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Monday, February 10, 2025

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A project almost nobody wants is going forward in the Mission, thanks to Yimbys

60 low-tenants displaced by fire (one dead); now landlord gets to build luxury condos—only because of Wiener and his allies in Sacramento.

Full board will hear Lurie’s attempt to fire pro-reform police commissioner

Mandelman calls for Committee of the Whole to consider whether to allow the mayor to oust Max Carter Oberstone

Drama Masks: Voices of incarcerated women take center stage at YBCA

Art exhibit 'The Only Door I Can Open' and Flyaway Productions' 'I Give You My Sorrows' speak out for prisoners' rights.

Inside the pervasive news media bias in the Berkeley mayoral election

Missing context, misleading stories helped boost longshot Adena Ishii into the city's top office.

As SF posts up for NBA All-Star Weekend, brush up on classic Bay Area ballers

Remembering the 'East Bay Funk Dunk,' Rick Barry's 1967 MVP, booing Chris Cohan, more iconic moments.

Why is SF’s NBA All-Star Weekend musical lineup so meh?

Flo Rida and The Chainsmokers? Give us E-40, give us Kehlani, give us Larry June—not this random mash-up.

ODC School dance classes are for everybody!

Choose from an electrifying range of classes from the Best of the Bay winner—your first class is only $12!

Win tickets to Indiefest closing night film ‘Timestalker’

We've got 10 pairs of tickets to Brit comic Alice Lowe's hilarious time-traveling romp. Here's how to enter

Arts Forecast: New folk opera swoops in on tale of Fruitvale falcons

Flight Lessons' scores a peregrine pair. Plus: Dilla Day, M Lamar, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Poolside, Bedouin, more to do

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Inside the pervasive news media bias in the Berkeley mayoral election

Missing context, misleading stories helped boost longshot Adena Ishii into the city's top office.

As SF posts up for NBA All-Star Weekend, brush up on classic Bay Area ballers

Remembering the 'East Bay Funk Dunk,' Rick Barry's 1967 MVP, booing Chris Cohan, more iconic moments.

News

Arts

Full board will hear Lurie’s attempt to fire pro-reform police commissioner

Mandelman calls for Committee of the Whole to consider whether to allow the mayor to oust Max Carter Oberstone

Drama Masks: Voices of incarcerated women take center stage at YBCA

Art exhibit 'The Only Door I Can Open' and Flyaway Productions' 'I Give You My Sorrows' speak out for prisoners' rights.

Inside the pervasive news media bias in the Berkeley mayoral election

Missing context, misleading stories helped boost longshot Adena Ishii into the city's top office.

As SF posts up for NBA All-Star Weekend, brush up on classic Bay Area ballers

Remembering the 'East Bay Funk Dunk,' Rick Barry's 1967 MVP, booing Chris Cohan, more iconic moments.

Why is SF’s NBA All-Star Weekend musical lineup so meh?

Flo Rida and The Chainsmokers? Give us E-40, give us Kehlani, give us Larry June—not this random mash-up.

ODC School dance classes are for everybody!

Choose from an electrifying range of classes from the Best of the Bay winner—your first class is only $12!

Category

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Trump’s attacks on trans people and public health escalate into a war on reality itself

Administration moves to purge scientific facts, stifle essential research, and erase entire populations.

Juanita More’s Loads of Love party is a Valentine for heavy times

The drag goddess's huge, free V-Day affair shows off the talents of 'our big, amazing, talented, beautiful, powerful family.'

Category

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Trump’s attacks on trans people and public health escalate into a war on reality itself

Administration moves to purge scientific facts, stifle essential research, and erase entire populations.

Juanita More’s Loads of Love party is a Valentine for heavy times

The drag goddess's huge, free V-Day affair shows off the talents of 'our big, amazing, talented, beautiful, powerful family.'

Category

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Trump’s attacks on trans people and public health escalate into a war on reality itself

Administration moves to purge scientific facts, stifle essential research, and erase entire populations.

Juanita More’s Loads of Love party is a Valentine for heavy times

The drag goddess's huge, free V-Day affair shows off the talents of 'our big, amazing, talented, beautiful, powerful family.'

Category

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Trump’s attacks on trans people and public health escalate into a war on reality itself

Administration moves to purge scientific facts, stifle essential research, and erase entire populations.

Juanita More’s Loads of Love party is a Valentine for heavy times

The drag goddess's huge, free V-Day affair shows off the talents of 'our big, amazing, talented, beautiful, powerful family.'

Category

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Trump’s attacks on trans people and public health escalate into a war on reality itself

Administration moves to purge scientific facts, stifle essential research, and erase entire populations.

Juanita More’s Loads of Love party is a Valentine for heavy times

The drag goddess's huge, free V-Day affair shows off the talents of 'our big, amazing, talented, beautiful, powerful family.'
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Opinion

All the worst people in the world

How we survived the stifling political atmosphere of the 1980s, and what it means as we enter another dark age.

Letters to the editor: What is the city getting by allowing housing demolitions?

Project by project, existing housing is destroyed for new high-priced units. Is this the way to solve the housing crisis?

Trump’s absurdist ‘Pere Ubu’ moment

Playwright Alfred Jarry's indelible 1896 theatrical tyrant pointed the way to our felon president—and his load of 'merdre.'

Malibu, fires, and the mandate for endless growth

In a climate crisis, is it really a good idea to build more and denser housing in high-severity fire zones?

OPINION: An open letter to three new supervisors with a few questions

Can a concerned resident pin down Sherrill, Mahmood, and Sauter on some issues they haven't talked much about?

Dear Elon: Maybe you need a new place when Trump and Congress are done with you

Is there a ceiling on Trump's debt to you? You could always open a store in Union Square.

Opinion: The Cuban healthcare system and its lessons for the US

Single payer, medical missions, and the US campaign of disinformation
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Arts + CultureMusicUnder the Stars: Mt. Tam's Sound Summit brings golden...

Under the Stars: Mt. Tam’s Sound Summit brings golden tunes to the slopes

Plus: A 'High Fidelity' revival, an 'Omakase' of rap, Chaz Bear's limitless euphonic ecosystem, more music

A particular type of person reads Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel High Fidelity and says out loud to themselves, “That’s me. Fuck.” 

It’s a tale about an annoying music know-it-all (ahem) who runs his own record shop, and when his girlfriend leaves him, hilarity and pitfalls ensue on a grand level while his world goes to shite. 

Fun fact: An ex-girlfriend of mine gave me this book to read six months before she broke up with me. Just saying. 

When the film came out in 2000, there were many discussions going on amid all the annoying music windbags in record stores throughout San Francisco. From grunge clowns, EDM Hooter attendants, drum and bass dark heads, hip-hop enthusiasts (G-Funkers vs boom-bap keep it real cats) to bookend millennials and thrift store-clad indie-jangle fog pop scenesters: This piece of Americana cinema was note for note illuminating. It caught ’em all in their feels. 

I also stanned for the one-season Hulu show, that got canceled, of the same name that starred Zoë Kravitz in the leading role. Dammit Hulu, you had just one job. 

Well, BroadwaySF and Noise Pop have teamed up to bring “the ultimate High Fidelity evening” to the Curran Theatre. “Unscripted: an evening with John Cusack screening High Fidelity” on Saturday, November 18 will be followed by an engaging post-show conversation with the star himself, where he will share insights, take audience questions, and just be John Cusack.

So ring the alarm….Record nerds unite. Sell that exceptionally rare copy of Miles Davis’ Turnaround for the well-needed additional cash and go forth swiftly, your evening awaits! 

We are advancing this two months in ahead of time because we LOVE records, John Cusack is a cultural icon (to some), and this event will sell out quickly. So grab tickets here.

But just in case you forgot… It’s Under The Stars, babe. A quasi-weekly column that presents new music releases, upcoming shows, opinions, and a number of other adjacent items. We keep moving with the changes, thinking outside the margins.

Let’s camel walk (subtle James Brown reference…)

TORO Y MOI, SANDHILLS EP

As Chaz Bear, born Chazwick Bradley Bundick, progresses in his career, the Oakland-based artist strikes me as not just an indie performer, but a limitless euphonic ecosystem. 

Dude, done did it all: Slippery R&B, chirpy funk, 4/4 house adjacent arrangements, soft-rock machinations, and digitally glossed-up pop with an uppercase P.

But he still keeps pushing further into himself.

I learned very young from my parent’s vinyl collection that music is music, regardless of genre or artist. If it moves you, it has a purpose.

Toro y Moi has released a new EP called Sandhills, it’s a polaroid-type snapshot look back at his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. Accompanied by a short film directed by Steve Daniels, this surprise release, akin to a Roald Dahl short tale, features musing with southern inflections and soft rock cushionings, similar to his 2015 release What For?, which I consider a modern classic. The lyrics tell stories of growing up in a small town, playing high school football but thinking “bout my six-string” and such. 

No matter the encasing, excuse me, the beat, tempo, or drawl of these songs, the EP conveys an American story with precision using a short shrift economy of words shot through a vivid, active prism.

 Sandhills may be one for the Toro y Moi heads, but Chaz Bear pulls it off like a poncho.

Buy it here when it refreshes or hit your local record store. Tell ‘em Chaz sent you.

THE BREATHING ROOM, LOVE LOST 

Toss your phones in the glove box. Give that automated driverless car the finger as you travel on the 101 for simpler times, sharing the friendship of community as you seek out a beach, a body of water to dip your toes in, and something really cold to drink. 

The Berkeley collective that goes by the name The Breathing Room (great title for these pressurized times) makes lasting impressions with their blend of “psychedelia, jazz, and classic songwriting to heartfelt soul”—you catch a wave of that soft-rock melodicism, just taking its time getting to the heart. 

Unfortunately, I missed the record release at Rickshaw on Friday, August 25 (my bad), but I look forward to other opportunities because this outfit has the stuff of dreamcatchers and moonbeams, baby.

Pick up the record here.

MELLOW MUSIC GROUP, OMAKASE

If you are curious about where hip-hop will be in five to 10 years, look no further than Mello Music Group and their talented roster of artists who infuse the genre with tracks inspired by jazz, soul, R&B, and funk.

The Japanese phrase “Omakase” is often used in fine sushi restaurants, meaning to trust the chef’s hand. This compilation, which borrows the term as its title, features heavyweight spitters, top talent, and great up-and-comers.

According to the press release, the Mello compilation series originated as a platform for label chief Mello to collaborate directly with artists, exploring new sounds, collaborations, and musical movements.

With Chris Keys, YungMorpheus, Apollo Brown, Kamaal Williams, L’Orange, Raheem DeVaughnn, and Magna Carda bringing mellow vibes reminiscent of Bahamadia, hip-hop has another solid 50 years on the books for sure.

Pick it up here.

SOUND SUMMIT, SAT/9 AT MOUNTAIN THEATER, MT. TAMALPAIS STATE PARK

As described by festival organizers Roots & Branches Conservancy—a San Francisco Bay Area-based non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of natural resources both physical and cultural—Sound Summit is a one-day festival that promises quality music high above San Francisco Bay, and is a scenic way to greet the oncoming autumn.

The festival features performances from folk-rock storytellers Lord Huron, Americana vocalist Sierra Ferrell, modern-day troubadour Kevin Morby, a special reunion of Bay Area music collective Brokedown in Bakersfield (Nicki Bluhm, Tim Bluhm, Dan Lebowitz, Steve Adams, Scott Law, Dave Brogan), and Marin County’s own beloved groove-commanders Vinyl. It’s a day made for enjoying views and other things that blow in the air.

KNBR radio personalities Murph & Mac (aka Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey) serve as the day’s Masters of Ceremonies along with KPFA’s “Dead to the World” radio host Tim Lynch. Andy Cabic of Vetiver keeps the aesthetic tuned to “keep it moving” by spinning records between sets. While tickets are not super cheap at $120 for adults and $60 for youth 12 and under, it’s worth the price.

Gates open at 10am, music from 11am-7pm, grab those tickets here.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our FacebookTwitter, and Instagram

John-Paul Shiver
John-Paul Shiverhttps://www.clippings.me/channelsubtext
John-Paul Shiver has been contributing to 48 Hills since 2019. His work as an experienced music journalist and pop culture commentator has appeared in the Wire, Resident Advisor, SF Weekly, Bandcamp Daily, PulpLab, AFROPUNK, and Drowned In Sound.

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Featured

Two housing measures would give massive breaks to private developers

Plus: How is Mayor Lurie going to fund Muni? That's The Agenda for Feb. 9-16

Trump’s attacks on trans people and public health escalate into a war on reality itself

Administration moves to purge scientific facts, stifle essential research, and erase entire populations.

Juanita More’s Loads of Love party is a Valentine for heavy times

The drag goddess's huge, free V-Day affair shows off the talents of 'our big, amazing, talented, beautiful, powerful family.'

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