Every year I go on and on about Christmas lights. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But the holidays have come and gone, and I was so busy ripping and running (no bopper) that I didn't make it to see Zoo Lights. Thankfully, there are a few days left. The show will start at 5:30 every night through January 3. Tickets are $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for the kiddies. Some time between now and Sunday night, I'm going to trek to the Oakland Zoo (9777 Golf Links Rd.), stare at the beautiful displays, sip hot chocolate, and wonder why the hell I waited 'til the last minute. Who's coming with me?
Chris Mueller of C+ Jewelry is an artistic and innovative young man with a lot of kickassness in his back pocket. The originator of iLL-Literacy's lego headed look and the maker of the dopest jewelry around, he is also strategizing an entrance into the world of music technology via design. He isn't pushing product yet, but be on the look out for manifestations of his genius soon!
Check out footage of a photo shoot he did with Taj Mahall for the C+ Look Book below and some early earring designs below that.
The latest heat from the Livewire Camp is fully loaded as-per-usual. Philthy Rich, Stevie Joe and Lil Blood offer heated bars that sum up the murderous mentality that governs many in Oakland. On the other side, we have the latest effort from J. Billion featuring 1-O.A.K. and Spank Pops of the Honor Roll crew. Their new video, "Cali Way," champions a rather alternative festival-filled lifestyle. Other than the enjoyment of a little tweed, these two Bay Area hip-hop sub-scenes seem worlds a part. Only they're not.
Real recognizes real, and these two camps are lookin familiar. As much as promoters and publications tend to separate our local hip-hop scene into a "turf/conscious" dichotomy, there is a lot of shared soil and respect between the two. That mutual love is what brings Too $hort and Zion I together for songs and The Grouch and Keak together for shows. The connection defines what it is to live in Oakland; To be surrounded by beauty and death and love and hate. It doesn't mean that the West Oakland dominated Livewire camp kicks it at Tilden with The Honor Roll on a regular basis, but it means that Bay Area hip-hop's various incarnations share mutual roots that transcend their differences.
Bay Area music fans are an eclectic bunch. We gig to Furl and nod to Lyrics Born. We party with League510 and club with The Cataracs. We pay respect to Pac and laugh to 40. We build with Trackademicks while mobbin to Stalin. This diverse unified front is what grounds 38th Notes as a site and you all as a community. We are not one-dimensional, we are imperfect humans full of a gang of variables and whathaveyous. That's why it didn't phase me when Pac died over coastal beef instead of community progress. That's why I wasn't surprised when The Cataracs traded their hyphy sixteens for universal pop appeal. And that is also why, I smiled when Too $hort took the stage with Kev Choice at Yoshis last month. This is the Bay, "and in The Bay, we dance a lil different."
We have had a lot of criticisms for all our local teams this year, but we also like to point out the positive things they're doing, whether on the field/court or in the community. Kirk Morrison, Oakland native and Raiders linebacker, is one of the only members of the team who knows the combination of living in our tough community, and rooting for the Raiders every week. On Monday night, the night after the Raiders suffered another tough loss, Morrison and some of his teammates gathered 50 kids from the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) for his 3rd annual Shop with a Jock event. Each child received $100 to shop with, as the Raider players helped pick out gifts for themselves or gifts to give others.
Our city is enduring tough times, and kids are usually the ones who take it the hardest. Whether it's through eliminating after-school programs, education spending cuts, or parents working multiple jobs, it is good that we show our kids that we care. Kirk grew up playing basketball at EOYDC and takes it upon himself to pick 50 of the most dedicated kids from the center to reward. Not only that, but he brings along his teammates. This year Richard Seymour, Thomas Howard, Slade Norris, Sam Williams, and David Nixon accompanied the kids in their shopping endeavors, which was held at a department store in San Leandro.
Anytime a local team puts on events for the community I applaud them, but when you know that a player can actually relate to these kids, it makes it that much sweeter. Though the franchises do some community work in Oakland, it seems that many of the events are held in the city's surrounding suburbs. The A's have helped with a couple ball fields in Oakland, and the Warriors have done the same with some basketball courts, but the efforts are few and far between. These teams and players make millions of dollars off the residents in the community, and a lot of fans choose to spend their leftover money on tickets rather than other choices of entertainment.
The video above is from last years Shop With A Jock, and it gives a little more insight into the joy it brings to the kids and the players. I also spotted the late Marquis Cooper in the video, a special teams player for the Raiders who died in a boating accident this summer. Our prayers continue to go out to his family as they experience their Christmas without him.
As the Holiday Season comes upon us, it is important that we reach out a helping hand to those in need in our great city. It could be helping to serve hot meals, buying gifts for kids, or simply putting a dollar in a homeless person's cup. As Oakland continues to grow and change, we must not forget about all the people who help make this city what it is. So please take action or give what you can, even if the person can only give you a smile in return. Happy Holidays from 38thNotes!
Bonus Video: This video aired on Inside The NFL last year and talks about Kirk's relationship with the Raiders from his childhood to the present. Extra props for his first Raider Jersey being Jeff George's #3
I won't blather on, but pumping money into the local economy is so important, especially during the holiday season. If we don't support local business then they disappear, and with it, a respectable entrepreneurial middle-class, the supposed backbone of America.
Plaid Friday was the Oakland community response to Black Friday, and now tonight we have another great opportunity to shop local with Oakland Unwrapped's Holiday Buy Night. This sounds a bit more manageable than my mom's holiday gift giving suggestion. She proposed that this year each family member buy all their gifts on one Oakland street. In other words, I would have to buy all my presents on E. 14th, my brother would take MacArthur, etc. It's a cool idea actually, but I think this is a great compromise.
Michael Lewis' best selling book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" caused quite a stir in the baseball world upon it's release. That's because the non-fiction story of Billy Beane and the Oakland A's blatantly contradicted the popular wisdom of the game. In a sport dictated by tradition and somewhat homoerotic scouting, Beane utilized under appreciated stats and cutting edge analysis to assemble a low budget success story in Oakland.
Fortunately for baseball, but unfortunately for Beane, his once unique view of the game has since been co opted by other teams across the league, minimizing his edge and subsequent success. The fact that he has spawned such a movement however, indicates that his scientific approach to the game works, and Hollywood has taken note.
Not long ago, Steven Soderbergh agreed to direct the film adaptation of "Moneyball" and Brad Pitt signed on to play Billy Beane. According to Variety, Soderbergh has since been replaced by Capote director Bennet Miller, and Hollywood hot shot Aaron Sorkin has penned the script's rewrite. Pitt will reportedly stay on the film despite the changes, but a rather suprising casting call was made when former A's pitching coach Rick Petersen was asked to play himself! No joke.
I can only hope they shoot the film in Oakland. It'd be a blast to see Brad Pitt and the mullett-prone Rick Petersen chilling at a taco truck on E. 14 with a flock of Jolie's children.
OaklandNorth.net interviews Baybe Champ as they introduce scraper bikes to a new oblivious population. Where do they keep finding folks that aren't up on scraper bikes? They're at every festival, are they not? In any case, check the interview out HERE.
Early this week I heard some news that brightened my day. Josh Johnson, a former Oakland Tech quarterback and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer, is going to get his first opportunity to start in the NFL this coming Sunday. Tampa Bay has elected to sit the starter Byron Leftwich in favor of the younger option, Johnson, who was inserted in Sunday's game for one drive in the 4th quarter and went 4-10 for 36 yards.
Although Josh was talented at Tech, he also had to deal with the fact that Marshawn Lynch was on the same team. He did however earn a scholarship to University of San Diego, where he graduated with the highest passer rating in the history of college football. Although he did not always play against the best competition, that is still an amazing feat. Think of all the great quarterbacks in the history of college football- Peyton Manning, Danny Wuerffel, Matt Leinart, and the majestic Kyle Bowler. Alright, maybe not Bowler, but Josh Johnson haws earned teh right to be mentioned in that conversation. So kudos for that, but also for the chance to start his first NFL game!
Marshawn will also play in his first game this weekend. 38thnotes has written a stable of stories about Marshawn and his legal troubles, but now he can forget about that and get back to the grid iron. After serving his league mandated 3 game suspension, Marshawn gets to join his team once again. It will be interesting to see how the Bills use him, since his back up Fred Jackson, who is also on my fantasy team, has been killing. Marshawn and Terrell Owens on the same team?? That will be very interesting, to say the least. All I know is that both the Buccaneers and Bills games will be more interesting than the Raiders.
Above: Highlights of Josh and Marshawn leading Oakland Tech to the 2004 Silver Bowl title. It was an amazing back-and-forth battle that ranks as one of the greatest high school football games I've ever seen. The run by Marshawn at the end of this reel was even more amazing in person–now let's just hope Marshawn can break a couple of those this week.
If you're breaded, looking for a new spot and love beautiful woodwork check out this amazing penthouse down in Old Oakland. All in my tax bracket need not tempt themselves, but it ain't trickin if you got it.
If any of you are not yet aware, the iconic tropical drink known as the Mai Tai was invented in the urban oasis of Oakland, CA in 1944 by Trader Vic (read Coolhand's previous write up HERE). Now, thanks to a grassroots effort by the folks at The Conga Lounge on College Ave and the help of Council Member Rebecca Kaplan, the Mai Tai is being christened as the official drink of Oakland. It seems that the validity of this declaration is still pending some council-wide approval, but I say we all embrace the Mai Tai regardless of what King Ignacio and the Knights of the semi-Round Table decide. Cheers and Aloha from us at 38th Notes!
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