Matt Kettmann, Author at The Santa Barbara Independent

Arts & Entertainment By Matt Kettmann | Fri Aug 31, 2007 | 11:34am

Stevie Wonder at the Bowl

Isn’t he lovely? A very spirited and skillful Stevie Wonder rocked Santa Barbara on Tuesday, August 28.

Travel By Matt Kettmann | Thu Aug 30, 2007 | 6:00am

It’s a late summer tradition at El Encanto: watching the afternoon fog rolling in, enveloping the waterfront, and draping the Mesa in wet lace on its misty, streetlight-blurring crawl through Santa Barbara toward the spires of St. Anthony’s. For the past 90 or so years, that’s been the highlight of many a day for both tourists, who’d stay at the charming Riviera resort, and locals, who’d frequent the popular bar and restaurant for drinks and dining.

Cover Story By Matt Kettmann | Thu Aug 30, 2007 | 6:00am

Introducing Jan Timbrook’s Chumash Ethnobotany

Call it the Santa Barbara naturalist’s creation story: In the beginning, everything is a bush. On the first day, we discover some bushes are different than others. On the second day, we learn which is really a bush, which is a flower, and which is a tree. On the third day, we can name a plant or two or five or dozens. On the fourth day, we start to understand the role of each plant in the ecosystem. On the fifth day, we realize these bushes may also be useful to humans, specifically those who lived here centuries before us. On the sixth day, we come to cherish, respect, and protect the plants that surround us. And on the seventh day, we finally get our bible.

Opinion By Matt Kettmann | Thu Aug 16, 2007 | 6:00am

Merv Griffin 1925-2007

A one-of-a-kind life that began with a lovely bunch of coconuts; skyrocketed during conversations with presidents, global icons, and Hollywood heavyweights; intertwined itself into our culture via game shows; and rode off into the sunset on the backs of racehorses and world-class hotels has ended. Merv Griffin died last weekend after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 82, and he was my great-uncle.