Novel Times, Novel Measures

Today I attended my second concert at Stern Grove, a beautiful natural amphitheatre in the Sunset district and home to an amazing free concert series in its’ 84th year. The band: the Funk Brothers; the weather: clouded by fog and a pleasant 75 degrees; the crowd: diverse, dedicated and groovin’.

To understand Stern Grove, you need to understand the sheer beauty of the venue — a magnificent stage hewn of warm wood tones that blends harmoniously into green terraces laced by stonework, the entirety encircled by climbing banks of tall Eucalyptus.

To bask in this setting — and to guarantee a good seat — patrons arrive early, hence the dedication. This time I was the advance team and was able to spread my blanket on a cozy spot around about 10:00am. Knowing I had a good four hours before showtime, I came prepared with warm clothes, a mug of coffee, the sunday Times (NY, of course) and plenty of snackables. The bottle of Syrah would wait for later. This is a venerable tradition at Stern Grove almost as enjoyable as the concerts themselves: arriving early, enjoying a relaxing morning and waiting for the cavalsace of friends with whom to share the Sunday bliss.

As expected, friends arrived, wine and cheese was consumed and the music began. I had high hopes for The Funk Brothers and I can’t say they were entirely dashed. Many a classic soul hit of the early Motown Sound were performed with skill and energy and, well, soul. I hooted and hollered and sang and boogied along with the rest of the crowd. But the “Brothers” turned out to be singular. That is, just one of the old school session musicians from the Detroit scene was on hand — Jack Ashford — and he was the tamborine player! Yes, he did play some vibes. And no doubt, his tamborine is funky as hell — think Stevie’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and you’ll know what I’m sayin’. But the entire show was held down by a tamborine player!! I can’t help but think of Christopher Walken in that classic SNL skit screaming “I need more cowbell, baby!”

Regardless of my expectations, the group of young musicians that were feeding us the soul were excellent. And the music, tunes that transcend the shelf-life of most popular music, was felt deeply by the crowd, myself included. In fact, the combination of appreciation, familiarity and reverence which those songs brought forth from the audience brought the entire concert to a different level of musical experience. Soaking up the musical love seeping out of the Grove today even managed to get me through the inevitable soul medley and the audience participation rendition of “My Girl” with my smile intact.

I guess some music has so much integrity, so much harmony, that it transcends the entertainment of the day, becoming something more than the white noise of a particular era. Cole Porter and The Beatles come to mind, but I can think of few other genres which continue to move me — and the masses — as soul still can. Rock steady grooves, tight but loose arrangements and hard-hitting, tender-sweet layers of righteous harmony. The precursor to hip-hop, proclaiming love and life and equality. I’m thankful that the soul of old still moves us, but I’m waiting for the entertainment industry to embrace a little bit o’ soul in this day and age. Somehow, Top 40 today just doesn’t bring forth the same joy and inspiration as it did in the heyday of soul music. Call me nostalgic, but lawd have mercy, it’s time we movin’ on up once again. Sam, Ray, Curtis, James… where are you when we need you? At least we can take solace knowing that they are all waiting for us on vinyl, in the stacks.

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Filed under: San Francisco

Hard to believe that winter here consists of rain, rain and more rain. Coming from the much colder climes of the Northeast, I’m still getting used to 50 degree January temperatures. I guess 30 years of weather conditioning are hard let go of all at once. After a few months in the Bay Area, though, I have come to understand a bit more about the seasonality here, especially the rain.

80% of San Francisco’s rain falls between the months of November to March, due primarily to “occluded fronts on a trajectory from the west-northwest and an occasional cold front from the Gulf of Alaska.” While that meteorological explanation (courtesy of www.ggweather.com) clears up a few questions – no pun intended – I have noticed some lingering clouds of uncertainty in the forecast. Perhaps the timing of my move has affected my appreciation of the West Coast winter. Not only did I arrive promptly for the notorious rainy season, but a particularly rainy rainy season at that. California has already been witness to some severe mudslides this season, have a look:

I won’t complain though. Let me tell you why.

I have little tolerance for those that grumble about the weather. There are better things to rail against in these troubled times. No amount of griping will change the weather, so why cultivate that negativity? Accept and move on, accept and move on. I would rather spend my protestations on matters where my voice might actually affect change. At the moment I’m thinking about ecocide at the hands of our societal model of democratic-capitalism, though I will spare the reader a political rant. (In the future, however, I will touch upon the 6th great mass extinction currently underway.) Of course, those pesky Buddhists assert that we cannot change anything at all except our reaction to the various types of stimuli. I am still struggling to come to terms with that perspective, and I am also venturing far off-topic.

There is another reason for my acquiescence to the weather of San Francisco beyond its intractability. Put quite simply, I like rain. I find the random patter of raindrops to be one of the most soothing rhythms of the natural world. Water, in general, has always held great therapeutic value for me. How many times have I been lulled into quiet contemplation – or still acceptance – by the cascading symphony of a rushing stream upon rock and riverbed? Indeed, I often look to moving water for inspiration, whether intellectual or something beyond words. I think this may be why, on a deeper level, I really have not minded the wintry deluge of my first few months here. The sound of rain across the skylights above has been like a familiar friend offering the solace of home.

For all the notable climatic differences between East and West, though, I am realizing that certain seasons can retain their the basic character in different locales. Skies grey and cloud-laden, whether the darkness portends precipitation liquid or solid. Streets quiet calm during evening hours and human activity confined to indoor arenas, with the welcome exception of a warm day or clear sky. Utterances of wonder – and sometimes grief – at the harsh extremes of unpredictable Mother Nature. These similarities make me feel at ease here this winter, engaged in homebound activities very close to those that occupied the snowy days back East. No, on second thought, arriving during the rainy season has not been an inconvenience at all. I’m pleasantly suprised to find it an odd reminder of my old home, and the ideal lull period in which to readjust to my new.

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Filed under: San Francisco

Over the weekend I heard someone make the assertion that there is no more liberal city in the world than San Francisco. While I cannot yet verify this claim (after all, there are many cities in the world), I am starting to unearth some amazing data.

Item #1: Departing San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez was known for his radical politics and the art installations he would host in his office by local, often unknown, artists. As a member of the Green Party, Gonzalez has not been a afraid to speak out against a goverment rife with corruption and greed.

Last week, Gonzalez demonstrated just how far apart the Bay Area stands from the rest of the good old U.S. of A. The final installation at his office by local graffiti artist Barry McGee featured the activist catch phrase “smash the state” scrawled across the walls of Gonzalez’s office:

I can’t imagine what kind of rancor this would have elicited in other parts of the country. Yet the only news coverage I saw here was a brief article on www.sfgate.com that was more concerned with the acceptance of Graffiti as art than “smash the state” being an inappropriate message for a Board Supervisor to support. Goodness bless San Francisco and the last remnants of a truly liberal media!

Word on the street is that Gonzalez, after a very close but unsuccessful run for the SF mayorship, will be packing his bags and heading back to his native Texas. I, for one, will miss his refreshing politics in the city by the bay. Presumably he has plans to fight the good fight back home. And, on second thought, maybe Texas needs Matt Gonzalez more than San Francisco.

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Filed under: San Francisco