breaking out

I made this flier for a friend who DJs at Double Dutch on Monday nights. We were hanging out, and he told me about the space at Julie's Supper Club, over on Folsum near 7th. We went to go see it, and it is amazing.

It's about 2,500 sqft across 4 rooms - including an outside patio, a club room (with a projector, lights, and wicked sound system), a lounge, and the main bar room. We met with the owners, and we're going to be doing an event every week called Soul Supper Sunday.

I'm working right now on designing a menu for the buffet, which will be $14 per person, all you can eat, organic, sustainable, local (where possible), delicious BBQ soul food. It'll be a rad, chill, laid-back ongoing Sunday affair where people can come and relax with good drinks, good food, and good music.

I'm excited about this - it'll be a great opportunity to fully design a weekly affair for this city, something that actively works to create community in a way that's not a hippy-dippy super-cultivated way. It's gonna happen naturally, through word of mouth (and I've got a big mouth).

Spread the word - coming soon, San Francisco - Soul Supper Sunday!

Change and Hope

I can't wait to lay in bed and read up on what's just happened. I haven't begun processing yet - Obama was really just elected president. The surge of hope in San Francisco is palpable, and I'm sure many are feeling similar emotions around the world.

I was working at Kate O'Brien's last night, where a huge crowd packed the place to watch the live CNN feed. There were only three of us serving and cleaning up after about 200 people over 5 hours, so I didn't have too much time to process what was happening except for cheering along with the crowd when McCain gave his concession speech.

After quickly glancing across headlines, it seems that the media is full of promise and potential - the Democratic Party is mobilized and ready to work across all lines to make sweeping reforms designed to reinstitute America's prominence around the world.

Perhaps things did get close enough to the brink to allow people to wake up to the fact that we are all constantly vulnerable? Is it possible that Americans recognize the need to organize and come together to ensure that our quality of life is not compromised?

I hope so, although I don't really feel that enough has happened to awaken everyone to the true nature of the change that is needed. For now, it is enough that we have crossed a barrier of centuries of racism to elect the first (mostly) black president.

As my grandmother said, it is an amazing day to know that we're finally led by a rainbow.

The Rock of the Revolution

I'm so blessed.

Last night, I got off from work at the steak house at 10p, after another evening of gently prodding Republicans to change their minds while gorging and giving me money. I called up Henry, who'd recently gotten back from Italy, where he was participating in an epic protest against coal power with GreenPeace - I had yet to see him since his return.

Henry happened to be at a Tom Morello show that was just about to start. Of course he had an extra ticket, and I called him just between sets when he could hear the phone ring.

I popped in a cab, and scored a driver who reminded me of the story of how Henry Ford changed the economics of this country when he paid workers enough to afford the cars they were making. The micro-economics lesson was a perfect introduction to the revolutionary rock that took place in the historic Fillmore Auditorium last night, where Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and countless musical legends have shaken the rafters.

Tom Morrello was amazing, not only because of the incredible range in the set from acoustic guitar and voice solo - leaving the microphone at one point to allow his voice to project across the room - to bringing Boots Riley of The Coup on to do an epic rap during "This Land is Your Land". That's right, they remade the old Woodie Guthrie classic that I used to sing as a child. Now it rocks, and the whole place sang along.

Tom Morrello is touring as The Night Watchman, and his music is filled with inspiration, but not that cheesy, wet hope that goes down like day-old dip - this is the style of music that drives the Irish to drink. The intense, driving beats that he is known for are ever present, even behind the deliciously rough and soulful downtempo moments.

The truly amazing portion of the evening for me was the chance to participate in a crowd full of people who were ignited to revolt, who were told to remember that no matter who gets elected, we will still need to fight. The Watchman does not want those of us who care about social and environmental justice, worker's and civil rights, or freedom to let up, ever.

This country was built on racism, on the backs of people that came here (many against their will) and who started at the bottom and worked for everything they have, The Watchman reminds us. If this racist country that sees only colors and not people is able to elect the first partially-black president, we have made history. The fight to get into that office is a narrow funnel, Tom said, and it is important to remember that we cannot become complacent.

We must always fight for what we believe, and fight to make this world closer to what we know it should be. That's the rock of the revolution.