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.

Heinold's First and Last Chance

The Bay Area Bites Blog posted about Oakland's most historic bar: Heinold's First and Last Chance, found in Jack London Square. Is there any other Beast drinking or eating establishment that's operated since before 1900? Since before 1920? Fenton's Creamery is the only one that comes to mind.

Only one more chance to see it!

If you haven't seen The Bright River yet, do yourself a favor & go THIS WEDNESDAY, April 13th to the last show. This theatrical production (which combines music, theater, traditional jewish storytelling, beatboxing, and more) has been wildly successful for a reason. It's brilliant.

I'm not a big theater person. I usually see live music & spoken word and less theater and dance. I was thrilled by the story, the presentation & the level of talent gracing the stage.

You can still see the last show (for a while) at The Oakland Metro (201 Broadway @ 2nd, Jack London Square), 8 PM, this Wednesday, April 13th. $12 general admission.

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.

Best Little Koffee Shop

Everyone has been posting restaurants that are exceptionally creative, unique, and fru-fru. While, I'll admit, I absolutely adore the Cheese Board as much as the next anthropomorphic mouse, there are times when new and unusual doesn't fit the bill. My entry into this particular meme is the Koffee Pot, a tiny hole in the wall of a business row between 25th and 26th on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland. This miniscule munchie haven is owned by Sam and his wife, who every morning make greasy spoon breakfasts that cost under $4.00. For lunch, they craft perfect sandwiches with exactly what you'd expect inside. And the prices cannot be beat, even 10 years ago. BLT? $2.60. Triple Decker Club? $3.60. It's got to be the only place in the East Bay where you can feed two people with fresh-cooked food for $6.00. Just be patient: there are only about 7 seats inside. It's a snug little spot, and Sam deserves much love!

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.

19th Street BART - Not Bike Friendly

It's bad enough that bikes simply aren't allowed inside during commute times. Then I see this from a mailing list I'm on:

Last week someone cut the cable I run through my back tire and stole the tire at the 19th street BART. Yesterday a lady going to the same station asked me if I had any problems there because she had her bike stolen. This morning I found the remains of a cut lock at the same bike rack not to mention the vandalized frames of 3 old bikes decorating the bike rack and guard rails.

Always the Best Show In Town

I love going to see movies at the Paramount- and not only for the chance to see a Hollywood classic on the big screen, but because the whole place is a living museum of Art Deco. So, I don't know what took me so long to take the $1, Saturday morning theatre tour that they give the first and third weekend of every month.

My tour group of 35 people (mostly age 50 and over) was led by the encyclopaedic Ken Walters, with the occasional assistance of the also knowledgeable Art Hazelton. Starting at the 21st St. box office, we followed our guides to the main entryway, up to the second and third floor lobbies, into the theatre for a recorded demonstration of Jim Riggs on the Mighty Wurlitzer, and back down to the grand lounge in the basement. We were introduced to the "seat enunciator" (how ushers used to know which of the 3000 seats were available) and amazed with dozens of facts about the building. Did you know that architect Timothy L. Pflueger intended the main entryway to be reminiscent of a redwood forest? That 80% of the interior surfaces are from the original 1930-31 era? That in 1972-73 the Oakland Symphony bought and refurbished the building as their new venue? That there is a sofa in the basement lounge which hasn't been re-upholstered since the theatre opened more than seventy years ago?

Although I enjoyed the tour - it's definitely worth the $1 - I was disappointed that we were only taken through the public areas. A "behind the scenes" tour would be my preference for next time, if such a thing is ever offered. Also, while the guides' knowledge is impressive, a full 2 hour tour is a little long.

For what it's worth, I think I still prefer to soak up the Deco glow on movie nights at the Paramount - when I can sip a cocktail in the lounge, powder my nose in the muraled and mirrored ladies restroom, and gaze up at the golden gods and goddesses of the theatre with three thousand other happy customers. Now that's historic.

Their next show is "Top Hat," playing on November 28th.

Halloween Film Fun in Downtown Oakland

You can begin your evening at the Paramount Theater, with a Halloween Double Feature.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 @ 7:30 PM
PARAMOUNT MOVIE CLASSICS
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
and
Bride of Frankenstein
Doors open: 6:30 pm | Tickets: $6.00

If you've still got your motion pictures on, you can take a stroll to Harrison Street, between 15th and 17th, for Return of the Liberation Drive-In. Though that site doesn't say, another pointer suggests it starts at 9pm.

Brick Day!

This and every October 15th is Brickday!
A "national drinking holiday" with hazy origins, some say Brickday was started by East Bay (now-defunct) cult fave band, The Gazillions, some say it is an ancient holiday with proletarian European roots.

Brickday is celebrated by calling in sick to work, going to a bar, and drinking all day. The catch is, you HAVE TO bring a brick with you! Here's how it works: When ordering your first drink, place your brick on the bar. When the bartender asks you why you have a brick, tell him/her "It's Brickday, and you should have one too". It's just that simple!

You can celebrate this holiday at any bar (and I encourage you to do so), but my friends (former Gazillionaires & their friends) and I have always celebrated Brickday at the Stork Club in Oakland.

We'll be meeting there around 1 PM, please join us!

Because Mickey, owner of the Stork Club, loves Brickday so much she has offered to make this into a BBQ. She said that she'll provide hotdogs and hamburgers, but asked people to bring sides to share.

If you want to know more about Brickday, Katy St. Clair (East Bay Express) wrote a very nice origins piece a few years ago that can be read at the following link:

Brick Day!

The Stork club is located at 2330 Telegraph Avenue (at 23rd St.) in Oakland and is readily accessible by bus (the 40, 43, and 51 lines) and by BART (19th Street station). Hope to see you there, don't forget your brick!

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

Billy Nayer Show & Ralph Carney & friends!

The Billy Nayer Show, Ralph Carney & friends!
Saturday, October 25th, 9:30 PM, $10, 21+

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

The Billy Nayer Show: dani sez: Personally, I cannot say enough glowing things about this unique, strange, and always entertaining hybrid of music, art, film, performance art, spoken word, storytelling, and cult of personality. If you have never seen The Billy Nayer Show, you MUST go to this show. Here are some press highlights for you to mull over:


"A singer and filmmaker, Nayer's acquired an insistent cult reputation in San Francisco. This multimedia cabaret (live music plus films) was the best kept secret of the Sundance Film Festival last winter." -The Village Voice

"Hard to describe- but much loved among its giddy cult of followers." -San Francisco Chronicle

"Strange and popular... frightening yet endearing." -The New Yorker

"I don't know what the fuck to call it. Just go see them." -Chart Magazine, Canada

"It's no simple task to sum up the Billy Nayer Show. This virtuostic foursome, headed by the dapper, verging on psychotic Cory McAbee, presents not mere songs but dark and fascinating narratives." -SF Bay Guardian / Critic's Choice

"A live set by [The Billy Nayer Show] is a much more theatrical and disturbing event than it sounds on paper. Lead singer and songwriter Cory McAbee commands the stage, bellowing pronouncements about bunny kings and romantic travails with a voice somewhere between suave assurance and cracked desperation." -New York Magazine

Ralph Carney: dani sez: What an amazing & quirky musician! I first discovered Ralph while he was playing with The Oranj Mancinis/Symphonette (a band covering Mancini is their own unique way). Everything I have seen him do since is equally as brilliant. Together, this is a great bill!

"Ralph's great... He's guided by some other source of information. He's like a broken toy that works better than before it was broken." -Tom Waits

"In some circles, notably those occupied by fans of Tom Waits, Carney's brand of wacky is a prized assortment of sounds gleaned from saxophones, clarinets, and the odd banjo, trumpet, panpipe, or exotic horn. It perfectly complemented the comically dark, lurching vision that Waits realized on his albums from Frank's Wild Years through The Black Rider; it dominates the sound track Waits fashioned for Night On Earth in 1992." -Derk Richardson, SF Bay Guardian

"He remains a naturally imaginative improviser, with a real lyrical sense, and one whose humor permeates his work... I especially dig him on alto..." -Harvey Pekar

This show is the only Bay Area Billy Nayer Show appearance for months! Catch them in this rare, more intimate setting!

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!

Telegraph in the 20's

Today's Chronicle discusses Mayor Jerry Brown's recent move to the 2500 block of Telegraph, in Oakland, and his reaction to the criminal activity that pervades that neighborhood.

Reading the article, I was surprised to learn just how down-trodden that neighborhood is. I've recently "found" the neighborhood for myself. I've attended a show at the Stork Club (great for pinball!), I've heard about events at Mama Buzz Cafe (though why are they never open when I'm happening by?), and I've been intrigued by all the Korean shopping. Oh, and art/venue space 21 Grand is right there, too.

Now, I don't live near there, nor claim to be an expert. I'd love to hear from folks who are more familiar with the neighborhood, who could confirm or dispute whether it's as unsafe as the article makes out.

Me, I think it looks like a neighborhood just *prime* for gentrification. Burgeoning art scene. Lofts that can attract the mayor's girlfriend. I wouldn't be surpriised if in 10 years this area is all quaint boutiques and restaurants. It would be a good time to get in there, real estate-wise. It's also close-ish to downtown, not too far from BART, and well-served by other transit.

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

Cinema al Fresco

Summer's here, and the East Bay has a number of outdoor cinema opportunities....

Jupiter in Berkeley opens tonight (July 2) with "The Great Train Robbery" and other silent classics. They haven't posted their schedule on the site, yet, but their ad in the paper lists:

• Eye Candy - Beatdown Thursdays, various shorts and visuals, presented on two screens
• Weekly independent films - Sunday, July 6, "Channel X: The Movie" A Hip-hop Animation Festival
• Animation Tuesdays - Tuesday, July 8, Hip-Hop Animation presented by Alfonso Amey Designs

Pyramid in Berkeley begins its films on July 19th, with "Swingers", and then on July 26th they'll show "Office Space".

And don't forget the Liberation Drive-In the last weekend every month in Oakland. According to the site:
"FUTURE THEME-NIGHTS INCLUDE:
July 25 & 25: Socio-Political Night for the Headz, w/ GNN and other video activists!
August 29 & 30: Hip-hop Night w/ Style Wars, the Freshest Kids, Sydewayz, and more."

June Bug Bash 2003

This Saturday night at the Stork Club is "June Bug Bash 2003", which, from what I can tell, is a celebration of rock and roll and comics. I'm going 'cause I wanna see Dealership, and I dig Jesse Reklaw.

For the mild of manner and sweet of heart

Ladies (and Gents) Who Lunch (Or: A Much-Needed Excuse To Leave The House) is a delightful little get together. Especially with the lovely weather we've been having this summer. Once or twice a month. For lunch or happy hour. I'd tell you more of what happened yesterday but Gwen, the First Lady, blogs the befores and afters. Always an intriguing group of people, they spun off from a weblogger meetup that never seemed to be at a convenient time. If you've been locked at your desk or with your kids all day, this is the balmy break you crave.

Bum's Paradise and the Liberation Drive-In

As mentioned in the last post, last night the film Bum's Paradise showed at the kickoff of the 2003 Liberation Drive-In.

It turns out that Bum's Paradise is a major work of documentary. I won't simply repeat the details as to how it was made, but it's clear that by having Rabbit, one of the 'residents' of the Albany landfill, involved in the shooting of the work allowed the piece to have an intimacy and understanding that wouldn't have otherwise come through.

Importantly, the film doesn't attempt to glamorize or 'other-ize' its subjects. You get to see them for being just the people they are, living in a situation that is both depressing in its squalor and uplifting in its freedom. The artwork created by the residents is often stunning -- the Fairy Castle being a notable stand-out, particularly as its creator is one of the least coherent people on the landfill.

The film will be screening on June 22 at The Parkway, and ought not be missed!

The venue for last night's showing, the Liberation Drive-In, is an interesting urban artifact. In a vacant parking lot on Harrison Street, the folks of Nonchalance roll up a station wagon decked out with video projection equipment, which also broadcasts a signal so you can listen in your own car. I was surprised at how few people had shown up by 10:30 -- I'd thought this has gotten better coverage. I was also disappointed that immediately following Bum's Paradise was an over-long documentary from the 70s about a Nigerian singer and the hideous political situation of the era... The flick did a lot to drive people from the drive-in -- I mean, it's a worthwhile subject and all that, but not really what you want to show at a party on a Saturday night, you know?

Still, I'm looking forward to subsequent drive-ins, the end of each month throughout the summer.

And now, some pictures from last night, of the crowd watching Bum's Paradise.

Bum's Paradise Rescheduled for 5/31

Saturday, May 31 at 9:00pm at the Liberation Drive-In
Lot #69 on Harrison Street btwn 15th & 17th Streets in downtown Oakland

Movie on the wall, BYO RADIO to receive ((( stereo ))) transmission. Bums' Paradise at 9pm followed by Music Night 10pm to 2am w/ guest VJ's from
Cat-Five and OAKSLANDER Vol II Release Party.

MUSIC NIGHT: obscure long and short form videos from Gil-Scott Heron, Fela
Kuti, Fila Brazilla, Tom Tom Club, The Clash, Minor Threat, old Sabbath, the
Ramones, Daft Punk, Air, James Brown, Suger Hill Gang, Afrika Bambatta and
others.

Let's all carpool, bike, walk, or BART to this dynamite & truly free event.
Don't forget your radio, bring a chair, blanket, refreshments if you like.

For more event info and map:
http://www.nonchalance.org

Bums'Paradise will also be at the Parkway Theater(picture, pub and pizza)
in Oakland for their Sunday Salon June 22nd, 3pm
For more info:
http://www.speakeasytheaters.com

For more screenings and info on Bums' Paradise:
http://www.bumsparadise.com

Mulch! Mulch!

Apologies for the unintended hiatus. But now we've got some stuff to talk about. Eugene writes in with a notice about the Mulching Mower and Compost Bin Sale happening Saturday, May 10, in the Henry Kaiser Convention Center Parking Lot.

Alameda County is way-subsidizing these items. (Eugene wrote: "You can get an electric mower for $79 and a push mower for $55. I checked on Amazon--seems like a deal.")

And this is for Alameda County residents only. Our tax dollars at work!

Great show for a great cause!

Tonite (Thursday, March 27th, 8 PM)!
a benefit for RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan)

featuring Charming Hostess, 20 Minute Loop, Faun Fables, Jou Jou

Oakland Metro (201 Broadway @ 2nd, Jack London Square)
donation $8-$80

Hey, I just listen to the music.

It's about time for a radical reinterpretation of pornographic film scores. Forget the opera, Israeli world music, or any other imports. PornOrchestra is the East Bay's Own art form, performing live composed and improvised scores.

The equivalent of a circus band with its collective eye on the trapeze artist: the PornOrchestra teases out the thrill, amplifying the collective gasp at pornographic triumph —and tragedy— using the most eclectic and creative musical minds working in the Bay Area today.

Show your disdain for the Academy Awards. Swing by 21Grand Saturday or Sunday night. Where's my trenchcoat?