The Buzz: new ‘Sonoma Strong’ song

News, notes and tidbits from around Petaluma|

New song created to commemorate 2017 fires and the “Sonoma Strong” movement: “We live in the most beautiful area of the world, and I wanted to write a song that demonstrates our gorgeous county, and community strength,” says musician David Benjamin Gruenbaum, describing the inspiration behind his new anthem “Sonoma County, That’s My Paradise!” Posted on YouTube under its distinctive title, the song is a catchy tribute to Sonoma County, a follow-up, of sorts, to Gruenbaum’s 2017 YouTube song “I Love Santa Rosa,” written in the aftermath of the fires.

Petaluma even gets some love in the new tune, which includes an amusing break in which Gruenbaum lists every city and residential area in the county, with a rapid-fire slideshow of images accompanying it on the video.

“Many Sonoma County families contacted me to let me know how much the song has lifted their spirits,” Gruenbaum says of the new song. “I’ve even received emails from as far away as Boston and Paris, telling me they would like to travel to Sonoma County, to paradise.”

Part of Gruenbaum’s motivation for the new tune, he says, was to let the world know that Sonoma County has bounced back.

“It’s a tricky balancing act for Sonoma County residents,” he says. “We must remember what happened, thank those who saved us, help those in our community who still need us, and simultaneously say, ‘Hey world! Sonoma County’s back. Come visit us!’”

The song and video were produced by Ed Goldfarb, a composer whose work has appeared on the television show “Pokemon” and elsewhere.

Third ‘Write Spot’ book to be released: Earlier this year, Marlene Cullen - who runs the weekly Jumpstart writing classes at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma - published the book “The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Discoveries,” which was followed a few months later by “The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Connections.” Later this month, marking the third book within a year, Cullen will produce “The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Reflections.” As with the previous books, “Reflections” will contain pieces by a number of contributors, many of them participants in her Monday afternoon and evening writing sessions. A launch party in planned for Saturday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m., at Copperfield’s.

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