Weekend Edition: October 16, 17, 18

It's another beautiful weekend in Oakland, and with the newly minted health benefits of our crisp, rain-purified air, why not indulge a little bit more in some other vices!!

Now - Free Play/Symphony tickets
So this first one doesn't fit so snuggly into the vice theme, but there is a time limit on it, so you need to act fast! Currently they still have free tics available for the symphony tomorrow and several East Bay plays, but you need to hurry.


Friday - Pacific Brewing Company 21 Anniversary Party
From 5-11pm this local brewery will be offering music, bites, and beer for sale at the same price it was in their founding year, 1988. By my calculations, and feel free to check them yourself, that should equate to roughly $2.78 per beer. I don't know if you are such a stickler, but if you see someone presenting a tabulation to the bartender, say hello because it's probably me!

Bonus: Old Oakland Farmers Market

Saturday - Brats (and vegetarian) and Beer
The Linden Street Brewery, another one of our locals, is hosting a rare party at their place. Since they don't have a bar or restaurant on property, this event serves as unique chance to see their operations up close. In great Bay Area style they are going out of their way to make the event earth friendly, not to mention law abiding, by offering bike valet and free shuttle rides from the West Oakland Bart. In addition all food is locally sourced, and the profits benefit an organization which gives poor people food baskets on Thanksgiving. Now that I will cheers to!

Bonus: Continue along the theme of donating to the poor and getting sloshed, I mean slushed, check out the ice skating rink in Jack London Square. The $5 admission includes skate rental!

Extra Bonus: $1 wine tasting and snacks at the Wine Mine from 2-5pm

Sunday: Check out one of the several Bottomless Mimosa Brunches the East Bay has on offer
Sadly, I admit I have only been to one of them so far, the Terrace Room. Help me check out the others, or go for the tried and very very true (Terrace Room = $7 bottomless Mimosas and Bellini's, $8 bottomless Bloody Mary's).

Bonus: Sweet Crude the documentary showing in San Francisco. Right off the Powell St. Bart.

All Weekend - Treasure Island Music Festival

Next Week: Rest your poor liver!!!

Music hanging in the proverbial air, or just air period

Anticipating something exciting in the future is often half the fun. It is with this in mind that I here reveal for your auditory pleasure (or at least the promise of it), a few other events that will be rolling into the area relatively soon. Remembering my initial point, you just might want to put them your calendar....

LoveEvolution - October 3rd ($10)

This is the Bay Area's most prolific electronic music festival, which for the Bay Area is saying a lot (consider for instance the upcoming and four-day, and slightly random San Francisco Electronic Music Festival with Oakland's very own Mason Bates performing). It should be a lot of fun, if you are into that sort of thing....

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - October 2, 3, 4 (Free)

I am planning on going to this, although definitely dipping out on most of Saturday to attend LovEvolution. First of all, as I well know, you can't argue with free (the fact that I will pay twice as much in gas and bridge toll in exchange for a free glass of wine at some art opening in the city, rather than just buying four bottles of Charles Shaw, being my evidence) . Second, as advertised, this is not your typical bluegrass festival, although that would be cool enough to justify a visit. MC Hammer, Nico Case, Dr. Dog, Aimee Man, these are not your typical men in suits lonesomely crooning about Appalachia.

Treasure Island Music Festival - October 17, 18 (135.00 with fees for both days)

Treasure Island is only so big, so since this will be my first year going to the annual music festival there I figured I better get my tickets early before room literally runs out. I also just made this Pandora Station, which you are welcome to check out. I added all the bands from the festival, so if you don't know some of them\want to get a general sense of the kind of music that will be hanging in the air, check it out.