The Punk Singer

I Had a chance to see a showing of "The Punk Singer" last night at the kickoff to this year's Oakland Underground Film Festival at the Grand Lake Theater, and I have to say that it was really well done. So much better than I was expecting after watching the Kickstarter video several months ago. It's amazing how far we've come that budget limitations in 2013 doesn't automatically mean a low budget looking film the way many of us remember low budget films (B-movies) back in the day.

 "The Punk Singer" is Sini Anderson's documentary about Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Let Tigre, The Julie Ruin), which is already enough information for most of the folks who follow this blog, but it also delves into subjects like her recent battle with late term lyme disease, feminism, the riot grrrl movement, her marriage to the King AD Rock (Beastie Boys), getting punched in the face by Courtney Love (who hasn't?), and of course the chronology of events leading up to the formation of Bikini Kill. Nuff said.

BLACK FORK

Black Fork - Total Eclipse Of The Brain

"Clamp down your imagination running wild. Your hopes, your thoughts, your dreams: they’re gonna die and there’s nothing I can do to change it."

CHRIST ON PARADE

A couple of photos from a CHRIST ON PARADE show we booked at Bottom of the Hill in 2007.  Photos by Wayne van der Kuil

ANTISCHISM

Antischism - All Their Money Stinks Of Death

"Senseless killing for corporate profit that’s their foreign policy"

SKARP

SKARP back in 2005 at the Arcadia Skate Ramp Hotel in Oakland, CA.  The Arcadia Skate Ramp Hotel was a short lived venue in West Oakland that we booked shows at between 2004-2006.  We booked SKARP for the first time in 2001 at Burnt Ramen Studios in Richmond, CA, and I'm pretty sure that this was the last time we booked them.  It was a fun night and SKARP were as good as I'd seen them up to that point.  Photos by Murray Bowles

SOULS OF MISCHIEF

Souls Of Mischief - Never No More live at Hiero Day 2013 

Hiero Day 2013 was pretty amazing, and not just because it was free, but because it was an epic day of Hip Hop and positivity brought to you by artists that were actually born and raised here in Oakland, and the East Bay. And…It really was a Fest, with blocked off streets, three stages, countless acts, art, food (good food), beer (microbrew), etc., the whole nine. Souls Of Mischief and the Hieroglyphics are, like many of my favorite local artists and musicians, more famous than rich, which makes what they accomplished with Hiero Day 2013 that much more inspiring.

TRAGEDY

TRAGEDY back in 2008 when they toured with Blowback from Japan.  The Bay Area shows were awesome!