GIANT JUNIPER Matt Ritter, left, and Michael Kauffmann visit the world’s largest juniper in the Sierra Nevada, California. Photo by Joe Johnston/Cal Poly Photographer
SoHum author and professional drummer Michael Curran has released a new book, Looking North, about the Northern Humboldt music scene.
Looking North is the story of a mythical bouncer at a blues bar in San Francisco, who discovers the music, surf, and culture of Northern Humboldt in the 1990s. It is the second book in a series by Curran, a drummer, who has played in many bands from the 1970s to the present day.
The first book, Blacky and The Bouncer, is about the bouncers adventures in Southern Humboldt. The music, natural beauty, and local renegade community caste a spell on him circa 1982.
Curran has recorded with Maria Muldaur, Eric Bibb, Mousa Kanoute and many others. Curran has played gigs with John Handy, Mimi Fox, Larry Vuckovich, Ruby Braff, Jeff Goldbloom, Julian Lage, Randy Vincent, Randy Porter, Earl Thomas, Rod Deal, Scotty Moore, and Lydia Pence and many more.
Looking North is available at Northtown Books in Arcata and the Booklegger in Eureka.
Local publisher wins award
Backcountry Press, a small but mighty natural-history publisher based in Humboldt County, is honored to announce that California Trees: A Field Guide to the Native Species, co-authored by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo botany professor Matt Ritter and Kneeland-based ecologist Michael Kauffmann, has been awarded the 2025 National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) in the Nature Guides category.
This national recognition shines a spotlight not only on the book’s exceptional quality but also on the vibrant culture of ecological scholarship and stewardship that thrives on the North Coast.
Selected by NOBA for its clarity, scientific rigor, and exceptional design, California Trees offers a vivid, accessible guide to all 95 native tree species found across the state.
“This award reflects the heart of what we care about most,” said co-author Michael Kauffmann from his home above the fog in Kneeland. “Connecting people to the forests that sustain us has always been central to the work we do here in Humboldt.”