Santa Barbara by the Glass

To the Wine Lover Go the Spoils: May Offers Myriad Events Inspired by the Grape

by Gabe Saglie

Santa Barbara’s wine industry is rolling out the red carpet. MidMay is studded with a bevy of events aimed at maximizing the enjoyment of, and understanding of, locally-produced wines. Here’s a snapshot of some of the key events presented by both the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience’s “Taste of Santa Barbara,” making a triumphant return, as well as the inaugural “Behind the Scenes” series put on by regional vintners.

Taste of Santa Barbara

After a deliciously successful launch last year, this weeklong series of events, done in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, makes a comeback. Slated for May 15 through 21, the line-up of 13 culinary events aims to please and, this year, to draw an even more diverse audience. “It’s really important to us that the Taste of Santa Barbara is accessible to our entire community, so this year we’ve expanded our programming to offer a variety of events that appeal to all our audiences,” says Executive Director Donna Yen. Inspired by Santa Barbara County’s bounty, the goal here is to deepen the connection between us consumers and our neighboring food and wine industries. These are my top three picks of events sure to wow wine lovers.

Coastal HideawaysInc.

The Farmer & The Cook: This exploration of the relationship between Santa Barbara County’s farms and restaurants takes the form of a four-course dinner at bouchon Restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara. The night begins outdoors with wine and appetizers, as Inside Julia’s Kitchen podcast host Todd Schulkin moderates a conversation between executive chef Nate Van Etten and local purveyors. The meal, driven by seasonal local ingredients, takes place in the dining room, paired with premium wines by Liquid Farm and Margerum Wine Co. Tuesday, May 16, 6-9 pm, $150/pp (or $200 with add-on farmers market visit prior to the dinner event)

Cherry Bombe: Female talent is in the spotlight during this afternoon celebration at the newly-imagined Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection in Los Olivos. Fêted local women winemakers, chefs, and producers include Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribó, winemakers for the Lompoc-based label Camins 2 Dreams, Sherry Villanueva, CEO of Acme Hospitality (which runs dining faves like Santa Barbara’s The Lark and Loquita), and Chef Daisy Ryan of Los Alamo’s Bell’s Restaurant, winner of a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide. Mattei’s Executive Chef, Rhoda

Magbitang, will offer tasty bites. Tickets for this one are moving quickly!

Saturday, May 20, 3-5:30 pm, $100/pp

Taste of Santa Barbara Wines: The beautiful historic setting of El Presidio de Santa Barbara Historic Park elevates this lovely walk-around tasting of some of the best local wines. I really enjoyed this event last year, which saw many winemakers appear in person to pour and mingle. Specialty foods and a popup store by Heritage Goods and Supply enhance the afternoon.

Sunday, May 21, 1-4 pm, $60/pp

Buy tickets and find out more at sbce.events.

Behind the Scenes

Winemaker Bryan Babcock called to give me a heads up about this inaugural event by several of Santa Barbara’s top vintners – the Montecito resident was pumped by the way these events pull back the curtain and offer consumers intimate experiences around grape growing and winemaking. Set for May 19-21 at locales across wine country, the opening day event at Roblar Winery in Santa Ynez introduces wine buffs to the nuances of Santa Barbara County’s seven distinct American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Of the six events that follow throughout the weekend, here are three that really stand out to me.

Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic: This Saturday lunch at the beautiful Fess Parker Ranch in Los Olivos will explore the differences and similarities between these three wine-growing philosophies – a deep dive into the complexities of practices aimed at producing worldclass grapes in an environmentally friendly way. Fess Parker winemaker phenom Blair Fox hosts a cast representing Cambria Winery, Piazza Family Wines, and Duvarita Vineyard. Valley Piggery will pair wines with locally-sourced fare

Vineyard will debut its new on-property tasting room next month, which will host an event spotlighting Santa Barbara’s new generation of winemakers (Courtesy photo)

(including vegetarian options).

Saturday, May 20, Noon-2 pm, $150/pp

The Evolution of the Sta. Rita Hills –Pinot Noir and Beyond: This event – hosted by Bryan Babcock at his namesake vineyard along Highway 246 – should be a real eye-opener, enhanced by some of the best wines in the county. “The potential here is so exciting,” Babcock told me, touting this exploration of how Sta. Rita Hills, a cool growing region made world-famous by the pinot noir and chardonnay it produces, is quickly becoming an enviable home for Rhône grapes like syrah and grenache, among others. Wines by Alma Rosa, Melville, Peake Ranch, and LaBarge will also be poured.

Saturday, May 20, 2:30-4 pm, $100/pp

The Next Generation of Winemaking in Santa Barbara County: The setting alone in The Gatehouse – the new visitor center in Bien Nacido Vineyard, which gives the public onsite access to this storied growing site for the first time ever – is a draw here. And then there are the personalities – the younger generations of families that pioneered wine growing in Santa Barbara County and that are now leading the way forward with innovation and flair. These include Nicholas Miller of Miller Family Wines, which planted Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley 50 years ago, hosts Greer Shull of Fess Parker Winery, Chase Carhartt of Carhartt Family Wines, Peter Stolpman of Stolpman Family Vineyards, and Bingo Wathen of Foxen Winery. Tastings and lunch are included.

Sunday, May 21, 11:30 am-1:30 pm, $150/pp

For tickets and more info, go to sbcountywines.com/ behind-the-scenes

See you in May, cheers!

Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more than 15 years through columns, TV, and radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips, and trends.

As a partner to, and inspired by Deckers Brands Art of Kindness , we believe kindness has the power to not only brighten someone's day, but to also create a ripple effect of positivity. When we show kindness to others, it can inspire them to do the same, creating a chain reaction of positive actions and attitudes.

I’m just one cog in the wheel. But I’m happy to share my creative process.”

For Jones, that’s all about transcending the complex prosthetics, makeup, and uncomfortable challenges to embody the humanity of the character, such as the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2018.

“It’s about making the character come alive as an organic being and not just a guy in an alien suit.”

Visit www.epicimpactsociety.org for details on the summit, or www.eventbrite. com/e/2023-epic-innovation-awardstickets-611767241287 for tickets to the awards show.

Theater Talk: Anya Arrives in Town

Anastasia – the Broadway musical inspired by the 1997 animated film and the 1956 live-action movie that ran in New York from 2017-2020 and has been performed more than 2,500 times worldwide – has its Santa Barbara debut at The Granada Theatre on April 25-26 as part of The American Theatre Guild’s Broadway in Santa Barbara series. The show uses the musical genre to adapt the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, who may have escaped the execution of her family. Years later, an amnesiac orphan named Anya hopes to find some trace of her family by partnering with two con men whose agenda is to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess. Anastasia takes audiences on a journey from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the nightlife of Paris in the 1920s following Anya and her companions who are also trying to elude a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her as they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family.

Anastasia comes from a decorated team that features book by the celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush score and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the Tony Awardwinning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, and tour direction by Sarah Hartmann based on original direction by Tony winner Darko Tresnjak. Visit www.BroadwaySantaBarbara.com or www.GranadaSB.org.

Also on Local Stages This Week

Ensemble Theatre Company’s area premiere of Lucy Kirkwood’s 2016 drama The Children winds up its three-week run at the New Vic on April 23. ETC favorite helmer Jenny Sullivan directs the trio of well-traveled actors Michael Butler, Linda Purl, and Nancy Travis – all of whom are familiar to recent ETC audiences – in the play inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear explosion in Japan. Set at a remote cottage on the coast of Britain after a tsunami wreaks havoc on a nuclear reactor, the lives of two retired nuclear physicists – a married couple – are further disrupted by the mysterious appearance of a long-lost colleague, who confronts them with a stunning moral dilemma: What does the older generation owe to those who are young? Visit www.ETC.org.

Also closing on April 23 is Out of the Box’s Central Coast premiere of Once. The multiple Tony-winning musical adapted from the 2007 cult indie film serves up a charming and artist-inspiring tale –the romantic union of an Irish busker musician ready to give up on his dream and the songwriting Czech immigrant who reignites his creative spark, the two drawn together by their shared love of music. The simple story features a complex production that requires five of the actors to play their own instruments on stage at the black box theater known as Center Stage. Visit www.centerstagetheater.org.

There are two more weeks left in the world premiere – and likely singular production – of George and Emily Get Married. Written and directed by Rick Mokler, George and Emily Get Married updates the story of the young lovers from Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town, transporting them from the fictional American small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, to present-day Santa Barbara. Mokler cast many of his old colleagues in the ode to love and marriage. Info at www.theatregroupsbcc.com.

Meanwhile, the world premiere of Dark of the Moon, Jonathan Prince’s musical adaptation of a once-popular 1945 Broadway play, closed April 16th at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, the packed house for the final show on Sunday night whooping and hollering at the play’s every antic, heart-wounding turn. In the story of star-crossed love and the intolerance that threatens it, townsfolk and members of a witches coven clash over an immortal “witch-boy” willing to give up his immortality to be with the human girl with whom he has fallen desperately in love. As a developmental production, I’m not allowed to formally review it, but suffice to say that there are so many fun moments and memorable songs – plus a lump-in-the-throat ending – that Dark of the Moon is likely to follow in the footsteps of several other shows that debuted at RTC and found their way to Broadway, and beyond.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

Featured Agent

Expert in psychology, design & development, Lisa o ers superb communication & negotiation skills. Detailed & creative strategies for marketing, staging, o ers and nancing are her specialty. Lisa is an expert in Bonnymede, Montecito’s oceanside enclave, where she has lived for 23 years. Lisa represents properties of distinction throughout Montecito and all of Santa Barbara County.

www.GTprop.com/LisaFoley

01-NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS CALLING FOR BIDS

1. OWNER: Montecito Union School District

2. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION NAME: 2223-2 Terraces Secure Perimeter Fence Replacement

3. PROJECT LOCATION: 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108

4. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Replace existing fence with vinyl coated chain link, per the specifications. The bid shall include but not limited to:

975+/- linear feet of fencing.

One 4 foot man gate.

Two 10 foot leaf swinging drive gates. Alternate pricing for 8 foot high fencing.

This project is anticipated to start approximately June 13, 2023 and is anticipated to be completed by July 28, 2023

Summary: Section includes chain-link fences and swing gates, Polymer Coated. Supply all materials, labor etc. to remove existing fence and reinstall new fence, posts, gates, fabric, hardware for complete system.

5. BID DEADLINE: Bids are due on May 24, 2023, no later than 1:00 p.m. (School Office Clock)

6. PLACE AND METHOD OF BID RECEIPT: All Bids must be sealed. Personal delivery, courier, or mailed via United States Postal Service and addressed to Montecito Union School District, 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. ATTN: Virginia Alvarez

7. PLACE PLANS ARE ON FILE: Montecito Union School District, Business Department, 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, and www.tricoblue.com

8. ALTERNATES: If alternate bids are called for, the contract will be awarded to the lowest bid price on the base contract without consideration of the prices on the additive or deductive items.

9. MANDATORY JOB WALK: Meet at Montecito Union School Office on Wednesday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. sharp. Attendance at the entire job walk is mandatory and failure to attend the entire job walk may result in your bid being rejected as non-responsive. Contact OWNER for details on required job walks and related documentation.

10. This is a prevailing wage project. OWNER has ascertained the general prevailing rate of per diem wages in the locality in which this work is to be performed for each craft or type of worker needed to execute this contract. These rates are on file at OWNER’s office, and a copy may be obtained upon request, or at www.dir.ca.gov. Contractor shall post a copy of these rates at the job site. ALL PROJECTS OVER $1,000 ARE SUBJECT TO PREVAILING WAGE MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT BY THE LABOR COMMISSIONER.

It shall be mandatory upon the contractor to whom the contract is awarded (CONTRACTOR), and upon any SUBCONTRACTOR, to pay not less than the specified rates to all workers employed by them in the execution of the contract.

11. A Payment Bond for contracts over $25,000 and a Performance Bond for all contracts will be required prior to commencement of work. These bonds shall be in the amounts and form called for in the Contract Documents.

12. Pursuant to the provisions of Public Contract Code Section 22300, CONTRACTOR may substitute certain securities for any funds withheld by OWNER to ensure CONTRACTOR’s performance under the contract. At the request and expense of CONTRACTOR, securities equivalent to any amount withheld shall be deposited, at the discretion of OWNER, with either OWNER or a state or federally chartered bank as the escrow agent, who shall then pay any funds otherwise subject to retention to CONTRACTOR. Upon satisfactory completion of the contract, the securities shall be returned to CONTRACTOR.

Securities eligible for investment shall include those listed in Government Code Section 16430, bank and savings and loan certificates of deposit, interest bearing demand deposit accounts, standby letters of credit, or any other security mutually agreed to by CONTRACTOR and OWNER. CONTRACTOR shall be the beneficial owner of any securities substituted for funds withheld and shall receive any interest on them. The escrow agreement shall be in the form indicated in the Contract Documents.

13. To bid on or perform the work stated in this Notice, CONTRACTOR must possess a valid and active contractor's license of the following classification(s) C-13, or A or B No CONTRACTOR or subcontractor shall be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of § 4104 of the Public Contract Code, for a public works project (submitted on or after March 1, 2015) unless currently registered with the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and qualified to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5. No CONTRACTOR or subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project (awarded after April 1, 2015) unless registered with the DIR. DIR’s web registration portal is: www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Contractors.html

14. CONTRACTOR and all subcontractors must furnish electronic certified payroll records (eCPR) to the Labor Commissioner monthly in PDF format. Registration at www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Certified-Payroll-Reporting.html is required to use the eCPR system.

The following notice is given as required by Labor Code Section 1771.5(b)(1): CONTRACTOR and any subcontractors are required to review and comply with the provisions of the California Labor Code, Part 7, Chapter 1, beginning with Section 1720, as more fully discussed in the Contract Documents. These sections contain specific requirements concerning, for example, determination and payment of prevailing wages, retention, inspection, and auditing payroll records, use of apprentices, payment of overtime compensation, securing workers’ compensation insurance, and various criminal penalties or fines which may be imposed for violations of the requir ements of the chapter. Submission of a bid constitutes CONTRACTOR’s representation that CONTRACTOR has thoroughly reviewed these requirements.

15. OWNER will retain 5% of the amount of any progress payments.

16. This Project does not require prequalification pursuant to AB 1565 of all general contractors and all mechanical, electrical and plumbing subcontractors

17. BID PACKET is available at www.tricoblue.com and will be provided at the job walk.

Advertisement Dates: Montecito Journal Print Dates – April 20, 27 and May 4, 2023.

Public Notice

Invitation to Bid No. 2023-002

Loft Office Remodel Fire Station 91

The Montecito Fire Protection District hereby invites the submission of sealed bids for:

DEADLINE EXTENDED: April 27, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

ITB# 2023-002 – Loft Office Remodel Fire Station 91

Bid Opening – Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. in the conference room at Montecito Fire Station 91, 595 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara.

ITB documents may be viewed on the Montecito Fire Protection District (MFPD) website at www.montecitofire.com or a copy may be secured from MFPD at 595 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara CA between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Responses must be sealed, clearly marked “Station 91 Loft Office Project –General Contractor Bid” and returned to:

Montecito Fire Protection District

Attn: Scott Chapman, Battalion Chief 595 San Ysidro Road Santa Barbara, CA 93108

Bids will be accepted until 2:00 pm April 27, 2023. Bids received after this time will be returned unopened. Faxed bids will not be accepted.

Published April 20, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Atacama Optics & Electronics; Atacama Light, 2520 Emerson St, Summerland, CA 93067. Atacama, LLC, 2520 Emerson St, Summerland, CA 93067. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 22, 2023. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20230000477. Published April 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Vox Geekus, 606 Alamo Pintado Rd STE 3-107, Solvang, CA 93463. Michael A White, 3681 Sagunto St #204, Santa Ynez, CA 93460. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 20, 2023. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2023-0000751. Published April 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as:

Street #31, Carpinteria, CA 93013. SCSB Protective Services, 5455 8 th Street #31, Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 22, 2023. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20230000775. Published April 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Bird’s Wood Finishing Co., 2416 De La Vina St., Apt 7, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Sergio Ocampo, 2416 De La Vina St., Apt 7, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 23, 2023. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2023-0000491.

Published March 29, April 5, 12, 19, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Garcia Rock and Water Design, 686 Edgewood Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. Santa Barbara Waterfalls, INC., 686 Edgewood Drive,

Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 20, 2023. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2023-0000743.

Published March 29, April 5, 12, 19, 2023 and a tribute to 40 Years of MIDI with Resonant Alien featuring Hardgroove on the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 23CV01246.

To all interested parties: Petitioner Valentina Lash filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Tina Valentina Lash . The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed April 11, 2023 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: June 5, 2023 at 10 am in Dept. 5, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published April 19, 26, May 3, 10, 2023.

At the TEC Experience, host Larry Batiste reminded us of the Sugar Hill Gang, Chic sampling their own music, Run DMC x Aerosmith, Biz Markie; female rappers Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, and Missy Elliott; West Coast rappers N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, MC Hammer, Too Short, Digital Underground, E-40, G-Eazy, and 2Pac; and Hip Hop with R&B artists like Method Man x Mary J. Blige.

And a tribute was given to Hip Hop gear – Roland Rhythm Composer TR-808, Technics SL 2000 turntables, Gemini PreAmps, E-Mu Systems, Inc. SP-1200, MPC 3000 Pads, Ensoniq ASR10, Korg Triton pro music workstation, and Akai’s S950 sampler, the MPC60 and MPC60II.

Black music industry leaders like Prodigal Sunn, OG Arabian Prince, Queen Cora Coleman, Michèle Vice-Maslin, Ray Williams, Ron Harris, Deraj, DJ Johnny Juice, and brothers Victor, Roy, Regi, and Joseph Wooten shared their expertise on education panels.

In Chuck D’s award acceptance speech, he said: “DJs pay homage to the musicians, the artists, the name of the record, the songwriters, the musicianship. That is where we come from as DJ culture, to be able to explain to the world the beauty and gift of music. The important factor is we had to know where these sounds came from. We knew that a DJ could be a band like Run DMC said, but you have to have the knowledge of the records. In this day I think it is disrespectful to make light of scholarship, because people just think they can be what they want to be by looking at a screen and think they’re a scholar too. Scholars read everything, the good, bad and ugly – and then have a conversation about it. That is the same thing about technologists, DJs, and musicians – they can play anything but they process it to a point where you can dig it, pick it up and it’s palatable to your taste, and they spend time at it. They do the good, bad and ugly so they possibly can come up with something that can be a universal language. That’s the gift of music.

Where we’re going right now, Artificial Intelligence is not getting dumber. You look around and it looks like society is falling off into stupidity, and AI is coming on like a locomotive on nuclear steroids in outer space. I know, I’ve heard all the talk how music is this and musicians are that and we are being invaded. You’ve all seen the speed of data GPT, and it ain’t wack. Prince Rogers Nelson said, ‘Try your best to be on top of the technology or it will be on top of you.’ And one thing we know, you might not like, but everybody’s got the gadget in their pocket attached to their hip. How do we dance with it as musicians, artists, creators, technologists, DJs, bass players, guitarists, and people who say I don’t have to write this speech all I have to do is pour it in a GPT blender, how we deal with that? What’s the next two and three generations look like? That’s the challenge. It’s hard to challenge that when you’re drunk or high, AI is not on cocaine. This is the turning point, we’re two years past the pandemic, what is 2024 looking like? Let the music stay free. Peace.” And top notes from Hardgroove and Chuck D’s Black to the Future talk on Hip Hop at 50 with over 500 attendees:

Brian Hardgroove (BH): Why did Hip Hop last 50 years?

Chuck D (CD): We were more aware, and we knew Hip Hop was going to last over 50 years. It is a sight, sound, story style which has creativity, musicianship, dance culture and graffiti art culture. Most people don’t have a clear definition of Rap and Hip Hop; Rap is a vocal on top of music, it is a vocal platform.

BH: How does Hip Hop push the dial to move culture forward?

CD: We need more people like you! We need to stop the corporate spectacle that has become music. Be spectacular not a spectacle. Hip Hop has always been embracing, intelligent, genius, and had scientists who know the technology to engineer and produce it. In the U.S., music was the number one influencer of people and culture, now it is sports, which has used music in its platform to push its place forward. The airwaves used to be public, but corporations took that over. The last century we all had music in the crib, and musicians respected the music that came before us, we knew who wrote it, produced it, wrote the liner notes, and the engineers. Get out of your bubbles. Look at what other countries and cultures are doing with music, Hip Hop and Rap have been worldwide for a long time, and it started right here. Use your devices as tools, not as toys which is soc-med [social media]. Don’t let the tech make you stupid and lazy, manage your devices before they manage you. Things are moving fast in 2024 and 2026, and you need to stay awake, it’s the cheapest price you’ll have to pay.

BH: Tell us about being inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.

CD: Rock Hall said for the TV show we have a younger person do the induction speech. I said we love what you do but we have our own plans how we are going to do this. We come from Black Music, we want to honor our heroes instead of somebody inducting us, we don’t think we’re the most important thing. We want Harry Belafonte to induct us or we’re not showing up. We’re honoring somebody who laid the groundwork for us to be here in the first place that America wants to forget quickly. We felt dignified and honored to honor our hero honoring us. You have to fight for what is right if you have the power to do so at that particular time. When it comes to the arts, there is a longer trail of what made it to be – instead of thinking it’s a bunch of bones we stand on. You’re recording music and making technology on the shoulders of unacknowledged giants. When I look at any screen, I think of Philo Farnsworth; he was one of the cats who realized people could look at a screen and you got TV, but he’s one of the names that got pushed to the back like thousands of unacknowledged heroes, which you can choose to honor. This is where the humanity of music, the arts, and culture unite us with similarities and knocks our differences to the side.

As a wrap to this report, I asked Hardgroove what the larger message is. He replied:

“The larger message is to change the viewpoints of non-black people and black people about how the Black voice and culture is siloed in America, to clearly define what is Hip Hop, what is Rap, and to give credit, respect, and appreciation to all who contributed to these art forms. Black people in America have to do what we know is right and stop caring what ‘they’ think, what White people think and what other Black people think.”

Thanks Brian. Batiste said that Hip Hop replaced rock as the voice of the people. The people did speak at NAMM, are we listening?

411: https://rapstation.com www.nammfoundation.org

Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation, the 85 guests, including students from Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Art and Design Academy, drove to Mission Santa Barbara for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour and talk on artist Edwin Deakin, who died in 1923, and a rare opportunity to see his 21 luminous California Missions paintings at the mission’s archive library with Monica Orozco , executive director of the historic landmark.

Among the tony torrent were David Bolton , Maria McCall , Katherine Murray-Morse , Dana and Andrea Newquist , Dacia Harwood , David Barnett, Orman Gaspar, Erin Graffy, John Doordan, Keith Moore, Nancy

Schlosser , Christine Vanderbilt Holland, Judy Alexander, and Tine Van Hirtum

Wine Helping People Helping People

To Santa Ynez for People Helping People’s annual Vino de Sueños at Fred Brander’s vineyard, supporting farm workers with lifesaving services – which raised $35,000.

Founding vineyards of the popular event include Alma Rosa, Clos Pepe, Foxen, Feliz Noche, Presidio, Longoria, and Buttonwood. Vino de Sueños features artisanal food, wines, dynamic paintings and sculpture, and live music

“Celebrating Synergy” was this year’s theme with artists including Chris Chapman, Pat Roberts, Susan Belloni, Peggy Brierton, Jim Farnum, Kevin Gleason, Rebecca Gomez, Sharon Tate, Seyburn Zorthian, and William Galzerano

Local chefs included Jake Francis of the Valley Piggery, the Los Olivos Wine & Merchant Cafe, culinary event director Jamie Edlin, and the Corner House Cafe.

A delightful day out for a good cause with more than 200 guests.

SBS Sneak Peak

Santa Barbara Symphony’s 2023-24 season promises to be an absolute cracker!

Veteran maestro Nir Kabaretti has enlisted a record-breaking 23 guest artists, including eight vocal soloists, four choral groups, two trios, and a guest conductor to perform at the venerable Granada.

“They cost a lot, but enrich the community,” he told VIP donors at a “sneak peek” reception in the McCune Founders Room.

With a $3.5 million annual budget he added: “We are now able to plan like never before!”

The new season will open in October with a 200-year-anniversary celebration of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9,” where more than 150 singers from local choruses – Santa Barbara Choral Society, Quire of Voyces, Westmont College Choir, and the Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus – will join the orchestra on the cavernous stage. Other highlights will include Mozart, Mahler, Dvořák, and Ravel.

There will also be opera “fan favorites,” including Verdi and Puccini, as well as a program of epic film scenes with the orchestra from Hollywood’s Golden Age at an Oscar Celebration.

Among the music lovers getting the news were Janet Garufis , Fred and Nancy Golden, Marilyn Gilbert, Renee Grubb, Todd and Allyson Aldrich ,

Aaron and Kandy Budgor , Dan Burnham, Mashey Bernstein, Howard Jay Smith and Tricia Dixon, George Konstantinow , Peter and Kathryn Martin, Mercedes Millington, Sybil Rosen, Robert Weinman, and Stefan and Christine Riesenfeld

Just 24 hours later the symphony presented Beethoven Dreams, with Kabaretti curating a Beethoven-centric program renewing the company’s enduring collaborative relationship with the Ensemble Theatre Company’s artistic director Jonathan Fox, who directed the West Coast premiere of Ella Milch-Sheriff’s staged monodrama The Eternal Stranger, the German composer’s poetic “Piano Concerto No. 4” played by renowned Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks with his “Symphony No.4” concluding the entertaining program.

That New Store Smell

International fragrance candle manufacturers Diptyque, Floris, and Jo Malone had better watch out.

Terry Pillow , owner of Homer Montecito on Coast Village Road, is about to get on their wick, launching his own perfumed candle – fittingly enough exuding the scent of bridle leather which pervades his bijou 220 square foot boutique that opened in December.

“Everybody commented on the smell of bridle leather,” says Terry, 70, who formerly worked with Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Coach, and Tommy Bahama. “It’s the result of vegetable tanning. Only a very small amount of leather tanned worldwide is vegetable tanned, a process that goes back thousands of years.

“Hides are put into vats with nothing more than bark from deciduous trees along with spring water. The process can take over a year to totally tan the hide, where the majority of hides are tanned with harmful chemicals that takes only weeks.”

Terry says he was asked repeatedly if the smell could be captured as a home fragrance, so he enlisted friends, Rafael Adón and Jeff Brierley, to create a scent that would capture the aroma of the cozy store.

“After experimenting with many mixtures of oils we finally hit it,” adds Terry. “The result is a very subtle earthy natural fragrance that doesn’t overpower the smell of your own space, but works with other fragrances to create a truly unique smell.”

The fragrance is being introduced as a double wick candle made in Montecito, retailing for $85.

Terry hopes to launch other products as appropriate...

Danish String Quartet on the Third Round

The ever-entertaining Danish String Quartet was back in our Eden by the Beach courtesy of UCSB Arts & Lectures at Campbell Hall.

The Fab Four – violinists Frederik Oland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, and violist Asbjørn Nørgaard – performed Part 3 of The Doppelganger Project.

The Grammy-nominated quartet, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, continued its work featuring the music of Austrian composer Franz Schubert – an ambitious four-year international project pairing world premieres from four renowned composers with late major chamber works by Schubert, who died in 1828.

They can’t come back soon enough...

Two Rockin’ and Swayin’ Eves

The historic Lobero, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, was the place to be to catch up on yesteryear.

Having known singer Elton John and his manager John Reid well in the ‘80s, I attended many of his concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden and one particularly memorable one in 1980 when – dressed as Donald Duck – Elton performed a free concert on the Great Lawn of Central Park in front of 400,000 people.

So it was interesting to watch Elton Dan and his five-piece Rocket Band from Kansas City, Missouri, pay tribute to the 76-year-old British rocker with many of his hit songs during the two-hour show including “Your Song,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Daniel”, wrapping with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

It was a wonderfully fitting tribute to Elton by Dan, 58, who has been playing the piano since the age of 10 and first saw his idol perform at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

Elton is currently on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour that began in September 2018, and will end in Stockholm, Sweden, in July. More than 300 concerts worldwide.

Just 48 hours later, I was back at the theater for Roy Orbison Returns, a tribute by Wiley Ray and the five-piece Big

O Band, to the multi-Grammy Award winning “Pretty Woman” singer who died in 1988 at the all-too early age of 52 – the same year he co-founded The Traveling Wilburys with former Beatle George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and ELO’s Jeff Lynne

The 90-minute show covered 30 years of musical history, including many of Orbison’s collaborations, and featured dramatic lighting and creative staging. The aural menu included hits like “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” and “You Got It.”

A delightful evening...

Saint Osborn

and queen back to the palace.

The gilded carriage was first used for the coronation of King William IV in 1831 and has been used to transport every newly crowned sovereign since with the late Queen Elizabeth II describing the experience as “horrible” given the primitive leather straps suspension.

It was first used by King George III before Queen Victoria’s uncle, known as the Sailor King, likened traveling in it to “being aboard a ship tossing in a rough sea.”

For good measure his niece described her trip in it to be crowned as “distressing” given the “extreme oscillation.”

Both carriages are normally on display in the Royal Mews behind Buckingham Palace.

‘Law & Order’ Re-ordered

Mega producer Dick Wolf, 76, best known for his long running TV series Law & Order, has just had all six of his drama series in the Chicago and Law & Order franchises renewed for another season by NBC.

That means by next year Montecitobased Wolf will have stamped his name on more than 84 seasons of TV for the Peacock Network, including 25 seasons of Law & Order: SVU

In an extraordinary statistic, Wolf has produced more seasons of TV than years he has been alive...

Chip Off the Old Block

It has gone from broadcasting to beatification for an old friend Lisa Osborn, who used to interview me on her NPR radio show when she first arrived in our Eden by the Beach eight years ago.

She is now Saint Barbara, succeeding Lynn Kirst, the Journal’s bridle correspondent, having been selected for the heavenly spot by the Native Daughters of the Golden West Reina Del Mar Parlor 126.

Lisa will play an integral part during Fiesta joining the Old Spanish Days El Presidente David Bolton and the newly selected Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta.

She is a native southern Californian and worked as a news anchor on an L.A. news-talk radio station, including KFWB and KFI.

Lisa is also a voiceover talent.

A Royal Ride

It’s not a tale of two cities, but two distinctly different carriages when King Charles III is crowned at London’s historic Westminster Abbey next month.

The monarch and Queen Camilla will be transported from Buckingham Palace to the 1,000-year-old abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach built in Australia in 2014 with hydraulic suspension, electric windows, and air conditioning.

It is in stark contrast to the opulent but 253-year-old Gold State Coach which will transport the newly crowned king

Montecito actor Rob Lowe presented his son, John Owen, 28, a chip to mark five years of sobriety during their joint appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show

The host-actress discussed her own sobriety with the tony twosome while Rob, 59, also talked about his own sobriety journey revealing he has now gone 33 years without alcohol.

“I love you and I’m proud of you,” Rob told his son.

Sightings

Former Dallas actor Patrick Duffy noshing at Opal...Montecito comedienne Carol Burnett in L.A. to appear on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show...Actor Christopher Lloyd picking up his New York Times at Pierre Lafond.

Pip! Pip!

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than 15 years