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Welcome to “The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden," where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today’s show: what it takes to put on a big music festival like Outside Lands, then a local DJ who throws R&B parties, and a documentary about the late blues/folk/jazz singer Barbara Dane.
Today's show is about going behind the scene of Bay Area music.
Eric Barleen
There's a big musical festival coming up this weekend... Outside Lands. It's all going down this Friday August 8 through Sunday August 10 at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. There'll be big headlines such as Doechii and Beck. All eyes will be on the stages, but it takes a lot of work by people behind-the-scenes to make these festivals happen. Eric Barleen is the senior vice president of concerts for the promoter, Another Planet Entertainment (APE). He gives us an idea of what it's like organizing such a big production. Eric is originally from Lafayette.
DJ Anthony Midas
The Chase Center has been a major hot spot this summer, thanks in part to the Valkyries. Also, there's been a weekly party happening outside of the arena. It's called "Thrive at Five." People can eat, drink, shop and enjoy music. DJs play a variety of genres from R&B to EDM to Latin beats. The Bay Area's very own Anthony Midas is one of the headlining DJs at "Thrive at Five." He talks about spinning at the weekly event and his love for R&B music.
"Thrive at Five" happens every Thursday until August 28.
Maureen Gosling
Barbara Dane was a woman and artist you couldn't put in a box. She sang folk, jazz and the blues. Dane, a white woman, performed with the likes of Louis Armstrong and the Chambers Brothers. She was passionate about social justice. Dane sang in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement and used her voice to oppose the Vietnam War. When opportunities to go mainstream came, she chose to be independent.
"The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane" is a documentary about Dane's life and music. It's screening on the evening of Thursday, August 14 at the Rialto Cinemas Cerrito in El Cerrito. Maureen Gosling is the film's director.
During the interview, we also pay tribute Barbara Dane's daughter Nina Menendez. Maureen Gosling says Menendez passed away yesterday. Nina Menendez was the executive producer of "The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane."
