Pam the Funkstress — lovely lady of The Coup fame – was supposed to be spinning the best of new and old R&B at The Silk Road Fridays starting 9 p.m.  Turns out, the Vietnamese restaurant put her act on hold because, they found out at the last minute to their surprise, the city requires a cabaret license for a DJ, even one as famous as PTF. So, it looks like she's playing a gig at the Shine club in Gastown (Vancouver), at least acc to this Web site. Too bad she had a bunch of slick ad cards printed up for The Silk Road gig before the city gave them the bad news.  We'll let you know when and if her Grown N'Sexy show at The Silk Road gets started. The Silk Road is located at 101 Broadway @ Embarcadero. The phone is 510-836-6600.

...at FLOAT galleries, where the motto is "come for a float, stay for the show." The home of the largest enclosed floatation tanks in the Bay Area is celebrating its 2nd anniversary 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday with the artwork of LIz Mamorsky and Paul Baker. DJ Bonscott of WaxON WaxOFF productions will be spinning funk, Hip-hop and jungle during the May 17 event. FLOAT is located at 1091 Calcot Place, Unit #116, Oakland. The telephone is 535-1702. (The floatation tank is approximately 8.5′ long by 4′ wide, and almost 4′ high, it is a sound and lightproof unit in which you float like a cork effortlessly on the surface of 10.5 inches of water that is saturated with 1000 Lbs of medical grade Epsom salt solution.)

It's not exactly the best kept secret in town, but somewhat under the radar Green Day will be performing under the alter band ego "Foxboro Hot Tubs" tomorrow night (May 15) at The Stork Club over on 23rd and Telegraph. The band called up the owner Tom and asked if they could gig at their old punk rock haunt. What are you gonna' say? No. We're too good for you superstar grunge boys? What the hell, Foxboro Hot Tubs? You no-names. 
Right. Anyway, get in line early (the club opens 6 p.m.) for tickets, which are first-come, first-serve and will cost about $20. The Web site Buzznet announced that there is a two-ticket purchase minimum. Hmmm. That sounds very much not indie to me. And the band's debut release (vinyl and CD) will be out on May 20. So, this could be a big hoax or the real thing. Let's go check it out.

“NEW YEAR BABY”  — A  DAUGHTER’S  SEARCH  FOR  THE  TRUTH  ABOUT  FAMILY  SECRETS, genocide, human rights and the ties that bind family together during times of war and resettlement.
Exclusive free Oakland advance screening and Q&A featuring director Socheata Poeuv.
The film is a personal and moving film that intertwines a family history with those of millions of others who suffered under the Khmer Rouge.
Tuesday, May 13 2008
Reception 6:00 PM
Film 6:30 PM
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth Street, Suite 290, Oakland

RSVP: rsvp@asianamericanmedia.org or (510) 326-1440
Media also encouraged to attend

For more information, visit: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newyearbaby

If you read any of my stories or blogs about burlesque, you'll know who Honey Lawless and the Belles du Jour are:  

"In an effort to pursue my own artistic vision, I will no longer be working with Belles du Jour or First Friday Follies.  I have truly appreciated my experience with the Belles and wish them nothing but the best.   If you have any questions about First Friday Follies or Belles du Jour, please contact the Belles at bellesdujour.burlesque@gmail.com.   I am very excited about this new direction and have been working on my own solo performances.  I look forward to showcasing them soon.   Stay tuned for announcements."

From 10 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays TAMARINDO in Old Oakland is serving up late night dining (after hours for the Bay Area, anyway). The address is 468 8th St. 510-444-1944.

Festival de teatro de resistencia en la calle
Theater Festival of Resistance in the Streets
At the Placita one block from the entrance to the Fruitvale BART Station.
En la placita a una cuadra de la entrada de la Estación Frtuivale de BART
Live with/En vivo con: HeadRush theater group/grupo de teatro, poetas, decimistas, spoken word, music & community art project
Sábado/Sat. May 10, 2:00-4:00 p.m.: ¡Paz para la gente! – Peace for the people!
Sábado/Sat. May 17, 12:00-2:00 p.m.: Sacred Mother Earth – Madre tierra sagrada
Organized by headRush!
With Libros Arte y Cultura bookstore and La Carpa del FEO
For more info, visit www.headrushcrew.com

Since March 15, B Restaurant & Bar in Oakland has had a new master: David Seawell, Executive Chef. Seawell, who has worked mostly in the Bay Area — Stars Café, Boulevard, Fog City Diner – since he began his career at the age of 17 at a swanky French restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. I mention all this only because Seawell is responsible for my favorite dish: Marrow Bean Soup with fennel broth and chicken liver crostini. Do you know how hard it is to do chicken liver right?
And in case you’re interested, B was opened in 2005 by Gourmet Provisions (the company behind boxed foods company and the B Restaurant & Bar, both of San Francisco) “with the idea of serving as a catalyst for a neighborhood renaissance that has since come to fruition.” (Note to PR writer who sent me the note: renaissance has only one N in it.) Everything served is supposed to be bought from farms within 100 miles of the Bay Area. Yum.

Two jazz operas are coming to town — SOON.
The first, "The Sisyphus Syndrome"  is by Black power poet-playwright Amiri Baraka and sax-man David Murray. The show begins 8 p.m. Thursday and runs through Saturday at the Eastside Cultural Center. 
In "The Sisyphus Syndrome"  the Baraka-Murray duo combines poetry, live music and mixed media to tell the story of African Americans' struggles in the United States. The Eastside Cultural Center is located at 2277 International Blvd. General admission for the play is $20 and $10 for students up to age 19 with student ID. Discounts are available for student groups by calling 510-533-6629. For more information, visit the Web site www.eastsideartsalliance.org.
Then Friday, an adaptation of jazz great Duke Ellington's last large-scale work and only opera opens. The premier of the restored opera will be the first time Bay Area audiences will be able to hear "Queenie Pie," which was unfinished in 1974, when Ellington died.  Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays.
Advance tickets for the show at The Oakland Opera are $28 (or $35 at the door) and can be purchased online at www.oaklandopera.com, by mail (1734 Campbell St., Oakland, Calif., 94607) or by calling 510-763-1146. For more information, visit the Web site www.oaklandopera.com.

Photographers working in all styles and mediums are invited to submit up to two of their images for the international juried photography exhibit: Glimpses in Time. This year's exhibit pays tribute to the life and art of Harlem Renaissance camera genius James Van Der Zee. Entry forms and submission guidelines are available at www.joycegordongallery.com.