Jordan in the Afternoon on KHUM sat down Friday, July 24, with Dash Rowe and Chris Reynoso of The California Poppies for a conversation about friendship, Humboldt music, DIY recording, big ideas, and the next era of the band.

The interview comes just ahead of a major chapter-turning show for the Poppies: bassist Will English III’s farewell performance before heading east to pursue theater, film, teaching, and the next part of their creative path. Dash and Chris look back on the band’s COVID-era beginnings, their long-running musical partnership, the “Humboldt sound” behind the project, and the recording of Wildflowers and The Holy Rainbow Live - the band’s ambitious concert film and live album captured at the Minor Theatre with an expanded “Super Bloom” lineup of local musicians.

The conversation also digs into the value of recording in living rooms, keeping music tactile and human, supporting physical media, and what happens when songs leave the artist’s hands and become part of the listener’s life.

Catch this version of The California Poppies one more time Sunday at 8 PM at The Basement in Arcata, with friends Missing Pieces and Noah and the Bears, for a farewell send-off to Will and a celebration of Poppies songs from across the years.