At first I said what we want is a superhero Ninja fighter to swoop down and declare an end to crime in Oakland. Then I changed my mind after Wednesday's press conference. I think what people want is for Dellums to swoop down in a crime-fighter superhero Ninja suit and declare Oakland safe. "I will save this city!" he would bellow.  I write this because the one complaint yesterday from the restraunteurs who met with city officials and police to hash out measures for preventing robberies like the ones that happened recently was that  Dellums wasn't at the meeting.  What difference would that have made? (Yeah, I forgot to ask that question. Bad reporter!) Maybe instead of a superhero mayor, we would settle for a mayor who is in town often enough to be on the streets, showing his face. I am no big fan of Jerry Brown (or his crew of hoodlums and crooks), but he made people feel like someone was steering the ship, even if they objected to the direction. Brown was very very visible and ran his mouth a lot. Dellums' policy is the opposite. It ain't working out too well.
Personally, to get back to p.m. issues, I think the reaction could have been a little less hyper reactive. But City Hall was reacting to perceptions of Oakland being a dangerous city and the mayor being a do-nothing leader. Not that the takeovers weren't serious and scary and traumatic (they made me think twice, in a gut reaction, about my nocturnal activities). BUT, Read the rest of this entry »

News from the Speakeasy Theaters: Don't bother looking for the schedules of the Parkway or Cerrito in the Chron or East Bay Express 'cause you won't find anything. The Speakeasy folks are sticking to their newsletter and hotline.
I don't know about this...how many times have you grabbed a paper to look up show times? And are we supposed to have the telephone number for the hotline in our address book? No, I'm not schilling for the papers. This is serious business.
Anyway, while we're on the subject, here's some special events at the Parkway, 1834 Park Blvd:
SUNDAY SALON: THE LEGACY: MURDER, MEDIA, POLITICS AND PRISONS — 2 p.m. April 13 (free).
Then at 8 p.m.  CINEMASPORTS, the "Iron Chef" of indie filmmaking, makes its Parkway debut ($7).  The cinematic athletes will be at the City Hall plaza (12th and Broadway–oh so BARTable) at 10 a.m. that morning to kick things off.
Lastly, a benefit for Hand to Hand: FIGHT CLUB – 9:15 p.m. April 15 ($8).

On a lighter note, here's the story about the "People Party"  at the Oasis club in Oakland in today's Trib. It was a hoot. Someone e-mailed me asking what the clubs address is. The answer: 135 12th St.
Have fun if you go. The next one is April 26 — every fourth Saturday.

Things got so busy here this week I forgot about the beatboxing event yesterday at La Pena. Good thing it's a monthly affair. The next one is April 24. The advertisement says that "Speak the Music" is a new Bay Area group dedicated to the art of beatboxing. 
Art + Beatboxing?  Don't get me wrong — I mean no disrespect, but since when did those two words come together? Something must be going around because there' s also a bimonthly gathering of beatboxers in San Francisco at the Climate Theater over on 9th and Folsom. The next "Vowel Movement Beatboxers" is April 5. Okay these guys are hot, serious stuff but the name is uncomfortably close to another kind of movement. Might be intentional but picturing Bowel Movement Beatboxers grosses me out. Okay. I'm beat (no pun intended) and a little cranky.  Anyway, the La Pena venue is all ages $8 admission. The Climate gig is $10 general admission 21+ only.
Saturday is another event that caught my attention because I hadn't heard of the group or the venue. The House of Stormz is presenting a trilogy of community, medicine and celebration from March 22 to May 24. I am so going to the Pyro-A-Go-Go fire dancing burlesque show on the 24th. But then the two-time Lip battle champ Talia this Saturday sounds good too. The club is in the unlikely location 1439 105th Ave. @ International Blvd.  Admission is $10 - strictly 21 and over.
(Photo by JS Moorman)

Something is brewing Thursday evening. In two art galleries that sit side-by-side. And it ain't even the first Friday Art Murmur.
The art show, "JazzMasters," opens to the public at the Swarm Gallery, (560 Second St.).  Marcus Shelby — whose likeness is painted in blue against an old review of a Duke Ellington show — will be on hand for the reception with his quartet and Faye Carol.
Next door at the ProArts Gallery (550 Second St.) comes the artists' reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for “Jingletown Junction,” a series of photographs, paintings, sculptures, mixed media and even furniture (did I mention live music, too?) revolving around the section of the city between the Fruitvale District and Alameda bridge near 29th Avenue. Legend has it that Jingletown got its' name in the 1930s from the mostly poor Portuguese mill workers walking the streets in their Zoot Suits with hands in pockets jingling the coins they earned picking cotton. The other story is that the area got the name from the jingling bells worn by dairy cows.
For those that can't make either event, Shelby be part of an artists panel discussion planned for 6:30 p.m. March 27 at Swarm with "Black Artists in Oakland" co-author Duane Deterville; photographer and musician Kimara Dixon; Oakland Public Conservatory of Music dean and trombonist Angela Wellman (whose portrait also is in the show); and arts columnist Wanda Sabir. Greg Bridges from KCSM and KPFA will moderate.
At ProArts,  there will be an artists’ talk 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. April 5 about the Jingletown show. 

Lookin' good.

Some of you may have heard that as of March 1, Oakland's Parkway Speakeasy Theater prices will match the Cerrito: $7 GENERAL ADMISSION — $5 MATINEES.
The Speakeasy folks called the increase a "last minute fiscal decision" due to the "topsy turvy economy."

Tickets for the Oscar bash at the Parkway and Cerrito speakeasy theaters are on sale now. They went fast yesterday but there's still some left for you stargazers who want to spiff up for the Academy Awards Feb. 24 on the Speakeasy theaters' HD big screens. No hipper place to be, I say.
The Parkway will be open 3 p.m. today and the Cerrito opened 1 p.m. Advance tickets $20, limit four per customer, ages 18 and over only.
The Cerrito Oscar Bash will be hosted (with trivia, contests and prizes) by Will the Thrill and Monica Tiki Goddess downstairs http://www.thrillville.net/ and Mr Lobo and the Queen of Trash upstairs http://www.cinemainsomnia.com/
Both screens at the Parkway will be hosted with live skits, trivia, costume contests and more. Doors open 4 p.m. The show goes on 5 p.m.

Saturday, February 16
Doors at 8:00 p.m.; Dance lesson at 8:30 p.m.; Show at 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($12 in advance). Ashkenaz hosts an Afro-Peruvian festival with food, dance and music. After a dance lesson given by Gabriela Shiroma and Carmen Roman, De Rompe y Raja offers the best of its Afro-Peruvian music and dance repertoire. Come and enjoy the energy of Festejos, the cadence of Lando accompanied by tasteful and syncopated cajones, quijadas and cajitas in an evening designed to uplift spirits and souls. www.derompeyraja.org
I stumbled across a CD of Afro-Peruvian music a while ago and fell in love with the sound.  
Advance tickets are available during evening shows, or (for a fee) through Ticketweb, http://www.ticketweb.com or 866-468-3399. http://www.ashkenaz.com

In case you haven't heard and in case you care, we're back on for the Oscar's since the writers' strike ended. Feb. 24 is the red carpet day.  
I am thinking of going to the Parkway or Cerrito, where the Academy Awards will be shown on the big screen and the dress code is fancy. Love that stuff. I'm partial to the film JUNO, as anyone who knows me has heard ad naseum.
What about you guys? I'd like to know what you'll be doing that night. Going out, staying in or just ignoring the whole thing? Anything special happening in Oakland? What film are you rooting for? Which one should be sabotaged?
And, btw, what's your all-time favorite Oscar memory? (Did David Niven streak across the stage during the 1974 awards or was it that a naked man ran behind Niven while he was on stage?)

Tuesday, February 12
JEFFERY BROUSSARD AND THE CREOLE COWBOYS
Doors at 7:30 p.m., Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson with Diana Castillo at 8:00 p.m., Show at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.
Southwest Louisiana's Jeffrey Broussard & The Creole Cowboys return with their fresh approach to the Creole dance music traditions they are dedicated to preserving. Its leader, accordionist, fiddler and singer Jeffery Broussard, was a mainstay in the famous Zydeco Force, a group that took zydeco and Cajun roots and updated them for modern dance crowds without losing the feel of the original Creole zydeco gumbo. Broussard's Creole Cowboys take the music into the next generation, still linked to the great roots music of such masters as legendary fiddler Canray Fontenot and Jeffery's well-known accordionist father Delton Broussard. Joining Jeffery in the band's frontline is fiddler and guitarist D'Jalma Garnier III, a one-time student of Canray Fontenot. With Fontenot's passing in 1995, Garnier has made it his mission to keep alive and spread this unique style of fiddle playing. The band's debut CD, "Keepin the Tradition Alive," was named top zydeco album of 2007 by Blues and Soul magazine.
www.jefferybroussard.com. Advance tickets are available during evening shows, or (for a fee) through Ticketweb, http://www.ticketweb.com or 866-468-3399. http://www.ashkenaz.com.