The Buzz: Aqus community says goodbye to Paul Coffman; SoCal band names album “Petaluma”

Paul Coffman, Aqus Community stalwart, dies at 65; memorial fund in place: Regulars at the Aqus Café were saddened to learn of the death, last week, of longtime resident and unflappable Aqus soundman Paul Coffman.

According to Aqus founder John Crowley, “He was up before anyone else and was the last to leave the party. He was the soundman for any musician who played the Aqus, always willing to help. He was a kind and gentle soul.” A memorial fund has been set up to help Coffman’s family pay for burial or cremation expenses. Checks made out to “Paul Coffman Memorial Fund” can be dropped off at Aqus Café, 198 H St. Or donations to the fund can be made at Poppy Bank, on the corner of 2nd and B streets. A celebration of Coffman’s life is scheduled for Tuesday, July 24, all day long. At 7 p.m., a special celebration/ceremony will take place, with a public sharing of memories, photos, and stories.

Says Crowley, “Everyone at Aqus and the entire neighborhood is in mourning. We miss him dearly. He was family.”

Long Beach band names new album “Petaluma”: A popular Southern California acoustic rock-pop band called This Wild Life has just released its newest CD, and - for reasons that yet to be explained - they’ve named it after us. “Petaluma,” released on June 22, is the latest project by band members Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Grosso. THE BUZZ is on the case, attempting to determine what inspired the album’s title, but till further information is acquired, we can report that “Petaluma,” the album, is kind of awesome. Its 10 songs are crammed with aching, insightful lyrics, tight, heart-stirring harmonies, and slightly surreal, inventively arranged melodies that stick in the mind like a dream you didn’t understand but can’t stop thinking about. One of those songs, titled “Westside,” does not appear to be about West Side Petaluma, but describes the emotions of someone whose friend has been sexually abused. Not all of songs on “Petaluma” are so heavy. Many, like “No Need for Novocaine” and “Positively Negative,” are thoroughly upbeat, in a slightly spooky, kind of bittersweet, but seriously smile-inducing way. The album is available through This Wild Life’s website and variou

(Got an idea for a good BUZZ item? Drop a line to Community Editor David Templeton at david.templeton@arguscourier.com or call 707-776-8462)