Music
Oakland native Stanley Kirk Burrell, a.k.a. MC Hammer, but now preferring simply Hammer, brought his dance and rap show to the recently reopened Fox Theatre in downtown Oakland Friday night. The scene on the street outside was atwitter with Hammer talk. Oakland North posed this question to the Hammer faithful: What makes the rapper so great? We asked the fans attending the show talk about what makes their beloved Oakland icon special.
Old-fashioned mechanical jukeboxes, loaded with the records or CDs that reflect the soul of their home establishments, are vanishing fast. Their replacement: Internet jukeboxes, which direct users into the online vastness of “SEARCH ALL MUSIC.” They’re modern, they’re lucrative, and they fill some Bay Area bar patrons with despair. Story by Mario Furloni/Oakland North.
Oakland residents dusted off their zoot suits, feathered hats and shiny, sequined dresses Saturday night for the third annual cabaret benefit performance of the Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus at the First Christian church in Oakland.
About 200 people braved the chilly summer evening and brought their lawn chairs, dogs and sleeping bags to 49th and Telegraph on Thursday night, for the kick-off of the second annual opening of the Temescal Street Cinema series. The event started off small. At 8 p.m. several empty plastic chairs were set up facing a brick wall and the popcorn popper wasn’t working properly. A couple, draped in blankets, ate take-out Mexican food and waited patiently for the sky to…
Salsa lovers in the Bay Area on Sunday gathered in at the Splash Pad Park for the 3rd annual Salsa by the Lake. More than 250 people, from toddlers to elderly enjoyed salsa and the hot rhythm played by Rumbache.
A few weeks ago I saw a great show at Café Van Kleef in Oakland featuring the Hot Pink Feathers – the music was provided by the gentlemen in Blue Bone Express. If you have a chance, check ’em out next time you are in the neighborhood. They have a show at least once a month. http://www.cafevankleef.com/ If you know of any great live shows coming up soon, let me know – leave the info in the comments section. I’ll…
I went down to Lake Merritt last weekend with my friend Jack Woodruff to shoot this audio-profile video of him working his recession-time gig as a street musician. He has played acoustic guitar for 12 years. Recently he had shoulder surgery and since he’s having a hard time finding a job in the service industry, he decided to pass some time as a street musician. When we pulled up to Lake Merritt, I noticed that it was fairly empty except…
A while ago I went to a great show at the wonderful Starry Plough featuring Buxter Hootn, Dgiin and The Loyd Family Players. Check out the video! This Saturday, I’m going to Café VanKleef’s Brass n’Burlesque show – featuring Bluebone Express and the Hot Pink Feathers. Its going to be a great night. Show starts at 9pm. http://www.cafevankleef.com/index.html
Last Friday, I went to an awesome Zydeco show at The Just Dance Ballroom. They welcomed Cedryl Ballou and Corey Ledet for a really great show that got everyone’s feet movin’. This was one show in a weekly series of live Zydeco shows at The Just Dance studio. It is just one of the many styles of dance they offer lessons in to cater to anyone’s style and speed. (http://www.justdanceballroom.com/) Special thanks to Louisiana Sue who has the best…