Bud break is a harbinger of spring’s warming. It’s been rainy and cold the last couple of months. Now that the sun is rising earlier and days are getting longer, Mother Nature is responding. Bud break occurs when warmth and sun encourage nutrients to swell hard nodules until they bust out leaves. Leaves harvest light and manufacture energy.
Pictures clockwise from left: zinfandel (Vitis vinifera) vine budding; western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), one of the first flowering trees, unmistakable with its redbuds covering bare branches; and blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), a native plant which is drought tolerant and thrives from coastal chaparral to wooded slopes from California to Oregon.
Activities in the ’Burg are also busting out all over.
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts held its annual fundraising event with the Art of Dessert gala featuring over 100 children singing “It’s a Wonderful World.” The children celebrated LBC bringing musical instruments and art into their lives. The evening featured Susan Preston, board chair, and Rekha Skantharaja, a board member who spoke about how art enabled her transformation from a shy minority girl to a confident young woman.
LBC is more than a concert venue; it’s a community-based educational force changing children’s lives. Reportedly, the auction busted through fund-raising expectations.
Speaking of music, expectations and busting it out, four Grammy Award-winning artists took the stage Friday night at the Elephant in the Room, KC Mosso’s local pub. Willie Waldman’s sultry trumpet tones favored creating music over playing songs. His band and guest artists slayed it.
Drummer Tony Austin supplied a driving backbeat like a Ferrari engine motoring city streets growling to find an open road. Seriously, YouTube this guy. Effortless speed.
Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila tore it up, as well as guitarist Eric Devaney. Special guests included a young rapper from the audience; Willie brought him on-stage for a tryout—amazing! And then, special guest, MC Radioactive. This guy is a band in a body. It bends the mind to recognize he makes music solely from his breath. Kudos KC.
Fun facts: Here’s the difference between a rapper, an MC and a DJ—a rapper rhymes and focuses on songs; an MC guides and leads an audience; and a DJ primarily chooses, transitions and mixes songs.
