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Frankie and the Witch Fingers bring synth-fueled psych-punk to Oakland
On July 23, 2024, Frankie and the Witch Fingers took a sunny Seattle afternoon and turned it into a broiling mess of psychedelic synth lines, fierce guitar riffs, throbbing bass and pummeled drums. Sweaty bodies bounced off...
Fruitvale’s taco trucks keep tradition rolling
Along the street-like canals of the ancient Aztec city Tenochtitlan—modern day Mexico City—vendors routinely sold various meats, stews and even chili sauces that Spanish ethnographer Franciscan Friar Bernardino de Sahagún described as “hot, very hot, very, very...
Resistance.ai: Putting a nonviolence advisor in every person’s pocket
It is, perhaps, the third most important book in human history. And yet it remains perfectly obscure. The drab cover doesn’t help. Clothed in a fatigues-esque olive green, the book resembles an army officer’s field manual. Make...
Oakland archivists protect Black queer history from disappearing
The pilgrimage purifies. It counts sacrifice in footsteps and heat stroke—a journey only for the traveler interested in overstanding how the humble get made. If one takes AC Transit and attempts the walk from the bus stop,...
The Odyssey of James Freebury
I have met James Freebury only twice. And both times after his accident. Our relationship was carried out over correspondence. My first visit was with Josh Windmiller, who introduced us. We went to pantomime for Freebury a...
Mildred Howard explores history through art
The work of artist Mildred Howard can be summed up in one admittedly reductive word: astonishing. Amazement is abundant in the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)’s new exhibition, “Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory.” Presenting the first major...
Tommy Bogo transforms utility wear into global fashion
Speaking from his loft in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights neighborhood, Tommy Bogo leaves a person of two minds. One instinct is to protect the Oakland-born multimedia artist, music producer, designer and founder of TOMBOGO inside a creative...
