July 24, 2026

Oakland

Oakland, California, is a major port city in the East Bay region across the bay from San Francisco. As the seat of Alameda County, it is the third-most populous city in the Bay Area with an estimated population of over 440,000. The city is known for its incredible ethnic diversity, bustling downtown, and natural landmarks like Lake Merritt

Devo at Mosswood Meltdown, Oakland (July 19-20, 2025)

Best of the Fests: Mosswood Meltdown and Portola Music Festival

Robin Lapid May 21, 2025

Get ready for those tasty East Bay summer vibes: For my tastes, nothing says Hella Oakland more than the annual Mosswood Meltdown. This year’s weekend music fest takes place July 19-20 at Mosswood Park, natch, and, per usual, features the inimitable filmmaker and indie tastemaker John Waters as your cheeky host. This year, many of the acts are making their only Bay Area appearance at the fest, including DEVO, Osees, The Exploding Hearts, Shannon & the Clams. Also appearing are ‘90s riot grrrl band Bratmobile and Kreayshawn, who’s doing her first show in over a decade. You might be baking under that East Bay sun, but you’ll for sure be doing it in style.

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Poundsign at Thee Stork Club (07 Jun 2024)d3b65894200b

Summer Songs of Nostalgia for an Oakland Weekender

Robin Lapid June 10, 2024

Summer in June is lovely in theory, but every true Bay Area local knows that our mercurial microclimates beckon us east this time of year, away from San Francisco’s gloomy June and through the BART tunnel, surfacing in Oakland for snatches of sunshine. The same holds true not just for the weather but for lovers of indie pop. As art lovers and party people packed Uptown’s Telegraph Avenue for the First Friday art scene, music scenesters packed Thee Stork Club on Friday for night 2 of Oakland Weekender, the yearly music festival. “Festival” may seem like a stretch, as it all takes place in the cozy, dive-y environs of just the one bar, but the stellar lineup did make the weekend feel and sound larger than life. From the lo-fi, ‘90s pop nostalgia of Santa Cruz’s #Poundsign# to the honeyed, atmospheric melodies of San Francisco’s Seablite, the Weekender’s Friday night lineup had music fans basking in the sounds of an indie-pop summer. It was the kind of indie pop night where lyrics and words took a backseat to music, mood, and sound.

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