Tahoe Onstage photos by Larry Sabo
Every dog has its day. Cocoa has one every day.
Cocoa The Tour Dog is a new honorary resident of Crystal Bay, Nevada. She made several hundred new best friends Wednesday night at the Crystal Bay Club. Oh yeah, her human — Stick Figure — threw a concert, too, with his buddies Twiddle and Iya Terra.
Long ago, self-taught musician Scott Woodruff picked up the name Stick Figure. He stuck with it, much like Cocoa, a rescued Australian Shepherd, has stuck with him — onstage and off. Cocoa definitely has the reggae attitude, all smiles and positive vibes.
With Woodruff as the genial on-stage figurehead, Stick Figure concerts are gatherings distinguished by extended improvisational interludes, the mind-manifesting hues of a light show and Cocoa’s much-anticipated grand entrance.
At this show, there was a lot of extra stuff onstage for the road dog to negotiate. Sound systems had been set up for all three bands.
“We almost never try to do three bands on that stage, but we did,” said Charles Mallett, Crystal Bay Club’s supreme sound engineer.
With 12 years of relentless touring behind them, Vermont-based jam band Twiddle has built an impressive resume spanning Red Rocks to Bonnaroo. They are fan favorites in the Sierra Nevada, too.
Iya Terra, meanwhile, translates to “higher ground.” The Los Angeles-based reggae band has been performing for the past five years, seeking “to create positive, conscious music while spreading messages of anti-establishment, simple living and a healthy lifestyle.”
Cocoa is good with all of that, leaving no bone behind before hitting the road for the next tour stop. Every dog has its day. This one has a lot of them.
-Randy Hashagen
