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Cotati

Set 'Em Up, John

There are bartenders and then there are bartenders. First settling behind the bar at the Tradewinds in Cotati in the 1970s, John Gaines falls into the latter, emphasized category. Gaines listened to tales of woe and poured stiff ones for three decades at the Tradewinds before running John's Cafe at the Black Cat in Penngrove; he is, as they say, an institution. But even institutions can have health issues. Kidney and liver failure have left Gaines with sizable medical bills, and an all-day benefit featuring Volker Strifler, the Pulsators, Levi Lloyd, A Case of the Willys, Detroit Disciples, Hillside Fire, Joel Rudinow and more aims to raise money for the ailing comrade. "He was just a constant," says the Tradewinds' current bartender. "It wasn't a Sunday morning with football without John." Leave an extra tip on the bar on Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Tradewinds. 8210 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati. Noon. $10. 707.795.7878.

Santa Rosa

On Remembering

Spanning three special concerts, the Santa Rosa Symphony Chamber Players' Festival of Remembrance is designed for its audience to reflect on and more deeply understand a trio of historically significant events: Dia de los Muertos, the internment of Japanese residents in concentration camps during World War II and the Nazi holocaust. Local musicians, a rabbi, a journalist, an oral historian and local leaders all contribute to the performances, replete with audio-visual sets and art. The series kicks off with pieces by acclaimed Mexican composers Carlos Chávez (String Quartet no. 3) and Silvestre Revueltas (String Quartet no. 4, Musica de Feria), augmented by locals Trio Nuevo Amanecer. Linda Lemus speaks on the holiday and recorded interviews with Latino residents screen in the lobby during the festive concert on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Jackson Theater. Sonoma Country Day School, 4400 Day School Place, Santa Rosa. 8pm. $25–$32. 707.546.8742.

Napa

Boo!

You can't accuse the members of Grateful Dead of not trying to engage world leaders. As a member of the Bohemian Club, Bob Weir has the opportunity to kibbutz with the top dogs of insider politics and corporate profiteering; as a member of Scaring the Children, a side project with bassist Rob Wasserman and drummer Jay Lane, he has the opportunity to engage the Global Security Institute, which was founded by Alan Cranston and includes Mikhail Gorbachev on its board of directors. Scaring the Children plays this weekend in an acoustic concert presented by the GSI to resurrect the terrifying truth that nuclear weapons are destructive and immoral, preceded by a forum including Kim Campbell, the former Prime Minister of Canada, disarmament expert Thomas Graham Jr., and GSI president Jonathan Granoff on Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Napa Valley Opera House. 1030 Main St., Napa. Forum at 4pm is free; concert at 7:30pm is $75. 707.226.7372.

San Rafael

All's Welles

In addition to Laughing Sal and It's-Its ice cream sandwiches, the fondly remembered Playland at San Francisco's Ocean Beach also inspired one of the most tension-filled film endings in old Hollywood. The hall of mirrors scene from 'The Lady from Shanghai'/ thrillingly climaxes one of Orson Welles' most plagued movies—he owed it to Columbia Pictures to repay a loan, mindlessly pitched a nonexistent plot, cast his estranged wife Rita Hayworth in the lead role and admitted, afterward, that it made little sense. But the film noir captures a wonderful vision of San Francisco and, in some scenes, the Sausalito waterfront. For a special screening in San Rafael, Welles' own daughter Chris Welles Feder will be on hand to discuss the film, her father's genius and her new book, In My Father's Shadow: A Daughter Remembers Orson Welles. See film history come alive on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Rafael Film Center. 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. 7pm. $10. 415.454.1222.