Mothers of Preservation: Frank Zappa Film Project Focuses on Restoration
Frank Zappa recorded dozens of albums before his death in 1993 at the age of 52. The groundbreaking musician and composer also left behind a vast archive. It includes a treasure trove of unreleased recordings, works in progress, films and more. It's all warehoused at the L.A. home he shared with his family for more than 20 years. Now there's an effort to fully catalogue and preserve the Zappa "Vault" and use what's there to create a documentary film. Here's more from The California Report's Steven Cuevas
S.F. Jail Program Aims To Find Common Ground Between Victims and Perpetrators
For 18 years, the San Francisco County Jail in San Bruno has run a program aimed at keeping inmates from committing more crimes. The program invites crime victims to meet with perpetrators. The meetings can be hard, but also healing. Recently two men shared their story with inmates. And KQED's Sandhya Dirks was listening.
How Fresno Man Started Biking and Reversed Type 2 Diabetes
In Fresno, a bike ride featuring Latin American dance music is an effort to push the city to invest in more bike lanes. For years, locals have complained about not feeling safe on their bikes, which makes it hard to exercise in a part of California with some of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes. For our series Vital Signs, The California Report's Farida Jhabvala Romero visited the Cumbia Ride and met Jaime Rangel, who says biking changed his life.
Thao Nguyen on Songwriting, San Francisco, and Sorting Through Her Troubled Relationship with Her Dad
The San Francisco band, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, are finishing up their nationwide tour with two California shows this weekend. Singer, songwriter and musician Thao Nguyen talks to Sasha Khokha about the pain behind their latest album, "A Man Alive."