The East Bay Arts and Culture Review

An unequivocal standing ovation erupted tonight for Marc Bamuthi Joseph and the Living Word Project's 'red, black and GREEN: a blues (rbGb)' at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. rbGB is an inspiring example of the amazing multimedia work that can be done to bring communities into the Green, and the conversations that should happen with people of all colors to help humanity survive and thrive. Bamuthi Joseph captivates his audience from the moment they step into the room to find the performers at home in and on unique, colorful installations. The first section of the performance thus begins with the audience mere inches from the artists. At such close range, we are reminded that we are not mere onlookers of the performance nor of life. Such an introduction creatively sets a precedent for the whole evening, where audience members are consistently connected as participants of a critical discussion in new light: how do we sustain the human race? What role do cultural roots and history play? And who is responsible for this task? We find our way to our seats only to fall into a whirlwind of true stories and fictionalized memoirs; snatches of conversations and breathtaking dance...

Last Saturday night, the audience at San Francisco's Regency Ballroom was instantly floored by Sainthood Reps' energy, and captivated for the length of their 35-minute set. From their pounding drums, louder and harder than the Beastie Boys, to their catchy melodies, peppier than Green Day, Sainthood Reps brought an innovative yet familiar sound to their unusual show. It began with rhythmic, echoing drum hits, and the passionate lyrics of lead singer Derrick Sherman. The raw power of Sainthood Reps' soaring guitar riffs was engrossing, especially when the band featured unexpected harmonies, and the driving beat moved every song forward. The energy enveloped bass player Jani Zubkovs as well - in one particular song, he bounced from beginning to end without stopping, playing all the while. The most unusual part of the performance was the rhythmic complexity of many of the songs. They would start out in a solid square meter, and then suddenly shift into a triple meter for the chorus. These changes took me completely by surprise, perhaps because they're so rare in commercially popular music, and they added to the inventive nature of Sainthood Reps' sound. Later, Sainthood Reps showed off their sonic diversity with a slower, more...

Last Friday night, young adults from around the Bay Area converged on San Francisco's Curran Theater to see the puppet-based improv show "Stuffed and Unstrung." But this performance was special - patrons between 21 and 35 received discounted tickets, and access to an exclusive reception before the show. That reception, the latest in SHNSF's 21ThirtyFive series, included free drinks and plenty of schmoozing. The program happens regularly at SHNSF's shows, according to house photographer Damien Miller, and he said that it's always a great crowd. "At a lot of the arts and culture events here in San Francisco, you've got a lot of tourists, and you've got a lot of socialites," Miller said. "The fact that you can just hone down the demographic to 21-35 is really awesome because you can just mingle with people from all around the Bay." Some 21ThirtyFive attendees came from farther away, like Noelle Bell-Copley of Santa Cruz, who received an e-mail before the show. "Their e-mail was very funny," she said, "and who doesn't love muppets and puppeteers?" Bell-Copley came with seven friends, and said that the addition of the 21ThirtyFive event to the show helped "seal the deal" as they decided whether to...

(Reporting contributed by Maia Wolins, Fine Arts Correspondent) As we entered the California Academy of Sciences' NightLife event, we were greeted by techno music, crowds of content adults with drinks in hand, and an albino alligator calmly surveying the surroundings.  By day, the Academy is a family-friendly destination filled with the wonders of nature, tips for sustainable living, and learning opportunities around every corner. By night, each Thursday, the scene transforms into a 21+ cocktail party combined with a visit to the museum. The lights were dimmed and guests wore semi-formal/casual evening attire, creating a pleasant atmosphere in which to drink and converse. It was easy to strike up casual conversation with neighbors as we moved through the exhibits. DJ-ed music in the entrance hall gave the feeling that there could have been dancing, but the only dancing we witnessed was by the jellyfish, and three patrons reluctantly leaving at the end of the night. The museum's content ranged from sea horses and sharks in the aquarium section downstairs, to live penguins and preserved cheetahs on the first floor, and access to a "living roof" upstairs. An interesting section on stuffed birds native to California caught our eyes, as well...

Tonight's encore simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera's "Nixon in China" presentation was stunning on several levels. The writing (by the incredible - and locally-based - John Adams) was fresh and exciting, and gives as always new life to the genre of "opera." The Met's production was grand and visually exciting, full of breathtaking set pieces, and featuring the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the "Rolls Royce of opera orchestras," as one of the on-screen interviewees explained. Finally, the Live in HD simulcast was consistently engaging, featuring interviews with all of the key actors and producers before and between the acts. The interviews were occasionally too short, but they provided a context to the opera that the in-person production could never match. With only one problem - the Cinemark theater hosting the presentation, the "Pleasant Hill Century 16." Only minutes before the end of the final act, the projector abruptly faded to black, followed after a couple of minutes by the sound. After about 15 minutes of sitting in the darkened theater, as the other patrons started leaving, they announced that the theater's internet connection had failed - it had been acting up since Monday, and they hadn't bothered to fix it...

Iration, the young Reggae band from Hawaii, brought a special energy to Oakland's Fox Theater on Jan. 15. The crowd ranged from teenagers to middle-aged adults, a testament to Reggae's infectious rhythm, and Iration's particular appeal to everyone in attendance. The set began strong, with an explosion of Island style, and the energy never dropped off. Drummer Joseph Dickens - shirtless though he was - laid down a consistently intricate and danceable beat, never wavering throughout the set. Every song felt real - perhaps it was due to Iration's youth, but their music comes with the sincerity of a group that believes in its writing. The audience sang along to many of Iration's songs. The band has been around long enough for their songs to develop a following, but they still play with the excitement of a newly-discovered band on tour for the first time. The dramatic stage lighting certainly deepened the experience as well, following the individual contours of the music. Scattered tastefully throughout the set, Micah Pueschel's guitar solos brought an intensity that propelled several of the songs to new heights. Each one energized the entire audience, and their enthusiastic dancing increased in proportion. Reggae fan Samantha Heller...