Music
A Mexican folk dance, an African-American gospel song, a restored World War II era school building, and a happy principal. “There are two things you can give to children, in general: roots and wings,” said Peppina Chang, the principal of the Richmond College Prep Schools. And today her preschoolers are getting their wings in a building whose roots dig deep into the heart of modern American history — although those roots had almost crumbled. After years of fundraising and planning,…
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Monday night passersby on Macdonald Avenue peer in curiously at a whirl of dance. Fingers snap. Feet slide. Hands swoosh a horsehair prop through the air, slapping the knees at intervals. The bright pastels of Victoria Secret sweatpants flash across the room in a blur of pink, yellow and turquoise. The dancers chant a call and response in a West African language: “Wadapo!” Drums pound in a…
Last Saturday, local music fans strutted down the red carpet at Richmond’s Craneway Pavilion for a star-studded concert. The show, called The Red Carpet Experience, featured Robin Thicke, El Debarge, Faith Evans, Ginuwine, Sydney Nicole and Jermaine Dupri. But the artists weren’t the only stars for the night. Young men and women from several East Bay community organizations, including Richmond’s Police Activities League, participated in a fashion show, working the catwalk in between music sets. Oakland clothiers K&G Fashion Superstore…
Richmond’s Police Activities League is gearing up for a star-filled “Red Carpet Experience” at the Craneway Pavilion this Saturday. The night of music and fashion supports health and wellness charity programs through Bay Area organizations including the Richmond PAL, Berkeley Youth Alternatives and El Cerrito High School’s James Morehouse Project. The concert lineup features Guest DJ Jermaine Dupri, and R&B singers Faith Evans and Robin Thicke. This past Sunday, young men from the PAL center went to the Men’s Wearhouse…
Nearly 400 friends, family, dignitaries and well-wishers turned out for the midday service, which was a medley of love and music and anecdotes that all agreed would have induced Jackson’s trademark wide grin.
When Amanda Elliott, the executive director of the Richmond Main Street Initiative, describes the menu for the upcoming Spirit and Soul Festival, she scoots to the edge of her seat and flashes a smile. “There’s greens,” she says, “smoked-baked chicken, red beans and rice, and cornbread.” The caterer calls it “healthy soul food,” Elliott says, and it’s a fitting menu for a fundraiser dedicated to the health and soul of downtown Richmond. On Saturday, Sept. 17, the third annual Spirit…
For the past three years, eighteen-year-old Vanessa Bejarano has sung in a choir that performs during ten o’clock mass at Saint Cornelius Parish. The group, mostly young women from the ages of 12 to 18, practices from seven to eight on Fridays in the parish rectory. Most of the songs are sung in Spanish with short solos, accompanied by drums, guitars and piano. The choir is more then a faith-based social gathering. It is a nurturing support system for young…
North Richmond Missionary Baptist and other local churches hope to build on a festive summer with the First Annual North Richmond Community Block Party August 6.
Service was a recurring theme at the 2nd Annual North Richmond Music Festival, which drew more than 250 neighborhood residents for a day of barbecue, sweet blues music and social service outreach.