I’m glad to welcome my co-host this week, Ariana Proehl — KQED’s youth media manager who’s also an artist, media maker and music nerd in her own right. We couldn’t quite squeeze in two extras we both were excited about: the first is the 3D Webfest on Friday, June 30, at the Palace of Fine Arts, a chance to see what’s happening on the cutting edge of 3D video making. Details here. And I wanted to highlight the San Francisco Opera’s live simulcast of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, streamed live from the War Memorial Opera House into AT&T Park. It’s free, but get your tickets online to avoid a wait as up to 30,000 people stream into the ballpark to get their garlic fries and Mozart. Details here. Now on with the show.
July 1 & 2: Burger Boogaloo (organized by Total Trash Productions and Burger Records) is back with a bigger lineup than ever, celebrating punk greats from the distant and recent past like Iggy Pop, NoBunny, the Buzzcocks and X, as well as contemporary garage acts like La Luz and San Francisco’s Shannon and the Clams. John Waters is also back as host, because, he says, he’s just a huge fan of punk. Waters has also called Oakland the Baltimore of the Bay Area, which is high praise indeed for him. It’s a bit pricey, but then you never know for sure when or if you’ll get to see Iggy Pop again. Details for the two-day fest at Oakland’s Mosswood Park are here.
July 14: We’re giving La Luz a separate mention here, because we really like this psychedelic surf-punk band. They were born in rainy Seattle, but they’ve since moved to Los Angeles, a sunnier place, and as such their music veers from gloom to bubbly pop. They’re at The Ritz in San Jose on July 14, and details are here.
June 30: June is Immigrant Heritage Month, and a pop-up store has opened just in time in San Francisco called I Am An Immigrant. It’s part of a campaign celebrating the contributions immigrants have made to the U.S., and on some level, it’s an act of resistance to President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. They sell “I am an Immigrant” and “I Stand With Immigrants” T-shirts, but there are free activities as well: photos of you in a T-shirt to post on social media, mural making for kids, and music in the evening. Details for the pop-up at the Laundry Gallery and Cafe on 26th Street in San Francisco — only there through June 30 — are here.
July 3 & 4: Celebrating America’s immigrant heritage seems very patriotic to me, which brings us to a trio of symphonic Fourth of July events. You can beat the rush on July 3 with conductor Michael Morgan, when he leads the Oakland Symphony in its ninth annual free concert (note: parking is $20) at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond. The San Francisco Symphony is at the Shoreline Amphitheatre with singer Storm Large, who has a voice as bright and powerful as the fireworks on display. And the Santa Rosa Symphony plays the Green Music Center at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park. Ariana calls the setting “divine” when the sliding doors at the back are opened, and people sit on the grass and enjoy craft beer (kids under 12 get in free, and are free to roam). The Santa Rosa Symphony is joined by Kathy Mattea, a country singer with a lot of presence and a big, pure voice out of West Virginia.
July 1 & 2: AXIS Dance is the Oakland company, founded by Judith Smith, that features dancers with and without disabilities who show how nimbly and beautifully people can move in wheelchairs or with crutches. They’re performing a new piece this weekend choreographed by Stephen Koplowitz, who’s made his name in site-specific dance. Occupy is about how people occupy their own bodies, a constant issue for a dancer with a disability, but also about the history of Yerba Buena Gardens, a major redevelopment project pushed through City Hall over objections by the poor residents of the neighborhood. With live music by electronic music pioneer Pamela Z, these performances are sure to be compelling. It’s free, but RSVPs are encouraged. Details here.
