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E N & P C

JUNE 2015

MUSIC WINE DINING OUTDOORSEVENTS

WHERECIRCUS

MEETS SYMPHONY

INSIDE

Edgar Winter

Wailin’ Jennys

Harvey

Party in the Park

Russian Ballet

Le Casque

Max’s Restaurant & Bar

Katya Smirnoff-SkyyAaron Ross


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In This Issue...FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVEJoffrey Ballet dancers in Romeo andJuliet

08

WAILIN’ JENNYS BRING SIGNATUREFOLK-POP SOUNDAn interview with Ruth Moody

10

CALIFORNIA COMFORTMax’s Restaurant and Bar has somethingfor every season

1 6

AARON ROSS GROWS MUSICALLY Local singer-songwriter to play OffCenter Stage

1 4

COME ON AND TAKE A FREE RIDEEdgar Winter talks rock

1 2

SWAMP MUSICParty in the Park has Creole avor

1 8

ANYBODY SEE THAT RABBIT?Placer Community theater puts on“Harvey”

1 9

GOLD COUNTRY OUTDOORS

Jeepers Jamboree Krystyna McKnight on Mt. Whiteny

2 1

COUNTESS OF COUNTERCULTUREKatya Smirnoff-Skyy a goddess of“popera”

25

LOOMIS WINERY MAKES MARK Two new reds, two new whites from Le Casque29

CALENDAR28

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

June 2015

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Paul Cambra

Anne Stokes

Matthew Whitley

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County Entertainer.A publication of Gold Country Media.

GENERAL INFO

CEO

GENERAL MANAGER

EDITOR

FEATURES EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

(530) 885-5656 or(800) 927-7355 Jeremy Burke(530) 852-0200

Jim Easterly(530) 852-0224 Penne Usher(530) 852-0245

Paul Cambra(530) 852-0230 Laura Smith(530) 852-0276

06

COVER STORYE

N & P C

S E R V I C E S

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CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE Concert Under the Stars blends circusperformers with symphony

21


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Where do black tie and tails mingle withspandex and sequins? Well, not exactlymingle, per se, but share the stage? OK, ac-tually, in some cases the sequined ones areying above the stage.

What I am trying to say is that “Cirque dela Symphonie,” a fusion of circus acts and asymphony orchestra, sounds like a pretty coolidea.

“I’d love to say I was a genius and knew it wasgoing to work all along,” said Bill Allen, ex-ecutive director and producer of Cirque de laSymphonie. “The fusion of cirque artists withthe symphony, I thought, ‘it should be a nat-ural thing, why hasn’t it happened before?’”

That was 10 years ago and everywhere theygo — North America, South America, SouthAfrica, Australia — they always get the samereaction.

“People really seem to enjoy this combinationof acrobatic movement and a great orchestraperformance,” he said. “It’s a fusion. They arenot just playing along. It’s meant to be a bal-ance between the two.”

Twenty years ago he noticed the attentionRussian circus artists gave to the way theytrain; how they were dedicated to the art formwell beyond what you would expect, like aballet dancer or opera singer.

“One day I was sitting backstage at the Mos-cow Circus and a young contortionist came inand set down her boom box and started re-hearsing,” Allen said. “I thought ‘Oh boy, nowI’ll have to listen to Russian rap music’ and Iwas surprised when Tchaikovsky came on.”

He teamed up with Alexander Streltsov, whobrought to the table a lifetime of experienceas a circus acrobat, and from there they re-

Cirque de la Symphonie takes music to new heights

By Paul Cambra

ORCHESTRAL MANEUVERS

cruited a stable or cirque artists and gymnasts,most of them veterans of Cirque du Soleil andsimilar productions.

“We don’t dominate the stage,” he said.“There are never more than two performers ata time. We don’t want it to be a distraction forthose who come to see the orchestra. It’s moreof a visual enhancement to the symphony.”

The music is constantly changing as he is al-ways hearing new songs he want to incorpo-rate. Most of it is recognizable, classical alongwith contemporary. A little Brazilian tempo forthe quick change act. Hula hoops set to the“Ritual Fire Dance.” A new performer from theMendocino Center for Circus Arts is 15 yearsold with a shock of golden hair.

“He looks like Peter Pan,” Allen said, “So wematched him to ‘Flight from Neverland’ fromHook.”

Vladimir Tsarkov is an illusionist and juggler withCirque de la Symphonie.

performing arts

GRASS VALLEY


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The music is always rst and foremost in Al-len’s mind and every tour is different.

“The choice of music is always very importantbecause the program needs to have a kind of

ow that makes sense to fans of these two artforms,” he said. “Even the pieces when we arenot onstage, we want to give the orchestra achance to shine and really set the tempo forthe program. If I’ve done my job right, peoplewalk away with the ‘Ooo la la’ moment. Theyare awestruck and I never get tired of seeingthat.”

But what about the musicians? Wouldn’t youthink all of this twirling and zooming about

would be a bit distracting to someone tryingto focus on their craft?

“It is denitely a distraction,” said Pete Nowl-en, who plays French horn for the Music in

PROGRAM

CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE

Shostakovich, Festive Overture Op 96(orchestra only)

Williams, Flight to Neverland from Hook(Shem Biggie, aerial rope)

Bizet, Carmen: Suite No. 2 — DanseBoheme (Vladimir Tsarkov, illusion and

juggling)

Williams, Devil’s Dance from Witches ofEastwick (Andrey Moraru, hand balancing)

Chabrier, España (orchestra only)

Rimsky-Korsakov, Danse des Bouffons fromThe Snow Maiden (Vitalii Buza, Cyr wheel)

Saint-Saëns, Bacchanale from Samson etDelilah (Aloysia Gavre, aerial hoop)

Abreu, Tico Tico No Fubá (Vladimir Tsarkovand Alina Sergeeva, quick change)

Glinka, Overture from Ruslan and Lyudmila,Op. 5 (orchestra only)

Williams, Harry’s Wondrous World fromHarry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone (KaiNewstead, aerial silks)

Anderson, Bugler’s Holiday (Vladimir Tsar-kov, electric juggler)

Manuel de Falla, Ritual Fire Dance from ElAmor Brujo (Alina Sergeeva, hula hoops)

Smetana, Dance of the Comedians fromThe Bartered Bride, Act 3 (orchestra only)

Williams, Main Title from Superman (VitaliiBuza, aerial straps)

Rimsky-Korsakov, Capriccio Espagnol,Op.34, Pts. IV & V (Aloysia Gavre and An-

drey Moraru, tango duo)

Bizet, Carmen Suite No 1-Les Toreadors(orchestra only)

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27

WHERE: Nevada County Fairgrounds,11228 McCourtney Road, Grass Valley

TICKETS: $35 general, $15 youth under age17, $80 family pass (two adults, two chil-dren), $49.50 premium seats. Picnic tablesavailable for $80 (plus regular ticket price),seat six to eight people.

INFO: (530) 265-6124,[email protected]

the Mountains Orchestra. “But we are a fullyprofessional orchestra and we’ve all played inshows with distractions like that. It’s temptingto watch the acts but we know we have to doour job.”

They did this three years ago and from his van-tage point, it was quite amazing. They’ll bedoing it again in late June at a Concert Underthe Stars at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.Seven circus performers, from hand balanc-ers to electric jugglers, will entertain. So far,audience response has been overwhelminglypositive, which may lead to a unique problemfrom a promoter’s standpoint.

“I guess you could have someone who says,‘I came to hear the orchestra and all this in-cessant applause is ruining my experience,’”Allen said.

Alina Sergeeva (above) performs with Hula Hoopsduring Manuel de Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance.”

Top: Aloysia Gaure

Vladimir Tsarkov and “The Mask.”


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Star-crossed lovers they are not, but having todance the title roles of “Romeo and Juliet”

with other partners denitely puts a hitch in the“how I met your mother” story. But alas, there willbe no tragedy on these boards as it all worked

out in the end for Joffrey Ballet dancers MichaelLevine and Maia Wilkins, happily married withtwo children, and dancing — together — in Ser-gei Prokoev’s take on the Shakespeare classic atMusic in the Mountains’ “Glory of Russian Ballet”concert in Grass Valley.

“It’s amazing that the two international star bal-let dancers from this area have returned and wewere able to have them nearby to develop thisprogram together,” said Pete Nowlen, artistic ad-

visor for Music in the Mountains. “They grew uphere, it’s a great local connection and it seemedlike exactly the right time for it.”

Wilkins was born and raised in Truckee and

danced in Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet for 18 years.Levine is from Grass Valley and was a principaldancer with the acclaimed company as well.

“We didn’t dance a lot together at Joffrey,” Levinesaid. “You move around a lot within the company.When we did Romeo and Juliet at Joffrey we weredoing the same parts but with different partners.It makes for some very interesting conversation athome, some light-hearted discussions on life.”

Now settled and living in Sacramento, the couplewill dance three selections from the classic ballet:the balcony scene, the morning after where theypart company and the tomb scene at the end.

“We are completely tailoring it to this situation,”Wilkins said. “Both Michael and I have done hugeperiod productions. For this, it’s much more of aconcert setting, we won’t have huge sets or back-drops or all of the people. Plus the music is ar-ranged quite differently.”

Which gives them a little room for artistic inter-pretation.

“We’re reinterpreting a bit to make it t the small-

er venue rather than lifting wholesale what you’dsee on the big stage with costumes and sets,”Levine said. “We both have done different ver-sions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by famous choreog-raphers so you have an idea of what to do. Thearrangements we are performing to are slightlydifferent, so it’s not like you can do what you’vedone before; you have to reinvent it. But we areinuenced by years of experience.”

Prokoev’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of three Rus-

sian ballets that will be sampled. The programalso includes selections from Tchaikovsky’s SwanLake and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. Daniel Stew-art conducts.

“It’s a program I’ve wanted to put on a stage fora very long time – and nally everything came to-gether,” said Nowlen, who also plays French hornin the orchestra. “The Firebird Suite and SwanLake, a lot of people will be familiar with the mu-sic. Prokoev is one of those pieces that the musi-

cians look forward to get the opportunity to playand the audience looks forward to it as well.”

And on this night, two dancers look forward tonally playing opposite the proper partner.

ORCHESTRA, DANCERS HIGHLIGHTRUSSIAN TRADITIONBallets Swan Lake,Firebird Suite andRomeo and Juliet featured

By Paul Cambra

Maia Wilkins with Michael Levine in “Giselle.”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday,June 24

WHERE: Amaral Center at the

Nevada County Fairgrounds,11228 McCourtney Road, Grass Valley

TICKETS: $12-$68


Selections from Tchaikovsky’sSwan Lake, Stravinsky’s FirebirdSuite and Prokoev’s Romeo andJuliet.

Daniel Stewart, conductor

Featuring Maia Wilkins andMichael Levine, former principaldancers of the Joffrey Ballet

THE GLORY OF

RUSSIAN BALLET

PROGRAM

performing arts

GRASS VALLEY


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T here’s always been something special abouta group of female singers. From the AndrewSisters to The Shirelles, The Supremes to Desti-ny’s Child and En Vogue, the harmony that comesfrom a trio has appealed to music lovers for near-ly a century of recorded music. In the 1960s, atthe height of the girl group phenomenon, no less

than 750 female acts charted Billboard.

The Wailin’ Jennys, a Canadian trio who cameto international prominence a decade ago, areno exception. The folk-country-pop trio of Ruth

Moody, Heather Masse and Nicky Mehta beganas a happy accident when they were asked to singtogether in a Winnipeg guitar shop. The responsewas immediate and strong and a group was born.

Since then the Jennys have released four albums,made frequent guests spots on Prairie Home

Companion, won a Juno (Canada’s Grammy) forbest Traditional and Folk album, and have devel-oped a strong following for their critically-laudedlive performances and perfect blend of country,folk and Americana.

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TRIOThe Wailin’ Jennys bring their signature sound to Grass Valley

The Entertainer caught up with singer RuthMoody, the soprano of the group, who also playsbanjo, piano, guitar and accordion.

You were born in Australia and moved to Win-

nipeg. What was the musical landscape like in

Canada and were your parents into music?

“My mum was a music teacher so I grew up ina musical household. But we were trained with aclassical inuence. It wasn’t until my teens when Idiscovered a love and connection with folk musicas that felt more suited to my voice and I lovedthose genres as well. It was also around that timethat I realized I wasn’t going to be an opera sing-er; I didn’t have that kind of voice.”

Were there specifc singers that you were

drawn to?

“I really got into Celtic music and traditional Irishsingers like Niamh Parson and Kathy Durkin. Lo-reena McKennitt was also inspiring; she’s a Mani-toba girl that created her own path. Very unique.Winnipeg was a really great place for folk musicbecause there was a Winnipeg Folk Festival andI started going to that when I was 14. It was ac-cess to so many kinds of music in four days and

my mind would be totally opened by folk music,Celtic music, bluegrass music … all these differentkinds of music. It was a real ear opener.”

What drew you to music professionally?

“Music was such a normal part of life growing up,but it never really occurred to me that it wouldbe my career. It was just stuff that we all did so Iautomatically thought I would have to nd some-thing else to do. I was going to school and wasn’t

feeling the teaching thing but music was whereI felt connected, kind of spiritually, and felt likethat’s what I was supposed to do. So I joined aCeltic Band and toured with them for ve yearsand that was what showed me the tour ropes.Then I started writing my own songs and I wantedto sing with other women since that was what Igrew up with, so I teamed up with Nicki Mehtaand Carol Austin and before we knew it the oneshow was sold out and we added another show,

named ourselves the Wailin’ Jennys and we sud-denly became a full-edged touring act. It had somuch energy behind it we decided to follow it.That was 13 years ago.”

What inspires your songwriting? Are you hit

with a story frst, or lyrics and then music?

“If you’re lucky you get hit with both at the sametime, but it doesn’t always happen that way. Usu-

ally it’s a feeling or some kind of spark that hap-pens and either it’s something that you hear thatinspires you or something that you gure out thatis going on in your life. Sometimes I write just astherapy. I write to gure something out and see

Photos by Andrew Catlin

By Matthew Whitley

musical arts

GRASS VALLEY

Clockwise from the top, Ruth Moody, Heather Masse and Nicky Mehta are the Wailin’ Jennys.


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where it takes me. There are no rules really but forme I try and let the inspiration happen and guideme. When that seems to be done I will go in withmy editor brain and play around and try and makeit into a song with a form and with elements thata song should have.

Things that are happening around us, in ourworld, it’s a very therapeutic process and it helpsto know that it’s helping others too. We are notafraid of writing about sad things because againit’s therapeutic to write about that.”

Working as a trio, how does the songwriting

get shared?

“We all write separately because that’s what wefound works. You don’t get a lot of time on yourown when touring so you kind of crave that per-sonal time to check in with yourself and oftenthat is when the writing happens. We have talkedabout writing together but we haven’t done it yet.Nicki and Heather have collaborated and that’sthe closest we have come. We write individuallyand then we bring them to the group and arrangethem together.”

You’ve covered songs by Bruce Springsteen,

Emily Harris and Bruce Cockburn. Does it affect

your writing when you delve into another per-

son’s song?

“I don’t know if it does directly but I would say it

does subconsciously or indirectly. I have actual-ly written songs partway through singing another

song because it will spark something or make methink of a feeling and I will suddenly have to writemy own. It won’t sound like the other song, butyou’ll feel this inspiration well up inside you. Lis-tening to other people’s music is a great tool forwriting. If I need to get kick started creatively I willput on a record of a songwriter or band that I love.”

Do you listen to hip-hop or rap something to-

tally different from folk and country?

“Yes, absolutely. We all love classic rock. Brian May

of Queen covered one of our songs. Pretty cool!”You recently worked with Mark Knoper and

have an upcoming tour with him. How is tour-

ing and performing with somebody different

than the Jennys? Does it hit different parts of

you artistically?

“For sure, it has to. There is nothing like singingwith the Jennys, whenever we get back on stagetogether it feels like home. Both Nicki and Heath-

er do a lot of solo stuff and we nd that keepsus fresh. You learn from working with others andit’s so important to do other things. Being ableto work with Mark Knoper is amazing; it’s a coolopportunity. It’s a total honor and I learn a lotfrom watching such an amazing world class player.Playing with other people is like a conversation;you are learning and experiencing new things.”

You have appeared on Prairie Home Compan-

ion. Is it nerve wracking performing on a liveshow?

“We’ve been very lucky to be invited on the showmaybe a couple dozen times. Garrison is amazingand inspiring. Its nerve wracking when you thinkit’s going out to millions of people live; it messeswith your head a little bit. We just try and staypresent and think of the audience that is in frontof us and not let our brains get in the way. Nervescan creep up suddenly. You can be in a room withonly 30 people and the intimacy of that room canthrow you off. You feel more exposed than beingin a large hall. You never know when those nerves

come up. We all have our ways to trust and staygrounded.”

What are your plans for the Grass Valley show?

Rare tracks? Special songs? Do you ever pull in

a solo piece and sing it as a trio?

“There have been a couple of songs in the pastbut not so much anymore. We have so much ma-terial that it’s hard to pick what songs we are go-ing to play. With two 45 minute sets, it’s like 16

songs each and not that much time. We do tryto change it up for the audiences and are tryingto choose material right now. We’ll probably playsome old favorites, songs from all of our records,and then a few new songs.”

Are you going to get a little time to go wonder

around and sight see?

“We play the Kate Wolf Festival right afterwardso we will be in the area for a few days. We love

California. We think of it as our spiritual home.”

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday June 26

WHERE: The Center for the Arts, 314 WestMain St., Grass Valley

TICKETS: $47 members, $57 non members

INFO: (530) 274-8384,thecenterforthearts.org

THE WAILIN’ JENNYS

Heather Masse, left, Nicky Mehta and RuthMoody are the Wailin’ Jennys.


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Rock legend to appear in Grass Valley

By Paul Cambra

WINTER’S TALE

It only takes a couple of minutes talking withEdgar Winter to realize how close he was to

his older brother. Johnny Winter, the acclaimedblues guitarist and singer, died in July. Whilethe pair only released one ofcial album to-gether (1976’s Together: Edgar and JohnnyWinter Live), Johnny was instrumental through-out Edgar’s career.

“We were playing together since I was 4,” Win-ter said from his home in Los Angeles. “Playingukuleles and singing Everly Brothers.”

By the time he was 10, Edgar was a member of“Johnny and the Jammers,” winning a talentcontest in their hometown of Beaumont, Texaswith their rendition of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B.Goode.

“It sounds like that song was written aboutJohnny,” Edgar said.

Right out of high school Edgar went on theroad with Johnny’s band, playing the Southernclub circuit. At that time nobody knew he hada brother.

“He said ‘I’m going to bring out my little broth-er Edgar now’ and people were like ‘Wow,there’s two of them.’”

Mainly an instrumentalist, Edgar said had itnot been for Johnny’s huge success he might

have ended up being a jazz musician. He playskeyboards (he was the rst to strap one ontohis back) and percussion, but his favorite instru-ment has always been the saxophone.

“I love it because it is such a beautiful organicinstrument,” he said. “Your life’s breath con-trols the tone. I really got interested in jazz inmy high school years, Miles Davis, CannonballAdderly, Charlie Parker. I played alto, tenor,

baritone … I wanted to have a working knowl-edge of all instruments.”

A lot of that stems from his musical family. Hisfather played guitar and banjo, as well as altosax in a swing a band in his youth.

“Everybody in my family was a musician,” hesaid. “I just thought it was something that ev-erybody did until I went to the kids in my neigh-

borhood looking to start a band. Then I foundout this was a special thing. I’d say ‘What? Yourdaddy didn’t teach you any chords?’”

One of his earliest memories of music is beingnestled in his mother’s lap as she played thepiano.

“I can remember hearing this beautiful clas-sical music owing over me and peeking up

between her arms and watching the gracefulmovement of her hands,” he said. “That loveand security that I felt, it stuck with me.”

Besides his family, he could also draw on therich musical diversity that Texas had to offer.Country, blues, Latin rhythms from south of theborder, swamp music from the east.

“Up north there was a great jazz school and

some really educated jazz players,” he said.“It was a unique sound that I didn’t appreciateuntil I moved away. I took that whole scene forgranted. Going to New York I was expectingto be around great musicians but there isn’t acharacteristic New York sound.”

There was his brother though, and he intro-duced him to a lot of the people that would beinstrumental throughout his career. He played

on Johnny’s rst two albums and he and John-ny co-wrote his rst album (Entrance, 1970). Butit was a concert in upstate New York that wasa turning point for the younger Winter brother.

musical arts

GRASS VALLEY

Rock legend Edgar Winter will play on June 25 at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. His 1972 album,They Only Come Out at Night, featured the hits “Free Ride” and “Frankenstein.”


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“Playing at Woodstock with Johnny, that reallyresonates with me,” he said. “It really changedmy life. Up to that point I had really thought ofmusic as my own private world, very internal-ized. And I thought of myself as a serious mu-sician. At Woodstock, the whole thing was set

against the social backdrop of the civil rightsand peace movements. It was a peak momentfor me, looking out over an endless sea of hu-manity, I thought music could be more than

just my own personal work, it could reach outand touch people, bring them together to bea positive force in the world. I’ve always triedthroughout my career to write positive music,to not only be good music but to make people

feel good.”

Johnny came on at midnight of the nal dayof Woodstock and played a one hour and veminute set. Edgar played on three songs. En-trance came out a little more than a year later.By 1971 we was a bona de rock star — albeitone with a heavy jazz and blues inuence —and by 1972 he had a number one song.

“We never had any intention of recordingthat song,” he said. “We thought of it as alive song. It was 15-20 minutes long and weended the show every night with it.”

He and band mate Rick Derringer — who wasalso the producer — were talking at the endof a session, wondering if maybe they couldedit it into something that could be usable.

“I love crazy ideas,” Winter said. “Back thenyou had to physically cut the master tape. Ifyou messed up it was gone. You’d cut it with arazor and splice it back together. Tape was all

over the studio — in those days the rule wasthe ‘tape was always rolling’ — it was over-owing on the console. Our drummer ChuckRuff mumbled the immortal words, ‘Wow it’slike Frankenstein’ and a monster was born.”

He’s been recording steadily ever since. Histenth studio album, Rebel Road, was releasedin 2008.

“I always felt like rockers and bikers hadsomething in common, a disregard for author-ity and the powers that be,” he said. “We’redenitely not nine-to-vers. That album’s

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, June 25

WHERE: The Center for the Arts, 314 W.Main St., Grass Valley

TICKETS: $62 members,$67 non-member

INFO: (530) 274-8384 ext. 14,thecenterforthearts.org

THE EDGAR WINTER BANDabout ‘not going to be told who I am andhow to live.’ I always thought of the highwayas sort of the symbol of American freedom. Ithought of myself as a musical rebel. I kind ofdeed categorization. I enjoy playing a widevariety of music. Why can’t people who like

rock appreciate classical? Why can’t peoplelike both jazz and country?”

And why is the synthesizer such a polarizinginstrument?

“I am variously acclaimed and accused of ush-ering in the era of the synthesizer,” he said.“A lot see it as the dehumanization of music,of putting live musicians out of work, moreprogrammers than musicians. But I alwaystook the stand that the synthesizer is one ofthe most human instruments because of itsexibility. The piano is all rods and hammersand keys, a symbol of the industrial revolu-tion. It’s a machine. With a synthesizer youcan change the actual timbre or wave mod-ulation, you can bend notes, you can makeit sound like anything so it’s sort of innitely

exible, a lot like the human mind.”

Much like during his days playing with hisbrother (“Johnny was always the band lead-er”) Winter doesn’t mind taking a back seatrole. Beginning in 2006, he did three toursof duty with Ringo’s All-Starr Band, includinga 2010 show at Radio City Music Hall cele-brating Starr’s 70th birthday. Paul McCartneyshowed up to lead the band in a rousing ren-

dition of “Birthday.”

“It had been prearranged without Ringo’sknowledge,” Winter said. “I was actually

on stage with two of the Beatles. It was thegreatest. I love and admire Ringo. He is aheartfelt advocate and spokesman for peaceand love. It was really an honor to share thestage with him.”

On June 25, Winter will bring the current in-carnation of The Edgar Winter Band to Grass

Valley’s Center for the Arts. You’ll hear all of the

classics — “Free Ride,” “Frankenstein,” “Tobac-co Road” — and a little something for Johnny.

“I’d like to thank all of my fans for their con-tinued support all these years,” Winter said.

When I organized my rst band, White Trash, I looked all over the world for players but wentback to Texas. It was largely folks I played with in my teenage years, a reunion of our old highschool band. We wanted to be a part of that Texas musical heritage.

“For following myself and my brother Johnnywhile we were doing what we love. Johnny

just passed away but he’ll always be alive inmy heart. I’ll be doing some songs in everyset as a tribute to him.”

He said that he never would have imagined themusic they made 40 years ago would still belistened to today. He was part of a generation

whose music stood the test of t ime. It’s not go-ing away any time soon and neither is he.

“You are never going to hear me talk about afarewell tour,” he said. “I am in it to the end.”


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W ith 11 CDs available todownload, Aaron Ross hasput 112 songs out there that run

the gamut from angst-riddenyoung songwriter to not-quite-so-mellow family man. His rambling,freewheeling style has beencompared to Bob Dylan. His lyricallevity rises to the surface in his songsabout people, nature and life ingeneral.

Born and raised in Grass Valley andNevada City, Ross, 35, still lives here

with his wife and two children, ages8 and 10. He will play a concert atOff Center Stage the third Sundayof June and we got an opportunityto talk with Ross and ask him a fewquestions about his music.

Growing up in Nevada County, whatwere your early musical inuences?

“It started with what my parents werelistening to. They were all across theboard — Elvis, Beatles, Motown —that kind of stuff. When I got older Iwent through different phases. I wasreally into Bob Dylan and Neil Youngand singer-songwriter dudes. Theymade me go in the direction I am innow.”

You’ve been described as having the

“apocalyptic wit of Bob Dylan andbiblical gravity of William Faulkner.”Are you a fan of the author?

“I’ve read a little bit of The Soundand the Fury. I know the vibe of hisstuff so I could denitely see the

similarities. That’s cool.”

Your early work was darker and

you’ve seemed to lighten up as yougo. Was that intentional or just howthe songs fell into place?

“It’s kind of how my life goes. Whenyou’re younger you can tend tobe bitter and angry and pissed offat the world. As you get older youbegin to see more of the beautyin life so I have been embracing amore positive outlook. That’s kind of

reected in my songs. But some arestill dark in a weird way.”

What do you draw inspiration fromwhen writing songs?

“Being around people and the things

they do, whether at work or at home,denitely inuences me. Beauty andnature and life in general. I denitely

listen to a lot of music too andthat can bring inspiration. It’s hardto know what songs are going toappeal to people. I write for myselfand I am inspired by my work, butI denitely want people to like mystuff and to nd something in mywriting they can relate to and makeit their own. I denitely think aboutthat when I compose. I don’t try tothink about it too much. There’s too

much pressure, ‘is it going to appealto people or not?’”

What music are you listening tothese days?

“All kinds of music, but mostly stuffthat makes me feel good. Thesedays it’s a lot of old ’60s soul classicslike James Brown and Sam Cookeand Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding.

Really good stuff. My kids come tomy shows and like my stuff but theyare more into modern pop like TaylorSwift. I try to show them stuff that Ithink are classics but they are goingto like what they like.”

How would your describe your liveshow?

“I always try to just have them beintimate and really connect withpeople in a smaller setting. I wouldn’tcall myself folk, even though I playacoustic guitar. I also play piano.It’s kind of world music, Americana.I’ve played electric guitar in differentbands but this will be a solo acousticshow.”

What do you know about the bandsthat will be opening for you?

“Casual Fog is great songwriter;he’s gong to be playing solo. YoungNudist, I’ve heard a couple of hissongs, they sounded cool. Electronicin a singer-songwriter vein.”

Aaron Ross’ music reects the wisdom of his yearsLEARNING AS YOU GO

AARON ROSS, YOUNG

NUDIST, CASUAL FOG

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21

WHERE: Off Center Stage,315 Richardson St., Grass Valley

By Paul Cambra

TICKETS: $12 members, $14 non-members

INFO: (530) 274-8384 ext. 14,thecenterforthearts.org

Nevada County singer-songwriter Aaron Ross has beensaid to have the “apocalyptic wit of Bob Dylan and bibli-cal gravity of William Faulkner.”

musical arts

GRASS VALLEY


15/32

E 15

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E 16

Max’s Restaurant and Bar keeps customers comingback by balancing tried and true classics withfresh new avors. For breakfast, lunch and

dinner, the Auburn restaurant’s menu offers American

comfort foods such as their famous Reuben sandwichand decadent desserts, as well as seasonal menus thatfeature locally crafted products and produce.

“What Max’s has done very well for the past 30 yearsis that they’ve stuck true to what they’ve originallystarted,” said General Manager Brianne Jones. “Theway that they were making the Reuben 30 years ago, wecontinue to do today. We have modernized the menu,we do a lot of salad features, some lighter options, but we really stick to thoseoriginal ingredients that mattered so much 30 years ago. We have lighter

options as well as options for someone coming in wanting a 10-ounce burgeras big as your mouth. We try to nd something for everyone here, anywherefrom breakfast to dinner, and we have a great happy hour.”

Max’s boasts several locations in Northern California. Its Auburn restaurant,which opened in 2010, is conveniently located next door to the Holiday Inn,

just off Interstate 80. In addition tobreakfast, lunch, dinner and take-outdining, the restaurant features threeseparate banquet facilities that canaccommodate large groups such ascorporate and wedding parties.

“We also do after-parties,” Jonessaid. “Some places don’t stay openthat late. We’re very exible inregards to what we can do, especially

since we’re adjacent to the hotel.We’re independently operated sowe have total control over what we’regoing to do.”

But what really keeps customershappy is the food. The breakfastmenu offers a classic assortmentof pancakes, wafes and omelet’s

with both light and heartier options. Lunch diners can also choose from anassortment of lighter and heavier fare, including soups, salads, sandwiches

and burgers. The dinner menu features chicken, pasta, sh and steak entreesas well as big, bold salads, deli sandwiches and a wide variety of appetizers.Desserts — which include giant chocolate-covered macaroons, seasonalstrawberry shortcake and towering Niagara Falls chocolate cake — greetguests as they walk in through the front door.

and Bar offers both classic comfort andseasonal specials

MAX’S RESTAURANT

By Anne Stokes

Max’s Restaurant and Bar has space for large parties with three separate banquet areas in addition tospacious dining areas and bar.

Bartender Jen Barr mixes drinks at Max’s, which featuresever-changing specials and local beers and wines.

Guy’s Chinese Chicken Salad Max’s famous Reuben deli sandwich Mushroom Fettuccine entrée Niagara Falls Cake

Max’s Restaurant and Bar isconveniently located adjacent toHoliday Inn, just of Interstate 80.

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“Our chicken pot pie is one of our most populardishes,” Jones said. “Probably most signatureto us would be our Rueben, made with cornedbeef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressingand Swiss cheese. And our desserts, we’ve gota really great following of our desserts. TheNiagara Falls cake — everybody recognizes itfrom Max’s.”

In addition to their standard year-round menu,Max’s Restaurant also features seasonal menus,highlighting locally-produced specialties andingredients. During the month of June, theirspecialty menu will feature barbecue itemssuch as smoked brisket, ribs and giant Buffalowings. Afterwards, their summer menu will focuson summer salads, including watermelon andheirloom tomatoes.

“We try to partner up with regional purveyors as

much as possible,” Jones said. “During mandarinseason, for example, we were featuring mandarincocktails in the bar, in a couple of salad options,and we did some mandarin specials featuringsh. We really try to go to the local farms and seewhat products are in and what they’re selling andthen use that as the basis for some really greatrecipes here. We have such a great selection offarms in the area that it’s hard to pass up.”

In addition to nearby farms, they’ve alsodeveloped relationships with local vintners and

brewers.

“We’ve recently had success with Great BasinBrewery, right out of Reno-Sparks, and we’refeaturing Sacramento’s Rubicon in our beer-battered sh and chips,” Jones said. “We doAnderson Valley beers, we do 21st Amendmentbrewery out of San Francisco, we have AnchorLager on draft. And we do Fawnridge andNevada City wines, we do a lot of local wineriesas well.”

Chef Antonio Avila, who has been creatingcomfort foods with Max’s since 1987, sums upthe secret to the restaurant’s success.

“Consistency, quality, good customer service,fresh quality foods, and we make sure customersare satised,” he said.

110 Grass Valley Highway, Auburn

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Jeffery Broussard is the son of Delton


18/32

E 18

I f there’s a food vendor out there looking to cap-italize on the moment, you might want to seeabout bringing some Creole cuisine to this year’sParty in the Park.

Auburn’s annual celebration of music, food andfun in Regional Park will have Jeffery Broussardand the Creole Cowboys as a headliner. Brous-

sard, a native of Frilot Cove, Louisiana, would beperfectly happy with some gumbo and crawsh.And even better?

“Hog cracklins and boudin,” he said. “Though

they probably don’t have it out here.”

He’s probably right. But surely there will be some-thing on the menu to satisfy most tastes.

Musically, Tracorum will get things going withtheir New Orleans meets Grateful Dead sound.Broussard and company will keep the zydecoboat aoat with something more time-honored.

“I’m playing the traditional stuff, the stuff my fa-ther played,” Broussard said. “I am all about keep-ing it real. The stuff I play, a lot of these songs thestuff really happened in life.’

His father was Delton Broussard, was frontman for

the Lawtell Playboys. When Jeffery’s rst cousin —the band’s drummer — wanted to switch to bass,Delton looked to the youngest of his 11 children.So what if Jeffery was only 8 years old.

“I was running around and my dad said ‘go inthe house and pack your bag, you’re playing to-night,’” he said. “I hadn’t ever played a gig beforebut I would steal my chance to play on the drumswhenever I could. My family was very poor — myDad was a sharecropper — and every instrument

we had he was very particular about. They wouldset up to rehearse and I would steal my chanceand they’d run me outside to go and play. But Iwas always walking around the house tapping onsomething.”

He played drums for the Lawtell Playboys untilhe was 12, learning to play all of the other instru-ments in the band. By the t ime he was a teenagerhe had settled on the accordion as his favorite.He was a leading member of the band Zydeco

Force, who were at the forefront of the “nouveau”zydeco movement. And while the Lawtell Play-boys themselves pushed the boundaries of thegenre, adding R&B elements and a funkiness tothe music, Jeffery’s current goal is to bring it allback to its roots.

“My thing right now is to save our culture, keepit alive,” he said. “We are not that many doing itanymore. This is music that was made in the 1800s,when there was no electricity, when it was only

maybe a ddle and a strum board or a triangle.”

Rest assured you would not be content sittingon the porch in a rocking chair when the CreoleCowboys are playing. This is high-energy, dou-ble-beat, soulful stuff, marked by Broussard’sbluesy voice. While the young ones are boppingaround in the bouncy house, expect to see theyoung-at-heart doing their fair share of boppingnear the stage.

The Creole Cowboys are traveling the country,spreading the good vibes of Creole’s past andzydeco’s future. Their stop in Auburn is a rarechance to hear this rich musical heritage come tolife. So grab some gumbo and get down.

By Paul Cambra

Jeffery Broussard is the son of DeltonBroussard, frontman for the Lawtell Playboys.

Jeffery, the youngest of 11 children, startedplaying in his father’s band when he was 8.His own ve children are all musical as well.

A U B U R N

performing arts

Creole Cowboys, Tracorum to play annual gathering

PARTY IN THE PARK HASLOUISIANA FLAVOR

WHO: Jeffery Broussard and the CreoleCowboys, Tracorum

WHAT: Beer garden, food court, kid’szone, crafts

WHEN: 5 p.m. Friday, June 19

WHERE: Regional Park, 3770 RichardsonDrive, Auburn

COST: Free (some charge for children’sactivities)

INFO: (530) 885-8461, partyinthepark.net

PARTY IN THE PARK


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E 19

Social drinking and mental health treatment.Hot button issues that need to be addressed?Not today. Instead, we’re going to look at themfrom a 1940s sensibility, when Charlie’s Bar wasthe place you met and made friends and the san-atorium was where you took those friends whenyou didn’t know what else to do with them.

For anyone who’s seen the play “Harvey,” you’ll

know what I’m talking about. For those who ha-ven’t — why? This delightful tale follows the ex-ploits of one Elwood P. Dowd (played by JimmyStewart in the 1950 lm) who’s best friend is thetitle character, a six-foot, three-and-a-half-inch tallinvisible rabbit.

Needless to say his social-climbing sister is em-barrassed by her brother and she sets in motionplans to have him committed. What ensues in-cludes a case of mistaken identity, over zealous

psychiatrists and soul searching revelations.

“Really, the heart of the play involves the misun-derstanding, where the doctor thinks the wrongperson is crazy,” said Charles Davidson, who is

By Paul Cambra

Placer Community Theater actors Brian Hassett, left, andBen Harwell rehearse their roles as Dr. William R. Chumley

and Elwood P. Dowd for an upcoming production of “Harvey.”

PLACER COMMUNITY THEATER PRESENTS ‘HARVEY’

WHO: Placer CommunityTheater

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridaysand Saturdays, June 13-

27; 2 p.m. Saturdays andSundays, June 14-27

WHERE: State Theatre,985 Lincoln Way, Auburn

TICKETS: $22 general, $18senior/teens/groups (10or more)


HARVEY

producing the play with Placer Community The-ater (PCT). “But they talk about how Harvey is re-ally a part of Elwood, they are the same person,or Harvey is the person he wishes he could be.Harvey allows Elwood to be more outgoing andinteresting and fun, it enables him to be who heis. Isn’t that the message we want to get out in theworld today? Accept people for who they are?”

Ben Harwell of Auburn takes on the Jimmy Stew-

art role. The PCT veteran had to get used to play-ing opposite a gment of his imagination.

“If I am talking to an empty chair or an emptyspace, it does take a little bit of getting used to,”Harwell said. “But my wife says I am pretty spaceyanyway.”

“Harvey” will be performed at the State Theatre inAuburn from June 13-27. The cast of 11 includes18-year-olds to retirees. Most live in Auburn but a

few come from Sacramento and Folsom and Car-michael.

“I think the drinking aspect is OK, it’s not empha-sized in our production,” Davidson said. “The

challenge for the audience is to get over how theyhandled mental health in the 1940s. It was a dif-ferent society then, but it’s still a comedy.”

A comedy that will be remembered for somethought-provoking dialogue, like when Elwoodrelays his mother’s advice when she told him “‘Inthis world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or ohso pleasant.’ Well, for years I was smart. I recom-mend pleasant. You may quote me.”

Harwell is committed – no pun intended – to cap-turing the pleasantness of Elwood’s character.

“I would like for them to see that Elwood P. Dowdis a character that should be copied because henever gets angry at anybody,” Harwell said. “Ev-eryone and everything he meets he is interestedin. His joy in life is making friends and sharing adrink or two with them and in many ways, quitehonestly, as I go through the play, every time I say

‘Hey why don’t we go down to Charlie’s Bar andhave a drink’ — and I’ve said it about a dozentimes — I’m ready to call my friends and go.”

Be sure to save a seat for the rabbit.

RABBIT SEASONPhoto by Anne Stokes


20/32

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Load your Jeep and come to the

heart of the Sierra Nevada’s to cel-ebrate the one and only “JeepersJamboree.” This year’s events will

be featuring some of the most breathtaking scenery while traveling on the in-famous Rubicon Trail; the “Grand Dad-dy” of all trails. Jeepers Jamboree pro-vides full support with experienced trailguides and mechanics to conquer thislegendary trail.

Enjoy the adventure and challenges ofwheeling the trail and setting up campin Rubicon Springs, for 3 or 4 days of re-laxation. Be pampered with every mealprovided, a community campre, a no-host bar, and great entertainment! Anddon’t think we forgot the kids; attend

our Jeep Jamboree trip with “Camp Rubicon” for the kiddos. This is a great program supported byOHV State Parks and Rubicon Trail Foundation to educate the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts!

Kicking off the trips we will have our Jeepers Jamboree Outdoor Expo on Main Street in Georgetownon Wednesday, July 22, 2015 from 9am – 6pm. This event is free to the public!

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23/32

E 23

Talk about a power nap. Krystyna McKnighttook hers at the highest point in the con-tiguous United States. Sure it was just a“15-minute snooze” in her words, but at

14,505 feet in elevation, every breath, everysnore, every rapid eye movement is a well-earned respite.

“I didn’t sleep too well in the tent the night be-

fore; I was excited about the climb,” she said.Mcknight, 68, not only c limbed Mt. Whitney, thehighest peak in the Sierra Nevada range, butshe did it in one day, leaving their 8,360-footbase camp around 4 a.m. and returning at 5:30p.m. that same July evening.

“We could not get the permit to camp at the12,000 foot base camp,” she said.

In fact, McKnight and seven of her friends tried

to go as a group, but the demand to climb Mt.Whitney is such that the Forest Service limitsthe number of people on the trail to preventoveruse. Permits are required year-round and

Krystyna McKnight, 68, climbs Mount Whitney in a day

handed out through a lottery. To better theirodds, the group split up, with McKnight’s groupgetting a “day-use” permit as opposed to anovernight stay.

“None of us won the lottery,” she said. “Wechecked the internet every day and nally aspot for three opened up. My two friends andI took it.”

McKnight, who lives in Foresthill, is an avid hik-er. Her favorite walk is around the conuenceup to the Foresthill Bridge, but she prepared forthis by hiking Tahoe’s Mount Rose. The hike upWhitney was a 22-mile round trip with an eleva-tion gain of more than 6,100 feet. She hit thesummit at 12:30 p.m.

“I got up at 3:30 a.m. and had my coffee —which I cannot live without — and a peanut but-ter and honey sandwich,” she said. “I broughttwo liters of water and relled at the lake at12,000 feet. And power bars. You force yourselfto eat every two hours.”

H I K

I N G

View before the sun came up

Pat Gallegos and Krystyna McKnight.

MT. WHITNEY

HEIGHT: 14,505 feet (ranked 81st inprominence)

LOCATION: Sequoia National Park, InyoNational Forest, Calif.

SIERRA NEVADA RANGE

GEOLOGY: Granite from Cretaceousperiod

FIRST ASCENT: Aug. 18, 1872 by CharlesBegole, Albert Johnson and John Lucas

By Paul Cambra

Obtaining a coveted “overnight” permit allowsyou to backpack in and camp at the 12,000-footelevation base camp. Those unable to acquiresuch a permit have two options. Wait until nextyear or attempt what is considered an “extremeday hike.” Twelve to 18 hours of strenuous hik-ing along with the possibility of altitude sick-ness and the occasional treacherous surfacecondition. But the July weather proved to be

hiker-friendly, though she was glad she packeda windbreaker for the nal stretch.

“We saw a lot of rocks,” McKnight said. “Lotsand lots of rocks, no trees. I told my friends Ido not want to see any more rocks for at least ayear. But the view was spectacular.”

So she’ll wait a year and a month and she’ll do itall over again. While she failed to make the lot-tery again this year, she did take advantage ofa cancellation and will tackle the peak with hertwo sons, Lothar and Aaron, on Aug. 10.

“We are very excited,” she said.

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WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20 TICKETS: $22THE COUNTESS KATYA SMIRNOFF-SKYY:


25/32

E 25

The Countess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy does notseem like the type of woman who wouldgive you her age if you asked. But I do knowthat J. Conrad Frank is 35 years old.

The San Mateo native with the music degreefrom the University of Oregon is Katya’s al-ter-ego. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.

I’m pretty sure Conrad was not old enough tohave lived next door to John Lennon in New

York City. But Katya, well, in addition to herdigs in the Dakotas, she also claims to have ro-

By Paul Cambra

There’s more to Countess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy than meets the eye

manced William Shatner (I’m thinking T.J. Hook-er era). She now spends her days working theChanel counter at Macy’s, and her evenings en-tertaining audiences from cabaret stages acrossthe country.

We talked with Conrad/Katya and got a little in-sight into the mind within the mind of a Russian

revelation.

What can you tell us about Katya?

“She is the greatest mezzo-soprano understudy

the opera has even known. She is originally fromMoscow. Her late husband passed away and left

her nothing. She was destitute so she movedto America about 10 years ago to share her artwith the people. She brings with her a brand ofopera and pop that she calls popera!”

Any real-life characters that Katya is based on?

“She’s sort of based on a lot of women from mypast. She’s the eccentric aunt that everyone hasor wishes they had.”

What prompted you to make her Russian?

“I have and education in music — I was an op-era singer in college — and I came across a lotof stereotypes attached to opera singers. I am aRussophile in some sense and it just blossomed.She is an archetype. She’s a pretty eshed outlady.”

And a red head?

“Red is the best color for a lady to have.”

Her drink of choice?

“With a name like Smirnoff-Skyy, it can only bea vodka soda.”

What’s harder to pull off, the look or the voice?

“They go together. It’s just singing; the voice

happens. I try to look at how a 60-year-old popsinger would approach a song. The look is sortof a late ’50s, early ’60s aesthetic. She’s a put to-gether lady. She dresses according to the worldthat she believes she is a part of.”

How long have you been in this business?

“I’ve been doing theater since I was a kid butthe cabaret thing really took off 10 years ago.Katya’s gone all over the country. It’s the kind ofshow that everyone nds something in. Opera,rock, pop, old time theater stories. A booze-lled romp into a land of lovely self delusionand charming grandeur. Lots of glitz and glam-our and a lot of heart as well.”

How would you sum up the show?

“People will be surprised. The act is not whatyou would think of a typical drag show. Joseph

Wicht will provide piano accompaniment. Heis one of the premiere musical directors in SanFrancisco. You should leave feeling energizedand happy and hopefully a little bit drunk.”

BEHIND EVERY GREAT WOMAN …

WHERE: The Center for the Arts,314 W. Main St., Grass Valley

INFO: (530) 274-8384 ext. 14, thecenterforthearts.org.Proceeds benet PFLAG Nevada County

A ONE NIGHT STANDPresented by New Conservatory Theatre Center

By Paul Cambra

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530-771-3658

20% OFFENTIRE GUEST

CHECK One coupon, per check, per visit. Not valid with any other coupons or promotional offers. Coupon has no cash value.No change returned. Taxes and gratuity not included. Alcoholic beverages not included. Valid at participating Denny'srestaurants. Selection and prices may vary. Only original coupon accepted. Photocopied and Internet printed or purchasedcoupons are not valid. No substitutions. © 2014 DFO, LLC. Printed in the U.S.A. Offer ends 6-30-15.

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BLUE PANCAKES

FOR $4.99FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

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WE ALSO CARRY A PET CARE LINE • Shampoo & Conditioners• Ear, Eye, Teeth & Paw Wipes Sandi

Family Hair Care

• Beauty Supplies

• Nail & Skin Care

• Wellness Care

• Notary

We gladly accept Gift

Certifcates

Available

One coupon per customer. Not valid with anyother offer. Expires 6/30/15.

One coupon per customer. Not valid with anyother offer. Expires 6/30/15.

With purchase of $25 or more. One coupon per customer. Not valid with any

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VALUE $30.00! One coupon per customer.

Not valid with any other offer. Expires 6/30/15.

Best Winery ˜Best Red Wine


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Specializing in:• Family & Cosmetic Dentistry• Dental Implants

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• Crowns & Bridges

For Internet specials, visit our website at:

www. ReflectionsFamilyDentistry.com

(916) 989-24204202 Douglas Blvd.,Ste. 400, Granite Bay(Granite Bay Business Park)

Mon-Thurs 8-5, Fridays 7-3

Grand Opening! Located in Granite Bay | Dr. Steven H. Tsuchida

Family Dentistry

New Patient Special:FREE Custom Take Home Whitening System

OR Laser Teeth Whitening for $399(with exam, x-rays & cleaning)

We are excited to announce that we are now open

on Fridays with our New Associate Dr. Nicole Brizendine!!!

10850 Mt. Vernon Rd. • Auburn • 530.823.1111

Mt. Vernon Winery

Tanks for Voting us Best Winery

11 Years in a row,and Best Red Wine

this Year!

M t. Vernon Winery is the top award winning wineryin Placer County. The Taylor Family wishes to thank alltheir friends and customers for making them the Auburn’sBest Winery 11 years in a row. It’s been a great year andwe are now serving 18 fine wines in our tasting room.Please stop by for a tasting and visit us soon.

asting Room Open Turs - Sun 11-5

Any GarmentCleaned & Pressed

Prepaid. With coupon. Excludes leather,gowns & downs. Not valid with any

other offer. Expires 6-30-15.

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$350 $175 EachEach

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SENIOR SPECIAL every Wednesday$3.50 any garment (55 and older)

437 Grass Valley Hwy. • Auburn • 888-70062044 Nevada Hwy • Grass Valley • 272-8886

View All Listings @ AuburnsFinest.com

Cyndi Domenici

530.305.2092CalBRE#01123025

CUSTOM BUILT 3 Bedroom + Office, 2.5 BathSingle Story Home w/Oversized 3 Car Garageon Low Maintenance 1.2 Acre View Parcel.Offered @ $529,900

21970 Oak Ranch Rd., Auburn

PICNIC POPS CONCERT from 5-7 p.m. Sunday,June 28 at Pioneer Park, corner of Park Avenue andNimrod Street in Nevada City Free donations acC


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MIKEL PAUL plays from 6-9 p.m. Friday and Satur-day, June 5-6 at Naggiar Vineyards, 18125 RosemaryLane in Grass Valley. Free. June 12-13: Aaron Gay-don Duo. June 19: Regulators Duo. June 20: Cool

Bean’s Trio. June 26: Midnight Sun. Info: (530) 268-9059, naggiarvineyards.com.

BARWICK AND SIEGFRIED CD release partyplays at 8 p.m. Friday, June 5 at the Center for theArts, Off Center Stage, 314 West Main St. in Grass

Valley. Tickets $15 members, $28 non-member. Info:(530) 274-8384, thecenterforthearts.org.

MIKE GOROLL plays from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday,June 6 at Dono dal Cielo Vineyard and Winery, 6100Wise Road, Newcastle. Free. June 13: Dominator

and Friends. June 20: the Doubleshots. June 27: JonPauling Info: donodacielo.com.

JOHN MCCUTCHEON and Joe Hill’s Last Wellplays at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 7 at the Center forthe Arts, 314 West Main St. in Grass Valley. Tickets$20 members, $23 non-member; Preferred tickets:$35. Info: (530) 274-8384, thecenterforthearts.org.

JOHN MASSEY plays at 8 p.m. Friday, June 12 atDave’s Cave, 540 Wall St. in Auburn. Tickets: $15 adultsand $7 children/students. Info: newfaithucc.org.

PINNACLES, Number Station and Bull Goose Loo-ny at 8 p.m. Friday, June 12 at The Center for theArts, Off Center Stage, 314 W. Main St. in Grass Val-ley. Tickets: $10 members, $12 non-members. Info:(530) 274-8384, ext. 14, thecenterforthehearts.org.

STEVE SMITH and Vital Information NYC Editionat 8 p.m. Friday, June 12 at The Center for the Arts,314 W. Main St. in Grass Valley. Tickets: $24 mem-bers, $27 non-members. Info: (530) 274-8384, ext. 14,thecenterforthehearts.org.

WET INK plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 19 at PeaceLutheran Church, 828 W. Main St. in Grass Valley.Tickets: $25 adults, free youth 17 and under. Info:musicinthemountains.org.

MESSIAEN, Quartet for the End of Time plays at 2p.m. Saturday, June 20 at Peace Lutheran Church,828 W. Main St. in Grass Valley. Tickets: $10 adults, $5youth 17 and under. Info: musicinthemountains.org.

BENEFIT CONCERT for Hospitality House Concertfeatures Alice DeMicile and Halfpence and Hay-penny at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 21 at Sierra MountainCoffee Roasters, 671 Maltman Drive in Grass Valley.Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at the door.

ALBERT LEE with Cindy Cashdollar at 8 p.m. Friday,June 19 at The Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St. inGrass Valley. Tickets: $27 members, $32 non-mem-bers. Info: (530) 274-8384, ext. 14, thecenterforthe-

hearts.org.

AARON ROSS, See page 14.

THE EDGAR WINTER BAND See page 12.

THE WAILIN’ JENNYS See page 10.

RANDY NEWMAN performs at 8 p.m. Friday, June26 at the Nevada County Fairground, Outdoor MainStage, 11228 McCourtney Road in Grass Valley. Tick-ets: $15-$85. Info: musicinthemountains.org.

A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE STRAIT from 6-8:45 p.m.Saturday, June 27 at Naggiar Vineyards, 18125 Rose-mary Lane in Grass Valley. Cost: $43 members, $48non-members. Music by Strait Country. Info: (530)268-9059, naggiarvineyards.com.

CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE See page 06.

ALASDAIR FRASER’S Grand Fiddlers Rally on Sat-urday, June 27 at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium,255 South Auburn St. in Grass Valley. Tickets: $23

members, $25 non-members, $10 children ages 12and under. Premium seating with reserved parking:$33 members, $35 non-member. Info: the centerfort-hearts.org.

Nimrod Street in Nevada City. Free, donations ac-cepted for the Nevada County Concert Band. Info:(530) 272-6228, nccb.org.

A COMEDY OF ERRORS presented by Take NoteTroupe at 6 p.m. Friday, June 5 at the Auburn LibraryGarden Amphitheatre, 350 Nevada St. in Auburn.

Free. Info: takenotetroupe.org.

AN EVENING OF MAGIC with Nick Fedoroff at8 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at the Center for the Arts,Off Center Stage, 314 West Main St. in Grass Valley.Tickets $22 members, $25 non-member. Info: (530)274-8384, thecenterforthearts.org.

CALENDAR GIRLS” plays at 8 p.m. Friday and Sat-urday and 6 p.m. Sunday, June 6-7, at the NevadaCounty Horsemen’s Lodge, 10600 Bubbling WellsRoad in Grass Valley. Tickets: $20 general, $35 pre-ferred. Info: brownpapertickets.com/event/1311432.

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS at 8 p.m. Fridaysand Saturdays through June 5-27; Thursday, June11 and 25; and 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27 and Sun-day, June 14 at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad St. inNevada City. Tickets: $20 advance, $25 at the door.June 6 Gala night includes appetizers, beverages,

live music and reception with cast after show. All tick-ets $25. Info: (530) 268-5419, legacypresents.com.

HARVEY See page 19.

THE COUNTESS KATYA See page 25.

THE GLORY OF RUSSIAN BALLET See page 08.

CHASING ICE plays at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4 atthe State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way in Auburn. Tick-ets: $6 adults. Info: (530) 885-0156, livefromauburn.com

SILVER SCREEN CLASSIC explores a story from anovel by Raymond Chandler featuring private eyePhilip Marlowe at 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June6, in the Beecher Room of the Auburn Library, 350Nevada St. in Auburn. Free. Info: (530) 878-7938, au-burnsilverscreen.com.

EMERGING FILM MAKERS SHOWCASE from7-9 p.m. Thursday, June 18 at the State Theatre, 985Lincoln Way in Auburn. Info: (530) 885-0156, livefro-mauburn.com.

CRUISE NIGHT from 5-9 p.m. Friday, June 12 onLincoln Way, between Elm and High Streets inDowntown Auburn. Free.

PARTY IN THE PARK See page 18.

CHOCOLATE, WINE AND ART Indulgence from

6-9 p.m. Saturday, June 27 at the Sierra Vista Com-munity Center, 55 School St. in Colfax. Tickets: $20advance, $30 at the door. Event features chocolateand wine tastings, food, art and skits. Info: (530) 346-2013, (530) 320-0433, brownpapertickets.com.

E

C

LE CASQUE WINERY

TASTING ROOM


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L

e Casque Wines in Loomis bottles the taste

of the Sierra Foothills.

“People coming into the area I think are sur-prised that we have so many different offeringsand I think they’re always a little surprised atthe quality of wines,” said winemaker and LeCasque owner Kevin Stevenson. “We sourceour grapes from up to 10 different vineyards ayear from El Dorado County, Amador County,Placer County of course, and we get our Caber-

net Sauvignon from Napa.”

Le Casque specializes in Rhone varietals, Bor-deaux wines and blends created in small lots.

“We’re also kind of known for having the most

variety of white wines in Placer County,” Ste-venson said. “We do ve or six different whitewines every year. Most wineries around here doone or two.”

Stevenson, who runs the winery with wife Ann,got his foot into the winemaking industry man-aging the Clos du Lac vineyard in Loomis for 10years before striking out and creating his ownlabel.

“I knew all of the vineyard and all of the wineryowners in the area because I was selling our fruitto them,” he said. “I learned a lot about wine-

making working with those guys and startedmaking wine on my own. When we felt like wecould do it well, even on a very small scale, wedecided to jump in and do it commercially. Weslowly, slowly built it up over the years.”

The Stevensons started out small in 2006, pro-ducing their rst commercial vintage of less than200 cases of a handful of wines in 2008, untilopening their own production facility in 2011.

“We’ve grown steadily since then and we’re upto about 3,000 cases of production now and wedo probably anywhere from 12 to 14 different

wines a year,” he said.

In 2013, they opened a tasting room at Loom-is’ Flower Farm Inn, where wine acionados cansample up to nine different types of Le Casquewines and enjoy the lush farmhouse grounds.

“I love every wine in our tasting line up right now,that’s a fun thing when you’re excited about ev-ery wine,” Stevenson said. “Customers get to

taste a lot of different wines, not just one or two.I think they’ll be impressed with the quality andthe number of different offerings we have. We’repretty knowledgeable and friendly.”

Le Casque released four vintages in May, two2012 red wines, and 2013 and 2014 white wines.After a difcult 2011 production year, Stevensonis excited to offer these new wines.

“Our 2012 reds that we’re getting into now, I just love this vintage and I think this it’s reallyinteresting.,” he said. “It was a great growingyear. The 2013 and 2014 whites that we’re justnow getting into are both perfect vintages.”

After nearly a decade in the business, Steven-son is still in love with his job.

“You have to be really passionate about this,

and I’m really passionate about winemaking,”he said. “I tried to not go into the business, butI couldn’t stop myself, just because I love theprocess so much.”

Le Casque Wines in Loomis producesaward-winning vintages

THE TASTE OF THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS

By Paul Cambra

TASTING ROOM

WHERE: 9280 Horseshoe Bar Road,Loomis

HOURS: Friday-Sunday 11a.m.-5p.m.

INFO: (916) 652-2250, casquewines.com

OTHILL PROFESSIONALS


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OTHILL PROFESSIONALS

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Celebrate This


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13235B Grass Valley Avenue, Grass Valley, CA 95945(530) 273-4440 • www.the-range.biz

Celebrate This

Father’s Day

the Right Way!

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th 9am - 5pmand SUNDAY, JUNE 21st 9am - 3pm

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Bring Dad in to check out all the new firearms offered by ourSig Sauer and Springfield Armory representatives! Try outfirearms before you buy them or simply test fire a handgun

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