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.
Mashing up different world cuisines is usually a popular conceit for new quick-service eateries and food trucks to make a quick buck and gain Instagram fame, but Volta has shown how well global cross-pollination works on a refined plate without stretching for novelty or pretense in the process.
Better than: Half the shows currently on Comedy Central.
Ryan Adams songs often sound like an actual heart cracking under the weight of too much loss and confusion and woe. He is at his best when he is at his most sensitive, musing on the human condition and the constant threat of loneliness. Ryan Adams, musically speaking, is beautiful, but, yes, kind of a bummer. So it's no small shock tonight when it turns out that, actually, Ryan Adams is freakin' hilarious.
With the stage set up like a living room, and the entire audience seated
like a play is about to commence in this grand, lovely theater, Adams
shuffles on in a Satyricon T-shirt, hunched over, hair all mussed up, looking like he rolled
out of bed approximately three minutes ago. As he sits down to commence this all-acoustic performance, the cheers that greeted
him subside and this turns into the quietest room on Earth. It's so quiet, you can hear the pen I'm using to make notes as it scratches the paper. He has our undivided attention.
The room remains hushed throughout stunning openers "Oh My Sweet Carolina" and the cathartic, Springsteen-esque "Ashes And Fire." To hear these songs in a silent room, unsullied by chatter and bar noise, is nothing short of heavenly. The first sign of Adams' dry wit emerges when the crowd cheers the opening melody of "If I Am A Stranger" and he abruptly stops, looks up, completely straight-faced, and says "No, it's not the one you're thinking of..."
And then it begins. Between songs all night -- heart-breaking, soul-shattering songs, we should remind you -- Adams has the audience roaring with laughter. There's something positively Shakespearean about it all -- as if he's compelled to break up all the drama and the serious stuff with humor so this doesn't just turn outright depressing. And, have no doubt, Ryan Adams is very, very funny.
Tonight, we are treated to a ten-minute interlude about how distracting it is when his ass goes numb from sitting down too long on stage (which he then turns into a song), a series of laugh-out-loud one-liners delivered in an entirely deadpan manner ("Sometimes when I'm playing a show, I feel like I'm in that band, Extreme ... but every song is "More Than Words"), and a mountain of adorable self-deprecation ("Here's another sad song, completely devoid of any humor," "I wrote this one today -- it's jazzy!").
When he brings on wonderful opening act, Jason Isbell -- who has one of the greatest voices we've heard in years, incidentally -- to perform a couple of cover songs for the encore, Adams acknowledges the good ol' country boy vibe that descends on the stage by saying "At the end of that song, we should both get a nice tool box..."
And this is the joy of watching Ryan Adams. One minute your eyes are welling up because a sad song is so perfectly executed, the next you're laughing at a joke about Ratt. There is no pretension here, no affectations, no rock star bullshit -- just charm, followed by wit, followed by honesty, followed by more charm.
The other joy, of course, is the music. Adams' vocals live are identical to how they are on record -- one minute crisp and ringing out, the next, carefully reduced to a whisper. Some of the finest moments tonight occur when he's at his piano. Watching his performances of "Sweet Lil Gal" and "New York, New York," with his back to most of the audience, is like peeking into his living room late at night and catching him at his most intimate; his most revealed, and it feels very much like a privilege.
Ryan Adams gets a standing ovation at the end of this two-and-a-half-hour set tonight and boy, did he earn it. Shows rarely get more revealing -- or more engaging -- than this.
Setlist: "Oh My Sweet Carolina" "Ashes And Fire" "If I Am A Stranger" "Dirty Rain" "Sweet Lil Gal" "I See Monsters" "Invisible Riverside" "Everybody Knows" "Firecracker" "My Winding Wheel" "Lucky Now" "New York, New York" "Let It Ride" "Please Do Not Let Me Go" "Carolina Rain" "Two" "English Girls Can Be So Mean" "Houses On The Hill" "Bartering Lines" -- "Love In The First Degree" "Danko/Manuel" "Come Pick Me Up"
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.'"
