East Bay Express

Your Daily Lick: Dave Smallen

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Nate Seltenrich) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:42 -0800

Everything Changes and Nothing Changes (self-released)

If the name Dave Smallen doesn’t ring a bell, try Street to Nowhere. That’s the talented young East Bay singer-songwriter’s former band, signed to Capitol Records in 2006 and later disbanded. His solo debut is more mature and subdued than STN’s wild-eyed pop-punk, comparing favorably to the likes of Bright Eyes and the Counting Crows.

At Bottom of the Hill (1233 17th St., San Francisco) on November 27. 9:30 p.m., $12

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Oak Knoll to be Cleaned Up, Finally

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:11:00 -0800

The former Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in the Oakland hills, which has been strewn with overgrown weeds and hollowed-out buildings for more than a year, is finally going to get cleaned up. According to the Chron and the Trib, Lehman Brothers, the bankrupt co-owner of the property with developer SunCal, has agreed to pay $3.7 million to clean-up the property.

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Judge Sends BART Cop Murder Trial to Downtown LA

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:56:00 -0800

In a victory for prosecutors and the family of Oscar Grant, a judge has sent the murder trial of ex-BART cop Johannes Mehserle to downtown Los Angeles, according to the Trib and the Chron. Mehserle�s defense team had wanted the case moved to conservative San Diego County, where the jury pool likely would have been more sympathetic to police officers.

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Gluten-Free Oakland Bakery Expands

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Anneli Rufus) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:25 -0800

The East Bay's only dedicated gluten-free artisan bakery, Mariposa Baking Company, is expanding. Today is opening day at its new kiosk in the Ferry Building Marketplace. The San Francisco location's offerings will include fresh gluten-free breads, bagels, muffins, and cookies, as well as frozen pizzas, ravioli, and more. Special items for Thanksgiving include gluten-free cornbread, bread cubes for stuffing, rosemary rolls, and — by special order — pies.

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Blog Problems

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:13:18 -0800

We're experiencing some difficulties with our new website in that some older blogs are being displayed as "new," particularly when you click on the "Blogs" button from our home page. We're working to fix the problem. Thanks for your patience.

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Poll: Meg Whitman Now Tied with Jerry Brown

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:35:00 -0800

Republican candidate Meg Whitman has moved into a tie with state Attorney General Jerry Brown, according to a new Rasmussen poll. Whitman and Brown are deadlocked at 41 percent, although the poll shows Brown leading the other GOP hopefuls, Tom Campbell and Steve Poizner by at least nine percentage points. While Rasmussen polls tend to lean Republican, the new results can't be good for the former Oakland mayor.

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State Deficit Jumps to $21 Billion

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:32:38 -0800

California is facing a new financial crisis, as the projected budget deficit for next year has now ballooned to $20.7 billion, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. The news comes just four months after the governor and legislative leaders slashed $24 billion from this year's budget. And according to the Chron, Governor Schwarzenegger is against raising tax increases to help solve the new crisis, which is being caused primarily by declining revenues because of the recession.

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California Forces Flat Panel TVs to Go Green

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:39 -0800

The California Energy Commission has ordered the television industry to drastically reduce the amount of electricity that new TVs consume, the Chron reports. The new rules require that flat-panel TVs, which suck up huge amounts of electricity, become one-third more energy efficient by 2011, and 50 percent more efficient by 2013. Television manufacturers claim the new rules could result in higher TV prices and job losses.

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Brace Yourself: It's Top Ten Time

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Nate Seltenrich) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:31 -0800

In honor of our upcoming Holiday Guide on November 25, which features top-ten album reviews by a number of EBX staffers and contributors, here are a few lists already released by other outlets. Consider them top-ten snacks before your top-ten meal next week.

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Berkeley NIMBYs Complain, Again

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:26:35 -0800

Despite loud complaints from residents of the bucolic Berkeley hills, the city council unanimously agreed to relax noise limits for downtown nightclubs, the Chron reports. The council is determined to help the city's burgeoning downtown scene come to life, especially with the planned opening of a major new venue at the old UC Theatre. The council also thankfully ignored the many complaints by the Panoramic Hills Association, who claimed that all the noise from the downtown clubs would interfere with their sleep.

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Raiders to Extend Lease Until 2013

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:19:43 -0800

The Oakland Raiders have agreed to remain at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum through the 2013 season, according to the Bay Area News Group. The team's lease had been set to expire at the end of next season. Under the extension, the Raiders would pay Oakland and Alameda County $5 million, along with their annual $525,000 rent. The extension also includes an opt-out clause that would allow the team to leave Alameda County before 2013 - as long it pays the $5 million.

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Dellums Fails to Report Gift Travel

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:46:00 -0800

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums admitted last night that he failed to report a trip to South Africa as a gift on his statement of economic interests, even though it was paid for by the South African government. The mayor told the Trib that when he originally filled out his disclosure forms, he mistakenly thought he didn't have to report the travel as a gift because it was paid by another government.

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Perata's Tobacco Tax Will Harm Kids' Programs

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:08:06 -0800

Early childhood education advocates are gearing up to oppose ex-state Senator Don Perata's $1 tobacco tax because it would siphon much-needed funds from kids' programs, the Trib reports. A previous statewide tax initiative sponsored by Hollywood director Rob Reiner had earmarked funds for the kids' programs, but Perata's new hefty tax will likely depress cigarette sales, thereby resulting in less tax revenue for early childhood education.

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Coliseum Board Joins Soccer World Cup Campaign

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:13:08 -0800

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum board has joined the City of Oakland's effort to bring World Cup soccer to the East Bay, the Trib reports. The city wants to host soccer matches at the Coliseum if the United States should host the wildly popular worldwide tournament in 2018 or 20022. Oakland is one of 27 cities under consideration by the USA soccer committee, which is expected to narrow the list to eighteen cities by year's end. The international soccer federation will select the host nations for both 2018 and 2022 in December 2010. — Robert Gammon

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Up to 1,000 Oakland Truckers Will Be Out of Work

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:39:56 -0800

Up to 1,000 independent truckers at the Port of Oakland will be out of work by January 1 because of the port's new ban on older, dirty diesel trucks. The truckers had hoped to receive public funding to buy new trucks or retrofit their existing ones, but the Bay Area Air Quality Management District ran out of money, the Trib reports.

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Dead Baby Found in Berkeley's Aquatic Park

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:19:32 -0800

Curtis Martin III, a convicted child killer who is being held on suspicion of murdering a West Oakland woman at Berkeley's Aquatic Park, may also have killed the woman's young son. A child found dead, floating in the water at Aquatic Park yesterday, is believed to be the 17-month-old son of Zoelina Williams, who was found murdered at the park on Friday, the Chron reports.

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Prosecutors: Child-Killer Murdered Mother and Son

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:13:20 -0800

County prosecutors have charged child-killer Curtis Martin III with murdering a 17-month-old boy and then his mother to keep her quiet. According to the Chron and the Trib, Martin was arraigned on multiple murder charges with special circumstances yesterday that could result in the death penalty.

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Your Daily Lick: Make Me

editor@eastbayexpress.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:13:14 -0800

The Oakland quartet - two girls, two guys - has come into its own on this sophomore record, a slightly schizophrenic mix-up of sweet pop and raucous rock tempered with new wave and noise. Following along this exploratory path is the listener's primary pleasure, as the band's direct delivery makes every moment of discovery feel firsthand.

At Retox Lounge (628 20th St., San Francisco) on November 13. 8 p.m., $5

— Nate Seltenrich

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Local Licks

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Nate Seltenrich) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

This week, we review Hey Young Believer, Vinyl, Corinne West, and Camp Out. by Nate Seltenrich Hey Young Believer, Invisible by Day. Benevolent note to young bands: unless you play punk, don't put sixteen songs on your debut album. Even if you think they're all good. That's Hey Young Believer's main mistake, as most of the pure, peppy pop-rock songs are solid on their own — lead singer Lily Wolfson's classical training makes sure of it. Unfortunately, en masse their impact is blunted. (self-released) At Hotel Utah (400 4th St., San Francisco) on November 19. 9…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Broken Promise

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Robert Gammon) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

It's official; California no longer offers an affordable college education. Plus, a new casino moves forward in Richmond and alleged torturer loses BART contract. by Robert Gammon California's public colleges and universities used to be the envy of the nation. For a half-century, they provided an excellent education at an affordable price. But not any longer. The California State University system is raising student fees through the roof, and this week, the UC Board of Regents plans to increase them by a whopping 32 percent. It also plans to break its own long-standing promise of making sure that graduate programs are priced competitively. A report from the…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Mumlers

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Mark Keresman) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Don't Throw Me Away by Mark Keresman Without any retro accoutrements, San Jose's Mumlers draw upon classic acoustic Americana (no Gram Parsons or Uncle Tupelo here, sorry) for their cozy, out-of-time style. Superficially the Mumlers (using banjo, horns, glockenspiel, ukulele, along with standard rock instrumentation) resemble Tom Waits' ramshackle, battered-fractured approach, but there's a lot more to their equation. Echoes of the Band's Music from Big Pink, Dylan's early gone-electric period, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band can be heard wafting through their songs, but the Mumlers…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Sad Disco Star

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Kathleen Wentz) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

El Perro del Mar's melancholy turns danceable on Love Is Not Pop. by Kathleen Wentz Throughout her career, El Perro del Mar, aka Swedish singer Sarah Assbring, has suffused her records with a personal kind of anguish. Her achingly despondent voice teetered toward breaking in lines like This loneliness ain't pretty no more on her 2006 self-titled debut. It could have been a total downer, except that Assbring often chose to pair her pain with the innocently romantic and lighthearted music of 1960s girl groups: angelic sha-la-la-la choruses, faint handclaps, dramatic strings, and jaunty bass…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Dark River Ahead

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Rachel Swan) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Oakland Opera recreates the Fannie Lou Hamer story. by Rachel Swan When you drop a pebble in a stream it forms concentric circles on the surface of the water. You could say that image symbolizes change — or, at the very least, disruption. Thus, it seems apropos that Oakland Opera artistic director Tom Dean designed the set for Dark River: The Fannie Lou Hamer Story with circles as a predominant motif. (One need look no further than word "river" to know it's a story of movement and change.) In Dean's set,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Tinariwen

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Mark Keresman) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Imidiwan: Companions by Mark Keresman While many rockers, rappers, and punks sing (or rant) about life lived on the edge, some lack any frame of reference. Take Tinariwen, a band consisting Tuareg tribespeople from the deserts of Northwestern Africa. The Tuaregs are traditionally nomadic, but some were "compelled" into involuntary military service. Tinariwen came together in refugee camps, and while their forefathers picked on lutes and played shepherds' flutes, these hep gents (and ladies) took to electrified guitars, bass, and assorted percussion to convey their…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Dark and Provocative

editor@eastbayexpress.com (Kirsty Evans) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Japanese underground sensation Dir en grey is the very definition of a cult band. by Kirsty Evans Its albums and singles frequently chart in its homeland despite relatively little mainstream exposure, due to a positively rabid following that buys everything it releases on pre-order. Tickets to its concerts sell out so fast that fans have to resort to buying them on Yahoo auctions. Its followers in America camp out overnight in front of concert venues just to get a spot close to the stage. More than ten years into its career, Dir en grey still inspires a…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]