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Weekend Gamer: Summer of Gaming 2025

As the resident Weekend Gamer, I am obligated to mention the craziness of this week in Summer Gaming! Traditionally, since most kids are outside during the summer, game sales are poor… so the gaming industry would announce games in the summer for games to be on sale this holiday or year end.

Best of the Fests: Mosswood Meltdown and Portola Music Festival

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.

Weekend Gamer: Update (May 2025)

As for the gaming, I finally got around to putting together my Galaga Arcade1Up. I’ve had this thing in the original box for more than a year, because I knew eventually, I had to move to Jacksonville, and it was just easier to leave things in its compact state. When I put it together, I soon realized I did not bring my Pac-Man and Street Fighter II console controllers… so instead of putting the Galaga side art, I prefer the bright yellowness of the Pac-Man side.

Flashback: Deltron 3030 at First Avenue (Nov 13, 2000)

You guys don’t know how excited I was when I heard that Deltron 3030 have reunited and will be doing a special 25th Anniversary tour. The band first came together in 2000, for their self-titled album, and it was the most unbeatable hip-hop, rap album you’ve ever heard. I was a big fan and saw the band in 2000, at First Avenue. I even bought their instrumental album. The instrumental record was marketed to DJs, who may want to use the background music to mix with other records.