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"content": "\u003cp>Traxamillion’s album \u003cem>The Slapp Addict\u003c/em> is a Renaissance painting; a still life, depicting a moment in time of oversized white T’s and Gucci Air Forces, dancing a \u003cem>little different\u003c/em> to a sound unlike anything hip-hop had heard before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a proper portrayal of the hyphy period, it combines the San José-raised producer’s canvas of banging beats with lyrics from rap heavyweights in the region. The result is a record that represents hyphy-era royalty — but the only Regals referenced are Buicks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the midst of it all, Traxamillion delivered one of the most significant and underrated albums of the entire sub-genre that had folks going dumb.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in oversized T-shirt and jeans, with dreadlocks and a backwards cap, amid text and a UPC code\" class=\"wp-image-13992864\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-160x162.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-768x777.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-1519x1536.jpg 1519w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘The Slapp Addict’ album cover was styled like a magazine, and numbered ‘Issue 408’ after San José’s area code. (Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s audible time capsule, preserving a slice of culture while serving as a history lesson that you can still gig to, 20 years later. On Saturday, Aug. 22 at Passport Bar & Lounge in Oakland, an event \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">honors the album’s 20th anniversary.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has so many hits on it,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqsT_rplbR/\">Alex Jimenez\u003c/a>, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhVWeDwSkzc\">woo early in the morning\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: \u003cem>Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “From The Hood” (feat. Husalah, The Jacka and San Quinn) is an ode to the real ones. Over a slower, menacing beat, the rappers bring audiences into the underbelly of the Yay Area. The gritty black-and-white music video is a perfect compliment to the song.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kk_2q7rvkQ\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962689/zumbi-zion-i-stephen-gaines-lawsuit-vigil-update\">Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines\u003c/a>, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-160x149.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-768x715.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-1536x1429.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’ (Awnica ‘Flix’ Browne / Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-600x600.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. (Courtesy of Traxamillion's estate)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Traxamillion’s album \u003cem>The Slapp Addict\u003c/em> is a Renaissance painting; a still life, depicting a moment in time of oversized white T’s and Gucci Air Forces, dancing a \u003cem>little different\u003c/em> to a sound unlike anything hip-hop had heard before.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a proper portrayal of the hyphy period, it combines the San José-raised producer’s canvas of banging beats with lyrics from rap heavyweights in the region. The result is a record that represents hyphy-era royalty — but the only Regals referenced are Buicks.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in oversized T-shirt and jeans, with dreadlocks and a backwards cap, amid text and a UPC code\" class=\"wp-image-13992864\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-160x162.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-768x777.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-1519x1536.jpg 1519w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘The Slapp Addict’ album cover was styled like a magazine, and numbered ‘Issue 408’ after San José’s area code. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in oversized T-shirt and jeans, with dreadlocks and a backwards cap, amid text and a UPC code\" class=\"wp-image-13992864\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘The Slapp Addict’ album cover was styled like a magazine, and numbered ‘Issue 408’ after San José’s area code. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s audible time capsule, preserving a slice of culture while serving as a history lesson that you can still gig to, 20 years later. On Saturday, Aug. 22 at Passport Bar & Lounge in Oakland, an event \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">honors the album’s 20th anniversary.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It has so many hits on it,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqsT_rplbR/\">Alex Jimenez\u003c/a>, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It has so many hits on it,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqsT_rplbR/\">Alex Jimenez\u003c/a>, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhVWeDwSkzc\">woo early in the morning\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhVWeDwSkzc\">woo early in the morning\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: \u003cem>Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: \u003cem>Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The track “From The Hood” (feat. Husalah, The Jacka and San Quinn) is an ode to the real ones. Over a slower, menacing beat, the rappers bring audiences into the underbelly of the Yay Area. The gritty black-and-white music video is a perfect compliment to the song.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962689/zumbi-zion-i-stephen-gaines-lawsuit-vigil-update\">Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines\u003c/a>, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-160x149.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-768x715.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-1536x1429.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The San José producer’s debut album is a cultural time capsule of the hyphy movement in 2006.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Traxamillion’s album \u003cem>The Slapp Addict\u003c/em> is a Renaissance painting; a still life, depicting a moment in time of oversized white T’s and Gucci Air Forces, dancing a \u003cem>little different\u003c/em> to a sound unlike anything hip-hop had heard before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a proper portrayal of the hyphy period, it combines the San José-raised producer’s canvas of banging beats with lyrics from rap heavyweights in the region. The result is a record that represents hyphy-era royalty — but the only Regals referenced are Buicks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the midst of it all, Traxamillion delivered one of the most significant and underrated albums of the entire sub-genre that had folks going dumb.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in oversized T-shirt and jeans, with dreadlocks and a backwards cap, amid text and a UPC code\" class=\"wp-image-13992864\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-160x162.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-768x777.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-1519x1536.jpg 1519w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘The Slapp Addict’ album cover was styled like a magazine, and numbered ‘Issue 408’ after San José’s area code. (Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s audible time capsule, preserving a slice of culture while serving as a history lesson that you can still gig to, 20 years later. On Saturday, Aug. 22 at Passport Bar & Lounge in Oakland, an event \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">honors the album’s 20th anniversary.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has so many hits on it,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqsT_rplbR/\">Alex Jimenez\u003c/a>, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhVWeDwSkzc\">woo early in the morning\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: \u003cem>Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “From The Hood” (feat. Husalah, The Jacka and San Quinn) is an ode to the real ones. Over a slower, menacing beat, the rappers bring audiences into the underbelly of the Yay Area. The gritty black-and-white music video is a perfect compliment to the song.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/-kk_2q7rvkQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/-kk_2q7rvkQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962689/zumbi-zion-i-stephen-gaines-lawsuit-vigil-update\">Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines\u003c/a>, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-160x149.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-768x715.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-1536x1429.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’ (Awnica ‘Flix’ Browne / Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-600x600.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. (Courtesy of Traxamillion's estate)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "shock-g-digital-underground-book-memoir-autobiography-oakland-rap",
"title": "A New Memoir Captures Shock G’s Brilliance — In All Its Funkiest Forms",
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"content": "\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2067\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-scaled.jpg 2067w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-2000x2477.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-768x951.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-1240x1536.jpg 1240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-1654x2048.jpg 1654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2067px) 100vw, 2067px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground,’ chronicles the incredible life of the late East Bay rapper, artist and musician. (Penguin Random House)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1990, \u003cem>USA Today\u003c/em> formally contacted NASA to clarify rumors about their latest technology, apparently dubbed “sex packets.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, Oakland’s afrosurrealist rap collective Digital Underground (DU) had released their debut album, \u003cem>Sex Packets\u003c/em>, themed around a new drug for astronauts that could instantly gratify their sexual desires. As DU’s transgressive lyrics glorified the illicit substance, news of the invention leaked onto the Bay Area’s streets: pamphlets were distributed, and condoms were passed out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>NASA was forced to respond to the coital discourse: “NASA has not in the past, nor will they in the future, be working on such a pill … It would be impossible to satisfy the carnal urges of astronauts … To my knowledge, unbridled lust has never interfered with a space mission.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s the first and likely last instance of NASA being outmaneuvered by Oakland rappers. (It turned out DU had created the pamphlets and condoms as subversive promotional materials.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The elaborate prank was a piece of artistic genius orchestrated by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929900/shock-g-revolutionized-hip-hop-and-created-a-secret-trove-of-funky-art\">Gregory Jacobs — the late MC, songwriter, illustrator, pianist and costume-wearing virtuoso\u003c/a> known as Shock G. The NASA incident is just one of the many shenanigans detailed in his posthumous memoir, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground\u003c/em>, out Aug. 25 — Shock G’s birthday — from \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738825/keep-it-beautiful-by-alexis-wolfe-mbassa-and-gregory-e-jacobs/\">Penguin Random House\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G and Alexis Wolfe Mbassa in Tampa, Fla., working on the memoir ‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground.’ (Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The book combines handwritten notes, interview transcripts, personal photos and rare sketches compiled by Jacobs’ longtime friend and photographer, Alexis Wolfe Mbassa, who tagged along with Jacobs in order to document his eccentric life for over a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The association was intentional; in 2011, Jacobs personally recruited Wolfe Mbassa as a co-author for his autobiography. In 2021, just eight months after submitting the book to literary agents, Jacobs died from a drug overdose in Florida. He was 57.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was never about money or becoming successful for him; it was about having the freedom to create,” Wolfe Mbassa told KQED. “He put himself in wild situations just to hold on to that freedom.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A natural rebel\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wild situations form much of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>. It details Jacobs’ stints in pimping, homelessness and jail, while containing all of the exuberant, out-of-pocket abundance of a Shock G production. A conversation between Shock G and George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic? Yup. An African gray parrot named Afro who lives in Shock G’s childhood home and imitates his stepmom, Sonya? That too. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One entire chapter is dedicated to his early friendship with a teenage Tupac Shakur, who joined DU as a member before going solo. (Apparently Pac had a “fucked” jump shot in basketball, and no one wanted him on their team).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Notes on a draft of the book, written by Shock G, show his involvement in the book’s phrasing and layout. Pictured together are Shock G and Tupac Shakur. (Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Largely stream-of-consciousness in homage to Jacobs’ creative process, the book is divided into sections based on the regions where he lived. Wolfe Mbassa traveled to each of them to conduct interviews: Topanga Canyon, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Oakland, New York City and Tampa.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jacobs recounts his first job as a 15-year-old, DJing at a local radio station in Tampa. He was fired for disobeying the radio’s directives and opting to spin the full 15-minute version of “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic instead of airing commercials.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It isn’t the only example in the book of his natural inclination to rebel. Jacobs extensively details how he evaded authorities, and circumvented court appearances, from age 17 to 22. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music as a savior \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even for the most studious hip-hop heads, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em> reveals overlooked wrinkles in Shock’s personality and biography. (Did you know that DU’s original band name was “Spice Regime”?) The book also includes a trove of never-before-seen drawings by Jacobs, showcasing a crude and whimsical style that would come to define his artistry, which sometimes reached ridiculous levels of raunch. (One sketch portrays an anthropomorphic anus forcing an “ASS-PIRIN” pill down its own hole.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"996\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992879\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria.jpg 1296w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria-768x590.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1296px) 100vw, 1296px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young Shock G (left) with his grandmother Gloria. (Courtesy Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the main thrust of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful \u003c/em>are the granular narratives that Jacobs discloses, like his memories of being jailed in San Diego for six months for grand theft auto, where he used art as a bartering tool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In scattered, disconnected bursts, he and Wolfe Mbassa recount his side quests and failures (such as his brief time as a male “gigolo” in Pennsylvania) revealing the down-bad experiences that molded his worldview before his rap and art careers took off. Glimpses of that fast life can be heard in his lyrics, but the book shows in detail how Shock G actually did \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqJAnQTwmJs&list=RDYqJAnQTwmJs&start_radio=1\">get around\u003c/a> from coast to coast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At its core, the collage of archival material shows how music and art became Jacobs’ salvation, therapy and refuge. Putting it all together was a joyous challenge for Wolfe Mbassa, personally tasked by Jacobs to retain the book’s silliness and humor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2045\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--2000x1597.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--768x613.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--1536x1227.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--2048x1636.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of a later-era lineup of Digital Underground, pictured in Oakland, with Shock G second from left. (Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the most difficult parts was trying to figure out how to pull all the pieces together. He always wanted it to be like a scrapbook,” she says. “He wanted it to feel like his personal journals did: stories, mixed with memorabilia and art.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In sitting with \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>, its spiritual thesis is clear: Jacobs’ everlasting search for beauty, creativity and funky originality shone brightest during his darkest hours. It’s about keeping it beautiful, especially when beauty isn’t easily kept.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so much fun,” Wolfe Mbassa confirms, “to live in his world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground’ will be released on Aug. 25\u003c/em>. \u003cem>A free release party with Alexis Wolfe Mbassa and members of Digital Underground takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 at Drake’s Dealership (2325 Broadway, Oakland). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbtkbvQSXrw/\">\u003cem>Event information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-scaled.jpg 2067w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-2000x2477.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-768x951.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-1240x1536.jpg 1240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-1654x2048.jpg 1654w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground,’ chronicles the incredible life of the late East Bay rapper, artist and musician.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1990, \u003cem>USA Today\u003c/em> formally contacted NASA to clarify rumors about their latest technology, apparently dubbed “sex packets.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, Oakland’s afrosurrealist rap collective Digital Underground (DU) had released their debut album, \u003cem>Sex Packets\u003c/em>, themed around a new drug for astronauts that could instantly gratify their sexual desires. As DU’s transgressive lyrics glorified the illicit substance, news of the invention leaked onto the Bay Area’s streets: pamphlets were distributed, and condoms were passed out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, Oakland’s afrosurrealist rap collective Digital Underground (DU) had released their debut album, \u003cem>Sex Packets\u003c/em>, themed around a new drug for astronauts that could instantly gratify their sexual desires. As DU’s transgressive lyrics glorified the illicit substance, news of the invention leaked onto the Bay Area’s streets: pamphlets were distributed, and condoms were passed out.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>NASA was forced to respond to the coital discourse: “NASA has not in the past, nor will they in the future, be working on such a pill … It would be impossible to satisfy the carnal urges of astronauts … To my knowledge, unbridled lust has never interfered with a space mission.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>NASA was forced to respond to the coital discourse: “NASA has not in the past, nor will they in the future, be working on such a pill … It would be impossible to satisfy the carnal urges of astronauts … To my knowledge, unbridled lust has never interfered with a space mission.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s the first and likely last instance of NASA being outmaneuvered by Oakland rappers. (It turned out DU had created the pamphlets and condoms as subversive promotional materials.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s the first and likely last instance of NASA being outmaneuvered by Oakland rappers. (It turned out DU had created the pamphlets and condoms as subversive promotional materials.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The elaborate prank was a piece of artistic genius orchestrated by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929900/shock-g-revolutionized-hip-hop-and-created-a-secret-trove-of-funky-art\">Gregory Jacobs — the late MC, songwriter, illustrator, pianist and costume-wearing virtuoso\u003c/a> known as Shock G. The NASA incident is just one of the many shenanigans detailed in his posthumous memoir, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground\u003c/em>, out Aug. 25 — Shock G’s birthday — from \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738825/keep-it-beautiful-by-alexis-wolfe-mbassa-and-gregory-e-jacobs/\">Penguin Random House\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The elaborate prank was a piece of artistic genius orchestrated by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929900/shock-g-revolutionized-hip-hop-and-created-a-secret-trove-of-funky-art\">Gregory Jacobs — the late MC, songwriter, illustrator, pianist and costume-wearing virtuoso\u003c/a> known as Shock G. The NASA incident is just one of the many shenanigans detailed in his posthumous memoir, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground\u003c/em>, out Aug. 25 — Shock G’s birthday — from \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738825/keep-it-beautiful-by-alexis-wolfe-mbassa-and-gregory-e-jacobs/\">Penguin Random House\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G and Alexis Wolfe Mbassa in Tampa, Fla., working on the memoir ‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The book combines handwritten notes, interview transcripts, personal photos and rare sketches compiled by Jacobs’ longtime friend and photographer, Alexis Wolfe Mbassa, who tagged along with Jacobs in order to document his eccentric life for over a decade. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The book combines handwritten notes, interview transcripts, personal photos and rare sketches compiled by Jacobs’ longtime friend and photographer, Alexis Wolfe Mbassa, who tagged along with Jacobs in order to document his eccentric life for over a decade. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The association was intentional; in 2011, Jacobs personally recruited Wolfe Mbassa as a co-author for his autobiography. In 2021, just eight months after submitting the book to literary agents, Jacobs died from a drug overdose in Florida. He was 57.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The association was intentional; in 2011, Jacobs personally recruited Wolfe Mbassa as a co-author for his autobiography. In 2021, just eight months after submitting the book to literary agents, Jacobs died from a drug overdose in Florida. He was 57.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was never about money or becoming successful for him; it was about having the freedom to create,” Wolfe Mbassa told KQED. “He put himself in wild situations just to hold on to that freedom.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wild situations form much of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>. It details Jacobs’ stints in pimping, homelessness and jail, while containing all of the exuberant, out-of-pocket abundance of a Shock G production. A conversation between Shock G and George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic? Yup. An African gray parrot named Afro who lives in Shock G’s childhood home and imitates his stepmom, Sonya? That too. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wild situations form much of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>. It details Jacobs’ stints in pimping, homelessness and jail, while containing all of the exuberant, out-of-pocket abundance of a Shock G production. A conversation between Shock G and George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic? Yup. An African gray parrot named Afro who lives in Shock G’s childhood home and imitates his stepmom, Sonya? That too. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One entire chapter is dedicated to his early friendship with a teenage Tupac Shakur, who joined DU as a member before going solo. (Apparently Pac had a “fucked” jump shot in basketball, and no one wanted him on their team).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One entire chapter is dedicated to his early friendship with a teenage Tupac Shakur, who joined DU as a member before going solo. (Apparently Pac had a “fucked” jump shot in basketball, and no one wanted him on their team).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Notes on a draft of the book, written by Shock G, show his involvement in the book’s phrasing and layout. Pictured together are Shock G and Tupac Shakur.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992876\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Notes on a draft of the book, written by Shock G, show his involvement in the book’s phrasing and layout. Pictured together are Shock G and Tupac Shakur.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Largely stream-of-consciousness in homage to Jacobs’ creative process, the book is divided into sections based on the regions where he lived. Wolfe Mbassa traveled to each of them to conduct interviews: Topanga Canyon, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Oakland, New York City and Tampa.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jacobs recounts his first job as a 15-year-old, DJing at a local radio station in Tampa. He was fired for disobeying the radio’s directives and opting to spin the full 15-minute version of “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic instead of airing commercials.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jacobs recounts his first job as a 15-year-old, DJing at a local radio station in Tampa. He was fired for disobeying the radio’s directives and opting to spin the full 15-minute version of “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic instead of airing commercials.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It isn’t the only example in the book of his natural inclination to rebel. Jacobs extensively details how he evaded authorities, and circumvented court appearances, from age 17 to 22. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even for the most studious hip-hop heads, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em> reveals overlooked wrinkles in Shock’s personality and biography. (Did you know that DU’s original band name was “Spice Regime”?) The book also includes a trove of never-before-seen drawings by Jacobs, showcasing a crude and whimsical style that would come to define his artistry, which sometimes reached ridiculous levels of raunch. (One sketch portrays an anthropomorphic anus forcing an “ASS-PIRIN” pill down its own hole.) \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Even for the most studious hip-hop heads, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em> reveals overlooked wrinkles in Shock’s personality and biography. (Did you know that DU’s original band name was “Spice Regime”?) The book also includes a trove of never-before-seen drawings by Jacobs, showcasing a crude and whimsical style that would come to define his artistry, which sometimes reached ridiculous levels of raunch. (One sketch portrays an anthropomorphic anus forcing an “ASS-PIRIN” pill down its own hole.) \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992879\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria.jpg 1296w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria-768x590.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young Shock G (left) with his grandmother Gloria. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the main thrust of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful \u003c/em>are the granular narratives that Jacobs discloses, like his memories of being jailed in San Diego for six months for grand theft auto, where he used art as a bartering tool. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In scattered, disconnected bursts, he and Wolfe Mbassa recount his side quests and failures (such as his brief time as a male “gigolo” in Pennsylvania) revealing the down-bad experiences that molded his worldview before his rap and art careers took off. Glimpses of that fast life can be heard in his lyrics, but the book shows in detail how Shock G actually did \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqJAnQTwmJs&list=RDYqJAnQTwmJs&start_radio=1\">get around\u003c/a> from coast to coast.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In scattered, disconnected bursts, he and Wolfe Mbassa recount his side quests and failures (such as his brief time as a male “gigolo” in Pennsylvania) revealing the down-bad experiences that molded his worldview before his rap and art careers took off. Glimpses of that fast life can be heard in his lyrics, but the book shows in detail how Shock G actually did \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqJAnQTwmJs&list=RDYqJAnQTwmJs&start_radio=1\">get around\u003c/a> from coast to coast.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At its core, the collage of archival material shows how music and art became Jacobs’ salvation, therapy and refuge. Putting it all together was a joyous challenge for Wolfe Mbassa, personally tasked by Jacobs to retain the book’s silliness and humor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At its core, the collage of archival material shows how music and art became Jacobs’ salvation, therapy and refuge. Putting it all together was a joyous challenge for Wolfe Mbassa, personally tasked by Jacobs to retain the book’s silliness and humor.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--2000x1597.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--768x613.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--1536x1227.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--2048x1636.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of a later-era lineup of Digital Underground, pictured in Oakland, with Shock G second from left. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“One of the most difficult parts was trying to figure out how to pull all the pieces together. He always wanted it to be like a scrapbook,” she says. “He wanted it to feel like his personal journals did: stories, mixed with memorabilia and art.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“One of the most difficult parts was trying to figure out how to pull all the pieces together. He always wanted it to be like a scrapbook,” she says. “He wanted it to feel like his personal journals did: stories, mixed with memorabilia and art.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In sitting with \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>, its spiritual thesis is clear: Jacobs’ everlasting search for beauty, creativity and funky originality shone brightest during his darkest hours. It’s about keeping it beautiful, especially when beauty isn’t easily kept.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In sitting with \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>, its spiritual thesis is clear: Jacobs’ everlasting search for beauty, creativity and funky originality shone brightest during his darkest hours. It’s about keeping it beautiful, especially when beauty isn’t easily kept.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was so much fun,” Wolfe Mbassa confirms, “to live in his world.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground’ will be released on Aug. 25\u003c/em>. \u003cem>A free release party with Alexis Wolfe Mbassa and members of Digital Underground takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 at Drake’s Dealership (2325 Broadway, Oakland). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbtkbvQSXrw/\">\u003cem>Event information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "‘Keep It Beautiful’ is an inside look at the Digital Underground frontman’s artistry and complexities.",
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"title": "A New Memoir Captures Shock G’s Brilliance — In All Its Funkiest Forms | KQED",
"description": "‘Keep It Beautiful’ is an inside look at the Digital Underground frontman’s artistry and complexities.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2067\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-scaled.jpg 2067w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-2000x2477.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-768x951.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-1240x1536.jpg 1240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/COVER_Keep-It-Beautiful-1654x2048.jpg 1654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2067px) 100vw, 2067px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground,’ chronicles the incredible life of the late East Bay rapper, artist and musician. (Penguin Random House)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1990, \u003cem>USA Today\u003c/em> formally contacted NASA to clarify rumors about their latest technology, apparently dubbed “sex packets.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, Oakland’s afrosurrealist rap collective Digital Underground (DU) had released their debut album, \u003cem>Sex Packets\u003c/em>, themed around a new drug for astronauts that could instantly gratify their sexual desires. As DU’s transgressive lyrics glorified the illicit substance, news of the invention leaked onto the Bay Area’s streets: pamphlets were distributed, and condoms were passed out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>NASA was forced to respond to the coital discourse: “NASA has not in the past, nor will they in the future, be working on such a pill … It would be impossible to satisfy the carnal urges of astronauts … To my knowledge, unbridled lust has never interfered with a space mission.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s the first and likely last instance of NASA being outmaneuvered by Oakland rappers. (It turned out DU had created the pamphlets and condoms as subversive promotional materials.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The elaborate prank was a piece of artistic genius orchestrated by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929900/shock-g-revolutionized-hip-hop-and-created-a-secret-trove-of-funky-art\">Gregory Jacobs — the late MC, songwriter, illustrator, pianist and costume-wearing virtuoso\u003c/a> known as Shock G. The NASA incident is just one of the many shenanigans detailed in his posthumous memoir, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground\u003c/em>, out Aug. 25 — Shock G’s birthday — from \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738825/keep-it-beautiful-by-alexis-wolfe-mbassa-and-gregory-e-jacobs/\">Penguin Random House\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Alexis-and-Greg-in-Tampa-p228-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G and Alexis Wolfe Mbassa in Tampa, Fla., working on the memoir ‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground.’ (Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The book combines handwritten notes, interview transcripts, personal photos and rare sketches compiled by Jacobs’ longtime friend and photographer, Alexis Wolfe Mbassa, who tagged along with Jacobs in order to document his eccentric life for over a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The association was intentional; in 2011, Jacobs personally recruited Wolfe Mbassa as a co-author for his autobiography. In 2021, just eight months after submitting the book to literary agents, Jacobs died from a drug overdose in Florida. He was 57.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was never about money or becoming successful for him; it was about having the freedom to create,” Wolfe Mbassa told KQED. “He put himself in wild situations just to hold on to that freedom.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A natural rebel\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wild situations form much of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>. It details Jacobs’ stints in pimping, homelessness and jail, while containing all of the exuberant, out-of-pocket abundance of a Shock G production. A conversation between Shock G and George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic? Yup. An African gray parrot named Afro who lives in Shock G’s childhood home and imitates his stepmom, Sonya? That too. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One entire chapter is dedicated to his early friendship with a teenage Tupac Shakur, who joined DU as a member before going solo. (Apparently Pac had a “fucked” jump shot in basketball, and no one wanted him on their team).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/ShocksNotes_inSharpie-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Notes on a draft of the book, written by Shock G, show his involvement in the book’s phrasing and layout. Pictured together are Shock G and Tupac Shakur. (Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Largely stream-of-consciousness in homage to Jacobs’ creative process, the book is divided into sections based on the regions where he lived. Wolfe Mbassa traveled to each of them to conduct interviews: Topanga Canyon, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Oakland, New York City and Tampa.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jacobs recounts his first job as a 15-year-old, DJing at a local radio station in Tampa. He was fired for disobeying the radio’s directives and opting to spin the full 15-minute version of “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic instead of airing commercials.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It isn’t the only example in the book of his natural inclination to rebel. Jacobs extensively details how he evaded authorities, and circumvented court appearances, from age 17 to 22. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music as a savior \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even for the most studious hip-hop heads, \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em> reveals overlooked wrinkles in Shock’s personality and biography. (Did you know that DU’s original band name was “Spice Regime”?) The book also includes a trove of never-before-seen drawings by Jacobs, showcasing a crude and whimsical style that would come to define his artistry, which sometimes reached ridiculous levels of raunch. (One sketch portrays an anthropomorphic anus forcing an “ASS-PIRIN” pill down its own hole.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"996\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992879\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria.jpg 1296w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p212-Grandma-Gloria-768x590.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1296px) 100vw, 1296px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young Shock G (left) with his grandmother Gloria. (Courtesy Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the main thrust of \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful \u003c/em>are the granular narratives that Jacobs discloses, like his memories of being jailed in San Diego for six months for grand theft auto, where he used art as a bartering tool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In scattered, disconnected bursts, he and Wolfe Mbassa recount his side quests and failures (such as his brief time as a male “gigolo” in Pennsylvania) revealing the down-bad experiences that molded his worldview before his rap and art careers took off. Glimpses of that fast life can be heard in his lyrics, but the book shows in detail how Shock G actually did \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqJAnQTwmJs&list=RDYqJAnQTwmJs&start_radio=1\">get around\u003c/a> from coast to coast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At its core, the collage of archival material shows how music and art became Jacobs’ salvation, therapy and refuge. Putting it all together was a joyous challenge for Wolfe Mbassa, personally tasked by Jacobs to retain the book’s silliness and humor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2045\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--2000x1597.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--768x613.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--1536x1227.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/p171-Underground-oakland--2048x1636.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of a later-era lineup of Digital Underground, pictured in Oakland, with Shock G second from left. (Alexis Wolfe Mbassa)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One of the most difficult parts was trying to figure out how to pull all the pieces together. He always wanted it to be like a scrapbook,” she says. “He wanted it to feel like his personal journals did: stories, mixed with memorabilia and art.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In sitting with \u003cem>Keep It Beautiful\u003c/em>, its spiritual thesis is clear: Jacobs’ everlasting search for beauty, creativity and funky originality shone brightest during his darkest hours. It’s about keeping it beautiful, especially when beauty isn’t easily kept.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so much fun,” Wolfe Mbassa confirms, “to live in his world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Keep It Beautiful: Inside the Funkyverse of Shock G and Digital Underground’ will be released on Aug. 25\u003c/em>. \u003cem>A free release party with Alexis Wolfe Mbassa and members of Digital Underground takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 at Drake’s Dealership (2325 Broadway, Oakland). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbtkbvQSXrw/\">\u003cem>Event information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bens-chinese-restaurant-oakland-not-closing",
"title": "Oakland’s Most Underrated Chinese Restaurant Isn’t Closing After All",
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"headTitle": "Oakland’s Most Underrated Chinese Restaurant Isn’t Closing After All | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>As it turns out, reports on the demise of Ben’s, a spot I once called “\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/the-best-chinese-restaurant-in-oakland-that-youve-never-heard-of-1/\">the best Chinese restaurant in Oakland that you haven’t heard of\u003c/a>,” were a little bit premature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Local news outlets \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/bens-chinese-restaurant-closed-oakland-22377342.php\">reported\u003c/a> that the Jack London staple had closed after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/oakland/comments/1vgh85y/bens_on_3rd_st_in_jls/\">Reddit poster\u003c/a> found the restaurant shuttered unexpectedly last week. A sign in the window read, “Since 1986, thank you for a great 40 years.” There was no previous warning that Ben’s had been planning to close.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When reached by phone, however, second-generation owner David Fung clarified that Ben’s wasn’t closing permanently after all. Instead, the restaurant will be taking extended break with the goal of reopening in two or three months.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Pops needed a break,” David explained, referring to his father, Ben Fung, the restaurant’s lone chef and namesake since he opened the place in 1986.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a regular at Ben’s when I worked down the street in the early 2010s, I fell in love with the restaurant’s homey, unpretentious Cantonese American lunch plates, which at the time were priced at around just $6 a pop: heaping portions of garlic fried chicken, shrimp and scrambled egg over rice, and curry-spiced Singapore rice noodles, all laden with an abundance of fresh vegetables. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce.jpg\" alt=\"Metal container with chili sauce.\" class=\"wp-image-13992747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The restaurant’s housemade black bean chili sauce might be even more famous and beloved than its actual dishes. (Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>My favorite is the off-menu “David Special” rice plate, which folds plump shrimp and tender beef into a fluffy, golden-brown egg omelet. Paired with heaping dollops of Ben’s fiendishly delicious housemade black bean chili sauce, it’s one of my favorite comfort meals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the restaurant’s temporary closure happened all of a sudden, the Fungs will take the time off to make some much-needed updates. First, they’ve transferred ownership to David’s name. At 76 years old, the elder Fung has long contemplated retirement. The idea, David says, is that when Ben’s reopens, his father can just come in and cook for a few hours every day. Meanwhile, David himself will take over all of the other day-to-day responsibilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The restaurant itself also needs a fairly significant renovation — new floors, a new fire escape, an updated bathroom. For the entirety of its 40-year history, Ben’s has been the very definition of a tiny, barebones hole-in-the-wall. While David doesn’t expect that to change, he does hope to make the space a little bit more modern and inviting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Part of what the family is beginning to prepare, then, is a succession plan for when Beneventually does retire. David says he’s already learned most of the recipes — in fact, when Ben’s reopens, he’s thinking about keeping the restaurant open in the evenings for the first time and cooking the dinner service himself. Eventually, though, they’ll need to hire and train a new chef they trust.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As for his father’s real retirement plan? They want to bottle and sell that \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/best-homemade-hot-sauce-2-1/\">famous chili sauce\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior.jpg\" alt=\"Light blue exterior of a well-worn Chinese restaurant. The English-language signage reads, "Ben's." \" class=\"wp-image-13992748\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ben’s has been serving a notably diverse range of customers since 1986. (Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David, for his part, was an infant when his father first opened Ben’s in 1986 — he literally grew up at the restaurant. Back in those early days, the nearby Port of Oakland and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047368/while-oakland-sleeps-a-100-year-old-produce-market-bustles-with-life\">wholesale produce market\u003c/a> were both a lot busier, and the railroad tracks used to go all the way through 3rd Street. (“At any given moment,” David recalls, “the freight trains would go through right in front of our store.”) The restaurant used to open at 4 a.m. to serve breakfast to folks finishing up a late-night shift.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What never changed, though, is the diversity of the restaurant’s clientele, which has always included doctors, lawyers, blue-collar dock workers, construction workers and everyone in between. To all of those longtime fans of the restaurant, David promises that there’s no need to worry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The David Special is not going extinct,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ben’s is located at 398 3rd St. in Oakland. The restaurant expects to be closed for renovation for at least two or three months.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Local news outlets \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/bens-chinese-restaurant-closed-oakland-22377342.php\">reported\u003c/a> that the Jack London staple had closed after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/oakland/comments/1vgh85y/bens_on_3rd_st_in_jls/\">Reddit poster\u003c/a> found the restaurant shuttered unexpectedly last week. A sign in the window read, “Since 1986, thank you for a great 40 years.” There was no previous warning that Ben’s had been planning to close.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When reached by phone, however, second-generation owner David Fung clarified that Ben’s wasn’t closing permanently after all. Instead, the restaurant will be taking extended break with the goal of reopening in two or three months.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When reached by phone, however, second-generation owner David Fung clarified that Ben’s wasn’t closing permanently after all. Instead, the restaurant will be taking extended break with the goal of reopening in two or three months.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Pops needed a break,” David explained, referring to his father, Ben Fung, the restaurant’s lone chef and namesake since he opened the place in 1986.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a regular at Ben’s when I worked down the street in the early 2010s, I fell in love with the restaurant’s homey, unpretentious Cantonese American lunch plates, which at the time were priced at around just $6 a pop: heaping portions of garlic fried chicken, shrimp and scrambled egg over rice, and curry-spiced Singapore rice noodles, all laden with an abundance of fresh vegetables. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a regular at Ben’s when I worked down the street in the early 2010s, I fell in love with the restaurant’s homey, unpretentious Cantonese American lunch plates, which at the time were priced at around just $6 a pop: heaping portions of garlic fried chicken, shrimp and scrambled egg over rice, and curry-spiced Singapore rice noodles, all laden with an abundance of fresh vegetables. \u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce.jpg\" alt=\"Metal container with chili sauce.\" class=\"wp-image-13992747\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The restaurant’s housemade black bean chili sauce might be even more famous and beloved than its actual dishes.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>My favorite is the off-menu “David Special” rice plate, which folds plump shrimp and tender beef into a fluffy, golden-brown egg omelet. Paired with heaping dollops of Ben’s fiendishly delicious housemade black bean chili sauce, it’s one of my favorite comfort meals.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the restaurant’s temporary closure happened all of a sudden, the Fungs will take the time off to make some much-needed updates. First, they’ve transferred ownership to David’s name. At 76 years old, the elder Fung has long contemplated retirement. The idea, David says, is that when Ben’s reopens, his father can just come in and cook for a few hours every day. Meanwhile, David himself will take over all of the other day-to-day responsibilities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The restaurant itself also needs a fairly significant renovation — new floors, a new fire escape, an updated bathroom. For the entirety of its 40-year history, Ben’s has been the very definition of a tiny, barebones hole-in-the-wall. While David doesn’t expect that to change, he does hope to make the space a little bit more modern and inviting.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Part of what the family is beginning to prepare, then, is a succession plan for when Beneventually does retire. David says he’s already learned most of the recipes — in fact, when Ben’s reopens, he’s thinking about keeping the restaurant open in the evenings for the first time and cooking the dinner service himself. Eventually, though, they’ll need to hire and train a new chef they trust.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Part of what the family is beginning to prepare, then, is a succession plan for when Beneventually does retire. David says he’s already learned most of the recipes — in fact, when Ben’s reopens, he’s thinking about keeping the restaurant open in the evenings for the first time and cooking the dinner service himself. Eventually, though, they’ll need to hire and train a new chef they trust.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As for his father’s real retirement plan? They want to bottle and sell that \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/best-homemade-hot-sauce-2-1/\">famous chili sauce\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>David, for his part, was an infant when his father first opened Ben’s in 1986 — he literally grew up at the restaurant. Back in those early days, the nearby Port of Oakland and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047368/while-oakland-sleeps-a-100-year-old-produce-market-bustles-with-life\">wholesale produce market\u003c/a> were both a lot busier, and the railroad tracks used to go all the way through 3rd Street. (“At any given moment,” David recalls, “the freight trains would go through right in front of our store.”) The restaurant used to open at 4 a.m. to serve breakfast to folks finishing up a late-night shift.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>David, for his part, was an infant when his father first opened Ben’s in 1986 — he literally grew up at the restaurant. Back in those early days, the nearby Port of Oakland and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047368/while-oakland-sleeps-a-100-year-old-produce-market-bustles-with-life\">wholesale produce market\u003c/a> were both a lot busier, and the railroad tracks used to go all the way through 3rd Street. (“At any given moment,” David recalls, “the freight trains would go through right in front of our store.”) The restaurant used to open at 4 a.m. to serve breakfast to folks finishing up a late-night shift.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What never changed, though, is the diversity of the restaurant’s clientele, which has always included doctors, lawyers, blue-collar dock workers, construction workers and everyone in between. To all of those longtime fans of the restaurant, David promises that there’s no need to worry. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The David Special is not going extinct,” he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ben’s is located at 398 3rd St. in Oakland. The restaurant expects to be closed for renovation for at least two or three months.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ben’s is located at 398 3rd St. in Oakland. The restaurant expects to be closed for renovation for at least two or three months.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Ben’s, a beloved hole-in-the-wall in the Jack London District, plans to renovate and reopen.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As it turns out, reports on the demise of Ben’s, a spot I once called “\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/the-best-chinese-restaurant-in-oakland-that-youve-never-heard-of-1/\">the best Chinese restaurant in Oakland that you haven’t heard of\u003c/a>,” were a little bit premature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Local news outlets \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/bens-chinese-restaurant-closed-oakland-22377342.php\">reported\u003c/a> that the Jack London staple had closed after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/oakland/comments/1vgh85y/bens_on_3rd_st_in_jls/\">Reddit poster\u003c/a> found the restaurant shuttered unexpectedly last week. A sign in the window read, “Since 1986, thank you for a great 40 years.” There was no previous warning that Ben’s had been planning to close.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When reached by phone, however, second-generation owner David Fung clarified that Ben’s wasn’t closing permanently after all. Instead, the restaurant will be taking extended break with the goal of reopening in two or three months.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Pops needed a break,” David explained, referring to his father, Ben Fung, the restaurant’s lone chef and namesake since he opened the place in 1986.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a regular at Ben’s when I worked down the street in the early 2010s, I fell in love with the restaurant’s homey, unpretentious Cantonese American lunch plates, which at the time were priced at around just $6 a pop: heaping portions of garlic fried chicken, shrimp and scrambled egg over rice, and curry-spiced Singapore rice noodles, all laden with an abundance of fresh vegetables. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce.jpg\" alt=\"Metal container with chili sauce.\" class=\"wp-image-13992747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens_chili-sauce-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The restaurant’s housemade black bean chili sauce might be even more famous and beloved than its actual dishes. (Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>My favorite is the off-menu “David Special” rice plate, which folds plump shrimp and tender beef into a fluffy, golden-brown egg omelet. Paired with heaping dollops of Ben’s fiendishly delicious housemade black bean chili sauce, it’s one of my favorite comfort meals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the restaurant’s temporary closure happened all of a sudden, the Fungs will take the time off to make some much-needed updates. First, they’ve transferred ownership to David’s name. At 76 years old, the elder Fung has long contemplated retirement. The idea, David says, is that when Ben’s reopens, his father can just come in and cook for a few hours every day. Meanwhile, David himself will take over all of the other day-to-day responsibilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The restaurant itself also needs a fairly significant renovation — new floors, a new fire escape, an updated bathroom. For the entirety of its 40-year history, Ben’s has been the very definition of a tiny, barebones hole-in-the-wall. While David doesn’t expect that to change, he does hope to make the space a little bit more modern and inviting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Part of what the family is beginning to prepare, then, is a succession plan for when Beneventually does retire. David says he’s already learned most of the recipes — in fact, when Ben’s reopens, he’s thinking about keeping the restaurant open in the evenings for the first time and cooking the dinner service himself. Eventually, though, they’ll need to hire and train a new chef they trust.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As for his father’s real retirement plan? They want to bottle and sell that \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/best-homemade-hot-sauce-2-1/\">famous chili sauce\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior.jpg\" alt=\"Light blue exterior of a well-worn Chinese restaurant. The English-language signage reads, "Ben's." \" class=\"wp-image-13992748\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/bens-exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ben’s has been serving a notably diverse range of customers since 1986. (Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David, for his part, was an infant when his father first opened Ben’s in 1986 — he literally grew up at the restaurant. Back in those early days, the nearby Port of Oakland and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047368/while-oakland-sleeps-a-100-year-old-produce-market-bustles-with-life\">wholesale produce market\u003c/a> were both a lot busier, and the railroad tracks used to go all the way through 3rd Street. (“At any given moment,” David recalls, “the freight trains would go through right in front of our store.”) The restaurant used to open at 4 a.m. to serve breakfast to folks finishing up a late-night shift.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What never changed, though, is the diversity of the restaurant’s clientele, which has always included doctors, lawyers, blue-collar dock workers, construction workers and everyone in between. To all of those longtime fans of the restaurant, David promises that there’s no need to worry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The David Special is not going extinct,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ben’s is located at 398 3rd St. in Oakland. The restaurant expects to be closed for renovation for at least two or three months.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "7-parties-not-to-miss-during-oakland-pride-weekend",
"title": "7 Parties Not to Miss During Oakland Pride Weekend",
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"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco might go all out for Pride in June, but Oakland keeps the party going. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandprideofficial.org/\">Oakland Pride\u003c/a> parade and festival takes over downtown Oakland on Aug. 16, with a headlining performance by “1 Thing” hitmaker Amerie on the main stage. Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org/\">Oakland LGBTQ Community Center\u003c/a>, the festival features a Latin stage, a Mighty Real stage dedicated to dance music and a Sexy Town stage with adult entertainment for the 18+ crowd. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The extensive lineup reflects the many vibrant cultures and identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Performers include Mexican hitmaker Fey; electronic singer-producer Star Amerasu, who’ll perform with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978071/voguing-ballroom-bayview-opera-house-san-francisco-oakland-to-all\">ballroom\u003c/a> collective Oakland to All; and singer Lady Alma, whose virtuosic vocals elevate house music into the spiritual realm. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>True to the Oakland LGBTQ Cultural Center’s mission to help the queer community thrive, Oakland Pride includes activities for youth and elders, plus health and wellness services, including STI testing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Oakland gears up for its big Pride celebration, the Town’s promoters, DJs and drag artists will be hard at work this weekend, lighting up Oakland’s bars and clubs with top-tier queer entertainment. These are the seven parties you shouldn’t miss. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13989802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luismi Munster poses for a portrait during the Oaklash Block Party in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://shotgun.live/en/festivals/oaklash-pride-block-party-2026\">Oaklash Oakland Pride Block Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friday, Aug. 14, 5–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Calabash, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oaklash is synonymous with drag in Oakland. Its Oakland Pride block party celebrates drag performers of all genders and genres, and encourages artists to bring out their most eye-popping reveals, tallest wigs and most athletic dance moves. Hosted by Luismi Monstruo Rude, a performer whose special-effects makeup lends itself to some truly freaky transformations, Oaklash’s Oakland Pride Block Party will feature numbers from Anna Tuesday, Princess Capri, Rosie Petals, Yayah the Artist and St. Germain. DJs Dalikamata, Zaalimaa, Ka’lonji and Ledao will be behind the decks, pumping club beats through the speakers all evening long. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbhC2D6GPb6/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Maligrosa\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15\u003c/em>, \u003cem>9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Tallboy, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Queers who love to sweat it out on the dance floor should look no further than Maligrosa at Oakland martini bar Tallboy. DJs Lobottomy, Estrella and Boyprincess will spin Latincore and uptempo global club beats while go-go dancers Nala and Kisa keep the vibes sexy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13980949\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DJ Shellheart plays a set for the Golden State Valkyries during a game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Aug. 19, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db8Brscmx4G/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Thee Queer Dance Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Golden Ratio, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>DJ Shellheart keeps the crowd hyped at Golden State Valkyries games, and during Oakland Pride weekend she’ll be in the mix at Golden Ratio, the bar co-owned by fellow Valkyries DJ Lady Ryan. Keezy, the producer of the popular Klituation party for women, will join Shellheart for a fiery set of back-to-back twerk anthems, 2000s rap throwbacks and maybe even a line-dancing moment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.queeraunties.com/event/aunties--oak-dayparty\">Queer Aunties\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 4–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Hella Bees, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Queer Aunties is for the grown and sexy — a safe space for queer Black and brown women in their 30s, 40s and beyond to get down. The traveling party originated in L.A. but has spent the year roving to Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. before touching back down in Oakland, where it has a devoted following. The Queer Aunties day party at the sunlit, spacious venue Hella Bees features DJ sets by Micahtron, DJ Ignacia and DJ Bill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992544\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nicki Jizz host Reparations during the Oasis takeover of the Dolores’ stage at Outside Lands on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/soulovely/2323644\">Soulovely Prom\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16 3:30–8:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>7th West, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For 15 years, Soulovely’s day parties have provided a thoughtful space that centers Oakland’s Black and brown queer community, with feel-good music on a sunshine-filled patio. Soulovely Prom invites attendees to wear their most futuristic finery. Fela Kutchii, the Oakland Soul Soccer Club’s official DJ, will spin alongside Zuri Alexa and Koma Tee, with drag performances by Mojo Carter, Miss Bea Haven and Bobby. San Francisco drag star Nicki Jizz will host.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbqgdo3TVdW/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Oakland Pride Sunday at Town Bar\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 12 p.m.–1 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Town Bar, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Located on the Oakland Pride parade route, swanky cocktail lounge Town Bar will stay open all day and all night, with genre-bending DJ sets by React, John Lau and Rus Slumbeautiful to heat up the dance floor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.quericonightclub.com/\">Pride After Dark \u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 5 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Que Rico Nightclub, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Que Rico is curating Oakland Pride’s Latin stage, and after the festival the bar will host a block party, with drag, DJs and cute gogos — exact lineup to be announced.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandprideofficial.org/\">Oakland Pride\u003c/a> parade and festival takes over downtown Oakland on Aug. 16, with a headlining performance by “1 Thing” hitmaker Amerie on the main stage. Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org/\">Oakland LGBTQ Community Center\u003c/a>, the festival features a Latin stage, a Mighty Real stage dedicated to dance music and a Sexy Town stage with adult entertainment for the 18+ crowd. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The extensive lineup reflects the many vibrant cultures and identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Performers include Mexican hitmaker Fey; electronic singer-producer Star Amerasu, who’ll perform with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978071/voguing-ballroom-bayview-opera-house-san-francisco-oakland-to-all\">ballroom\u003c/a> collective Oakland to All; and singer Lady Alma, whose virtuosic vocals elevate house music into the spiritual realm. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The extensive lineup reflects the many vibrant cultures and identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Performers include Mexican hitmaker Fey; electronic singer-producer Star Amerasu, who’ll perform with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978071/voguing-ballroom-bayview-opera-house-san-francisco-oakland-to-all\">ballroom\u003c/a> collective Oakland to All; and singer Lady Alma, whose virtuosic vocals elevate house music into the spiritual realm. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>True to the Oakland LGBTQ Cultural Center’s mission to help the queer community thrive, Oakland Pride includes activities for youth and elders, plus health and wellness services, including STI testing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As Oakland gears up for its big Pride celebration, the Town’s promoters, DJs and drag artists will be hard at work this weekend, lighting up Oakland’s bars and clubs with top-tier queer entertainment. These are the seven parties you shouldn’t miss. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As Oakland gears up for its big Pride celebration, the Town’s promoters, DJs and drag artists will be hard at work this weekend, lighting up Oakland’s bars and clubs with top-tier queer entertainment. These are the seven parties you shouldn’t miss. \u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13989802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luismi Munster poses for a portrait during the Oaklash Block Party in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, May 16, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13989802\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luismi Munster poses for a portrait during the Oaklash Block Party in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, May 16, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://shotgun.live/en/festivals/oaklash-pride-block-party-2026\">Oaklash Oakland Pride Block Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://shotgun.live/en/festivals/oaklash-pride-block-party-2026\">Oaklash Oakland Pride Block Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friday, Aug. 14, 5–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Calabash, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friday, Aug. 14, 5–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Calabash, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oaklash is synonymous with drag in Oakland. Its Oakland Pride block party celebrates drag performers of all genders and genres, and encourages artists to bring out their most eye-popping reveals, tallest wigs and most athletic dance moves. Hosted by Luismi Monstruo Rude, a performer whose special-effects makeup lends itself to some truly freaky transformations, Oaklash’s Oakland Pride Block Party will feature numbers from Anna Tuesday, Princess Capri, Rosie Petals, Yayah the Artist and St. Germain. DJs Dalikamata, Zaalimaa, Ka’lonji and Ledao will be behind the decks, pumping club beats through the speakers all evening long. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Oaklash is synonymous with drag in Oakland. Its Oakland Pride block party celebrates drag performers of all genders and genres, and encourages artists to bring out their most eye-popping reveals, tallest wigs and most athletic dance moves. Hosted by Luismi Monstruo Rude, a performer whose special-effects makeup lends itself to some truly freaky transformations, Oaklash’s Oakland Pride Block Party will feature numbers from Anna Tuesday, Princess Capri, Rosie Petals, Yayah the Artist and St. Germain. DJs Dalikamata, Zaalimaa, Ka’lonji and Ledao will be behind the decks, pumping club beats through the speakers all evening long. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbhC2D6GPb6/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Maligrosa\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15\u003c/em>, \u003cem>9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Tallboy, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15\u003c/em>, \u003cem>9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Tallboy, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Queers who love to sweat it out on the dance floor should look no further than Maligrosa at Oakland martini bar Tallboy. DJs Lobottomy, Estrella and Boyprincess will spin Latincore and uptempo global club beats while go-go dancers Nala and Kisa keep the vibes sexy. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Queers who love to sweat it out on the dance floor should look no further than Maligrosa at Oakland martini bar Tallboy. DJs Lobottomy, Estrella and Boyprincess will spin Latincore and uptempo global club beats while go-go dancers Nala and Kisa keep the vibes sexy. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13980949\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DJ Shellheart plays a set for the Golden State Valkyries during a game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Aug. 19, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13980949\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DJ Shellheart plays a set for the Golden State Valkyries during a game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Aug. 19, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"text": "Thee Queer Dance Party",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db8Brscmx4G/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Thee Queer Dance Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Golden Ratio, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Golden Ratio, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>DJ Shellheart keeps the crowd hyped at Golden State Valkyries games, and during Oakland Pride weekend she’ll be in the mix at Golden Ratio, the bar co-owned by fellow Valkyries DJ Lady Ryan. Keezy, the producer of the popular Klituation party for women, will join Shellheart for a fiery set of back-to-back twerk anthems, 2000s rap throwbacks and maybe even a line-dancing moment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>DJ Shellheart keeps the crowd hyped at Golden State Valkyries games, and during Oakland Pride weekend she’ll be in the mix at Golden Ratio, the bar co-owned by fellow Valkyries DJ Lady Ryan. Keezy, the producer of the popular Klituation party for women, will join Shellheart for a fiery set of back-to-back twerk anthems, 2000s rap throwbacks and maybe even a line-dancing moment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Queer Aunties",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.queeraunties.com/event/aunties--oak-dayparty\">Queer Aunties\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.queeraunties.com/event/aunties--oak-dayparty\">Queer Aunties\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 4–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Hella Bees, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 4–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Hella Bees, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Queer Aunties is for the grown and sexy — a safe space for queer Black and brown women in their 30s, 40s and beyond to get down. The traveling party originated in L.A. but has spent the year roving to Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. before touching back down in Oakland, where it has a devoted following. The Queer Aunties day party at the sunlit, spacious venue Hella Bees features DJ sets by Micahtron, DJ Ignacia and DJ Bill. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Queer Aunties is for the grown and sexy — a safe space for queer Black and brown women in their 30s, 40s and beyond to get down. The traveling party originated in L.A. but has spent the year roving to Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. before touching back down in Oakland, where it has a devoted following. The Queer Aunties day party at the sunlit, spacious venue Hella Bees features DJ sets by Micahtron, DJ Ignacia and DJ Bill. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992544\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nicki Jizz host Reparations during the Oasis takeover of the Dolores’ stage at Outside Lands on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992544\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nicki Jizz host Reparations during the Oasis takeover of the Dolores’ stage at Outside Lands on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"text": "Soulovely Prom",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/soulovely/2323644\">Soulovely Prom\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16 3:30–8:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>7th West, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16 3:30–8:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>7th West, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For 15 years, Soulovely’s day parties have provided a thoughtful space that centers Oakland’s Black and brown queer community, with feel-good music on a sunshine-filled patio. Soulovely Prom invites attendees to wear their most futuristic finery. Fela Kutchii, the Oakland Soul Soccer Club’s official DJ, will spin alongside Zuri Alexa and Koma Tee, with drag performances by Mojo Carter, Miss Bea Haven and Bobby. San Francisco drag star Nicki Jizz will host.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For 15 years, Soulovely’s day parties have provided a thoughtful space that centers Oakland’s Black and brown queer community, with feel-good music on a sunshine-filled patio. Soulovely Prom invites attendees to wear their most futuristic finery. Fela Kutchii, the Oakland Soul Soccer Club’s official DJ, will spin alongside Zuri Alexa and Koma Tee, with drag performances by Mojo Carter, Miss Bea Haven and Bobby. San Francisco drag star Nicki Jizz will host.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Oakland Pride Sunday at Town Bar",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbqgdo3TVdW/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Oakland Pride Sunday at Town Bar\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbqgdo3TVdW/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Oakland Pride Sunday at Town Bar\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 12 p.m.–1 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Town Bar, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Located on the Oakland Pride parade route, swanky cocktail lounge Town Bar will stay open all day and all night, with genre-bending DJ sets by React, John Lau and Rus Slumbeautiful to heat up the dance floor. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Located on the Oakland Pride parade route, swanky cocktail lounge Town Bar will stay open all day and all night, with genre-bending DJ sets by React, John Lau and Rus Slumbeautiful to heat up the dance floor. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.quericonightclub.com/\">Pride After Dark \u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 5 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Que Rico Nightclub, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Que Rico is curating Oakland Pride’s Latin stage, and after the festival the bar will host a block party, with drag, DJs and cute gogos — exact lineup to be announced.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Que Rico is curating Oakland Pride’s Latin stage, and after the festival the bar will host a block party, with drag, DJs and cute gogos — exact lineup to be announced.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco might go all out for Pride in June, but Oakland keeps the party going. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandprideofficial.org/\">Oakland Pride\u003c/a> parade and festival takes over downtown Oakland on Aug. 16, with a headlining performance by “1 Thing” hitmaker Amerie on the main stage. Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org/\">Oakland LGBTQ Community Center\u003c/a>, the festival features a Latin stage, a Mighty Real stage dedicated to dance music and a Sexy Town stage with adult entertainment for the 18+ crowd. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The extensive lineup reflects the many vibrant cultures and identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Performers include Mexican hitmaker Fey; electronic singer-producer Star Amerasu, who’ll perform with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978071/voguing-ballroom-bayview-opera-house-san-francisco-oakland-to-all\">ballroom\u003c/a> collective Oakland to All; and singer Lady Alma, whose virtuosic vocals elevate house music into the spiritual realm. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>True to the Oakland LGBTQ Cultural Center’s mission to help the queer community thrive, Oakland Pride includes activities for youth and elders, plus health and wellness services, including STI testing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Oakland gears up for its big Pride celebration, the Town’s promoters, DJs and drag artists will be hard at work this weekend, lighting up Oakland’s bars and clubs with top-tier queer entertainment. These are the seven parties you shouldn’t miss. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13989802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/20260516-OAKLASH-JY-47-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luismi Munster poses for a portrait during the Oaklash Block Party in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://shotgun.live/en/festivals/oaklash-pride-block-party-2026\">Oaklash Oakland Pride Block Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friday, Aug. 14, 5–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Calabash, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oaklash is synonymous with drag in Oakland. Its Oakland Pride block party celebrates drag performers of all genders and genres, and encourages artists to bring out their most eye-popping reveals, tallest wigs and most athletic dance moves. Hosted by Luismi Monstruo Rude, a performer whose special-effects makeup lends itself to some truly freaky transformations, Oaklash’s Oakland Pride Block Party will feature numbers from Anna Tuesday, Princess Capri, Rosie Petals, Yayah the Artist and St. Germain. DJs Dalikamata, Zaalimaa, Ka’lonji and Ledao will be behind the decks, pumping club beats through the speakers all evening long. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbhC2D6GPb6/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Maligrosa\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15\u003c/em>, \u003cem>9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Tallboy, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Queers who love to sweat it out on the dance floor should look no further than Maligrosa at Oakland martini bar Tallboy. DJs Lobottomy, Estrella and Boyprincess will spin Latincore and uptempo global club beats while go-go dancers Nala and Kisa keep the vibes sexy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13980949\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/250819-VALKYRIESDJS_00605_TV-KQED-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DJ Shellheart plays a set for the Golden State Valkyries during a game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Aug. 19, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db8Brscmx4G/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Thee Queer Dance Party\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Golden Ratio, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>DJ Shellheart keeps the crowd hyped at Golden State Valkyries games, and during Oakland Pride weekend she’ll be in the mix at Golden Ratio, the bar co-owned by fellow Valkyries DJ Lady Ryan. Keezy, the producer of the popular Klituation party for women, will join Shellheart for a fiery set of back-to-back twerk anthems, 2000s rap throwbacks and maybe even a line-dancing moment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.queeraunties.com/event/aunties--oak-dayparty\">Queer Aunties\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 4–10 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Hella Bees, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Queer Aunties is for the grown and sexy — a safe space for queer Black and brown women in their 30s, 40s and beyond to get down. The traveling party originated in L.A. but has spent the year roving to Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. before touching back down in Oakland, where it has a devoted following. The Queer Aunties day party at the sunlit, spacious venue Hella Bees features DJ sets by Micahtron, DJ Ignacia and DJ Bill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992544\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/20260807_OutsideLandsDay2_EG_005_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nicki Jizz host Reparations during the Oasis takeover of the Dolores’ stage at Outside Lands on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/soulovely/2323644\">Soulovely Prom\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16 3:30–8:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>7th West, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For 15 years, Soulovely’s day parties have provided a thoughtful space that centers Oakland’s Black and brown queer community, with feel-good music on a sunshine-filled patio. Soulovely Prom invites attendees to wear their most futuristic finery. Fela Kutchii, the Oakland Soul Soccer Club’s official DJ, will spin alongside Zuri Alexa and Koma Tee, with drag performances by Mojo Carter, Miss Bea Haven and Bobby. San Francisco drag star Nicki Jizz will host.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbqgdo3TVdW/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Oakland Pride Sunday at Town Bar\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 12 p.m.–1 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Town Bar, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Located on the Oakland Pride parade route, swanky cocktail lounge Town Bar will stay open all day and all night, with genre-bending DJ sets by React, John Lau and Rus Slumbeautiful to heat up the dance floor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.quericonightclub.com/\">Pride After Dark \u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sunday, Aug. 16, 5 p.m.–2 a.m.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Que Rico Nightclub, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Que Rico is curating Oakland Pride’s Latin stage, and after the festival the bar will host a block party, with drag, DJs and cute gogos — exact lineup to be announced.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "jenny-cabbage-craft-night-alameda-oakland-free-events",
"title": "This Craft Night Might Be the Hottest Party in Alameda",
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"headTitle": "This Craft Night Might Be the Hottest Party in Alameda | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s almost 6 o’clock on a recent Thursday, and a 50-person line has formed in the narrow brick alleyway of the Alameda Brewing warehouse. Twenty-somethings with K-pop keychains; millennial parents pushing strollers; Gen X mothers with teenage daughters; tatted queer couples; and fashion girlies with bleached eyebrows are waiting to get into the hottest party on this side of the island: an all-ages craft night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wearing a silver dress shaped like an exquisitely frosted cupcake, Jenny Baquing flits about the line, exchanging smiles and hugs with regulars. When the doors open, she warmly welcomes each person and explains the instructions for tonight’s activity: coloring sticker designs — cowboy boots, teddy bears and kittens — that she’s laid out along with markers and pencils at each table, no art experience required.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This evening is part of the increasingly popular series of mixers Baquing calls \u003ca href=\"https://jennyandcabbage.com/\">Jenny and Cabbage\u003c/a>. (Cabbage is her fluffy brown poodle.) Baquing appears comfortable in her element, a true social butterfly, but when we go off to the side to chat, she confesses that she started her craft nights a year ago because she struggled to make friends.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I was growing up, socializing was very difficult for me,” she admits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992675\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing speaks with attendees at Jenny and Cabbage at Alameda Brewing in Alameda on July 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing reacts to a surprise gift, a drawing of herself made by a friend. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Some of the event attendees describe themselves as neurodivergent, like Baquing herself. Many have told her they feel similarly out of sorts making small talk. It turns out shiny beads and cute drawings are the perfect ice breakers. “You technically could do all of these crafts by yourself at home,” she says, “but I think so many people come out because they want to be with other creative people. They want to make connections.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Oakland and raised in Antioch, Baquing, 38, has lived in Dallas, Japan and Los Angeles. When she moved back to the Bay Area two years ago, she realized she needed to expand her social circle in her home region.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It can feel really vulnerable and scary and sad to say, ‘I want more friends, but I don’t know how to make them,’” she says. “When you are willing to come into a space like this, your bravery is really rewarded with friendship and community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baquing’s first event, rock painting, drew 75 attendees. That one-off blossomed into a series, and she now hosts craft nights at least twice a month at rotating venues, including Oakland’s Temescal Brewing and Alameda’s Faction Brewing. Popular activities like purse-charm making have drawn upwards of 250 crafters. Her philosophy is simple: make the barrier to entry as low as possible, with supplies provided, and no cover charge or RSVP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992234\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992234\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants make crafts at an event hosted by Jenny and Cabbage. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992464\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992464\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An attendee cuts out stickers. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I feel like you can kind of show up, like in the good old days when you would just show up at a friend’s house,” says Baquing. “It just feels like a big party.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each attendee has a different reason for coming to Jenny and Cabbage, but as laughter echoes through the warehouse and scissors and pencils change hands, it becomes clear that everyone arrives with a sense of warmth and openness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tamia Manning, 27, recently moved to the Bay Area from Chicago. After completing two masters programs, she says she felt out of practice when it came to making friends outside of a campus setting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1953\" height=\"1301\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992674\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg 1953w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1953px) 100vw, 1953px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tamia Manning greets participants attending the craft event at Alameda Brewing. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is really the first time that I’ve ventured out,” she says. “And honestly, it’s a process of relearning what my hobbies are, what my passions are.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now a volunteer for the event, Manning has played “bead fairy” on friendship bracelet night, and has done astrology readings for her fellow crafters on multiple occasions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think joy is resistance,” she says. “I know people say that a lot, but truly it is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At a nearby table, Lucia Capezzuto, 20, draws Studio Ghibli-inspired characters freehand. As I join her table and start coloring in a cowboy boot, we chat about the phase of life she’s in. Many of her high school friends from El Cerrito have moved away, and bars and clubs aren’t an option since she’s not yet of drinking age. Instead, she goes to Jenny and Cabbage events to make friends of all ages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve become insanely close to Jenny, and she’s truly like the biggest mentor to me,” Capezzuto gushes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lucia Capezzuto (center) holds a drawing of herself. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992233\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing (left) sits with friend Lucia Capezzuto at Alameda Brewing.\u003cbr> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>With blue hair, a lip ring and loud laugh, Capezzuto’s outgoing presence pulls shyer crafters like Natalie Vega into conversation. A fellow regular, Vega, 30, felt isolated working from home. After hearing about Jenny and Cabbage, it took her weeks to psych herself up to go.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Coming to an event by yourself can be a little intimidating, but [Jenny] had, even just through her TikToks and Instagram videos, she had very good welcoming vibes,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her first time attending, Vega told herself, “‘If it’s really bad, I can just head out.’ But it was lovely. … I was a little nervous at first, but very quickly, that went away.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing (left) chats with Natalie Vega and Lucia Capezzuto during her craft event. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Baquing’s craft nights are a volunteer effort. In addition to a handful of regulars who sign up to help, her husband, Chris O’Brien, packs boxes and hauls tables so that Baquing can focus on designing the activities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m like the roadie,” he jokes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The couple spends a lot of time talking about how to make it easier for people to connect face-to-face in our technology-addled world. They were both in college when Facebook began to take off, but any excitement O’Brien once felt about social media has curdled into disappointment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like it was really going to connect a lot of people, and in a lot of ways it kind of did the opposite,” he reflects. “People are really isolated. They have every excuse in the world to just stay home.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to assisting with Jenny and Cabbage events, O’Brien hosts three trivia nights a week: Mondays at Dragon Gate in Oakland, Tuesdays at Doghouse in West Berkeley and Wednesdays at Raleigh’s near the UC Berkeley campus. The craft nights and trivia nights have created a positive feedback loop where people from one find out about the other and join in.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I feel like people actually know how to connect with each other. It’s an ancient need that we all have,” Baquing says. “We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time, sharing stories and laughing together in community over food and something to do. And I feel if people are just given a little sunshine, then they can do the rest themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992467\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992467\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants make cat-related crafts at Emeryville Public Market. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1077\" data-id=\"13992459\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992459\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marzan Woo holds a painting she made of her cat Mouse Catcher, who she calls MC, during a Jenny and Cabbage event at Emeryville Public Market. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992238\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing practices a dance routine at Emeryville Public Market. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Back inside Alameda Brewing, the happy chatter of hundreds of eager crafters echoes through the cavernous space as Baquing proudly looks on. Everyone’s hands are busy, and she can now finally relax and color a few stickers herself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Jenny and Cabbage is certainly growing, the goal, Baquing says, has never been to build a crafting empire. It’s actually a bit more simple: to find more creative friends of her own. One year in, she’s more than succeeded, and is now paying it forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I actually feel very lucky,” she sighs. “I’ve never had this many people that I cared about at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jenny and Cabbage’s next events take place at Temescal Brewing (4115 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland) on Aug. 13 and at Faction Brewing (2501 Monarch Street, Alameda) on Aug. 20. Check the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jennyandcabbage/\">Jenny and Cabbage Instagram\u003c/a> for additional details. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s almost 6 o’clock on a recent Thursday, and a 50-person line has formed in the narrow brick alleyway of the Alameda Brewing warehouse. Twenty-somethings with K-pop keychains; millennial parents pushing strollers; Gen X mothers with teenage daughters; tatted queer couples; and fashion girlies with bleached eyebrows are waiting to get into the hottest party on this side of the island: an all-ages craft night.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s almost 6 o’clock on a recent Thursday, and a 50-person line has formed in the narrow brick alleyway of the Alameda Brewing warehouse. Twenty-somethings with K-pop keychains; millennial parents pushing strollers; Gen X mothers with teenage daughters; tatted queer couples; and fashion girlies with bleached eyebrows are waiting to get into the hottest party on this side of the island: an all-ages craft night.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wearing a silver dress shaped like an exquisitely frosted cupcake, Jenny Baquing flits about the line, exchanging smiles and hugs with regulars. When the doors open, she warmly welcomes each person and explains the instructions for tonight’s activity: coloring sticker designs — cowboy boots, teddy bears and kittens — that she’s laid out along with markers and pencils at each table, no art experience required.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wearing a silver dress shaped like an exquisitely frosted cupcake, Jenny Baquing flits about the line, exchanging smiles and hugs with regulars. When the doors open, she warmly welcomes each person and explains the instructions for tonight’s activity: coloring sticker designs — cowboy boots, teddy bears and kittens — that she’s laid out along with markers and pencils at each table, no art experience required.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This evening is part of the increasingly popular series of mixers Baquing calls \u003ca href=\"https://jennyandcabbage.com/\">Jenny and Cabbage\u003c/a>. (Cabbage is her fluffy brown poodle.) Baquing appears comfortable in her element, a true social butterfly, but when we go off to the side to chat, she confesses that she started her craft nights a year ago because she struggled to make friends.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This evening is part of the increasingly popular series of mixers Baquing calls \u003ca href=\"https://jennyandcabbage.com/\">Jenny and Cabbage\u003c/a>. (Cabbage is her fluffy brown poodle.) Baquing appears comfortable in her element, a true social butterfly, but when we go off to the side to chat, she confesses that she started her craft nights a year ago because she struggled to make friends.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When I was growing up, socializing was very difficult for me,” she admits.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992675\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing speaks with attendees at Jenny and Cabbage at Alameda Brewing in Alameda on July 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992675\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing speaks with attendees at Jenny and Cabbage at Alameda Brewing in Alameda on July 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing reacts to a surprise gift, a drawing of herself made by a friend.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992458\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing reacts to a surprise gift, a drawing of herself made by a friend.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some of the event attendees describe themselves as neurodivergent, like Baquing herself. Many have told her they feel similarly out of sorts making small talk. It turns out shiny beads and cute drawings are the perfect ice breakers. “You technically could do all of these crafts by yourself at home,” she says, “but I think so many people come out because they want to be with other creative people. They want to make connections.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some of the event attendees describe themselves as neurodivergent, like Baquing herself. Many have told her they feel similarly out of sorts making small talk. It turns out shiny beads and cute drawings are the perfect ice breakers. “You technically could do all of these crafts by yourself at home,” she says, “but I think so many people come out because they want to be with other creative people. They want to make connections.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Born in Oakland and raised in Antioch, Baquing, 38, has lived in Dallas, Japan and Los Angeles. When she moved back to the Bay Area two years ago, she realized she needed to expand her social circle in her home region.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Born in Oakland and raised in Antioch, Baquing, 38, has lived in Dallas, Japan and Los Angeles. When she moved back to the Bay Area two years ago, she realized she needed to expand her social circle in her home region.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It can feel really vulnerable and scary and sad to say, ‘I want more friends, but I don’t know how to make them,’” she says. “When you are willing to come into a space like this, your bravery is really rewarded with friendship and community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It can feel really vulnerable and scary and sad to say, ‘I want more friends, but I don’t know how to make them,’” she says. “When you are willing to come into a space like this, your bravery is really rewarded with friendship and community.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Baquing’s first event, rock painting, drew 75 attendees. That one-off blossomed into a series, and she now hosts craft nights at least twice a month at rotating venues, including Oakland’s Temescal Brewing and Alameda’s Faction Brewing. Popular activities like purse-charm making have drawn upwards of 250 crafters. Her philosophy is simple: make the barrier to entry as low as possible, with supplies provided, and no cover charge or RSVP.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Baquing’s first event, rock painting, drew 75 attendees. That one-off blossomed into a series, and she now hosts craft nights at least twice a month at rotating venues, including Oakland’s Temescal Brewing and Alameda’s Faction Brewing. Popular activities like purse-charm making have drawn upwards of 250 crafters. Her philosophy is simple: make the barrier to entry as low as possible, with supplies provided, and no cover charge or RSVP.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992234\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants make crafts at an event hosted by Jenny and Cabbage. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992234\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants make crafts at an event hosted by Jenny and Cabbage. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992464\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An attendee cuts out stickers.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992464\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An attendee cuts out stickers.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I feel like you can kind of show up, like in the good old days when you would just show up at a friend’s house,” says Baquing. “It just feels like a big party.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I feel like you can kind of show up, like in the good old days when you would just show up at a friend’s house,” says Baquing. “It just feels like a big party.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Each attendee has a different reason for coming to Jenny and Cabbage, but as laughter echoes through the warehouse and scissors and pencils change hands, it becomes clear that everyone arrives with a sense of warmth and openness.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Each attendee has a different reason for coming to Jenny and Cabbage, but as laughter echoes through the warehouse and scissors and pencils change hands, it becomes clear that everyone arrives with a sense of warmth and openness.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tamia Manning, 27, recently moved to the Bay Area from Chicago. After completing two masters programs, she says she felt out of practice when it came to making friends outside of a campus setting.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tamia Manning, 27, recently moved to the Bay Area from Chicago. After completing two masters programs, she says she felt out of practice when it came to making friends outside of a campus setting.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992674\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg 1953w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tamia Manning greets participants attending the craft event at Alameda Brewing.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992674\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tamia Manning greets participants attending the craft event at Alameda Brewing.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is really the first time that I’ve ventured out,” she says. “And honestly, it’s a process of relearning what my hobbies are, what my passions are.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This is really the first time that I’ve ventured out,” she says. “And honestly, it’s a process of relearning what my hobbies are, what my passions are.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now a volunteer for the event, Manning has played “bead fairy” on friendship bracelet night, and has done astrology readings for her fellow crafters on multiple occasions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With blue hair, a lip ring and loud laugh, Capezzuto’s outgoing presence pulls shyer crafters like Natalie Vega into conversation. A fellow regular, Vega, 30, felt isolated working from home. After hearing about Jenny and Cabbage, it took her weeks to psych herself up to go.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Coming to an event by yourself can be a little intimidating, but [Jenny] had, even just through her TikToks and Instagram videos, she had very good welcoming vibes,” she says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her first time attending, Vega told herself, “‘If it’s really bad, I can just head out.’ But it was lovely. … I was a little nervous at first, but very quickly, that went away.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Baquing’s craft nights are a volunteer effort. In addition to a handful of regulars who sign up to help, her husband, Chris O’Brien, packs boxes and hauls tables so that Baquing can focus on designing the activities.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The couple spends a lot of time talking about how to make it easier for people to connect face-to-face in our technology-addled world. They were both in college when Facebook began to take off, but any excitement O’Brien once felt about social media has curdled into disappointment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It felt like it was really going to connect a lot of people, and in a lot of ways it kind of did the opposite,” he reflects. “People are really isolated. They have every excuse in the world to just stay home.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to assisting with Jenny and Cabbage events, O’Brien hosts three trivia nights a week: Mondays at Dragon Gate in Oakland, Tuesdays at Doghouse in West Berkeley and Wednesdays at Raleigh’s near the UC Berkeley campus. The craft nights and trivia nights have created a positive feedback loop where people from one find out about the other and join in.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I feel like people actually know how to connect with each other. It’s an ancient need that we all have,” Baquing says. “We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time, sharing stories and laughing together in community over food and something to do. And I feel if people are just given a little sunshine, then they can do the rest themselves.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Jenny and Cabbage is certainly growing, the goal, Baquing says, has never been to build a crafting empire. It’s actually a bit more simple: to find more creative friends of her own. One year in, she’s more than succeeded, and is now paying it forward.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jenny and Cabbage’s next events take place at Temescal Brewing (4115 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland) on Aug. 13 and at Faction Brewing (2501 Monarch Street, Alameda) on Aug. 20. Check the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jennyandcabbage/\">Jenny and Cabbage Instagram\u003c/a> for additional details. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jenny and Cabbage’s next events take place at Temescal Brewing (4115 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland) on Aug. 13 and at Faction Brewing (2501 Monarch Street, Alameda) on Aug. 20. Check the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jennyandcabbage/\">Jenny and Cabbage Instagram\u003c/a> for additional details. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Jenny Baquing once struggled to make friends. Her craft nights now draw hundreds of attendees eager for new connections.",
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"headline": "This Craft Night Might Be the Hottest Party in Alameda",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s almost 6 o’clock on a recent Thursday, and a 50-person line has formed in the narrow brick alleyway of the Alameda Brewing warehouse. Twenty-somethings with K-pop keychains; millennial parents pushing strollers; Gen X mothers with teenage daughters; tatted queer couples; and fashion girlies with bleached eyebrows are waiting to get into the hottest party on this side of the island: an all-ages craft night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wearing a silver dress shaped like an exquisitely frosted cupcake, Jenny Baquing flits about the line, exchanging smiles and hugs with regulars. When the doors open, she warmly welcomes each person and explains the instructions for tonight’s activity: coloring sticker designs — cowboy boots, teddy bears and kittens — that she’s laid out along with markers and pencils at each table, no art experience required.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This evening is part of the increasingly popular series of mixers Baquing calls \u003ca href=\"https://jennyandcabbage.com/\">Jenny and Cabbage\u003c/a>. (Cabbage is her fluffy brown poodle.) Baquing appears comfortable in her element, a true social butterfly, but when we go off to the side to chat, she confesses that she started her craft nights a year ago because she struggled to make friends.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I was growing up, socializing was very difficult for me,” she admits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992675\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing speaks with attendees at Jenny and Cabbage at Alameda Brewing in Alameda on July 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing reacts to a surprise gift, a drawing of herself made by a friend. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Some of the event attendees describe themselves as neurodivergent, like Baquing herself. Many have told her they feel similarly out of sorts making small talk. It turns out shiny beads and cute drawings are the perfect ice breakers. “You technically could do all of these crafts by yourself at home,” she says, “but I think so many people come out because they want to be with other creative people. They want to make connections.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Oakland and raised in Antioch, Baquing, 38, has lived in Dallas, Japan and Los Angeles. When she moved back to the Bay Area two years ago, she realized she needed to expand her social circle in her home region.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It can feel really vulnerable and scary and sad to say, ‘I want more friends, but I don’t know how to make them,’” she says. “When you are willing to come into a space like this, your bravery is really rewarded with friendship and community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baquing’s first event, rock painting, drew 75 attendees. That one-off blossomed into a series, and she now hosts craft nights at least twice a month at rotating venues, including Oakland’s Temescal Brewing and Alameda’s Faction Brewing. Popular activities like purse-charm making have drawn upwards of 250 crafters. Her philosophy is simple: make the barrier to entry as low as possible, with supplies provided, and no cover charge or RSVP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992234\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992234\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants make crafts at an event hosted by Jenny and Cabbage. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992464\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992464\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An attendee cuts out stickers. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I feel like you can kind of show up, like in the good old days when you would just show up at a friend’s house,” says Baquing. “It just feels like a big party.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each attendee has a different reason for coming to Jenny and Cabbage, but as laughter echoes through the warehouse and scissors and pencils change hands, it becomes clear that everyone arrives with a sense of warmth and openness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tamia Manning, 27, recently moved to the Bay Area from Chicago. After completing two masters programs, she says she felt out of practice when it came to making friends outside of a campus setting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1953\" height=\"1301\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992674\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL.jpg 1953w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260706-FYP-CraftNight-05-BL-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1953px) 100vw, 1953px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tamia Manning greets participants attending the craft event at Alameda Brewing. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is really the first time that I’ve ventured out,” she says. “And honestly, it’s a process of relearning what my hobbies are, what my passions are.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now a volunteer for the event, Manning has played “bead fairy” on friendship bracelet night, and has done astrology readings for her fellow crafters on multiple occasions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think joy is resistance,” she says. “I know people say that a lot, but truly it is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At a nearby table, Lucia Capezzuto, 20, draws Studio Ghibli-inspired characters freehand. As I join her table and start coloring in a cowboy boot, we chat about the phase of life she’s in. Many of her high school friends from El Cerrito have moved away, and bars and clubs aren’t an option since she’s not yet of drinking age. Instead, she goes to Jenny and Cabbage events to make friends of all ages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve become insanely close to Jenny, and she’s truly like the biggest mentor to me,” Capezzuto gushes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-CraftNight-02-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lucia Capezzuto (center) holds a drawing of herself. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992233\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260709-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing (left) sits with friend Lucia Capezzuto at Alameda Brewing.\u003cbr> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>With blue hair, a lip ring and loud laugh, Capezzuto’s outgoing presence pulls shyer crafters like Natalie Vega into conversation. A fellow regular, Vega, 30, felt isolated working from home. After hearing about Jenny and Cabbage, it took her weeks to psych herself up to go.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Coming to an event by yourself can be a little intimidating, but [Jenny] had, even just through her TikToks and Instagram videos, she had very good welcoming vibes,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her first time attending, Vega told herself, “‘If it’s really bad, I can just head out.’ But it was lovely. … I was a little nervous at first, but very quickly, that went away.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260709-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing (left) chats with Natalie Vega and Lucia Capezzuto during her craft event. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Baquing’s craft nights are a volunteer effort. In addition to a handful of regulars who sign up to help, her husband, Chris O’Brien, packs boxes and hauls tables so that Baquing can focus on designing the activities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m like the roadie,” he jokes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The couple spends a lot of time talking about how to make it easier for people to connect face-to-face in our technology-addled world. They were both in college when Facebook began to take off, but any excitement O’Brien once felt about social media has curdled into disappointment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like it was really going to connect a lot of people, and in a lot of ways it kind of did the opposite,” he reflects. “People are really isolated. They have every excuse in the world to just stay home.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to assisting with Jenny and Cabbage events, O’Brien hosts three trivia nights a week: Mondays at Dragon Gate in Oakland, Tuesdays at Doghouse in West Berkeley and Wednesdays at Raleigh’s near the UC Berkeley campus. The craft nights and trivia nights have created a positive feedback loop where people from one find out about the other and join in.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I feel like people actually know how to connect with each other. It’s an ancient need that we all have,” Baquing says. “We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time, sharing stories and laughing together in community over food and something to do. And I feel if people are just given a little sunshine, then they can do the rest themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992467\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992467\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-02-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants make cat-related crafts at Emeryville Public Market. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1077\" data-id=\"13992459\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992459\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260723-FYP-CraftNight-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marzan Woo holds a painting she made of her cat Mouse Catcher, who she calls MC, during a Jenny and Cabbage event at Emeryville Public Market. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992238\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260723-FYP-CraftNight-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Baquing practices a dance routine at Emeryville Public Market. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Back inside Alameda Brewing, the happy chatter of hundreds of eager crafters echoes through the cavernous space as Baquing proudly looks on. Everyone’s hands are busy, and she can now finally relax and color a few stickers herself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Jenny and Cabbage is certainly growing, the goal, Baquing says, has never been to build a crafting empire. It’s actually a bit more simple: to find more creative friends of her own. One year in, she’s more than succeeded, and is now paying it forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I actually feel very lucky,” she sighs. “I’ve never had this many people that I cared about at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jenny and Cabbage’s next events take place at Temescal Brewing (4115 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland) on Aug. 13 and at Faction Brewing (2501 Monarch Street, Alameda) on Aug. 20. Check the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jennyandcabbage/\">Jenny and Cabbage Instagram\u003c/a> for additional details. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Mod Podge drips from my hand as I tightly grip rice paper in my right fist. I lean over a precarious paper lantern in progress, my front teeth securing two wooden rods and my gaze fixed with frustration. What I initially envisioned as a soothing, meditative Thursday night activity at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kindredstudiosf.com/\">Kindred Studio\u003c/a> is not going as planned.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just as I’m about to give up, the unassuming stranger seated opposite me offers his twist ties with a smile, rescuing my teeth from their ill-conceived role as makeshift clamps. Looking up for the first time in what feels like hours, I notice every paper lantern around the table has taken on a distinct personality. Each attendee is absorbed in their own quiet concentration, yet a feeling of camaraderie emerges through brief exchanges, shared glances and small acts of generosity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is one of the several new hybrid spaces known as “concept stores” reimagining the Bay Area’s cultural landscape, blurring the boundaries between clothing store, art gallery, music venue and living room. Spaces like San Francisco’s Shop Sommer, The Last Straw, Etta SF and Castle, and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://twotwo.online/?srsltid=AfmBOoq62pmnj2utm6jmqeVw_kLDFZutsIohj0l0VrBE1u_RWVC83IU9\">Two Two\u003c/a>, 3319 Marché and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952472/couchdate-oakland-community-events-music\">Couchdate\u003c/a>, resemble delightfully idiosyncratic magazines come to life. Their events foster unexpected encounters between artists, tech workers and creative practitioners, forging new relationships amid the Bay Area’s rapidly evolving creative economy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think it’s beautiful [when someone] walks in and they’re like, ‘What is this place? Is this a gallery or store? I’m confused,’” says Tai Raino-Tsui, co-owner of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3319marche/?hl=en\">3319 Marché\u003c/a>. “We get that at least once a day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The confusion is understandable. The concept store is a relatively new phenomenon. The term was first coined in 1991 by sociologist Francesco Morace to define Milan’s 10 Corso Como shop. The model later gained international prominence through stores like London’s Dover Street Market and New York City’s Opening Ceremony, helping popularize the blending of fine art, fashion and retail in the United States. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, concept stores are taking over the Bay Area not by storm, but rather a gradual accretion of hybrid retail spaces that are emblematic of the local art scene’s collaborative spirit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo sets up a Vietnamese tea set at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>A haven for the creative and curious\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is about “being present, meeting people,” emphasizes co-owner Tayler Vo. A self-described introvert searching for community in San Francisco, Vo envisioned a tearoom that could also triple-function as a co-working and workshop space, all meant to foster genuine connection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Vo, socializing is a lot like tea. “You cannot force it. You have to slow down,” Vo says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is intentionally split into four sections separated by curtains: a tearoom, a workshop space, a shoes-on living room and a shoes-off living room. This unconventional layout encourages visitors to embrace uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I like to say that if it feels weird or uncomfortable, that’s exactly what you should lean into,” Vo explains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992631\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Since opening at the beginning of this year, Kindred has hosted a wide array of workshops with local artists, including live figure drawing with Rena Monet and paper lantern workshops with Grace Bishop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Anyone who wants to be part of the Kindred community is invited to contribute to the space. One such collaborator is Sage Kitamorn, a former software engineer turned puzzle maker, whom Vo discovered through his puzzle series, \u003ca href=\"https://cozycubs.club/\">Cozy Cubs Puzzle Club\u003c/a>. “I have a feeling she had already read every word on my website,” Kitamorn says, “because she already knew the core shape of what I do in my weird little art project.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proliferation of concept stores over the past several years attests to Bay Area audiences’ appetite for the unknown and unfamiliar. Oakland-based artist Derwin Deon Brown II recently hosted a community lecture and hi-fi listening session at Kindred Studio for his traveling installation, \u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/\">Black American Sound System\u003c/a>. Brown II describes his experience as “incredibly affirming.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The audience wasn’t just listening blindly; they were genuinely engaged,” he says. “People are hungry for spaces where music can be experienced as something deeper than entertainment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Making room for artistic experiments\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland concept store Two Two arose from a similar observation by its founder, CC Doan. “When I moved here, I felt like … a weirdo in places,” she says. “People looked at me like I was pretentious…because I cared about fashion. I was like, ‘OK, if there are 10 other people like me, there’s probably 100 other people like me out in these streets.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two Two showcases work by local, national and international designers, and they’ve hosted over 120 workshops and events since 2022. Subjects include beeswax candle-making with Ravenne Swaner of Lucky Star Candles and a recent incense-making workshop with Hyungi Park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every time I return, it feels both familiar and completely different,” Park observes. “It’s a space that continually evolves while still feeling welcoming.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The clothing designers featured at Two Two embrace that experimental mindset. Local artist Isabella Manfredi’s hand-sewn clothing, screen-printed with designs inspired by sunflower sea stars and her grandfather’s tools, is an extension of her artistic practice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I appreciate showing my work in a context that is as conceptual as a gallery space,” Manfredi says. “Everything that enters the space is filtered through an artful lens or sought out because it is art.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Bringing different scenes together\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just one street over from Two Two is 3319 Marché, which opened in 2024 with a focus on contemporary and vintage clothing, music and art. Founded by born-and-raised Oaklanders Tai Raino-Tsui and Marco Verdin, the shop emerged from the duo’s desire to create a “fashion and design destination” they felt Oakland was missing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some people might associate the Bay Area with Patagonia and the “tech-bro aesthetic,” Verdin says a considerable shift is happening. “It’s like that demographic is also looking to get outside the box a little bit,” Verdin says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992676\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Co-founder Marco Verdin embroiders a garment at 3319 Marché in Oakland on Aug. 7, 2026. The vintage and designer clothing store also serves as a creative space for art, music and community events. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui asserts that the overarching mission of the space is to create “a new wave of cultural renaissance from within.” 3319 Marché has hosted performances by prominent Bay Area musicians like Kehlani, Toro y Moi and Ovrkast. Visual artists Phillip Okonma and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932138/esteban-raheem-abdul-raheem-samayoa-pt-2\">Esteban Samayoa\u003c/a> have shown their work there, and Samayoa’s exhibition doubled as a toy, coat and food drive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While ham-fisted intersections between tech and art can often feel awkward, the Bay Area’s concept stores bring together artists, designers, makers, technologists and curious neighbors with surprising ease. As prominent Bay Area arts institutions close and public funding for the arts continues to shrink, these concept stores offer an alternative model for cultural exchange.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The concept store owners who spoke to KQED all emphasize that they intended to remain permanent players in this conversation. Two Two founder CC Doan reflects, “As more people come, I realize that I have this responsibility to others. Two Two needs to be here because I need to be in service of my community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui of 3319 Marché echoes the same sentiment: “It’s really just about being here and doing our best to show up for ourselves and our people.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"_msocom_1\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mod Podge drips from my hand as I tightly grip rice paper in my right fist. I lean over a precarious paper lantern in progress, my front teeth securing two wooden rods and my gaze fixed with frustration. What I initially envisioned as a soothing, meditative Thursday night activity at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kindredstudiosf.com/\">Kindred Studio\u003c/a> is not going as planned.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mod Podge drips from my hand as I tightly grip rice paper in my right fist. I lean over a precarious paper lantern in progress, my front teeth securing two wooden rods and my gaze fixed with frustration. What I initially envisioned as a soothing, meditative Thursday night activity at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kindredstudiosf.com/\">Kindred Studio\u003c/a> is not going as planned.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Just as I’m about to give up, the unassuming stranger seated opposite me offers his twist ties with a smile, rescuing my teeth from their ill-conceived role as makeshift clamps. Looking up for the first time in what feels like hours, I notice every paper lantern around the table has taken on a distinct personality. Each attendee is absorbed in their own quiet concentration, yet a feeling of camaraderie emerges through brief exchanges, shared glances and small acts of generosity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Just as I’m about to give up, the unassuming stranger seated opposite me offers his twist ties with a smile, rescuing my teeth from their ill-conceived role as makeshift clamps. Looking up for the first time in what feels like hours, I notice every paper lantern around the table has taken on a distinct personality. Each attendee is absorbed in their own quiet concentration, yet a feeling of camaraderie emerges through brief exchanges, shared glances and small acts of generosity.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is one of the several new hybrid spaces known as “concept stores” reimagining the Bay Area’s cultural landscape, blurring the boundaries between clothing store, art gallery, music venue and living room. Spaces like San Francisco’s Shop Sommer, The Last Straw, Etta SF and Castle, and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://twotwo.online/?srsltid=AfmBOoq62pmnj2utm6jmqeVw_kLDFZutsIohj0l0VrBE1u_RWVC83IU9\">Two Two\u003c/a>, 3319 Marché and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952472/couchdate-oakland-community-events-music\">Couchdate\u003c/a>, resemble delightfully idiosyncratic magazines come to life. Their events foster unexpected encounters between artists, tech workers and creative practitioners, forging new relationships amid the Bay Area’s rapidly evolving creative economy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is one of the several new hybrid spaces known as “concept stores” reimagining the Bay Area’s cultural landscape, blurring the boundaries between clothing store, art gallery, music venue and living room. Spaces like San Francisco’s Shop Sommer, The Last Straw, Etta SF and Castle, and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://twotwo.online/?srsltid=AfmBOoq62pmnj2utm6jmqeVw_kLDFZutsIohj0l0VrBE1u_RWVC83IU9\">Two Two\u003c/a>, 3319 Marché and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952472/couchdate-oakland-community-events-music\">Couchdate\u003c/a>, resemble delightfully idiosyncratic magazines come to life. Their events foster unexpected encounters between artists, tech workers and creative practitioners, forging new relationships amid the Bay Area’s rapidly evolving creative economy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think it’s beautiful [when someone] walks in and they’re like, ‘What is this place? Is this a gallery or store? I’m confused,’” says Tai Raino-Tsui, co-owner of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3319marche/?hl=en\">3319 Marché\u003c/a>. “We get that at least once a day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I think it’s beautiful [when someone] walks in and they’re like, ‘What is this place? Is this a gallery or store? I’m confused,’” says Tai Raino-Tsui, co-owner of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3319marche/?hl=en\">3319 Marché\u003c/a>. “We get that at least once a day.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The confusion is understandable. The concept store is a relatively new phenomenon. The term was first coined in 1991 by sociologist Francesco Morace to define Milan’s 10 Corso Como shop. The model later gained international prominence through stores like London’s Dover Street Market and New York City’s Opening Ceremony, helping popularize the blending of fine art, fashion and retail in the United States. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The confusion is understandable. The concept store is a relatively new phenomenon. The term was first coined in 1991 by sociologist Francesco Morace to define Milan’s 10 Corso Como shop. The model later gained international prominence through stores like London’s Dover Street Market and New York City’s Opening Ceremony, helping popularize the blending of fine art, fashion and retail in the United States. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Today, concept stores are taking over the Bay Area not by storm, but rather a gradual accretion of hybrid retail spaces that are emblematic of the local art scene’s collaborative spirit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Today, concept stores are taking over the Bay Area not by storm, but rather a gradual accretion of hybrid retail spaces that are emblematic of the local art scene’s collaborative spirit.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo sets up a Vietnamese tea set at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992632\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo sets up a Vietnamese tea set at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is about “being present, meeting people,” emphasizes co-owner Tayler Vo. A self-described introvert searching for community in San Francisco, Vo envisioned a tearoom that could also triple-function as a co-working and workshop space, all meant to foster genuine connection.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is about “being present, meeting people,” emphasizes co-owner Tayler Vo. A self-described introvert searching for community in San Francisco, Vo envisioned a tearoom that could also triple-function as a co-working and workshop space, all meant to foster genuine connection.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Vo, socializing is a lot like tea. “You cannot force it. You have to slow down,” Vo says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Vo, socializing is a lot like tea. “You cannot force it. You have to slow down,” Vo says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is intentionally split into four sections separated by curtains: a tearoom, a workshop space, a shoes-on living room and a shoes-off living room. This unconventional layout encourages visitors to embrace uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is intentionally split into four sections separated by curtains: a tearoom, a workshop space, a shoes-on living room and a shoes-off living room. This unconventional layout encourages visitors to embrace uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I like to say that if it feels weird or uncomfortable, that’s exactly what you should lean into,” Vo explains.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I like to say that if it feels weird or uncomfortable, that’s exactly what you should lean into,” Vo explains.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992631\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992631\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since opening at the beginning of this year, Kindred has hosted a wide array of workshops with local artists, including live figure drawing with Rena Monet and paper lantern workshops with Grace Bishop.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since opening at the beginning of this year, Kindred has hosted a wide array of workshops with local artists, including live figure drawing with Rena Monet and paper lantern workshops with Grace Bishop.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Anyone who wants to be part of the Kindred community is invited to contribute to the space. One such collaborator is Sage Kitamorn, a former software engineer turned puzzle maker, whom Vo discovered through his puzzle series, \u003ca href=\"https://cozycubs.club/\">Cozy Cubs Puzzle Club\u003c/a>. “I have a feeling she had already read every word on my website,” Kitamorn says, “because she already knew the core shape of what I do in my weird little art project.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Anyone who wants to be part of the Kindred community is invited to contribute to the space. One such collaborator is Sage Kitamorn, a former software engineer turned puzzle maker, whom Vo discovered through his puzzle series, \u003ca href=\"https://cozycubs.club/\">Cozy Cubs Puzzle Club\u003c/a>. “I have a feeling she had already read every word on my website,” Kitamorn says, “because she already knew the core shape of what I do in my weird little art project.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proliferation of concept stores over the past several years attests to Bay Area audiences’ appetite for the unknown and unfamiliar. Oakland-based artist Derwin Deon Brown II recently hosted a community lecture and hi-fi listening session at Kindred Studio for his traveling installation, \u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/\">Black American Sound System\u003c/a>. Brown II describes his experience as “incredibly affirming.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The proliferation of concept stores over the past several years attests to Bay Area audiences’ appetite for the unknown and unfamiliar. Oakland-based artist Derwin Deon Brown II recently hosted a community lecture and hi-fi listening session at Kindred Studio for his traveling installation, \u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/\">Black American Sound System\u003c/a>. Brown II describes his experience as “incredibly affirming.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The audience wasn’t just listening blindly; they were genuinely engaged,” he says. “People are hungry for spaces where music can be experienced as something deeper than entertainment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The audience wasn’t just listening blindly; they were genuinely engaged,” he says. “People are hungry for spaces where music can be experienced as something deeper than entertainment.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992629\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland concept store Two Two arose from a similar observation by its founder, CC Doan. “When I moved here, I felt like … a weirdo in places,” she says. “People looked at me like I was pretentious…because I cared about fashion. I was like, ‘OK, if there are 10 other people like me, there’s probably 100 other people like me out in these streets.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Oakland concept store Two Two arose from a similar observation by its founder, CC Doan. “When I moved here, I felt like … a weirdo in places,” she says. “People looked at me like I was pretentious…because I cared about fashion. I was like, ‘OK, if there are 10 other people like me, there’s probably 100 other people like me out in these streets.’”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two Two showcases work by local, national and international designers, and they’ve hosted over 120 workshops and events since 2022. Subjects include beeswax candle-making with Ravenne Swaner of Lucky Star Candles and a recent incense-making workshop with Hyungi Park.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two Two showcases work by local, national and international designers, and they’ve hosted over 120 workshops and events since 2022. Subjects include beeswax candle-making with Ravenne Swaner of Lucky Star Candles and a recent incense-making workshop with Hyungi Park.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every time I return, it feels both familiar and completely different,” Park observes. “It’s a space that continually evolves while still feeling welcoming.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Every time I return, it feels both familiar and completely different,” Park observes. “It’s a space that continually evolves while still feeling welcoming.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The clothing designers featured at Two Two embrace that experimental mindset. Local artist Isabella Manfredi’s hand-sewn clothing, screen-printed with designs inspired by sunflower sea stars and her grandfather’s tools, is an extension of her artistic practice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The clothing designers featured at Two Two embrace that experimental mindset. Local artist Isabella Manfredi’s hand-sewn clothing, screen-printed with designs inspired by sunflower sea stars and her grandfather’s tools, is an extension of her artistic practice.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I appreciate showing my work in a context that is as conceptual as a gallery space,” Manfredi says. “Everything that enters the space is filtered through an artful lens or sought out because it is art.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I appreciate showing my work in a context that is as conceptual as a gallery space,” Manfredi says. “Everything that enters the space is filtered through an artful lens or sought out because it is art.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Just one street over from Two Two is 3319 Marché, which opened in 2024 with a focus on contemporary and vintage clothing, music and art. Founded by born-and-raised Oaklanders Tai Raino-Tsui and Marco Verdin, the shop emerged from the duo’s desire to create a “fashion and design destination” they felt Oakland was missing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Just one street over from Two Two is 3319 Marché, which opened in 2024 with a focus on contemporary and vintage clothing, music and art. Founded by born-and-raised Oaklanders Tai Raino-Tsui and Marco Verdin, the shop emerged from the duo’s desire to create a “fashion and design destination” they felt Oakland was missing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While some people might associate the Bay Area with Patagonia and the “tech-bro aesthetic,” Verdin says a considerable shift is happening. “It’s like that demographic is also looking to get outside the box a little bit,” Verdin says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While some people might associate the Bay Area with Patagonia and the “tech-bro aesthetic,” Verdin says a considerable shift is happening. “It’s like that demographic is also looking to get outside the box a little bit,” Verdin says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992676\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Co-founder Marco Verdin embroiders a garment at 3319 Marché in Oakland on Aug. 7, 2026. The vintage and designer clothing store also serves as a creative space for art, music and community events.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui asserts that the overarching mission of the space is to create “a new wave of cultural renaissance from within.” 3319 Marché has hosted performances by prominent Bay Area musicians like Kehlani, Toro y Moi and Ovrkast. Visual artists Phillip Okonma and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932138/esteban-raheem-abdul-raheem-samayoa-pt-2\">Esteban Samayoa\u003c/a> have shown their work there, and Samayoa’s exhibition doubled as a toy, coat and food drive. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui asserts that the overarching mission of the space is to create “a new wave of cultural renaissance from within.” 3319 Marché has hosted performances by prominent Bay Area musicians like Kehlani, Toro y Moi and Ovrkast. Visual artists Phillip Okonma and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932138/esteban-raheem-abdul-raheem-samayoa-pt-2\">Esteban Samayoa\u003c/a> have shown their work there, and Samayoa’s exhibition doubled as a toy, coat and food drive. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While ham-fisted intersections between tech and art can often feel awkward, the Bay Area’s concept stores bring together artists, designers, makers, technologists and curious neighbors with surprising ease. As prominent Bay Area arts institutions close and public funding for the arts continues to shrink, these concept stores offer an alternative model for cultural exchange.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While ham-fisted intersections between tech and art can often feel awkward, the Bay Area’s concept stores bring together artists, designers, makers, technologists and curious neighbors with surprising ease. As prominent Bay Area arts institutions close and public funding for the arts continues to shrink, these concept stores offer an alternative model for cultural exchange.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The concept store owners who spoke to KQED all emphasize that they intended to remain permanent players in this conversation. Two Two founder CC Doan reflects, “As more people come, I realize that I have this responsibility to others. Two Two needs to be here because I need to be in service of my community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The concept store owners who spoke to KQED all emphasize that they intended to remain permanent players in this conversation. Two Two founder CC Doan reflects, “As more people come, I realize that I have this responsibility to others. Two Two needs to be here because I need to be in service of my community.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui of 3319 Marché echoes the same sentiment: “It’s really just about being here and doing our best to show up for ourselves and our people.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui of 3319 Marché echoes the same sentiment: “It’s really just about being here and doing our best to show up for ourselves and our people.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Mod Podge drips from my hand as I tightly grip rice paper in my right fist. I lean over a precarious paper lantern in progress, my front teeth securing two wooden rods and my gaze fixed with frustration. What I initially envisioned as a soothing, meditative Thursday night activity at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kindredstudiosf.com/\">Kindred Studio\u003c/a> is not going as planned.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just as I’m about to give up, the unassuming stranger seated opposite me offers his twist ties with a smile, rescuing my teeth from their ill-conceived role as makeshift clamps. Looking up for the first time in what feels like hours, I notice every paper lantern around the table has taken on a distinct personality. Each attendee is absorbed in their own quiet concentration, yet a feeling of camaraderie emerges through brief exchanges, shared glances and small acts of generosity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is one of the several new hybrid spaces known as “concept stores” reimagining the Bay Area’s cultural landscape, blurring the boundaries between clothing store, art gallery, music venue and living room. Spaces like San Francisco’s Shop Sommer, The Last Straw, Etta SF and Castle, and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://twotwo.online/?srsltid=AfmBOoq62pmnj2utm6jmqeVw_kLDFZutsIohj0l0VrBE1u_RWVC83IU9\">Two Two\u003c/a>, 3319 Marché and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952472/couchdate-oakland-community-events-music\">Couchdate\u003c/a>, resemble delightfully idiosyncratic magazines come to life. Their events foster unexpected encounters between artists, tech workers and creative practitioners, forging new relationships amid the Bay Area’s rapidly evolving creative economy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think it’s beautiful [when someone] walks in and they’re like, ‘What is this place? Is this a gallery or store? I’m confused,’” says Tai Raino-Tsui, co-owner of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3319marche/?hl=en\">3319 Marché\u003c/a>. “We get that at least once a day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The confusion is understandable. The concept store is a relatively new phenomenon. The term was first coined in 1991 by sociologist Francesco Morace to define Milan’s 10 Corso Como shop. The model later gained international prominence through stores like London’s Dover Street Market and New York City’s Opening Ceremony, helping popularize the blending of fine art, fashion and retail in the United States. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, concept stores are taking over the Bay Area not by storm, but rather a gradual accretion of hybrid retail spaces that are emblematic of the local art scene’s collaborative spirit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo sets up a Vietnamese tea set at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>A haven for the creative and curious\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is about “being present, meeting people,” emphasizes co-owner Tayler Vo. A self-described introvert searching for community in San Francisco, Vo envisioned a tearoom that could also triple-function as a co-working and workshop space, all meant to foster genuine connection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Vo, socializing is a lot like tea. “You cannot force it. You have to slow down,” Vo says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kindred Studio is intentionally split into four sections separated by curtains: a tearoom, a workshop space, a shoes-on living room and a shoes-off living room. This unconventional layout encourages visitors to embrace uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I like to say that if it feels weird or uncomfortable, that’s exactly what you should lean into,” Vo explains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992631\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-17-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tayler Vo at Kindred Studio, a tearoom and community space, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Since opening at the beginning of this year, Kindred has hosted a wide array of workshops with local artists, including live figure drawing with Rena Monet and paper lantern workshops with Grace Bishop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Anyone who wants to be part of the Kindred community is invited to contribute to the space. One such collaborator is Sage Kitamorn, a former software engineer turned puzzle maker, whom Vo discovered through his puzzle series, \u003ca href=\"https://cozycubs.club/\">Cozy Cubs Puzzle Club\u003c/a>. “I have a feeling she had already read every word on my website,” Kitamorn says, “because she already knew the core shape of what I do in my weird little art project.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proliferation of concept stores over the past several years attests to Bay Area audiences’ appetite for the unknown and unfamiliar. Oakland-based artist Derwin Deon Brown II recently hosted a community lecture and hi-fi listening session at Kindred Studio for his traveling installation, \u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/\">Black American Sound System\u003c/a>. Brown II describes his experience as “incredibly affirming.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The audience wasn’t just listening blindly; they were genuinely engaged,” he says. “People are hungry for spaces where music can be experienced as something deeper than entertainment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Making room for artistic experiments\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland concept store Two Two arose from a similar observation by its founder, CC Doan. “When I moved here, I felt like … a weirdo in places,” she says. “People looked at me like I was pretentious…because I cared about fashion. I was like, ‘OK, if there are 10 other people like me, there’s probably 100 other people like me out in these streets.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two Two showcases work by local, national and international designers, and they’ve hosted over 120 workshops and events since 2022. Subjects include beeswax candle-making with Ravenne Swaner of Lucky Star Candles and a recent incense-making workshop with Hyungi Park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every time I return, it feels both familiar and completely different,” Park observes. “It’s a space that continually evolves while still feeling welcoming.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CC Doan, founder and curator of Two Two, at the Oakland shop on Aug. 7, 2026. The shop features clothing and accessories from independent designers and artists and hosts workshops. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The clothing designers featured at Two Two embrace that experimental mindset. Local artist Isabella Manfredi’s hand-sewn clothing, screen-printed with designs inspired by sunflower sea stars and her grandfather’s tools, is an extension of her artistic practice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I appreciate showing my work in a context that is as conceptual as a gallery space,” Manfredi says. “Everything that enters the space is filtered through an artful lens or sought out because it is art.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Bringing different scenes together\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just one street over from Two Two is 3319 Marché, which opened in 2024 with a focus on contemporary and vintage clothing, music and art. Founded by born-and-raised Oaklanders Tai Raino-Tsui and Marco Verdin, the shop emerged from the duo’s desire to create a “fashion and design destination” they felt Oakland was missing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some people might associate the Bay Area with Patagonia and the “tech-bro aesthetic,” Verdin says a considerable shift is happening. “It’s like that demographic is also looking to get outside the box a little bit,” Verdin says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992676\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/260807-ConceptStores-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Co-founder Marco Verdin embroiders a garment at 3319 Marché in Oakland on Aug. 7, 2026. The vintage and designer clothing store also serves as a creative space for art, music and community events. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui asserts that the overarching mission of the space is to create “a new wave of cultural renaissance from within.” 3319 Marché has hosted performances by prominent Bay Area musicians like Kehlani, Toro y Moi and Ovrkast. Visual artists Phillip Okonma and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932138/esteban-raheem-abdul-raheem-samayoa-pt-2\">Esteban Samayoa\u003c/a> have shown their work there, and Samayoa’s exhibition doubled as a toy, coat and food drive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While ham-fisted intersections between tech and art can often feel awkward, the Bay Area’s concept stores bring together artists, designers, makers, technologists and curious neighbors with surprising ease. As prominent Bay Area arts institutions close and public funding for the arts continues to shrink, these concept stores offer an alternative model for cultural exchange.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The concept store owners who spoke to KQED all emphasize that they intended to remain permanent players in this conversation. Two Two founder CC Doan reflects, “As more people come, I realize that I have this responsibility to others. Two Two needs to be here because I need to be in service of my community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raino-Tsui of 3319 Marché echoes the same sentiment: “It’s really just about being here and doing our best to show up for ourselves and our people.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "youth-boxing-coach-g-vertical-skillz-outreach-east-oakland-san-antonio-park",
"title": "A Big Youth Boxing Event Is Coming to East Oakland",
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"headTitle": "A Big Youth Boxing Event Is Coming to East Oakland | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>On Saturday afternoon, Aug. 8, more than 40 young fighters will meet a boxing ring in East Oakland’s San Antonio Park, taking turns throwing jabs and ducking hooks as they participate in the inaugural \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">Fights & Function Fundraiser\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each fight is scheduled to go three rounds and will count toward the competitors’ official amateur boxing record; the winner of each bout will receive a replica World Boxing Association belt.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The OG, old-school coach in me believes that you don’t get belts until a tournament or a world title as a pro,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dalialapantera/\">Dalia “La Pantera” Gomez\u003c/a> (also known as Coach G), founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.verticalskillz.org/\">Vertical Skillz Outreach\u003c/a>, the organization behind the event.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But the fact is,” she tells me during a recent call, “kids love belts, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of three boxing championship belts.\" class=\"wp-image-13992452\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Title belts will be awarded to the winner of each bout at the ‘Fights & Function’ event this Saturday at San Antonio Park in East Oakland. (Courtesy of Dalia 'La Pantera' Gomez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And that’s the motivation behind this weekend’s event, as well as Coach G’s daily boxing training programs: making sure her fighters, specifically the younger ones, are happy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to make these kids feel regal,” Coach G says, “because that’s what they are —warriors, kings and queens of this earth, let alone Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The title belts, adorned with the names of local sponsors and decorated with imitation gem stones, are also a bit of a tribute to Coach G’s family roots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The belt’s “rubies” are an homage to her late grandmother. “She loved the color red, specifically red roses,” she says. With her grandmother’s love for flowers in mind, Coach G reflects on what Vertical Skillz Outreach has created at the park. “Here we are,” she says, pulling from Tupac’s classic poem about defying the odds, “trying to be that rose that grows through concrete.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg\" alt=\"A large group of boxers pose for a photo at a boxing ring in East Oakland.\" class=\"wp-image-13992453\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fighters flex their muscles at a recent Vertical Skillz Outreach boxing class at San Antonio Park in East Oakland. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Coach G has pulled weeds from the park’s cracked pavement and twisted her ankle on the uneven grounds; it’s all a part of the sweat equity that has gone into the park since 2020. Back then, she says, “Nobody said anything when I was doing it on the on the playground, that’s because there was a gigantic homeless encampment on the playground.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She worked with occupants of the encampment, and got folks to make room for her to hang punching bags from the jungle gym. But once the space was cleared Coach G realized more kids were playing on the structure. “I felt like I was in the way,” she reflects, “because I’m hanging the bags on the monkey bars and all of the kids would \u003cem>monkey\u003c/em> around it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Realizing “more kids in the park is always great,” she moved her boxing training program to the tennis courts. But with that expansion, and the later construction of a full boxing ring, came more eyes. Coach G met with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2021/01/07/a-youth-fitness-camp-pops-up-in-an-east-oakland-park/\">former council member Nikki Fortunada Bass\u003c/a>, who was transparent: she couldn’t give Coach G official permission to use the park, but they wouldn’t stop her either. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oakland had so many things going on, they just had to kind of turn a blind eye,” Coach G explains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With a background in childhood development and a job as an OUSD teacher, Coach G’s résumé eased the process. “They didn’t feel that it was a threat,” she says, “especially because none of my kids would get any trouble.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992451\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘When we had no lights, we still would train,’ says Dalia ‘La Pantera’ Gomez, founder of Vertical Skillz Outreach. (Courtesy of Dalia 'La Pantera' Gomez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Originally from Oxnard (which, because of the amount of fighters who’ve come from there, is also referred to as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/best-boxers-from-oxnard/\">Boxnard\u003c/a>“), Coach G was a college hooper before finding her way to the ring. A Golden Gloves Champion in 2015, she turned pro in 2017 and fought her last bout in 2019 — a fundraising venture in Tijuana.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before offering classes at San Antonio Park, Coach G would train fighters by Lake Merritt. While her main focus is using boxing as a tool to holistically mentor younger kids from the community, she’s also worked with titans like famed Black Panther Party leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/elaine-brown\">Elaine Brown\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Coach G says that Brown once told her, “You know, Pantera, ain’t nobody down to fight no more.” People weren’t willing to fight for a righteous cause, Coach G remembers Brown saying, “Everybody’s afraid to lose what they got.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That pushed Coach G to consider how deeply people have been indoctrinated to think about themselves only. Boxing, like the revolutionary work of the Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets, isn’t about concentrated power. “Technique comes way before power,” Coach G professes, “you don’t ever lead with power.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, she says, a successful fighter and a impactful community activist should live by the same equation: “technique plus speed equals power.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So this Saturday at San Antonio Park, the site of the historic \u003ca href=\"https://localwiki.org/oakland/Oakland_Chicano_Moratorium\">Chicano Moratorium\u003c/a> protest and the longstanding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13981396/eastside-arts-alliance-greg-morozumi-elena-serrano-susanne-takehara-oakland\">Malcolm X Jazz Festival\u003c/a>, her \u003cem>technique\u003c/em> for creating change is to do it big for the community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to two dozen boxing matches there’ll be water balloons and a dunk tank, free breakfast served in the morning and old-school cars pulling up all afternoon. Marketing Kings’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tyrannyallengallery/?hl=en\">Tyranny Allen\u003c/a> will be the ringside announcer, and musicians including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/stunnaman02\">Stunnaman02\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ian-kelly\">Ian Kelly\u003c/a> are set to walk boxers out to the ring. “I just want to do everything I can,” says Coach G.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The soil is very rich,” she says, referring to the Town as a whole and going back to the analogy of a rose growing through concrete. “I don’t care what type of flower, weed, plant or fruit, it takes its time to grow — and we’re constantly fighting through that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">Fights & Function Fundraiser\u003c/a> takes place Saturday, Aug. 8, 12:30–6 p.m. at San Antonio Park (1701 E 19th St., Oakland). For tickets and information, \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">click here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Saturday afternoon, Aug. 8, more than 40 young fighters will meet a boxing ring in East Oakland’s San Antonio Park, taking turns throwing jabs and ducking hooks as they participate in the inaugural \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">Fights & Function Fundraiser\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Saturday afternoon, Aug. 8, more than 40 young fighters will meet a boxing ring in East Oakland’s San Antonio Park, taking turns throwing jabs and ducking hooks as they participate in the inaugural \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">Fights & Function Fundraiser\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Each fight is scheduled to go three rounds and will count toward the competitors’ official amateur boxing record; the winner of each bout will receive a replica World Boxing Association belt.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Each fight is scheduled to go three rounds and will count toward the competitors’ official amateur boxing record; the winner of each bout will receive a replica World Boxing Association belt.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The OG, old-school coach in me believes that you don’t get belts until a tournament or a world title as a pro,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dalialapantera/\">Dalia “La Pantera” Gomez\u003c/a> (also known as Coach G), founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.verticalskillz.org/\">Vertical Skillz Outreach\u003c/a>, the organization behind the event.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The OG, old-school coach in me believes that you don’t get belts until a tournament or a world title as a pro,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dalialapantera/\">Dalia “La Pantera” Gomez\u003c/a> (also known as Coach G), founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.verticalskillz.org/\">Vertical Skillz Outreach\u003c/a>, the organization behind the event.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But the fact is,” she tells me during a recent call, “kids love belts, you know?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“But the fact is,” she tells me during a recent call, “kids love belts, you know?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of three boxing championship belts.\" class=\"wp-image-13992452\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Title belts will be awarded to the winner of each bout at the ‘Fights & Function’ event this Saturday at San Antonio Park in East Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of three boxing championship belts.\" class=\"wp-image-13992452\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Title belts will be awarded to the winner of each bout at the ‘Fights & Function’ event this Saturday at San Antonio Park in East Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And that’s the motivation behind this weekend’s event, as well as Coach G’s daily boxing training programs: making sure her fighters, specifically the younger ones, are happy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And that’s the motivation behind this weekend’s event, as well as Coach G’s daily boxing training programs: making sure her fighters, specifically the younger ones, are happy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to make these kids feel regal,” Coach G says, “because that’s what they are —warriors, kings and queens of this earth, let alone Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to make these kids feel regal,” Coach G says, “because that’s what they are —warriors, kings and queens of this earth, let alone Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The title belts, adorned with the names of local sponsors and decorated with imitation gem stones, are also a bit of a tribute to Coach G’s family roots.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The title belts, adorned with the names of local sponsors and decorated with imitation gem stones, are also a bit of a tribute to Coach G’s family roots.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The belt’s “rubies” are an homage to her late grandmother. “She loved the color red, specifically red roses,” she says. With her grandmother’s love for flowers in mind, Coach G reflects on what Vertical Skillz Outreach has created at the park. “Here we are,” she says, pulling from Tupac’s classic poem about defying the odds, “trying to be that rose that grows through concrete.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The belt’s “rubies” are an homage to her late grandmother. “She loved the color red, specifically red roses,” she says. With her grandmother’s love for flowers in mind, Coach G reflects on what Vertical Skillz Outreach has created at the park. “Here we are,” she says, pulling from Tupac’s classic poem about defying the odds, “trying to be that rose that grows through concrete.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg\" alt=\"A large group of boxers pose for a photo at a boxing ring in East Oakland.\" class=\"wp-image-13992453\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fighters flex their muscles at a recent Vertical Skillz Outreach boxing class at San Antonio Park in East Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg\" alt=\"A large group of boxers pose for a photo at a boxing ring in East Oakland.\" class=\"wp-image-13992453\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fighters flex their muscles at a recent Vertical Skillz Outreach boxing class at San Antonio Park in East Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Coach G has pulled weeds from the park’s cracked pavement and twisted her ankle on the uneven grounds; it’s all a part of the sweat equity that has gone into the park since 2020. Back then, she says, “Nobody said anything when I was doing it on the on the playground, that’s because there was a gigantic homeless encampment on the playground.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Coach G has pulled weeds from the park’s cracked pavement and twisted her ankle on the uneven grounds; it’s all a part of the sweat equity that has gone into the park since 2020. Back then, she says, “Nobody said anything when I was doing it on the on the playground, that’s because there was a gigantic homeless encampment on the playground.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She worked with occupants of the encampment, and got folks to make room for her to hang punching bags from the jungle gym. But once the space was cleared Coach G realized more kids were playing on the structure. “I felt like I was in the way,” she reflects, “because I’m hanging the bags on the monkey bars and all of the kids would \u003cem>monkey\u003c/em> around it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She worked with occupants of the encampment, and got folks to make room for her to hang punching bags from the jungle gym. But once the space was cleared Coach G realized more kids were playing on the structure. “I felt like I was in the way,” she reflects, “because I’m hanging the bags on the monkey bars and all of the kids would \u003cem>monkey\u003c/em> around it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Realizing “more kids in the park is always great,” she moved her boxing training program to the tennis courts. But with that expansion, and the later construction of a full boxing ring, came more eyes. Coach G met with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2021/01/07/a-youth-fitness-camp-pops-up-in-an-east-oakland-park/\">former council member Nikki Fortunada Bass\u003c/a>, who was transparent: she couldn’t give Coach G official permission to use the park, but they wouldn’t stop her either. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Realizing “more kids in the park is always great,” she moved her boxing training program to the tennis courts. But with that expansion, and the later construction of a full boxing ring, came more eyes. Coach G met with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2021/01/07/a-youth-fitness-camp-pops-up-in-an-east-oakland-park/\">former council member Nikki Fortunada Bass\u003c/a>, who was transparent: she couldn’t give Coach G official permission to use the park, but they wouldn’t stop her either. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Oakland had so many things going on, they just had to kind of turn a blind eye,” Coach G explains.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Oakland had so many things going on, they just had to kind of turn a blind eye,” Coach G explains.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With a background in childhood development and a job as an OUSD teacher, Coach G’s résumé eased the process. “They didn’t feel that it was a threat,” she says, “especially because none of my kids would get any trouble.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With a background in childhood development and a job as an OUSD teacher, Coach G’s résumé eased the process. “They didn’t feel that it was a threat,” she says, “especially because none of my kids would get any trouble.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992451\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘When we had no lights, we still would train,’ says Dalia ‘La Pantera’ Gomez, founder of Vertical Skillz Outreach.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992451\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘When we had no lights, we still would train,’ says Dalia ‘La Pantera’ Gomez, founder of Vertical Skillz Outreach.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Originally from Oxnard (which, because of the amount of fighters who’ve come from there, is also referred to as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/best-boxers-from-oxnard/\">Boxnard\u003c/a>“), Coach G was a college hooper before finding her way to the ring. A Golden Gloves Champion in 2015, she turned pro in 2017 and fought her last bout in 2019 — a fundraising venture in Tijuana.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Originally from Oxnard (which, because of the amount of fighters who’ve come from there, is also referred to as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/best-boxers-from-oxnard/\">Boxnard\u003c/a>“), Coach G was a college hooper before finding her way to the ring. A Golden Gloves Champion in 2015, she turned pro in 2017 and fought her last bout in 2019 — a fundraising venture in Tijuana.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before offering classes at San Antonio Park, Coach G would train fighters by Lake Merritt. While her main focus is using boxing as a tool to holistically mentor younger kids from the community, she’s also worked with titans like famed Black Panther Party leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/elaine-brown\">Elaine Brown\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Before offering classes at San Antonio Park, Coach G would train fighters by Lake Merritt. While her main focus is using boxing as a tool to holistically mentor younger kids from the community, she’s also worked with titans like famed Black Panther Party leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/elaine-brown\">Elaine Brown\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Coach G says that Brown once told her, “You know, Pantera, ain’t nobody down to fight no more.” People weren’t willing to fight for a righteous cause, Coach G remembers Brown saying, “Everybody’s afraid to lose what they got.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Coach G says that Brown once told her, “You know, Pantera, ain’t nobody down to fight no more.” People weren’t willing to fight for a righteous cause, Coach G remembers Brown saying, “Everybody’s afraid to lose what they got.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That pushed Coach G to consider how deeply people have been indoctrinated to think about themselves only. Boxing, like the revolutionary work of the Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets, isn’t about concentrated power. “Technique comes way before power,” Coach G professes, “you don’t ever lead with power.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That pushed Coach G to consider how deeply people have been indoctrinated to think about themselves only. Boxing, like the revolutionary work of the Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets, isn’t about concentrated power. “Technique comes way before power,” Coach G professes, “you don’t ever lead with power.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, she says, a successful fighter and a impactful community activist should live by the same equation: “technique plus speed equals power.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to two dozen boxing matches there’ll be water balloons and a dunk tank, free breakfast served in the morning and old-school cars pulling up all afternoon. Marketing Kings’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tyrannyallengallery/?hl=en\">Tyranny Allen\u003c/a> will be the ringside announcer, and musicians including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/stunnaman02\">Stunnaman02\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ian-kelly\">Ian Kelly\u003c/a> are set to walk boxers out to the ring. “I just want to do everything I can,” says Coach G.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The soil is very rich,” she says, referring to the Town as a whole and going back to the analogy of a rose growing through concrete. “I don’t care what type of flower, weed, plant or fruit, it takes its time to grow — and we’re constantly fighting through that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Coach G’s fighters from Vertical Skillz Outreach will square off in San Antonio Park for an inaugural tournament.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On Saturday afternoon, Aug. 8, more than 40 young fighters will meet a boxing ring in East Oakland’s San Antonio Park, taking turns throwing jabs and ducking hooks as they participate in the inaugural \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">Fights & Function Fundraiser\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each fight is scheduled to go three rounds and will count toward the competitors’ official amateur boxing record; the winner of each bout will receive a replica World Boxing Association belt.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The OG, old-school coach in me believes that you don’t get belts until a tournament or a world title as a pro,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dalialapantera/\">Dalia “La Pantera” Gomez\u003c/a> (also known as Coach G), founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.verticalskillz.org/\">Vertical Skillz Outreach\u003c/a>, the organization behind the event.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But the fact is,” she tells me during a recent call, “kids love belts, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of three boxing championship belts.\" class=\"wp-image-13992452\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/126681f5-4e51-4a93-a689-518a122f1a1f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Title belts will be awarded to the winner of each bout at the ‘Fights & Function’ event this Saturday at San Antonio Park in East Oakland. (Courtesy of Dalia 'La Pantera' Gomez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And that’s the motivation behind this weekend’s event, as well as Coach G’s daily boxing training programs: making sure her fighters, specifically the younger ones, are happy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to make these kids feel regal,” Coach G says, “because that’s what they are —warriors, kings and queens of this earth, let alone Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The title belts, adorned with the names of local sponsors and decorated with imitation gem stones, are also a bit of a tribute to Coach G’s family roots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The belt’s “rubies” are an homage to her late grandmother. “She loved the color red, specifically red roses,” she says. With her grandmother’s love for flowers in mind, Coach G reflects on what Vertical Skillz Outreach has created at the park. “Here we are,” she says, pulling from Tupac’s classic poem about defying the odds, “trying to be that rose that grows through concrete.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg\" alt=\"A large group of boxers pose for a photo at a boxing ring in East Oakland.\" class=\"wp-image-13992453\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/IMG_1905-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fighters flex their muscles at a recent Vertical Skillz Outreach boxing class at San Antonio Park in East Oakland. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Coach G has pulled weeds from the park’s cracked pavement and twisted her ankle on the uneven grounds; it’s all a part of the sweat equity that has gone into the park since 2020. Back then, she says, “Nobody said anything when I was doing it on the on the playground, that’s because there was a gigantic homeless encampment on the playground.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She worked with occupants of the encampment, and got folks to make room for her to hang punching bags from the jungle gym. But once the space was cleared Coach G realized more kids were playing on the structure. “I felt like I was in the way,” she reflects, “because I’m hanging the bags on the monkey bars and all of the kids would \u003cem>monkey\u003c/em> around it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Realizing “more kids in the park is always great,” she moved her boxing training program to the tennis courts. But with that expansion, and the later construction of a full boxing ring, came more eyes. Coach G met with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2021/01/07/a-youth-fitness-camp-pops-up-in-an-east-oakland-park/\">former council member Nikki Fortunada Bass\u003c/a>, who was transparent: she couldn’t give Coach G official permission to use the park, but they wouldn’t stop her either. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oakland had so many things going on, they just had to kind of turn a blind eye,” Coach G explains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With a background in childhood development and a job as an OUSD teacher, Coach G’s résumé eased the process. “They didn’t feel that it was a threat,” she says, “especially because none of my kids would get any trouble.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992451\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/B81I9162-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘When we had no lights, we still would train,’ says Dalia ‘La Pantera’ Gomez, founder of Vertical Skillz Outreach. (Courtesy of Dalia 'La Pantera' Gomez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Originally from Oxnard (which, because of the amount of fighters who’ve come from there, is also referred to as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/best-boxers-from-oxnard/\">Boxnard\u003c/a>“), Coach G was a college hooper before finding her way to the ring. A Golden Gloves Champion in 2015, she turned pro in 2017 and fought her last bout in 2019 — a fundraising venture in Tijuana.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before offering classes at San Antonio Park, Coach G would train fighters by Lake Merritt. While her main focus is using boxing as a tool to holistically mentor younger kids from the community, she’s also worked with titans like famed Black Panther Party leader \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/elaine-brown\">Elaine Brown\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Coach G says that Brown once told her, “You know, Pantera, ain’t nobody down to fight no more.” People weren’t willing to fight for a righteous cause, Coach G remembers Brown saying, “Everybody’s afraid to lose what they got.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That pushed Coach G to consider how deeply people have been indoctrinated to think about themselves only. Boxing, like the revolutionary work of the Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets, isn’t about concentrated power. “Technique comes way before power,” Coach G professes, “you don’t ever lead with power.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instead, she says, a successful fighter and a impactful community activist should live by the same equation: “technique plus speed equals power.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So this Saturday at San Antonio Park, the site of the historic \u003ca href=\"https://localwiki.org/oakland/Oakland_Chicano_Moratorium\">Chicano Moratorium\u003c/a> protest and the longstanding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13981396/eastside-arts-alliance-greg-morozumi-elena-serrano-susanne-takehara-oakland\">Malcolm X Jazz Festival\u003c/a>, her \u003cem>technique\u003c/em> for creating change is to do it big for the community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to two dozen boxing matches there’ll be water balloons and a dunk tank, free breakfast served in the morning and old-school cars pulling up all afternoon. Marketing Kings’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tyrannyallengallery/?hl=en\">Tyranny Allen\u003c/a> will be the ringside announcer, and musicians including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/stunnaman02\">Stunnaman02\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ian-kelly\">Ian Kelly\u003c/a> are set to walk boxers out to the ring. “I just want to do everything I can,” says Coach G.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The soil is very rich,” she says, referring to the Town as a whole and going back to the analogy of a rose growing through concrete. “I don’t care what type of flower, weed, plant or fruit, it takes its time to grow — and we’re constantly fighting through that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">Fights & Function Fundraiser\u003c/a> takes place Saturday, Aug. 8, 12:30–6 p.m. at San Antonio Park (1701 E 19th St., Oakland). For tickets and information, \u003ca href=\"https://luma.com/ne0hegvn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn6QdsT63_bN0NoumtDEZu27mprGnD8olQ-r0zgdF5c2omXfDNKAM6Q_fREP0_aem_yFVzKsXvz2yfLyE8VGQ0HA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig\">click here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "black-rock-collective-oakland-climbing-meetup-pacific-pipe-great-western",
"title": "How Oakland’s Black Rock Climbers Find Each Other on the Crag",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a recent Thursday evening, about a dozen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13969423/sports-dad-rock-climbing-bouldering-parenting\">rock climbers\u003c/a> gather inside a hulking industrial building in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> to try their hand at defying gravity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Named after the steam power plant that used to occupy the space, the \u003ca href=\"https://touchstoneclimbing.com/gwpower-co/\">Great Western Power Company\u003c/a> is an 11,000-square-foot climbing gym. The members of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">Black Rock Collective\u003c/a> fit right in among the fitness buffs and amateur daredevils who spend their days climbing plastic rocks as high as 30 or 40 feet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The one thing that sets them apart? The Black Rock climbers are outliers in what is, at least in the United States, an overwhelmingly white sport and hobby.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ahmed Nour, a 26-year-old relative newcomer to the sport, sums it up bluntly: “There just aren’t a lot of Black people who climb.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective, a climbing group for Black climbers, meet at Great Western Power Company. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The numbers bear this out. While there’s little formal scholarship on issues of diversity in rock climbing, USA Climbing, the sport’s national governing body, reported in its 2023 internal \u003ca href=\"https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt9e58afd92a18a0fc/blt7ebbea358d9a1357/667eabe3aaed412fad44c9e4/Scorecard_Climbing_2023_2_FINAL-ua.pdf\">diversity scorecard\u003c/a> that only about 22% of its nearly 25,000-plus dues-paying members were people of color. Meanwhile, existing surveys on climber demographics peg the percentage of Black climbers much, much lower — typically somewhere between \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11883046/pdf/44192_2025_Article_154.pdf\">1\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/State_of_Climbing_Report_2019_Web.pdf\">and\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/diversity-climbing-community/\">1.5%\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Black Rock Collective founder Brittney Butler, the absence of other Black climbers felt extremely isolating. She’d fallen in love with the sport back in 2020, climbing outdoors with her now-husband at Lover’s Leap and Donner Summit, near Tahoe, during the thick of the pandemic. But even as she thrived on the physical challenges of the sport, she couldn’t help but notice that she was always the only Black person out there on the crag.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are few activities where you feel as exposed as you do when you’re rock climbing, Butler explains. “[I’m] up on a rope doing something really hard, and there are \u003cem>a lot \u003c/em>of white people looking at me right now,” she remembers thinking. She’d never experienced the uncomfortable sensation of so many eyes on her at once — though “grad school was like that a little bit,” she says, laughing. “It was hard for me to be perceived so much.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992190\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective prepare to climb. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In the end, she decided, “I want to be perceived by people I feel comfortable with.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back home in Oakland, Butler went to Pacific Pipe, the largest climbing gym in North America, and asked if they’d be willing to host an event for Black climbers. She put up flyers and advertised on Instagram. And as it turned out, there \u003cem>were \u003c/em>other Black climbers (and folks who were at least climbing-curious) in the Bay Area. They just hadn’t found each other yet. About 30 people showed up to the Black Rock Collective’s first meetup in December 2021 — more than Butler had dared to hope. A woman came and served Jamaican food, and over time, Butler and her collaborators were able to set up a fund for participants who couldn’t afford rental gear or a day pass at the gym. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Butler wound up moving to Arizona, but the community she built continues to thrive. These days, Black Rock hosts at least two \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">climbing meetups\u003c/a> every month and recently hosted its second-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ8rFTAmczl/?img_index=1\">outdoor climbing expedition\u003c/a> for Juneteenth.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992186\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Black Rock Collective members pose for a group photo. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taqwa and other members of Black Rock Collective do warm-up stretches. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Based on the crowd at the Great Western event in May, you’d never guess that rock climbing has any kind of diversity problem. About two-thirds of the climbers at the gym that night are Black or brown, and if this was your first exposure to rock climbing, you’d come away thinking that it is \u003cem>very much\u003c/em> a Black sport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The energy that I get from the group when I’m stuck [on a climb] is always beautiful,” says Taqwa, an experienced climber who comes for Black Rock Collective’s intimate, supportive vibe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then there’s Philip Lang (aka \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-rapper-philip-banks-new-album-east-bay-times/\">Philip Bank$\u003c/a>), a rapper and nonprofit worker who is the main organizer of the Black Rock Collective’s Great Western meetups. Lang says he’s never experienced overt racism at Bay Area climbing gyms — if anything, the climbing community is famous for how friendly it is. But the lack of a strong Black presence means there’s a cultural barrier.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you go into the gym [for the first time], you’re going to feel hella awkward,” Lang says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Where do you get the chalky powder that you see everyone applying to their hands? What’s the etiquette for climbing a route when someone else is already on the wall? What do you do with your hair if you have long braids or locs?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992194\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang climbs a wall at Great Western Power Company. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992195\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992195\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang leads warm-up stretches. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992183\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992183\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang climbs during a Black Rock Collective meetup. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything in climbing is a cultural interaction, and all these little unspoken cultural rules aren’t written down,” he explains. “And being Black also has unspoken rules. So I’m able to be that liaison between Black culture and climbing culture.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At a recent meetup, he recalls, there was a Black woman climbing for the first time who felt nervous about her long nails. His advice? She should try top-rope climbing, which would be less stressful on her manicure than trying to support her entire body weight on the steeply angled bouldering walls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re providing that initial catalyst for starting this cultural journey,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992193\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtney Williams (center) stretches alongside members of Black Rock Collective. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Lang says if climbing is going to become more diverse, changes need to happen at a deeper structural and institutional level. How, for instance, are climbing gyms supposed to be more inclusive of underrepresented communities if they keep raising their prices year after year? It’s good that Touchstone, the company that runs both Great Western and Pacific Pipe, hosts Black Rock meetups twice a month. But Lang thinks it could be doing more. Pacific Pipe is located right in the heart of a historically Black neighborhood, he points out: “They should be partnering with schools in West Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back at Great Western, Marissa Duckett is getting a quick lesson on how to belay from Lang. He’s harnessed to go up the route, and it’s her job to handle the ropes for him, safely “spotting” him in case he falls. Up and up he goes, and afterwards, Duckett is positively \u003cem>beaming \u003c/em>at having successfully completed the task. It was her first time belaying, she says — a kind of full-circle moment, she explains, since Lang was actually the one who first taught her how to climb at an earlier Black Rock Collective meetup just a few months ago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992182\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992182\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A member of Black Rock Collective, a climbing group for Black climbers, ties a knot at Great Western Power Company. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992191\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang teaches Marissa Duckett climbing techniques. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re so welcoming,” she says of the group. “Phil has such a happy spirit to him. Every time you meet him, it’s like he’s known you for a while.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Toward the end of the evening, someone brings out a big tray of Mexican food for the group to share — birria, chicken tinga, black beans and rice. And as Lang and Duckett stand around eating and chatting about their families, slowly it dawns on them that they’re both talking about the \u003cem>same\u003c/em> big family reunion in Oklahoma, the same family seal that they’ve had for generations. And while they haven’t quite figured out the exact connection (maybe it’s through her grandfather, Duckett muses), they are definitely related. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if that’s not a metaphor for the whole concept behind the Black Rock Collective, I don’t know what is. A chance meetup on a random Thursday, and here they are \u003cem>literally\u003c/em> finding family. Finding their people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">\u003cem>Black Rock Collective\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> hosts regular meetups the first Thursday of every month at Great Western Power Company and the third Thursday of the month at Pacific Pipe. Attendees can sign up in advance \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">\u003cem>online\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On a recent Thursday evening, about a dozen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13969423/sports-dad-rock-climbing-bouldering-parenting\">rock climbers\u003c/a> gather inside a hulking industrial building in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> to try their hand at defying gravity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On a recent Thursday evening, about a dozen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13969423/sports-dad-rock-climbing-bouldering-parenting\">rock climbers\u003c/a> gather inside a hulking industrial building in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> to try their hand at defying gravity. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Named after the steam power plant that used to occupy the space, the \u003ca href=\"https://touchstoneclimbing.com/gwpower-co/\">Great Western Power Company\u003c/a> is an 11,000-square-foot climbing gym. The members of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">Black Rock Collective\u003c/a> fit right in among the fitness buffs and amateur daredevils who spend their days climbing plastic rocks as high as 30 or 40 feet. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Named after the steam power plant that used to occupy the space, the \u003ca href=\"https://touchstoneclimbing.com/gwpower-co/\">Great Western Power Company\u003c/a> is an 11,000-square-foot climbing gym. The members of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">Black Rock Collective\u003c/a> fit right in among the fitness buffs and amateur daredevils who spend their days climbing plastic rocks as high as 30 or 40 feet. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The one thing that sets them apart? The Black Rock climbers are outliers in what is, at least in the United States, an overwhelmingly white sport and hobby.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The one thing that sets them apart? The Black Rock climbers are outliers in what is, at least in the United States, an overwhelmingly white sport and hobby.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ahmed Nour, a 26-year-old relative newcomer to the sport, sums it up bluntly: “There just aren’t a lot of Black people who climb.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ahmed Nour, a 26-year-old relative newcomer to the sport, sums it up bluntly: “There just aren’t a lot of Black people who climb.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective, a climbing group for Black climbers, meet at Great Western Power Company.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992181\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective, a climbing group for Black climbers, meet at Great Western Power Company.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The numbers bear this out. While there’s little formal scholarship on issues of diversity in rock climbing, USA Climbing, the sport’s national governing body, reported in its 2023 internal \u003ca href=\"https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt9e58afd92a18a0fc/blt7ebbea358d9a1357/667eabe3aaed412fad44c9e4/Scorecard_Climbing_2023_2_FINAL-ua.pdf\">diversity scorecard\u003c/a> that only about 22% of its nearly 25,000-plus dues-paying members were people of color. Meanwhile, existing surveys on climber demographics peg the percentage of Black climbers much, much lower — typically somewhere between \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11883046/pdf/44192_2025_Article_154.pdf\">1\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/State_of_Climbing_Report_2019_Web.pdf\">and\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/diversity-climbing-community/\">1.5%\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The numbers bear this out. While there’s little formal scholarship on issues of diversity in rock climbing, USA Climbing, the sport’s national governing body, reported in its 2023 internal \u003ca href=\"https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt9e58afd92a18a0fc/blt7ebbea358d9a1357/667eabe3aaed412fad44c9e4/Scorecard_Climbing_2023_2_FINAL-ua.pdf\">diversity scorecard\u003c/a> that only about 22% of its nearly 25,000-plus dues-paying members were people of color. Meanwhile, existing surveys on climber demographics peg the percentage of Black climbers much, much lower — typically somewhere between \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11883046/pdf/44192_2025_Article_154.pdf\">1\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/State_of_Climbing_Report_2019_Web.pdf\">and\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/diversity-climbing-community/\">1.5%\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Black Rock Collective founder Brittney Butler, the absence of other Black climbers felt extremely isolating. She’d fallen in love with the sport back in 2020, climbing outdoors with her now-husband at Lover’s Leap and Donner Summit, near Tahoe, during the thick of the pandemic. But even as she thrived on the physical challenges of the sport, she couldn’t help but notice that she was always the only Black person out there on the crag.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For Black Rock Collective founder Brittney Butler, the absence of other Black climbers felt extremely isolating. She’d fallen in love with the sport back in 2020, climbing outdoors with her now-husband at Lover’s Leap and Donner Summit, near Tahoe, during the thick of the pandemic. But even as she thrived on the physical challenges of the sport, she couldn’t help but notice that she was always the only Black person out there on the crag.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are few activities where you feel as exposed as you do when you’re rock climbing, Butler explains. “[I’m] up on a rope doing something really hard, and there are \u003cem>a lot \u003c/em>of white people looking at me right now,” she remembers thinking. She’d never experienced the uncomfortable sensation of so many eyes on her at once — though “grad school was like that a little bit,” she says, laughing. “It was hard for me to be perceived so much.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There are few activities where you feel as exposed as you do when you’re rock climbing, Butler explains. “[I’m] up on a rope doing something really hard, and there are \u003cem>a lot \u003c/em>of white people looking at me right now,” she remembers thinking. She’d never experienced the uncomfortable sensation of so many eyes on her at once — though “grad school was like that a little bit,” she says, laughing. “It was hard for me to be perceived so much.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992190\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective prepare to climb. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992190\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective prepare to climb. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the end, she decided, “I want to be perceived by people I feel comfortable with.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the end, she decided, “I want to be perceived by people I feel comfortable with.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Back home in Oakland, Butler went to Pacific Pipe, the largest climbing gym in North America, and asked if they’d be willing to host an event for Black climbers. She put up flyers and advertised on Instagram. And as it turned out, there \u003cem>were \u003c/em>other Black climbers (and folks who were at least climbing-curious) in the Bay Area. They just hadn’t found each other yet. About 30 people showed up to the Black Rock Collective’s first meetup in December 2021 — more than Butler had dared to hope. A woman came and served Jamaican food, and over time, Butler and her collaborators were able to set up a fund for participants who couldn’t afford rental gear or a day pass at the gym. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Back home in Oakland, Butler went to Pacific Pipe, the largest climbing gym in North America, and asked if they’d be willing to host an event for Black climbers. She put up flyers and advertised on Instagram. And as it turned out, there \u003cem>were \u003c/em>other Black climbers (and folks who were at least climbing-curious) in the Bay Area. They just hadn’t found each other yet. About 30 people showed up to the Black Rock Collective’s first meetup in December 2021 — more than Butler had dared to hope. A woman came and served Jamaican food, and over time, Butler and her collaborators were able to set up a fund for participants who couldn’t afford rental gear or a day pass at the gym. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Butler wound up moving to Arizona, but the community she built continues to thrive. These days, Black Rock hosts at least two \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">climbing meetups\u003c/a> every month and recently hosted its second-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ8rFTAmczl/?img_index=1\">outdoor climbing expedition\u003c/a> for Juneteenth.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Butler wound up moving to Arizona, but the community she built continues to thrive. These days, Black Rock hosts at least two \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">climbing meetups\u003c/a> every month and recently hosted its second-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ8rFTAmczl/?img_index=1\">outdoor climbing expedition\u003c/a> for Juneteenth.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992186\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Black Rock Collective members pose for a group photo.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992186\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Black Rock Collective members pose for a group photo.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taqwa and other members of Black Rock Collective do warm-up stretches.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992196\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taqwa and other members of Black Rock Collective do warm-up stretches.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Based on the crowd at the Great Western event in May, you’d never guess that rock climbing has any kind of diversity problem. About two-thirds of the climbers at the gym that night are Black or brown, and if this was your first exposure to rock climbing, you’d come away thinking that it is \u003cem>very much\u003c/em> a Black sport.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Based on the crowd at the Great Western event in May, you’d never guess that rock climbing has any kind of diversity problem. About two-thirds of the climbers at the gym that night are Black or brown, and if this was your first exposure to rock climbing, you’d come away thinking that it is \u003cem>very much\u003c/em> a Black sport.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The energy that I get from the group when I’m stuck [on a climb] is always beautiful,” says Taqwa, an experienced climber who comes for Black Rock Collective’s intimate, supportive vibe.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The energy that I get from the group when I’m stuck [on a climb] is always beautiful,” says Taqwa, an experienced climber who comes for Black Rock Collective’s intimate, supportive vibe.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then there’s Philip Lang (aka \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-rapper-philip-banks-new-album-east-bay-times/\">Philip Bank$\u003c/a>), a rapper and nonprofit worker who is the main organizer of the Black Rock Collective’s Great Western meetups. Lang says he’s never experienced overt racism at Bay Area climbing gyms — if anything, the climbing community is famous for how friendly it is. But the lack of a strong Black presence means there’s a cultural barrier.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then there’s Philip Lang (aka \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-rapper-philip-banks-new-album-east-bay-times/\">Philip Bank$\u003c/a>), a rapper and nonprofit worker who is the main organizer of the Black Rock Collective’s Great Western meetups. Lang says he’s never experienced overt racism at Bay Area climbing gyms — if anything, the climbing community is famous for how friendly it is. But the lack of a strong Black presence means there’s a cultural barrier.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you go into the gym [for the first time], you’re going to feel hella awkward,” Lang says. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you go into the gym [for the first time], you’re going to feel hella awkward,” Lang says. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Where do you get the chalky powder that you see everyone applying to their hands? What’s the etiquette for climbing a route when someone else is already on the wall? What do you do with your hair if you have long braids or locs?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Where do you get the chalky powder that you see everyone applying to their hands? What’s the etiquette for climbing a route when someone else is already on the wall? What do you do with your hair if you have long braids or locs?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992194\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang climbs a wall at Great Western Power Company.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992195\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang leads warm-up stretches.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everything in climbing is a cultural interaction, and all these little unspoken cultural rules aren’t written down,” he explains. “And being Black also has unspoken rules. So I’m able to be that liaison between Black culture and climbing culture.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Everything in climbing is a cultural interaction, and all these little unspoken cultural rules aren’t written down,” he explains. “And being Black also has unspoken rules. So I’m able to be that liaison between Black culture and climbing culture.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At a recent meetup, he recalls, there was a Black woman climbing for the first time who felt nervous about her long nails. His advice? She should try top-rope climbing, which would be less stressful on her manicure than trying to support her entire body weight on the steeply angled bouldering walls. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At a recent meetup, he recalls, there was a Black woman climbing for the first time who felt nervous about her long nails. His advice? She should try top-rope climbing, which would be less stressful on her manicure than trying to support her entire body weight on the steeply angled bouldering walls. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re providing that initial catalyst for starting this cultural journey,” he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lang says if climbing is going to become more diverse, changes need to happen at a deeper structural and institutional level. How, for instance, are climbing gyms supposed to be more inclusive of underrepresented communities if they keep raising their prices year after year? It’s good that Touchstone, the company that runs both Great Western and Pacific Pipe, hosts Black Rock meetups twice a month. But Lang thinks it could be doing more. Pacific Pipe is located right in the heart of a historically Black neighborhood, he points out: “They should be partnering with schools in West Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Back at Great Western, Marissa Duckett is getting a quick lesson on how to belay from Lang. He’s harnessed to go up the route, and it’s her job to handle the ropes for him, safely “spotting” him in case he falls. Up and up he goes, and afterwards, Duckett is positively \u003cem>beaming \u003c/em>at having successfully completed the task. It was her first time belaying, she says — a kind of full-circle moment, she explains, since Lang was actually the one who first taught her how to climb at an earlier Black Rock Collective meetup just a few months ago. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Back at Great Western, Marissa Duckett is getting a quick lesson on how to belay from Lang. He’s harnessed to go up the route, and it’s her job to handle the ropes for him, safely “spotting” him in case he falls. Up and up he goes, and afterwards, Duckett is positively \u003cem>beaming \u003c/em>at having successfully completed the task. It was her first time belaying, she says — a kind of full-circle moment, she explains, since Lang was actually the one who first taught her how to climb at an earlier Black Rock Collective meetup just a few months ago. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re so welcoming,” she says of the group. “Phil has such a happy spirit to him. Every time you meet him, it’s like he’s known you for a while.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They’re so welcoming,” she says of the group. “Phil has such a happy spirit to him. Every time you meet him, it’s like he’s known you for a while.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Toward the end of the evening, someone brings out a big tray of Mexican food for the group to share — birria, chicken tinga, black beans and rice. And as Lang and Duckett stand around eating and chatting about their families, slowly it dawns on them that they’re both talking about the \u003cem>same\u003c/em> big family reunion in Oklahoma, the same family seal that they’ve had for generations. And while they haven’t quite figured out the exact connection (maybe it’s through her grandfather, Duckett muses), they are definitely related. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Toward the end of the evening, someone brings out a big tray of Mexican food for the group to share — birria, chicken tinga, black beans and rice. And as Lang and Duckett stand around eating and chatting about their families, slowly it dawns on them that they’re both talking about the \u003cem>same\u003c/em> big family reunion in Oklahoma, the same family seal that they’ve had for generations. And while they haven’t quite figured out the exact connection (maybe it’s through her grandfather, Duckett muses), they are definitely related. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if that’s not a metaphor for the whole concept behind the Black Rock Collective, I don’t know what is. A chance meetup on a random Thursday, and here they are \u003cem>literally\u003c/em> finding family. Finding their people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And if that’s not a metaphor for the whole concept behind the Black Rock Collective, I don’t know what is. A chance meetup on a random Thursday, and here they are \u003cem>literally\u003c/em> finding family. Finding their people.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">\u003cem>Black Rock Collective\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> hosts regular meetups the first Thursday of every month at Great Western Power Company and the third Thursday of the month at Pacific Pipe. Attendees can sign up in advance \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">\u003cem>online\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">\u003cem>Black Rock Collective\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> hosts regular meetups the first Thursday of every month at Great Western Power Company and the third Thursday of the month at Pacific Pipe. Attendees can sign up in advance \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">\u003cem>online\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a recent Thursday evening, about a dozen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13969423/sports-dad-rock-climbing-bouldering-parenting\">rock climbers\u003c/a> gather inside a hulking industrial building in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> to try their hand at defying gravity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Named after the steam power plant that used to occupy the space, the \u003ca href=\"https://touchstoneclimbing.com/gwpower-co/\">Great Western Power Company\u003c/a> is an 11,000-square-foot climbing gym. The members of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">Black Rock Collective\u003c/a> fit right in among the fitness buffs and amateur daredevils who spend their days climbing plastic rocks as high as 30 or 40 feet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The one thing that sets them apart? The Black Rock climbers are outliers in what is, at least in the United States, an overwhelmingly white sport and hobby.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ahmed Nour, a 26-year-old relative newcomer to the sport, sums it up bluntly: “There just aren’t a lot of Black people who climb.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-24-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective, a climbing group for Black climbers, meet at Great Western Power Company. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The numbers bear this out. While there’s little formal scholarship on issues of diversity in rock climbing, USA Climbing, the sport’s national governing body, reported in its 2023 internal \u003ca href=\"https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt9e58afd92a18a0fc/blt7ebbea358d9a1357/667eabe3aaed412fad44c9e4/Scorecard_Climbing_2023_2_FINAL-ua.pdf\">diversity scorecard\u003c/a> that only about 22% of its nearly 25,000-plus dues-paying members were people of color. Meanwhile, existing surveys on climber demographics peg the percentage of Black climbers much, much lower — typically somewhere between \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11883046/pdf/44192_2025_Article_154.pdf\">1\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/State_of_Climbing_Report_2019_Web.pdf\">and\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/diversity-climbing-community/\">1.5%\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Black Rock Collective founder Brittney Butler, the absence of other Black climbers felt extremely isolating. She’d fallen in love with the sport back in 2020, climbing outdoors with her now-husband at Lover’s Leap and Donner Summit, near Tahoe, during the thick of the pandemic. But even as she thrived on the physical challenges of the sport, she couldn’t help but notice that she was always the only Black person out there on the crag.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are few activities where you feel as exposed as you do when you’re rock climbing, Butler explains. “[I’m] up on a rope doing something really hard, and there are \u003cem>a lot \u003c/em>of white people looking at me right now,” she remembers thinking. She’d never experienced the uncomfortable sensation of so many eyes on her at once — though “grad school was like that a little bit,” she says, laughing. “It was hard for me to be perceived so much.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992190\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of Black Rock Collective prepare to climb. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In the end, she decided, “I want to be perceived by people I feel comfortable with.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back home in Oakland, Butler went to Pacific Pipe, the largest climbing gym in North America, and asked if they’d be willing to host an event for Black climbers. She put up flyers and advertised on Instagram. And as it turned out, there \u003cem>were \u003c/em>other Black climbers (and folks who were at least climbing-curious) in the Bay Area. They just hadn’t found each other yet. About 30 people showed up to the Black Rock Collective’s first meetup in December 2021 — more than Butler had dared to hope. A woman came and served Jamaican food, and over time, Butler and her collaborators were able to set up a fund for participants who couldn’t afford rental gear or a day pass at the gym. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Butler wound up moving to Arizona, but the community she built continues to thrive. These days, Black Rock hosts at least two \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">climbing meetups\u003c/a> every month and recently hosted its second-ever \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ8rFTAmczl/?img_index=1\">outdoor climbing expedition\u003c/a> for Juneteenth.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992186\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-44-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Black Rock Collective members pose for a group photo. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-04-BL-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taqwa and other members of Black Rock Collective do warm-up stretches. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Based on the crowd at the Great Western event in May, you’d never guess that rock climbing has any kind of diversity problem. About two-thirds of the climbers at the gym that night are Black or brown, and if this was your first exposure to rock climbing, you’d come away thinking that it is \u003cem>very much\u003c/em> a Black sport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The energy that I get from the group when I’m stuck [on a climb] is always beautiful,” says Taqwa, an experienced climber who comes for Black Rock Collective’s intimate, supportive vibe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then there’s Philip Lang (aka \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-rapper-philip-banks-new-album-east-bay-times/\">Philip Bank$\u003c/a>), a rapper and nonprofit worker who is the main organizer of the Black Rock Collective’s Great Western meetups. Lang says he’s never experienced overt racism at Bay Area climbing gyms — if anything, the climbing community is famous for how friendly it is. But the lack of a strong Black presence means there’s a cultural barrier.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you go into the gym [for the first time], you’re going to feel hella awkward,” Lang says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Where do you get the chalky powder that you see everyone applying to their hands? What’s the etiquette for climbing a route when someone else is already on the wall? What do you do with your hair if you have long braids or locs?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992194\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-36-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang climbs a wall at Great Western Power Company. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992195\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992195\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-03-BL-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang leads warm-up stretches. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992183\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992183\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-43-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang climbs during a Black Rock Collective meetup. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything in climbing is a cultural interaction, and all these little unspoken cultural rules aren’t written down,” he explains. “And being Black also has unspoken rules. So I’m able to be that liaison between Black culture and climbing culture.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At a recent meetup, he recalls, there was a Black woman climbing for the first time who felt nervous about her long nails. His advice? She should try top-rope climbing, which would be less stressful on her manicure than trying to support her entire body weight on the steeply angled bouldering walls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re providing that initial catalyst for starting this cultural journey,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992193\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtney Williams (center) stretches alongside members of Black Rock Collective. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Lang says if climbing is going to become more diverse, changes need to happen at a deeper structural and institutional level. How, for instance, are climbing gyms supposed to be more inclusive of underrepresented communities if they keep raising their prices year after year? It’s good that Touchstone, the company that runs both Great Western and Pacific Pipe, hosts Black Rock meetups twice a month. But Lang thinks it could be doing more. Pacific Pipe is located right in the heart of a historically Black neighborhood, he points out: “They should be partnering with schools in West Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back at Great Western, Marissa Duckett is getting a quick lesson on how to belay from Lang. He’s harnessed to go up the route, and it’s her job to handle the ropes for him, safely “spotting” him in case he falls. Up and up he goes, and afterwards, Duckett is positively \u003cem>beaming \u003c/em>at having successfully completed the task. It was her first time belaying, she says — a kind of full-circle moment, she explains, since Lang was actually the one who first taught her how to climb at an earlier Black Rock Collective meetup just a few months ago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992182\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992182\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-29-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A member of Black Rock Collective, a climbing group for Black climbers, ties a knot at Great Western Power Company. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"13992191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992191\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260507-FYP-BlackRockCollective-45-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Philip Lang teaches Marissa Duckett climbing techniques. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re so welcoming,” she says of the group. “Phil has such a happy spirit to him. Every time you meet him, it’s like he’s known you for a while.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Toward the end of the evening, someone brings out a big tray of Mexican food for the group to share — birria, chicken tinga, black beans and rice. And as Lang and Duckett stand around eating and chatting about their families, slowly it dawns on them that they’re both talking about the \u003cem>same\u003c/em> big family reunion in Oklahoma, the same family seal that they’ve had for generations. And while they haven’t quite figured out the exact connection (maybe it’s through her grandfather, Duckett muses), they are definitely related. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if that’s not a metaphor for the whole concept behind the Black Rock Collective, I don’t know what is. A chance meetup on a random Thursday, and here they are \u003cem>literally\u003c/em> finding family. Finding their people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackrock_collective/\">\u003cem>Black Rock Collective\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> hosts regular meetups the first Thursday of every month at Great Western Power Company and the third Thursday of the month at Pacific Pipe. Attendees can sign up in advance \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/blackrockcollective\">\u003cem>online\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "northern-california-mermaid-performers-pod-sacramento-oakland",
"title": "Meet the ‘Merfolk’ Frolicking in Northern California’s Pools and Swimming Holes",
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"headTitle": "Meet the ‘Merfolk’ Frolicking in Northern California’s Pools and Swimming Holes | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a swimming hole called the Garden of Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tara Dimaggio swims around in her iridescent silicone tail. She finds peace in the quiet, bringing her fairytale dream to life. And she makes sure to pick up trash on the way out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 43-year-old San Jose resident, known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mermaidofeden/\">Mermaid of Eden\u003c/a>, describes herself as introverted and reserved. But when she puts on her tail and embodies her mermaid persona, or mersona, she gains a little more confidence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It helps open me up a little bit,” Dimaggio tells KQED. “And it’s helped with my anxiety, especially coming out of COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992142\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, swims in a pool while Tara Dimaggio, known as the Mermaid of Eden, prepares to get in the water. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"723\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992139\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-160x58.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-768x278.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-1536x555.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area swim in a pool in Oakland. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Dimaggio got her start mermaiding right before the pandemic hit. She immersed herself in the Northern California mermaid scene, which includes professionals who perform and advocate for ocean protection, as well as hobbyists who create accessories and art. Dimaggio felt like she finally found a space where she belonged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The craft has been around a very long time,” Dimaggio says, “but everybody is very open to making new friends or meeting new people in the industry. It’s not very cliquey or closed off.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Oakland resident Alan Lee, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/merman.icarus/\">Merman Icarus\u003c/a>, first put on a tail in 2018, representation for mermen was “rare.” His initial struggle to find costumes and accessories prompted him to tap into his own creativity; he now makes and sells accessories like crowns and shoulder pieces. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992144\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tara Dimaggio (left), known as the Mermaid of Eden, and Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus, swim in Oakland during a gathering with friends. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve picked up this whole world of creation and sculpting,” Lee says. “Learning to make things offline, for me, it’s given me this real-world experience of creation and design that I really kind of craved.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While he still considers mermen a relative minority, he emphasises that the community “strives to welcome all ages, genders, body types, sexual orientations and gender identities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In mid-May, both Dimaggio and Lee were two of many Bay Area merpeople who made their way to the annual California Mermaid Convention. Merfolk from all over the country gathered in Sacramento for open swims, a Bubble Ball and other events. It’s a staple convention, though the event wasn’t always as big as it is now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk chat in the water during the annual California Mermaid Convention at the Cordova Community Pool in Rancho Cordova on May 16, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/themermaidatlantis/\">Mermaid Atlantis\u003c/a> helped start the event, which used to be called Sacramento Mermaid Weekend. After getting her costuming degree in 2011, she set out to create a mermaid tail she could swim in. She quickly discovered mermaiding, and from the beginning worked to make the space inclusive, advocating for more representation across big mermaiding events. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Whenever I can, I just try to invite more people out and make sure that people feel heard and respected,” she says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mermaid Atlantis hosts her own \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/_hCJCo2OEku5KrJDH1fWfpuwdN?domain=youtube.com\">kids show\u003c/a> where she uses her mersona to educate her audience on environmental issues. She’s accompanied by her trash puppet named PI (short for Plastic Island) who helps her teach how to reduce, reuse and recycle in English, Spanish and ASL. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area pose for a photo at a pool in Oakland on June 8, 2026, to swim, socialize and wear their mermaid attire. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992143\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mermaid Atlantis (left) and Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, sit by a pool in Oakland a gathering with fellow merfolk friends. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>While the \u003ca href=\"https://californiamermaidcon.com/\">California Mermaid Convention\u003c/a> is the big event that brings the community together, many merfolk in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/271568969577492/?locale=az_AZ\">Northern California “pod\u003c/a>” host more casual meet-ups at pools, friends’ houses or the beach. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And as the pod continues to grow, newcomers are welcomed in with open arms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to do it for money, you don’t have to be a professional, you don’t have to have the fanciest tail,” Mermaid Atlantis says. “The only requirement is that you’re friendly, you come out, you have fun and that you’re kind.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a swimming hole called the Garden of Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tara Dimaggio swims around in her iridescent silicone tail. She finds peace in the quiet, bringing her fairytale dream to life. And she makes sure to pick up trash on the way out. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a swimming hole called the Garden of Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tara Dimaggio swims around in her iridescent silicone tail. She finds peace in the quiet, bringing her fairytale dream to life. And she makes sure to pick up trash on the way out. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 43-year-old San Jose resident, known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mermaidofeden/\">Mermaid of Eden\u003c/a>, describes herself as introverted and reserved. But when she puts on her tail and embodies her mermaid persona, or mersona, she gains a little more confidence.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The 43-year-old San Jose resident, known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mermaidofeden/\">Mermaid of Eden\u003c/a>, describes herself as introverted and reserved. But when she puts on her tail and embodies her mermaid persona, or mersona, she gains a little more confidence.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It helps open me up a little bit,” Dimaggio tells KQED. “And it’s helped with my anxiety, especially coming out of COVID.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It helps open me up a little bit,” Dimaggio tells KQED. “And it’s helped with my anxiety, especially coming out of COVID.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992142\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, swims in a pool while Tara Dimaggio, known as the Mermaid of Eden, prepares to get in the water.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992142\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, swims in a pool while Tara Dimaggio, known as the Mermaid of Eden, prepares to get in the water.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992139\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-160x58.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-768x278.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-1536x555.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area swim in a pool in Oakland. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992139\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area swim in a pool in Oakland. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dimaggio got her start mermaiding right before the pandemic hit. She immersed herself in the Northern California mermaid scene, which includes professionals who perform and advocate for ocean protection, as well as hobbyists who create accessories and art. Dimaggio felt like she finally found a space where she belonged.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Dimaggio got her start mermaiding right before the pandemic hit. She immersed herself in the Northern California mermaid scene, which includes professionals who perform and advocate for ocean protection, as well as hobbyists who create accessories and art. Dimaggio felt like she finally found a space where she belonged.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The craft has been around a very long time,” Dimaggio says, “but everybody is very open to making new friends or meeting new people in the industry. It’s not very cliquey or closed off.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The craft has been around a very long time,” Dimaggio says, “but everybody is very open to making new friends or meeting new people in the industry. It’s not very cliquey or closed off.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When Oakland resident Alan Lee, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/merman.icarus/\">Merman Icarus\u003c/a>, first put on a tail in 2018, representation for mermen was “rare.” His initial struggle to find costumes and accessories prompted him to tap into his own creativity; he now makes and sells accessories like crowns and shoulder pieces. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When Oakland resident Alan Lee, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/merman.icarus/\">Merman Icarus\u003c/a>, first put on a tail in 2018, representation for mermen was “rare.” His initial struggle to find costumes and accessories prompted him to tap into his own creativity; he now makes and sells accessories like crowns and shoulder pieces. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992144\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tara Dimaggio (left), known as the Mermaid of Eden, and Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus, swim in Oakland during a gathering with friends.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992144\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tara Dimaggio (left), known as the Mermaid of Eden, and Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus, swim in Oakland during a gathering with friends.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve picked up this whole world of creation and sculpting,” Lee says. “Learning to make things offline, for me, it’s given me this real-world experience of creation and design that I really kind of craved.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ve picked up this whole world of creation and sculpting,” Lee says. “Learning to make things offline, for me, it’s given me this real-world experience of creation and design that I really kind of craved.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While he still considers mermen a relative minority, he emphasises that the community “strives to welcome all ages, genders, body types, sexual orientations and gender identities.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While he still considers mermen a relative minority, he emphasises that the community “strives to welcome all ages, genders, body types, sexual orientations and gender identities.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In mid-May, both Dimaggio and Lee were two of many Bay Area merpeople who made their way to the annual California Mermaid Convention. Merfolk from all over the country gathered in Sacramento for open swims, a Bubble Ball and other events. It’s a staple convention, though the event wasn’t always as big as it is now.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In mid-May, both Dimaggio and Lee were two of many Bay Area merpeople who made their way to the annual California Mermaid Convention. Merfolk from all over the country gathered in Sacramento for open swims, a Bubble Ball and other events. It’s a staple convention, though the event wasn’t always as big as it is now.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk chat in the water during the annual California Mermaid Convention at the Cordova Community Pool in Rancho Cordova on May 16, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/themermaidatlantis/\">Mermaid Atlantis\u003c/a> helped start the event, which used to be called Sacramento Mermaid Weekend. After getting her costuming degree in 2011, she set out to create a mermaid tail she could swim in. She quickly discovered mermaiding, and from the beginning worked to make the space inclusive, advocating for more representation across big mermaiding events. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the \u003ca href=\"https://californiamermaidcon.com/\">California Mermaid Convention\u003c/a> is the big event that brings the community together, many merfolk in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/271568969577492/?locale=az_AZ\">Northern California “pod\u003c/a>” host more casual meet-ups at pools, friends’ houses or the beach. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to do it for money, you don’t have to be a professional, you don’t have to have the fanciest tail,” Mermaid Atlantis says. “The only requirement is that you’re friendly, you come out, you have fun and that you’re kind.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/findingyourpeople\">Finding Your People\u003c/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a swimming hole called the Garden of Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tara Dimaggio swims around in her iridescent silicone tail. She finds peace in the quiet, bringing her fairytale dream to life. And she makes sure to pick up trash on the way out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 43-year-old San Jose resident, known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mermaidofeden/\">Mermaid of Eden\u003c/a>, describes herself as introverted and reserved. But when she puts on her tail and embodies her mermaid persona, or mersona, she gains a little more confidence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It helps open me up a little bit,” Dimaggio tells KQED. “And it’s helped with my anxiety, especially coming out of COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992142\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-40-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, swims in a pool while Tara Dimaggio, known as the Mermaid of Eden, prepares to get in the water. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"723\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992139\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-160x58.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-768x278.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-Underwater-Final-BL-1536x555.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area swim in a pool in Oakland. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Dimaggio got her start mermaiding right before the pandemic hit. She immersed herself in the Northern California mermaid scene, which includes professionals who perform and advocate for ocean protection, as well as hobbyists who create accessories and art. Dimaggio felt like she finally found a space where she belonged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The craft has been around a very long time,” Dimaggio says, “but everybody is very open to making new friends or meeting new people in the industry. It’s not very cliquey or closed off.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Oakland resident Alan Lee, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/merman.icarus/\">Merman Icarus\u003c/a>, first put on a tail in 2018, representation for mermen was “rare.” His initial struggle to find costumes and accessories prompted him to tap into his own creativity; he now makes and sells accessories like crowns and shoulder pieces. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992144\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-49-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tara Dimaggio (left), known as the Mermaid of Eden, and Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus, swim in Oakland during a gathering with friends. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve picked up this whole world of creation and sculpting,” Lee says. “Learning to make things offline, for me, it’s given me this real-world experience of creation and design that I really kind of craved.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While he still considers mermen a relative minority, he emphasises that the community “strives to welcome all ages, genders, body types, sexual orientations and gender identities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In mid-May, both Dimaggio and Lee were two of many Bay Area merpeople who made their way to the annual California Mermaid Convention. Merfolk from all over the country gathered in Sacramento for open swims, a Bubble Ball and other events. It’s a staple convention, though the event wasn’t always as big as it is now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260516-FYP-Mermaids-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk chat in the water during the annual California Mermaid Convention at the Cordova Community Pool in Rancho Cordova on May 16, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/themermaidatlantis/\">Mermaid Atlantis\u003c/a> helped start the event, which used to be called Sacramento Mermaid Weekend. After getting her costuming degree in 2011, she set out to create a mermaid tail she could swim in. She quickly discovered mermaiding, and from the beginning worked to make the space inclusive, advocating for more representation across big mermaiding events. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Whenever I can, I just try to invite more people out and make sure that people feel heard and respected,” she says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mermaid Atlantis hosts her own \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/_hCJCo2OEku5KrJDH1fWfpuwdN?domain=youtube.com\">kids show\u003c/a> where she uses her mersona to educate her audience on environmental issues. She’s accompanied by her trash puppet named PI (short for Plastic Island) who helps her teach how to reduce, reuse and recycle in English, Spanish and ASL. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-MermaidCommunity-21-BL-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area pose for a photo at a pool in Oakland on June 8, 2026, to swim, socialize and wear their mermaid attire. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992143\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/260608-FYP-Mermaid-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mermaid Atlantis (left) and Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, sit by a pool in Oakland a gathering with fellow merfolk friends. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>While the \u003ca href=\"https://californiamermaidcon.com/\">California Mermaid Convention\u003c/a> is the big event that brings the community together, many merfolk in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/271568969577492/?locale=az_AZ\">Northern California “pod\u003c/a>” host more casual meet-ups at pools, friends’ houses or the beach. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And as the pod continues to grow, newcomers are welcomed in with open arms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to do it for money, you don’t have to be a professional, you don’t have to have the fanciest tail,” Mermaid Atlantis says. “The only requirement is that you’re friendly, you come out, you have fun and that you’re kind.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"headTitle": "Too Short, Going Strong at 60, Makes the Case for ‘Senior Citizen Rappers’ | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>At 60, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a> is helping usher hip-hop into what he calls its senior citizen era. Just don’t expect him to rap like one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> hip-hop pioneer is still recording, touring and talking slick more than four decades after he began \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#too-short-and-freddy-b-start-making-handmade-tapes\">selling homemade tapes\u003c/a> on the streets of the Bay Area. While the genre has long treated aging like an unwritten career-ending offense, Too Short is breaking the rule and challenging the culture’s elder statesmen to keep going with him.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His latest proof is “Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke,” his 23rd studio album, produced entirely by longtime collaborator \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/dnc-roll-call-lil-jon-dj-cassidy-35c00f31ebddf664cbfaa4b4b9eb370d\">Lil Jon\u003c/a>. It arrives Friday, exactly 20 years after the release of his enduring hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">Blow the Whistle\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992201\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_-160x159.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_-768x764.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_-1536x1528.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke,’ Too Short’s 23rd album, is produced by longtime Atlanta collaborator Lil Jon. (EMPIRE)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Too Short, whose catalog also includes classics like “The Ghetto” and “Life Is… Too $hort,” and who last year produced the Hollywood feature film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, says he isn’t interested in slowing down anytime soon. That was certainly evident when \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nfl-honors-e40-too-short-bf1003db47c2c7bbda175a2c4b926106\">he and E-40 performed at the NFL Honors\u003c/a> in February.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview this week, Too Short reflected on turning 60, challenging hip-hop’s age limits, preserving the legacy of Lil Jon’s late son, DJ Young Slade, the staying power of “Blow the Whistle” and why he has no plans to stop until “the wheels fall off.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You recently turned 60, but you’re still releasing albums, touring and influencing the culture. When you first started selling homemade tapes on the streets of Oakland, did you ever imagine you’d still be doing this more than four decades later?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the age of 14 or 15, my mentality was, “Let people hear this music. We’re going to rock some house parties and high school dances and sell some tapes to fans in the streets.” When I got my foot in the door, I knew this was going to be my job. It was always “till the wheels fall off.” It was never, “Let’s do this for 30 or 40 years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I’ve always said the day hip-hop is no longer my job is probably the day I’ll stop. But the love I have for hip-hop won’t allow me to stop recording. I’ve never taken a long break. I’ve continuously been in the studio, continuously doing shows. I just keep it going because it’s my job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do you think you’ve remained relevant when so many careers have come and gone?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I truly love making music. It’s never felt like work. I could have stopped after “Blow the Whistle” and been like, “Story told.” But somebody’s got to go out into these uncharted waters and blaze the trail. Look at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe and the other guys who kept going after the kids were grown and the grandkids were on the way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Who laid the rule down that in hip-hop you gotta stop at 40? Every milestone they said was old. First it was 30, then it was 40, then it was 50. Now we got senior citizen rappers, and this … is real. Hip-hop is entering the place where jazz, blues and R&B have older artists who are still performing and recording. We should too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Twenty years after its release, “Blow the Whistle” is still played everywhere from NBA arenas to the Olympics. Why do you think that record has endured?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I don’t know if you could give me the ingredients and tell me how to do it again; I don’t think I could. It had to happen organically. I give Lil Jon a lot of credit because he’s made a lot of songs we’ve loved since the day they came out. We make good music together, and that’s why I’m excited for people to hear what we’re still doing 30 years after we first worked together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1329\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black men, one in white with dreadlocks and one in brown and bald, embrace and smile for the camera\" class=\"wp-image-13987147\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Too Short (right) with ‘Blow the Whistle’ producer Lil Jon at Rick Ross’ birthday party at Bongo’s on Feb. 3, 2007 in Miami, Florida. (Julia Beverly/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This album reunites you with Lil Jon, but it also features work from his late son, Slade, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lil-jon-music-artist-pond-georgia-9293200dd9936bffe5359c85314fa5dd\">who died in February.\u003c/a> What did that collaboration mean to you?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His son passed away after we finished recording. We had actually done about twice as many songs as ended up on this project. I saw how it affected Jon, and I had recently lost my brother, so I knew that feeling of loss. The whole time, Slade was producing or co-producing a lot of the tracks I was working on. The first thing that came to me was that I’d be more than proud to be part of his son’s legacy and give something to the world that would help him live forever. Jon keeps saying, “Slade’s legacy,” and I’m just trying to be a part of that and show the world we lost another good, talented person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You and E-40 celebrated Bay Area hip-hop together during your 2020 Verzuz appearance. Fans still love seeing you two together. Would you ever team up again, whether for another Verzuz, a tour or something else?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We did one in 2020, but it wasn’t a battle. We had a good time. We did a lot of laughing, a lot of togetherness. I didn’t want to battle 40 then, and I don’t want to battle him now. That’s my best friend in hip-hop. I’d sign up for me and 40 against anybody. That’d be fun. They haven’t had two groups. … I put that out there: Who wants to battle Too Short and E-40 in Verzuz?\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His latest proof is “Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke,” his 23rd studio album, produced entirely by longtime collaborator \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/dnc-roll-call-lil-jon-dj-cassidy-35c00f31ebddf664cbfaa4b4b9eb370d\">Lil Jon\u003c/a>. It arrives Friday, exactly 20 years after the release of his enduring hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">Blow the Whistle\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Too Short, whose catalog also includes classics like “The Ghetto” and “Life Is… Too $hort,” and who last year produced the Hollywood feature film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, says he isn’t interested in slowing down anytime soon. That was certainly evident when \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nfl-honors-e40-too-short-bf1003db47c2c7bbda175a2c4b926106\">he and E-40 performed at the NFL Honors\u003c/a> in February.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You recently turned 60, but you’re still releasing albums, touring and influencing the culture. When you first started selling homemade tapes on the streets of Oakland, did you ever imagine you’d still be doing this more than four decades later?\u003c/h4>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the age of 14 or 15, my mentality was, “Let people hear this music. We’re going to rock some house parties and high school dances and sell some tapes to fans in the streets.” When I got my foot in the door, I knew this was going to be my job. It was always “till the wheels fall off.” It was never, “Let’s do this for 30 or 40 years.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the age of 14 or 15, my mentality was, “Let people hear this music. We’re going to rock some house parties and high school dances and sell some tapes to fans in the streets.” When I got my foot in the door, I knew this was going to be my job. It was always “till the wheels fall off.” It was never, “Let’s do this for 30 or 40 years.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I’ve always said the day hip-hop is no longer my job is probably the day I’ll stop. But the love I have for hip-hop won’t allow me to stop recording. I’ve never taken a long break. I’ve continuously been in the studio, continuously doing shows. I just keep it going because it’s my job.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I truly love making music. It’s never felt like work. I could have stopped after “Blow the Whistle” and been like, “Story told.” But somebody’s got to go out into these uncharted waters and blaze the trail. Look at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe and the other guys who kept going after the kids were grown and the grandkids were on the way.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Who laid the rule down that in hip-hop you gotta stop at 40? Every milestone they said was old. First it was 30, then it was 40, then it was 50. Now we got senior citizen rappers, and this … is real. Hip-hop is entering the place where jazz, blues and R&B have older artists who are still performing and recording. We should too.\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "Twenty years after its release, “Blow the Whistle” is still played everywhere from NBA arenas to the Olympics. Why do you think that record has endured?"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I don’t know if you could give me the ingredients and tell me how to do it again; I don’t think I could. It had to happen organically. I give Lil Jon a lot of credit because he’s made a lot of songs we’ve loved since the day they came out. We make good music together, and that’s why I’m excited for people to hear what we’re still doing 30 years after we first worked together.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black men, one in white with dreadlocks and one in brown and bald, embrace and smile for the camera\" class=\"wp-image-13987147\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Too Short (right) with ‘Blow the Whistle’ producer Lil Jon at Rick Ross’ birthday party at Bongo’s on Feb. 3, 2007 in Miami, Florida. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"text": "This album reunites you with Lil Jon, but it also features work from his late son, Slade, who died in February. What did that collaboration mean to you?"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This album reunites you with Lil Jon, but it also features work from his late son, Slade, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lil-jon-music-artist-pond-georgia-9293200dd9936bffe5359c85314fa5dd\">who died in February.\u003c/a> What did that collaboration mean to you?\u003c/h4>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His son passed away after we finished recording. We had actually done about twice as many songs as ended up on this project. I saw how it affected Jon, and I had recently lost my brother, so I knew that feeling of loss. The whole time, Slade was producing or co-producing a lot of the tracks I was working on. The first thing that came to me was that I’d be more than proud to be part of his son’s legacy and give something to the world that would help him live forever. Jon keeps saying, “Slade’s legacy,” and I’m just trying to be a part of that and show the world we lost another good, talented person.\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "You and E-40 celebrated Bay Area hip-hop together during your 2020 Verzuz appearance. Fans still love seeing you two together. Would you ever team up again, whether for another Verzuz, a tour or something else?"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You and E-40 celebrated Bay Area hip-hop together during your 2020 Verzuz appearance. Fans still love seeing you two together. Would you ever team up again, whether for another Verzuz, a tour or something else?\u003c/h4>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We did one in 2020, but it wasn’t a battle. We had a good time. We did a lot of laughing, a lot of togetherness. I didn’t want to battle 40 then, and I don’t want to battle him now. That’s my best friend in hip-hop. I’d sign up for me and 40 against anybody. That’d be fun. They haven’t had two groups. … I put that out there: Who wants to battle Too Short and E-40 in Verzuz?\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "‘Who laid the rule down that in hip-hop you gotta stop at 40?’ asks Short, whose 23rd album drops Friday.",
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"title": "Too Short, Going Strong at 60, Makes the Case for ‘Senior Citizen Rappers’ | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>At 60, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a> is helping usher hip-hop into what he calls its senior citizen era. Just don’t expect him to rap like one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> hip-hop pioneer is still recording, touring and talking slick more than four decades after he began \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#too-short-and-freddy-b-start-making-handmade-tapes\">selling homemade tapes\u003c/a> on the streets of the Bay Area. While the genre has long treated aging like an unwritten career-ending offense, Too Short is breaking the rule and challenging the culture’s elder statesmen to keep going with him.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His latest proof is “Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke,” his 23rd studio album, produced entirely by longtime collaborator \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/dnc-roll-call-lil-jon-dj-cassidy-35c00f31ebddf664cbfaa4b4b9eb370d\">Lil Jon\u003c/a>. It arrives Friday, exactly 20 years after the release of his enduring hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">Blow the Whistle\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992201\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_-160x159.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_-768x764.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Short.VOl2_-1536x1528.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke,’ Too Short’s 23rd album, is produced by longtime Atlanta collaborator Lil Jon. (EMPIRE)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Too Short, whose catalog also includes classics like “The Ghetto” and “Life Is… Too $hort,” and who last year produced the Hollywood feature film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, says he isn’t interested in slowing down anytime soon. That was certainly evident when \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nfl-honors-e40-too-short-bf1003db47c2c7bbda175a2c4b926106\">he and E-40 performed at the NFL Honors\u003c/a> in February.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview this week, Too Short reflected on turning 60, challenging hip-hop’s age limits, preserving the legacy of Lil Jon’s late son, DJ Young Slade, the staying power of “Blow the Whistle” and why he has no plans to stop until “the wheels fall off.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You recently turned 60, but you’re still releasing albums, touring and influencing the culture. When you first started selling homemade tapes on the streets of Oakland, did you ever imagine you’d still be doing this more than four decades later?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the age of 14 or 15, my mentality was, “Let people hear this music. We’re going to rock some house parties and high school dances and sell some tapes to fans in the streets.” When I got my foot in the door, I knew this was going to be my job. It was always “till the wheels fall off.” It was never, “Let’s do this for 30 or 40 years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I’ve always said the day hip-hop is no longer my job is probably the day I’ll stop. But the love I have for hip-hop won’t allow me to stop recording. I’ve never taken a long break. I’ve continuously been in the studio, continuously doing shows. I just keep it going because it’s my job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do you think you’ve remained relevant when so many careers have come and gone?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I truly love making music. It’s never felt like work. I could have stopped after “Blow the Whistle” and been like, “Story told.” But somebody’s got to go out into these uncharted waters and blaze the trail. Look at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe and the other guys who kept going after the kids were grown and the grandkids were on the way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Who laid the rule down that in hip-hop you gotta stop at 40? Every milestone they said was old. First it was 30, then it was 40, then it was 50. Now we got senior citizen rappers, and this … is real. Hip-hop is entering the place where jazz, blues and R&B have older artists who are still performing and recording. We should too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Twenty years after its release, “Blow the Whistle” is still played everywhere from NBA arenas to the Olympics. Why do you think that record has endured?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I don’t know if you could give me the ingredients and tell me how to do it again; I don’t think I could. It had to happen organically. I give Lil Jon a lot of credit because he’s made a lot of songs we’ve loved since the day they came out. We make good music together, and that’s why I’m excited for people to hear what we’re still doing 30 years after we first worked together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1329\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078.jpg\" alt=\"Two Black men, one in white with dreadlocks and one in brown and bald, embrace and smile for the camera\" class=\"wp-image-13987147\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/GettyImages-2155222078-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Too Short (right) with ‘Blow the Whistle’ producer Lil Jon at Rick Ross’ birthday party at Bongo’s on Feb. 3, 2007 in Miami, Florida. (Julia Beverly/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This album reunites you with Lil Jon, but it also features work from his late son, Slade, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lil-jon-music-artist-pond-georgia-9293200dd9936bffe5359c85314fa5dd\">who died in February.\u003c/a> What did that collaboration mean to you?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His son passed away after we finished recording. We had actually done about twice as many songs as ended up on this project. I saw how it affected Jon, and I had recently lost my brother, so I knew that feeling of loss. The whole time, Slade was producing or co-producing a lot of the tracks I was working on. The first thing that came to me was that I’d be more than proud to be part of his son’s legacy and give something to the world that would help him live forever. Jon keeps saying, “Slade’s legacy,” and I’m just trying to be a part of that and show the world we lost another good, talented person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You and E-40 celebrated Bay Area hip-hop together during your 2020 Verzuz appearance. Fans still love seeing you two together. Would you ever team up again, whether for another Verzuz, a tour or something else?\u003c/h4>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We did one in 2020, but it wasn’t a battle. We had a good time. We did a lot of laughing, a lot of togetherness. I didn’t want to battle 40 then, and I don’t want to battle him now. That’s my best friend in hip-hop. I’d sign up for me and 40 against anybody. That’d be fun. They haven’t had two groups. … I put that out there: Who wants to battle Too Short and E-40 in Verzuz?\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "rootstock-arts-indian-classical-music-jazz-oakland",
"title": "RootStock Arts Creates a Hub for Indian Music and Jazz in Oakland",
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"headTitle": "RootStock Arts Creates a Hub for Indian Music and Jazz in Oakland | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Sameer Gupta has his hands full with \u003ca href=\"https://rootstockarts.com/\">RootStock Arts\u003c/a>, his new North Oakland cultural center that began hosting music events in May. But that doesn’t mean he’s content to only focus on his own backyard.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Fremont-raised jazz drummer has a long track record of building grassroots cultural networks, most importantly Brooklyn Raga Massive, a collective that turbo-charged New York City’s classical South Asian music scene over the past two decades. It was through BRM that he started collaborating with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, producing a series of ambitious events in San Francisco, including 2018’s huge, raga-inflected rendition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838939/sameer-gupta-brings-his-brooklyn-meets-bollywood-jazz-to-the-bay-area\">Terry Riley’s “In C”\u003c/a> with Classical Revolution and 2022’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914557/alice-coltrane-reggie-workman\">Alice Coltrane tribute\u003c/a> with legendary jazz bassist Reggie Workman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"Percussionist Sameer Gupta forged his fusion of jazz and Indian classical music from his extensive collaborations with an eclectic cast of master musicians.\" class=\"wp-image-13839304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Percussionist Sameer Gupta forged his fusion of jazz and Indian classical music from his extensive collaborations with an eclectic cast of master musicians. (Rebecca Meek)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since moving to Oakland two years ago, Gupta has trained the same indefatigable energy and scene-building spirit on the Bay Area, bringing classical Indian music to intimate settings outside of South Asian communities. Before opening RootStock Arts on Telegraph Avenue and 58th Street, he started producing monthly shows at Medicine For Nightmares in San Francisco’s Mission District and weekly recitals at Wyldflowr Arts in West Oakland. And he’s still collaborating with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: On Aug. 2, RootStock Arts will co-present \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/color-your-mind-2026/\">Color Your Mind\u003c/a>, a free, day-long event in San Francisco’s SoMa that will feature visual art, textiles, crafts and three sets by a disparate roster of South Asian musicians.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The program includes Carnatic violinist and vocalist Sruti Sarathy, who has infused her South Indian repertoire with North Indian raga. Multi-instrumentalist Siddique Ahmed, a founding member of Afghanistan’s first rock band, Kabul Dreams, presents a set of original material on the lute-like rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan. And Suhail Yusuf Khan, the scion of a musical dynasty, performs on vocals and sarangi, a bowed three-string instrument.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Surveying the landscape that he’s in the midst of refashioning, Gupta sounds pleased with the view. “Wyldflowr is growing fantastically,” he said. “We’re responsible for about half of their programming. The partnership with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is great and we got funding from the Zellerbach Foundation for Color Your Mind. The Jazzschool [in Berkeley] continues to show us so much love. The fact that RootStock Arts is spreading out and undefined gives it depth.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992088\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-1536x1157.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Musicians Hank Dutt, George Brooks, Molly Holm, Joel Davel and Sameer Gupta (left to right) at a panel discussion about composer Terry Riley at RootStock Arts on May 14, 2026. (Courtesy of Sameer Gupta)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Jazzschool connection speaks to a larger generational shift that’s taking place in the Bay Area, as a cohort of independent artists in their 40s and 50s take over arts institutions or found new ones. On Aug. 5, Gupta holds forth in Berkeley at the Freight as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://concerts.jazzschool.org/free-brown-bag-jazz-hangs-the-freight-sameer-gupta-on-jazz-raga/\">Brown Bag Jazz Hangs\u003c/a> series, created by recently appointed Jazzschool director Lisa Mezzacappa. It’s an informal program that gives artists a chance to discuss topics they’re passionate about. Gupta will be talking about the intersection of jazz and raga.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re about the same age and we’ve both decided to take on administrative jobs running these big community-building projects,” said Mezzacappa, a bassist, composer and bandleader who has infused the Jazzschool with the same more-is-more sensibility that has made her a major creative force powering the Bay Area’s improvised music scene. “I feel so much kinship with Sameer. He’s a force of nature, and we’re so lucky he decided to move back to the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gupta has been looking to provide resources and services to artists since he got back. RootStock Arts occupies a long-shuttered real estate office on Telegraph that he and a team of collaborators have built into a multi-use facility. His concept is to work with artists to provide essential infrastructure, whether that means using the building for concerts, classes, instrument repair, office space or rehearsals. He’s designing it as a membership organization and will be announcing rates at Color Your Mind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If I was trying to rent out each room that would be an easier and much more lucrative model, instead of a co-working space,” Gupta said. “We’re putting in for a lot of grants. I’ve started getting a team in place and moving it in a cooperative direction, and I’m very open to how it evolves.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2656\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-2000x2656.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992090\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-2000x2656.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-1542x2048.jpg 1542w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-scaled.jpg 1928w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Visiting artists Abhishek Lahiri and Subrata Bhattacharya teach an Indian classical music workshop at RootStock Arts on May 24, 2026. (Courtesy of Sameer Gupta)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The building has already changed the neighborhood vibe. What was previously a nondescript office space unworthy of a second glance is now festooned with murals by Yasushi Matsui, who’ll be doing live mural work during Color Your Mind. In many ways, the RootStock Arts building is the culmination of an ambition that took root during Gupta’s formative work with Brooklyn Raga Massive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy, who co-founded BRM with Gupta, played one of the early concerts at RootStock Arts while he was in town performing in the hit Berkeley Rep production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13991117/the-lunchbox-review-berkeley-rep-kuhoo-verma\">The Lunchbox\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Much of the production’s cast turned out to RootStock Arts on a Monday night to see Ramamurthy’s Natural Elements duo with his wife, violinist Trina Basu. The exquisite performance served as a full-circle benediction.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While BMR forged extended relationships with various venues, “the reality is partnerships like that can only last so long,” Ramamurthy said. “Things may end. The venue goes under. There are so many challenges. Having a space is something that Sameer was always hoping for, and he’s really put his heart and soul into it, transforming a real estate office into a sanctuary for musical experiment and community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.viewcy.com/event/color_your_mind_festi\">Color Your Mind Festival\u003c/a>, co-presented by RootStock Arts, takes place at the Yerba Buena Gardens (760 Howard Street, San Francisco) on Aug. 2.\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://rootstockarts.com/home\">RootStock Arts’ full event calendar can be found here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sameer Gupta has his hands full with \u003ca href=\"https://rootstockarts.com/\">RootStock Arts\u003c/a>, his new North Oakland cultural center that began hosting music events in May. But that doesn’t mean he’s content to only focus on his own backyard.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Fremont-raised jazz drummer has a long track record of building grassroots cultural networks, most importantly Brooklyn Raga Massive, a collective that turbo-charged New York City’s classical South Asian music scene over the past two decades. It was through BRM that he started collaborating with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, producing a series of ambitious events in San Francisco, including 2018’s huge, raga-inflected rendition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838939/sameer-gupta-brings-his-brooklyn-meets-bollywood-jazz-to-the-bay-area\">Terry Riley’s “In C”\u003c/a> with Classical Revolution and 2022’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914557/alice-coltrane-reggie-workman\">Alice Coltrane tribute\u003c/a> with legendary jazz bassist Reggie Workman.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Fremont-raised jazz drummer has a long track record of building grassroots cultural networks, most importantly Brooklyn Raga Massive, a collective that turbo-charged New York City’s classical South Asian music scene over the past two decades. It was through BRM that he started collaborating with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, producing a series of ambitious events in San Francisco, including 2018’s huge, raga-inflected rendition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838939/sameer-gupta-brings-his-brooklyn-meets-bollywood-jazz-to-the-bay-area\">Terry Riley’s “In C”\u003c/a> with Classical Revolution and 2022’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914557/alice-coltrane-reggie-workman\">Alice Coltrane tribute\u003c/a> with legendary jazz bassist Reggie Workman.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since moving to Oakland two years ago, Gupta has trained the same indefatigable energy and scene-building spirit on the Bay Area, bringing classical Indian music to intimate settings outside of South Asian communities. Before opening RootStock Arts on Telegraph Avenue and 58th Street, he started producing monthly shows at Medicine For Nightmares in San Francisco’s Mission District and weekly recitals at Wyldflowr Arts in West Oakland. And he’s still collaborating with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: On Aug. 2, RootStock Arts will co-present \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/color-your-mind-2026/\">Color Your Mind\u003c/a>, a free, day-long event in San Francisco’s SoMa that will feature visual art, textiles, crafts and three sets by a disparate roster of South Asian musicians.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since moving to Oakland two years ago, Gupta has trained the same indefatigable energy and scene-building spirit on the Bay Area, bringing classical Indian music to intimate settings outside of South Asian communities. Before opening RootStock Arts on Telegraph Avenue and 58th Street, he started producing monthly shows at Medicine For Nightmares in San Francisco’s Mission District and weekly recitals at Wyldflowr Arts in West Oakland. And he’s still collaborating with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: On Aug. 2, RootStock Arts will co-present \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/color-your-mind-2026/\">Color Your Mind\u003c/a>, a free, day-long event in San Francisco’s SoMa that will feature visual art, textiles, crafts and three sets by a disparate roster of South Asian musicians.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The program includes Carnatic violinist and vocalist Sruti Sarathy, who has infused her South Indian repertoire with North Indian raga. Multi-instrumentalist Siddique Ahmed, a founding member of Afghanistan’s first rock band, Kabul Dreams, presents a set of original material on the lute-like rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan. And Suhail Yusuf Khan, the scion of a musical dynasty, performs on vocals and sarangi, a bowed three-string instrument.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The program includes Carnatic violinist and vocalist Sruti Sarathy, who has infused her South Indian repertoire with North Indian raga. Multi-instrumentalist Siddique Ahmed, a founding member of Afghanistan’s first rock band, Kabul Dreams, presents a set of original material on the lute-like rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan. And Suhail Yusuf Khan, the scion of a musical dynasty, performs on vocals and sarangi, a bowed three-string instrument.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Surveying the landscape that he’s in the midst of refashioning, Gupta sounds pleased with the view. “Wyldflowr is growing fantastically,” he said. “We’re responsible for about half of their programming. The partnership with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is great and we got funding from the Zellerbach Foundation for Color Your Mind. The Jazzschool [in Berkeley] continues to show us so much love. The fact that RootStock Arts is spreading out and undefined gives it depth.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Surveying the landscape that he’s in the midst of refashioning, Gupta sounds pleased with the view. “Wyldflowr is growing fantastically,” he said. “We’re responsible for about half of their programming. The partnership with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is great and we got funding from the Zellerbach Foundation for Color Your Mind. The Jazzschool [in Berkeley] continues to show us so much love. The fact that RootStock Arts is spreading out and undefined gives it depth.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992088\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-1536x1157.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Musicians Hank Dutt, George Brooks, Molly Holm, Joel Davel and Sameer Gupta (left to right) at a panel discussion about composer Terry Riley at RootStock Arts on May 14, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Jazzschool connection speaks to a larger generational shift that’s taking place in the Bay Area, as a cohort of independent artists in their 40s and 50s take over arts institutions or found new ones. On Aug. 5, Gupta holds forth in Berkeley at the Freight as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://concerts.jazzschool.org/free-brown-bag-jazz-hangs-the-freight-sameer-gupta-on-jazz-raga/\">Brown Bag Jazz Hangs\u003c/a> series, created by recently appointed Jazzschool director Lisa Mezzacappa. It’s an informal program that gives artists a chance to discuss topics they’re passionate about. Gupta will be talking about the intersection of jazz and raga.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re about the same age and we’ve both decided to take on administrative jobs running these big community-building projects,” said Mezzacappa, a bassist, composer and bandleader who has infused the Jazzschool with the same more-is-more sensibility that has made her a major creative force powering the Bay Area’s improvised music scene. “I feel so much kinship with Sameer. He’s a force of nature, and we’re so lucky he decided to move back to the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gupta has been looking to provide resources and services to artists since he got back. RootStock Arts occupies a long-shuttered real estate office on Telegraph that he and a team of collaborators have built into a multi-use facility. His concept is to work with artists to provide essential infrastructure, whether that means using the building for concerts, classes, instrument repair, office space or rehearsals. He’s designing it as a membership organization and will be announcing rates at Color Your Mind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If I was trying to rent out each room that would be an easier and much more lucrative model, instead of a co-working space,” Gupta said. “We’re putting in for a lot of grants. I’ve started getting a team in place and moving it in a cooperative direction, and I’m very open to how it evolves.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-2000x2656.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992090\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-2000x2656.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-1542x2048.jpg 1542w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-scaled.jpg 1928w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Visiting artists Abhishek Lahiri and Subrata Bhattacharya teach an Indian classical music workshop at RootStock Arts on May 24, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The building has already changed the neighborhood vibe. What was previously a nondescript office space unworthy of a second glance is now festooned with murals by Yasushi Matsui, who’ll be doing live mural work during Color Your Mind. In many ways, the RootStock Arts building is the culmination of an ambition that took root during Gupta’s formative work with Brooklyn Raga Massive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy, who co-founded BRM with Gupta, played one of the early concerts at RootStock Arts while he was in town performing in the hit Berkeley Rep production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13991117/the-lunchbox-review-berkeley-rep-kuhoo-verma\">The Lunchbox\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Much of the production’s cast turned out to RootStock Arts on a Monday night to see Ramamurthy’s Natural Elements duo with his wife, violinist Trina Basu. The exquisite performance served as a full-circle benediction.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While BMR forged extended relationships with various venues, “the reality is partnerships like that can only last so long,” Ramamurthy said. “Things may end. The venue goes under. There are so many challenges. Having a space is something that Sameer was always hoping for, and he’s really put his heart and soul into it, transforming a real estate office into a sanctuary for musical experiment and community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.viewcy.com/event/color_your_mind_festi\">Color Your Mind Festival\u003c/a>, co-presented by RootStock Arts, takes place at the Yerba Buena Gardens (760 Howard Street, San Francisco) on Aug. 2.\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://rootstockarts.com/home\">RootStock Arts’ full event calendar can be found here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Drummer Sameer Gupta turned a nondescript office building into a vibrant venue and community center. ",
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"title": "RootStock Arts Creates a Hub for Indian Music and Jazz in Oakland | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sameer Gupta has his hands full with \u003ca href=\"https://rootstockarts.com/\">RootStock Arts\u003c/a>, his new North Oakland cultural center that began hosting music events in May. But that doesn’t mean he’s content to only focus on his own backyard.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Fremont-raised jazz drummer has a long track record of building grassroots cultural networks, most importantly Brooklyn Raga Massive, a collective that turbo-charged New York City’s classical South Asian music scene over the past two decades. It was through BRM that he started collaborating with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, producing a series of ambitious events in San Francisco, including 2018’s huge, raga-inflected rendition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838939/sameer-gupta-brings-his-brooklyn-meets-bollywood-jazz-to-the-bay-area\">Terry Riley’s “In C”\u003c/a> with Classical Revolution and 2022’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914557/alice-coltrane-reggie-workman\">Alice Coltrane tribute\u003c/a> with legendary jazz bassist Reggie Workman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"Percussionist Sameer Gupta forged his fusion of jazz and Indian classical music from his extensive collaborations with an eclectic cast of master musicians.\" class=\"wp-image-13839304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Gupta-1-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Percussionist Sameer Gupta forged his fusion of jazz and Indian classical music from his extensive collaborations with an eclectic cast of master musicians. (Rebecca Meek)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since moving to Oakland two years ago, Gupta has trained the same indefatigable energy and scene-building spirit on the Bay Area, bringing classical Indian music to intimate settings outside of South Asian communities. Before opening RootStock Arts on Telegraph Avenue and 58th Street, he started producing monthly shows at Medicine For Nightmares in San Francisco’s Mission District and weekly recitals at Wyldflowr Arts in West Oakland. And he’s still collaborating with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: On Aug. 2, RootStock Arts will co-present \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/color-your-mind-2026/\">Color Your Mind\u003c/a>, a free, day-long event in San Francisco’s SoMa that will feature visual art, textiles, crafts and three sets by a disparate roster of South Asian musicians.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The program includes Carnatic violinist and vocalist Sruti Sarathy, who has infused her South Indian repertoire with North Indian raga. Multi-instrumentalist Siddique Ahmed, a founding member of Afghanistan’s first rock band, Kabul Dreams, presents a set of original material on the lute-like rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan. And Suhail Yusuf Khan, the scion of a musical dynasty, performs on vocals and sarangi, a bowed three-string instrument.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Surveying the landscape that he’s in the midst of refashioning, Gupta sounds pleased with the view. “Wyldflowr is growing fantastically,” he said. “We’re responsible for about half of their programming. The partnership with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is great and we got funding from the Zellerbach Foundation for Color Your Mind. The Jazzschool [in Berkeley] continues to show us so much love. The fact that RootStock Arts is spreading out and undefined gives it depth.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992088\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/rootstock-3-1536x1157.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Musicians Hank Dutt, George Brooks, Molly Holm, Joel Davel and Sameer Gupta (left to right) at a panel discussion about composer Terry Riley at RootStock Arts on May 14, 2026. (Courtesy of Sameer Gupta)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Jazzschool connection speaks to a larger generational shift that’s taking place in the Bay Area, as a cohort of independent artists in their 40s and 50s take over arts institutions or found new ones. On Aug. 5, Gupta holds forth in Berkeley at the Freight as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://concerts.jazzschool.org/free-brown-bag-jazz-hangs-the-freight-sameer-gupta-on-jazz-raga/\">Brown Bag Jazz Hangs\u003c/a> series, created by recently appointed Jazzschool director Lisa Mezzacappa. It’s an informal program that gives artists a chance to discuss topics they’re passionate about. Gupta will be talking about the intersection of jazz and raga.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re about the same age and we’ve both decided to take on administrative jobs running these big community-building projects,” said Mezzacappa, a bassist, composer and bandleader who has infused the Jazzschool with the same more-is-more sensibility that has made her a major creative force powering the Bay Area’s improvised music scene. “I feel so much kinship with Sameer. He’s a force of nature, and we’re so lucky he decided to move back to the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gupta has been looking to provide resources and services to artists since he got back. RootStock Arts occupies a long-shuttered real estate office on Telegraph that he and a team of collaborators have built into a multi-use facility. His concept is to work with artists to provide essential infrastructure, whether that means using the building for concerts, classes, instrument repair, office space or rehearsals. He’s designing it as a membership organization and will be announcing rates at Color Your Mind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If I was trying to rent out each room that would be an easier and much more lucrative model, instead of a co-working space,” Gupta said. “We’re putting in for a lot of grants. I’ve started getting a team in place and moving it in a cooperative direction, and I’m very open to how it evolves.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2656\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-2000x2656.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13992090\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-2000x2656.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-1542x2048.jpg 1542w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/PXL_20260525_010017372-scaled.jpg 1928w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Visiting artists Abhishek Lahiri and Subrata Bhattacharya teach an Indian classical music workshop at RootStock Arts on May 24, 2026. (Courtesy of Sameer Gupta)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The building has already changed the neighborhood vibe. What was previously a nondescript office space unworthy of a second glance is now festooned with murals by Yasushi Matsui, who’ll be doing live mural work during Color Your Mind. In many ways, the RootStock Arts building is the culmination of an ambition that took root during Gupta’s formative work with Brooklyn Raga Massive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy, who co-founded BRM with Gupta, played one of the early concerts at RootStock Arts while he was in town performing in the hit Berkeley Rep production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13991117/the-lunchbox-review-berkeley-rep-kuhoo-verma\">The Lunchbox\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Much of the production’s cast turned out to RootStock Arts on a Monday night to see Ramamurthy’s Natural Elements duo with his wife, violinist Trina Basu. The exquisite performance served as a full-circle benediction.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While BMR forged extended relationships with various venues, “the reality is partnerships like that can only last so long,” Ramamurthy said. “Things may end. The venue goes under. There are so many challenges. Having a space is something that Sameer was always hoping for, and he’s really put his heart and soul into it, transforming a real estate office into a sanctuary for musical experiment and community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.viewcy.com/event/color_your_mind_festi\">Color Your Mind Festival\u003c/a>, co-presented by RootStock Arts, takes place at the Yerba Buena Gardens (760 Howard Street, San Francisco) on Aug. 2.\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://rootstockarts.com/home\">RootStock Arts’ full event calendar can be found here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mosswood-meltdown-2026-review-photos-oakland-punk-festival",
"title": "Mosswood Meltdown, the Music Festival for People Who Hate Music Festivals",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mosswood-meltdown\">Mosswood Meltdown\u003c/a> is for the diehards. The people who heard that you’re supposed to stop caring about new music at age 30 and rolled their eyes. They don’t want distractions like a silent disco, a culinary stage or a “Chocolands,” and they sure as hell don’t need Vitamin B12 infusions. They sweat out their hangovers like they always have: in the pit while their new favorite band plays. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That much was clear this past weekend at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s Mosswood Park, where the opening acts, 20 in all, were sometimes celebrated more actively than headliners Pavement, Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill. On Sunday, Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna even saluted the bands that hadn’t formed yet, but would after attending the festival: “I can’t wait,” she said, “to open for \u003cem>you\u003c/em> in 10 years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991806\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bikini Kill perform during the closing set of Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or consider the scene Friday afternoon, when Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus emerged from his tour bus, a few feet away from the long line of fans along MacArthur Boulevard. No one so much as twitched. Instead, they filed into the park and held aloft a Rasputin-looking septuagenarian crowdsurfer while Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman erupted in otherworldly screams, which she dedicated to those dead from the wars promoted by recently deceased Republican senator Lindsey Graham.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Saturday, the Dirtbombs slayed the concrete amphitheater and Otoboke Beaver, from Kyoto, won over new recruits with their frenetic energy. Oakland’s Bitchfit played a furious stageless set on Sunday, and drag queen Kochina Rude performed as Pee-Wee Herman singing the Germs’ “Lexicon Devil.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991783\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For annual music festivals, this sort of renegade authenticity is all too easy to lose after a few years. A festival will have some success, organizers decide to maximize their investment, and slowly, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911699/cory-doctorow-on-why-the-internet-got-so-terrible-so-fast-and-what-to-do-about-it\">enshittification\u003c/a> creeps in: more branding, more advertising, more “experiences” and more pandering to people with money. Somehow the Foo Fighters are always involved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mosswood has grown plenty in its various iterations over the past 17 years. It’s now large enough to attract Pavement, who amusingly covered part of “Stairway to Heaven”; Iggy Pop, who proved that one can still embody rock ‘n’ roll at 79; and Bikini Kill, who brought out Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney for “Rebel Girl.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991809\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pavement headlines the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, a completed renovation of Mosswood Park also meant a more spacious layout. Newly situated at the north end of the park, the once-modest main stage was replaced by a more standard festival-issue truss stage, complete with a giant LED screen and tall scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But wouldn’t you know it? It only took two days for a band, Snooper, to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBaMjeByT2/\">climb high up the scaffolding\u003c/a>. As for sponsors and branding, when representatives of a tequila company sponsoring the festival gave their onstage product spiel before Pavement’s set, the crowd responded with jeering and scattered boos. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991796\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iggy Pop performs during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One could scoff at this as Gen-X groupthink, of sheep in different clothing. (To be sure, there is something of a uniform coalescing among this cohort. For the men, black zip-up hoodies, mesh caps, jeans and a beard. For the women, either a Nooworks jumpsuit or black skirt, denim jacket, nice-but-orthopedic shoes and a bob.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But really, who likes advertising? Who wants to download some app? Who genuinely wants to go to a Verizon tent and talk about data plans? Who wants to stand in front of a plastic foliage wall with pink, faux-neon cursive, brought to you by some “artisanal” snack company actually owned by Nestle?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not the grandparents and teenagers alike that flock to Mosswood each year, and not the organizers either, thank goodness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991807\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dead Milkmen perform during Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Take the set finale of the Dead Milkmen, who played classics like “Punk Rock Girl” and “Life Is Shit” to a massive crowd that took over the small amphitheatre’s fences and trees on Sunday. (Sample improvised lyric: “Hey Stephen Miller! / I don’t wanna see ya / I think you’re the cause / of explosive diarrhea!”)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the wings, Mosswood cofounder Marc Ribak stood watch, singing along and simultaneously trying in vain to curtail the steady flow of stagedivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But by the last song? Ribak said the hell with it, stood atop the monitors — and then leapt with abandon into the tattooed arms of the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>More photos below.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991808\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Waters introduces indie rock band Wednesday on the Field Stage during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. Waters returns as host for his 12th year at the annual punk music festival.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991782\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991788\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adam Walker pushes his 5-year-old daughter, Wynonna Walker, on a swing during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. The family traveled from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Karly Hartzman of Wednesday performs on the Field Stage during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991777\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Spits perform at the amphitheater stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">B. Gallagher (right) and Jamie Ridener (center) cheer from the front row during Bikini Kill’s closing set at Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill perform during the closing set of Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Musician H.P. Mendoza of Peaches Christ’s Punk Pride poses for a portrait during Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Festivalgoers browse vendor booths during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991774\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pavement headlines the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991789\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Friends Raquel, left, and Lorna take a smoke break during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991776\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fans react during The Spits’ performance at the amphitheater stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991792\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Curator Kai Wada Roath offers $1 palm readings during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nico Banuelos of Richmond waits near the Field Stage before Wednesday’s performance during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. Banuelos said the band was the reason they bought a ticket. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991780\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mannequin Pussy performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991791\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Friends Graaciella E., left, and DJaune A. pose for a portrait during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. They traveled from Southern California. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991767\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cyrus Kayhan, left, and Akeylah Hernandez pose in the grass during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991798\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fan crowd surfs during The Dead Milkmen’s set at Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mosswood-meltdown\">Mosswood Meltdown\u003c/a> is for the diehards. The people who heard that you’re supposed to stop caring about new music at age 30 and rolled their eyes. They don’t want distractions like a silent disco, a culinary stage or a “Chocolands,” and they sure as hell don’t need Vitamin B12 infusions. They sweat out their hangovers like they always have: in the pit while their new favorite band plays. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mosswood-meltdown\">Mosswood Meltdown\u003c/a> is for the diehards. The people who heard that you’re supposed to stop caring about new music at age 30 and rolled their eyes. They don’t want distractions like a silent disco, a culinary stage or a “Chocolands,” and they sure as hell don’t need Vitamin B12 infusions. They sweat out their hangovers like they always have: in the pit while their new favorite band plays. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That much was clear this past weekend at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s Mosswood Park, where the opening acts, 20 in all, were sometimes celebrated more actively than headliners Pavement, Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill. On Sunday, Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna even saluted the bands that hadn’t formed yet, but would after attending the festival: “I can’t wait,” she said, “to open for \u003cem>you\u003c/em> in 10 years.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That much was clear this past weekend at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s Mosswood Park, where the opening acts, 20 in all, were sometimes celebrated more actively than headliners Pavement, Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill. On Sunday, Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna even saluted the bands that hadn’t formed yet, but would after attending the festival: “I can’t wait,” she said, “to open for \u003cem>you\u003c/em> in 10 years.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991806\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bikini Kill perform during the closing set of Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991806\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bikini Kill perform during the closing set of Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Or consider the scene Friday afternoon, when Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus emerged from his tour bus, a few feet away from the long line of fans along MacArthur Boulevard. No one so much as twitched. Instead, they filed into the park and held aloft a Rasputin-looking septuagenarian crowdsurfer while Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman erupted in otherworldly screams, which she dedicated to those dead from the wars promoted by recently deceased Republican senator Lindsey Graham.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Or consider the scene Friday afternoon, when Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus emerged from his tour bus, a few feet away from the long line of fans along MacArthur Boulevard. No one so much as twitched. Instead, they filed into the park and held aloft a Rasputin-looking septuagenarian crowdsurfer while Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman erupted in otherworldly screams, which she dedicated to those dead from the wars promoted by recently deceased Republican senator Lindsey Graham.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Saturday, the Dirtbombs slayed the concrete amphitheater and Otoboke Beaver, from Kyoto, won over new recruits with their frenetic energy. Oakland’s Bitchfit played a furious stageless set on Sunday, and drag queen Kochina Rude performed as Pee-Wee Herman singing the Germs’ “Lexicon Devil.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Saturday, the Dirtbombs slayed the concrete amphitheater and Otoboke Beaver, from Kyoto, won over new recruits with their frenetic energy. Oakland’s Bitchfit played a furious stageless set on Sunday, and drag queen Kochina Rude performed as Pee-Wee Herman singing the Germs’ “Lexicon Devil.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991783\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991783\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For annual music festivals, this sort of renegade authenticity is all too easy to lose after a few years. A festival will have some success, organizers decide to maximize their investment, and slowly, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911699/cory-doctorow-on-why-the-internet-got-so-terrible-so-fast-and-what-to-do-about-it\">enshittification\u003c/a> creeps in: more branding, more advertising, more “experiences” and more pandering to people with money. Somehow the Foo Fighters are always involved.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For annual music festivals, this sort of renegade authenticity is all too easy to lose after a few years. A festival will have some success, organizers decide to maximize their investment, and slowly, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911699/cory-doctorow-on-why-the-internet-got-so-terrible-so-fast-and-what-to-do-about-it\">enshittification\u003c/a> creeps in: more branding, more advertising, more “experiences” and more pandering to people with money. Somehow the Foo Fighters are always involved.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mosswood has grown plenty in its various iterations over the past 17 years. It’s now large enough to attract Pavement, who amusingly covered part of “Stairway to Heaven”; Iggy Pop, who proved that one can still embody rock ‘n’ roll at 79; and Bikini Kill, who brought out Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney for “Rebel Girl.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mosswood has grown plenty in its various iterations over the past 17 years. It’s now large enough to attract Pavement, who amusingly covered part of “Stairway to Heaven”; Iggy Pop, who proved that one can still embody rock ‘n’ roll at 79; and Bikini Kill, who brought out Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney for “Rebel Girl.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991809\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pavement headlines the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991809\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pavement headlines the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year, a completed renovation of Mosswood Park also meant a more spacious layout. Newly situated at the north end of the park, the once-modest main stage was replaced by a more standard festival-issue truss stage, complete with a giant LED screen and tall scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This year, a completed renovation of Mosswood Park also meant a more spacious layout. Newly situated at the north end of the park, the once-modest main stage was replaced by a more standard festival-issue truss stage, complete with a giant LED screen and tall scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But wouldn’t you know it? It only took two days for a band, Snooper, to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBaMjeByT2/\">climb high up the scaffolding\u003c/a>. As for sponsors and branding, when representatives of a tequila company sponsoring the festival gave their onstage product spiel before Pavement’s set, the crowd responded with jeering and scattered boos. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But wouldn’t you know it? It only took two days for a band, Snooper, to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBaMjeByT2/\">climb high up the scaffolding\u003c/a>. As for sponsors and branding, when representatives of a tequila company sponsoring the festival gave their onstage product spiel before Pavement’s set, the crowd responded with jeering and scattered boos. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991796\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iggy Pop performs during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One could scoff at this as Gen-X groupthink, of sheep in different clothing. (To be sure, there is something of a uniform coalescing among this cohort. For the men, black zip-up hoodies, mesh caps, jeans and a beard. For the women, either a Nooworks jumpsuit or black skirt, denim jacket, nice-but-orthopedic shoes and a bob.) \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One could scoff at this as Gen-X groupthink, of sheep in different clothing. (To be sure, there is something of a uniform coalescing among this cohort. For the men, black zip-up hoodies, mesh caps, jeans and a beard. For the women, either a Nooworks jumpsuit or black skirt, denim jacket, nice-but-orthopedic shoes and a bob.) \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But really, who likes advertising? Who wants to download some app? Who genuinely wants to go to a Verizon tent and talk about data plans? Who wants to stand in front of a plastic foliage wall with pink, faux-neon cursive, brought to you by some “artisanal” snack company actually owned by Nestle?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But really, who likes advertising? Who wants to download some app? Who genuinely wants to go to a Verizon tent and talk about data plans? Who wants to stand in front of a plastic foliage wall with pink, faux-neon cursive, brought to you by some “artisanal” snack company actually owned by Nestle?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Not the grandparents and teenagers alike that flock to Mosswood each year, and not the organizers either, thank goodness.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991807\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dead Milkmen perform during Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991807\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dead Milkmen perform during Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Take the set finale of the Dead Milkmen, who played classics like “Punk Rock Girl” and “Life Is Shit” to a massive crowd that took over the small amphitheatre’s fences and trees on Sunday. (Sample improvised lyric: “Hey Stephen Miller! / I don’t wanna see ya / I think you’re the cause / of explosive diarrhea!”)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Take the set finale of the Dead Milkmen, who played classics like “Punk Rock Girl” and “Life Is Shit” to a massive crowd that took over the small amphitheatre’s fences and trees on Sunday. (Sample improvised lyric: “Hey Stephen Miller! / I don’t wanna see ya / I think you’re the cause / of explosive diarrhea!”)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the wings, Mosswood cofounder Marc Ribak stood watch, singing along and simultaneously trying in vain to curtail the steady flow of stagedivers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But by the last song? Ribak said the hell with it, stood atop the monitors — and then leapt with abandon into the tattooed arms of the crowd.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>More photos below.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991808\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Waters introduces indie rock band Wednesday on the Field Stage during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. Waters returns as host for his 12th year at the annual punk music festival.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"excerpt": "With headliners like Bikini Kill and Iggy Pop on an expanded stage, this year’s garage-punk soiree kept its underground roots.",
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"title": "Mosswood Meltdown 2026: Review and Photos of Oakland's Annual Punk Festival | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mosswood-meltdown\">Mosswood Meltdown\u003c/a> is for the diehards. The people who heard that you’re supposed to stop caring about new music at age 30 and rolled their eyes. They don’t want distractions like a silent disco, a culinary stage or a “Chocolands,” and they sure as hell don’t need Vitamin B12 infusions. They sweat out their hangovers like they always have: in the pit while their new favorite band plays. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That much was clear this past weekend at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s Mosswood Park, where the opening acts, 20 in all, were sometimes celebrated more actively than headliners Pavement, Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill. On Sunday, Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna even saluted the bands that hadn’t formed yet, but would after attending the festival: “I can’t wait,” she said, “to open for \u003cem>you\u003c/em> in 10 years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991806\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_115-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bikini Kill perform during the closing set of Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Or consider the scene Friday afternoon, when Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus emerged from his tour bus, a few feet away from the long line of fans along MacArthur Boulevard. No one so much as twitched. Instead, they filed into the park and held aloft a Rasputin-looking septuagenarian crowdsurfer while Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman erupted in otherworldly screams, which she dedicated to those dead from the wars promoted by recently deceased Republican senator Lindsey Graham.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Saturday, the Dirtbombs slayed the concrete amphitheater and Otoboke Beaver, from Kyoto, won over new recruits with their frenetic energy. Oakland’s Bitchfit played a furious stageless set on Sunday, and drag queen Kochina Rude performed as Pee-Wee Herman singing the Germs’ “Lexicon Devil.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991783\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_056-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For annual music festivals, this sort of renegade authenticity is all too easy to lose after a few years. A festival will have some success, organizers decide to maximize their investment, and slowly, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911699/cory-doctorow-on-why-the-internet-got-so-terrible-so-fast-and-what-to-do-about-it\">enshittification\u003c/a> creeps in: more branding, more advertising, more “experiences” and more pandering to people with money. Somehow the Foo Fighters are always involved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mosswood has grown plenty in its various iterations over the past 17 years. It’s now large enough to attract Pavement, who amusingly covered part of “Stairway to Heaven”; Iggy Pop, who proved that one can still embody rock ‘n’ roll at 79; and Bikini Kill, who brought out Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney for “Rebel Girl.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991809\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_027_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pavement headlines the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, a completed renovation of Mosswood Park also meant a more spacious layout. Newly situated at the north end of the park, the once-modest main stage was replaced by a more standard festival-issue truss stage, complete with a giant LED screen and tall scaffolding.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But wouldn’t you know it? It only took two days for a band, Snooper, to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBaMjeByT2/\">climb high up the scaffolding\u003c/a>. As for sponsors and branding, when representatives of a tequila company sponsoring the festival gave their onstage product spiel before Pavement’s set, the crowd responded with jeering and scattered boos. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991796\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_095-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iggy Pop performs during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One could scoff at this as Gen-X groupthink, of sheep in different clothing. (To be sure, there is something of a uniform coalescing among this cohort. For the men, black zip-up hoodies, mesh caps, jeans and a beard. For the women, either a Nooworks jumpsuit or black skirt, denim jacket, nice-but-orthopedic shoes and a bob.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But really, who likes advertising? Who wants to download some app? Who genuinely wants to go to a Verizon tent and talk about data plans? Who wants to stand in front of a plastic foliage wall with pink, faux-neon cursive, brought to you by some “artisanal” snack company actually owned by Nestle?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not the grandparents and teenagers alike that flock to Mosswood each year, and not the organizers either, thank goodness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991807\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_097_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Dead Milkmen perform during Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Take the set finale of the Dead Milkmen, who played classics like “Punk Rock Girl” and “Life Is Shit” to a massive crowd that took over the small amphitheatre’s fences and trees on Sunday. (Sample improvised lyric: “Hey Stephen Miller! / I don’t wanna see ya / I think you’re the cause / of explosive diarrhea!”)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the wings, Mosswood cofounder Marc Ribak stood watch, singing along and simultaneously trying in vain to curtail the steady flow of stagedivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But by the last song? Ribak said the hell with it, stood atop the monitors — and then leapt with abandon into the tattooed arms of the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>More photos below.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991808\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726Mosswood-Meltdown_GH_003_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Waters introduces indie rock band Wednesday on the Field Stage during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. Waters returns as host for his 12th year at the annual punk music festival.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991782\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_051-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991788\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_066-KQED-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adam Walker pushes his 5-year-old daughter, Wynonna Walker, on a swing during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. The family traveled from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_015-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Karly Hartzman of Wednesday performs on the Field Stage during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991777\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_037-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Spits perform at the amphitheater stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_112-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">B. Gallagher (right) and Jamie Ridener (center) cheer from the front row during Bikini Kill’s closing set at Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_107-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill perform during the closing set of Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_100-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Musician H.P. Mendoza of Peaches Christ’s Punk Pride poses for a portrait during Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_047-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Festivalgoers browse vendor booths during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991774\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_033-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pavement headlines the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991789\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_067-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Friends Raquel, left, and Lorna take a smoke break during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991776\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_036-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fans react during The Spits’ performance at the amphitheater stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991792\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_076-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Curator Kai Wada Roath offers $1 palm readings during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_005-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nico Banuelos of Richmond waits near the Field Stage before Wednesday’s performance during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. Banuelos said the band was the reason they bought a ticket. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991780\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_042-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mannequin Pussy performs on the Field Stage during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991791\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071826MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_071-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Friends Graaciella E., left, and DJaune A. pose for a portrait during Mosswood Meltdown on July 18, 2026, in Oakland. They traveled from Southern California. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991767\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071726MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_008-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cyrus Kayhan, left, and Akeylah Hernandez pose in the grass during the Mosswood Meltdown pre-party on July 17, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13991798\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/071926MOSSWOOD-MELTDOWN_GH_098-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fan crowd surfs during The Dead Milkmen’s set at Mosswood Meltdown on July 19, 2026, in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"reveal": {
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"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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},
"rightnowish": {
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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},
"science-friday": {
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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"snap-judgment": {
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"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
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