Arts & Entertainment
It was a Friday night in Richmond, and more than 50 teenagers from Kennedy High School and Richmond High School got ready to square off against each other. But instead of fighting, students from their respective schools put their dance moves to the test at the RYSE Center’s launch of their “First Friday” event series. “Who’s ready to party tonight?” yelled host Gemikia Henderson into the microphone to applause by the screaming crowd and the sound of record scratching by…
Richmond’s roller derby team, the Wrecking Belles, boasts the most wins the Bay Area Derby Girls league’s history. The women kicked off their season at the end of February. Richmond Confidential reporter Lexi Pandell and former Richmond Confidential reporters Stacey Kennelly and Byron Wilkes (now of North Gate Radio and CNS News, respectively) visited the derby girls’ headquarters and the Belles’ first game of the season to bring you this special report. Click around and enjoy!
Byron Wilkes gives a glimpse inside the world of Bay Area roller derby and the Richmond Wrecking Belles.
Eight women in helmets, bulky protective pads, tight spandex and rollerskates gather in a pack. Just behind them, two girls — the jammers — are side-by-side, preparing to attack the rink in front of them. A referee blows a whistle twice, sharply, which is followed by a clacking of skates and the soft thud of bodies slamming into each other. The Richmond Wrecking Belles were off to a fast start against The Oakland Outlaws in the Bay Area Derby Girls’…
Editor’s note: This article was originally published by our community reporting partners at RichmondPulse.org and is re-published here with their permission. _____________ Poetry, applause and laughter reigned at last week’s “Meet with the Mayor” event, a monthly gathering held at the Richmond Public Library and hosted by mayor Gayle McLaughlin. This month, the mayor’s special guests included a number of local, award-winning youth poets. Danica Garcia, a senior at Salesian High School, recited a poem during the meeting. Garcia will…
W. Allen Taylor has brought his search for his father back to the front stage in Richmond. Taylor, the son of “Walkin’ Talkin’ Bill Hawkins,”one of the first black disc jockeys in the country, takes his audience on his quest to find out more about his father.
Hundreds of people crowded into the Craneway Pavilion for the third annual Chocolate and Beer Festival on Saturday afternoon. Attendees sampled sweets from a variety of local chocolatiers—including North Oakland’s Bittersweet, Emeryville’s Coco Delice and Richmond’s Galaxy Desserts—and the over-21 crowd sipped sample-sized beers from nine different breweries. Live music from Emperor’s Jazz, Beam and 21st Century set the mood throughout the festival. Saturday’s event marked the premier of “Rosie’s Shipyard Ale,” a pale ale created in honor of Rosie…
Meet The 21st Century, an eight-piece indie pop band, who released their first album “The City” earlier this month at The Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco. A fan-funded endeavor several years and $11,000 in the making, the album features catchy harmonies relating the challenges of youth, adulthood, dating and everyday hardship. Their sound is best described by their lead singer, Bevan Herbekian. “We sound like the love child of Bruce Springsteen and Brian Wilson, who then befriends Belle &…
This Oakland singer/songwriter wants to work for you, so to speak. She’s also the focus of our latest Bandwidth, our continuing video series highlighting talented musicians in the East Bay. We bring you Alexa Weber-Morales as she debuts her latest album “I Wanna Work For You,” a fan-funded endeavor consisting of 10 original songs which range from jazz to salsa and across multiple languages. To learn more at Alexa, click here. You can check out past issues of our new…