Burger Records has teamed up with Amoeba Music and Total Trash Productions to bring you the best Burger Boogaloo ever! This year's fest is happening on July 6th and 7th from Noon to 9pm at the Mosswood Park amphitheater in sunny Oakland. Catch Redd Kross, Jonathan Richman, The Oblivions, The Trashwomen, Traditional Fools (with Ty Segall), and so many more! Get your tickets HERE!

It all blasts off at Amoeba Berkeley on Friday, July 5th at 5pm with a FREE in-store show featuring Pangea and Amoeba Music's Home Grown artist Gravy's Drop! Pogo your way into the best weekend of garage, punk, and cheeseburgers this summer has to offer!

PANGEA
Pangea is an insanely fun bubblegum punk band from Los Angeles California. Since their Burger Records debut in 2012, they've been turning youngsters everywhere into "Slop Pop" fanatics and as their fans scream for them like the Beatles. 1964 never felt soooo goooood!
 

         

This weekend The Night Light in Oakland will celebrate its first anniversary with a big party at the Jack London Square district bar/club that is situated on Broadway between 3rd and 4th Streets in the vicinity of such other watering holes as Beer Revolution and Merchant's.  At The Night Light's all day long bash on Saturday (March 9th) there'll be DJs spinning in the downstairs bar area and live bands playing in the upstairs concert space.. Artists celebrating the one-year birthday will include Warm Soda, Mahgeetah, and L3SSONS. In the twelve months since Johnny Nackley and his business partner Doug Kinsey (two vets of the local bar & restaurant and music worlds) opened The Night Light, it has built a an ever-growing, dedicated following and won many accolades.

Within a mere few months of opening it won an East Bay Express readers choice award as "Best New Bar."  Even with such a wide variety of other clubs and bars to choose from in downtown Oakland's vibrant nightlife scene, people are drawn to The Night Light's cozy bar atmosphere and its diversity of live entertainment events. There include stand up comedy nights, live bands of all genres such as punk rock and hip-hop, and themed DJ nights including yacht rock parties when folks get decked out in captains hats, Hawaiian shirts, and beards and moustaches.  On the last Friday of every month they throw hip-hop/reggae/dancehall themed DJ parties.

Last year when news surfaced that Paul Canales, formerly chef at Oliveto, along with Rocco Somazzi would be opening their new Uptown district  (468 19th St.) eatery DUENDE anticipation has been high for this latest addition to the ever evolving hot Oakland nightlife area in the vicinity of the Fox Theater And justifiably so for DUENDE, which opened last month, is more than simply an enticing new East Bay dining destination; it is a many faceted, ambitious new nightlife addition that is also a music venue, art gallery, and wine store.

And as for the food - its primary draw - DUENDE offers a refreshing original cuisine by the renowned East Bay chef whose Basque heritage plays a subtle yet distinct influence in his approach to cooking.  Described as "Spanish based" but with a broad blend of flavors (drawing from African, French, & Italian) Canales told the San Francisco Chronicle that for DUENDE, "I really wanted a flexible food concept. I didn't want to be stuck in a style of food." promising that he will never settle for traditional Spanish fare (or "Spanish museum food" as he dismisses it).

Originally expected to open last summer DUENDE, following many months of hard work   and adhering to building codes and various city codes, finally officially opened in January. Its location is at 468 19th Street in historic Floral Depot building in the short block between Broadway and Telegraph Aves. a stones throw from the Fox Theater and round the corner from The Uptown nightclub and the various other clubs, restaurants, and art spaces that have filled this revitalized, vibrant, once dormant part of Oakland over the past several years. Inside the high-ceilinged, exposed brick and beam, large but cozy space - the work of Arcsine Architecture - seats up to 84 diners, while a wide iron stairway leads upstairs to the live music area where a black and gold emblazoned grand piano (pictured below) is the centerpiece.  Recently I caught up with Rocco Somazzi who handles the music end of things at DUENDE to ask him about the new space and his own rich history which anyone from Los Angeles already likely knows about (LA Magazine once wrote of Rocco that, "The best jazz club in L.A. is wherever Rocco Somazzi handles the booking on a given night...He is the rare local booker who keeps jazz fans wondering what he’s going to do next.")

Monday, January 21st is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since 1986, every third Monday in January is dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and his work. In 1994, Congress named MLK Jr. Day as a national day of service in honor of his objectives. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?" Although you may get the day off of school or work, MLK Day can be seen as "a day on, not a day off."  

If you are looking for a way to be part of the soultion and do for others, or want to observe the great man with a parade or concert, please see our list below of events in the Los Angeles area and in the Bay Area.

Los Angeles Area:

Lancaster: Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day on Jan. 19
The year 2013 marks the sixth anniversary of Lancaster's annual Day of Service event in honor of Dr. King.
Various locations
661-723-6077

Santa Monica: Soka Gakkai International Auditorium Presentation on Jan. 19
Hosted by the Santa Monica College, the 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration is free of charge to attend. It is billed as a "multiethnic interfaith program" that features readings, presentations, music and community news. 
525 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica
310-434-4000

Noise Pop and Amoeba Music present the record party everyone is talking about, Noise Pop Record Collective, on Tuesday, November 27th. This month the party is hosted by Nathan Blaz of Geographer and goes from 8pm till 11pm at Oakland's Bar Three Fifty-Five.

Here's how it works: fans are invited to bring their own record for the carefully selected celebrity host DJs to play over the course of the evening. When you come, just check your records in at the DJ booth with the Record Collective Librarians and you'll be all set to party.