Cover Story
Lend me a stage: PCPA’s Brad Carroll directs the play he co-wrote and premiered in London’s West End, ‘Lend Me a Tenor the Musical,’ for its Central Coast debut
You don’t need much help to find the rehearsal space where Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) actors and students prepare for their productions. I followed a loose list of directions, turning down the small asphalt road behind the Santa Maria Costco’s tire service center, convinced for a brief moment I was lost. A small group of…
Legendary
Wish you could go back in time and catch a concert with late and great musicians? Well now you can, kind of. Local director Mary Meserve-Miller is resurrecting her Legends series to bring Legends Show: Sweet Baby James, a musical tribute to James Taylor to the Avila Room at the Monarch Club in Nipomo on…
SLO and democracy’s future
On May 2, the San Luis Obispo City Council split 3-2 and rejected, for the last time, an opportunity for the public to consider one of the most important questions regarding the operation of democracy. They declined to take up discussion of a democracy voucher program, which would provide a tax rebate to voters that…
Local biannual music festival Shabang descends on Laguna Lake Park on May 6
Prepare yourself for the return of Shabang, the biannual music festival that, according to co-founder and fourth year Cal Poly student Greg Golf, brings “together the greatest aspects of life—friends, family, art, nature, and music—to create a euphoric experience for our fans and inspire love for the Central Coast through charitable donations.” The first Shabang,…
Comedian Lewis Black brings Rant, White, and Blue tour to Cal Poly
Whatever side of the political spectrum you may fall on right now, odds are you’re mad as h-e-double-hockey-sticks. And comedian and satirist Lewis Black wants you to know that’s OK. “Anger does get a bad rap,” Black said. “It depends how it’s used. You can use it in a positive way.” And Black (best known…
Do you think any future rental housing inspection program should be approved by voters or by a council?
Robin Boisseau county employee “It should be the voters because I don’t think our City Council lives in the real world.” Jody Kocsis PR manager for SLOMA “Ultimately the voters are directly impacted so their voices should be heard.” Tony Cotta tech advisor “The voters, because I advocate for visibility and it’s an issue that…
Paso ArtsFest canceled as event outgrows volunteers, resources
This upcoming Memorial Day weekend, for the first time in the past eight years, thousands of people won’t gather in downtown Paso Robles, paintings and canopies won’t cover the park lawn, and stilt walkers won’t rival the height of the gazebo. For the better part of a decade, Paso ArtsFest, put on by Studios on…
Good vibes
Motion of the ocean: Libertine Brewing Co. is set to release its newest beer, Sea Shepherd Gose, benefitting the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Brewed with seawater, kelp, and blood oranges, proceeds from the beer will go directly toward helping the nonprofit’s 40-year mission protecting Central Coast ocean wildlife. Celebrate this feel-good release with a May…
Buy your buddy a beer at Santa Maria Brewing Co.
There is nothing more altruistic than buying your buddy a beer, especially when they have no idea about the good deed you’ve done. At Santa Maria Brewing Company’s Nipomo Taproom, you can do just that (they’ll even write your pal’s name on the big chalkboard so they can redeem their gift upon their next visit).…
The chef, the baker, and the tacomaker: Meet Heirloom Catering’s seasonally sensational masterminds
As it turns out, men can be total gossips. Working among a crew of guys at Back Porch Bakery’s first location in San Luis Obispo, baker Brittney Yracheta could feel her cheeks burn. Whispers and playful jabs centered on frequent visits from Chef Mateo Rogers, then executive chef at The Hatch in Paso Robles. Rogers…
Bingeable: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return
When? 2017 | What’s it rated? NR | Where’s it available? Streaming on Netflix. One of the best things about being a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan is bumping into other people who love the show just as much as you do. It almost never fails. Go to any social event and drop a classic…
Wild things in SLO
Owls, hawks, and falcons, oh my! See all sorts of wild creatures up close and personal at Mission Plaza on May 13 in celebration of the Pacific Wildlife Care’s 30th anniversary. The Wild in the Plaza event will run from noon to 4 p.m. and includes live entertainment reminiscent of a European street faire with…
Mid-life crisis
No one likes getting stuck in a rut, but what if the answer was to simply run away and start over somewhere new? That’s the dilemma facing the titular protagonist in Shirley Valentine, opening at the Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria on May 12. Wondering what has happened to her youth and feeling stagnant and…
Original Women’s Narratives at Cal Poly tells stories of womanhood in college
Cal Poly’s Chumash Auditorium is packed to the brim with one of the most diverse crowds you’ll see at an event in San Luis Obispo—people of all ages, colors, and walks of life take their seats for the sold-out April 28 showing of OWN—Original Women’s Narratives. OWN is the Cal Poly Gender Equity Center’s take…
‘Lend Me a Tenor the Musical’ brings a big hit to PCPA
It would be almost impossible to claim to not like Lend Me a Tenor the Musical. To do so would mean turning one’s nose up at the original and legendary Broadway comedy written by Ken Ludwig, from which the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s current musical production was adapted. A musical, Broadway or otherwise, should leave you…
The business of college
The corporatization of higher education continues on at Cal Poly, which seems to have decided that education should be more like sausage making—highly efficient sausage making overseen by layer after layer of administrators micromanaging the beleaguered faculty trying to stuff ground-up students into uniform casings. As the popular state university’s student body continues to grow,…
Go crawl back under your rock!
Sad. Yet amusing, that the only way toxic Republicans could achieve their goals to be as mean-spirited to everyone and everything non-them as possible was to bullshit into office another of their lowlife ilk. A casino guy who once said he would have made a great mafioso, “one of the greatest” (New York magazine, Nov.…
Settled lawsuit doesn’t settle SLO’s financial woes
As one of the successful plaintiffs on the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the city of San Luis Obispo’s rental inspection ordinance, I am pleased with the outcome of our lawsuit at this time. Unfortunately, the city had promised and spent itself into a financial straitjacket. The city will come back again to try to…
The gaping divide
New Times is to be commended for publishing Al Fonzi’s opinion piece “The racist roots of Earth Day” (April 27). The article reveals the growing, seemingly unbridgeable gap between far right conspiracy theorists and the rest of us. Other than a brief reference to “our feathered friends” while advocating a return to the widespread use…
SLO still needs better housing
The recent controversies about the city of SLO’s rental inspection ordinance seemed to me, frankly, to be somewhat of a proverbial “tempest in a teapot.” I don’t mean to belittle anyone’s opinions and passions on the issue, but it would seem a reasonable arrangement could have been arrived at. I fail to see why a…
One man’s failures are another’s hopes
Despite somersaults and cartwheels by the Trump administration to come up with a list of achievements in its first 100 days, the simple fact is that The Donald has accomplished precious little during his presidential honeymoon other than take several trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort where he seems content to brush up on his golf.…
Sound logic
As most people know, the word “argument” can be used in two ways. More commonly, we talk about “having an argument,” by which we mean a heated exchange that generally starts with a strong emotional response such as hurt feelings. When we’re having an argument, it’s often harder to see the real source of conflict…
A cow adventure
Perched at the peak of Islay Hill is a large beige statue of a cow standing on its hind legs. The cow peers carefully through a pair of binoculars while hanging off a large wooden pole. Out of context, this is a strange addition to the picturesque view of the Islay Hill hike. However, for…
Lack of foster care families is a growing concern in SLO County
According to SLO County resident Ann Ward, the decision to open her home to youth in SLO County’s foster care system was just as rewarding as it was challenging. “It gave me a purpose,” said Ward, who along with her husband has been a foster care family for more than 30 years, taking in everyone…
Correction
In the April 27 news brief “Atascadero City Council still discussing marijuana,” the quotes and opinions attributed to Atascadero City Councilman Charles Bourbeau were falsely attributed. They should have been attributed to City Councilman Brian Sturtevant.
High school tennis courts are racket-ready
After new pavement, fences, and lighting, the students at Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo high schools finally get the chance to practice their skills on those remodeled tennis courts. The projects were completed with the funds from Measure D, a $177 million bond measure aimed to renovate schools within the San Luis Coastal Unified…
Grover Beach is closer to passing medical pot biz regulations
Grover Beach is within spitting distance of becoming one of the most marijuana friendly cities in SLO County. On May 1, members of the City Council conducted their first reading of two ordinances to permit and regulate commercial medical marijuana businesses in certain areas of the city. The permitting regulations and zoning ordinances would open…
Local agencies join to manage Atascadero groundwater
Long-term local management of Atascadero groundwater is starting to take shape under the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). On May 2, the SLO County Board of Supervisors entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Templeton Community Services District, Paso Robles, Atascadero, Atascadero Mutual Water Company, and a few other small water entities to…
Accused murderer faced months-long wait for mental health transfer
A Morro Bay man accused of killing his father spent months waiting to be transferred to state psychiatric hospital after being declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. According to court records, 22-year-old William Joel Schonberger spent more than 60 days in SLO County Jail awaiting a transfer to Atascadero State Hospital. “He languished for several…
The Tribune drops jobs amid corporate shake-up
SLO County’s major daily newspaper quietly laid off at least three newsroom employees on May 2 amid steadily declining revenues from its parent company. Tribune General Manager and Vice President of Human Resources Devon Goetz confirmed that the paper eliminated a “small number of positions” from the newsroom as part of “expense reductions.” Those included…
Clubs 5/4/17 – 5/11/17
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.: Singer/Songwriter Night every Wed. from 8-10pm. 1462 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande, 474-8525, figmtnbrew.com. 5/5: Kenny Taylor Band from 8:30-11pm; 5/12: Matt Cross from 8:30-11pm. HARRY’S NIGHT CLUB AND BEACH BAR: Cypress and Pomeroy, downtown Pismo Beach, 773-1010.…
