Beast Blog

Artist's Reception - June 10 - 21 Grand

It looks like 21 Grand has moved again (and still nowhere on Grand). Friday (tomorrow!) night is the reception for a new exhibit, Games We Play, featuring sculpture by Andrew Phares and Shalene Valenzuela.

The details:

Friday, June 10, 7-10pm
Artists' Reception for Games We Play
Sculpture by Andrew Phares & Shalene Valenzuela
Exhibition runs through July 3. For gallery hours, visit 21 Grand
21 Grand is located at 416 25th St. (at Broadway)
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-7263

I'll be there.

Celebrate the Ashby Arts District - June 12

This came in the inbox:

Sunday, June 12th 1-6pm

7 venues in the South Berkeley/North Oakland Area will be opening up to the public with live performances and food to celebrate the rapidly developing Ashby Arts District (AAD).

What is the Ashby Arts District?  It is a partnership between seven non-profit organizations and performance venues in the South Berkeley/North Oakland/Lorin District area including La Peña Cultural Center, Epic Arts, The Shotgun Players at The Ashby Stage, The Black Repertory Group, Nomad Café, Northern California Land Trust and the Triptych Gallery.  

We are working together to increase awareness of the arts in our neighborhood and to unify the communities we serve.  Thriving arts organizations will bring more people to our area for shopping and dining.  Come out and support your local non profits.

Drop by any one of the above on Sunday, June 12th to join in the festivities.  

SF's >Mexican Party Bus will be cruising around the district from venue to venue all day.

So hop on the bus and come party with us!

Posted by peterme at 11:52 PM | Comments (21)

Ashby Arts District

There is a fabulous movement afoot in South Berkeley!

It's called The Ashby Arts District, and its a cooperative effort spearheaded by Epic Arts (which serves as its fulcrum). The partnership includes La Peña Cultural Center, The Shotgun Players, Epic Arts Studios, The Black Repertory Group, Nomad Café, Northern California Land Trust and the Triptych Gallery. This district is unique in that it has been organized by artists and arts organizations from the grassroots up, and is now supported by the local business community, neighborhood associations, and was officially recognized by the Berkeley Mayor's office in the summer of 2003.

The recent emergence of this affiliation of arts venues in the South Berkeley/North Oakland neighborhoods surrounding Ashby BART station has finally given a name to an area long known for its proliferation of artists, writers, musicians, dancers, actors and other performers, as well as residents who appreciate community-based arts.

Through collaborative events and programs, the District’s members are working to bridge gaps between neighboring organizations, increase public awareness of the arts, and unify the communities they serve. Undertakings include:

* Publishing a monthly arts calendar that reflects events and performances throughout the Ashby Arts District

* Compiling and sharing a database of nearly one thousand local artists, musicians and other performers in order to allow broad saturation of favorite acts within the district

* Working with city officials to move new arts organizations into the area.

* Planning our first annual street festival for the summer of 2005, during which a section of the Arts District will be shut down to celebrate the 30th anniversary of La Peña and the Northern California Land Trust.

* Partnering with local businesses, organizations, and community groups to expand the reach of and base of support for the arts as an integrated part of community

* Continuing to develop public art projects such as the 2003 Ashby/MLK mural project that involve local residents as designers and architects of thier own creative environment.

The main goal is the continued development of the Ashby Arts District and the creation of a better world through art, one thriving community at a time.

Weekend To-Dos

The Crucible, Oakland's educational metal foundry, is having it's 6th Annual Student Art Show and Open House on Saturday April 9 and Sunday April 10.

“Julia Morgan: The Paris Years” with Ph.D. candidate Karen McNeill at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 at the Julia Morgan designed Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $15.

A return to the Supper Club

What could be more fun than an evening out- seeing fabulous performers in all genres while enjoying a gourmet meal?

The Ghetto Gourmet does just that, several times a month in various locations.

Check them out to make a reservation!

Berkeley Poetry Slam

Never been to a slam?
Slam is a strange hybrid of literary arts, theatrical performance, and competitive sport that is a force to be reckoned with all over the globe. It's a compelling night out, a cheap date, and a thinking person's form of entertainment.

The Berkeley Poetry Slam happens EVERY wednesday at The Starry Plough in Berkeley (3101 Shattuck Ave).

Admission is $7 or $5 with student ID.

Top 3 winning slammers of the night take home cash prizes, and audience giveaways are also common!

Fun Night of Spoken Word for a good cause!

Jesse Townley for Berkeley City Council and daniland productions presents...

A Spoken Word Benefit for Jesse's Campaign Featuring:

Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys, Alternative Tentacles records)
Daphne Gottlieb (Award Winning Poet)
Meliza Bañales (Award Winning Poet)
many other speakers!

Friday, October 15th, 9:30 PM
$10, 21 and over
Starry Plough- 3101 Shattuck (@ Prince), Berkeley

Jesse Townley is a community-minded musician, KALX DJ, activist and volunteer running for Berkeley City Council (District 5).
Endorsed by progressive politicians, parties, & people, (Dona Spring: Berkeley City Councilmember, Matt Gonzalez: President, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Paul Hogarth: Vice Chair, Berkeley Rent Board, John Selawsky: President, Berkeley School Board, Bands Against Bush, Bay Area, Do-It-Yourself Politics, Green Party of Alameda County are a few), Jesse needs your support in order to win! He does not have the deep pockets that other candidates do.

This great night of spoken word is a benefit for his campaign.

Jello Biafra: is former fronman for The Dead Kennedys, a former candidate for President of the United States, current head-man for Alternative Tentacles Records, and spoken word artist.

Daphne Gottlieb:This San Francisco-based Performance Poet stitches together the ivory tower and the gutter just using her tongue. She is the author of Final Girl , Why Things Burn, and Pelt. Why Things Burn was the winner of a 2001 Firecracker Alternative Book Award (Special Recognition - Spoken Word) and was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for 2001.  Recent press has praised her work as "fierce," "unapologetic," "scorching" and "deliriously gutsy." She has been widely published in journals and anthologies including nerve.com, Exquisite Corpse and the forthcoming Short Fuse: A Contemporary Anthology of Global Performance Poetry. She is the poetry editor of the online queer literary magazine Lodestar Quarterly , as well as Other Magazine and is a co-organizer of the all-girl spoken word festival debuting in September 2002, ForWord Girls.

Meliza Bañales: has been called, "The girl with the sense of humor of a jackknife." She originally hails from Los Angeles and is the youngest of four kids from working-poor parents. The first Latina to ever win a Bay Area slam championship, she has been a fixture in the poetry slam community for the past six years.  She has performed in just about everywhere--parks, bars, street corners, universities, restaurants, cross-country, internationally-- and with just about everyone from school children to Alice Walker, June Jordan, and Ana Castillo. Her work can be found in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Revolutionary Voices, Lodestar Quarterly, and Laundry Pen, and through her own publications, published on both Chula and Monkey Press.  Her work has often been called "edgy", "political", and "muy caliente". Always looking to fight the good fight, Meliza's work uses humor and personal stories to display larger truths and oppressions. Her first collection of poems, Say It With Your Whole Mouth, will be out in June, 2003 on Monkey Press. Her core belief, "The people are what make change. Look to each other, always, and you will have the power to change the world."  --Dolores Huerta.

Jesse Townley's campaign written up in the East Bay Express!

Two New Shows at the Cricket Engine

The Cricket Engine is an art studio/collective/gallery in West Oakland.

From my inbox....

DANGEROUS PLAYTHINGS Featuring: Megan Archer, Rebecca Kay, Kathryn Otoshi, Natasha Page, Andrew J. Phares, Jacob Pieprzyk, John C. Rogers, Schultz, Lisa Solomon, Shalene Valenzuela

September 10-19, 2004
(for this exhibit, Gallery open Fridays 2-6pm,
Saturdays & Sundays noon-5pm or by appointment)

Reception: Saturday, September 18, 6-9pm

This show will feature a wide array of work from ten
different Bay Area artists. Each artist approaches the
notion of “dangerous” playthings” in their own unique
way. Yet all artists in this show share an essential
quality: every one of them is attentive to their craft
and handling of the aesthetic material. This show
promises to feature an array of visually intricate
works that are not only playful, but thoughtful,
investigative, dark, mysterious, and alluring.

websites of featured artists:
www.kokidsbooks.com (Kathryn Otoshi)
www.lisasolomon.com (Lisa Solomon)
www.shalene.com (Shalene Valenzuela)

WOULDN'T YOU RATHER STAY AT HOME?
a group exhibition featuring Bay Area artists:
Jonathan Barcan, Brian Barreto, Amber Gravendaal,
Kerri Lee Johnson, Niki Shelley, Simmin Joy Terry and
Mary Younkin.

September 22 – October 5, 2004
Reception: Sunday, September 26th 5pm – 8pm
Free food, drink and music

The exhibition highlights works by emerging Bay Area
artists who have come together to showcase their ideas
and esthetics. The artists involved are committed to
establishing and maintaining a lasting artists
community composed of talented artists that support
and promote the sharing of culture and encouragement
of artistic discovery. The exhibition includes works
on paper, mixed media, painting and sculpture.

Urban Legends: The City in Maps

Oaklanding is hosting an exhibit on maps, their meanings, and urban spaces called "Urban Legends: The City in Maps.". It's open tonight through August 21. On August 12th, there will be a panel discussion on the subject. I'll be there.

Transparent Theater Up for Sale

Sigh. It's a potentially sad moment in the South Berkeley arts scene, as the Transparent Theater puts itself up for sale.

But all is not a downer. Epic Arts, another South Berkeley organization, is putting on a show at the theater: "The Bright River: A Mass-Transit Tour of the Afterlife."

From an email I received describing it:

This is truly one of the most talented groups of performers I have seen.  They fuse Jewish folklore, beat box, classical music, Klezmer and hiphop.  The story takes us on a mass transit tour of what can only be seen as modern day Dante’s Inferno.   It’s touching, enlightening, comedic and grooovy.  Please come out and support the Theater, Epic Arts and the performers.

Mama Buzz Birthday Party - 1/31

From their website:

Come celebrate Mama Buzz's first year. We wouldn’t have been able to open this place without the help and support of our community of creative folks. It's been a year, and our walls our dirty, our floors need a new coat and we have big ol' plans for our backyard. Sounds like it's time for a working birthday party. Food and drinks available to workers. Contact jen@mamabuzzcafe.com to volunteer time, skills or equipment.

Fire! Fire! Fire is Cool. Heh heh.

The big Beast event this weekend is the Crucible's Fire Opera. It comes in two flavors. On Friday, a fund-raiser event with auctions and food, that costs $125. On Saturday (when I'm going), a party-party-party until the wee hours of the morning.

Save The Shipyard: Final Use Permit Hearing

Heads count in many situations, and this-here is one of them.
Do your part to keep Berkeley a place where art can thrive! (Free tacos, too!)

On Thursday, October 23rd, get yerself on down to:
City of Berkeley Council Chambers
2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd Floor
People's Republic of Berkeley

Taco truck catering starts at 6PM. Hearing starts at 7PM.

The Shipyard is a shipping container artist community in Berkeley. The Shipyard is yet another amazing Bay Area artist resource and venue that has been struggling for survival the last couple of years and could really use your help.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This report from Jim, tireless leader of The Shipyard:

The hour of reckoning has arrived for the Shipyard.

Two years and $12,000 after we started the Battle of the Papers and
Processes with the City of Berkeley, the Final Use Permit hearing for
The Shipyard is scheduled and guaranteed to happen October 23rd at 7pm.

This is the hearing where they decide whether we get to continue to
exist or we rent a truck and haul away all the containers.

We have submitted all the required drawings, environmental studies,
statements of intent, paid the fees, talked and retalked, redid the
drawings 4 times, brought in high end architectural consulting and
services, and all the rest of the stuff that always happens in these
messes.

And now the whole thing is on the line a! nd we need a big showing to
convince Berkeley that people care about the place and want to see it
continue to exist. Exist not just to collect large machine tools and
build unlikely edifices to misguided hubris, but also to have events,
workshops, gatherings, and shows- all those things we haven't been able
to do for two years while we were under the thumb.

WE NEED 200 PEOPLE IN THE ROOM FOR THIS HEARING.

200 people cannot be said no to.

Our neighbors are happy with us so I don't expect them out in force
against us, but who knows what will happen. These hearings are
arbitrary and you stand there helpless as decisions are made over the
foundation upon which you and many, many other people create, play,
live and generally do the things that matter most to them. Everything
could be fine, (as it was at the last hearing for design review, which
we passed), or everything could suddenly be all wrong. That is why we
ALL need to be there- to make sure it will all be OK, and not yet
another art space gets axed in the Bay Area, as has been the recent
trend.

So, with humility, concern, deep gratitude and all the other soft
things, I ask, actually plead, that you consider joining us for this
hearing.

The hearing starts at 7pm. You have to submit a speakers card by
7:15pm to speak. Speaking in favor of the project is good, especially
if you are a Berkeley resident, or even if you are not.

There will be a taco truck catering the event (at the curb) out front
from 6-8pm. Free tacos and horchata for all who show.

Again, the meeting is at:

Council Chambers, Berkeley
2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd Floor
Thursday, Oct 23rd, 7:00 p.m.

There will be a party (celebrating our success) afterwards at the
yard. More details on the after party will emerge soon.

Thank you in advance for helping to bring all this silliness to an end.

- Jim Mason

directions for west bay folk:
-off 80 at University, go east for about a mile.
-turn right on Martin Luther King Jr Way.
-go three blocks and find taco truck and venue on your right.

The Shipyard website

The Berkeley Slam!

EVERY Wednesday: The Berkeley Slam!
8:30 pm, $7/$5 with student ID, (poet sign up @ 7:30)

Starry Plough- 3101 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

If you think you hate poetry, you haven't been to a slam!
Performance poetry is hybrid art form, half literary writing and half mixture of theatre, stand-up comedy, and dramatic monologue. is a poetry competition (gasp!) that brings out some of the finest performance poets in the nation today.

Every week, we host internationally renown performance poets, an improvisational house band or DJ, and more! The Berkeley Slam is arguably the West Coast's best attended & beloved : we host 100-300 audience members every week at The Starry Plough! Find out why!

Watch as the finest performance poets and spoken word artists compete for cash, audience love, and a slot on Team Berkeley 2004- the top 4 poets of the season get a free trip to St. Louis for the annual national competition.

Top winners of each weekly Slam accrue points and cash for their efforts. All poets are judged by 5 (random, lottery-picked) members of the audience! Anyone can sign up for a chance to read! (Poet sign ups are at 7:30, and slots fill up fast. Don't be late!)

The Berkeley Slam was voted Best of the East Bay!

"moving verse"- New York Times 3/3/03

features calendar:
October 15: Corbett Dean (AZ), The 's 5th birthday! Come celebrate!
October 22: TBA
October 29: Three Guys from Albany
November 5: The Berkeley presents... Chicken Grease!
A hip-hop hosted by Nazelah Jamison (ex-Spearhead), Karen Ladson, & DJ Tek Neek. featuring: Nercity Blues
November 12: Blair from Detroit
November 19: Team Monterey 2003
November 26: TBA
December 3: The Berkeley presents... Chicken Grease!
A hip-hop hosted by Nazelah Jamison (ex-Spearhead), Karen Ladson, & DJ Tek Neek. featuring: TBA
December 10: Sini Anderson (founder, Sister Spit)
December 17: TBA
December 24: an open mic (no ) hosted by Charles Ellik
December 31: no Berkeley !

Tourettes Without Regrets

Tourettes Without Regrets
Thursday Oct 9th, 8:30 PM,
Thursday, November 6th, 8:30 PM,
Thursday December 4th, 8:30 PM
$6-$10 sliding scale (please support the arts!), all ages
Oakland Metro- 201 Broadway (@ 2nd street, Jack London Square, Oakland)

Tourettes is a "psychotic vaudeville" hosted by Jamie Kennedy & Geoff Trenchard that regularly features The Suicide Kings, freestyle battles, freakshow performers, filmed pranks, and more!

Tourettes is a notorious variety show run by Slam champions/HBO Def Poetry Jam poets Jamie Kennedy & Geoff Trenchard. Included in every variety show are a freestyle battle, spoken word, music, & freakshow features, stand-up comedy, and the most outrageous antics you'll ever see. Kennedy's brand of spoken word is "a mutated hybrid of hip-hop, stand-up blitzkreig comedy, performance art, and fucked up theater." Tourettes Without Regrets is "sex, drugs, and spoken word. It's like a party for poets, sort of a debaucherous celebration if id." (quotes from The East Bay Express)

Tourettes Without Regrets: voted "Best of the Bay 2003" by The SF Bay Guardian!

Jamie Kennedy voted "Class Clown" (along with John Geek of The Fleshies) by East Bay Express!

Full length feature on Jamie & Tourettes from The East Bay Express

Live music, spoken word, and multi-media taped in front of a live audience!

i have an agency of spoken word artists & musicians, and we are doing two live DVD tapings this month at the Oakland Metro! These are incredible bills, and have never been seen before quite like this! Come & be a part of the audience, support Bay Area artists, and get quite an entertaining show to boot!

Live DVD taping for daniland talent artists!
Thursday, October 16th, 8:30 PM, $6-10 sliding scale (please support the arts!), 21+

Oakland Metro- 201 Broadway (@ 2nd street, Jack London Square, Oakland)

This is a rare showcase of spoken word, multi-media, music and more!

Michelle Tea: co-founder of Sister Spit, author of Valencia and The Chelsea Whistle.

Sini Anderson: co-founder of Sister Spit, currently doing a multi-media show called "opening band" with video and music by members of bands like The Need and Le Tigre.

The Suicide Kings: a unique, "sucker-punch spoken word trio" with a punk-rock feel. Has opened for The Dwarves as well its members appearing on HBO's "Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry".

Bitesize: gender queer pop anthems for the masses! loud, reckless noisy pop for freaks, geeks, and outcasts!

Aya de León: former member of the Hip-Hop Theater All-Stars, published in Essence and by Doubleday.

Carlos Mena: This hip-hop and spoken word artist is just back from his tour with Arrested Development!

Jamie Kennedy: National Champ, star of HBO's "Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry".

Rupert Estanislao: National Champ, star of HBO's "Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry".

Geoff Trenchard: National Champ, star of HBO's "Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry".

Matthue Roth: the original "unorthodox Jew"! Matthue is also a star of HBO's "Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry".

This is a live DVD taping! Be a part of the audience for posterity!

************************************************************

Another Live DVD taping for daniland talent artists!
Thursday, October 23th, 8:30 PM, $6-10 sliding scale (please support the arts!), 21+

Oakland Metro- 201 Broadway (@ 2nd street, Jack London Square, Oakland)

This is a rare showcase of spoken word, hip-hop, music and more!

Rosin Coven: This Bay Area ensemble has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and has toured the world with their unique blend of Balkan folk, swing, tango, cha-cha, opera, big-band, lounge, cabaret, and klezmer that they call "pagan lounge" music.

Katastrophe: this gender-messin FTM hip-hop emcee is part of the burgeoning homo-hop movement.

Meliza Bañales: champ, published author, and Bay Area favorite.

Nazelah Jamison: former member of Spearhead, champ

Sonia Whittle: champ, host of Oakland's poetry

Charles Ellik: champ, host of Berkeley's poetry .

Jason Bayani: champ, also a member of the API spoken word ensemble, Proletariat Bronze.

Mack Dennis: Bay Area and New orleans champ and brilliant storyteller.

Julia Serano: alesbian transexual breaking onto the national genderqueer stage! featured artist at this year's Dyke March & Camp Trans stages.

Daled: Bay Area champ and hip-hop emcee.

Karen Ladson: champ and youth mentor!

Tara Betts:coming al the way from Chicago, sharing her afro-centric feminist vision of the world!

This is a live DVD taping! Be a part of the audience for posterity!

Saturday - Including the Kitchen Sink

Kitchen Sink Magazine is having a party on Saturday, an art show and fundraiser.

For those who don't know, here is the location of 2000 Myrtle St.

Art/Tech Thing That I Don't Know What It Is

Just found out about INTERMAP, some, um, art installation that seems to involve walking in maze-like thing that, I think, "moves" under you, making it such that you can keep walking and never reach the "end". Or something.

Anyway, looks cool, and will be on display on MLK near University for the first two weeks of September. If I go, I'll report back. If you go, you tell us what you think!

August 2/3 - The Ashby Arts District

South Berkeley is taking some steps forward in becoming a vital arts community. On August 2 and 3rd, the incipient Ashby Arts District will feature a special benefit performance.

There will be music and puppetry from Rosin Coven, Russian music performances, and presentations by neighborhood artists. The Ashby Arts District sees it'self as the funkier, "off-Broadway" cousin to Berkeley's more upscale Downtown Arts District.

Come celebrate!

Illegal Art - Music, Film, and Performances

This was submitted to the Beast Blog:

* Digital Mix: A Special BayFF Celebrating Illegal Art

On July 25th the Electronic Frontier Foundation will host a night of music, art, and conversation to celebrate digital culture. Hosted at the Black Box in downtown Oakland, this special BayFF will bring up-and-coming artists of electronica, digital film, and illegal art together with leaders from the cyber-rights movement. Lawsuits and legislation have become the weapons of choice for dealing with file-sharing and cultural recycling ("sampling"); come out and discover what all the hype is about. Between laptop music, hip hop, and industrial performances, you will hear from
people who are fighting to protect new forms of expression and cultural distribution from the attacks of the entertainment industry. This is an all-ages event.

Performers:
~ Kat5
~ Meanest Man Contest
~ Uprock
~ Mochipet
~ Freshblend

Speakers:
~ Fred von Lohmann (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
~ Glenn Otis Brown (Creative Commons)
~ Ray Beldner (Illegal Art)

Sponsored By:
~ XLR8R Magazine

Where: Black Box at 1928 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA
When: Friday, July 25th, 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Cost: $5 suggested donation
All ages welcome
Easy BART access @ 19th St. Station in Oakland

A Bit of Beast Blog on the Best of the East Bay - Part 1: Arts and Culture

Last week, the East Bay Express published their Best of the East Bay for 2003.

It seemed like a good stimulus for some commentary from your ever-lovin' Beast Blog authors.

For starters, they missed a marvelous opportunity to call it "Best of the Beast."

Congrats to the Traywick Gallery on winning the reader's poll for best art gallery. Beast Blog non-author Michael Sippey is married to Trina, who runs the gallery.

I hadn't realized Bitch published out of Oakland. With them, Kitchen Sink, "ReadyMade, the East Bay is center of hip woman-run media.

EBE's choice for "Best Art Park" is the Albany Waterfront Park. I'd only heard about this place a couple of weeks ago. And on May 24th, don't miss:
========
"BUM'S PARADISE" - a documentary by Thomas McCabe
After decades of being a dump, the Albany Landfill closed in 1986.
Nature slowly claimed the land, and various homeless men and women moved
in. They built modest dwellings, become a community, and lived free
from public scrutiny. It was a magical place where the homeless, for a
time, were at home.

movie, djs, bonfire, byo
Saturday May 24 @ Sundown.
Albany Landfill Amphitheater

out in the SF Bay at the end of Buchanan St off of the I-80
(rain date the following evening or evenings until it happens)
===========

What do you think is the best Art and Culture? Tell us in the comments!