The Malcolm X Jazz Fest Represents the Best of Oakland

    The Malcolm X Jazz Fest Represents the Best of Oakland

    Yesterday’s 12th annual Malcolm X Jazz Festival encapsulated what I love most about Oakland. A diverse gathering of families, youth and young professionals celebrated Malcolm Xâ€...

    Alonzo "Turf" Jones Wows At America's Got Talent Auditions

    Alonzo “Turf” Jones Wows At America’s Got Talent Auditions

    Many heads in the Bay know contortionist hip-hop dancer Alonzo Jones as Retro. At the San Francisco auditions for America's Got Talent, Jones introduced himself as Turf, but what h...

    Oakland Love: The Morcom Rose Garden

    Oakland Love: The Morcom Rose Garden

    Oakland is for lovers. Nothing affirms this more than spring in the Morcom Rose Garden. Sunken in a valley-like amphitheater at 700 Jean st. off of Grand Avenue, the rose garden is...

    Mixtape Review: IamSu!: KILT

    Mixtape Review: IamSu!: KILT

    "Same pack, same crew. Your boy stay true." This line from Richmond's own IamSu! is more than true and can be proven by the work put into his newest mixtape KILT. ...

    Notes To Oakland
    To kick off our new community series, Notes to Oakland, we are sharing a note from Alma Jurado. She came by the 38thnotes table at the Temescal Street Fair and shared this appreciation for Oakland men. I humbly accept her compliment on behalf of all Oakland men, and echo her remarks to The Town’s women as well. Whether you are into men, women or both, as this Indian summer settles over the Bay Area, we are bound to witness the best The O has to offer. Thank you for sharing, Alma!
    Notes To Oakland
    Aug 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

    Read the notes Oaklanders are writing to their beloved city, and submit your own! Shoot us your story, celebration or plea to Oakland at submissions@38thnotes.com with “Notes to Oakland” in the subject.



    Music Video: Symba: "Winning Pt. 2"

    Deer Valley hoop star cum Berkeley spitter is back with the video for “Winning Pt. 2.” In this Aquavis Warfield-directed video, he finds himself toe-to-toe with a rival emcee in a basement-lit battle scene. He prowls and attacks, starts and stops, something [...]

    Video: Etta James Live In Oakland Backed By The Grateful Dead & Tower of Power

    Etta James is famous for bridging a myriad of genres with her music, but this collaborative effort takes the cake. On New Years Eve of 1982 Etta James and Tower of Power’s famous horn section joined Jerry Garcia’s Grateful Dead on stage for a 30+ minute [...]

    Tonight At The Theater: A Movie Classic & the Oakland Premier of Red Tails

    There are many who long for a bygone era. A time when ladies and gentlemen stepped into the streets of a glistening downtown adorned in dresses, suits, trench coats and fedoras. An era when there was a certain air of class that made urban Oakland feel [...]

    Music Video: J. Lately feat. El Prez: "Share The Love"

    Cali representer and West Oakland educator J. Lately is back with a dope ode to Cali’s world class trees. On it, producer Nima Fadavi blends falsetto ad-libs and lower register horn blasts, before the beat crescendos into a soulful sample (which, I’ve [...]

    Music Video: Moe Green feat. Netta B: "Glory"

    “Overworked and underbooked,” is how Moe Green describes himself in “Glory.” If you’ve ever met dude, you know that his work ethic is real. But it doesn’t take running in to him on one of his many sleepless nights to know that he’s always working, just [...]

    Event: Cre8tive Class Apparel Design Contest

    Local apparel company Cre8tive Class launched on Black Friday and has been bubbling worldwide ever since. C8C’s branding and social media expertise had the label buzzing before anyone had even seen a t-shirt, but their Fall 2011 line solidified their [...]

    Event: What is Your Dream? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

    Most folks love a holiday weekend. That extra day off to chill, sleep or play catch up is one that we anticipate. But we here at 38th Notes are hoping you use Monday as more of a day on than a day off. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the good [...]

    Art: Scott Weaver's Rolling Through The Bay

    Scott Weaver is a beast. Using a household item most use to pick Butterfingers out of their teeth, he has made a career, and most famously, a dynamic living model of the city he loves. With San Francisco as his muse, Weaver invested 35 years and 100,000 [...]

    Straight Outta B-Town: The Evolution of The Cataracs

    When I was in college at UCLA, my roommate Garrett put me up on The Cataracs via their CD Technohop Volume 1. At the time they had a regional hit with The Pack called “Blueberry Afghani,” their T-Pain remix “I’m In Love With a Swisher” was buzzing, and [...]

    New Music: Siaira Shawn: "Icarus (Who is in Charge?)" & "Dusk"

    Siaira Shawn’s debut project The In Between was an EP for 20-somethings attempting to carve out their space in the world, chase dreams, repair hearts, experience real love, wade through murky gray relationship waters, and come to peace with that tinge [...]

    An Evening in Oakland History: Gil Scott-Heron, Stevie Wonder & The Death of John Lennon

    On December 8, 1980, Gil Scott-Heron and Stevie Wonder were in Oakland for their Hotter Than July tour, attempting to force legislation making Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday (A feat Oakland Tech High School’s class of 1981 accomplished [...]

    Video: Jennah Bell performs "Rock Me (Acoustic)"

    Oakland native Jennah Bell is fast becoming a 38th Notes favorite. Her Oakoustic soul sound is in a bracket all it’s own, and her fantastical spirit makes her all the more intriguing. While home in Oakland last week, Jennah joined Chris Turner on [...]