A bewigged Phil Spector shares screen time with John Lennon's famous white piano in The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector. Phil Spector is a musical genius. He’s also an egomaniac who compares himself favorably to Michelangelo, Galileo and Da Vinci, a recluse with a penchant for firearms, and an inmate in Corcoran State Prison, […]
Music
Posted inCommunity
A moment in time: French horn player on Ohlone
Berkeleysider Diana Howard was walking home from the Y yesterday on Ohlone Greenway when she spotted this “plein air” French horn player running through some tunes. “It was near Hearst and McGee,” says Howard, a designer who keeps a notebook on her at all times for just such an opportunity to sketch on the hoof. “I’ve seen him […]
Posted inArts
Berkeley Girl transplanted to SoCal
Singer songwriter Harper Simon, who describes his music as “psychedelic country and rock”, has released a new video of his single, Berkeley Girl. It’s the tale of a woman from our fair city who has “the style of Paulette Goddard and a smile like Joan Fontaine”. But, just as in the television show Parenthood, Berkeley […]
Posted inArts, Business, Events
Music for everyone at Downtown Berkeley MusicFest
The first man to play the first show at Freight & Salvage in 1968 will be the kickoff headliner event for the Downtown Berkeley MusicFest, a nine-day extravaganza of music. Phil Marsh, described as a “folk-to-country-to-blues troubadour” will reunite with the Energy Crisis band for a performance Friday August 20 at 8 pm the newly-remodeled […]
Posted inArts, Events
Phish delights fans at the Greek Theater
More than 8,500 people streamed into the Greek Theater on Thursday for the first of Phish’s three concerts. When the shows were announced, tickets sold out in about five minutes. They originally cost $50 but are in such high demand now that some are selling on the secondary market for $750. It looks like it […]
Posted inArts, Business
Passion for music underpins harpsichord maker’s craft
Harpsichord maker John Phillips in his West Berkeley workshop. Photo: Janet Delaney By Emily Gordis The front room of John Phillips’ West Berkeley workshop on Grayson Street is crowded with an Italian-style harpsichord in for repairs from Virginia and a French-style instrument, waiting to be delivered to its new owner in El Cerrito. In the next […]
Posted inArts
Music amid the redwoods at UC’s Botanical Garden
If listening to folk music in a beautiful natural setting sounds like you’re kind of thing, you might want to check out UC Botanical Garden‘s summer music series which runs every Thursday evening until July 29 in the garden’s Redwood Grove Ampitheater. Tonight’s Garden Grooves event is a singer/songwriter night featuring Ed Masuga, That Blasted Hound and Chloe […]
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Music for summer: Second year for concert series
A local concert series has kicked off its second season in the Westbrae neighborhood and offers the opportunity to enjoy free music, food and socializing on lazy summer weekends. The Westbrae Garden Concert series, which take place on Saturday lunchtimes in the garden next to the Bagel Shop and Toot Sweet on Gilman Street at Santa Fe […]
Posted inArts
Be puzzled by The Residents tonight at BAM
The Residents are performing in the Berkeley Art Museum’s L@TE program tonight at 7:30 p.m. If you know who The Residents are, the rest of this post is superfluous. If you don’t, read on. Here’s how The Resident’s FAQ tries to explain things: 1. Are The Residents a band, or what? A. I guess I […]
Posted inArts
Berkeley Playhouse’s Oliver is delightful
I’ve rhapsodized previously about the stellar plays put on by Berkeley Playhouse, and I am pleased to say that its current production of Oliver is wonderful. The show features 30 kids, mostly from schools around Berkeley and Oakland. Nandi Drayton is wonderful as Oliver, and Katie Corbus is great as the Artful Dodger. “As the […]
Posted inArts
American Idiot rocks Broadway
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt at afterparty “American Idiot” opened last night on Broadway to rave reviews. The New York Times called it “thrillingly raucous and gorgeously wrought.” USA Today declared it the “feel-good musical of the season.” The Washington Post called it “dazzling” and said the musical had “coolly aggressive dance […]
Posted inNosh
The lunchtime music scene at The Cheeseboard
For many people living in Berkeley — or elsewhere in the Bay Area — there’s no better pizza than the one served at The Cheeseboard. For 20 years, the Berkeley cooperative has been spinning out pies. There’s never tomato sauce, but there is always some interesting topping, like roasted cauliflower, pesto, butternut squash, feta cheese, […]