Social Eyes: Week of April 16-22

THURSDAY, APRIL 16

JAZZ

SCOTT AMENDOLA’S ANNIVERSARY QUARTET

Ten years ago blues pianist Hurricane Sam, a.k.a. Sam Rudin, opened the Back Room, the living-room-like venue steps from downtown Berkeley that’s become an essential outpost for bluegrass players, singer/songwriters, guitar pickers, Latin combos, blues bands, world music projects and jazz ensembles. Berkeley drum maestro Scott Amendola has assembled a talent-loaded quartet to kick off the milestone occasion, featuring powerhouse bassist Mat Muntz, who’s appeared regularly at the club in recent years; guitarist Ryan Schaeffer; and violin star Jenny Scheinman. The venue offers a five-show package covering any combination of the nine anniversary concerts through April 26. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: Thu, 8pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $30. 510.654.3808.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

OPERA

‘FLIGHT LESSONS’

Peregrine falcons are miracles of nature, able to dive faster than 100 mph and devoted parents, as many witnessed watching Annie and Grinnell on the Cal “Falcon Cam.” Deborah Crooks created a seven-person, two-act folk opera based on a falcon pair who nested on the bridge between Oakland and Alameda—until one was tragically shot. Crooks worked on and revised the work for four years, until it emerged in full expression of “the nature of place, love and change at the intersection of the developed and natural environment.” A bird-themed art exhibit, “Flight,” curated by Crooks, will be on view in the K-Gallery the night of the performance. JANIS HASHE

INFO: Fri, 7pm, Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. $32-$44. 510.865.5060.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

ACOUSTIC

GILLIAN WELCH & DAVID RAWLINGS

In 1981, the Grateful Dead released Reckoning, a double live album of acoustic music recorded the year before. Icons of modern acoustic music Gillian Welch and David Rawlings pay tribute to the classic recording as they perform its cuts at the Fox for two nights. Welch and Rawlings together are multiple Grammy winners, including last year when they won Best Folk Album for the heartfelt Woodland, dedicated to the restoration of their studio, destroyed in a tornado. Their harmonies will be ideal on tunes such as the lively yet poignant “Dark Hollow.” Jerry will likely be listening. Also Saturday, April 18. – JH

INFO: Fri, 8pm, Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. $79. 510.302.2250.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

SOUL

THE PHILHARMONIK

Friday Nights at OMCA hit all the beats—especially this week, with R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop music DJ Hauna Bauna delivering Afro beats, and the wildly wonderful Sketchboard Co. leading an unstructured live figure drawing. Materials are provided or can be brought from home; a model costumed in “Bay Area diversity” will pose. Freeform gallery chats have “floaters” wearing “Let’s Chat” shirts and roaming the museum for visitors who want to, well, chat. Draw, dance, discuss, discover: the four “d’s” at Friday Nights have it all down—that’s five—and deliver—that’s six. LOU FANCHER

INFO: Fri, 5pm, OMCA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Free. 510.318.8520.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

DANCE

THE JOFFREY BALLET

A Scandinavian summer solstice festival served up with Swedish indie-rock vocalist Anna von Hausswolff belting out a score by composer Mikael Karlsson might be dreamy—or dangerous? The Chicago-based Joffrey dancers pin all the classical ballet moves with ease, but their true inner beauty brings on the beastliness, bravura and sensuality of contemporary dance. It is the melding of these vast movement pools and performers who range from talented ingenues to mature, established dance artists that creates the company’s signature stamp. The Joffrey’s West Coast premiere presents a unique opportunity to witness mysterious magic induced by the onset of summer, and set imaginations on fire. Performances on April 18-19. – LF

INFO: Fri, 7pm, Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, #4800, Berkeley. $50-$198. 510.642.9988.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

JAM BAND

DISCO BISCUITS

Not only are the Disco Biscuits the pioneers of trance-fusion, the combination of electronic music and live jam band, but they’ve been doing it for 30 years. Like the city they were founded in, Philadelphia, Disco Biscuits are a force of nature unto themselves: writing, playing and improvising songs on tour. Somehow, with all this, they’ve found the time to record nine albums, write two rock operas, improvise live soundtracks to movies like The Fifth Element and are involved in a number of philanthropic charities, raising money for everything from food bins to hurricane relief funds. They put their money where their mouth is, so it’s important to keep putting money in their hands. MAT WEIR

INFO: Sat, 8pm, The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $63. 510.356.4000.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

SKA

RUNAWAY RICOCHET

The recipe is this: 1 cup of ska, 5 grams of punk, 3 tablespoons of emo (Midwest) and a pinch of progressive jazz fusion. That’s Minneapolis-based Runaway Ricochet. Also on the menu are Friends With Salad, Sad Snack and the odd-one-out, the Hellas. Obviously the sound of flatware hitting china will not be audible once this crowd gets rolling. What will matter is settling in to appreciate the overall fine instrumentalists—all of these folks can play with ferocity and serious chops. Go ahead, wear sound-reducing headsets, plug your ears with wax. No one at Thee Stork Club will leave without having been sonically slammed and sent soaring by the end of the show. – LF

INFO: Sun, 7pm, Thee Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland.$15. 510.859.8709.

MONDAY, APRIL 20

JAZZ

BEN WENDEL

Tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel was best known as a founding member of the influential Los Angeles jazz-adjacent combo Kneebody, though he’s increasingly earned renown as a composer and bandleader with a capacious vision. For this date, he’s focusing partly on some unfinished pieces by Michael Brecker (1947-2009) that he was commissioned to complete, tunes influenced by the tenor sax titan’s immersion in Bulgarian folk music. Wendel, well prepared to navigate the odd-metered beats, will be joined by a superlative electro-acoustic combo featuring the brilliant bassist Harish Raghavan and Menlo Park-reared piano great Taylor Eigsti. – AG

INFO: Mon, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $29-$59. 510.238.9200.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

METAL

PENTAGRAM

Bust out the best black attire and get ready to headbang because the godfathers of American doom-metal are back on tour and taking no prisoners. Pentagram has always been a litmus test for finding true metalheads. And those who know also know the infamous tales of singer Bobby Liebling, reported to have been arrested 25 times, rehabbed 35 and hospitalized over 200 times due to his wild, rocker lifestyle. While Liebling is the only original member left in the band, the rest of the Pentagram is a supergroup of Tony Reed and Scooter Haslip (Mos Generator) and Henry Vasquez (Saint Vitus). In 2025, they released Lightning In A Bottle. – MW

INFO: Tue, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $40. 510.214.8600.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22

LIVE STORYTELLING

DIANE AMOS

“Now, about that time I was on a fishing boat trapped in the ice off the coast of Quebec …” Almost everyone has a funny/sad/unique true-life story, but not everyone is good at recounting them. At this regular show, Pretty Good Stories, four storytellers share their tales at the Sound Room in a collective evening bound to make the audience laugh and think. Stand-up and actress Diane Amos will be joined by Kimberlli Joy Walker and Craig Byrne, alongside singer/songwriter Jon Smear. Amos is a lot more than just the “Pine-Sol Lady,” but she can clean up the stage about that, too. – JH

INFO: Wed, 7:30pm, The Sound Room, 3022 Broadway, Oakland. $23. 510.708.9691.

She asks questions

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Amy Goodman travels to places many of us are afraid to venture. She walked the chemical-dust-clouded streets of Lower Manhattan during the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, searching for survivors and examining the damage. She also visited the North Dakota scene of Native American protests against an oil pipeline, and interviewed people from both sides of the recent Palestinian-Israeli battleground in the ruins of Gaza.

She witnessed what happened when the military dictatorship of Nigeria clashed bloodily with ordinary citizens in the Niger Delta, over the presence of Big Petroleum. She even engaged in an on-air political argument with then-President Bill Clinton, whose administration she constantly pestered with her insistent inquiries.

Often, when police braced press members covering demonstrations, she was arrested along with everyone else. In fact, over the years Goodman has met resistance on a regular, sometimes daily basis in her line of work, mostly from sources trying to avoid the spotlight.

Why does she put herself through that? Because that’s what a reporter does.

Carl Deal and Tia Lessin’s urgent documentary, Steal This Story, Please!, introduces us to one of the most remarkable information gatherers of our time. As co-founder and host of the New York-based daily independent radio-TV-internet news program, Democracy Now!, Goodman’s mission is to identify progressive political causes, chase down the participants—as well as their opponents—and get to the heart of the matter, live and in person. As one of the doc’s subjects says, “For her the center of the action is what’s happening on the street.”

Goodman was born and spent her early years in Bay Shore and Islip, Long Island. As the granddaughter of a Jewish Orthodox rabbi and the daughter of a politically progressive physician, she learned by example the value of approaching the moral high ground with a healthy sense of skepticism. In Goodman’s words, “It came from my Jewish education to ask questions and take nothing for granted.”

By the time the Harvard graduate hooked up as a reporter and producer with Pacifica Radio—broadcasting to Bay Area listeners on KPFA, in combination with other Pacifica stations across the country—she had established herself as one of the nation’s leading radio news voices.

Then as now Goodman and her program, Democracy Now! The War and Peace Report, served as a needed alternative to rightwing talk-show radio in the era of media conglomerates and the internet, with the attendant homogenization of the conservative agenda. She showed up in numerous contexts, backed largely by herself, with no large newsroom or broadcast organization behind her.

Fellow broadcaster Nermeen Shaikh, a Democracy Now! comrade, appreciates Goodman for “expanding the frame of political discussions, to include people on the margins.” Those “marginal folks” include the inhabitants of East Timor, the Southeast Asian island nation that gained its independence from Indonesia after a violent struggle in 2002. Or figures like American activist Mumia Abu-Jamal from Philadelphia, who went from death row to political prominence, and had his controversial death sentence overturned with help from Goodman and her reporting.

Goodman asked her listeners: “Why did George W. Bush invade Iraq in 2003?” The most popular assumption was that it was misguided revenge for the 9/11 attacks. Goodman sought answers from ordinary Iraqis as well as from aggrieved New Yorkers. Her conclusion was that it was a case of the U.S. “waging war on another innocent population.”

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack, Goodman suggested that air quality reports from the scene of destruction had been covered up for political reasons—her editorializing even included an inadvertent on-air coughing spell. Goodman is the definition of indefatigable. Veteran filmmakers Tessin and Deal (Citizen Koch) run themselves ragged trying to keep up with her.

Amy Goodman appears in-person at the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley on April 18 and 19, 6:30pm both evenings, with W. Kamau Bell moderating the Q&A on April 19; rialtocinemas.com/coming-soon-elm/steal-this-story-elm. More info about ‘Steal This Story, Please’: stealthisstory.org.

* * *

In theaters now.

She told the truth anyway

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She arrives at Kinfolx Cafe in a hot-pink, crocheted two-piece—off the shoulder, hand-knitted—and the outfit tells the crowd something. Oubria Tronshaw does not show up in borrowed clothes. She makes the thing herself and wears it loud. Neither does she write in borrowed language.

“I’m not supposed to tell you this,” she whispers to the crowd, and then she tells them everything.

Tronshaw’s parents were co-workers who had an affair. “My father, his wife and their child formed a family,” she says. “My father, my mother and I formed a situation.” Custody was split like a backdoor deal: the first through the 10th with her father, his wife Gigi and her sister Tootsie Toot. The rest of the month with her mother and older sister, Sharonda.

Her father’s house was an education in hypervigilance, the terrain “a patternless minefield” for a child living in the the consequential war zone of her father’s unchecked emotions. When they heard his keys, “tinkling like a warden’s chain,” heartbeats went into space. She tucked misery under her tongue until bedtime, survived by reading her father like weather. Her intuition grew “wild like bamboo.”

That intuition became her compass. And like any compass, it showed her where she was headed—even when she went the wrong way.

Eight days after graduating from undergrad in Santa Fe and driving home to Chicago, Tronshaw met “him.” She’d told her mother: “It feels like I’m gonna meet a man and have a baby instead. It isn’t what I want, but I feel like once it happens, it’s all I want.” Her mother listened. Then it happened.

On their first date, he made his politics clear—a Black man, he told her, cannot trust a Black woman who wears the white man’s toxins instead of her own natural hair. She knew this game, and pulled a single lock past her shoulder to prove her five years of growth. He traced her bottom lip with his finger. Stared. Kissed her deeply, wrapping his fingers in her hair. The warnings were dressed beautifully, and she walked right in.

She called him the Professor—because not only did he teach her a thing or two, he thought he knew every fucking thing. Within three weeks, they’d moved in together. Within a month, she was pregnant. Five children followed, one by one—gorgeously brown, a small tribe. And eventually, because the grind is real and life breaks even the well-intentioned, Tronshaw and her husband divorced.

Book Smart Dick Dumb is not a book of pure sorrow. It’s built on a lattice of humor. “I think I just come from a funny family. If you have a lot of trauma, everybody’s funny to you,” Tronshaw says. The memoir became a place to release every smart-ass observation she’d sat on for years. “This is my book now. I can say what I was really thinking.”

She’d always wanted to write—especially about her life, which irritated her mother. Then one day, her mother said plainly: “Some things you only write when your mother’s dead.” She passed in 2017.

“I miss her terribly,” Tronshaw says, “but I don’t know if I would have the strength to be this honest if I knew she’d just pick up this book and read it.”

When she’s not writing from a café, she writes in a walk-in closet, children knocking. “All of this that I’ve done, I’ve done around motherhood,” she says. “And motherhood just always brings me back to the real world.”

She met her current husband through her Melanated Classic Tarot Deck. He ordered one, then emailed to thank her. She laughs, recounting how she tried to blow up his thumbnail to see his face, says, “We never let each other go after that original email.” Everything she makes—the deck, the memoir, all of it—lives at oubria.com.

Growing up between two households, no one place ever felt entirely hers. She always said she’d know home when she saw it. Something in Oakland’s Dimond District is settling—the neighbors, playdates, familiar faces.

“I feel more at home here,” she says, “than I have felt in a very, very long time.”

‘Book Smart, Dick Dumb,’ self-published by Oubria Tronshaw, released March 12; oubria.com.

Grand Lake Kitchen opens third location

Grand Lake Kitchen’s co-owner, May Seto Wasem, confirmed the feeling I had after a recent dinner at the restaurant’s new location in Noe Valley. “In the first seven days of being open, we’ve had people come in five times,” Wasem said.

The second I walked inside it felt as if GLK had always been there. Across the dining room from our cozy blue booth, a couple of kids, their parents and a grandmother celebrated a birthday. The mess they left behind looked like the Sex Pistols’ home away from home. Throughout the restaurant, everyone seemed perfectly at ease.

Comfort food is defined by what’s on a plate and confirmed by how a place makes you feel. Wasem runs the two East Bay locations of GLK and the new space in San Francisco with her husband, Dave. She told me the location, on the corner of 24th Street and Church, makes it feel like it’s always been part of the neighborhood.

“We try to be affordable and casual,” she said. “I mean, we sell pork sandwiches, right? It’s not super fancy.” It’s also not, not fancy. The pork sandwich is made with a slow-roasted porchetta, broccoli rabe pesto, pickled fennel, fontina cheese and a calabrian chile aioli on an Acme roll.     

Not since Chow closed, in the East Bay and in San Francisco, has a viable upscale diner expanded in its place. With three locations, GLK is now poised to do so. The Wasems developed each of the menus together though the same or similar dishes do show up across all three. GLK Lake Merritt started out as a deli with a countertop and a few tables. But they almost immediately outgrew it. “And then we expanded, which was probably the most difficult opening I’ve ever done,” she said.

Expanding is worse than opening, Wasem said, because the regulars’ expectations are confounded by the changes and by the arrival of new customers. “But we were so grateful to add a full bar and a lot more seating,” she said. GLK Lake Merritt also has a private dining room upstairs that overlooks the mezzanine. “It’s so much fun, and that little restaurant is a beast,” she added.

About five years after opening GLK Lake Merritt, the Wasems began to look for another location. Many of their regulars had moved to the Dimond District in search of bigger homes to start families. At the time the couple lived nearby in Maxwell Park. The Dimond location, at almost 6,000 square feet, is an entirely different operation.

“When it’s busy, it’s really busy,” Wasem said. “When it’s slow, it’s very slow.” Only now, in its seventh year, is that restaurant profitable. It also serves as a catering hub for off-site events. And, during the pandemic and for a few years after, they made Detroit-style pizza as an internal “pop-up.”

When an East Bay real estate agent who’d eaten at GLK reached out about Noe Valley, the Wasems were passively thinking about opening a third location. People had suggested Lafayette and Walnut Creek. But when they did the walkthrough in the city, they decided the opportunity was “too good to pass up.”

At our table of four, we shared most of the dishes. The starters included reuben fries made with pastrami and sauerkraut ($17), grilled asparagus ($12) and, my favorite, fried green tomatoes ($13). All of them were hits. We also ordered the Americana-style burger ($20), chicken breast with mashed potatoes and carrots ($28), and a bowl of matzoh ball soup adorned with a big sprig of dill ($12).

When I asked Wasem to categorize the cuisine at GLK, she said she struggles to define it. “It’s comfort and classics—I wouldn’t call it anything more than that,” she said, adding: nostalgic, tasty, satisfying food. “I hope it’s consistent and, people say, craveable.” Equally as important is the feeling the Wasems have captured. “It’s what we find ourselves really attracted to when we go out to eat,” she said. When I told her Noe Valley was packed when we ate there she replied, “I’m glad that there was energy and happiness and it was full and busy.”

Grand Lake Kitchen’s hours vary at each location. Oakland (Grand Lake and Dimond) and San Francisco (Noe Valley). grandlakekitchen.com

Free Will Astrology: Week of April 15

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anthropologist and author Clifford Geertz loved to use “thick description.” He wrote detailed reports that captured not just the surface level of what happened but the deeper levels of meaning. Here’s an example of thin description: “He winked.” Thick description: “He quickly closed and opened his right eyelid in a culturally specific gesture of playfully conspiratorial communication.” In the coming weeks, Aries, I invite you to enjoy the sumptuous pleasures of thick description. Unleash your wild curiosity as you dig down into the rich, complex truths about everything. Gleefully explore how the cultural, personal and historical contexts give each moment its specific, nuanced significance. (P.S. This approach will enhance your options for responding.)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): New beginnings and final chapters will be overlapping in the coming weeks, and they’ll push you in the direction of robust growth. It won’t always be obvious which is which, though, so you’ll need to sharpen your discernment to read the signs. Here are two contemplations to steer you: 1. Which long-running sagas in your life have finally played themselves out? 2. Which struggling, half-forgotten dreams are yearning to rise again and blossom as if they were brand new? Once you’ve listened deeply enough to answer those questions, move boldly: Feed and protect whatever is being born, and actively assist in the graceful dismantling of whatever is ready to end.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): One of your go-to tools or assets is still functioning, but now is exactly the time to repair or refurbish it—before it breaks. Furthermore: A power outage of sorts may be looming unless you move to head off an impending overload. Wait, there’s even more! The monster in your closet is still deeply asleep, which is why now is the perfect moment to summon an exorcist or exterminator, before it stirs. Are you getting the picture, Gemini? The very fact that you’re reading this horoscope gives you all the advance warning you need to sidestep potential glitches and diversions.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): According to my reading of the astrological omens, asking the BIG questions is highly advisable right now. Why? Because you are unusually likely to get really good answers to those BIG questions. Want a nudge to get started in this noble enterprise? Here are three recommended queries: 1. “What is the wild meaning of my precious life?” 2. “Who the #@$%&!* am I, anyway?” 3. “Where is this so-called ‘God’ I hear so much about?” Dear Cancerian, I will also urge you to formulate humorous, satirical BIG questions that inspire life to be playfully revelatory with you. Here are three: 1. “How can I fine-tune my friends and loved ones to perfection?” 2. “Are there shortcuts to getting absolutely everything I want?” 3. “How do I sign up for a life of nonstop pleasure, free from all discomfort?”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When people finally grasped just how radical Einstein’s theory of relativity was, a journalist asked him how he had arrived at such a breakthrough. Einstein said it was simple: He had utterly ignored supposedly fundamental truths. Dear Leo, please notice what that might imply for you in the coming weeks. Einstein didn’t dismiss a mere opinion or fashionable theory; he set aside theories so deeply accepted that everyone treated them as obviously factual. He didn’t waste energy fighting them, but simply proceeded as if they didn’t exist. Consider doing the same: Set aside at least one seemingly incontestable assumption and be alert for the new realities that then become possible.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The International Space Station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, so astronauts see 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours. It’s a challenge to maintain their circadian rhythms. They must be disciplined as they stick to a sleep cycle that human bodies are accustomed to. But there’s a wonderful trade-off: the rare privilege of witnessing the rapid cycling of total darkness and brilliant light, which provides a visceral sense of life’s deep cadences at work. Your routine may seem similarly unsettled these days, Virgo. Transitions are coming faster than feels natural. But I suspect this disruptive blessing is giving you access to patterns that aren’t intelligible when you’re moving more slowly. You’re beholding the way things change as well as the changes themselves. This is a valuable gift. The insights will be worth the disorientation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You Libras sometimes get accused of indecision, as if your careful weighing of possibilities were a weakness. But I see a different truth: You aspire to be fair-minded as you honor all the legitimate claims on your attention. So the problem isn’t your capacity for considering multiple sides of each story. Rather, I find fault with the culture you live in, which is obsessed with one-dimensional certainty. If I were your coach or therapist, I would give you permission to take your time and resist the rush to resolution. The most honest thing you can say may be, “I’m still deciding,” or “Both of these feel true.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’re not a flaming expert at turning tension into treasure, but you have modest skills at that art. And now I’m predicting you will grow these skills. Before you jump to conclusions, though, please know that I’m not implying you will be immersed in stressful melodrama. I’m suggesting you will handle differences of perspective with increasing aplomb and curiosity. Instead of treating conflict as a debilitating hassle, you’ll try to find value in it. Some debates may even feel stimulating and fun rather than tiring. To take maximum advantage, enjoy the controversies as exploratory missions rather than as showdowns you must win at all costs.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I hope and predict you will be wildly resourceful as you wisely experiment with love in the coming weeks. I hope and predict that you will research the art of tender, inspiring intimacy in new frontiers. Reinvent passion, you subtle intensity freak! Be a bold explorer who breaks the boring old rules! Dare to break open new varieties of sweetness and companionship that require you to innovate and improvise!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you were on a walk and spied a dime on the ground, would you bend down to grab it? Probably not. Would you feel differently about a quarter? Maybe you have decided that nothing under a dollar is worth your effort. But in the coming weeks, you will be wise to break such rules. Symbolically speaking, the act of stooping down to pick up a dime will set off a chain reaction that ends with you acquiring a hundred-dollar bill. By saying yes to small, unexpected blessings, you’ll position yourself to receive larger ones down the line.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The coming weeks will be an excellent time to begin a building project on the scale of Egypt’s Great Pyramid or India’s Taj Mahal. You should at least initiate work toward some magnificent masterpiece or creation, Aquarius. According to my analysis, there’s a chance you could coax an armada of helpers to work on your behalf. And as you set out to accomplish your labor of love, I bless your quest.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Artists who specialize in origami can create structures far stronger than the flat paper they’re folded from. The weakness of being made from thin, fragile material is overcome through strategic creasing. Engineers now use origami principles to design everything from solar panels to artificial blood vessels. Let’s extrapolate these facts into a lesson for you in the coming weeks, Pisces. We’ll assume that your flexibility is a strength, not a liability. You will wield your pliability to produce a high degree of structural integrity. 

Homework: You know what to do and you know when to do it. So do it! Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Celebrate 4/20 with Smoakland’s Biggest Sale Ever

Published in cooperation between Smoakland and East Bay Express.

In a market full of markups and middlemen, Smoakland keeps it simple. We bring high-quality cannabis straight from the source to the people. No inflated narratives, no unnecessary layers—just a model built on access, consistency and real value.

By working directly with cultivators, Smoakland delivers cannabis that’s not only more affordable, but cleaner, with a smaller environmental footprint. Less energy, fewer emissions and a closer connection to the plant itself.

That same mindset carries into the experience. Bigger savings mean bigger value—that’s why Smoakland offers daily combo deals, giving customers more of what they love for less. Think Costco, but for cannabis. As Northern California’s premier cannabis delivery service, known for the iconic $49 ounce, Smoakland is committed to making quality cannabis accessible, affordable and convenient for everyone across the Bay Area and beyond.

Since launching in Oakland in 2018, Smoakland has revolutionized the cannabis experience by offering premium products at prices that challenge traditional retail. Rooted in the Bay, the brand continues to reflect the culture that shaped it. A recent collaboration with Beeda Weeda—Hella Hyphy—taps directly into that local energy: independent, unapologetic and true to the region.

Now, Smoakland is gearing up for its biggest 4/20 yet.

Smoakland 4/20 sale
  • Early Access (April 6–14):  Up to 75 percent off sitewide! Grab favorites like Grapejuice Stomper for $9.50 or El Sol Gummies for just $4.20.
  • 420 Sellathon (April 15–20): The main event! New combo deals, flash sales and rotating offers—all designed to maximize your savings.
  • Post-420 (April 21–26):  Keep the celebration going with fresh bundles and discounts.

There’s also a curated 99-cent menu, available exclusively through the app, unlocking select flower, pre-rolls, gummies and vapes at a price point that speaks for itself.

Bay Area, Sacramento and beyond—tap in at smoakland.com and see what happens when the middleman disappears.

‘All People Powered’ stages the future

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Oakland has long lived in the tension between innovation and displacement, where the growth of the tech economy rarely reaches the communities that shaped the region’s culture.

Now, a hip-hop musical born in Oakland is turning that tension into something tangible: a live startup pitch competition rooted in equity, culture and community.

Co-Founders, created by Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis and Adesha Adefela, follows an Oakland coder navigating the high-stakes world of a San Francisco startup accelerator while trying to hold onto her home and community. What begins as a story about ambition unfolds into a critique of Silicon Valley, questioning who benefits from innovation and who gets left behind.

As the production evolved, so did its stakes. What started as a story about unlikely partnerships became a broader reflection of the Bay Area itself, shaped by gentrification and the influence of the tech industry. Austin describes it as a confrontation with a tech ecosystem “run by the top 1%,” where innovation often overlooks the needs of everyday people.

The impact of Co-Founders extends beyond the stage.

Following strong audience response and support from leaders like Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, the production began intersecting with real conversations about policy and investment in the arts. Austin, who sees her work as both creative and civic, described the show as “a bit of a tipping point,” helping elevate conversations about cultural infrastructure in Oakland. After attending, Lee pointed to the production’s ability not only to move audiences, but to generate economic activity, citing more than $2 million generated within a two-block radius during its San Francisco run.

Out of that momentum came “All People Powered,” a concert and pitch competition that brings the themes of Co-Founders into the real world.

In February, more than 70 participants took part in a daylong hackathon for a chance to compete. From there, organizers, including the Co-Founders creative team, the Kapor Center and Oakland-based HiiiWAV, selected three finalists.

The result is a live event on April 11 at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts that blends performance and entrepreneurship. Described as “Soul Beat meets Shark Tank,” the event will feature live pitches from three Bay Area startups grounded in community-driven ideas.

“Choice Scores,” led by Kev Choice and Sam Wilkins, explores the future of music orchestration. Chloe Hughes and Fatimah Hussein will present “Finnie,” a financial advising platform designed for students. Oakland native Jazz Hudson will introduce “Herbal Oracle,” an AI-powered wellness platform rooted in ancestral plant knowledge.

ENTREPRENEUR FINALIST Oakland native Jazz Hudson works with an event facilitator in a mentorship session for her pitch on ‘Herbal Oracle,’ an AI-powered wellness platform rooted in ancestral plant knowledge. (Photo by Bosko Kante & Ryan Austin)

Hudson’s path to the competition reflects the kind of perspective the event is trying to center. After spending part of her adolescence in foster care, she became a spoken-word artist, educator and nonprofit leader supporting high-trauma communities. While studying at San Francisco State with plans to pursue medicine, she began to notice the absence of Black women in science and the broader impact that absence has on health outcomes.

That realization shaped her vision for Herbal Oracle. Originally imagined as part of a neighborhood apothecary and wellness space, the concept evolved through the accelerator into a mobile platform, expanding its reach beyond a single location.

Like many participants, Hudson did not initially see herself reflected in the tech world. That shifted during the accelerator’s hackathon, where she encountered an intergenerational group of Black participants, from young coders to community organizers and elders. The environment challenged her assumptions about who belongs in those spaces and created an entry point into a field that had previously felt out of reach.

CHOICE SCORES Entrepreneurs Sam Wilkins, left, and Kev Choice focus on the future of music orchestration in their pitch. (Photo by Bosko Kante & Ryan Austin)

The choice of venue adds another layer of meaning. The Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts reopened earlier this year after nearly two decades, following a $100 million renovation. For Austin, an Oakland native, returning to the space carries personal and cultural significance. The Calvin Simmons Theatre, named after a pioneering Black conductor, reflects a legacy of Black innovation that aligns with the themes of both Co-Founders and “All People Powered.”

At the same time, the production is intentional about expanding who feels invited into theater spaces.

Austin acknowledges that musical theater has often felt insular, shaped by audiences who have grown up within it. Co-Founders takes a different approach. The music draws from a distinctly Bay Area sound, influenced by artists like Tony! Toni! Toné!, E-40 and En Vogue, creating a soundtrack that feels familiar and accessible rather than traditional.

PITCH PERFECT A facilitator (left) works with entrepreneurs Chloe Hughes and Fatimah Hussain on pitching their financial advising tool for students, Finnie. (Photo by Bosko Kante & Ryan Austin)

The production also incorporates layered projection and digital elements that allow the show to move at a faster pace, closer to television than conventional theater. The result is an experience that holds attention while still delivering a story grounded in community, displacement and survival.

In a region often defined by exclusionary tech ecosystems, “All People Powered” offers a different model, one where culture, creativity and capital intersect on Oakland’s terms.

‘All People Powered,’ Saturday, April 11, at 2pm, Calvin Simmons Theater at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, Oakland. Tickets: hjkarts.org. Info: allpeoplepower.com.

Curling is the new black

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One of the world’s most out-there sports, invented by—who else—the Scots, is having its roaring moment. Every four years, the Winter Olympics sweeps curling briefly back into the spotlight, but this year was a bit different.

  • American Olympic curlers Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin won a silver medal in mixed doubles.
  • Noted CNN non-jock Harry Enten was spotted on the network’s site trying curling. He didn’t do too badly but confessed it was much more athletic than he had supposed.
  • A curling scandal rocked the Games. Cheating Canadians? Swearing Swedes!

The Olympics may be over, but curling fever isn’t. Bay Area residents may not realize that the only space dedicated to curling in California is, in fact, in Oakland. And within it the brooms are flyin.’

Sadie Scheffer, vice president of the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club, initially connected to curling in 2023, via an invitation to join a friend’s curling lesson. She was not especially enthused. But then she discovered that the game was actually all about strategy—and she loves strategy. The curling “skip” is the team captain and “I think like a skip,” she said in a phone interview.

In her experience, curling requires physical strength, muscle memory and the ability to adapt quickly. But it’s also a sport that accommodates all ages, said Cindy Ward who, at 61, was looking for a new sport. She just joined the club in November and is an enthusiastic convert. Worth noting: Olympic curler Rich Ruohonen, at 54, is the oldest-ever American Winter Olympian.

“It requires finding your balance—and getting used to the cold room!” Ward said, laughing. She plays in a beginners league where everyone has been curling five years or less, and added that the club offers modified versions for people who cannot squat down, along with wheelchair curling.

Ward thoroughly enjoys what is called in curling “broomstacking.” This socializing tradition, named for the original practice of stacking brooms by the fireside after a match, is considered as important as play itself. “I love the camaraderie,” she said, noting that curling players tend to be friendly, polite people, and that the club is a great place to make new friends.

The club offers a Sunday Morning Brunch League and a Trivia League. “Post-Covid, people are looking for social outlets,” Ward said, comparing interest in curling to interest in pickleball, bocce ball and even billiards. But the best comparison? “It’s like chess on ice.”

Longtime club member Jonathan Ochcoco heads up the Sunday brunch bunch and, like Ward, praises both the accessibility and the community-building of the sport. He joined in 2011, before the club had its present location, when it operated at the Oakland Ice Rink. The same place, he pointed out, that women’s figure skating champion Alysa Liu practiced as a child skater.

Ochcoco’s brother, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, took him along to a curling lesson during a visit which, well, swept him off his feet. Now he plays twice a week in addition to Sunday mornings, travels to “bonspiels”—curling tournaments—and also plays for the Filipino senior men’s team. Yet another important involvement for him is the LGBTQ league of which, he said, there are only seven in the country.

“My nephew started curling when he was four,” said the proud uncle, who now teaches curling to the “little rockers,” ages 7-12. “Some of them have grown up and now beat me!” He isn’t surprised at the surge of interest in the sport. “In 2018 the men’s team won gold, and many more curling clubs opened up,” he said. “And this year the games are being shown in prime time,” greatly widening the audience.

All those interviewed spoke of curling’s traditions of kindness and adherence to etiquette, Olympic squabbles aside. “We call our own fouls, and the teams agree on the score with each other,” Scheffer said. The appeal is drawing many new recruits. “It’s a way to make a hundred new friends.”

The club offers programs seven days a week, including “Try Curling” events, beginner lessons, and weeknight and weekend leagues.

San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club, 8450 Enterprise Way, Oakland. bayareacurling.com

Social Eyes: Week of April 9-15

THURSDAY, APRIL 9CANCELLED DUE TO FAMILY EMERGENCY

FUNK

PLANET BOOTY

The current four-man incarnation of Planet Booty shimmies its way back into the East Bay for a couple of gigs at the Ivy Room. Though the brothers who first created the band are from Indiana, they found the inspiration for its pop, R&B, ’90s house, ’70s funk and classic hip-hop mix in Oakland in the aughts. What emerged is music “that might have been made by your strangely attractive high school gym coach,” according to the band itself. Frontman Dylan Germick is known for his sexy body positivity, which includes starting the show in wildly inventive suits, then stripping them off to end in sparkly tiny underpants. Perfect. JANIS HASHE

INFO: Thu, 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $18. 510.526.5888.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9

FOLK

DAR WILLIAMS

With her 13th album, Hummingbird Highway, singer/songwriter Dar Williams expands the ecosystem of her work. The rhythms and colors of life become vivid in modern day folk songs that speak of springtime renewal, the patter of conversations shared by friends and strangers, or the sacred, silent moments spent in meditation or prayer. There’s even one track, “Olive Tree,” with a local reference. A group of CAL scientists in 1913 planted an olive grove with hopes that future generations might meet and find community in the shade underneath the trees. Also on the bill is British folk-rocker Ruth Theodore, who provides a terrific counterpoint with a bright punk-rock-meets-folk sound and lyrics from moody to celebratory. LOU FANCHER

INFO: Thu, 8pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $49-$54. 510.644.2020.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

HIP-HOP

THE SUGARHILL GANG

Hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang in 2026 is longtime original members Wonder Mike (Michael Wright) and Master Gee (Guy O’Brien), joined by Big Bank Hank (Henry Jackson). Early hits before taking a 25-year hiatus included “Rapper’s Delight”—which sold over 8 million copies and went on to become the biggest-selling rap single of all time—along with “Apache,” “8th Wonder” and “Living in the Fast Lane.” This is classic rap, so get ready to time-travel. All the jive-with-attitude and cool vibes are in place. Every detail of word and dress is refined but not contrived. Each move is choreographed, but like a cat, not a robot, on the prowl. – LF

INFO: Fri, 7:30pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $54-94. 510.238.9200.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

ROCK

ABBY JEANNE & THE SHADOWBAND

Abby Jeanne’s life reads like a mix between a beatnik novel and a John Waters film. She was born to a poker-playing champ mother and a cross-dressing drama king who met through their love of theater. She’s lived in Savannah, out of a van and was homeless in Europe. She met God in India, became a “psychedelic nun” in Thailand and “fooled around” with the CIA before she decided to move to L.A. before the pandemic, then bounced to New York, where she presumably still resides. For now. But what really stands out is her music, which captures the soul of garage rock, the essence of soul music and the rock of 1960s psychedelic pop. MAT WEIR

INFO: Sat, 7pm, Spats, 1974 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $15. 510.841.7225.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

WORLD

17TH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO MAESTRO ALI AKBAR KHAN

If sarod master Ali Akbar Khan (1922-2009) hadn’t set up shop in the Bay Area in 1967, his global status as one of the 20th-century’s titans of North Indian classical music would have been entirely undiminished. Khan’s academy attracted students from around the world, while infusing a deep knowledge and appreciation for Hindustani raga music into Bay Area culture. Led by his son, sarod scion Alam Khan, the 17th annual birthday tribute to Khan highlights the Freight’s recent series of classical Indian recitals. This concert features leading lights of AAK’s Maihar gharana, including his son and disciple Manik Khan on sarod, Arjun Verma on sitar and tabla expert Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: Sat, 7pm, The Freight, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. $44-$69. 510.644.2020.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

COMEDY

JOHN WATERS

Is it possible John Waters, the magical, manic man of many outrages, including Pink Flamingos, Carsick and transgressive art going back decades, is turning 80? Why yes, it is. The iconic pencil mustache has a lot of gray in it now, but the maestro doesn’t care. His 70-minute “comedy revival show/sermon,” “Going to Extremes,” is the latest chance to experience the man William S. Burroughs famously called “The Pope of Trash.” Waters himself has said, “I would love to sell out, but no one would buy me.” Even with multiple iterations of Hairspray, he’s still pretty much the little kid from Baltimore who flashed his neighbor while wearing only red fireman boots. – JH

INFO: Sat, 8pm, The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. $42-$99. 510.356.4000.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12

JAZZ

CARMEN LUNDY

At 71, Lundy has been a major creative force for more than four decades. But without the support of a major label, she’s tended to her own career. An artist fully in command of her materials, she’s released a series of acclaimed albums on her Afrasia label focusing on her finely wrought originals. These include several tunes that are close to being contemporary standards, like her winsome, oft-recorded love song “These Things You Are to Me.” Her band reliably features some of jazz’s finest young players, like her Yoshi’s contingent with pianist “Orange” Julius Rodriguez, guitarist Andrew Renfroe and drummer Donovan Cheatham. – AG

INFO: Sun, 7pm, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $34-$69. 510.238.9200.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12

AMERICANA

PAUL THORN

Paul Thorn is a true Southerner. Born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, he serves up country-fried blues with a side of collard blues and a heaping scoop of rock. And wooo boy, there’s plenty of hot sauce slathered all over his music with songs like “Pimps & Preachers,” “Burn Down the Trailer Park” and “It’s a Great Day to Whup Somebody’s Ass”—which he actually could do, seeing as he was a professional boxer with a hefty 14-4 record. He built an incredibly successful career through independently releasing his music on his own label, touring and playing with greats like Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, and the late greats Jerry Jeff Walker and John Prine.MW

INFO: Sun, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $69. 510.214.8600.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

ELECTRONIC

YAIMA

Multi-instrumentalist Masaru Higasa and vocalist Pepper Proud arrived in Seattle with a powerful backstory. The name Yaima has two sources: a word in the Mapudungun language meaning “that which water runs through” and connections to the culturally preserved Yaeyama District of Okinawa, Japan. Fans seek inner and outer peace, or to feel the resonance of wind and light in sound, or are simply people who find rich reward in the universal, unifying power of song and music. A 10-year anniversary album, Moongate, offers 13 songs that pay tribute to the 13 moons of an Earth cycle. Isn’t it marvelous there are people who still believe in humanity? Yup. It’s rare, but it’s real. – LF

INFO: Tue, 8pm, Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. $31. 510.214.8600.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

R&B

ARI LENNOX

The woman born Courtney Shanade Salter in 1991 has always forged her own path. She adopted her stage name, Ari Lennox, partly as a tribute to Mary Lennox, a character in the film version of The Secret Garden. By 2009 she’d begun uploading her own music to the internet and in 2013 she self-released her debut EP, Ariography. Since then she’s created a mixture of Motown, R&B and new-age soul that’s entirely her own, sung in a voice she describes as “vulnerable but soulful; imperfect but pretty.” She’s on tour supporting her new album, Vacancy, released in January 2026, with supporting artists Lekan and PHABO. – JH

INFO: Wed, 8pm, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. $54-$240. 510.893.2300.

Let’s talk about it

0

People are talking about … the fact that people don’t like talking anymore. Multiple studies bemoan the death of conversation. But Paul Spinrad doesn’t buy it. He believes people are eager for face-to-face conversation, especially if prompted by a specific topic.

So he created the prototype of a “Conference Calendar” and published it in print for the month of February. Multiple East Bay businesses agreed to participate in the trial run. A graphics designer friend of Spinrad’s designed the print version, which listed 27 conferences, taking place from Feb. 1 to March 3.

“I’ve always been interested in the Jewish diaspora,” Spinrad said. “Jews created community by reading [and discussing] the same thing.” Coming out of the pandemic, he said, people felt disconnected. “We need to get together and talk more. I love lectures and author talks, but what about peer-to-peer?”

He came up with numerous topics, including “Decision Support” (Feb. 1), “Paranormal Experiences” (Feb. 12) and “Procrastinators Anonymous” (March 3), and recruited six businesses and one library as conversation spaces. Each conference was hosted by a coordinator, and no recording or photography was allowed.

“February was the experiment,” Spinrad said. “We cast a wide net. Some conferences were practical, some were ‘out there.’” One conference, “Language Night: Portuguese”—at Adega Azul Wine Bar in Berkeley—was suggested by the Portuguese immigrant owners.

Overall attendance was mixed, with some events attracting many attendees and others, not. At least three of the venues, Adega Azul, and Oakland’s Mushin Social Club and Discover Community Cafe, signed on for the next round, once Spinrad creates a new calendar.

Besides “Language Night,” Adega Azul also hosted “Decision Support,” “New to the Area,” “Revolution,” “Parenting Teens” and “Prescription Drugs That We Take.” Mushin Social Club hosted “UFOs and Alien Intelligence,” “AI and Early Education” and ”Get-Rich-Quick Schemes.” Discover Community Cafe hosted “Public Banks,” “Paranormal Experiences” and “Practical Fan Fiction.”

Krystle Chipman, owner of Discover Community Cafe, felt excited when Spinrad approached her about hosting events at her venue. “We’re just celebrating our one-year anniversary, and we are all about building community,” she said. Other events that the cafe hosts tend to be mostly creative, such as “Makers & Mocktails: Tin Embossing Picture Frame.”

Events at her space went well; even the one with low attendance produced in-depth conversation. “Starting something is always like that,” she said, noting that word-of-mouth from people who participate is one of the best ways to generate future attendance. She will sign on again with the new calendar.

Like Spinrad, she doesn’t think conversation is dead. “There is a need for third spaces for people to connect,” she said. “Creating intentional spaces [to do that] is very necessary.”

As he tweaks the concept and looks to formulate another series of events, Spinrad sees many promising signs. People have offered to assist. The Berkeley Public Library North Branch is interested in hosting.

He hopes to continue his connections with other February hosts, including Milyar Coffee, Temescal Brewing, Clio’s Books and Kinfolx, as he also looks for more noncommercial spaces, he said. He’ll use the mailing list of the February conference’s attendees to reach out when the new series is ready.

He’s looking for sponsors and advertisers, although he isn’t sure if he will continue to print the calendar. Vintage movie listings inspired its print incarnation and he loved the result, but cost is a factor.

Asked about the ongoing debate on whether younger people have given up on face-to-face communication, he agreed that the younger ones “were a bit awkward” at first.

“But they are all bright people,” he said. An introvert himself, he admitted it can be challenging to show up prepared to talk to strangers. But providing an anchor topic is really helpful, he believes.

“This is a good sandbox,” he said.

To suggest a location for a future conference, email lo*******@*****al.org. To suggest new topics, email to****@*****al.org.

Social Eyes: Week of April 16-22

Social Eyes: Week of April 16-22
This week's calendar picks feature Scott Amendola's Anniversary Quartet, Deborah Crooks' 'Flight Lessons,' Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, The Philharmonik, The Joffrey Ballet, Disco Biscuits, Runaway Ricochet, Ben Wendel, Pentagram, and Diane Amos.

She asks questions

She asks questions
Amy Goodman travels to places many of us are afraid to venture. She walked the chemical-dust-clouded streets of Lower Manhattan during the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, searching for survivors and examining the damage. She also visited the North Dakota scene of Native American protests against an oil pipeline, and interviewed people from both sides of the recent Palestinian-Israeli...

She told the truth anyway

She told the truth anyway
She arrives at Kinfolx Cafe in a hot-pink, crocheted two-piece—off the shoulder, hand-knitted—and the outfit tells the crowd something. Oubria Tronshaw does not show up in borrowed clothes. She makes the thing herself and wears it loud. Neither does she write in borrowed language. “I’m not supposed to tell you this,” she whispers to the crowd, and then she tells...

Grand Lake Kitchen opens third location

Grand Lake Kitchen opens third location
Grand Lake Kitchen’s co-owner, May Seto Wasem, confirmed the feeling I had after a recent dinner at the restaurant’s new location in Noe Valley. “In the first seven days of being open, we’ve had people come in five times,” Wasem said. The second I walked inside it felt as if GLK had always been there. Across the dining room from...

Free Will Astrology: Week of April 15

Free Will Astrology: Week of April 8
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anthropologist and author Clifford Geertz loved to use “thick description.” He wrote detailed reports that captured not just the surface level of what happened but the deeper levels of meaning. Here’s an example of thin description: “He winked.” Thick description: “He quickly closed and opened his right eyelid in a culturally specific gesture of playfully...

Celebrate 4/20 with Smoakland’s Biggest Sale Ever

Smoakland 4/20 sale
Published in cooperation between Smoakland and East Bay Express. In a market full of markups and middlemen, Smoakland keeps it simple. We bring high-quality cannabis straight from the source to the people. No inflated narratives, no unnecessary layers—just a model built on access, consistency and real value. By working directly with cultivators, Smoakland delivers cannabis that’s not only more affordable, but...

‘All People Powered’ stages the future

'All People Powered' stages the future
Oakland has long lived in the tension between innovation and displacement, where the growth of the tech economy rarely reaches the communities that shaped the region’s culture. Now, a hip-hop musical born in Oakland is turning that tension into something tangible: a live startup pitch competition rooted in equity, culture and community. Co-Founders, created by Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis and...

Curling is the new black

Curling is the new black
One of the world’s most out-there sports, invented by—who else—the Scots, is having its roaring moment. Every four years, the Winter Olympics sweeps curling briefly back into the spotlight, but this year was a bit different. American Olympic curlers Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin won a silver medal in mixed doubles. Noted CNN non-jock Harry Enten was spotted on the network’s...

Social Eyes: Week of April 9-15

Social Eyes: Week of April 9-15
This week's calendar picks feature Planet Booty, Dar Williams, The Sugarhill Gang, Abby Jeanne & The Shadowband, Birthday Tribute to Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, John Waters, Carmen Lundy, Paul Thorn, Yaima, and Ari Lennox.

Let’s talk about it

Let’s talk about it
People are talking about … the fact that people don’t like talking anymore. Multiple studies bemoan the death of conversation. But Paul Spinrad doesn’t buy it. He believes people are eager for face-to-face conversation, especially if prompted by a specific topic. So he created the prototype of a “Conference Calendar” and published it in print for the month of February....
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