Feature Archives

The student reporters of Radio Journalism 101 present, Free Skool Radio News, a collection of reports, interviews and sounds from just a handful of the dozens of classes and workshops offered through Free Skool Santa Cruz. We'll hear about the Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra, Improv Contact Dance, Spanish Conversation, Tray Boarding, the Punk Sewing Circle and more. This program is the final project of Radio Journalism 101, Free Skool class on the basics of broadcast news production, facilitated by V-Man.

The film "HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" takes an in-depth look at representations of manhood, sexism and homophobia in hip-hop culture. This documentary is a “loving critique” of certain "disturbing" developments in rap music culture from the point of view of a fan who challenges the art form’s representations of masculinity. The film was screened on January 9th at the San Francisco Public Library. That event included a screening of the short "Trendsetters or Fakers," and a panel discussion. The film was also shown on January 17th at the Oakland Museum of California. The evening included performances by Youth Movement Records and Youth Speaks, audio pieces produced by TEMPO, and discussion with filmmaker Byron Hurt and hip hop community activists.

James Brown, who was known as the Godfather of Soul, died early on Christmas morning. Brown, 73, had been admitted to Atlanta's Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday, suffering from pneumonia. A prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader and record producer, Brown influenced the evolution of gospel and rhythm and blues into soul and funk. His music has been widely sampled by hip hop artists.

Undaunted by civil rights violations last year by the Santa Cruz Police Department, this year's Last Night DIY Parade and Celebration enthusiasts returned in full force to take over the streets on New Year's Eve in Santa Cruz. Last year, the celebration erupted into the national headlines when it was discovered that Santa Cruz Police had violated the civil liberties of organizers by spying on their meetings for three months, gathering information about the group and engaging in other activities unrelated to the stated purpose of their investigation. According to the Last Night DIY website, "Last Night is a decentralized, collective, spontaneous, open, public New Year's Eve celebration, a completely organic event, organized and put on at a grassroots-level." (en español) Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

SF videographer Mike Kavanaugh screened "FARMCORE - The Movie: Punk Rock History of the SF Farm" on Thursday, November 30th at 7pm at the Roxie Film Center (3117 16th St, at Valencia). "Farmcore" is a documentary that tells the story of San Francisco's legendary Farm, located in the Mission District during the 1980s. Punk shows at The Farm featured such bands as the Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Black Flag, and Butthole Surfers. The Farm also hosted community gardens, an art gallery, child daycare center, and a multicultural community space. After all other major punk clubs in the city had been shut down, the Farm raged on until late 1987, when it became an early victim of gentrification of the Mission District.

Several local hard rock bands have organized a show that will be a fundraiser for Sandra Tellis, the 45 year-old woman from Oakland who was was beaten, tied up, and set on fire on September 1st. She survived, and is reportedly recovering slowly in a Bay Area hospital. The bands will play on Friday night, October 27th at the Uptown, at 1938 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland. Doors are at 8pm for this 21+ event. Participating bands in the show include Placenta, Soul Broker, The Greenhouse Effect, and Stonecutter. The bands' share of admission will go to a fund that has been set up to benefit Tellis.

Xicana Moratorium Day was celebrated on Sunday, August 27th in San Francisco’s Dolores Park. The yearly event commemorates the original Chicano Moratorium Day in Los Angeles in 1970, when 30,000 marched and police rioted, killing three people. Youth in an organization called Huaxtec now organize the commemorative event. This year, around 1,500 people went to Dolores Park to enjoy hip-hop and roots Xicana music. The theme of the 2006 Xicana Moratorium was “Stop the Violence on the Borders and in the Streets.” Photos