Sites, Sounds, and Spaces worth sensing. Things to do in Oakland and Beyond.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan stopped by Raymond Arbuckle’s barber shop to celebrate his 70th birthday and the opening of the Birdland Jazzista Social Club in North Oakland. She shared a little history of the Oakland music scene and how she got into politics.
High-Fidelity: Oakland Museum Explores Sound and Culture of Vinyl
Artist Raphael Villet interviewed collectors and photographed them as part of the Oakland Museum of California’s new exhibition, Vinyl: The sound and Culture of Records. Photo: courtesy of Raphael Villet
People perusing the gallery can take an album out of the sleeve and play it on a turntable. With eight listening stations, and a social space outfitted with beanbag chairs, this is one exhibition that invites you to linger.
The launch of “Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records” was timed to coincide with Record Store Day, an annual celebration of the medium that sends avid collectors to independent sellers around the world to hunt down new releases and rare gems. The exhibit has that same participatory vibe: whole walls framed by stacks of empty black crates, giant beanbags decorated like sound waves and a bunch of working turntables.
“What I envision is a lot of people spending a lot of time talking to one another, listening to music, exchanging stories and then recommending records to play for one another,” de Guzman says.
Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records is on view at the Oakland Museum of California from April 19 to July 27. OMCA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland.
Berkeley’s UC Theatre to reopen in 2015 as live venue after 14 years
Shuttered since 2001, the much missed and admired historic movie palace which originally opened in 1917 will be converted by the non-profit BMG into a 1,460 person capacity live venue. Construction is planned for completion in 2015.
Planned alterations include conversion of the raked, single level, interior with fixed seating into three tiers arranged with either theatre seating, or cabaret-style table seating for 800, a dance floor, and a Meyer Sound system.
“The UC Theatre will be an all-ages venue”, and the programming will include live comedy, film events, and a speaker series, as well as opportunities for other local non-profits to use the theatre for fundraising events.
Temescal’s Leo’s Pro Audio Building: New bar, music venue, and boutique
Parish Entertainment Group, which owns The New Parish in Oakland and Brick & Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco, has confirmed that it purchased the former Leo’s Pro Audio building, at 5447 Telegraph Avenue, to open a new bar, music venue, and boutique.
Earlier this year, co-owner Michael O’Connor revealed that the partners were searching for an Oakland space closer in size to its 250-capacity venue, Brick & Mortar, to book local acts. Co-owner Jason Perkins said the venue — which will be called Leo’s in honor of the recording equipment store that closed its doors in 2012 after 56 years in business — could open as early as October, if the permitting process goes smoothly.
“We find that working with the City of Oakland is easier than SF. People are willing to spend time with you,” Perkins said.
The North Temescal neighborhood was once home to iMusicast, an all-ages venue that closed in 2005 when the building was turned into lofts. “We’re really dedicated to working in Oakland,” Perkins said. “That’s our focus for the rest of this year.”
Jonathan Richman dancing in Mosswood Park for Burger Boogaloo 2013 presented by Total Trash Fest.
A massive two-day garage-rock celebration for the ages took place at Oakland’s Mosswood Park this past holiday weekend hosting a who’s who of current trash-rock favorites and reunited garage-punk outfits for a sunny, sweaty marathon of good times.
Organized by Burger Records and the East Bay’s own Total Trash Productions (the folks responsible the annual multiple venue Total Trash Fest and numerous other underground rock events since 2009), Saturday’s concert offered a headlining set by Redd Kross, the legendary LA band founded by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald whose roots stretch back to 1978 they were still in middle school.
Line-up included Traditional Fools (a reunion of garage-punk wunkerkin Ty Segall’s first group of renown) and ’90s garage-revival icons Trashwomen as well as LA upstarts Pangea, Bay Area resident and proto-punk legend Jonathan Richman (playing in his long-running acoustic duo format with drummer Tommy Larkin), rising garage-pop songwriter Mikal Cronin, and trash-rock specialists Shannon and the Clams.