Charred remains of trees lean in deep ash, marking hills that hadn't seen fire in 100 years like headstones in a cemetery. When the rains come, water will sprint past the blackened trunks undeterred by grass, plants and brush.

Some of the mountains that surround Ventura County are still green and covered with healthy pines. But enough were consumed by the 254-square-mile Day fire Â- fifth largest in California's history Â- that flood control officials worry about winter rains swooping down slopes and stealing logs and boulders.

.

Petra Haden Kicks Off Tiny Tour

Remember that kick-ass a capella rendition of "God Only Knows" that we posted as part of the first installment of our Infinite Mixtape series? Well, Petra Haden-- former Decemberist, Jack Black's sister-in-law, violinist extraordinaire, buddy to Mike Watt, and daughter of one of the most bad-ass/coked-up- looking bass players of all time-- is the woman behind it, and now she's taking her a capella show on the road for five East Coast dates. According to a press release, Haden and the Sell-Outs-- her "10-piece (nine backing vocalists + Petra), all-female choir that the former That Dog vocalist/violinist assembled to recreate her a capella tour de forces"-- begin the de force-ing tonight in Pittsburgh and end before Halloween at Buffalo's Soundlab. Expect live versions of tunes from 2005's Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out, which is, yes, Haden giving the entire classic Who album the a capella treatment.