Leslie Dinaberg

Checking in with Santa Barbara’s homegrown McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams at 75 years young.

Paula Cole and her band at the Lobero Theatre on April 24, 2024 | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg A lot of water has gone under the bridge since Paula Cole hit the spotlight as a solo artist with her 1997 hit “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone.” Starting her career as a backup singer for Peter Gabriel on his elaborate 1993–1994 Secret World Tour, where they filmed a concert video back when concert videos were a BIG DEAL — and it went on to win a Grammy as “Best Music Video, Long Form” and the subsequent live album became a hit around the U.S. and Europe — Cole spoke a little bit about that almost 30-year-old tour at her April 24 show at the Lobero. “It was five star everything and it was all downhill from there. I learned so much on that tour and from that experience — I learned I didn't want to be a backup singer,” she shared. And indeed, she's been performing as a solo artist ever since, reaching deep into her catalog of songs as she did in Santa Barbara to play both her almost universally recognizable hits like Cowboys, “Me” (from the 1996 album This Fire ) and probably most famously “I Don't Want to Wait” (from that same 1996 album). That song that came into the zeitgeist in a big way as the theme song for Dawson's Creek , the 1998-2003 teen television series that also made stars out of James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson. With long blonde hair and a long blonde dress (which looked like a cross between Stevie Nicks and The Witches of Eastwick ), her beautiful voice — which can range from the jazzy (she attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she studied jazz singing and improvisation) to hard rocking, then loving and soulful — took us through an evening of songs that included deep cuts like “Tiger,” “I Believe In Love,” “Carmen,” “ Strong Beautiful Woman ,” and “Feelin' Love.” New numbers from her 2024 album Lo (her 11th studio album) also dotted the set. Those included “Follow the Moon,” “Green Eyes Crying,” “take it take it take it,” “Wildflower,” “Flying Home,” and the poignant “The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr,.” dedicated to her late friend friend and artistic mentor Mark Hutchins who turned her on to a lot of music, including those two bands. As much as we appreciated the new music, and understood how annoying it might be to write a song in your 20s that people want you to continue playing for the rest of your life, the audience (myself included) still really, really wanted to hear her play “I Don't Want to Wait.” I was afraid it wasn't going to happen. We waited and waited and waited for that one till the encore. As Cole told the Lobero crowd before she finally played it for us, it was never really intended to be a teen pop song, but rather “this is a song about my grandfather. It's about generational trauma. … This is not some light pop song.” That may be true enough, but hearing it sung live was still enough to bring us back to a lighter and easier time in our lives.

Review | Willie Nelson's Still Got a Show to Play at Age 91 Singing “Don't Bury Me, I've Got a Show to Play” at the Santa Barbara Bowl, the American Icon Plays On Willie Nelson & The Family perform at the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 24, 2024 | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg Just a few days shy of his 91st birthday, Willie Nelson was in fine form at the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 24, showing off why he's been one of America's foremost musical icons for close to a century. From the moment he dramatically put his red, white and blue guitar strap around his neck and a giant American flag came down as a backdrop, during his entire seated performance, Willie made all of us smile and stand at attention, at least metaphorically. Backed by his longtime touring and recording band The Family, the set list of familiar favorites included a mix of covers — “Whiskey River” (apparently his traditional opening song), “Stay a Little Longer,” Always on my Mind,” “Good Hearted Woman,” “Move it on Over,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “It's Hard to Be Humble,” and “Write Your Own Songs” — and Willie's own compositions — “Still is Still Moving to Me,” “Bloody Mary Morning,” “I Never Cared for You,” “Mama Don't Let Your Babies Be Cowboys,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” “On the Road Again,” “Help Me Make it Thru the Night,” “Georgia On My Mind,” and “Fast Train to Georgia,” among others. To the enthusiastic singalong crowd's ears, whatever youthful vigor he once played with was more than made up for by his unfiltered tenacity, pure talent, and heartfelt vocals. And it's hard not to be charmed by a 90-year-old singing “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me” — especially when you know that Willie, a famous fan of reefer who started the cannabis company Willie's Reserve in 2015, really means it! Prior to the show I don't think I realized quite how impressive his song catalog is. Though this was my first time seeing Willie Nelson live, memories of hearing his music sung at backyard gatherings and on camping trips came flooding back. I've been listening to songs like “On the Road Again” and “Mama Don't Let Your Babies Be Cowboys” — not to mention the Willie-penned classic “Crazy” made famous by Patsy Cline — for what feels like my whole life . When he brought his family (including an adorable granddaughter) up onstage for the last few songs, including “Will the Circle Be Unbroken / I'll Fly Away,” it was a suitable ending to his solid but somewhat short set. (I believe he played the contracted 75 minute show to the minute.) But as writer Turk Pipkin aptly said about Nelson, “he united the hippies and the rednecks” — and he united the Santa Barbarians too. It felt like we were all family at the Bowl that night, just singing around the campfire together to our favorite Willie Nelson tunes.

Alonzo King LINES 'Deep River' was presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures at the Arlington on April 26, 2024 | Photo: David Bazemore Alonzo King LINES Ballet's performance of Deep River was anything but traditional. Stopping in at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara on April 26 — between performances at the oh-so-prestigious Lincoln Center in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. — this extremely contemporary ballet is more transformational than traditional, definitely breaking barriers of the form, with nary a tutu in sight and only one or two of the dozen dancers en pointe. Created as part of LINES Ballet's 40th anniversary season last year, choreographer Alonzo King is a Santa Barbara High School grad, so his homecoming made the local performance all the more special. The show itself is a tapestry of beautiful forms and shapes, with spiritually inspired music from both Black and Jewish traditions, composed by Jason Moran and sung primarily by Lisa Fischer, a powerhouse vocalist who I remember well from the documentary 20 Feet From Stardom . She performs on stage for some of the venues, but in Santa Barbara the music was recorded rather than live. However, the majority of the company is on stage for most of the time, with solos and pas de deux woven seamlessly together, all very much a part of the whole. As the choreography alternates between ensembles there are angular ripples of sharp movements and turbulence, but mostly the river of motion just keeps rolling along. It's such an aesthetically pleasing piece, it's easy to appreciate it even without the more traditional constructions of story. King himself declined to discuss many specifics of the meaning of Deep River , preferring to have the audience draw their own conclusions from a mostly abstract, non-linear experience, as he shared with UCSB Professor of Theater and Dance Ninotchka Bennahum in a “talk back” after the performance. In a preview interview King told Independe nt reporter Callie Fausey that the piece was intended as a reminder that “love is the ocean that we rose from, swim in, and will one day return to,” and that love can set us free. The program notes described Deep River as “a call to keep hope, to make the lotus bloom in the mud, and to look at each other as a family of souls.” The show was also yet another excellent reminder of how fortunate dance fans are to have UCSB Arts & Lectures in our hood. Some of my personal takeaways invoked imagery of a river flowing together and then apart, as well as scenes that made me think of slavery and bondage. But the bare, minimalistic staging put the dancing itself at the forefront of the show, rather than the storytelling. And the dancers themselves definitely made for an enjoyable evening punctuated by strength, musicality, and athleticism. Alonzo King LINES 'Deep River' was presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures at the Arlington on April 26, 2024 | Photo: David Bazemore

Alma Rosa’s annual “Peace of Mind” fundraiser brings critical dollars to mental health nonprofits.

The party is always hopping at the Downtown Santa Barbara LIVE Art & Wine Tour | Photo: Fritz Olenberger The culinary world and Santa Barbara's cultural life intertwine enticingly at the 22nd Annual Downtown Santa Barbara LIVE Art & Wine Tour. Held in the heart of the city, on Thursday, May 16, starting at 5:30 p.m., more than 30 of the top restaurants, wineries, and breweries will come together for a live art walk and tour through venues including the office of Jeff Shelton Architect; shopping spot 33 Jewels; ARM Studio, the home of American Riviera Media; Sunkissed Pantry, a zero-waste refillery shop; Paseo Nuevo shopping mall; Longoria Wines; The Shade Store home furnishings; and Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB), upstairs in Paseo Nuevo. Each venue will host some kind of live art activity, as well as food and wine offerings. Then the final party will convene at Santa Barbara Historical Museum starting at 7:30 p.m., where there will be even more local delectables, specialty drinks, a silent auction, and fun tunes from Val-Mar Records. As the Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara's primary fundraiser of the year, all proceeds from the Downtown LIVE Art & Wine Tour will support the Downtown Public Art, Activations, and Events Fund, benefiting programs such as Pianos on State, 1st Thursday, Concerts on State Street, and upcoming community activations. Tickets are $110. See for more information and purchases.

Sofi Tukker | Photo: Rob Woodcox Few things are more pleasurable than an evening of music under the stars, and the charms of the Santa Barbara Bowl continue to enchant us, no matter how many times we get to experience them. The music has begun to play, even as pieces of the programming puzzle — with 36 shows between the months of April and October — is still being unveiled. Recent announcements include Sofi Tukker, who is bringing the BREAD Tour to town on November 7 (tickets go on sale May 10, see sbbowl.com for details). The Florida-based EDM duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern brings Brazilian funk sounds and elements to the stage in support of their new album, Bread (an acronym for “Be Really Energetic and Dance”) which comes out on August 23. See the video for the album's single “Throw Some Ass” here Stephen Sanchez , who comes to the Bowl September 14 with special guest The Brook & The Bluff, was also just announced. His breezy baritone stylings and warm guitar phrasing evokes a simpler, more romantic era that belies this young artist in his 20s. See his video for “Until I Found You” here A strong season kicked off with in April with two evenings that highlight the exceptional variety of music we get to enjoy at the Bowl: a double bill of Social Distortion and Bad Religion (read Zak Klobucher's review at https://bit.ly/3Uync9R ), followed by Willie Nelson & Family on the eve on the country music legend's 91st birthday (read my review at https://bit.ly/4bwgnN8 There's more country music up next, with Cody Jinks and special guest The Steel Woods coming on May 18. The Texas-based Jinks has released ten studio albums, sold over 2 million equivalent units and garnered more than 3.5 billion streams across platforms with over 1 billion streams on Spotify and 1.7 billion streams on Pandora, earning him a Pandora Radio Billions Award. Known for his electric live performances, Jinks' 2024 schedule includes stops at Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater and Los Angeles' Greek Theatre, along with the Bowl. See his latest video for “Outlaws and Mustangs” at https://bit.ly/3yd3N73 Natalie Merchant , who first came to our attention as the frontwoman for 10,000 Maniacs, is at the Bowl on May 23. She left that group in 1994 and has subsequently released nine albums as a solo artist with combined sales of seven million copies: Tigerlily Ophelia Natalie Merchant Live Motherland The House Carpenter's Daughter Leave Your Sleep Natalie Merchant Paradise Is There (2015), and Butterfly (2017). See the video for her 2023 song “Sister Tilly” at https://bit.ly/4duRHpY The following night, May 24, 1990s-current day favorites Queens of the Stone Age hit the stage. Check out some of their greatest hits — from “Go With The Flow” to “Little Sister,” “No One Knows” and oh-so-many more — at https://bit.ly/44BdDvr Rounding up the May lineup on May 31 is Brothers Osborne , followed by Tedeschi Trucks Band on June 5, Pentatonix on June 6, and one of my personal favorite artists, Elvis Costello , who plays the Bowl on June 14 co-headlining with Daryl Hall (no Oates, long story, see https://to.pbs.org/3ybLxuD for the PBS report), as well as The Imposters with guest Charlie Sexton Whiskey Myers takes the stage on June 18, then it's the Totally Tubular Festival on June 28, with an impressive lineup of 80s favorites including Thomas Dolby, Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey, Modern English, Men Without Hats, The Romantics, Bow Wow Wow, Tommy Tutone , and The Plimsouls . (I'm pretty sure that almost everyone I went to college with will be there, but whether they do lines in the bathroom remains to be seen.) Cage the Elephant is up next on July 3, with special guests Young the Giant and Bakar . Then comedian Bert Kreischer comes on July 20, followed by the reggae stylings of Ziggy Marley return on July 21, and two nights of Rebelution August 14-15. Comedian Chelsea Handler brings back the funny on August 17, followed by Gary Clark Jr. on August 22, Kings of Leon on August 26, and Lauren Daigle on August 28. September begins with John Fogarty on September 1, with special guests George Thorogood & The Destroyers , along with Hearty Har , then it's time for the almost annual show from Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, with Big Boi this time on September 5. Iration & Pepper stop by the Bowl September 8, then it's Wallows on September 9, Stephen Sanchez (as mentioned above) on September 14, and the Indigo Girls and Amos Lee on September 21. The October shows haven't been announced yet, and the only November show so far is Sofi Tukker on November 7 (as mentioned above), so as fun as this all sounds, we've still got a few more surprises to come. Visit sbbowl.com for a complete list of shows and more information about the 2024 Santa Barbara Bowl season. Cody Jinks | Photo: Courtesy

Leaders in Education Honored at 2024 AWC-SB Women of Achievement Awards Association for Women in Communications – Santa Barbara Honors Katya Armistead, Yolanda Medina-Garcia, Susan Salcido, and Wendy Sims-Moten AWC-SB Women of Achievement Honorees: (L to R) Katya Armistead, Yolanda Medina-Garcia, Susan Salcido, Wendy Sims-Moten | Photo: Veronica Slavin The theme was Lessons in Leadership: Connecting & Communicating as Education Evolves as four outstanding leaders in education — Katya Armistead, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Life at UCSB; Yolanda Medina-Garcia, retired Director of Starr King Parent-Child Workshop and SBCC educator; Susan Salcido, Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools; and Wendy Sims-Moten, Executive Director of First 5 Santa Barbara County — were recognized as Women of Achievement by the Association for Women in Communications – Santa Barbara ( AWC-SB ) at a luncheon on May 1. Presented by Women Connect4Good as the lead sponsor, more than 150 guests, including AWC-SB members, public officials, and sponsors, filled the historic Cabrillo Pavilion to celebrate the honorees and their work that embodies this year's theme. Radio personality Catherine Remak was the emcee and led a discussion illuminating the communication skills that all of the honorees bring to their work on a daily basis. “Celebrating our educational champions highlights the pivotal role of communication in their leadership journey,” said Hilary Lyn, AWC-SB Board President. “The impact of their work underscores the importance of effective dialogue in driving positive change and shaping future generations.” Honorees shared the joys and challenges of communication in their work. They had insights into a range of topics, including verbal and nonverbal personal communications, transparency, navigating social media, and using new technologies for messaging students, parents, and community members. “Communication is key,” said Sims-Moten. “And learning and listening are evergreen.” All of the honorees highlighted the importance of being true to oneself, respectful, and “graciously honest.” They also said a few times that children should be encouraged to be creative, bold, social, and to go outdoors. Medina-Garcia, who has worked with parents and young children for decades, mentioned the role of nonverbal communication and the importance of being real. “Children know if you're being sincere.” Toward the end of the discussion the honorees were asked to give the younger generation recommendations for effective communication. “I encourage young people to remain curious, and to take time to do research before coming up with quick answers and sound bites,” said Salcido. The other honorees expressed their hopes that adults will model civic engagement, and that those starting out will be honest, have positive dialogue, and become lifelong learners. “As individuals and collectively, this year's honorees capture the essence of leadership recognized by the AWC-SB Women of Achievement event, which recognizes exemplary women communicators, providing inspiring role models for women pursuing careers in journalism, public speaking, writing, public relations, filmmaking, photography, and related disciplines,” said AWC-SB Board Member Jennifer LeMay. AWC-SB empowers women to develop and deepen the communication skills they need to succeed in a variety of fields and is governed by an all-volunteer board that includes President Hilary S. Lyn and board members: Leslie Dinaberg, Claudia Dunn, Jerrol Golden, Brooke Holland, Carolyn Jabs, Lauren Bianchi Klemann, Monica Kunz, Jennifer LeMay, Kim Ofilas, Lisa Osborn, Ana Papakhian, Judith Smith-Meyer, Joan Tapper, and Maisee Thao. The organization was founded in 2006 by communications consultant Lois Phillips, publisher Mindy Bingham, and producer Deborah Hutchison. For more information, see awcsb.org The Santa Barbara County Education Office team working with Susan Salcido (center, in pink) includes Independent writers Camila Barnwell (in blue, to her right) and Amy R. Ramos (in white, to her left). | Photo: Monie Photography

I had so much fun last year, I'm back for another round of BottleRock this Memorial Day weekend. This festival truly does bring together some of my favorite things, all of which happen to handily fall in my entertainment and lifestyle coverage area — great music, delicious wine, fabulous food, easy travel, and the kickoff to summer — all coalescing with three days of live performances, foodie fun, and festivities on three music stages, plus a culinary stage. I can't wait to share it all with our readers. The list of headliners is pretty dynamite: Stevie Nicks, Megan Thee Stallion, Pearl Jam, Maná, Ed Sheeran, and Queens of the Stone Age (who also happen to be stopping at the Santa Barbara Bowl on May 24 before heading to Napa for their May 26 show). But the list goes on and on, including St. Vincent, Miike Snow, Bebe Rexha, Pete Yorn, Say She She, Santa Barbara's own Chris Shiflett (whose day job is lead guitarist with the Foo Fighters), Oliver Tree, Cold War Kids, Kali Uchis, My Morning Jacket, The Kid Laroi, Tower of Power, The Aquadolls, Dominic Fike, Norah Jones, The Offspring, and Stephen Sanchez (who is coming to the Bowl September 14), to name just a few of the more than 75 bands playing over the long weekend. The wine, food, and beverage offerings are every bit as high level as the artists. And there are plenty of wine cabanas, beverage bars, and food tents located throughout the festival grounds (rather than all in only one area). One of my favorite special touches at last year's BottleRock was the highly entertaining Williams Sonoma culinary stage, which mashed up celebrities from the world of music, film, and TV with top chefs and culinary rock stars. While the 2024 culinary stage details will be announced at a later date, last year featured chef celebs José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, Aarón Sánchez, and the Voltaggio Brothers alongside musicians Lil Nas X, John Taylor and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, Wu-Tang Clan, Sammy Hagar, Dancer Derek Hough (who took off his shirt and leapt in an ice bath onstage), and Keanu Reeves in the kitchen, among others. One of the other nice things about BottleRock is how close the different stages are to each other. Last year there were a few artists playing at the same time where I was truly torn about which one to go to, so I split my time. Granted, you can't get up super close to the stage by doing that, but that's not usually my preference at these things with big crowds anyway. The 2024 musical lineup for BottleRock | Photo: Courtesy And then there's the wine. This is Napa Valley after all. “Each year BottleRock raises the bar in offering an unparalleled blend of world-class music, the finest Napa Valley wines, and incredible culinary delights,” shared John Anthony Truchard, Founder and CEO of JaM Cellars, the presenting sponsor for the eighth year. “As part of this extraordinary three-day festival we're inspired every year to bring something new to the festival experience. This year we're delighted to debut new wines Butter Sauvignon Blanc and Butter Pinot Noir alongside classics Butter Chardonnay and Butter Cab at the JaMPad stage and lounge.” Additional wineries pouring include Caymus Vineyards, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Miner Family Winery, Cardinale, Shafer Vineyards, Schramsberg Vineyards, Blackbird Vineyards, Silverado Vineyards, Emmolo Wines, Frias Family Vineyard, Sinegal Estate, Mumm Napa, Robledo Family Winery, Lang & Reed, Vintner's Diary, Mathiasson Wines, and Art House Wines. Credit: Courtesy

Xochitl Gonzalez | Photo: Mayra Castillo As a Latina woman on the bestseller list, not to mention being recognized as a Pulitzer Prize finalist (for her commentary columns in The Atlantic ), and even getting the Reese Witherspoon bump for his latest book, Xochitl Gonzalez is admittedly breathing some pretty rarified air. Asked if she feels pressure to be a role model, in a phone conversation last week from her home in Brooklyn, she said, “I don't want to say pressure, I feel it is part of my job … I feel it is part of my responsibility to when possible, help other Latino writers and other bipoc writers who are not set up with the same things that I was set up with.” In the story of Olga Dies Dreaming , two Brooklyn born siblings of Puerto Rican descent (one a wedding planner and one a politician) vie for the American dream until Hurricane Maria drags their estranged political activist mother back into their lives. The story of Anita de Monte Laughs Last involves two Latina women a generation apart — one an artist from Cuba and one a Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican art history student at Brown University — in two separate timelines that twist together to paint a complex portrait of power and privilege that goes far beyond the art world settings. And the story of Xochitl Gonzalez, the author of both novels — who is not coincidentally a Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican who once studied art history at Brown University and was also a wedding planner — has its own entertaining plot twists and turns, including publishing her first book at age 40 after a successful career as an entrepreneur that parlayed into one as a journalist for publications like The Cut Real Simple , and of course, The Atlantic , which earned her the aforementioned Pulitzer props, and where she still contributes regularly. My conversation with Gonzalez, like the stories in both Olga and Anita , had its own nice balance of style and substance. She's quick with her responses and quick to laugh in a way that does nothing to undermine herself and her many accomplishments. Excelling in that sweet spot of creating commercial fiction with something substantial to say about the world we live in is something that Gonzalez is always aware of in her work. “I think that I come firmly from the perspective that reading is a leisure activity. And it's probably, I think many would say, an increasingly competitive activity amongst other leisure activities. To me, it's entertainment. And I never lose sight of that. And so, I feel like I want it to be something that is challenging to the reader in terms of content and concepts and emotions. But that is enjoyable and pleasurable in terms of story and offers some diversion. I think I try to think about it, you know, as providing a form of entertainment in some way.” Indeed, I plowed through both novels in less than a week, was sad when they finished, and can't wait to hear her speak at UCSB's Campbell Hall on Friday, May 17. “The talk that I'm giving (titled Latinx Voices Are American Voices ) is to sort of reframe the context of the American story,” said Gonzalez. “Mainly, I feel so lucky to be getting to do this. And I think that there was a long mythology that our stories wouldn't sell or there wouldn't be crossover for our perspectives. You know, I think one of the things that's intriguing about my career at The Atlantic is that my pieces do really well. I write with a Latina perspective on things, but I don't just write about Latina things, which so often, we get ghetto-ized. You know what I mean? So, I think, if anything, it's like, I just want to keep cracking open that for other people — we can bring our identity to lots of things. And it can have appeal.” She continued, “Part of why I'm giving the talk that I'm giving, that Latino voices are American voices, is to sort of reframe the way we are considered within the context of an American story.” Not to digress, she continued, “but I do always say l my grandfather's family, like my dad's family, was from a border town in Texas. And one day, you know, it's Mexico. And the next day, it's America. And my grandfather's family on my mom's side became Americans because Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States. So nobody emigrated anywhere. And we've been in this country for a really long time now. We've been Americans for generations. So I think that is not every Latino's experience, but to keep presenting us as always sort of new to this culture, at this point is sort of, you know, incorrect. … I write Latino literature, obviously, but I write American literature as well. It's also American literature. So that kind of distinction feels important to me, in a larger sense.” UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Xochitl Gonzalez speaking about Latinx Voices Are American Voices on Friday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Campbell Hall. See artsandlectures.ucsb.edu for info.