Friday, January 4, 2013
Weekender: This Weekend's Top Five Events
Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 8:00 AM
It's the first weekend of the new year, so here are some fun things to do besides practicing writing "2013" over and over again.
we/customize
From pins and patches to cell-phone covers and low-riders, we're all involved in the ritual of imparting our barrage of mass-produced stuff with that certain je ne sais quoi of individual identity. And "we/customize," the new participatory exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California, is inspired by just that spirit of personal expression. From Friday through Sunday, Jan. 4-6, join makers, hackers, and DIYers at the museum to make clothes, hack toys, remix music, and more. 1-4 p.m., free with museum admission. 510-318-8400 or MuseumCA.org — Azeen Ghorayshi
Golden Gate Fields Dollar Days
Dollar beers are a special form of happiness: The clean single-bill exchange, the thrilling feeling of beating the system, and the exhilarating taste of cold, cheap beer can win over even the hardest cynic’s heart. Enjoy any number of dollar beers this Sunday, Jan. 6 at Golden Gate Fields, along with one-dollar admission, parking programs, hot dogs, and sodas. Place bets, watch the races, or just smile contentedly at the live band providing the perfect soundtrack to your financially sound Sunday. 12:45 p.m., $1. GoldenGateFields.com — A.G.
Feelmore Fresh Fridays
As if First Friday hadn't already become a confluence of every sort of activity imaginable, now you can add some erotica to the mix. Starting on Friday, Jan. 4, Feelmore510 will host a night of kinky films at The New Parkway at midnight after each month's Art Murmur. Inspired by a trip to the Berlin Porn Festival, Feelmore510 owner Nenna "Feelmore" Joiner said she wanted to help bring a little more visibility to the kink scene in Oakland. Films will cover a range of genres, including "erotic, nude, pornographic, and artsy." Ages eighteen and over. Midnight, $5. 510-658-7900 or TheNewParkway.com — A.G.
Nick's Pizza
“Oakland-style pizza” sounds like it might be the punchline to a bad joke, or, at the very least, a marketing ploy. In truth, the moniker is the conceit of Nick Yapor-Cox, an Oakland native who opened Nick’s Pizza in the spring of 2012. Nick’s really does serve a style of pizza that’s largely unique to the Bay Area: locally sourced seasonal toppings and a sourdough crust. It’s the Cheese Board or Arizmendi approach, except with meat. And the pizza at Nick’s is pretty great — both the organic sourdough crust (which combines an appealing chewiness with a bottom crust that stays crispy) and the seasonal toppings, which rotate from week to week. While it’s hard to pass up on pizza topped with apples and pulled pork, or prosciutto and arugula, one of the best pies is the basic pepperoni: a full-flavored, perfectly balanced classic. —Luke Tsai
Soft White Sixties
There's no irony in The Soft White Sixties' name — its music sounds exactly like what you'd expect of the music from the period: straightforward rock 'n' roll tunes with catchy guitar hooks and soulful melodies. Singer Octavio Genera adds to it his gravely, bluesy vocals, which can turn a simple love song into a gut-wrenching plea. While its music draws heavy inspiration from The Rolling Stones and The Who, The Soft White Sixties shares more similarities with modern bands like The Strokes and The Dandy Warhols, but with a lot less pretension. There'll be dancing and swaying and maybe even a lighter in the air when The Soft White Sixties plays The Uptown on Friday, Jan. 4, with fellow retro rock bands Mahgeetah and Whiskerman. 9 p.m., free. UptownNightclub.com — Whitney Phaneuf
Plus...
Get your cheapskate on:
This is how much we love you guys: Here are our searchable listings of every single free event happening in the East Bay this weekend.
Feed Us: Got any East Bay news, events, video, or miscellany we should know about? Holler at us at Azeen.Ghorayshi@EastBayExpress.com.
