Pom's Odyssey

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POM’S ODYSSEY

TAIL GUNNER JOHNNY GRANTHAM WAS SHOT OUT OF THE SKY OVER FRANCE DURING WWII; FOUR OF HIS MATES SURVIVED, BUT YOUNG JOHNNY DID NOT. ALL OF WHICH LED TO GRANDSON JOHN’S EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA, TO MEETING MARTHA, AND BRINGING HER HOME TO SANTA BARBARA... (SERENDIPITY BEGINS ON PAGE 7)

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Content

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ade in SB – Joel Heath created FluidStance to help counteract the M unhealthy effects that day-long sitting has on the body

Fortnight – Breakthrough Band at SOhO; The Robbie Krieger Band Celebrates 50 Years of Doors Music at Libbey Bowl; Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara debut show; Brasil Arts Café turns four; Arlington hosts Brain Candy Live; Carpinteria Open Streets; Rosemary Butler plays SOhO

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Business Beat – Lucidity Festival six-year finale takes place at Live Oak Campground April 7-9

an About Town – Lucid University hosts three-day intensive M workshop; Skull and Roses Festival in Ventura; Song Tree Concert Series returns for one night only; “Endgame” by Selah Dance

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Plan B – After bonding with Suma in the Tanzanian town of Irente when he was one year old, Westmont grad Sylvie is now on the path to adopting him

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Creative Characters – After returning from living in Bali to her hometown of Santa Barbara, Jenna Tico founded TOTEM, an intergenerational arts collaborative

Capitalist – Jeff Harding examines the amount of retail store vacancies in town, and lists the reasons why this number is so high State Street Scribe – John Holman signs his memoir, Pom’s Odyssey, at Tecolote Books in Montecito Beer Guy – As the season changes, so does the beer; the time for doppelbock, Märzenbier, and saison is upon us

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What’s Hanging – Current art shows include Robin Gowen at Sullivan Goss, “Waves and Particles” by SB newcomer Max Gleason, a photography show at the Arts Fund curated by Kai Tepper and Adam Jahnke, and more

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I Heart SB – Elizabeth Rose contemplates what it means to have a sense of place, and how to achieve it

Santa Ynez Valley Snapshot – Wildflowers are getting a late start on Figueroa Mountain; Wandering Wine Dog hosts game night; 5th Annual Southern Exposure Garagiste Wine Festival; new eateries and events in the Valley

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by Chantal Peterson

FLUIDSTANCE: MAKING AMERICA MOVE AGAIN

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t’s safe to say that the mainstream modern working environment isn’t exactly… ergonomically friendly.

There have definitely been a lot of improvements to the downward spiral that is the sitting life, such as the proliferation of the standing desk, the exercise ball chair, and more general awareness of how destructive sitting all day can be for the body.

Many have seen that well-circulated cartoon of man’s progressive evolution from ape, (crouched over on hind legs and knuckles) to his modern iteration, standing upright in a suit, carrying a briefcase. Less common, however, is the cartoon showing the “descent” of man from his bold upright position, down to an all-too-familiar crouch, huddled over a computer screen, seated in his chair.

This is a fate that many physical therapists, body-workers, and physicians warn will be ours if we continue to sit for the standard eight hours a day, allowing our bodies to atrophy. According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, 86% of the American workforce sits

for 7.7 hours per day. Some studies compare the negative impacts of our sitting habits to the risks of cigarettes, leading to increases in cancer, heart disease, and depression. Indeed, it could be said, “sitting is the new smoking.”

And this is the very fate that one

locally-based company wants to help us dodge at all costs. Enter FluidStance, a company that wants to bring motion back to the workday. Founder Joel Heath created a motion board, called the Level, which is designed to complement the standing desk experience, and the workday in general.

The Level is essentially a platform that you stand on that moves around on a pivot point, encouraging your body to engage in subtle and effective ways

while you stand and work.

Standing on the Level is effective because it increases your range of motion and heart rate (by an average of 15%), while requiring the body to subconsciously fine-tune its balance as you work. The Level enables you to move, but not so much that it distracts you. The idea is that the movement is simple enough so that you can multitask ...continued p.15

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The Capitalist

Retail Glut

by Jeff Harding

Jeff Harding is a real estate investor and a writer on economics and finance. He is the former publisher of the Daily Capitalist, a popular economics blog. He is also an adjunct professor at SBCC. He blogs at anIndependentMind.com

The State Street Glut

S

anta Barbara’s downtown core shopping district is in trouble. A lot of attention has been focused on the large number of vacant retail stores there. The Downtown Organization, a group dedicated to promoting the interests of its business members, has commissioned a study of the problem.

They are concerned about the “exodus” of retailers.

I took an inventory of retail store vacancies in the core State Street area of our downtown. It included the Funk Zone up to the 1300 block of State Street and the side streets close to State Street that you would be willing to walk to from State.

I counted 30 stores listed for rent of which 23 were on State Street. My data sources included listings by our local commercial real estate brokers as well as Loopnet, the largest source of commercial property listings. The total available space is 134,541 sf. That is a lot of vacant space. I remember counting vacancies on State Street during the height of the Great Recession (around 2011) and I think I counted about 18 vacancies.

I did not include the development around the Hotel California at the foot of State since it isn’t open yet (you can pre-lease though). But that’s another 8,000 sf. It also doesn’t include Macy’s, which is the largest space in downtown (141,000 sf ), which, if it isn’t available right now, is certainly something Macy’s wants to sell or rent out.

Since all the economic indicators are in the green right now indicating a growing economy, something else is going on to cause 30 empty stores.

This isn’t a local phenomenon just affecting Santa Barbara. The same factors are affecting all retailers; it’s a national trend.

Large chain stores are undergoing massive store closings. Macy’s is closing 100 stores. JC Penney is closing 140 stores. Sears/Kmart is closing 150 locations. It’s happening to other chain retailers located here (or used to be here): Abercrombie & Fitch – 60; The Limited – 250; Wet Seal – 171; American Apparel – 110; Aeropostale – 154; American Eagle – 150; Chico’s – 120; Men’s Wearhouse/Jos A. Banks – 250. Some of these stores have already departed Santa Barbara. Some are in bankruptcy.

Mall owners are putting a brave face on all this saying that they can “reposition” their malls to bring in new retailers to take up the slack. But, apparently, investors don’t buy that.

Mall REITs (stock-traded companies that own malls) have been hammered by short sellers. A year and a half ago, Macy’s stock was trading at $72. Last week it was at $30.

But, what about Santa Barbara?

What about all those local retailers and restaurants lining State Street? Aren’t we different? Sorry, but we are not immune to national trends. The same factors that affect the national retailers are affecting local retailers.

Here are three fundamental changes to retailing that are causing empty stores.

The Internet

The Internet is challenging brickand-mortar retailers nationally and worldwide. This is not news and it is not going to stop. Last Christmas retail sales nationally were up only 2.5% from last year, but sales at brick-and-mortar chain stores fell 10%. However, online sales increased 11%, with Amazon getting 38% of online sales. This is the future.

If you can buy it on Amazon, why drive downtown?

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There is just too much retail space in the U.S. There are 23.5 square feet of retail space per person in America. In Canada, the next highest, it is 11.1 sf per person. While the U.S. is the biggest consumer economy in the world, the fact is that we have massively over-built retail space. Even the Fed has been warning of a commercial real estate bubble.

Is that true for Santa Barbara? After all, we aren’t building any new commercial space in downtown Santa Barbara.

One would have to be blind to not see the same trend here. Things change.

Otherwise why would we have 30 retail vacancies?

There are just too many vacant stores in downtown Santa Barbara for any quick solutions.

Economics and Demographics

There are several long-term trends affecting consumer spending in America.

In the three-year period from 2014 to 2017, inflation-adjusted disposable income grew less than 5%. On the other hand, household debt, or what families owe, is back to where it was pre-Crash, at about $12.5 trillion. So much for deleveraging. Families are loaded with debt and disposable income is flat. As a result, retail sales (inflation-adjusted) have grown a total of only 8.4% in the past 3 years. This is not a sign of a booming economy.

Add to that the fact that big-spending Baby Boomers are entering their dotage and are spending less. That is important

because they, as the wealthiest segment of the population, were the big spenders. Since incomes and spending rises and falls with age (ages 40 to 60 are the spending sweet spot), the aging of Boomers and the rise of a less wealthy generation, the Gen Xers loaded with debt, will result in a less rosy future for retailers.

Things are going to continue to change on State Street. These trends are beyond something we can “fix”.

The reality is that we have 134,541 sf of retail space available downtown in a strong economy. If you add in the Hotel California projects, that’s another 8,000 sf. That’s too much space for Santa Barbara to easily absorb.

I’m not saying people are going to stop shopping on State Street; locals and tourists will come. But retailers must offer products that can’t be easily bought cheaper online. It’s easy to say that the problem is that rents are too high. And they are, but they are not the sole cause of the problem.

Property owners are going to have tougher times leasing their properties.

Rents will fall and perhaps, even in high-priced Santa Barbara, values will fall. The market will decide how much.

Retailers will need to be more entrepreneurial to survive. I have a lot of faith in entrepreneurs. Santa Barbara attracts creative people; it is a petri dish of innovative retailers trying to create retail magic. They are the ones who will be the future of State Street. If property owners and the City cut them some slack, State Street will survive and thrive.

Publisher/Editor • Tim Buckley Design/Production • Trent Watanabe Columnists Man About Town • Mark Léisuré Plan B • Briana Westmacott | Food File • Christina Enoch Commercial Corner • Austin Herlihy | The Weekly Capitalist • Jeff Harding The Beer Guy • Zach Rosen | E's Note • Elliana Westmacott Business Beat • Chantal Peterson | What’s Hanging • Ted Mills I Heart SB • Elizabeth Rose | Fortnight • Steven Libowitz State Street Scribe • Jeff Wing | Holistic Deliberation • Allison Antoinette Art Beat • Jacquelyn De Longe | Behind The Vine • Hana-Lee Sedgwick SYV Snapshot • Eva Van Prooyen Advertising / Sales Tanis Nelson • 805.689.0304 • tanis@santabarbarasentinel.com Sue Brooks • 805.455.9116 • sue@santabarbarasentinel.com Judson Bardwell • 619.379.1506 • judson@santabarbarasentinel.com Published by SB Sentinel, LLC PRINTED BY NPCP INC., SANTA BARBARA, CA Santa Barbara Sentinel is compiled every other Friday 133 EAST DE LA GUERRA STREET, #182, Santa Barbara 93101 How to reach us: 805.845.1673 • E-MAIL: tim@santabarbarasentinel.com

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STATE STREET SCRIBE

by Jeff Wing

Jeff is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. A long-time resident of SB, he takes great delight in chronicling the lesser known facets of this gaudy jewel by the sea. Jeff can be reached at jeffwingg@gmail.com.

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The Tail-Gunner’s Gift: John Holman’s Picaresque Odyssey Down Under

P R I VAT E J E T C H A R T E R

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n the turbulent weeks before D-Day – the massive allied coastal invasion that heralded the beginning of the end of WWII – a Royal Air Force Stirling bomber was surprised by two attacking German Fokker Wolfe 190s and shot to fiery pieces. As the crippled bomber fell 11,000 feet into occupied France, four of the RAF flyers managed to scramble out of the plane into the screaming air and deploy their parachutes, landing safely, going into hiding, and eventually being spirited out of the area by the French Resistance. Tail-gunner Johnny Grantham went down with the plane, though; killed instantly in his turret by the initial fusillade of German bullets.

Johnny Grantham’s story ended there. Mostly. Human life is a crazy filigreed map of possible paths and outcomes, a dense thicket of lines that spark at the intersections; a “tangled up necklace of pearls” as the great New Zealand songwriter Neil Finn has written. Johnny Grantham’s line ended that day over France, but imagine a faint second line arcing out from Johnny’s falling airplane to touch, some years later, a kid in West Sussex, England; at the time of his early demise, his sister’s unborn child.

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“The pilot who parachuted to safety was an Australian named Noel Eliot,” says John Holman today. “When he was repatriated to Britain after D-Day, he confirmed to my grandparents that their youngest son had been killed. So, in the wake of that tragedy the Australian connection with my family was forged.” The “Australian connection” would prove central to the direction of Holman’s life, whose contours

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by Zach Rosen

The Season of Beer

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n the modern days of air conditioning and refrigerators, it is often easy to forget about the seasons.

Heating something up is usually not a problem, but keeping it cool is a whole other part of the thermodynamic cycle. Before artificial refrigeration was invented, ice blocks, caves, and cellars were the common way of keeping beer cool. Beer, and even specific styles, was only brewed at particular times of year.

Refrigeration was one of mankind’s greatest technological breakthroughs and it should come to no surprise that one of the first and most successful refrigeration technologies, invented by Carl von Linde in the 1870s, was being funded by Munich’s Spaten Brewery.

Their goal was to create a means of producing lager beer year-round.

Although refrigeration changed the course of beer (and the world), many of the styles were founded because of seasonality and as the temperature warms up, we begin to enter the season of beer.

Marzen beer was brewed in March and was meant to be drunk during the fall Aecht Schlenkerla is the most popular of the rauchbier breweries

A Beer Fit for Spring and Saints

Beer has often been called “liquid bread,” however it is doppelbock that truly embodies the moniker. It is also the beer that most represents spring.

Doppelbock was founded in Munich, a city whose name means “home of the monks.” To this day some monks consume beer as a good source of nutrients and historically it was one of the few sources of potable water.

Of course this depends on the monks’ order, and when the monks following St. Franciscus of Paula, known as Paulaners, came to Munich from Italy in the seventeenth century, they brought with them both their taste for beer and their techniques in brewing it.

There are several stories of how the first doppelbock came about, but the most common one is that it was brewed as a celebratory beer for St. Franciscus’ commemoration day on April 2. The forty days of Lent and the four weeks leading up to Christmas are the two times per year that Paulaners fast. During these periods they are not allowed to consume solid food, but can still consume liquids. The commemoration day falls in the middle of Lent, and this beer was brewed with an extra dose of malts to increase its nutritive value (which incidentally increased its alcohol). It was named Sankt-Vater-

Zach Rosen is a Certified Cicerone® and beer educator living in Santa Barbara. He uses his background in chemical engineering and the arts to seek out abstract expressions of beer and discover how beer pairs with life.

Bier (Saint Father Beer) and over time this beer became known as “Salvator.”

Today, you can go to the store and still buy a bottle of Paulaner Salvator. The Paulaner brewery has long been out of the hands of monks, but that is a whole other story. From Spaten Optimator to Arbor Brewing’s Terminator, many of the world’s breweries affix -ator onto the name of their doppelbock as a way of honoring the original doppelbock.

These days most doppelbocks are brewed year-round, however, there are some other Lenten and Easter beers still brewed only for the season. One of the more notable (and somewhat available) of them is Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier, which is only offered between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Schlenkerla is the most famous of the breweries located in Bamberg, Germany, a region known for creating rauchbier. This family of brews is made using malts that have have been smoked with beechwood trees indigenous to the area.

The smoked malts can give the beer a flavor that ranges from light hickory to downright bacon. Rauchbiers can be

made in different base styles like helles lager, bock, or even hefeweizen, but they will always contain smoked malts.

Fastenbier has a rich maltiness that gives it an almost doppelbock-like character, but the alcohol content of 5.5% ABV is too low for this to be considered a doppelbock. The brewery describes it as a brotzeit, which literally translates to “bread time” and its full malty body and high yeast content live up to this descriptor. The smokey sweet malt flavor of Fastenbier will make a nice complement to an Easter ham.

There are other types of bock beer, but the first bocks came from Einbeck.

Unlike doppelbock but similar to beer refrigeration, bock beer was driven by the desire for commercial success. The popularity of bock beer soared when Einbeck joined the Hanseatic League in the fourteenth century, predating doppelbock by a few hundred years.

This confederation of merchant guilds and towns sent Einbeck’s beer all over the area and eventually ordering an Einbecker beer got shortened to ordering “a bock” beer. Although the deep golden maibock style is named after the month of May, early spring is my favorite time of year to drink these crisp yet rich brews. Einbecker Brauhaus is the last surviving historic Einbeck brewery and to this day Einbecker Mai-ur-bock is the most classic example of the style (ur essentially means “original”). It has a firm maltiness with a toasted quality reminiscent of cinnamon toast and just a brisk bite of alcohol in the finish.

A Beer not Meant for March

Before refrigeration, it was difficult to brew in the heat of the summer. The warmer temperatures lent themselves to spoilage or just off-putting fermentation

flavors from the increased heat. Many of the brewers would not brew during this time, and one Bavarian ruler made it law not to. In 1553, Duke Albrecht V forbade all brewing between April 23 and September 29 in Bavaria. During March, the Bavarian brewers would brew overtime in order to have enough beer to last through the non-brewing season. These beers became known as Märzenbier, or March beer. They were made with a little extra strength and kept cool in cellars or caves to help them keep longer. The ordinance eventually ended, but the Märzen style didn’t really become cemented until the Spaten Brewery introduced their version at the Oktoberfest in 1841. This malty amber brew represented several technological breakthroughs (once again that is a whole other story) and its modern day interpretation is still sold as Spaten Oktoberfest.

It’s All about the Season

Refrigeration also makes it easier to store ingredients over time, and before its existence, many of the farmers would want to use up the previous harvest before receiving the next one. These farmhouses would have small breweries onsite to make beer for the laborers and farm residents. From Belgium to Finland, there are a range of historic beer styles that sprouted from these different farm brews. Of which, saison (“season” in French) is the most popular and prevalent today.

Saisons are now brewed far and wide in the beer world and many of the local breweries produce their own interpretations. The Brewhouse even produces a range of saisons to reflect the different sport seasons (Baseball Saison, Football Saison, etc.). If you taste your way through the area’s saisons, you will notice that they all have some similarities but overall these saisons fall into a variety of different colors, strengths, and flavors. This open-ended interpretation is due to the fact that the beer would change each season since it would be made from whatever ingredients were left in the farmhouse. Overall these beers are fairly well hopped, fruity and somewhat phenolic in yeast character, sometimes spiced, but always refreshing and effervescent. Saison Dupont Vieille Provision is considered the definition of the style and has a full, fluffy head that spouts aromas of citrus peel and black pepper with a grassy undertone. Saisons are notorious food beers and can go with anything from pork to seafood, appetizers to entrees, or even just alone as an aperitif. No matter where you place one of these styles of beer, it is comforting to know that beer season is here.

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theFortnight 24 M A R C H – 7 A P R I L | 2 0 1 7

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24 MARCH – 7 APRIL by Steven Libowitz

Tell us all about your art opening, performance, dance party, book signing, sale of something we can’t live without, or event of any other kind by emailing fortnight@santabarbarasentinel.com. If our readers can go to it, look at it, eat it, or buy it, we want to know about it and will consider it for inclusion here.

Special consideration will be given to interesting, exploratory, unfamiliar, and unusual items. We give calendar preference to those who take the time to submit a picture along with their listing.

Break on Through…

A

lright, now. ‘Fess up. How many of you are too afraid to sing other than in your car or shower when you know nobody else is around (Psycho situations notwithstanding)? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Way too many of us think our voices don’t sound very good, and are shy about singing in public, or were told to shut up when we were younger and don’t want to hear that again.

The brave folks who are up on the stage at SOhO tonight are (mostly) just like you and me – regular community members who decided to take a chance on opening up and expressing themselves through their voices, and guided by the couple who run the Breakthrough Performance Workshop – who posit that the ways we hold back with our voice are reflected in how we hold back in our lives – are now ready to get up there and sing their hearts out at SOhO on Sunday, March 26. Supported by the Breakthrough Band, which features some of the finer SB musicians, Valerie Hasely, Larry Lee, Michael S Ward, Julene Pearl and Barbara Wishingrad, will give it their all, including some nifty stage moves, as they belt out a number on their own. Some group numbers and performances by previous workshop graduates precede the dance party, so you can make a night of it. Show time is 7 pm. Admission is $15. Call 962-7776 or visit www.sohosb.com. Check out www.bigembrace.com for more info on Breakthrough.

….to the Other Side

A

t the other end of our fortnight, we have a guy who’s been making music for more than half a century: Robert Alan “Robby” Krieger, the original guitarist and singer-songwriter of the Doors. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors’ songs, including the hits “Light My Fire,” “Love Me Two Times,” “Touch Me,” and “Love Her Madly” – and at 71 is still frequently carrying on the legacy of the ‘60s band that met an untimely end when leader Jim Morrison met his at age 27. Krieger, who often plays with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, brings The Robbie Krieger Band Celebrates 50 Years of Doors Music to Libbey Bowl, the lovely, tree-line

amphitheater up in Ojai, on Saturday, April 8. Doors open at 5 pm, the music starts at 6, and everything wraps up by 9 pm (which is already pushing up against bedtime for the old fogies who remember the Doors from the first time around). Tickets will run you $28-$79, which in 1960s money isn’t bad at all. Call 645-5006 or visit www. libbeybowl.org.

Folk U

A

sk anyone who knows about Adam Phillips and besides “nice guy,” the first thing you’ll probably hear will be “musical genius.” That’s a phrase that’s tossed around a bit too lightly, but when you consider what Phillips is tackling in his new ensemble – not to mention some of his prior gigs, like joining Santa Barbara Revels as music director after earning a master’s degree in music at UCSB – it makes some sense. As the founder and leader of the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara, Phillips serves as creator, personnel manager, repertoire finder, sole arranger, conductor and, not incidentally, multi-instrumentalist whose range includes guitar, mandolin, bagpipes, whistles, and keyboards. The 27 or 28 (the number keeps growing) musicians were put together to mash up Phillips’ favorite styles of classical music and traditional folk so it includes violins, violas, cellos, and string basses, along with flutes, a harp, drums, banjo, and more.

The ensemble has been rehearsing weekly at Telegraph Brewery – which already gives them a leg up in the cool department – in preparation of their debut gig at 4pm on Sunday, March 26 at the Presidio Chapel. That’s the very narrow, historical space across the street from what used to be the Sojourner Café, just perfect for this sort of thing, although I’m not sure how they’re going to fit all the musicians in the place without taking up half the space. Visit facebook.com/ folkorchestrasb to see if there are still some tickets left, and to find out what happens next.

Back at the BAC

O

n Friday, March 31, Brasil Arts Café celebrates its four-year anniversary. Now that might not seem like a long time but just in that short

span, they’ve seen neighbors Granada Books come and go on one side (now it’s the new home of Random), and a kids clothing store shutter on the other, despite a location just a few steps from the Granada Theatre.

The BAC itself has had some issues, but after getting some help from its supporters is still standing to enter Year 5 (I’d say something about the Trump Presidency here but I doubt it would survive the editor’s pen).

Anyway, the anniversary will be marked with local reggae band Soul Majestic playing acoustically, sets from DJ Fab, and demonstrations of Capoeira – the Brazilian blend of dance and martial arts – by Capoeira Sul da Bahia. The fun takes place 9-11:59pm, admission is $10 in advance or $12 at the door, and unlike some clubs, all ages are welcome. Call 845-7656 or visit www.brasilartscafe.com.

Food for Thought

A

dam Savage, television’s beloved personality from Mythbusters, has joined forces with Michael Stevens, one of YouTube’s biggest stars. They’re bringing along more than three tons of their crazy toys, incredible tools, and mind-blowing demonstrations for an appearance at the Arlington Theatre on Thursday, April 6. Their Brain Candy Live “celebration of curiosity” is an interactive, hands-on, mindson theatrical experience that has been described – quite appealingly for both intellectuals and sillier types – as “a cross between TED Talks and the Blue Man Group.” Get ready to get messy, at least in your mind. Tickets for the 7pm show cost $37-$130 – the top tier includes a meet & greet and the best seats in the house – and are available at Ticketmaster.

Grand Re-opening of Open Streets

S

anta Barbara Open Streets went on hiatus last year after three years of sponsoring free fun family oriented physical activities and cultural events on a two-mile stretch of Cabrillo Boulevard from Stearns Wharf to the Bird Refuge.

But come April 1, it’s back – no foolin’ – re-born as Carpinteria Open Streets, which might just be a more hospitable host if not so convenient for us Santa

Barbarans that loathe to travel as many as ten miles. That’s because it takes place in downtown Carp (State Street merchants weren’t so keen on closing down their main thoroughfare for a whole day), when one mile of streets centered on Linden Avenue will be closed to cars and open to play, exercise, and performances. A wide range of activities and participatory events will be offered to the community by the community, spanning the spectrum from biking, walking, dancing, skating, street hockey, soccer, and chalk drawing to street games, live music, yoga, massage, rock climbing and much more. Block parties on 8th and 9th streets will include lawn games, music, food, and community beautification projects. Activities take place 9am to 5pm (which is not that earlier than Carp rolls up the streets anyway). Get all the details on the Facebook page and if you’re in the mood to help out, we hear they’re still recruiting volunteers.

Butler’s Birthday Bash

R

osemary Butler has been backup singer to so many famous singersongwriters and rock ‘n’ rollers – Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Neil Young, Warren Zevon, and Bonnie Raitt, to name just a few – it’s a wonder that she wasn’t included in that Academy Award-winning documentary about her ilk 20 Feet from Stardom a few years back. Maybe it’s because unlike most of her supporting singer contemporaries, Butler has enjoyed stints as a band member and leader before, during, and after her heyday in the studio (opening for the Rolling Stones in 1964 was one of those early dates).

In any event, she’s taken a liking to Santa Barbara and SOhO in particular, having performed at the nightclub numerous times over the past few years, including as guest lead singer (not backup, mind you) at the astounding Stevie Wonder tribute in late December (I’m not sure if she reprised that role last weekend for the KTYD 1976 show starring the same principals because I was only there for half a set or so).

She returns to the club for another headlining gig celebrating her birthday (I’m not saying how old she is, and neither is Wikipedia) on Thursday, April 6. She’ll be backed by familiar SB stalwarts George Friedenthal, Tom Lackner, Lauri Reimer, Randy Tico, Maitland Ward, and Rob Bonfiglio, and the rest of the lineup hasn’t been formally announced – at least not to me – but I’d sure be surprised if there weren’t some special guests to add to the fun. Tickets cost $15, the show starts at 7:30pm. Info at 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com.

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BUSINESSBEAT

by Chantal Peterson Chantal Peterson is a writer, travel enthusiast and a fine artist. She runs a content marketing business for wellness brands, and is an occasional contributor to various local and national publications. Contact Chantal at mypenlives@gmail.com or @moivelle on Instagram.

LUCIDITY FESTIVAL WRITES THE FINAL CHAPTER IN ITS SIX-YEAR STORY

Participants gathered at a workshop, listening to the workshop leader (photo by Violet Visions)

An art car at Lucidity, “The Pyro Bar” (photo by Gaby Eisenstein)

S

anta Barbara’s beloved homegrown music and arts festival enters the final year of its six-year-long story arc – a trajectory that has shaped the festival since it began in 2012. Lucidity Festival has been a massive effort in co-creation and collaboration, and it’s safe to say that the success and popularity of the festival (having been sold out every year) is a testament to that collaborative model. The vision has been that as the festival itself moves through a journey of self-discovery, so have participants and all who contribute. This year, Lucidity Festival takes place April 7-9, and will be hosted, as it has each year, at Live Oak Campground in the Santa Ynez mountains.

The six-year story arc has followed the path of the Hero’s Journey, as envisioned by the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell. This inspiration has

influenced the theme of each year’s festival and all of its multifaceted touch points. In keeping with the story arc theme, each year’s festival also has its own unique name, which plays a large part in influencing the annual event. This year’s festival is called “Eudaimonia,” which is an Aristotelian word roughly translating to “the greatest common good” or “human flourishing.” This year festival organizers and participants gear up for an extra special finale, chock-full of music, workshops, performance, yoga, art, and local food—an expression of Eudaimonia that Aristotle himself may just have approved of.

A Course Week workshop (photo by Edward Clynes)

as unique as its story-driven festival concept: what to do now that the story arc is closing. Many are wondering what the outcome will be, but the answer isn’t necessarily straightforward, as Lucidity has grown many new limbs over the past six years. “What lies beyond Eudaimonia is still unclear, even to us,” says Jonah Haas, Marketing Director of Lucidity Festival LLC. “We’re considering writing chapters 7 through 12. We’re considering moving to a THE BIG QUESTION ON different location. One option is even to EVERYONE’S MIND IS – WHAT end on a high note and close the book HAPPENS NEXT? on the festival. The authentic truth is: Despite the strong vision for its we just don’t know yet.” final year, Lucidity faces a conundrum The company has expanded its original vision of the festival to include co-branded and related events that VOTED BEST ANTIQUE STORE 8 YEARS IN A ROW • CORNER OF CARRILLO ST. & SANTA BARBARA ST. take place throughout the year, as well as a growing focus on education and community building. The expression of that focus has taken shape in the prefestival education-based workshops, which began as three-day on-site permaculture intensives, and has now blossomed into a full-time year-round campus in Southern Oregon. The %#,%#4)# &52.)3().'3 !.4)15%3 (/-% $²#/2 purchase of the property in Oregon that 133 E. Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara 133 E. Carrillo Street • 805.845.1285 serves as the campus’ home base, and has solidified the further development of the www.anticafurnishings.com Lucid University initiative. Despite that Direct Importer of Asian Antiques & Fine Furnishings new growth, the Course Week will still take place this year prior to the festival, April 3-5. The educational offerings in WWW.ANTICAFURNISHINGS.COM • 805-845-1285 • MONDAY-SATURDAY 10–6, CLOSED SUNDAY these workshops have also expanded

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to include a wide range of topics from healing arts, to natural building, art, and community building.

The musical lineup for this year has also shaped up to ride in line with the finale. With 120 different musicians and three different stages to choose from, festivalgoers will be able to create the unique festival experience they are looking for. The Lucid Stage, the heartbeat of the event, features some of the biggest names coming to the festival, including two legendary British producers, Ott and Dbridge, as well as festival heavy hitter Random Rab, who headlined at Lucidity its very first year.

The Nest Stage, on the other hand, is the go-to stage for live, intimate, and lyric-driven music. Some highlights include self-described ‘Americana/ Swamptronica’ trio Dirtwire and singersongwriter Ayla Nereo. Rounding out the experience is the third stage, The Nook Stage, a high-energy corner with a lot of established and up-and-coming talent loosely affiliated with techno, house, and other danceable jams.

Lucidity has always been one of those festivals that attracts a diverse range of people, which is well-reflected in its music and workshop options.

Whether this is the last chapter of the Lucidity Festival era, or simply the beginning of an epic sequel, this year’s fest is projected to be one for the books!

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...continued from p.5

while on it, and that being on it encourages the mind-body connection.

Joel Heath is no stranger to innovation, having formerly served as Brand President of Teva footwear and founder of the GoPro Mountain Games, among other notable accomplishments.

With a background in cycling and other sports, Joel became passionate about finding a solution to the modern day sit-fest when he entered the corporate world years ago. He learned from feeling his body change due to excessive sitting that a solution was needed. “The body is meant to move – yet at work, in classrooms, and even at home we chain our bodies down into a sedentary state in the hopes of focus.” Heath launched the company in 2015 on the crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, raising more than 350K, and today has a full team and expanding product line.

The popularity of the motion boards is rising quickly and you can find them sprinkled about offices in Santa Barbara, including a visible and accessible set in the Impact Hub downtown. They have also been tested by the likes of employees at Google, Apple, and Pixar with strong reviews.

The newest product that FluidStance is rolling out is called the Plane, which is geared toward a younger demographic.

The objective is to encourage young people, who spend an average of 10 hours a day in front of some kind of screen, to do so while standing, moving and engaging various muscle groups – all of which the Plane allows the body to do. They also use recycled materials and has a give back model benefitting First Descents, an organization that provides life-changing outdoor adventures

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There’s no doubt that the upcoming generations will be connected to screens and media of all form for much of their lives, so its crucial that they also learn the importance of physical movement and body awareness.

The purpose-driven SB-based company seems to have a bright future ahead, one hopefully filled with active, upright, bi-pedal humans.

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would be substantially molded by the downing of his uncle Johnny’s bomber, and by the family’s subsequent lifelong friendship with the plane’s pilot, Flight Lieutenant Eliot.

Holman, an English fella, is today a retired IT specialist and longtime Santa Barbarian. And an author. His charming and completely immersive memoir, titled Pom’s Odyssey, details in musical, laugh-out-loud prose the leap-before-looking solo journey he took at the age of 17 (and not exactly a worldly 17, it must be said), from the pastoral family homestead in 1960s England, to a still-unformed Australia that threw him for a complete loop. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more engagingly hapless young man.

Holman’s book, some fourteen years in the writing, is the unsentimental but stirring true story of a bewildered kid in search of something he couldn’t name, on a frankly ill-advised journey to a country still stumbling through its own selfamused infancy. Holman would find his true north Down Under, not to mention his True Love and ticket to Paradise – bemused American and Santa Barbara expat Martha Cooney. Talk about your paths crossing in out of the way places. John and Martha would eventually leave Australia for England together (two years after John’s Aussie landfall), return to Australia for eight more years, marry, and finally be drawn back to Martha’s homestead; a little village called Santa Barbara, where they’ve lived for more than 35 years, raising two kids and returning regularly to the Land of Crocodile Dundee and Vegemite.

In Which Holman’s Destiny is Steered by the Fates and Australian Marketers

John Holman grew up in West Sussex, England, in circumstances that will be familiar to habitués of PBS. Americans assume all Englishmen come to us from quaintly-named hamlets replete with birdsong, men in caps, and rolling green countryside stitched with low cobbled walls and filmed through gauze. These anglophiles will have their deep feelings for England affirmed by Holman’s story.

He grew up on Bowshott’s Farm, a country idyll whose jewel in the crown was (and is) Bowshott’s Cottage. Holman here throws a shameless bone to the turtlenecksweatered, PBS set.

“Bowshotts Cottage was built originally for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mother, a spiritualist who conducted séances in the living room. My grandmother swore she saw the ghost of Mary Doyle’s dog floating above the stairwell. Personally, I think she’d been hitting the dandelion wine, but who knows?” Holman laughs. “I do know that Sir Arthur wrote some of the Sherlock Holmes novels in a wooden shed at the bottom of the garden.”

Holman’s grandfather Tommy Grantham’s (Johnny’s father, you see) owned and managed the horse-rearing concern and 150 year-old family business, whose proud animals have ever featured prominently in the Royal Steeplechase, the Trooping of the Color, the Changing of the Guard, and other such crypto-British traditions involving horses, wild-looking hats and pomp. One of Grantham’s horses (whose discovery and rearing is family legend) took the silver medal as part of the UK’s Olympic jumping team in ‘68.

“My grandfather, Grampy, as my brothers and I called him, sold every type of horse,” John says, “…from a thoroughbred to a donkey, from a hunter to a Shetland pony. His customers ranged from the local farmer to royalty, from the international show jumping set to the Horse Guards regiment.” Into this happy equine dream Australia would begin to suggest herself, singing like a siren. Thanks in part to former Flight Lieutenant Eliot and his wife Enid.

In Which the Horsey Lad Boards a Ship

Flight Lieutenant Noel Eliot would stay in touch with Grantham’s family after the war, periodically visiting Bowhsotts with his family and wowing young Holman with their brash, unbridled, and very refreshing Aussie-ness –ness; a quality that extended to Noel and Enid’s daughter, Lindy, on whom John had one of his many fleeting crushes. By the time he was a day-dreamy 10 year-old, Eliot and his wife Enid were mailing copies of Australian Women’s Weekly to Holman’s parents in England, the magazines packed with gorgeous photos of a sun-drenched paradise; just the stuff to dazzle an English boy with an expansive imagination who had never traveled far from home.

By the 1960s, Australia had fully pivoted to England with a deliberate campaign to woo the Queen’s subjects to her shores.

“In the 1960s the Australian government targeted Britain with an advertising campaign to attract young people and families by promising an always-sunny paradise, a place to start anew,” John says. “They needed immigrants and the price was right.” The Australian government sweetened the pot by making passage by ship possible for a mere £10, about $26 at that time.

Australia needed people (immigrants, that is) in numbers sufficient to grow the still-nascent continent into a proper country with a proper infrastructure, a proper power grid, and a properly scalloped Sydney Opera House. By the time he was 17, Holman was ripe for the sun-drenched adventure and reinvention Australia promised. He couldn’t wait to inhabit the beautiful pictures he’d been pasting into classroom reports and scrapbooks since a wee lad. The phrase “hook, line, and sinker” seems appropriate here.

Having endured ceaseless bullying at school (by a sadistic jerk with the Dickensian name of Dashwood), a brutal job in a brick-making factory, and a general weariness of British manners – and weather – John sprinted to the opportunity presenting itself, and with the poignant blessing of his parents, and sponsorship of the Eliots (and their promise of lodging) down there in Australia, Holman packed his things into an outsized WWI steamer trunk and booked passage on the RHMS Australis with hundreds of other souls in search of new horizons.

In Which Our Hero Encounters Rough Seas, Gentle Souls, and Holman Himself

Following an eventful voyage on the huge ship, a voyage typified by mostly lovable berth mates from Central Casting, toe-tormenting attempts on the ship’s dance floor, tentative flirtations, devastating homesickness, routine regurgitation on the high seas, and (as if to put a gloss on Holman’s on-again-off-again doubts) a rogue mid-ocean wave that nearly rolls the massive ship on its side, Holman makes landfall. Terra Australis.

Holman’s perfect-pitch memoir takes the reader gently by the hand and runs harem-scarem through a Candide-like landscape of boarding rooms, hard-as nails landladies with well-hidden hearts of you-know-what, and clouds of enormous south seas insects that have no problem entering the young Englishman’s sleeping quarters at night and dining on his flesh. The book is also threaded with the somewhat mysterious particulars of a hushed Family Shame, a WWI-era sex scandal whose reverberations would banish a good woman to her own self-imposed exile in Australia, where she would finally reveal to Holman the whole of the story, and her own healing heart.

Pom’s Odyssey is rife with instances of discovery and wonder. At one point Holman writes (and this is typical of the manifold revelations awaiting the naïf from W. Grinstead and Sussex), “…Vick’s Vapor Rub could be bought in little blue bottles at chemists in England, but in Australia it evanesced from trees!” The extraterrestrial environs of this lost continent, principally begun as a penal colony when the loss of the American holdings cost England her prime criminal warehouses in Maryland and Virginia, never cease to stun the young Holman.

He also grew to love the unbuttoned Aussie bravado and sense of humor, a national character he indeed pins to Australia’s European origin story, and to the definition of a criminal in that colonial setting. “I think that the differences in the way Australia developed as compared to the U.S., for instance, can be traced to the fact that the United States was founded by elites,” he says. “But Australia was founded by convicts. Many of those early convicts were Trade Unionists like the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of agricultural workers from Dorset who for their sins of protesting against the constant lowering of their wages were sent to penal servitude in Australia.”

In Which Holman Reveals His Epiphany

The much-loved farm kid whose heart initially seized up at the very thought of home, would come out the other side of his Aussie odyssey sure and complete and whole [if not quite employable in the larger world – that would come later!], all this found treasure precipitated by an air crash in the north of France, and an uncle he would never know, but whose tragic early demise gave John a life less ordinary.

These things do happen. It’s good to be reminded of that once in a while, and to be swept away by a writer able to convey the completely nutty facts of whimsical, incandescent life. But was there a moment of epiphany when Holman realized the whole “Australian” thing just might work out after all? Stupid question, answered without hesitation.

“Oh, it’s when I met Martha. We were just friends at the beginning,” Holman hurries to add, and I catch a glimpse of the stammering teen who found his life at the bottom of the world. “We’d go out as a group. It was later it turned to romance.

But that was the turning point.”

John Holman will be speaking and signing his memoir Pom’s Odyssey on Saturday April 1, 3 – 4pm at Tecolote Books in Montecito: 1470 East Valley Road #52. Wine will be provided for the occasion by Aussie vino giant Kalyra Vintners, of Santa Ynez.

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with Mark Léisuré

Mark spends much of his time wandering Santa Barbara and environs, enjoying the simple things that come his way.

A show here, a benefit there, he is generally out and about and typically has a good time. He says that he writes “when he feels the urge” and doesn’t want his identity known for fear of an experience that is “less than authentic.” So he remains at large, roaming the town, having fun. Be warned.

Say it Ain’t So

T

hey told me not to write about Lucidity for this issue because someone else is already previewing the weekend adventure taking place April 7-9 at Live Oak Campground (turn to page 14?!). To which I say: “Are you kidding me?!”

I mean, festivals don’t come any cooler or community-oriented than Lucidity, and I’m not going to be sitting on the sidelines for Eudamonia, the final installment of the festival’s initial sixyear journey. Lucidity has really found its niche as a more compact, local, succinct, and experimental if somewhat less wild version of Burning Man, albeit without the burn. Which is to say the focus is on the experience not exposure, context more than content, and relating rather than recreating. You don’t need me to tell you the details of the offerings – which are readily available online – because if you’ve already been there you know that sticking to a rigid schedule is the antithesis of the Lucidity experience.

But perhaps you are less aware of Lucid University. The immersive learning experience that was developed four years ago to foster growth in the areas of healing – the self, our souls, communities, the planet, and more. This year’s three-day intensive, dynamic courses take place April 3-5 cover the areas of SpiritWorks, CommunityWorks, EcologyWorks, CreativeWorks, BodyWorks, and InnovationWorks – although the subject matters often blend together, as organic things often do, at least according to one of the instructors. You’ll learn a lot, make great connections and get a jump on everyone else in the Lucidity Festival experience.

Get the details on Lucid University Courseweek online at www.2017. lucidityfestival.com/lucid-universitycourseweek. See you at the festival.

Great-ful Dead Lucidity not your thing? That’s hard to understand, but OK, I’ll tell you about another festival happening that same weekend just a little further in the other direction, one that I’m sure some Lucidity-ites would go to save for the conflict. The Skull and Roses Festival in Ventura, which also takes place April 7-9, is a 36-band Deadstravaganza, featuring Melvin Seals and the JGB (aka the Jerry Garcia Band) as headliners.

The latter will be playing a show dubbed Live Dead ’69, which probably means just what it sounds like, and features ex-members of the Grateful Dead and associated bands.

I’ve never heard of any of the other bands on the lineup, save for Cubensis, who have played SOhO several times, but then again I’m not a Deadhead.

Grateful Bluegrass Boys and Jerry’s Middle Finger do sound like fun, though. It all takes place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and there’s even camping, something you surely don’t get to experience during the Ventura Fair.

Visit www.skullandrosesfestival.com.

Revitalization Say what you will about the Trump Presidency, but it’s done wonders for reviving the energy and enthusiasm of the liberal wing of the spectrum and organizations that some would describe as left-leaning. The aftermath of the election has apparently been enough to

bring The Song Tree Concert Series out of mothballs, at least for a single event on Saturday, April 15. That’s when the now-defunct once long-running monthly singer-songwriter/acoustic music concerts held at Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation out in Goleta roars back to life with The Honeysuckle Possums in a benefit to support the work of the American Civil Liberties Union in our communities.

Sponsored by the Live Oak Social Justice Ministry, the Possums – Rebecca Troon, Lisa Macker, Sierra Reeves, Susan Marie Reeves, and Ruth Alpert – will perform their high-energy blend of bluegrass, originals, and old-timey mountain music blessed with beautiful vocals, carefully crafted harmonies, and spirited style. Admission is by suggested voluntary donation of $15 or more – I guess it all depends on how you feel about the ACLU, or the Possums, these days – and there are no advance sales.

Call Song Tree’s Tom Lee at 403-2639 for details (but not reservations, don’t even ask).

The End is Near Santa Barbara has been rife with community generated dance showcases, what with Nebula Dance Lab’s HHII Dance Festival in mid-February, which blended local choreographers and

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dancers/companies with counterparts from elsewhere in California and beyond, and last weekend’s 2017 BASSH – which I’ve got to say wowed the heck out of me for its variety, professionalism, and, dare I say it, soulfulness (the closing hip-hop number actually sent shivers up my spine).

Nebula is back in the producing game again at Center Stage Theater March 30-April 1 by presenting “Endgame” by Selah Dance. The new work by Selah’s Meredith Cabaniss (not to be confused with Cubensis – I’m not even sure she’s heard of the Grateful Dead) – is an evening-length piece that, I’m told, “Explores the fluid balance of reality and illusion as expressed by the continual reconciliation of what we wish and what we know.” I’m not smart enough to figure out what that means, but suffice it to say that “Endgame” was inspired by Samuel Beckett’s play of the same name and – like that nonlinear work – creates a world where the usable becomes unusable, the obvious is suspicious, and reality is questioned.

The show also features guest performances from companies from San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, plus Santa Barbara’s own Hannah Ruth Brothers, eight new works in total.

Sounds like a pretty good deal, and that always makes the Man About Town smile.

Reaso ason n to Hop e Ash Wednesday Service - Wednesday March 1st - 7:00 pm Lenten Midweek Services - Wednesdays March 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th & April 5th - 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday Worship - Thursday, April 13th - 7:00 pm Good Friday Tenebrae Service - Friday, April 14th - 7:00 pm Holy Saturday Vigil Service - Saturday, April 15th - 7:15 pm Easter Sunday Worship - Sunday, April 16th - 9:30 am

3721 Modoc Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 EmanuelLutheranSB.org info@EmanuelLutheranSB.org 805.687.3734

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PLANB by Briana Westmacott When Briana isn’t lecturing for her writing courses at UCSB and SBCC, she contributes to The Santa Barbara Skinny, Wake & Wander and Flutter Magazine. Along with her passion for writing and all things Santa Barbara, much of her time is spent multitasking through her days as a mother, wife, sister, want-to-be chef and travel junky.

Writing is an outlet that ensures mental stability... usually.

I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND

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n the edge of the Indian Ocean, facing the island of Zanzibar, sits the small African city, Bagamoyo. In the hills above Bagamoyo is the village Irente. Half a world away from Santa Barbara, Irente, Tanzania is where Sylvie met Suma six years ago and she hasn’t stopped thinking about him since.

Sylvie and Suma are soul mates.

Their story began not long after Sylvie graduated from Westmont and her volunteer work took her to a school for the blind in the mountains of Tanzania.

Sylvie was twenty-eight and Suma was one. Sylvie and Suma became quick friends. He was living at a neighboring children’s home adjacent to where Sylvie was working. As time went on, their bond cemented.

“He always had his hand in mine. I would be walking along, and before I knew it, our fingers were intertwined.

Every day.” Sylvie described how this went on for a year, and when it came time

for her to leave to return to the United States, she struggled to say goodbye.

Her goal at that point was to start a school fund for Suma and begin to raise money to support him from afar. Sylvie never dreamed that four years later she would be filing for adoption.

AND NEVER LET GO Suma was in a children’s home because his grandmother could no longer take care of him. His parents were not in the picture. The children’s home in Tanzania will take a child for the first two years of life and then they will be returned to the family if there is any family able to care for the child. Suma returned to his grandmother’s care at age two, after Sylvie had returned to the United States.

Sylvie continued to remain in contact with Suma and his grandmother in hopes to help support his growth and education. When Suma was three, there was a devastating storm that destroyed Ed Monteath

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Sylvie & Suma

Suma’s grandmother’s dwelling. Upon hearing that Suma was left homeless and malnourished, Sylvie packed her bags and her life and took off to Bagamoyo to help him. For the past four years, Sylvie and Suma have been living together as mother and son in Tanzania.

In order to support both Suma and herself, Sylvie started a socially conscious clothing line in Tanzania called NaSuma.

Na means ‘with’ in Swahili, With Suma, became a way for Sylvie to live together with Suma while helping impoverished Tanzanian women become independent.

NaSuma has had a hand in empowering women through training in the textile/ fashion business and English instruction.

NaSuma continues to produce clothing even as Sylvie and Suma are looking to return to the United States.

Right now, Sylvie is in the final stages of an arduous adoption process. Suma’s extended family members including his grandmother have testified in court to support the adoption. Sylvie followed Tanzania’s adoption guidelines and lived in the country for over two and half years before applying. Throughout the process, she has faced a great deal of corruption, which Sylvie described as, “Every arm that is involved in Tanzania is looking

for a payout.” And still, she perseveres because she loves Suma and he loves her.

“Suma has a zest for life that brings joy to everyone he meets,” Sylvie described his enigmatic personality. He has been studying English and he is hopeful about his journey to America. Now that Suma is seven, Sylvie said, “What it boils down to is giving him a chance to be himself in a safe environment and helping him to find his place in this world.” They are hoping to finalize the adoption this April.

In what can at times be an overwhelmingly chaotic world filled with misfortunes, Sylvie and Suma’s story serves as a reminder that love can conquer… and we hope, win.

BRIANA’S BEST BET

I

f you would like to support Sylvie and Suma, you can contribute to the adoption fund at www.youcaring. com and enter Suma’s full name – Suma Juma Marta. Their site gives a breakdown of the many adoption costs and fees that Sylvie has been independently supporting. You can also find the NaSuma clothing line on both Instagram and Facebook with details about purchasing.

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CREATIVE CHARACTERS JENNA TICO

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TOTEM, cofounded by Jenna Tico, is an intergenerational arts collaborative (photo by Winter Creative Co.)

by Zach Rosen Jenna Tico explores interdisciplinary education and improvisational dance

S

ometimes the best way to gain a deeper understanding of a subject is to study something else. It is like the martial arts master who has their pupil sweep floors. Practicing one subject can inform another and allow the student to see how the two topics relate. This crosspollination of ideas can inform a broader view of their subject and allows the student to see how it fits into the overall picture of the world. For improvisational dancer and interdisciplinary teacher Jenna Tico, this interplay of different subjects has been a lifelong study.

Jenna was born and raised in Santa Barbara. In fact, she is a ninth generation Santa Barbarian. Growing up she jumped around different grade schools.

This gave her experience in various educational styles, including some that explored more open and alternative learning techniques. These experiences exposed her to holistic education at a young age or as she describes it, “The seeds were planted early.” In grade school, Jenna was also drawn towards classical dance, practicing ballet during elementary school, however she admits that her heart was always in theater.

In high school, a teacher drew Jenna’s attention to Scripps College, the Claremont-based liberal arts women’s college, where she ended up enrolling.

8.00%

The coursework she participated in at Scripps was multidisciplinary and the college encouraged students to explore a range of subjects, not just focus on a major. This is the opposite of a traditional college education where a student picks one subject and largely studies just that. This broad approach to education helped create a patchwork of knowledge where she explored both dance and the humanities including writing and literature. Upon graduating in 2012, she received a grant as a blogger in Bali where she also taught English, worked on a farm, and served as a nanny before eventually coming back to Santa Barbara.

Upon returning, Jenna noticed that the community lacked programs that supported fledgling artists or creative types for both grade schoolers or returning college students. She shared these sentiments with musician Sio Tepper while the two worked on a high school production of Hair. These conversations led to the establishment of TOTEM, an intergenerational arts collaborative. TOTEM blends a leadership program with arts, music, and environmental education into an intensive weekend of exploration and interdisciplinary expression. These workshop intensives are free to attend and instruct young adults how to not just

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be a good artist, but a good person. Each weekend is dedicated to a seasonal theme and features guest lecturers on everything from life coaching to improvisational music and even sacred geometry.

You can witness the TOTEM way this Wednesday, March 29, at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club where they will be headlining Get Up, Stand Up, a Santa Barbara Earth Day benefit hosted

by LoaTree. The evening will be a blend of music, movement and spoken word with Jenna and the TOTEM students giving a 45-minute taster of what TOTEM has to offer. Visit loatree.com for more information and tickets.

In case you are unable to attend the LoaTree event, Jenna will be teaching a workshop, Moving Meditations, at the Lucidity Festival on Sunday, April 9,

at noon in the Movement Lab. In the past, her Lucidity workshops have been at the beginning of the festival while everyone’s spirits are more electrified, and she has taught workshops that have harnessed this energy. Jenna feels that having her workshop on the last day of the festival complements the end of Lucidity’s six-year story arc and mentions that this workshop will be more introspective and grounding.

Moving Meditations is open to all ages and abilities and will explore the ideas and exercises that embody TOTEM. For Jenna, Moving Meditations is just another chance to both teach and learn the many subjects that make up this world. Visit totemsb.com for more information or to sign up for one of their intensive weekends.

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WHAT’SHANGING? with Ted Mills Ted Mills is a local writer, filmmaker, artist, and podcaster on the arts. You can listen to him at www.funkzonepodcast.com. He currently has a seismically dubious stack of books by his bed. Have an upcoming show you’d like us to know about? Please email: tedmills@gmail.com

MARCH MOTHERLODE

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o you have enough art in your life? I don’t think so. I think you need two weeks stuffed to the absolute gills with openings and happenings. And even then will you be satisfied? Apologies in advance to anyone missed along the way when I was assembling this issue’s column. But as you’ll soon see, there was a lot to work with. To put it bluntly: get out there, enjoy art, and buy some why dontcha?

GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND

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andscape artist Robin Gowen paints the rolling back hills of Santa Barbara like how they look right now, but also how you remember them: lush and saturated and mystical. She’s also had a long relationship with Sullivan Goss (11 East Anapamu), In fact, she is their longest represented artist. Her new show, her 9th, is “Break in the Weather” and explores the recent changes to Santa Barbara’s backcountry and beyond from drought to wildfire and revitalizing new rains. Opening reception April 6. Through May 28.

NEWCOMERS PARTY

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et the welcome wagon out for artist Max Gleason. A grad of the Rhode Island School of Design, he lived and worked in NYC until he high-tailed it out of there and came to Santa Barbara and we’re the better for it. His first solo show

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here, “Waves and Particles” combines realist portraits (including that of his muse, his wife) with meticulously applied swirling particles.

This series is about making the invisible visible, and checking out the energy flowing around and through us. At Silo118 (118 Gray Avenue) through April 30. Opening reception March 31, 5-8 pm.

WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME

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ast November, Kai Tepper and Adam Jahnke curated “Young Americans,” a show of contemporary photography at Art From Scrap’s gallery. It was an excellent collection of thought provoking and colorful work, and now they’re back with a new show at the Arts Fund (205 Santa Barbara St.) called “Vanishing Point,” featuring work by Jahnke, Demi Boelsterli, and Cody Lynch. This is a similar dip into the photography pool by up-and-coming Santa Barbara artists, so check it out.

Through the end of May with opening night March 31.

FACE OFF

K

itty corner and/or catty-corner from the Arts Fund, MichaelKate Interiors (132 Santa Barbara St.) will open “A Thousand Words,” with the mysterious figurative work of Patricia Post facing off against the most abstract ambitions of Tom Post and Rick Doehring. Through May 21, but opening on March 31 as well.

BLOODY HELL

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BCAST survived a visit last August from some-kind-of-candidate and troublesome pederast Mr. Van. Unfortunately, he returns this First Thursday with a “press conference” called “Make America Bleed Again” and, well, you can see where this is going. Three purge-tastic performances, 6 - 8 pm, April 6 only. $5 at the door.

POSITIVE VIBRATIONS

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BCC’s Atkinson Gallery is stretching its wings and claiming other parts of campus, like the Administration Building’s 2nd floor where “Beauty in the Mundane,” a student photography exhibition, will be hanging through December 6, which gives you no excuse to miss it. Curated by gallery intern Cristina Marquez, who responded to the election by focusing on the beauty around us, even in the most ordinary of circumstances. Artists include Lexi Bakos, Nicole McKee Barr, Emily Clara Corb, Louisa Edwards, Jenna Harkins, Tim Houston, Bradley Lammie, Megan Lee, Michael E. Lee, Janice Muscio, Lauren Nishioku, Elyssa Quesada, Aliana L. Sherrill, Julie Snethen, Sarah Starks, Jesse Tejeda, Alejandro G. Valle, Soren Wilde, and Alex Wong.

MEANWHILE IN THE FUNK ZONE

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arilee Krause, a landscape painter who lets the abstract come in and futz with her canvases, is the guest artist showing at Studio 121 (121 Santa Barbara Street) on March 31. Her work joins the permanent work of Jeanne Dentzel, Michael Irwin, and Dug Uyesaka in the funkiest quonset hut in the Funk Zone.

A block away at GraySpace Gallery (219 Gray Avenue), Peter Bradley has his final show of abstracts for his month-long stay in Santa Barbara. Come check out this solo show and say hello, also March 31.

The title of Steve Richardson’s show at Gallery 111 (111 Santa Barbara Street) is “Paint/Print/Paint” which sounds like a busy artist’s to-do list. Instead it describes “A year of monotypes and paintings,” Richardson’s year-long exploration of monotype printing. Come see not just the prints, but how his painting changed after this detour. Opening March 31.

Down the way at Karen Lehrer’s studio (111-A1 Santa Barbara St.) also on March 31, the artist will be putting on sale many pieces for fire sale prices. The reason: Lehrer says she is moving in a completely new direction. Better go and find out, then, eh?

THE POLITICS OF ANGULARITY

C

had Avery makes angular, ‘80s influenced abstract works that have been the standout paintings in his recent appearances at 10 West Gallery. And this time he gets a solo show at the Impact Hub (1117 State St.) this First Thursday.

SEA CENTER, SEE ART

A

nd finally, make time this Sunday, March 26 for Take Part Make Art, MCA’s outdoors exhibition at Stearns Wharf, 1 - 4 pm. There’ll be innovative arts programs, workshops, performances, and festivities. See you there!

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IHeart SB

By Elizabeth Rose

I Heart SB is the diary of Elizabeth Rose, a thirty-something navigating life, love, and relationships in the Greater Santa Barbara area. Thoughts or comments? Email ihearterose@gmail.com

MAKING SENSE OF PLACE

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ense of place is an expression that veils my entire life. As a military kid, I found comfort in moving. New schools and home addresses indicated more than goodbyes to friends. Moving meant adventure, new grounds to explore, and the possibility of a bigger bedroom. And since I attended Department of Defense schools, the main question asked after inquiring one’s name was, “Where did you move from?” The responses were usually exotic places like Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, or somewhere in Europe. And although it was fun to compare notes on our nomadic lives, I always dreamed of calling a specific town, home.

It wasn’t until I transferred to a “civilian” high school that I realized sense of place was important to others as it was for me. But the difference was, they had it. When I asked my new classmates of their origin, responses came with chests puffed in pride. “I’m from Georgia. Four generations!” The subtext was a sense of claim to the land on which we stood. And in many cases, it went further. “See that bridge over there? Named after my grandpa.” These deep rooted, and sometimes historically tied, backgrounds embodied a territorial hierarchy. They defined what it meant to have a sense of place.

As a girl whose longest residence was, and still is, six years, there’s no way I could compete or even begin to understand what it means to inherit a hometown identity.

Of course, they wanted to know where I’d been but I never had a clear answer.

It’s a bit draining to explain where you were and why and how and what it was like. Yet, I feel pangs of guilt leaving any out or just mentioning one or two. So, depending on my mood and how interested they seemed, I’d just say, “Army brat,” and be done with it. As a girl whose longest residence was, and still is, six years, there’s no way I could compete or even begin to understand what it means to inherit a hometown identity.

In my last writers’ group, our leader mentioned that sometimes, as writers, we feel like we’re not being heard, so we hide behind exclamation marks to make our point. It struck me that I’ve wanted a place to call home because I yearned to be understood. A definite home was easier to comprehend, for me and everyone else.

But the thing is, I don’t identify with just one place. My sense of place is strewn all over the globe with each experience a part of who I am and who I’ll become.

Though my life is founded on change, it’s also a source of fear as well. Calendars are no longer marked with moving dates, only self-confessions that it’s time to expand and grow is what guides my sense of place now. I know the road ahead is paved with obstacles, scattered about with needs for pause to reflect, revise, and renew. My hope is years later when I read my diaries, holding each journal with wrinkled and liver-spotted hands, I’ll have gratitude. I’ll shake my head with loving kindness and though I’ll know the ending, I’ll cheer myself on with every page.

Because where I end up is not what will define me. It’s what I did to get there that will matter most.

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SYVSNAPSHOT

by Eva Van Prooyen Keeping a finger on the pulse of the Santa Ynez Valley: what to eat, where to go, who to meet, and what to drink. Pretty much everything and anything situated between the Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountains that could tickle one’s interest.

FLOWERS GONE WILD!

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he undeniable harbinger of spring for the Santa Ynez Valley is the spectacular spring wildflower bloom on Figueroa Mountain. The United States Department of Agriculture delivered the first official Figueroa Mountain Wildflower Update on March 16, noting that due to the much-needed rain and colder weather on Figueroa Mountain, the wildflowers are getting a late start. “This is very common for a wet year,” says Forest Service Ranger (and wildflower guru) Helen Tarbet.

Helen explains that wildflowers are starting to bloom at the lower elevation (below 3,000 feet) with the exception of the south facing slopes, which get the sunshine most of the day.

Nature lovers are in for impressive displays in the coming weeks, and as a friendly reminder, Helen says, “When you stop to look and take pictures of all the beauties, please make sure you park on the shoulder of the road and not on the road itself.

If there isn’t a place to stop, find a turn-out and walk back to the area. Please do not block the road at any time, as this will be enforced. Also, because of the damage incurred to the dirt section of Happy Canyon Road by the heavy rains, it is recommended only high clearance vehicle exit the mountain through Happy Canyon Road. People in low clearance vehicles are advised to turn around and exit the mountain via Figueroa Mountain Road.”

As for when the road will be fixed, unfortunately, the answer is not a simple one. The winter storms caused a lot of damage to numerous roads forest-wide, and “it is very difficult to say when this road will be fixed. We apologize for any inconvenience,” says Helen.

Giving detailed directions past Neverland Ranch and up Figueroa Mountain, Helen says, “Starting at the first cattle guard, shiny buttercups, milkmaids, blue dicks, delightful fiesta flowers, fiddlenecks, Johnny jump-ups, fillaree, and miners lettuce are in bloom. I even spied a lomatium, two lupine, and golden yarrow hiding among the tall grass. These same flowers can be spotted all the way through to the enchanting tree canopy area.”

Wildflowers are starting to wake up at higher elevations and California poppies are coming in, in both brilliant orange and bright yellow. Enormous swaths of the poppies’ colorful patchwork can be seen on the top portion of Grass Mountain, so much so that it is visible from town. “Right before you get to the rusty gate, look to the right and find some tiny cream cups in bloom, along with fillaree and a few poppies,” says Helen adding, “continuing on the uphill climb, Ceanothus, buttercups, fiddleneck, fillaree, blue dicks, some lupine, carpets of goldfields, stunning orange wall flowers along the rocky hill on the right, shooting stars, and coreopsis are blooming.”

“At Vista Point (a large gravel turnout about 11.4 miles from the bottom),

Celebrating Our 20th Year With You

everyone’s favorite, the exquisite chocolate lilies are in bloom, be careful not to step on them so others may enjoy them,” says Helen adding, “look for shooting stars, goldfields and fillaree. I even spotted a couple of wild onions, and as you pass the station, fields of gorgeous shooting stars can be seen, ranging in color from deep magenta to purple to the occasional white blooms. About a half-mile further, the highly anticipated and sought out “poppy hillside” is rapidly filling.”

Happy viewing! Grab your picnic, camera, plein air art set up and supplies, and hiking boots. If you would like to be added to the Figueroa Wildflower Update email list, please contact Helen Tarbet by e-mail at htarbet@fs.fed.us.

When: Now Where: Figueroa Mountain Info: www.fs.usda.gov/main/lpnf/home

EVA’S TOP FAVES: MY PERSONAL PICKS, BEST BETS, HOT TIPS, SAVE THE DATES, AND THINGS NOT TO MISS! IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES – AND WINE andering Wine Dog hosts a weekly Monday night game night. Game goers can launch their week by enjoying a friendly game of Yahtzee, Backgammon, Chinese Checkers, Dominoes, Pass the Pigs, or Shut the Box alongside five dollar drink specials with featured wines, beer and cocktails.

When: Monday evenings from 4 to 8 pm Where: Wandering Wine Dog Bar, 1539C Mission Drive in Solvang Info: visit wines@wanderingdogwinebar.com or call (805) 686-9126

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EXPAND YOUR PALATE AND FIND NEW FAVORITES launting wine by rule-breakers, pioneers, renegades, and mavericks, the 5th Annual Southern Exposure Garagiste Wine Festival brings many of the best, hard-to-find, high-quality micro-production wineries from all over California to the Santa Ynez Valley. 40 wineries, 200 wines, and over 20 different varietals will be poured by hard-to-find, cutting-edge commercial artisan ‘garagiste’ wineries from Santa Barbara County, Santa Ynez Valley, Paso Robles, Napa, and more. The majority of these wineries do not have tasting rooms and aren’t on “wine country” maps. This is a casual and fun wine event, and co-creator Stewart McLennan says, “This is the widest range of wines available in one place anywhere, from all over California.” They have limited ticket sales to make sure there are, “no annoying crowds,” and, “as we like to say – No Snobs Allowed.” Proceeds benefit The Garagiste Festival Scholarship Fund at Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture Department.

When: March 31 through April 2 Where: Solvang Veterans’ Memorial Hall, 1745 Mission Drive in Solvang Cost: $50-$130 per person depending on what type of ticket you buy Info: www.garagistefestival.com

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BURGERS, PIZZAS, AND BIKE NITES FROM HELL he Valley is abuzz of stylish, edgy, and fun activities. Check out the new stuff and watch for these developments this spring.

The new Crossroads at the Village project on Highway 246, includes a Starbucks, Chipotle, Tractor Supply Company, and the last installment under construction – The Habit Burger Grill. The Hamburger Habit got its start in Santa Barbara in 1969, and their newest burger grill is opening soon in Buellton – with a rare drive-thru feature. Opening to be announced soon.

Bob’s Well Bread has a classic new pizza oven under construction on its friendly outdoor patio, with a promise to add a delicious new set of menu items late spring.

550 Bell Street in Los Alamos, visit www.bobswellbread.com for more information The Santa Ynez Valley Marriott in Buellton recently underwent a full hotel renovation, which reveals a huge new open lobby with a new food and drink area complete with a pizza oven. Guests can watch the chef create flatbread pizzas from the open kitchen and bar area. Open from 11 am to 11 pm with a happy hour daily from 4 to 6pm. 555 McMurray Road in Buellton. Call (805) 688-1000 for more information.

In addition to their new eatery called The Kitchen, featuring soups, salads, and burgers, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. has been hosting a series of somewhat stealthy “Bike Nites from Hell” at their Buellton taproom monthly for local bikers, motorcycle clubs, and the like for beer specials and bike contests. Their ultimate vision is a bike rally with an enormous block party feel.

45 Industrial Way, Buellton, visit www.figmtnbrew.com for more information.

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