Photo of an event in Berkeley, CA.

Upcoming Events in Berkeley

This is a list of all upcoming events in Berkeley, CA.

Ebo Taylor & Pat Thomas

October 19th, 2024
2:00 AM - 6:55 AM
University Avenue 2036, Berkeley, California 94704

Ebo TaylorGhanaian guitarist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and producer Ebo Taylor has been a vital presence in African music for more than half-a-century. During the early '60s, he was active in the influential highlife bands the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band whose singles were mainstays on national radio. In 1962 he took his Black Star Highlife Band to London and collaborated with other African musicians who were also in Britain at the time, including Fela Kuti. Back in Ghana, he worked as an influential producer, crafting recordings for Pat Thomas (his future collaborator) and C.K. Mann, among many others. During the 70's, his own musical projects combined traditional Ghanaian music with Afro-beat, jazz, and funk, creating a trademark sound. Pat Thomas Pat Thomas is a Ghanaian vocalist and songwriter famed for his work in the highlife bands of Ebo Taylor and his own recordings of Afrobeat and Afro-pop. Born in Agona, in the Ashanti region, Thomas had music almost literally in his DNA, his father was a music theory instructor and his mother a bandleader. In the 1970s, he moved to Accra to join Ebo Taylor's legendary highlife band The Blue Monks; their residency at the Tip Toe Night Club is an important part of modern Ghanaian cultural history. In the later years he moved to the Ivory Coast and produced various records in Afro-beat, Afro-Latin sounds and reggae melded to funky African disco. General Admission Standing Room with Limited Seating

Sentinels & Saviors: Iconic Avatars

October 19th, 2024
5:00 PM - 11:00 PM
2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, California 94804

The Sentinels & Saviors: Iconic Avatars exhibit explores the theme of art and healing amid challenging times. “Sentinels & Saviors: Iconic Avatars,” an exhibit featuring the artwork of Joell Jones and Kim Thoman, is presented at the Richmond Art Center’s South Gallery Wednesday, Sept. 4 through Thursday, Nov. 21. Gallery hours are Wednesdays thru Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free. An “Opening Reception” for the exhibit will be held Saturday, Sept. 7 from 1-3 p.m., while an “Artists Gallery Walkthrough” will take place Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. One goal of the exhibit is to encourage viewers, amid tumultuous times, to pay closer attention to themselves, their thoughts, and their feelings, according to the artists. Collectively, the artists create a space where Jones’ depiction of her adventures into her unconscious is held safe by Thoman’s guardian’s standing strong. Both bodies of work can be seen as iconic avatars allowing for inner work of the heart and mind–a common theme of both artists. Jones' various sized paintings reflect the evolution of her avatar as it changes, with the artist noting that she depicts a woman struggling for transformation as she shapeshifts while adrift in liminal environments. Thoman’s large, abstract steel figures will hang on the wall with an oil on canvas at their centers like an army of bodyguards for protection in this life, she said. Community members will have a chance to produce work inspired by the exhibit at “Make Your Own Avatar" at Fall Family Day” at the art center on Saturday, Oct. 19, from noon to 3 p.m.