2/29 Novoscene Weekend

She’s Gotta Have It

Before he did Malcolm X, Four Little Girls, or When the Levees Broke, his compelling documentary about Katrina, Spike made his debut in 1986 with this funny look at modern mating and romance in the Black community. The film’s heroine, Nola Darling, was a heroine before her time. juggling three boyfriends from 3 different worlds the young free spirit refuses to give herself completeley to anyone, asserting an independence rarely seen in African American women on screen. Along with Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise, Have It is credited with ushering the American Indie film movement of the 80’s.

The famed Whatchusay Cinema returns with a replay of Spike Lee’s first film and examination of how it holds up some 22 years later. The feature is preceded by films from the 2007 Black Film Festival.

Whatchusay Cinema: She’s Gotta Have It
Free w/1 drink minimum
7:00PM
The Black New World
836 Pine Street, Oakland, CA ,
510-823-8150

Saturday, March 1

Poetry Flash w/Roxane Beth Johnson, Rick Campbell and Chad Sweeney

It’s a poetry triple play at Cody’s as three poets from Anhinga Press present new verse. Rick Campbell, director of Anhinga Press, will be reading from his third book Dixmont, featuring poems “scooped raw from the dirt we’re all made of…full of courage and grace, and, yes, wonderful humor, too.” Roxane Beth Johnson, winner of the Philip Levine Poetry Prize, will be reading from her latest book Jubilee along with Chad Sweeney, whose 1st book, BlazeVOX was just published.

Poetry Flash
Free
7pm
Cody’s Books
1730 Fourth Street, Berkeley
(510) 559-9500, 510.525.5476,
www.poetryflash.org.

The New Roots Band

The New Roots Band features trombonist, Angela Wellman and sister, Lori Wellman on vocals. New Roots was recently featured at San Francisco’s deYoung Museum with the Jazz at the Intersection series. Wellman’s composition, IMUNU, was one of the featured commissioned works illustrating the connection between visual and musical art forms. New Roots has performed at Anna’s Jazz Island in Berkeley, CA, the San Mateo Jazz Festival, Oakland’s Malcolm X Jazz Festival, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and the Vallejo Jazz Festival.

The New Roots Band
$15/advance -$20/door
8pm
Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
1616 Franklin Street
(510) 290-9706
www.opcmusic.org

Tongues Untied

Filmed in Oakland and New York, Marlon Riggs broke new ground in 1989 with his documentary “Tounges Untied,” blending documentary footage with personal accounts and fiction in an attempt to depict the specificity of black gay identity. Tongues Untied opened up the discussion around sexual and racial difference and has been hailed as a hallmark of both LGBT and African American filmmaking. The special screening coincides with the first time DVD release of the film and will feature spoken word by Oakland poet Marvin K. White.

Tongues Untied
$10
Doors at 8:00pm, Screening at 8:30pm
Club Anton
428 3rd St., Oakland
www.clubrimshot.com

MSTRKRFT

For the first time this year, the annual Noise Pop festival is opening it’s arms wide to the electronic and dance music communities and tonight’s Electropop offers the best reason to cross the bridge I’ve seen in weeks. Canadian electro funk outfit MSTRKRFT have been kicking around for the last couple of years, lending their get up and dance rhythms to remixes for the likes of the Kills, The Crystal Method, Bloc Party and Armand Van Helden. The duo throw in a little disco, a little electro, a little punk and a soul and continually come up with dancefloor bangers, like last year’s remixes of Justice’s Dance and Wolfmother’s Woman, two of the hottest of last year. If you can’t dance to this well…we won’t worry about that. You’ll dance, trust me.

Electropop ft. MSTRKRFT
$18 Advance, $20 door
10:00pm – 4:00am
Mighty
119 Utah St, San Francisco
www.mighty119.com

Sunday March 2

 

Goapele

The Bay Area’s own Goapele returns to Yoshi’s Oakland to perform two very special and unique sets daily. Goapele possesses one of the most alluring and powerful voices, injecting poignant words with both soul and substance. Her voice is quietly seductive, sexy, galvanizing and sweet. She brilliantly experiments with skillful compositions and heart wrenching harmonies, all with a smooth as pearl delivery.

Goapele
$20
7&9pm
Yoshi’s
510 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA 94607
510 238-9200
www.yoshis.com
www.myspace.com/goapelemusic