The Singer

– Linda Stansberry –

 

“I am actually, against all the odds, trying to make this my main income.” Blase Bonpane is more than a crooner, more than a father, more than a music teacher. He’s a Humboldt guy with a Humboldt style, and he wants to infuse your big day with some big groove.

Full disclosure: Bonpane is also my former highschool music teacher, and as such there might be a slight tinge of cronyism to my review. But highschool is far behind, and when I stopped by to see Blase and the band at Redwood Curtain a few months ago, I was knocked off my almost-middle-aged feet by the funk throbbing across the dance floor.

With his dark brown eyes twinkling under his porkpie hat, Blase had the crowd tapping toes and nodding as he rolled out everything from classic soul to uptown funk. He has a sweet, smooth voice and understated style on the guitar, and a wide repertoire of songs from ballads to standards to reggae to protest songs. You can easily imagine him flirting your nana onto the dance floor.

Currently Blase performs with a few different groups, including a “Blaze and Blue” (jazz) and “The P-Town Freaks” (classic funk) The group’s motto is “Inner Funk from Outer Humboldt.” In case you were wondering, P-Town stands for Petrolia, where Blase resides along with his lovely wife and three children. Blase isn’t just a wedding singer, he’s the wedding singer, and as such his contact information can be found at thecaliforniaweddingsinger.com –