(Reporting contributed by Maia Wolins, Fine Arts Correspondent) As we entered the California Academy of Sciences' NightLife event, we were greeted by techno music, crowds of content adults with drinks in hand, and an albino alligator calmly surveying the surroundings. By day, the Academy is a family-friendly destination filled with the wonders of nature, tips for sustainable living, and learning opportunities around every corner. By night, each Thursday, the scene transforms into a 21+ cocktail party combined with a visit to the museum. The lights were dimmed and guests wore semi-formal/casual evening attire, creating a pleasant atmosphere in which to drink and converse. It was easy to strike up casual conversation with neighbors as we moved through the exhibits. DJ-ed music in the entrance hall gave the feeling that there could have been dancing, but the only dancing we witnessed was by the jellyfish, and three patrons reluctantly leaving at the end of the night. The museum's content ranged from sea horses and sharks in the aquarium section downstairs, to live penguins and preserved cheetahs on the first floor, and access to a "living roof" upstairs. An interesting section on stuffed birds native to California caught our eyes, as well...
Tonight's encore simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera's "Nixon in China" presentation was stunning on several levels. The writing (by the incredible - and locally-based - John Adams) was fresh and exciting, and gives as always new life to the genre of "opera." The Met's production was grand and visually exciting, full of breathtaking set pieces, and featuring the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the "Rolls Royce of opera orchestras," as one of the on-screen interviewees explained. Finally, the Live in HD simulcast was consistently engaging, featuring interviews with all of the key actors and producers before and between the acts. The interviews were occasionally too short, but they provided a context to the opera that the in-person production could never match. With only one problem - the Cinemark theater hosting the presentation, the "Pleasant Hill Century 16." Only minutes before the end of the final act, the projector abruptly faded to black, followed after a couple of minutes by the sound. After about 15 minutes of sitting in the darkened theater, as the other patrons started leaving, they announced that the theater's internet connection had failed - it had been acting up since Monday, and they hadn't bothered to fix it...
Tuesday's show, Matisyahu Unplugged, was an acoustic performance for an audience of over 400 people, sponsored by Chabad of the Tri-Valley. Matisyahu headlined on vocals, accompanied by D.P. Holmes of Dub Trio on guitar, with an opening performance by Josh Cohen, at Livermore's Bankhead Theater. The atmosphere was full of Chabadniks and other local Jews together for a chill evening. As Matisyahu improvised, receiving thunderous applause upon his arrival, he gave an impression of the mood by saying into the microphone "Hey Rabbi, you told me this was going to be a low-key evening!" Low key it might not have been, but it was a unique opportunity to meet a contemporary musician and a practicing Orthodox Jew. Advertised at local congregations around the East Bay and beyond, one major draw of this performance was the fact that the Jewish community had the chance to find out what's inside the head of a practicing Jew who is simultaneously following his dream performing music. The mood was light and "playful," according to Margaret Sawyer, an avid arts enthusiast. Matisyahu's demeanor with the audience between songs showed a side of him that few get to see. In-between some of the songs, Matisyahu had Q&A sessions, asking...
A good rave has many key elements. There is the sharing. Sharing space, sharing body heat, and sharing germs. Sharing lights, feelings, emotions and energy. Another element of a good rave is giving. Whether it's high fives to the people in their seats, or a good massage to someone who looks a little in need. Giving is the spice of the party at a techno concert, and the more you give, as the old adage goes, the more you get. Alongside the actions of sharing and giving, there is the acceptance of our fellow human beings that is so lacking in the modern world, and is so taken for granted in its abundance in these scenes. Last Saturday's etdPOP 2010 event was not missing any of these essentials. From the beginning of the evening around 3:00 pm, until late into the night when the walls started sweating, there was sharing, giving and acceptance in plenty. The night was different from modern rave-scenes because the event organizers decided to do something different - they brought the style and feel back to its original roots, housing the entire eleven-hour concert in a single room, with one stage, and one band performing at...
The Oakland Indie Awards, last night in Jack London Square, filled the old Barnes & Noble building with Oakland's most prominent independent vendors. For the fourth year in a row, businesses and artists displayed their products, and restaurants provided samples of their food, as the OneCalifornia Foundation named the best business in each of eight categories. (The full category list, including such creative titles as "Greenie," "Oakland Soul," and "Ripple Effect," can be found here with explanations.) A few of the restaurant tables distinguished themselves with exceptionally good flavor. In a room full of tasty food, the Salvadoran restaurant Las Lupita's (contact info below) served incredibly tasty pupusas. Stuffed not just with cheese but with meat as well, these pupusas, fried corn tortillas, were both perfectly textured and arrestingly flavorful. Another delicious sample was the pambaso from Huarache Azteca Restaurant, described as a Mexican-spiced French roll filled with potatoes and chorizo. I'd never seen anything like it, and its amazing flavor surprised me. Also at the Huarache Azteca booth, two different sangrias (white and red) were noteworthy for their tastiness. I particularly enjoyed the Wandering Soul Photography booth. Len Finocchio takes digital photos around the East Bay, then color-adjusts the...
I first heard about J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan at the Threesixty Theater (playing Tuesday-Sunday through Aug. 29) when my friend, aerial performer Rain Anya, auditioned for the role of mermaid back in February. I always loved the story and was curious about the show. After she got the part, I learned that this production of Peter Pan features a three hundred and sixty degree projected CGI movie as background. I decided that I had to see it. When I sister and I arrived at the San Francisco show last Sunday I already knew the performance has a unique take on J.M. Barrie's classic. But I still wasn't expecting what I saw. There is plenty of wire-and-harness flying, of course, but I wasn't expecting to be so thoroughly charmed by it. The actors flip and zoom so gracefully that it's hard not to smile. More than anything, though, the CGI is downright beautiful. Partnered with the score and the live action, the animation immerses you in Peter Pan's world, from Victorian London to Neverland and back again. The cast's timing with each other and with the CGI background is seamless. After a run in London this incredible production is now in...
