This is the Oakland blog for people living out loud. True to the Oakbook philosophy, we’ll tell you where to go, what to do, and what’s really going down in the town and around the Bay. From parties to films, peace protests to flag football, if there's a there there, we'll blog it.
Invite us to things. We're great at parties.
If you've got events, photos, videos, announcements or general news on all the happenings in the Bay, send 'em over to Kwan Booth at kwan (at) theoakbook.com. And don't be afraid to leave a comment. Don't be shy...come over and talk to us. You just might get lucky!
Now if all my recent talk of dancing’s got you in the mood to shake a tail feather, but neither house music or b-boying gets your booty bumping, how about a dose of Zydeco? Tonight The Zydeco Flames are bringing a lil’ Cajun heat to Berkeley:
“The Bay Area’s Zydeco Flames have issued six CDs of hot zydeco dance music (the latest is 2006’s “Fire It Up”) and shared stages with most of the greats of the style at dances and festivals up and down the West Coast. Fifteen years ago accordionist Bruce Gordon teamed up with singer-rubboard player Lloyd Meadows to play at parties, including the premiere of the documentary film on Cajun and zydeco music, “J’ai ete au Bal.” Soon they expanded to a full band carrying on in the tradition of Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Queen Ida. Gordon has gone on to other bands, and the longtime core group is Lloyd Meadows with electric guitarist Frank Bohan, bassist-singer Timm Walker, and drummer William Allums Jr. Their accordion slot is often filled by Billy Wilson or Andre Thierry. The Flames have performed at just about every important event in the Bay Area, from the Black and White Ball to the San Francisco Jazz Festival, as well as countless Louisiana, Cajun, and zydeco fests.”
And if the music’s not enough to get you in the spot, how about doing it for a good cause? The night is also fund raiser for Edwin Thaxter, Ashkenaz’ doorman, whose son Courtney has been in a coma battling meningitis.-Kwan
A quick heads up for those still in party mode from the weekend or looking to start their week off with a little booty shaking-from now on, Kingman’s Lucky Lounge will hosting Soulful Vibrations, a Monday night house music session for the dancing inclined. Dj’s Imani and Rahiem Jihad will be throwing down all deep and funky so check it out if you’re in need of a quick 4/4 fix.-kwan
Ever been to a hoe down? I mean a real hippified, jug band, backyard, bare foot, dust kickin’ kinda hoedown? Well, being from Virginia and having been fortunate (?) enough to get hitched to the String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, Hot Buttered Rum Band set for a while, I’ve been known to get my feet dusty on occasion. And you can too, (granted, without the actual dust) as Ashkenaz hosts a show by Oakland roots and “Soul Tub” band The California Honeydrops.
While young in years the Drops are old in influence. Versed in varying types of American Roots Music (that catchall category encompassing Blues, Bluegrass, Ragtime, Gospel, Jug Band and music originating in rural Southern and Midwestern communities) the quartet of Lech Wierzynski, Nansamba Ssensalo, Chris Burns and Ben Malament play everything but the kitchen sink as they run through bluesy numbers and dance floor friendly interpretations of classic work by Big Bill Broonzy, Rae Charles, The Soul Stirrers and a long list of other acoustic artists that are being pushed more and more into obscurity with each digitally enhanced day.
Check them out tonight as they put a new hand clapping, foot stomping twist on some old classics. Some sweet southern licks right here in Bay. Bare feet optional.-KwanRead the rest of this entry »
Alright, I was all set to suggest a quiet night of classical tunes ‘n flutes when I remembered this show, and I could not, in good conscious, not blog about it. The house head and former raver boy in me just would not let it pass. I’m already flashing back to the shiny pants and glowsticks days…
Italian production duo Crookers (named for the way they remix songs all sideways and crooked) have been crafting a kind of jittery, spastic club music for the last 5 years. They’ve got a fresh approach to remixing that still borrows a lot of the PLURry feeling from the old school large scale warehouse parties. A crisp mix of electro, hip hop, Baltimore Club and house, their remixes are a party DJ’s fall back bangers armed with the ability to get any dancefloor jumping-unless of course, you’re no friend of the bleepy, the bloopy or the techy. If that’s the case then you should really stay far away from Vessel in San Francisco tonight. I’m sure you’ll be able to feel the electro love for blocks.
But for the initiated, Crookers remixes of songs like We Are All Prostitutes and Kid Cudi’s Day ‘n Night unleash a bit of bass filled fever in our heads that just wont’ be cured by more cowbell. Unless it’s looped under a vocal track, synthesized and tracked to a 4/4 rhythm. It’s hump day people, the perfect night to get a little Crooked. -kwanRead the rest of this entry »
Tonight is a celebration of the good times and a chance to look forward to some new dopeness as DJ Ooh Child, resident beat conductor for the Oakland Zoo Crew, bids the Bay adieu as he kicks rocks to the Philipines for a while. Child has been holding down the tables since the monthly skate, hip hop and street art party first kicked off almost a year ago and the folks plan on sending him off in style.
Tonight features artwork and music by J2 and special guests Destruments. Come show love for one of the bay’s finest.-kwan
Come cure those Monday Blues with a little shimmy shimmy courtesy of Hubba Hubba, the weekly Burlesque review down at the Uptown. Tonight’s show features performances by Randy Johnson, Tricksie Treat, Maple Sugar, Rusty Mahakian, Room For Cream, Calamity Lulu, Bootsy LaRue, Gretl Von Boom Boom, Isabella Minx and Gorilla X, with Kingfish and Eddie holding down the MC duties. Check the footage above of the lovely Ms. Boom Boom and her dancing goat girls for a little preview of the night’s festivities. -kwanRead the rest of this entry »
Featured Event: Oakland Art
Y’know that often repeated “fact” that Oakland has the most artists per capita of any city in the country? While I like the idea, I’ve always met the statement with just a slightly snarky hint of “Oh, really? Is that a fact?”
It’s not that I don’t love the Town’s art scene-I really, really do-it’s just that I’ve always found the statement a little hard to swallow. Well this weekend I’m eating crow, big brightly colored bowls of artistically arranged crow. As the sunshine from the first weekend of June beams down on the timely convergence of Art Murmur and East Bay Open Studios, there’s truly a ridiculous amount of art happenings happening-from photography to fresco, installations to open studios. It’s enough to turn even a skeptic like me into an ardent Oakland Art Cheerleader.
Tonight kick things off on 14th and Broadway at Joyce Gordon Gallery’s annual “Insight” emerging photographers exhibit. The six Bay Area and two London based photographers, including Traci Bartlow, Rameen Gasey and Judy Seidel vary in styles from black and white photojournalism to abstract imagery but all eight have proven that they have bright futures behind the lens.
Afterwards head next door to Awaken Cafe for “Superimpositions,” Julie Oppermann’s exhibit of small watercolors and large mounted canvases centered around the idea of layering, collaging, and juxtaposing patterns, shapes, lines and colors.
Next there’s “Myths and Dreams,” showing at the Front Gallery on Grand Ave., featuring frescos, video and prints by Calixto Robles, Alexandra Blum and Ana Hurk respectively. Each artist uses the various mediums to explore ideas “inspired from memories, images, fables and myths that bridges concerns of the modern world and that of the traditions of ancient Meso-America.”
After a bit of Meso art head over to 21 Grand for their 8th annual Benefit Art Sale, featuring the work of over 70 local artists, all priced to make sure you leave the spot with your own personal masterpiece tucked neatly under your arm…
As you make your way up to Well Boutique, one of the newer Murmur additions, located on Telegraph and 43rd. Shop owner Riquelle Small is on a mission to create a little spiritual oasis in the Temescal with her combination of healing products, local art designs and jewelry in addition to the art openings she hosts in the back room. Illustrator Johnny Siu’s work fits right into the aesthetic, with colored pencil sketches of wide eyed little girls and fantasy figures.
Then if you’re still thirsty for art but want something a bit less “artsy,” make the trek over to Compound Gallery on San Pablo for “Water, Oxygen, Light” a collaboration between Emery Secondary School Biology Instructor Cassandra Neaves and Kala Arts Instructor Eric Sanchez that explores the process of seed germination and vegetative rooting. Science and art all in one place? Hmm, (slow, thoughtful chin stroking) very fascinating…
And this is all just tonight! We haven’t even begun to talk about the weekend’s East Bay Open Studios or Oakbook’s resident art critic Theo Konrad Auer’s handpicked faves. I mean, not to get all zealot on you dudes but I’m just saying: Oakland is where all the real artists kick it. And that’s a stone cold fact.
Town love? You know we’ve got it. And so do Zita and DMadness. The two Oaktown DJ’s threw down this past Friday at the latest installment of their “We Love the Town” parties- a celebration of all things soulfully musical-from the Toni’s to the Too $hort to Mistah FAB and everything in between. Kick yourself if you missed it and check back here for updates on the next party. Until then check the picks, throw on some Pointer Sisters and vibe out.-kwan
The Mission was alive and in full color this weekend for the city’s annual Carnival celebration. Sunday’s parade brought out tons of people who lined Mission St. waving flags, dancing along with the festival music and soaking up the festivities. Check out the pictures from the event.-Kwan
Those among us lucky enough, or unfortunate enough (depending on your circumstances), to have logged time in the marching band while in school have a particular view of all those after school games, concerts and weekend parades that the rest of you lucky people will never know: spending hours in a hot ass band room, practicing the same tired score over and over (Flight of the Bumble Bee? I mean come on…); trying unsuccessfully to sneak into the Color Guard and Cheerleader cabin during Band Camp; playing horn in a sweltering military gettup while sweat drips down your face and into your reed; waking up at the butt crack of dawn on those frigid fall mornings, lacing up the spats for that long parade march (if you were lucky enough to march Core Style you got some reprieve, Big 10-my heart goes out to you).
But of course, those are just the blisters talking. Because when you get right down to it, there’s really nothing like the sound of a couple hundred strong, human music machine making it’s way down Main St. And when the band is really cranking-when the corps is lucky enough to get a director that shrugs off conventional standards and dips into the real funky stuff-well, let’s just say that the reason football games like the Bayou Classic sell out every year has very little to do with touchdowns.
And that’s where the Extra Action Marching Band hits the sweet spot. For the last 10 years the 35 plus member band has been foregoing the sports arenas and bringing the psychadelic marching band funk straight to the people-with as much raunch and sweat as you can cram into their customarily crowded shows.
By combining Vaudeville like performances, Lousiana Brass Band chops and Burning Man freakishness with a commitment to create as much chaos and manic dancing as possible, Extra Action is pure Bay Area music. Led be a polysexual color guard of nearly naked flag wavers and cheerleaders, the band of horn players, drummers and barkers is known for slinking off the stage and through the crowd and will just as soon break into a rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” as they will a Black Sabbath tune, lacing everything with a sheen of glitter, beer and sweat. Extra emphasis on the sweat.
They’re joined Saturday night at the Uptown by the “Sophisticated Country Funk” of Apple Pie Hopes and Michael Musika for what should be a packed and over the top show; with just enough sex appeal to make up for those lonely nights at band camp.-Kwan
“The Bay Area’s Zydeco Flames have issued six CDs of hot zydeco dance music (the latest is 2006’s “Fire It Up”) and shared stages with most of the greats of the style at dances and festivals up and down the West Coast. Fifteen years ago accordionist Bruce Gordon teamed up with singer-rubboard player Lloyd Meadows to play at parties, including the premiere of the documentary film on Cajun and zydeco music, “J’ai ete au Bal.” Soon they expanded to a full band carrying on in the tradition of Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Queen Ida. Gordon has gone on to other bands, and the longtime core group is Lloyd Meadows with electric guitarist Frank Bohan, bassist-singer Timm Walker, and drummer William Allums Jr. Their accordion slot is often filled by Billy Wilson or Andre Thierry. The Flames have performed at just about every important event in the Bay Area, from the Black and White Ball to the San Francisco Jazz Festival, as well as countless Louisiana, Cajun, and zydeco fests.”
A quick heads up for those still in party mode from the weekend or looking to start their week off with a little booty shaking-from now on, Kingman’s Lucky Lounge will hosting Soulful Vibrations, a Monday night house music session for the dancing inclined. Dj’s Imani and Rahiem Jihad will be throwing down all deep and funky so check it out if you’re in need of a quick 4/4 fix.-kwan
Ever been to a hoe down? I mean a real hippified, jug band, backyard, bare foot, dust kickin’ kinda hoedown? Well, being from Virginia and having been fortunate (?) enough to get hitched to the String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, Hot Buttered Rum Band set for a while, I’ve been known to get my feet dusty on occasion. And you can too, (granted, without the actual dust) as Ashkenaz hosts a show by Oakland roots and “Soul Tub” band 
