Posts Tagged ‘music’
Oakland’s independent Slumberland Records label fuses pop and noise
Since 1989, Mike Schulman has run Slumberland Records. His label specializes in fusing pop, like 60s girl groups and The Byrds, with “horrible noise.” The label was founded in Washington, D.C., but Schulman brought it with him when he moved to the East Bay.
Read MoreBrazilian music icon Gilberto Gil comes to the Bay Area
Brazilian music icon Gilberto Gil, singer and guitarist and former Minister of Culture of Brazil talks to Oakland North Radio about his upcoming show at the Paramount Theater in downtown Oakland Thursday Night.
Read MoreConservatory collection delights customers at Oakland piano shop
Fragments of jazz progressions and classical nocturnes filled the air at Oakland’s Piedmont Piano Company last weekend as customers gathered to admire, play—and purchase—the store’s recently acquired inventory of pianos from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Read MoreDisco Volante brings flamenco to Oakland
On the fourth Wednesday of each month, a part of Spain – an especially passionate part, with a centuries-old history – comes to downtown Oakland. It’s called Flamenco Downtown night, at Disco Volante
Read MoreRockridge record store continues to offer vinyl in an online era
Record lovers have followed Groove Yard from Jack London Square to Temescal to its current spot on Claremont Avenue in Rockridge. The record store, owned by Rick Ballard, specializes in hard-to-find jazz, world, and soul music.
Read MoreGiant head prop from Digital Underground tour stored in East Oakland parking garage
In a parking garage in East Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood, an enormous piece of local music history gazes out at parked cars. More than ten feet tall, and sporting sunglasses, the relic is a stage prop modeled after rapper Shock G. The head was featured in a 1993 music video by rapper Shock G’s platinum-selling group, Digital Underground, and went out with the group on tour. Now it collects dust and dirt from exhaust pipes.
Read MoreSalsa in the Park brings memories of Havana to Oakland
From Cuban exiles to Bay Area salsa fanatics clad in nostalgic Cuban revolutionary gear and chomping the occasional cigar, Oakland’s Splash Pad Park was a crucible of various cultures Sunday as San Francisco-based Cuban salsa outfit, Team Bahia, performed some of its best tracks for a crowd of more than 300 dancers.
Read MoreOakland festival celebrates Armenian culture through music, dance and food
Armenian Americans may be one of the Bay Area’s less-noticed ethnic groups, but this Friday and Saturday at the Armenian Bazaar & Food Festival, their rich cultural legacy will be on full display for anyone interested in learning more.
Read MoreBandwidth: Oakland’s Religious Girls shred their gospel
This three-piece experimental pop band from Oakland — and no, Religious Girls are not actually girls — is the next feature in our “Bandwidth” video series on East Bay music.
Read MoreSymphony celebrates 99-year-old Oakland music teacher
Bud Cropsey is an institution on the Oakland music scene—a longtime middle school and private music teacher, as well as a patron of the Oakland East Bay Symphony. This week, shortly after Cropsey’s 99th birthday, the symphony is honoring Cropsey with a three-day series of concerts geared at helping children learn about classical music. Read the story of Cropsey’s musical life, and hear more from this week’s concert series.
Read MoreFinger-picking guitar down at Lake Merritt
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,…
Read MoreAnnual Ragga Muffins Festival in Oakland
Ragga Muffins – Stephen Marley, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Julian Marley Fox Theater – Oakland Oakland, CA Fri, Feb 20, 2009 07:00 PM ($37.50) “God is black, if not just look at your shadow. Jah bless,” usually says Lee “Scratch” Perry while walking into the stage. The 72-year-old, Jamaican born, reggae-dub shaman will bring his delayed…
Read MoreNew owners struggling to resurrect Eli’s Mile High
Story and audio slides by MARTIN RICARD It was a little after 7 p.m. on a recent Monday night at Eli’s Mile High Club, and a slow, celestial song by the British space rock group The Telescopes was blasting over the speakers to an empty room. Jason Herbers, the assistant to Eli’s owner, who manages the day-to-day…
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