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.
An inconspicuous doorway off Valencia Street leads to a treasure trove of zines and 10,000-plus hours of sound and video recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, all charting the progressive history of the Bay and its effect on global radical movements.
PostedByRae Alexandra
on Wed, May 6, 2015 at 9:45 AM
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Earlier this week, Jimmy Fallon enlisted Jack Black to put together a frame-for-frame parody of Extreme's "More Than Words" video. Now, unless you're in the same age bracket as Jimmy 'n' Jack, you probably won't understand the sheer majesty of what was done here... Though Jack Black's interpretive hand gestures are funny, whether you were alive and musically conscious in 1990 or not. Observe:
Beautiful, right? At this point in time, we probably shouldn't even be surprised by the attention to detail here — Jimmy Fallon's prowess for parody is well-established and endlessly entertaining.
Here are his top five finest musical moments:
5. "SexyBack", Featuring Justin Timberlake Apologies in advance to any fans of J.T.'s "SexyBack". Once you hear this version by The Ragtime Gals, you will never again hear the original without sensing undertones of barber shop quartet. Timberlake singing his slinky, sensual, S&M-tinged lyrics like a Dapper Dan here was a stroke of genius. And also proof that a striped blazer and boater combo can erase the sex appeal from literally anything.
4. "Charles in Charge", as Bob Dylan There are many fine moments on Jimmy's Grammy Award-winning 2012 album, Blow Your Pants Off (the version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity", transformed to mock Tim Tebow's near-constant praying is definitely a highlight), but Fallon's Bob Dylan impersonation is insanely on the nose. If Bob Dylan ever decided to sing the theme tune to 1980s TV wonder, Charles in Charge, this is precisely what it would sound like.
3. "Reading Rainbow", as Jim Morrison Depending on your perspective, Jim Morrison was either a poet and visionary, or a drunken buffoon with a penchant for waffling on about nothing, backed by overly-long keyboard solos. Here, Fallon perfectly captures both Morrison's vocal stylings and compelling stage presence, while also demonstrating that every Doors lyric ever written was absolute nonsense. How? Well, the words to "Reading Rainbow" genuinely sound like a real Doors song here. Mad skills.
2. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", as Neil Young
Jimmy's Neil Young impersonation has been used to great effect on several occasions — the "Whip My Hair" cover with Bruce Springsteen, the "Fancy" cover with Crosby, Stills & Nash — but it's the thoughtful rendition of the theme tune to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that's our favorite. Partly because, when it first aired, it took us a full 30 seconds to recognize what he was singing, and partly because transforming Will Smith's ridiculous rendition into an acoustic track that sounds genuinely mournful is pretty damn clever. Well played, Fallon.
1. "Gov. Chris Christie Traffic Jam", as Bruce Springsteen, Featuring Bruce Springsteen If you are going to write a song about Chris Christie's Fort Lee lane closure scandal, you pretty much have to get New Jersey's most famous musical export to sing it. We'd have settled quite happily for Fallon's solid Springsteen impersonation, but when the actual Boss arrives here, in an identical outfit, and joins in, it's TV (and Springsteen) gold.
0. (Whoops! We just can't get enough of these things.) "Whip My Hair" as Neil Young
I know we already mentioned it in #2, but this rendition is just too good to not have it's own spot on the list. So, speaking of Springsteen and Fallon duets, it doesn't get any better than Fallon's Springsteen-aided impeccable Neil Young impression. With a hat casting a shadow over half of Fallon's face, one might really think Young had decided (for whatever reason) to cover Willow Smith's 2010 hit single, "Whip My Hair." His vocal styling, especially on lines like "whip it real good," is hilarious.
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.'"
