Wine & Bowties Bazaar goes gonzo for local culture

Influencing culture in ways that are at all times significant, positive, audacious, and truly reflective of what’s happening in a region is a fine art. In its heyday, few represented the Bay Area’s ability to do just that better than Oakland’s Wine & Bowties event producers. With the series of FEELS parties from 2014 to 2018, Wine & Bowties had one foot planted in the current zeitgeist and the other stepping into the future.

It really doesn’t seem like that long ago when FEELS VI took over Richmond’s Craneway Pavilion with a lineup led by Kelis, Mykki Blanco, Princess Nokia, and a budding Yves Tumor, along with signature East Bay rappers Rexx Life Raj and ALLBLACK, electronic producer Russell E.L. Butler, the divine Spellling, and straight-up luminary Lonnie Holley. But that was the last big hurrah, and one hell of a way to go out. Co-founders Max Gibson and Will Bundy soon went their separate ways, and the name has been completely dormant since the pandemic hit.

Until now. On August 31 from 1pm-8pm at Oakland’s The Loom, Wine & Bowties is roaring back with the first Wine & Bowties Bazaar. Less of a party and more of a gonzo cultural exhibition (plus hella affordable), the bazaar is set to bring in artists from a number of disciplines alongside live music, diverse exhibitors, and food vendors. 

“It’s very simply about bringing the vibe back,” says Gibson, now the sole operator of Wine & Bowties, who has shown a lot of love to Bay Area artists while working at Bandcamp’s HQ in Oakland for the past five years. “The Bay’s been one of the slowest regions in the country to recover from the pandemic, and the vibrant creative cultural community that the Bay has been known for for so long has been hit the hardest. So this event is really about celebrating them and bringing some of that energy back to the community.” 

On a drag of 22nd Ave at the base of I-880, The Loom is a multicomplex arts warehouse space on a four-acre plot. The Bazaar will see a mix of indoor and outdoor exhibitors heavy on fashion, vintage, thrift, records, zines and art—mostly from the Bay. Think of it as a locally-inspired multidisciplinary arts mart with live music too. 

Some highlights of the 30+ exhibitor slate include Oakland vintage shop/custom embroider Miraflores and zine collective Irrelevant Press, ceramicist Kristen Stain, reclaimed materials designer GURO Designs, SF’s Patch Ya Later, Oakland risograph studio Floss Editions and Haight Street vinyl purveyor Offshore Sounds (whose killer selection of Japanese jazz and Brazilian records I can personally attest to.) It’s super-diverse, and this just scratches the surface on the still growing list of participants, with more announced on the Wine & Bowties Instagram through the end of the month. 

Musically speaking it’s an all Bay Area lineup with surging rapper Seiji Oda leading the way, along with multi-instrumentalist Cheflee, Oakland youth ensemble the Prospect Band (featuring members of Grammy-winning Alphabet Rockers) and a showcase from queer Black indie label 7000Coils. Meanwhile the visual identity of the Bazaar (which you see on the flyer and all creative visuals in and around at the event), was produced as a collaboration with London’s Osheyi Adebayo, Brazil’s Monga Design and Berkeley staple Chaz Bear of Toro y Moi.  

There’ll be a modest-but-mighty food vendor village featuring wood grilled tacos and smoked brisket from Tacos El Ultimo Baile and Mexican tapas and bites from Vegan Chula Eats. Gibson says there’ll be multiple bars spread out with curated cocktails and other libations as well as a variety of mixed seating and lounges for people to kick back and take in the music. He recommends ride share transport to the function, although there will be plenty of parking on site too. 

Overall, it’s shaping up to be a well-curated celebration of Bay Area arts and culture. And a much needed one, given how it has indeed been a more difficult road back to recovery from the pandemic for independently-operated arts and culture organizations in the region. FEELS was always a breath of fresh air in a landscape that was becoming increasingly dominated by corporate entities. Now, the return of Wine & Bowties might just be more vital than ever. 

“This is the evolution of FEELS and really an initiative that’s aimed to serve the current needs of the creative landscape in Oakland and the Bay in a post-pandemic world,” says Gibson of the Bazaar. “The creative community has given me so much and provided so much inspiration over the years that I feel committed to giving back to it in the same way.” 

WINE & BOWTIES BAZAAR takes place August 31, 1pm-8pm, at the Loom, Oakland. More info here.