29

Please see 27

This Batman sketch is by Tom Hodges, who is well-versed in the StarWars universe with a webcomic and co-creator of “MidKnight.”

BMoA eventsTalk & Draw with TomHodges5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday.$25; $15 members

“Eat, Print, Mingle” (readmore on Page 20)

5 to 7 p.m. Saturday. $10; $5members

The art of Todd Nauck 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 4. $15each for Q&A/signing andworkshop; $10 members

Bakersfield Museum of Art,1930 R St. bmoa.org or 323-7219.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 17

Eye Street

Editor’s note: On the hunt for the bestserver in town, The Californian solicitednominations from readers and receiveddozens of suggestions. We picked the top 10,who will be featured in Eye Street everySunday and Thursday for several weeks.When all the servers have been featured,readers may go to The Californian’s Face-book page to vote for their favorite (moredetails on how to vote later). The server whogets the most votes wins a trip to the Mon-terey Bay Aquarium and a gift certificate toGoose Loonies.

BY JENNIFER SELFCalifornian lifestyles editor

jself@bakersfield.com

As Ashley Bledsoe dashes betweentables at the Coco’s on RosedaleHighway — coffee pot in hand,

loaded tray on her shoulder — she pres-ents a vision of such boundless energy, hercustomers need a nap just watching her.

Now picture that same ball of fire preg-nant. As in very pregnant. As in I’m-going-to-have-this-baby-tomorrow pregnant.

“I worked the entire nine months andworked until the day before I had mybaby,” said Bledsoe, recalling the birth ofson Lucas nine months ago.

“Then I came back to work six weeksafter.”

Swollen ankles and screaming back painaren’t enough to keep Bledsoe from hercustomers, and that work ethic has notgone unnoticed by Jim and Diane Windes,two of her regulars.

“I hardly knew she was gone when shehad the baby. Back to work right away!”wrote the couple in their nomination ofBledsoe, 30, as the best server in Bakers-field.

And the timing of her customers’ affir-mation couldn’t have been better whenshe was notified during a phone call forthis report.

“I love my job, but I hated my job morethan anything today. But then you calledand it’s funny how this puts it into per-spective.

“It kind of makes me want to crybecause my mom said people will noticewhen you do something good,” said Bled-soe, who trailed off and, true to her word,began to cry.

But Bledsoe’s tears were the happy kind.In fact, joy is pretty much the word shelives by when she’s waiting tables. And asense of humor goes a long way, especiallywhen she’s serving laughter-challengedpatrons.

“I remember I was working at Hodel’sand I had nine Dr Peppers on a tray I wascarrying. I went up to the table and this lit-tle girl was in a beautiful dress, and just atthat moment, I knew I was going to dropthe tray.

“I didn’t want to spill them on her, so Imade them go on me. It was nine Dr Pep-pers! And I said, ‘Hey, everyone: The drinksare on me!

“And no one flinched or laughed or saidanything.”

Tough crowd to be sure, but Bledsoe haspretty much seen every type of customerin all the years she’s waited tables aftergraduating from Centennial High in 1999.It’s the lonely customers who leave a lumpin her throat, parties of one who usuallyare widowers.

“On a busy day I could serve 100 people,and it’s almost 50-50 in terms of pleasantencounters. But I always tell people,‘Thank you for your patience.’ It’s a rarequality to possess these days. I always tryto reward good behavior. I’m a mommyand I don’t believe in rewarding badbehavior.”

And as Bledsoe knows only too well,rewards are a two-way street. More thanonce in her nearly 10 years at Coco’s hasshe chatted with a table of diners, makinga real connection, only to be stiffed at tiptime.

“It hurts my feelings.”But those rare occasions are offset by the

gracious customers who come her way.“The neatest thing that happened to me

recently was we have the carwash nextdoor, and this lady came in to have a cupof coffee. It was a $2 bill. I go over to hertable and there was $22 and a note. It pret-ty much said that though I didn’t really talkto her much, she was listening to otherconversations with customers around herand she said she knew God wanted her tobless me that day.”

And the working mom of two knows ablessing when it’s staring her in the face.Take her family: Though it’s been tough forher partner of 11 years, Nathan Dufresne,to find job, she values the time he spendswith baby Lucas and their 7-year-old son,Mikael.

“Couldn’t do what I do without the beststay-at-home dad ever.”

Bledsoe is used to taking on additionalservice jobs seasonally to make ends meet— “El Portal is where I learned to speakSpanish” — but she knows she’ll have toreturn to school at some point to make herdream of becoming a nurse a reality. Sever-al years ago she pursued her first love, bak-ing, at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Artsin Vancouver, British Columbia, but beinga pastry chef just wasn’t in the cards.

“My grandmother had a pie shop,Hulda’s Pie Shop, back in the late ’80s orearly ’90s, so baking is in my blood. Butwhen you do it eight hours a day, it sucksthe love right out of it. The first 10 caramelapples are fun, but after 250, it’s not so

great.”Whatever career Bledsoe eventually set-

tles on, she knows one thing for sure: She’llmiss waitressing. The way she sees it, she’spaid to talk and joke with her customers.

“If they decline dessert, I say, ‘Well, Imust have been sweet enough for you.’That’s a knee-slapper. I even slap my kneewhen I say it.”

Bledsoe realizes the schtick she’s fond ofserving up probably would go over as wellas a flat souffle at a fine-dining establish-ment, where, she noted, servers areencouraged by management to tone downtheir personality.

Coco’s server sees her jobas a social responsibility

Please see 25

Bakersfield’s Best Server contest

She’s in the ‘people business’

From Jim and Diane Windes: My wifeand I are “baby boomers” and fromdefinition seem to eat out a lot. One ofmy favorite spots is Coco’s onRosedale Highway. There is a waitressnamed Ashley, and she just had a baby.I hardly knew she was gone when shehad the baby. Back to work right away!

Ashley always greets me by my firstname whether she is my server or not.When she’s our server, she does all thethings I think a waitress should do.Usually, she brings my drink withoutasking because I always order thesame thing.

She asks how my family is doing, andsometimes shares some little personalitems happening in her life, whichmakes me feel special. Her visitationsare kept reasonable so as not to dis-turb her service to other customers.She always knows the menu, and usu-ally knows what I want because I usu-ally order the same item whether forbreakfast or lunch…. And she remem-bers what that is.

I’ve noticed when busy she willinglybuses hers and other tables, and helpsother waitresses filling water, coffee,ice tea, etc.

Although we’ve had many very goodwaitresses and waiters serve us, Ithink Ashley stands out a little bitmore than others.

NOMINATION

“... I’m more the typeto throw the coffee onthe table and say, ‘How

y’all doin’?’ I get aSouthern accent whenI’m serving. I have Okie

in my blood.”— Ashley Bledsoe, waitress at Coco’s on Rosedale Highway

HENRY A. BARRIOS / THE CALIFORNIAN

Ashley Bledsoe has been nominated by her customers at Coco’s on Rosedale forbest server in town.

Ashley Bledsoe serves one of herfavorite customers, Norris Ledbetter.

18 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eye Street

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BY SUSAN SCAFFIDIContributing writer

Everyone who sang “Auld Lang Syne”on New Year’s Eve owes a debt toRobert Burns, the 18th century Scot

revered as Scotland’s national poet. And ifyou’re looking to repay it, raise a glass Sat-urday at the annual Burns Supper, spon-sored by the Kern County Scottish Society.

The society, which helps promote Celticculture of all types, especially Scottish, willhost the dinner at 6 p.m. at the JuniorLeague building, 19th and E streets. Burns’actual birthday is Jan. 25.

“He was a very interesting character,”said Scottish society chieftain DavidStroud. “He had about a million kids; heplayed around a lot.

“Rabbie Burns,” as the Scots call him,did indeed “play around a lot.” Contempo-rary portraits reveal a quite handsomeman who lived the life of a poet, if not aBohemian, before such a lifestyle was pop-ular. His attempts at farming and otherconventional employment were utter fail-ures, and his numerous (and sometimessimultaneous) love affairs produced anumber of children, including the nine hefathered with the woman he ultimatelymarried, Jean Armour.

Financially desperate, he was persuadedby friends to raise money by publishing hispoems. His first volume, published in 1786,was an instant success, as were later col-lections. Most of his works were written in

Scottish dialect, and he also wrote poemsin English and the Scots language.

Burns wrote hundreds of poems andsongs, including “A Red, Red Rose,” “To aMouse,” and “Tam o’Shanter,” and alsocollected traditional Scottish songs andballads, and more importantly, wrote themdown to preserve them. “Auld Lang Syne”

was among those songs, which Burnseventually contributed to the Scots Musi-cal Museum and printed collections thatarose during those times in Scottish histo-ry when the traditional culture was beingrepressed by the English crown.

Burns died at age 37, so beloved by hiscountrymen that some 10,000 peopleattended his funeral. He has been celebrat-ed as Scotland’s national poet and a“favorite son.” His birthday is celebratedworldwide with Burns Suppers, a blend ofpoems, songs, Scots whiskey and tradition-al Scottish food.

“The menu is traditional for all such cel-ebrations,” Stroud said. “There’s neeps andtatties (turnips and potatoes), Scottish tri-fle (a dessert), and a beef roast.”

Part of the ritual includes that most tra-ditional of Scottish foods — haggis, whichconsists of sheep heart, liver and lungs,mixed with onion, oatmeal, suet andspices, and then simmered in the animal’sstomach for several hours. As the nationaldish of Scotland, haggis is not merelyserved, it is presented, and saluted withsong and drink.

According to the Burns Supper program,there are also several toasts to the poet,plus recitations of poems and songsthroughout the dinner. Burns Suppers canbe very formal or they can be quite rowdy.Stroud said the Kern County dinner will besomewhat traditional.

“It’s kind of a formal dinner,” Stroudsaid. “We wear our formal attire — kiltsand stuff — but people can wear slacksand sweaters, that kind of thing.”

Haggis, anyone?It won’t kilt ya

Kern County Scottish SocietyAnnual Burns SupperWhen: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Junior League Building, 192819th St.

Admission: $40; www.kernscot.com

“A Red, Red Rose”By Robert BurnsO my Luve is like a red, red roseThat’s newly sprung in June;O my Luve is like the melodyThat’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,So deep in luve am I;And I will luve thee still, my dear,Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;I will love thee still, my dear,While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!And fare thee weel awhile!And I will come again, my luve,Though it were ten thousand mile.

Source: Poetryfoundation.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF L. STROUD

Revelers share drinks and Scottish delicacies at the 2011 Burns Supper.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 19

Eye Street

BY PAT EVANSContributing writer

Iopened the record store this morningand the first phone call came fromRoss, who lives up in the mountains

above Glennville. A couple of weeks ago hebought six tickets to the upcoming JohnMcCutcheon show and was calling to getone more.

“Hey, John McCutcheon came last yearand I didn’t hear about the show until ithad passed,” he said. “Luckily a friend toldme about this year’s show in time. Ihaven’t seen anything in the paper. Don’tyou advertise?”

In a perfect world, everyone would knowabout the John McCutcheon show, andeveryone would know who JohnMcCutcheon is. But, flip this newspaper tosomewhere around page 40 and you’llquickly become reacquainted with the factthat this is NOT a perfect world.

You know John McCutcheon is comingto town Friday night. And if you don’tknow who John McCutcheon is, you stillhave time to find out and get your tickets.

Johnny Cash, who worked with a multi-tude of musicians during his manydecades of recording and touring theworld over, knew who John McCutcheonis. How many great musicians did JohnnyCash see in his lifetime? Hundreds? Thou-sands? Here’s what Johnny Cash saidabout John McCutcheon:

“The most impressive instrumentalistI've ever heard.”

That statement should make you saysomething under your breath that youshouldn’t repeat in public.

John McCutcheon will take the stage Fri-day surrounded by the instruments he hasmastered, including acoustic guitar, banjo,fiddle, piano, accordion, mandolin andhammer dulcimer. But John McCutcheonisn’t merely an incredible musician; he’salso a lyricist and storyteller in the tradi-tion of Woody Guthrie. Like Guthrie, manyof McCutcheon’s songs are about regularpeople living quiet, little noticed, heroic

lives. Songs that are meant to be learnedand loved around campfires and in class-rooms and everywhere people use song asa way to express what they hold in com-mon.

Take “One More Day,” a songMcCutcheon released just five monthsafter the West Virginia mine explosion thatclaimed the lives of 29 coal miners in 2010.Just a few of the poignant lines:

“Digging coal for Massey at the Upper BigBranch Mine, where for years we’d all com-plained about the air. But a good job’s hardto find. Will we shut up one more time? Wecould smell it and knew it was there.

And we all went down in the dark of themorning. And we all came out when thesun had slipped away. Long as we are able,we’ll put food upon the table. And pray thatwe can make it one more day.

“It was cheaper for the company to lieand fight the fine than to spend the moneyfixing up this hole. We had mouths to feedand the nation had the need. Everybodyshut their eyes and dug for coal.”

McCutcheon also writes songs of joy andlove and whimsy. And his show is fun andfunny. Seeing McCutcheon will make youglad you did something good for yourself.Last year’s show was the most I havelaughed in the last five years. I cannot waitto do it again. In fact, as long as WorldRecords exists, John McCutcheon willcome to Bakersfield every January.

Johnny Cash would approve.

Pat Evans, owner of World Records in down-town Bakersfield, is founder of the No Stinkin’Service Charge Singer-Songwriter Showcase.

Musician little known,but well-respected

John McCutcheon in concertTamera Mahan and Friends will open

When: 7 p.m. FridayWhere: DoubleTree Hotel Ballroom,3100 Camino Del Rio CourtTickets: $25 and $20Information: 831-3100

PHOTO COURTESY OF IRENE YOUNG

John McCutcheon performs on Friday night at the DoubleTree Hotel Ballroom.

20 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eye Street

Cotton Patch Quilters’ bien-nial show this weekendhighlights the sense of fun

in the age-old art of quilting.That idea is represented in the

name, “Sew Full of Whimsy,” aswell as the opportunity quilt to beawarded to a lucky winner, saidCindy Seitz-Krug, entries coordi-nator.

“There’s a way of quiltingcalled whimsical,” she said, “andif you look at the flowers in ouropportunity quilt, they are kind offunky.”

Seitz-Krug, 47, got into quilt-making in a “just-for-the-fun-it”way 20 years ago, mainly becauseher mother suggested they take aclass together.

“My mom got me started in1992,” the Bakersfield residentsaid, adding that after only oneclass “I was hooked.”

Since then she’s made dozensof quilts. “Everlasting Bouquet,”one she did in collaboration withMolly Hamilton-McNally, won a$3,000 prize at a recent confer-ence at the Ontario ConventionCenter.

“The top was made by Mollyand the quilting was done byme,” Seitz-Krug said. “This quiltwill also be featured in a 2013 cal-endar put out by the Internation-al Quilt Association, and hasalready been included in severalquilting magazines.”

Speaking of winners, the“Whimsy” quilt — to be awardedat 4 p.m. on Sunday — is an hon-est-to-goodness winner all byitself. A few weeks ago it receiveda blue ribbon for Best Large QuiltMixed by Group at the Best of theValley Show in Lindsay, accordingto Janice Johnson, chairwoman ofthe Bakersfield show. A teameffort, the colorful piece was cre-ated by 24 Cotton Patch mem-bers, led by Lynn Douglass.

Another interesting aspect ofthis weekend’s event is the pres-ence of Becky Rogers of Los Osos,a professional appraiser certifiedby the American Quilter’s Society.

“It’s good toknow thevalue forinsurancepurpos-es,” Seitz-

Krug said.“Especially

if it’s an

antique quilt or an heirloom.”Charges for Rogers’ services are

$40 for a written appraisal, $20 ifyou simply want to ask questionsor get general information.

In addition to the 204 quiltsentered in the show, about 24vendors from various parts of Cal-ifornia have signed up to takepart. The event is held in one ofthe main buildings at the fair-grounds, and parking is free. Foodwill be available for purchase.

Daytime and evening meetingsof the Cotton Patch Quilters areheld on the third Thursday ofeach month at the Veterans Hall,400 Norris Road. For more infor-mation, go to the organization’swebsite atbakersfieldquiltguild.org

‘Charlie Brown’ at HarveyCharacters based on cartoonist

Charles Schulz’s beloved“Peanuts” gang will take the stageat Harvey Auditorium for twoperformances this weekend. Thethird and final one is on Feb. 4.

Shay Brandon Burke, directorof the Bakersfield Music Theatreproduction, said he’s not askinghis cast — all are adults — to beexact replicas of the iconic char-acters.

“I chose not to imitate the car-toons or copy the Broadwayshow,” he said. “I encouraged theactors to bring in their children tolisten to the delivery of the linesand copy their body language.”

The musical, he said, gives theaudience a sense of the way agroup of children react to oneanother, their teachers and every-thing life throws at them.

“Though my choreography isstill complex and at times chal-lenging, I incorporated naturalchildren's movements,” headded, “such as pretending to bean airplane or a bull fighter or adeer.”

As anyone who’s ever beeninvolved in a show knows,rehearsals can be fraught withproblems, and this one is noexception.

“Matt Thompson, our CharlieBrown, broke his foot and hasbeen rehearsing with a leg cast,”Burke said. “And Rosie (Ayala), asSnoopy, pulled a muscle and has-n't been able to fully rehearse.”

He assures me, however, thatthere will be a dog house and thatAyala, in true Snoopy fashion, willbe lying on top.

Others in the cast are MaxJacobs as Schroeder; JenniferResolme as Sally; and Kelci Lowryas Lucy. Marcy is portrayed byLauren Chase; Jodi Mitchell isPatty; and Cody Gardia plays theblanket-hugging Linus. Olivia

Ayala and Diego Ayala alternatein the role of Woodstock.

A band led by Ed Hughes willbe onstage throughout the per-formance.

Burke said the musicians,whom he refers to as his “peanutgallery,” will all be dressed as“Peanuts” characters.

The story line is a simple one,told through a collection ofscenes representing a day in thelife of Charlie Brown. Like thepopular comic strip, the playexpresses the joys, woes andamusing perplexities he and theother characters encounter along

the way. “Charlie Brown” was first pro-

duced on Broadway in 1967. TheBMT production is based on the1997 revised version which has anew musical score and two moresongs than the original.

Printmaking demo At a “mix and mingle” event

Saturday evening at the Bakers-field Museum of Art, graphicdesigner Miles Grobman plans toshow guests some of the tech-niques he uses in applying adesign onto different kinds ofmaterial.

“I'll be doing a gel and gessotransfer demo, covering thebasics of the process and some ofthe ways it can be applied to dif-ferent substrates,” he wrote in anemail message.

It involves a process using laseror offset prints, such as maga-zines, and acrylic gel or paint totransfer the ink from the paper tothe surface.

Grobman, who received abachelor in fine arts degree fromCal State Long Beach in 2005,lives and works in Los Angeles.One his prints, “Lola II,” is part ofthe “De La Mano” exhibit on dis-play at the art museum throughMarch. 4.

Museum spokesman JasonGutierrez said visitors can takepart in “quick and easy print-making projects” following themain program. Hors d'oeuvreswill be served in the foyer andmusic will be provided by a DJ.

Quilters put their patch on history‘Sew Full of Whimsy’Quilt Show10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdayand Sunday

Kern County Fairgrounds,1142 P St.

Admission: $5

Information: 835-7065

“You’re a Good Man,Charlie Brown’8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m.Sunday

Harvey Auditorium, 1316 G St.

Admission: $25; $15 stu-dents

Information: 325-6100

Printmaking Mixer5 to 7 p.m. Saturday

Bakersfield Museum of Art,1930 R St.

Admission: $10; $5 mem-bers

Information: 323-7219

Camille Gavin CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

GO & DO

Camille Gavin’s “Arts Alive”column appears on Thursday. Write to her via e-mail at gavinarts@aol.com

American folk art ondisplay this weekend

PHOTO COURTESY OF CINDY SEITZ-KRUG

Cindy Seitz-Krug works on a large quilt on her sewing machine.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BAKERSFIELD MUSEUM OF ART

“Lola II,” a print by Miles Grob-man is on display at the Bakers-field Museum of Art.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 21

Eye Street

BY CAMILLE GAVINContributing columnist

Aline spoken by Bruce Saathoffas The Man in the Chair justbefore the finale of “The

Drowsy Chaperone” goes somethinglike this: “A musical does what it’ssupposed to do — it takes you intoanother world.”

Stars’ production of this happyshow within a show fulfills that prom-ise every step of the way. I attendedSunday’s matinee performance andwas captivated from beginning toend.

And that says a lot when you’retalking about a show that has almostno plot. Suffice it to say it’s about a21st century man who yearns formusicals of the 1920s. In a goofy kindof way, it’s also about weddings —planned, unplanned, postponed andotherwise.

Except for The Man in the Chair’snarration, nearly all of the story is toldin song, most of it humorous innature. And with a cast as talented asthis one, it fairly zips along. What apleasure it was to hear lyrics deliveredby actors who not only sing well butwho know how to enunciate. Plus thesound system is excellent.

Brian Sivesind, an experienceddirector in his first outing at Stars, hasused a careful hand in emphasizingthe ensemble nature of the show.

Given the outstanding talent of someof the actors, it must have beentempting to spotlight only one or two.But Sivesind delivers a well-balancedshow and, at the same time, gives thelead actors their due in only a fewsolo scenes and various cameos,many of them hilarious.

Part of the fun blossoms in theform of surprises that burst forth asthe show progresses.

To give you only one example, I’msure my jaw dropped open to seeBethany Rowlee gracefully fall to thefloor doing the splits as part of adance routine, then topping it offwith a somersault through a hulahoop.

I’ve seen Rowlee in other shows,been thrilled with the quality of hervoice and admired the way she moveson stage, but I had no idea she was agymnast.

Another entertaining aspect of theshow is the intentional overacting.Ken Burdick is the ultra ham actor —delightfully “chewing the scenery” —

as Adolpho, a romantic stage idol.Tamara White as the Drowsy Chaper-one, who’s rarely without a cocktailglass in her hand, is a perfect matchfor Burdick’s powerful antics.

Other scenes I especially enjoyedinclude the solo tap dance by DallasWhite, who was joined by BrentRochon to make it a pleasing duo.Rochon, along with MarzieForzetting, did the choreography,which is a strong element of the showand goes a long way in keeping thingsmoving.

And I cannot forget the amusingand somehow tender scene betweentwo veteran Stars performers, VirginiaLenneman and Jim Fillbrandt, both ofwhom also do a nice soft-shoe rou-tine.

The set itself is something of awonder. It includes five differententrances and exits — one of them isthe refrigerator — and a Murphy bedthat folds down from the wall atappropriate moments.

For the final scene, in which justabout everybody gets married, two-thirds of the scenery is quickly movedaside to reveal a mock-up of a mono-plane with Jill Burdick as the livelyTrix the Aviatrix.

Also contributing to the whole pro-duction are the dazzling costumesdone by Kathi Lowry and the snappyseven-piece band led by Char Gaines,who doubled as vocal director.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” contin-ues at Star on weekends through Feb.11.

Laughter will keep you up

BY GENE GARAYGORDOBILContributing writer

Downtown Clean Up Day issomething that Metro Galleriesowner Don Martin looks for-

ward to each time he organizes it.“It’s people coming together for a

good cause,” said Martin, whoopened his gallery in downtown Bak-ersfield six years ago. “We’ve done it afew times already. Didn’t do it lastyear, but we hope to do it two or threetimes this year.”

The first for 2012 will be Saturday,beginning about 9 a.m. Martinexpects between 35 and 40 people tograb trash bags and a pickup stick ora broom to make a difference.

The cleaners will range from down-town merchants to high-schoolersseeking to fulfill community servicerequirements, Martin said.

“We usually get a group of kidsfrom Bakersfield High School helping

out.”Martin said Bakersfield’s own

Lightspeed Systems always hasemployees working on the cleanup.

The target area is about a six- toeight-block radius from 18th Street to21st Street and F Street to ChesterAvenue, he said.

“It is where the main revitalizationefforts are going on right now.”

For those teetering on whether tohelp out, Martin stressed that this isnot an all-day affair.

“We usually only go from 9 to 11

a.m.,” he said. “That’s a good timeperiod, because then people have therest of their Saturday to do what elsethey need to do.”

Volunteers should meet in front ofMetro Galleries, 1604 19th St., wheretrash bags and brooms will be doledout.

Depending on the manpower, thedesignated cleanup zone will bedivided among different teams.

Meanwhile, other downtown mer-chants join forces to wash the side-walks in front of their businesses,clean their gutters, and attack thegraffiti on their walls, he said.

“It’s really about downtown Bakers-field looking as good as it can,” saidMartin, who lives downtown himself.

Love the cause, but don’t have thetime? You still can contribute.

“If you can’t come out but want tohelp, donated items are still beingaccepted,” Martin said.

Effort meant to make Arts District shine

‘The Drowsy Chaperone’When: Doors open at 6 p.m.,show at 8 p.m. Friday and Satur-day; doors open at 12:30 p.m.,show at 2 p.m. SundayWhere: Stars Restaurant Theatre,1931 Chester Ave.Admission: $50-$54; $30 stu-dentsInformation: 325-6100

Downtown Clean Up DayWhen: 9 to 11 a.m. SaturdayWhere: Volunteers meet atMetro Galleries, 1604 19th St.Information or to donate sup-plies:don@themetrogalleries.com

Nothing sleepy about lively‘Drowsy Chaperone’

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Review

I’m sure my jaw dropped open to see Bethany Rowlee gracefully fallto the floor doing the splits as part of a dance routine, then topping

it off with a somersault through a hula hoop.

Jay and Silent Bob are comingto Bakersfield. Movie directorKevin Smith and actor Jason

Mewes, who portray the lovableGen X misfits, will be appearingon the big screen for a specialone night in-theater event,“Behind Kevin Smith,” atEdwards Bakersfield 14 on Feb. 2.But before you go “Wolvie berserkstyle,” be sure to read the follow-ing carefully to avoid getting your“snoochie boochies” in a bunch.

The three-hour event will beginwith Smith (Silent Bob) and fre-quent co-star Mewes (Jay) host-ing their highly rated podcast,“Jay and Silent Bob Get Old,” fol-lowed by a live interactive Q&Awith theater audiences across thecountry. During the event, fanswill have the opportunity to sub-mit their questions directly viaTwitter, using the hashtag #live-frombehind.

After being introduced to audi-ences in Smith’s directorial debut— the 1994 cult comedy “Clerks,”the two became recurring charac-ters in many of Smith’s subse-quent films, including their own,“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”Today they’ve become pop cul-ture icons, referenced in triviaand advertising campaigns.

The Californian chatted withJason Mewes, 37, by telephone tofind out about the origins of Jay &Silent Bob, their home state ofNew Jersey and sobriety.

Who were Jay and Silent Bobinspired by?

Kevin basedthe Jay characteron me. I methim when I was13. When we shot

‘Clerks,’ Iwas 17,18.

Those five years, that’s prettymuch what I acted like, minus theweed selling. Kevin wanted to beon screen, but didn’t want tohave to memorize a script anddirect. Silent Bob was created tointeract with me, so I could do allmy stuff. He never needed lines.

Do impersonators freak youout?

The only time it was crazy waswhen Kevin and I used to go to

comic book conventions in the’90s. It was almost like we wereThe Beatles walkin’ around.

A lot of people’s impres-sions of New Jersey comefrom Kevin Smith movies and“Jersey Shore.” What’s themore accurate portrayal?

It’s definitely two differentspots. There are people like thosefrom “Jersey Shore,” who comefrom the north part of Jersey nearNew York. They come and causetraffic jams and fights. Kevin’s Jer-sey is more central and south.

When will you stop exploit-ing the fact that Jay and SilentBob are getting older? Whatmore can they do?

I’d like to do some animationagain with the characters. Whenwe did it before, for five episodes

for a TV show in 2000 and itdidn’t work, but now with “SouthPark” on it can.

Will you ever retire theroles?

I think we’ve retired them inthe sense of doing movies, butthen we started doing the pod-cast we said, “Let’s call it ‘Jay andSilent Bob Get Old’” instead ofjust using our real names.

You enjoy doing the speak-ing engagements?

I love it. It’s like therapy for me.I get to tell my stories and lookback at where I don’t wanna beagain. I’ve been sober for twoyears. I’ve kept in touch with oneperson on Twitter, who says she’sbeen a year sober and whenevershe’s down or feels like using shelistens to the podcast, and itcheers her up. I just feel gratefuland blessed.

What kind of experience doyou hope fans will have aftersitting for three hours in amovie theater watching youtalk?

We’ve never done it before. Mygoal is to entertain the people.Whoever came up with it — it’s agood idea.

What’s the longest storyKevin’s ever told onstage?

At least 45 minutes on just one.I remember going to one show,where it was supposed to be athree-hour Q&A, and they startedturning the house lights on. Theemployees wanted to go homebecause it had already been 7½hours.

So long, Naked Al The local tattoo community is

mourning the death of tattoo stu-dio owner Alfonzo “Naked Al”Galindo Jr., 52, who was founddead in his shop at 1820 Eye St.last Saturday. His brother, GordonGalindo, said the apparent causewas a heroin overdose.

“Al had an addiction for years,”said Gordon Galindo, who was inFlorida on business when he gotthe news. “Growing up, Al wouldalways push the envelope.”

Galindo opened Naked Al’s Tat-too in 1995 at a time when bodyink and piercings were not asaccepted as they are today. Gor-don Galindo recalled the day hisbrotherapproached himabout leaving hisjob as a cableinstaller to followhis dream.

“I couldn’tbelieve it whenhe came in andsaid he was goingto do it. He had a good businesssense and foresaw there was needfor it. Socially, it was not beingaccepted yet. He knew a lot ofartists and put together a plan toopen a shop and hire artists.”

Galindo was nicknamed“Naked Al” because he had noink on his own body, said friendMarc Deleon of Mad Dog Tattoo,who added that the loss is a greatone.

“I’ve known Al since I was 14.For someone who didn’t have tat-toos, he was on the pulse of thebusiness. He was very good-natured and helping. Al was amentor to a lot of people. I thinkit’s a major blow to every home-town shop.”

Despite struggling withdemons of his past, includingprison time, Galindo had beenclean since opening the shop, hisbrother said.

“He was able to reach out topeople there. It’s kind of that ele-ment. He had some phenomenalguys. Al had stipulations. Even ifthe artist was good, if he washigh, he would give them hiswalking papers. If anyone comesin high or drunk, he wouldn’t tat-too them.”

The tattoo shop is closed pend-ing the settlement of legal mat-ters. According to his brother,Galindo left no will, and artistswho were renting space havebeen unable to retrieve theirbelongings. Galindo’s wife,Heather, is trying to resolve theissues as she deals with her grief.

“It’s an awkward situation. She

22 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eye Street

Jersey boys open up on screen

Kevin Smith: Live fromBehindWhen: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2Where: Edwards Stadium 14,9000 Ming Ave.Admission: $15Information: 663-3042

The Lowdown with Matt Munoz

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

Matt’s column appears every Thursday in Eye Street.

Cult film figures preplive show in theaters

PHOTO COURTESY OF FATHOM EVENTS

Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes will be appearing on the big screenvia a special live simulcast at Edwards Theater on Feb. 2.

Please see 26

Galindo

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 23

Eye Street

BY SUSAN SCAFFIDIContributing writer

Other sectors of the local econo-my may still be lagging, butthe film industry spent a lot

more money in Kern County in 2011.“It was one of our better years,”

said Dave Hook, interim director ofthe Kern County Board of Trade,which includes the county’s filmcommission.

“We exceeded $19 million in eco-nomic impact from filming, which isup about $3 million over the previousyear.”

Hook defines “economic impact”as money that production companiesspend in the county to get their workdone: paying locals hired as extras,lodging, food, equipment rentals andmany other items, including somemost people wouldn’t think of.

“You wouldn’t believe some of thethings (production companies) willspend money on,” said Hook, recall-ing a driving sequence for the movie“Fast Five,” part of which was filmedin the county last year.

“(The film crew) did not want tosee rubber or tire marks for each newtake, so they hired a local steamcleaner to blast the roads betweentakes.

“So the kind of things they’ll spendmoney on is just hysterical to me,”Hook said.

Funny or not, it’s certainly lucra-tive. According to figures to be report-ed to the Board of Supervisors, KernCounty hosted 439 days of produc-tion (including many projects occur-ring simultaneously), plus another 51days of either pre-production or tear-ing down and removing equipment.Actual total economic impact is $18.9million, Hook said.

Feature film companies created aneconomic impact of $2.8 million,according to the Board of Trade. Inaddition to the crew of “Fast Five,”the 2011 blockbuster “Transformers:Dark of the Moon” also spent signifi-cant time and money shooting in thecounty.

Still, feature films aren’t the bigitems. It’s filming commercials.

“And the bulk of these is cars,”Hook said.

The diversity in landscape —except for coastal shots, naturally —tends to be the big attraction, saidHook, who has been serving as theinterim director since May of lastyear, after the retirement of his prede-cessor, Rick Davis.

“It will look like that commercialwas filmed all across the country, but

they never left Kern County,” Hooksaid.

Board of Trade figures show com-mercial production provided an eco-nomic impact of $12.3 million in2011.

“I’ve seen filming go from wherewe were elated to see $350 to$400,000 per month, to where wearen’t happy if we don’t see seven fig-ures,” said Hook, who has been withthe Board of Trade since 1997.

One of the key competitive factorsthat make the county attractive toproductions is there is no fee for afilm permit, Hook said.

“The county will get its money, buteverybody will benefit.”

Hook said the county does chargefor extra services, such as when pub-lic safety officers are needed, and spe-cial use permits are required for suchthings as pyrotechnics.

The second way Kern has remainedcompetitive is aggressive marketing,both through direct channels and byparticipating in statewide boards and

commissions dedicated to promotingfilming in California, including theCalifornia Film Commission, FilmsLiaison in California Statewide(FLICS) and other associations.

“It really is a team effort to makethis work,” Hook said.

Finally, as everyone in the filmbusiness knows, it’s not what youknow, but who you know that counts.Hook said the direct approach isessential.

“The biggest thing that helps us dayto day is word of mouth — our repu-tation,” Hook said.

Hook said the film commission hasspent a lot of time building relation-ships with industry representatives.

“Do you want to go cold calling fora site, or do you want to call a friend?”Hook asked.

Keeping the camerarolling in Kern

Agency reports millionsin economic impact

Filming in Kern CountyBy the numbers, in millions

$18.9: Total economic impact offilming

$12.3: Commercials

$2.4: Feature films

$1.4: Television, including realityTV

$1.4: Music videos

$1.1: Still photography

Source: Kern County Board of Trade

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Shia LaBeouf, left, and John Turturro appear in a scene from “Transform-ers: Dark of the Moon.” Portions of the summer blockbuster were filmedin Kern County.

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Elsa Pataky and Vin Diesel appearin “Fast Five.” That and other filmshelped to create an economicimpact of $2.4 million, according tothe Kern County Board of Trade.

24 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eye Street

BY MATT MUNOZCalifornian staff writer

mmunoz@bakersfield.com

Forget Esteban and thosecorny late night infomer-cials: Aspiring guitarists

looking to add spice to theirstrum can now get it in sevensteps with help from BakersfieldFlamenco guitarist John Gomez.

The veteran musician is eagerto share his wealth of knowledgeon the Spanish-style art formduring his Saturday classes atJuliana’s Art Gallery. But in orderto do that, he needs students tofill seats.

Proficient in a variety of styles,ranging from classical to bossanova, Gomez said the benefits ofapplying Flamenco techniqueswill help musicians strengthentheir fingers and bring morefinesse to their performance.

“I try to making learning sim-ple,” said Gomez, while perform-ing the intro to the Latin standard“Malaguena,” by composerErnesto Lecuona. “No skill levelneeded.”

Gomez’s attraction to the genrebegan in 1985 after he was intro-duced to famed guitarist PacoArroyo, a revered name in Fla-menco music circles. The twostarted a friendship that sparkedan ongoing search for furtherinstruction.

“Paco is one of the best in theworld. I took about five lessonsfrom him over the course of 20years. But he’s such a goodteacher I was able to learn what I

needed. I also had a lot of recordsto play along with.”

Developing his own methodbased on those experiences withArroyo and what he taught him-self, Gomez said students willhave no problem following his“Seven Steps to Flamenco,” sys-tem.

“When you come to the class,you won’t have to know anythingbeforehand about Flamenco. Youcan ask questions and I will beright there to instruct you.”

Gomez described his methodas broken down into the sevendistinctive styles of fingering,beginning with the genre’s foun-dation: rasgueado. Resemblingthe waving strum of your handon and off the strings in action, itwill help the player precisely exe-cute rhythms while conditioninghands and fingers.

“Rasgueado builds muscles inyour hands, and they’ll get verystrong. It’s very physical playing.”

Next is arpeggio, to developright hand finger independence,followed by picado, where gui-tarists rapidly pick strings incoordination with their right andleft hand. Once players become

familiar with those steps, Gomezsaid the next steps come moreeasily: advancing into tremolo,pulgar y ligado, golpe and alza-pua. Practice regularly, and byspring you should be blazingaway on your patio while houseguests sip on sweet sangria.

But the teacher cautioned thatpatience, especially with music, isa virtue.

“Paco once told me he wastaught the same thing every dayfor two years. Everyone thatcomes in will walk away learningchords and the proper fingerings.

You may think you’re doing thesame thing, but you’ll become abetter player.”

Gomez pointed out exampleswhere Flamenco guitar playinghas been applied outside tradi-tional Latin music.

“Country music, blues, bossanova, all kinds,” he said whileperforming a rendition of “ThePeter Gunn Theme.”

Should the classes become asuccess, the gallery also plans tooffer Flamenco dance lessonsonce a month, as well as holdregular Sunday guitar concerts.

“If we could get 50 to 60 peoplehere, it would really be nice,”Gomez said. “We want to haveclassical guitar players too. Thatwould attract people from thecoast to Bakersfield.”

To get started, interested stu-dents will need to provide theirown standard classical guitar withnylon strings. A tap plate to pro-tect the guitar’s wood can be pur-chased at the class if needed. Pre-vious guitar playing experience isrecommended, but not required.Gomez also offers separate cours-es depending on your preference.

Flamenco class: Can we get an ole?Classes teach technique,but students needed

BY SUSAN SCAFFIDIContributing writer

The guitar instructors at Cal State real-ly want to see their program grow, sothey’re hoping to entice as many

players as possible onto the campus Satur-day with the first Guitar Day, which theyintend to make an annual event.

“We’re getting some pretty good audi-ences for our guitar events, so we realizedwe need to do a better job of recruitingpeople from off campus,” said Jim Scully,who heads the program.

Scully said Guitar Day includes masterclasses and lectures he will deliver alongwith guitar studio instructor Roger AllenCope. Twelve CSUB students will performin recital in the guitar program at the endof the day. But the main event is a per-formance by a “guitar orchestra” createdout of CSUB students and guests attendingGuitar Day.

“The day starts at 10 with a two-hour

rehearsal for the orchestra,” Scully said. The orchestra will perform two pieces,

Scully’s arrangement of the pop song “FredJones, Part 2” by Benjamin Folds, and theGerman Christmas carol “Es ist ein Rosentsprungen” (“Lo, How a Rose E’er

Blooming”) by Renaissance composerMichael Praetorius. Participants are askedto bring a nylon string classical guitar toplay in the orchestra.

“It should be pretty accessible to every-one — we’re not doing anything too com-plicated,” Scully said.

Lindsay High School music instructorNancy Wills is delighted to have the oppor-tunity to bring 21 of her students to theevent. Wills, who heads the high school’sfine arts program, has more than 200 stu-dents in her guitar program.

“I was just really excited to find this Gui-tar Day,” Wills said. “It’s free to the stu-dents, which is really important.

“To experience that on a university cam-pus and lock that in with higher learning,it’s just a great opportunity to see how theycan tie that in with guitar music,” she said.

Wills credits the success of her programwith the popularity of the guitar itself, inpart because guitarists can play in a group

or alone.“I think because of the versatility of the

instrument, it’s really appealing to the kids.It’s also something they identify with — it’sculturally theirs,” Wills said.

Scully is expecting about 65 attendees,and has room for more. While the event isaimed at junior high and high school stu-dents, it is open to guitar fans of all ages,who may participate on their own instru-ments or just listen.

As part of the CSUB Guitar Arts series,Scully said Guitar Day is another attemptto promote guitar music in the communi-ty.

“There’s a really rich tradition of guitaractivity here in Bakersfield,” he said.

Scully cited the Bakersfield ClassicalGuitar Society, which promoted local con-certs with resident and visiting performersdecades ago.

“We’re just trying to revive a traditionthat was already here,” Scully said.

Guitarists galore to gather for CSUB music event

Seven Steps to Flamencowith John GomezWhen: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays.Length of class variesdepending on number of stu-dents

Where: Juliana’s Art Studio &Gallery, 501 18th St.

Cost: $25 per half hour.

Information: 496-0891 or327-7507

Guitar DayWhen: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday,though the deadline for guitar partici-pants is 5 p.m. Friday

Where: Music Building, rooms 127 and128, at Cal State Bakersfield, 9001Stockdale Highway; seating is limited

Admission: Free; parking is free in lotsB and C

Interested in performing? Go tocsub.edu/guitarday to download musicparts. Renditions of the music are alsoprovided on the website.

HENRY A. BARRIOS / THE CALIFORNIAN

Flamenco guitarist John Gomez will be starting classes Saturdays at Juliana's Art Studio & Gallery.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 25

Eye Street

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BY SUSAN SCAFFIDIContributing writer

When football seasonends, the marchingband can evolve

into a concert or wind band;some of the performers mayhead to orchestra or jazzband. But what happens tothe color guard? The drumline?

“The drum line at thispoint has become its ownseparate performance groupfor spring semester,” saidRandy Bennett, director ofthe Bakersfield High Schoolinstrumental program.

Bennett said the same goesfor the color guard, which hedescribed as a dance-influ-enced drill team. The twoBHS groups are planning tocompete this spring and needto raise money to attend theirevents. The BHS booster clubis raising money for the twogroups with a pancake break-fast from 8 to 11 a.m. Satur-day at the BHS cafeteria.

“(The color guard) hasn’tbeen able to go on an out-of-town trip for a number ofyears,” said Dianna Warner,president of the booster club.“Mr. Bennett said they couldgo if they could raise themoney.”

Warner said the colorguard plans to compete inthe Winter Guard Interna-tional competition in UnionCity, located in the East Bayof the San Francisco BayArea. Warner said the nine-member team needs to raise$400 to pay for the event,which will be held March 17and 18.

“It doesn’t sound like a lot,but when there are only nineof you, it’s a lot harder,”

Warner said.The drum line, which has

31 members, needs to raise$2,000 to pay for a trip to theWestern Percussion Champi-onship in San Bernardino onMarch 24 and 25.

“They raised a similaramount removing Christmastrees over the holidays,”Warner said.

According to Bennett, thedrum line consists of all themarching percussion instru-ments, including snare, bassand tom-tom, mallet instru-ments such as xylophone,glockenspiel and marimba,plus keyboards and theaccent instruments, such ascymbals, triangle, woodblocks, gongs and otherinstruments. On its own, thepercussion line has a verydifferent catalog of music toperform.

“It’s an ever-growingrepertoire out there,” Bennettsaid. “Most groups are tryingto write their own repertoireeach year, which makes itthat much more unique.”

Bennett said drum linecoaches Tony Sandoval and

Joey Hubbard both writemusic for the BHS group.

“I think knowing the musicwas written especially forthem makes them feel reallygood,” Bennett said.

For the color guard, Ben-nett contributes writing,along with coaches MelissaMunoz and Kevin Robertson.

“This season the shows arevery theatric and usuallyhave some sort of story lineassociated with them,” Ben-nett said.

Bennett said color guardperformers must not onlylearn the basics of dance, butalso how to toss (and catch)rifles, sabers, lances andother objects — not a veryeasy thing to do, and some-times quite hazardous.

“All the while finding theirspot on the field and makingpretty designs,” Bennett said.

Warner described a stan-dard pancake breakfastmenu, and said the studentswill also hold a drum-a-thonand a spin-a-thon to raiseextra money. Those eventswill start at 9 and continueuntil noon.

Color guard remains on dutyOff-season is timefor fundraisers

Pancake breakfastfundraiserWhen: 8 to 11 a.m. Sat-urdayWhere: BHS cafeteria,1241 G St.Tickets: $5; $3 children8 and under. Available atthe door.

“I don’t like fine dining. There’s nine specialslisted on the board and I’m more the type tothrow the coffee on the table and say, ‘How y’alldoin’?’ I get a Southern accent when I’m serving. Ihave Okie in my blood.”

Still, Bledsoe can’t help but wonder what thetips would amount to at an exclusive restaurant.

“You might serve three drinks and get a $45 tip,because (the bill) is like $100 a shot. That wouldtake me a whole day at Coco’s.

“But I’m not it in for the money. If I was, I’d beat the Petroleum Club or somewhere like that. Butit’s about being genuine, I think, and being com-fortable with who you are.”

There’s more to being a good server than that,of course, and Bledsoe has studied what the ele-ments over the years. Her motto: “We’re not in thefood service business; we’re in the people busi-ness.”

Being able to multitask and achieving balanceare crucial traits as well. And there is, it turns out,a golden rule: “Never mess with your cooks. Ever.Like, really.”

All Bledsoe asks of her customers in return isthat they keep in mind she’s human. She stillremembers the starchy (though, oddly, well-inten-tioned) advice she once received on a bad day atwork.

“This old man said, ‘Hon, this just isn’t yourcalling. You’re just not cut out for this.’ He’s goingto think forever and ever I’m a horrible waitress,when it was just that day.”

Bledsoe wishes she could have asked that cus-tomer to walk one of the estimated 30,000 stepsshe takes a day, in her nonslip lightweight shoes.

“Every person in America should spend oneyear in food service. It would change your per-spective in how difficult it is. There’s so muchmore to it than people even realize.”

CONTINUED FROM 17

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 26

BY ASHLEY FISCHERContributing writer

Calling all you blushing brides of KernCounty: It’s time to “say yes” to theWeddings 2012 bridal show and plan

the fairest wedding of them all (no helpfrom celebrity wedding planner DavidTutera required).

This year’s show allows brides access tonearly 80 wedding vendors.

“There’ll be everything,” said KyleBrown, longtime wedding DJ and execu-tive director of the show.

“From wedding gowns, tuxedos, photog-raphers, DJs, and reception halls, to coor-dinators, florists, videographers, cakes,caterers, photo booth rentals, hair stylists,and officiants. Anything you need to planyour perfect wedding, we’ll have it.”

Weddings 2012 also features a fashionshow previewing the year’s latest weddinglooks, lots of giveaways (including a mini-vacation), and the Weddings 2012 couponbook, which offers discounts to the majori-ty of the vendors at the show.

“I tell brides to always bring theircheckbooks. If there’s someone at theshow you’re familiar with, or you’ve goneout and interviewed them already, justask them, ‘Hey, if I give you a depositright now, what kind of deal can you giveme?’ Nine times out of 10, you’re going toget a deal that you wouldn’t get other-wise.”

Since he burst onto the bridal scene byfounding his show back in 1994, Brown hasbecome a walking guide to the weddingindustry, though he admits his own big daywas a pretty simple affair: the venue wasthe county clerk’s office and the menuconsisted of hotdogs.

“My wedding was beautiful, and I neverregretted it, but going through the thingsthat I’ve gone through with weddings, andseeing what it could be, I wish I could goback and do it all over again. Let’s just say,my daughter is going to have one phenom-enal wedding.”

Brown shared some insider tips andtricks for brides preparing to come to theshow:

Create an email account for yourwedding: By doing so, personal inboxeswon’t be muddled with emails and offersfrom potential wedding vendors in themonths leading up to (or especially after)the main event.

Bring supplies to the show: A fewpens, paper, a camera, comfortable shoes(remember, you’ll be doing a lot of walk-ing), peel-and-stick mailing labels withyour name, email address, and phonenumber printed on them, in order to regis-ter with vendors for contests and give-aways.

Don’t forget the groom: “Bring yourgroom, bring your maid of honor, bringyour best man,” he said. “Bring some peo-ple who are going to be your confidants.They’ll help make sure you’re not making asnap decision and give you an honestopinion when you need one. Most of all,they’ll make it a good time.”

Walk down aisle toKern wedding showNearly 80 vendors will berepresented at this event

Wedding’s 2012 Bridal ShowWhen: Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday; VIPaccess begins at 11:30 a.m.

Where: Kern County Fairgrounds, 1142P St.

Admission: VIP tickets are $10 andmust be bought in advance; generaladmission is $5 in advance, $10 at thedoor

Information: 633-9200

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would love to get it resolved soon. Sheunderstands they have to get to work, butat the same time they have to understandthe situation we’re in.”

Galindo also leaves behind three chil-dren. A public viewing will be held from 4to 9 p.m. today at Basham Funeral Care,3312 Niles St. Funeral services will be heldat 10 a.m. Friday at RiverLakes CommunityChurch, 4301 Calloway Drive.

Battle of the bands Last Saturday’s Giving Tree Project Battle

of the Bands at the Nile was a rousing suc-cess, according to organizer, Amber Beeson.

“It was a total team effort betweeneveryone that participated with the event,”she said. “Everything ran according toschedule, no mistakes.”

After kicking off the daylong competi-tion with the Candace Freeman NujazzTrio at 11 a.m., attendees were treated toan eclectic collection of Bako’s currentscene, including 15 local bands and 20artists who lined the club’s lobby with their

wares. “I kind of planned the jazz for the morn-

ing to be mellow for the early audiencethat may have been hungover. A lot ofbloody Marys were served. Then thingsbegan to get progressively louder.”

Estimated crowd numbers ran from 300to 400, with DJ Josex providing music dur-ing set changes.

“There was something for everyone toenjoy. All the bands and artists looked andsounded amazing. The best thing that real-ly happened was that it was such a socialexperiment.”

By night’s end indie heroes of The Archi-tecture were awarded the grand prize: Acomplete promotional package, compli-ments of Bakersfield’s Higher DefinitionMedia, Rocket Ship Recording Studios andNo Image Photography. Coming in secondand third place were The Aviators, alongwith Kenny Reeves and The Clones, whoalso won promo packages.

Beeson added nearly $2,500 was raisedto benefit The Giving Tree nature project atWilliam Penn Elementary.

CONTINUED FROM 22

won’t have this available on hissite or at any conventions thisyear. He’s doing this just forBMoA, which is truly an honor.”

Displayed in the gallery areworks from Hodges and Nauck, a17-year industry veteran who hasworked for Image, with his owncreation, WildGuard; Marvel, on avariety of Spider-Man titles,including the Spidey-PresidentObama team-up in “Amazing Spi-der-Man” #583; and DC, helpinglaunch “Young Justice” (now a car-toon series on Cartoon Network).

Next Saturday Nauck will be onhand for a Q&A and signing ses-sion followed by an artists work-shop. Open to all ages and skilllevels, artists are invited to drawalong with Nauck, whose sketch-ing will be projected on screen.

“I plan on walking the atten-dees through my process ondrawing a superhero characterfrom sketching out the figure'smovement to pencil art to fin-ished ink art.”

Nauck, who has spoken at con-ventions as well as schools, saidhe enjoys interacting with comicbook fans.

“I really like being able toencourage kids to think outside ofthe box, find a way to pursue theirgoals, and hopefully fulfill theirdreams in some way.”

Like Hodges, Nauck will havesketchbooks for sale that he willsign. They contain charactersketches for series he’s workedon, commissioned art and pre-liminary art in various stages ofpencils, inks and grayscales.

Although some may find comicart a strange fit for the museum,Gutierrez said it’s all part of promot-

ing art education and awareness.“We want to engage our audi-

ences to new genres, styles, typesand ideas of art. The comic art isonly up for a limited time, but wehope that the new audience itsparks with will generate a long-term interest in BMoA.”

All fun aside, he said that theTalk & Draw program is rife withpossibilities.

“It lends itself to a wide range ofgenres and possibilities, but stillkeeping art and art education at theforefront of the audience’s mind.”

That said, Gutierrez has some-one at the top of his list: DC Enter-tainment co-publisher Jim Lee.

“I've met him before and he’s apretty cool guy. He’s been a leaderin the industry for years, so I bethe’d have a lot to talk and drawabout.”

BY JENNIFER BURGERContributing writer

In June 1933, just months afterAdolf Hitler’s rise to dictator-ship over Germany, the Jew-

ish Culture League formed inBerlin. While the Nazis worked to

establish a NewOrder and elimi-nate Jews fromEurope, thisorganization hada surprising role:to encourageJews to partici-pate in the per-formance of Jew-

ish music, either as musicians oraudience members.

That irony struck Dr. Lily E.Hirsch, a musicologist who firstlearned about the Jewish CultureLeague as a graduate student atDuke University.

“How was this possible? Whywould the Nazis support Jews inthis way when one of their pri-mary goals was to eradicate themfirst from Germany’s musical lifeand then from Germany as awhole?” Hirsch asked herself.“These questions dovetailed withmy existing interests in the rolesmusic plays in politics — racial,national and religious.”

After much research into thesubject, including a fellowshipfrom the German government,Hirsch wrote the recently pub-

lished book “A Jewish Orchestrain Nazi Germany: Musical Poli-tics and the Berlin Jewish CultureLeague” (University of MichiganPress, 2010), the first scholarlybook in English to investigate theorganization and why the Naziswould promote Jewish music.

Hirsch will visit Cal State Bak-ersfield to give a free lecture onthe subject of “‘Jewish Music’ inNazi Germany” on Friday.

“Dr. Lily Hirsch's book is yetanother illumination into thecomplications, subtleties andcontradictions of life for Jews inthe Third Reich,” said Dr. ClionaMurphy, a history professor atCSUB. “Through her exhaustivestudy of the Jewish Orchestra, Dr.Hirsch provides fascinating andsurprising insights into Jewishsurvival and identity in Hitler'sGermany. Dr. Hirsch's talkshould appeal to students andthose in the Bakersfield commu-nity who are interested in music,

Nazi Germany and the Holo-caust.”

So why did the Nazis supportthe Jewish Culture League?

Hirsch offers a few theories.One, they could use it as anexample to the internationalcommunity that Jews were notbeing mistreated. Plus, the cul-tural outlet and source of incomefor Jews would help quell socialunrest.

“And, finally, the creation ofthe league could help the Nazisensure the end of perceived Jew-ish appropriation and thus pollu-tion of German culture,” Hirschsaid. “To this end, (the Nazis)would censor within the leaguemusic by composers of Germanorigin and generally encouragethe performance of acceptedJewish music.”

Hirsch’s talk will offer insightinto the Jewish organization,which she says, “was, for many, aplace of both salvation anddamnation.”

“It is important to accept thecomplexity of the league’s func-tioning during the Third Reich,”she said. “This organization wasnot good or bad. It played differ-ent roles in the lives of differentpeople and black or white judg-ments only hinder our under-standing of this history.”

“‘Jewish Music’ in Nazi Ger-many” is presented by the CSUBHistory Department as part ofhis History Forum series. — Jennifer Burger is public affairscoordinator at CSUB

27 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eye StreetCONTINUED FROM 16

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A historic contradictionLecture focuses on Jewishorchestra in Nazi Germany

“‘Jewish Music’ in Nazi Germany”What: Lecture presented byauthor Lily E. Hirsch

When: 3:30 p.m. Friday

Where: The Albertson Room,adjacent to the Doré Theatre,at Cal State Bakersfield, 9001Stockdale Highway

Admission: Free, but parkingis $5

Information: 654-3079

Hirsch

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JASON GUTIERREZ

A Wolverine sketch by ToddNauck, who will be at the Bak-ersfield Museum of Art for anevent on Feb. 4.

Today32nd Annual Prayer Breakfast,6:40 a.m., Rabobank ConventionCenter, 1001 Truxtun Ave. Ticketsare $15 and can be purchased atRabobank box office, 1001 TruxtunAve.NAPMW Bunco Party Fundrais-er, 6 to 9 p.m., NAPMW of Bakers-field, 1301 Heath Road. $25. Emailmcooper@chevronvalleycu.comBingo, warm-ups start at 5 p.m.,with early birds at 6 p.m., regulargames at 6:30 p.m., VolunteerCenter of Kern County, 2801 F St.From $20 buy-in to “the works.”395-9787.

FridayHistory Forum, with Lily E.Hirsch, (more on Page 26)No Stinkin’ Service ChargeBlues Series Concert, (more onPage 19).Condors vs. Ontario Reign, 7p.m. Friday and Saturday,Rabobank Arena, 1001 TruxtunAve. $11 to $25. Rabobank boxoffice, ticketmaster.com or 324-7825.Piano Studio Recital, 7:30 p.m.,CSUB, Music Building, Room 127,9001 Stockdale Highway. Free.654-3093.

SaturdayCotton Patch Quilters of KernCounty 2012 Quilt, (More onPage 20).

Rabbie Burns’ Supper, (More onPage 18).

BHS Driller Drumline & Col-orguard Pancake Breakfast,(More on Page 25).

CSUB Guitar Day, (More on Page24).

Community EmpowermentOrganization’s Gospel, Concert,6 to 9 p.m., Community Empower-ment Organization, 610 4th St.$10. 346-8304.

Downtown Clean Up Day, (Moreon Page 21).

Annual Rabbit Show, 8:30 a.m.to 3 p.m., Kern County Fair-grounds, 1142 S. P St. Admission isfree and open to the public. 345-3995.

Bakersfield Rollergirls DoubleHeader, Bakersfield Rollergirls C-Team vs Fresno NoTown C-Teamand Bakersfield Junior Roller Derbyvs LA Junior Derby Dolls, 5 p.m.,Rollerama, 1004 34th St. $10; $5ages 6 to 12; children under 5 arefree. 327-7589.

CSUB Men’s Basketball, vs. CalState Northridge, 7 p.m., CSUB,Icardo Center, 9001 StockdaleHighway. $5-$20. gorunners.comor 654-BLUE.

Flamenco & Classical GuitarClass, (more on Page 24).

Free E-waste Drop Off Event, 9a.m. to noon, Stockdale HighSchool, 2800 Buena Vista Road.873-4011.

Golf Tournament for “Wall-to-Wall Bicycle Ride,” shotgun 9

a.m., The Links at River LakesRanch, 5201 River Lakes Drive. $65per person; $260 per team. 588-4070.

Kids Free Day, CALM, 10500Alfred Harrell Highway. 872-2256.

SundayWeddings 2012 Bridal Show,(More on Page 26).

Guild House Affaire Extraordi-naire Dinner, five-course gour-met meal, wine, 5 to 9 p.m., GuildHouse, 1905 18th St. $100 per per-son. 325-5478.

ARTSilver (Art Clay) Jewelry Work-shop, with Marta Csabai, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Juliana’s Art Studio &Gallery, 501 18th St. $185, includeslunch. 327-7507.Talk & Draw with Tom Hodges,5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Bakers-field Museum of Art, 1930 R St.,$25; $15 members.bmoa.org or323-7219. "Eat, Print, Mingle," printmak-ing mixer (More on Page 20)‘Lost and Foundry’ Exhibition,4 to 9 p.m. or by appointment nowuntil Monday, The Foundry Gallery,1602 20th St.bakersfieldfoundry.com.Art Classes, in drawing, watercol-or, oils, color theory, for beginnersand advanced, Bakersfield ArtAssociation Art Center, 1817 EyeSt. 869-2320.Art for Healing program. Allclasses are free but some suggesta donation and are held at MercyHospital, Truxtun and A Street.Visit mercybakersfield. org/art orto register, 632-5357.Juliana’s Art Studio & Gallery,offers stained glass classes,Juliana’s Art Studio & Gallery, 50118th St. For times and dates call327-7507.Nancy Merrick, artwork on dis-play for the months of January andFebruary, Capitol Real EstateGroup, 1700 Chester Ave.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“Into the Woods,” 7 p.m. Fridayand Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday, Spot-light Theatre, 1622 19th St. $25;$22 students/seniors. 634-0692 orthespotlighttheatre.com.

“Late Night with ChristopherDurang,” 11 p.m. Friday and Satur-day, The Empty Space, 706 Oak St.$5. 327-PLAY.

“Showdown in Shafter,” 7 p.m.Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sun-day, Gaslight Melodrama Theatre& Music Hall, 12748 Jomani Drive.$12 to $23. 587-3377.

“The Drowsy Chaperone,” 7:30p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m.Sunday, Stars Dinner Theatre, 1931Chester Ave. $50 to $55; matinee$40 to $50. 325-6100.

“You’re a Good Man CharlieBrown,” (More on Page 20).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.Major League Improv, improvi-sational comedy show, appropriatefor families, 6 p.m. Saturdays, TheEmpty Space, 706 Oak St. Free butdonations are accepted. 327-PLAY.

MUSIC

AcousticKern River Brewing Company,13415 Sierra Highway, Kernville,760-376-2337; Slideways, 7:30p.m. Friday.

Classic RockJacalito Grill, 900 Truxtun Ave.,Ste. 110, 325-2535; Prisoners ofLove, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday.T-Bones Steakhouse, 8020 Dis-trict Blvd., 398-1300; Big Dawgs,7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday.Bellvedere Cocktail Lounge,3090 Brundage Lane, 325-2139;Usual Suspects, 9 p.m. Friday andSaturday.

ComedyElevation Lounge, 818 Real Road,325-6864; Improv Tuesday - Livecomedy with DJ after party, 9 p.m.Tuesdays.

Jerry’s Pizza, 1817 Chester Ave.,633-1000, Comedy Open MicChallenge, 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thurs-day. $5.

CountryTrouts & The BlackboardStages, 805 N. Chester Ave., 399-6700; Benefit/Tribute for DwayneMaples, 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, 4310Alfred Harrell Highway, 873-7613;Open Range, 7 p.m. Friday; StillKick’n, 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday.Sandrini’s, 1918 Eye St., 322-8900; Vince Galindo, 9 p.m.Wednesdays.

DancingBakersfield Rounders, ballroom(cued) transition class levels twoand three, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, SouthBakersfield Veteran’s Hall, 1905Wilson Road. $10/couple. 747-7921.Beginner Belly Dance Lessons,5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays, CentreStage Studio, 1710 Chester Ave.323-5215. $45 regular session; $65combo session. bakersfieldbelly-dance.biz.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 Drive, offers ball-room dance, East Coast swing (jit-terbug) 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. Dancing.African Heritage Dance, HarrietTubman Legacy series with Ayo,11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 4, 11and 18, Studio 9, 4000 EastonDrive, Suite 9. $8 per class, $20 forthree. Emailsharpemouzon@yahoo.com. Danc-ingMavericks Singles, ballroom andcountry dancing with music byJerry Hobbs, 7 to 10 p.m. Friday,Kern City Town Hall, 1003 PebbleBeach Drive. $7 member; $9guest. 831-9241.Pairs and Spares Dance, withCountry George and his Banjo, 7p.m. Friday, Rasmussen SeniorCenter, 115 E. Roberts Lane. $7; $9nonmembers. 399-3575.Tam O’Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista,324-6774; 9 p.m. Friday and Sat-urday.

DJBanacek’s Lounge, 4601 StateRoad, 387-9224; with DJ CaseyOverstreet, 9 p.m. Fridays.DoubleTree Hotel, ClubOdyssey, 3100 Camino Del RioCourt. 323-7111; live in the mix: oldschool, ’80s & ’90s music, 9 p.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 Camino DelRio 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.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.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.The Nile, Jazz Music, 6 p.m.every Sunday. Cost $10 at 172119th St. 364-2620.

KaraokeB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill,7401 White Lane, 397-7304; 8 p.m.Thursdays and Tuesdays.Banacek’s Lounge, 9 p.m. everyFriday and Saturday at 4601 StateRoad. 387-9224.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.Cactus Valley, 6 to 10 p.m. everyThursday at 4215 Rosedale High-way. 633-1948.Cactus Valley Mexican Restau-rant, 4215 Rosedale Highway,633-1948; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.Thursday; beer pong and happyhour all day Sunday.Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 4200 NewStine Road, 397-5000; 6:30 to9:30 p.m. Thursday.Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 6:30 to 9:30p.m. every Thursday at 4200 NewStine Road. 397-5000.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.Del Rio Cocktail Lounge, 5840State Road, 393-0262; 8 p.m.every Saturday.Diana’s Pit Stop, 10807 RosedaleHighway, 587-8888; 8 p.m. Mon-days and Thursdays.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.

Annual Rabbit Show, 8:30a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, KernCounty Fairgrounds, 1142 S. PSt. Admission is free and opento the public. 345-3995.

28 The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, January 26, 2012

Eye StreetGo & Do

ALEX HORVATH / THE CALIFORNIAN

Kanzess Davis rests withher Mini-lop while attend-ing 2011 Rabbit Show at theKern County fair grounds.

GO & DO

Thursday, January 26, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian 29

Eye Street

Elevation Lounge, 818 Real Road, 325-6864; 9 p.m. Wednesday.Ethel’s Old Corral, 4310 Alfred HarrellHighway, 873-7613; 6 to 9 p.m. everyWednesday.Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S. Chester Ave.,831-1315; 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays andThursdays.Julie’s The Branding Iron Saloon, 1807 N.Chester Ave., 6 to 10 p.m. every Friday.Le Corusse Rouge, 4647 White Lane, 834-1611; A to Z Karaoke, 8 p.m. to midnightTuesdays.Lone Oak Inn, 8 p.m. every Tuesday andThursday at 10612 Rosedale Highway. 589-0412.Magoo’s Pizza, 1129 Olive Drive, 399-7800;6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.Maria Bonita Mexican Restaurant, 10701Highway 178, 366-3261, 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays.All ages.McMurphy’s Irish Pub & Sports Bar, 14Monterey St., 869-1451; 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.Tuesdays.Pizzeria, 4200 Gosford Road, 397-1111; 6 to9 p.m. Wednesdays.Pour House, 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdaysat 4041 Fruitvale Ave. 589-9300.Pyrenees Cafe, 601 Sumner, 323-0053; 8p.m. to midnight Saturdays.Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737 Meany Ave.,Suite B5, 589-6749; 8 p.m. Mondaysthrough Wednesdays.Rocky’s Pizza & Arcade, 2858 Niles St.,873-1900; 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.Round Table Pizza, 2060 White Lane, 836-2700; 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.Round Table Pizza, 4200 Gosford Road,397-1111; 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.Rusty’s Pizza, 5430 Olive Drive, 835-5555;6:30 p.m. every Wednesday.Sports & Spirits, 6633 Ming Ave., 398-7077; 9 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays.Sports & Spirits, 9 p.m. every Thursdayand Saturday at 6633 Ming Ave. 398-7077.Syndicate Lounge, 1818 Eye St., 327-0070;with Alisa Spencer, 9 p.m. every Wednesday.T-Bones Steakhouse, 8020 District Blvd.,398-1300; 7:30 to 11 p.m. Thursdays.Tejon Club, 6 to 10 p.m. every Saturday at117 El Tejon Ave. 392-1747.The Bull Shed Bar & Grill, at HotelRosedale, 2400 Camino Del Rio Court, 327-0681; 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.The Junction Lounge, 2620 Buck OwensBlvd., 327-9651; 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays throughSaturdays.The Old River Monte Carlo, 9750 TaftHighway, 837-0250; 8:30 p.m. every Thurs-day.The Playhouse, 2915 Taft Highway; 397-3599; 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays.The Prime Cut, 9500 Brimhall Road, 831-1413; hosted by Ed Loverr, 9 p.m. to mid-night Friday.The Prime Cut, 9 p.m. every Friday at9500 Brimhall Road. 831-1413.The Wrecking Yard, 9817 S. Union Ave.,827-9192; 7 to 10 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays

and Thursdays.The Wright Place, 2695-G Mount VernonAve., 872-8831, 8 p.m. every Thursday.Tomi’s Cowgirl Cafe, 7 to 10 p.m. everyTuesday and Thursday at 1440 WeedpatchHighway. 363-5102.Trouts & The Blackboard Stages, 805 N.Chester Ave., 399-6700; 7 p.m. Mondaysand Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays,Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sun-days.Vinny’s Bar & Grill, 2700 S. Union Ave.,496-2502, 7 p.m. Thursdays. 21 and over.The Regent, 2814 Niles St., 871-4140;8:30 p.m. every other Friday.

Latin/SalsaDoubleTree Hotel, Club Odyssey, ClubOdyssey, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court, 633-1949; various levels, 3 to 9 p.m. every Sun-day. $5 per person, per lesson.Padre Hotel, 1702 18th St., 427-4900;Salsa Solution, 6 to 11 p.m. Sunday. $10. 21and over only.Iron Horse Saloon, 1821 S. Chester Ave.,831-1315; Latin Breeze, 9 p.m. Friday.

OldiesKC Steakhouse, 2515 F St., 322-9910;Jimmy Gaines, Bobby O and Mike Halls,6:30 p.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.

T-Bones Steakhouse, 8020 District Blvd.,398-1300; Lost Vinyl, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Sat-urday.

Tam O'Shanter, 2345 Alta Vista, 324-6774; The Press, 8:30 p.m. Friday; Rock AMole, 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Open MicThe Canna Cafe, 7 to 10 p.m. every Friday,East Hills Mall, Food Court, 3000 MallviewRoad.

RockB. Ryder’s Sports Bar & Grill, 7401 WhiteLane, 397-7304; Good Question, 9 p.m. Fri-day; Dub Seed, DB and The Struggle, 9 p.m.Saturday. $5 each night. 21 and over only.Rockstarz Party Bar, 7737 Meany Ave.,Suite B5, 589-6749; live bands, 9 p.m.every Thursday.

SongwritersThe Rustic Rail Saloon, 147 E. NorrisRoad, 393-0456, Songwriter’s Showcasewith host David Reeves Carpenter, sign upbegins at 6 p.m.; 7 to 11 p.m. Thursdays.

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

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

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

Join Lifestyles Editor Jennifer Self andthe Eye Street crew today as they wel-come David Stroud, coordinator of theannual Robert Burns dinner. You don’thave to be Scottish to attend (or listen).

Also joining us will be Jason Gutierrez ofthe Bakersfield Museum of Art, who will

share details on a pair of comics eventscoming up at the venerable showcasefor fine art. As usual, we’ll give some goodies awayand welcome your calls at 842-KERN. The show airs from 9 to 10 a.m. week-days on KERN, 1180-AM.

‘CALIFORNIAN RADIO’