When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, it’s a good core workout. If you’re sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More
Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
"Hard work pays off" is the watchword for Hunters Point native Raquel Miller, who twice came within a single decision of qualifying to fight for the United States at the Olympics.
Not all earworms are former Billboard Top Ten successes, well-known by everyone who hears even a few notes of their melody. Some earworms can be obscure songs that come to have personal meaning to the listener. They get burned into…
These days, after writing this column for so long, the earworms practically generate themselves. As I wrote my previous column on the Ghostbusters theme, for example, I listened to a lot of songs where Ray Parker Jr. played session…
@All Shook Down
by Lori Selke
August 2, 2016 @ 9:53 amTags: earworm, Video
Some songs become earworms due to their utilitarian value. They cheer you up when you're down, they get you through your morning routine before the coffee kicks in, they help you time your reps at the gym. These songs…
@All Shook Down
by Lori Selke
July 26, 2016 @ 10:08 amTags: Video
No, I haven't seen the movie yet. Don't ask me why. I hear you all saying that it's fun and feminist and all that good stuff, but it just hasn't happened yet. Chalk it up to the contrarian impulse. One…
I can't stop the way I feel. This tune's so catchy, it just doesn't seem real. Won't it ever set me free? It's everything an earworm should be. Translation: This song drives me crazy. I really want to like…
@All Shook Down
by Lori Selke
July 12, 2016 @ 9:55 amTags: Video
I'm out of town on vacation this week, and my “beach reading” is Mark Binelli's new novel Screamin' Jay Hawkins' All Time Greatest Hits, a fictional retelling of Hawkins' life story. The title is a sly little joke, because Hawkins,…
I've been avoiding writing about Prince for weeks, partly in overcompensation. Left to my druthers, I could probably pen a year's worth of Prince memorial earworm columns easily. Whether you all would read them, though, would be another matter. Nonetheless,…
@All Shook Down
by Lori Selke
June 28, 2016 @ 12:00 pmTags: prince, Video
It's still a few weeks until the Fourth of July, but that hasn't stopped certain neighborhoods in the Bay Area from thudding and thumping after dark with the sound of illegal fireworks. I've lived here long enough that I'm used…
I was all set to write about Queen this week, inspired by Chuck Klosterman's glib dismissal of the band as likely to be forgotten by future historians of rock music. Are you kidding me? Queen were masters of the earworm form.…
@All Shook Down
by Lori Selke
June 14, 2016 @ 12:30 pmTags: queen, Video
No matter what the calendar may say, summer has arrived, and here is how I can tell. I was standing in front of the Macarthur BART station after work this week when a vintage convertible rolled to a stop at…
I went out dancing on Friday night, at a small club in West Oakland. In fact, the club was so tiny, and I arrived so early, that for a good while my sweetie and I were the only two people…
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
