Rightnowish

This episode was originally part of the "Reel Talk: Filmmaking in the Bay Area… Rightnowish" series from 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kickoff series highlighting some of the best stories from our archives.

San Francisco State graduates Alba Roland Mejia and Jon Warfield Harrison are in the early stages of their careers as filmmakers, but their work is already being supported by the likes of Join The Movement Coalition, Oaklandish, Marshawn Lynch's Beastmode, and Kodak.

Alba and Jon have released a handful of short films which are artistic, a bit experimental and occasionally include a dash of science fiction.

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This episode was originally part of the "Rightnowish: Musicians to Know" series from 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kickoff series highlighting some of the best stories from our archives.  

Nappy Nina is a lyricist with a smooth-sultry delivery that's almost jazz-like, especially when coupled with some signature boom-bap production. In her songs, she raps about breakups, missing Oakland, the disappointing produce in Brooklyn, and navigating rough financial waters.

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If you're going to use Bay Area slang, use it right.

"Slap" is a term used in this region since the early 2000s to describe the sound of music laden with hard-hitting 808 drum machine beats and heavy bass lines. It's not a word to describe a quality sandwich.

While language, especially slang, is full of words with multiple meanings, many folks from the soil have been on a mission to set the record straight on how the lingo should be used.

This week on Rightnowish, we're diving deep into the etymology of the term and clarifying how it's best applied.

This piece was originally published as a written article in January 2022, you can find that by clicking here.

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Chef Avery Zeus is a whiz at combining flavors. They use that same energy when they bring queer people of color together at the monthly "Taco Tuesgay" pop-up event in Oakland. Zeus' company, Concept Kitchen, plans the catering for the event, but their main business is making sure that other QTIBIPOC-led food start-ups have the resources to succeed in the hospitality industry through kitchen access, booking services, and equipment for catering and street vending.

Rightnowish's Corey Antonio Rose spoke to Chef Zeus about the importance of gathering space, even when it's temporary, and why you shouldn't rush the process when it comes to cooking.

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It seems like LarrenWong can do a little bit of everything.

He's a former linebacker who played football at James Logan High School and Northwestern University, before signing a professional contract with the Seattle Seahawks. He's an avid reader, student of art history and a talented painter. He's a rising R&B star who sings, writes and plays the guitar; earlier this year he dropped a quality album titled, Songs That I Hate To Sing.

Raised in Union City where he was exposed to different cultures, competitive athletes and creative individuals, Larren says his earliest musical influence came from inside of own his home. His grandfather, Mr. B (Butler Wong), was a former member of the New York Philharmonic and one of Larren's first musical instructors.

Larren took those lessons and built on them. He learned to play the guitar and write music. After stepping away from his football career, Larren jumped full-time into music and he's been making waves ever since.

His work is spreading. Earlier this year Larren was invited to perform the song "Mama" off his latest project for the web-based musical performance series, COLORS Studios.

And this week Larren sits down with the Rightnowish team to discuss it all.

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Filmmaker Maria Victoria Ponce was raised in Richmond, CA. She’s mastered the art of telling stories that speak to her individual experience of coming up there, as well as the awkwardness that’s universally found in the process of growing up– no matter where you’re from.

Recently, she invited Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw and producer Marisol Medina-Cadena to stop by and see the family photos that inspire her coming of age films. They discussed the inspiration for her films and what it means to rep Richmond's Latino community.

A 2022 Ranin Fellow, Maria says she now has the resources to tell more stories about Richmond, and plans to expand to other genres, including drama and horror. 

Watch her film Ruda.

Read the transcript

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This week on Rightnowish, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at KQED’s Mindshift Podcast. It’s all about new approaches to raising and educating children.

I didn’t have my first Black teacher until 7th grade, and only one after that until college. When I became a teacher, that’s when it clicked: representation matters, as does exposure to a diverse set of life experiences.

In this episode, Mindshift host Nimah Gobir, speaks to Micia Mosely, founder and director of the Black Teacher Project (BTP). They talk about the need for Black teachers in the classroom—not just for Black students—but for all of society. 

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Today we’re passing the mic to a group that’s doing some substantive work, both in the community and in the media.

The Hella Black Podcast, hosted by Delency Parham and Abbas Muntaqim, is a show focused on movements toward Black liberation.

Right now the Hella Black Podcast is running a unique series called Tales Of The Town. It’s produced by former Rightnowish guest and award winning filmmaker, Maya Cueva.

Over the course of 12 weeks, Tales of The Town is looking back at historical movements for Black liberation in Oakland, and diving into current efforts as well. On top of that, they’re making sure to note the arts and culture that has, and continues to fuel movements.

So this week, we’re featuring episode number four from the Tales of The Town series. This episode dives into the history of West Oakland’s 7th Street, once a main thoroughfare for Black artists– home to jazz clubs and show venues where folks like Aretha Franklin would perform.

That is, until eminent domain brought about BART train tracks and a freeway that ran right through the community, ultimately causing many businesses to close. A blow to the neighborhood that still lingers to this day.

Abbas and Delency talk about that and more on this episode.

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At the heart of Día de los Muertos is a celebration of the cycle of life. It's a time to talk with our dead. We sing to them, prepare altars with flower and food offerings, and share stories to keep their memories alive. It's both a sacred and joyous time.

Here in the Bay Area, we go all out for the tradition. Elaborate public altars are constructed in parks, schools, and community spaces. Museums and galleries have exhibits with Day of the Dead themed art and installations. It's truly a moment of visibility for Latino/x culture and tradition.

But it wasn't always this way in the Bay Area or the United States, for that matter. To shed light on the history of how Day of the Dead became such a tradition here in the Bay, we are talking to artist and curator Rio Yañez.

Read the transcript here

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October 25, 2022 marks the third anniversary of the launch of the Rightnowish podcast!

This week, we’re revisiting an episode that’s emblematic of this show’s ethos.

In July of 2021 we published an episode featuring Alameda’s own producer and DJ, Trackademicks. Known as the “cool collar scholar” from the HNRL collective, Trackademicks is a music producer who makes original songs and has a knack for remixing popular tracks, and adding that Bay Area flavor. In the early 2000s, his "Tell Me When To Go" remix cemented his name in the Bay Area musical history books.

When we talked last year, we discussed the history of Hyphy music and how he, as a Black and Filipino person, sees remixing as a part of his DNA. Since then, he’s DJ’d at functions in LA, and he’s produced more music including some forthcoming remix projects, like this mashup of Janet Jackson and Andre 3000. Check it out.

Annnnndddddd…Trackademicks has recently gotten married! Congrats to him and his partner!

Read the Transcript

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