Crosscurrents

If you have ever walked into Lark in the Morning you might have heard the Sound of Danboo... The store is a combination museum for rare, international instruments, a repair shop, and a brick and mortar retail store. It also serves as a hub for lessons in everything from banjo to the sitar to the hurdygurdy.

After working in tech, the current owner bought Lark in the Morning, and continues the legacy of a beloved world music instrument store. KALW’s Rachel Longan has this profile.

Oakland’s Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003. The city is arguing that most of the reforms have been accomplished and the OPD was ready to complete the rest -- without federal oversight. But many, including civil rights attorneys and some community leaders, are skeptical.

Roselyn Romero is a criminal justice reporter with Oaklandside. KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid spoke to Romero, about the recent hearing and the road ahead for Oakland and the OPD.

Uncuffed producer Michael Callahan shares how he found hope and refuge in a prison church, just days after he arrived at the institution.

Many young people in the Bay Area say their city councils just don’t hear them- and they have a lot to say. Today, we hear from the youth. Then, when living outside, getting a handle on even the most basic things, like the time and the weather, can be a challenge. And, a coming-of-age film explores how a Bay Area teenager is trying to keep her balance.

16-year-old Charlie Zeitlin is Legislation Subcommittee Vice-Chair of the Palo Alto Youth Council. KALW News Editor Sunni Khalid spoke to him about what matters to the next generation of voters in Silicon Valley.

This week's Sidewalk Stories dives into how unhoused people get information — from news and history to the time and weather. 

The indie film "Still Life" takes viewers back to teen life in 1999: corded phones, reading profiles of Claire Danes in Seventeen magazine and Y2K hysteria. For Dafne, the main 15-year-old character, this is around the time of her life when her mother dies from leukemia. "Still Life" was shot in the Bay Area, and was inspired by screenwriter and director Lauren Shapiro's experiences growing up here. Jenee Darden is the host of KALW’s Sights and Sounds show. She spoke to Shapiro about the film, and how she let her heart bleed into her art. 

Today, we meet a performer who’s bringing loud, colorful and all-over-the-place shows to San Francisco’s drag scene. Tito Soto is all about the spectacle. Then, an incarcerated man finds new meaning in a classic childhood song. And, the San Francisco Symphony's upcoming "SoundBox" show is not your average symphony concert. Plus, a poem.

The day after Christmas, stage performers, cabaretists, and dancers got some really good news. The beloved San Francisco nightclub Oasis was slated to close on January 1, 2026. But it was rescued by a major donation from a Bay Area philanthropic group.

This was welcome news to everyone in the Oasis family, especially Tito Soto, the club’s event producer and a headline performer.

KALW's Stafford Hemmer brings us the story of a man who brought Oasis to life every Saturday night for the last six years. And who continues to invest much of his life into the club.

Uncuffed producer Jeremy Strain shares why a favorite childhood song still speaks to him, decades later.