Rightnowish

KQED

Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home. read less

Our Editor's Take

Fans of California's Bay Area art scene may appreciate Rightnowish. The podcast explores the arts, culture, and social scene in and around San Francisco. Public radio show host Pendarvis Harshaw interviews musicians, culinary artists, painters, writers, and more. The show brings listeners the sights and sounds of one of the world's most vibrant arts communities. As per the title, Harshaw tries to keep current with the scene.

Harshaw is a journalist, author, and radio host. He sits down with Bay Area artists to talk about their work. From community-driven initiatives to the street's hottest busker, Rightnowish, examines all. The podcast strives to keep up with the region's dynamic culture. Considering the area's many artists working in film, literature, design, and more, that's a challenging task. Harshaw explores everything from outdoor festivals to seasoned creative venues.

Each Rightnowish episode focuses on a particular artist or artistic event. Listeners learn about the artist's background and creative process. Conversations keep listeners intrigued and connected with the Bay Area art community. Harshaw's personal yet comfortable questions evoke great stories.

Rightnowish also strives to support underrepresented voices. It's a platform for artists of color, LGBTQIA+ voices, and other marginalized creatives. The show offers diverse perspectives on local arts that engage listeners. It also explores the region's cultural pulse, staying on top of trends and other changes in its art scene.

One episode featured an interview with poet and educator Tongo Eisen-Martin. Harshaw and the artist explored changing poetry in Oakland. Eisen-Martin discussed his recent publications and area activism. Another episode brought on the visual artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez. She shared her work and its connection to social justice. Jazz guitarist Calvin Keys joined in another airing. He discussed his musical journey and Bay Area influences.

Rightnowish also airs special episodes. "Reel Talk" focuses on local film artists. "Musicians to Know" centers around emerging artists. Regular episodes air weekly and run 20 to 30 minutes long.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

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nic feliciano Is Blessed With The ‘Curse of an Overactive Creative Mind’

nic feliciano Is Blessed With The ‘Curse of an Overactive Creative Mind’

nic feliciano (who also goes by Coco Machete) contains multitudes. She's a fashionista who currently resides in Berkeley, but was born in the Philippines and spent her teenage years in Southern California. After moving to the East Bay for school two decades ago, she's grown into a playwright, chef, thespian and — as she says — "a master of fun." feliciano's creations go beyond the stage. She's currently writing a comic book in which she gives a modern spin on the mythological creature from Filipino folklore. This week, we talk about how the Bay Area has assisted feliciano's artistic endeavors, from rapping over bass-heavy hip-hop beats in the early 2000s to forging a "creative family of misfit Filipino kids who didn't follow the path." Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episodes

nic feliciano Is Blessed With The ‘Curse of an Overactive Creative Mind’

nic feliciano Is Blessed With The ‘Curse of an Overactive Creative Mind’

nic feliciano (who also goes by Coco Machete) contains multitudes. She's a fashionista who currently resides in Berkeley, but was born in the Philippines and spent her teenage years in Southern California. After moving to the East Bay for school two decades ago, she's grown into a playwright, chef, thespian and — as she says — "a master of fun." feliciano's creations go beyond the stage. She's currently writing a comic book in which she gives a modern spin on the mythological creature from Filipino folklore. This week, we talk about how the Bay Area has assisted feliciano's artistic endeavors, from rapping over bass-heavy hip-hop beats in the early 2000s to forging a "creative family of misfit Filipino kids who didn't follow the path." Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deep Sea Fishing, Filipino Roots & Belonging “Where We Are”

Deep Sea Fishing, Filipino Roots & Belonging “Where We Are”

Adonis is a DJ who is immersed in downtown Oakland's nightlife scene. When they're not on the turntables, Adonis spends significant portions of their summers deep sea commercial fishing in Alaska. Adonis sees it as a way to pay bills, build community, and learn more about their Filipino roots. This week we discuss how it all intertwines-- the search for self, the love of community, the deep sea fishing and the appreciation of the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chronic Pain Of White Supremacy

The Chronic Pain Of White Supremacy

In her book White Supremacy Is All Around: Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White World, Dr. Akilah Cadet brings the reader into her life as a Black woman living with a disability who recognizes that oppressive forces are as constant as her chronic pain. Dr. Cadet talked with the Rightnowish team about racism, ableism and ways one can go about fixing a broken system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rightnowish Presents: Immigrantly’s Conversation with Musician Meklit Hadero

Rightnowish Presents: Immigrantly’s Conversation with Musician Meklit Hadero

On this episode of Rightnowish, we’re passing the mic to our friends at Immigrantly podcast. Host Saadia Khan and her guests examine traditional narratives Americans hold about immigrants and people of color. Through the process, they carefully unravel the nuance and depth of the immigrant experience. Immigrantly explores the everyday miraculousness of immigrant life, like love, food, faith, friendship and creativity through first-person accounts. Immigrantly’s guest for this episode is Meklit Hadero. She is a vocalist, songwriter, composer and former refugee who is known for her innovative Ethio-Jazz vocals and lively stage presence. Her music blends together folk, jazz, Eastern African influences, and what Hadero calls "everyday sounds." She has performed worldwide, and just released a new EP called "Ethio Blue." Her album “When the People Move, the Music Moves Too,” was named among the best records of the year by Bandcamp and the Sunday Times UK. She is a National Geographic Explorer, a TED Senior Fellow, and a former Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University. Hadero is also the co-founder, co-producer, and host of Movement, a podcast, radio series and live show that celebrates songs and stories of immigrant musicians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoë Boston, the Artistic Alchemist

Zoë Boston, the Artistic Alchemist

Zoë Boston is a talented artist who takes the highs and lows of life, and creates moving works of art of all sorts. She paints huge, brightly-colored aerosol murals depicting otherworldly beings, with elements of Afrocentrism and scenes inspired by nature. She also does oil-based paintings on canvas, smaller in stature but just as powerful. She's a fashionista, who knows how to put an outfit together-- accessories and all. She's a writer, of both short journal-like essays and profound lyrics for songs. Plus she's a talented vocalist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mamas for a Free Palestine: Safety Doesn't Come From Bombs

Mamas for a Free Palestine: Safety Doesn't Come From Bombs

The Mamas for a Free Palestine collective is made up of mothers across the Bay Area who say they are fed up with business as usual. While they are a relatively new group, these mothers are not new to activism and political organizing. With their children in tow, they are joining with other social justice organizations to demand that elected officials declare a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as end the use of U.S. public funds for Israel's military. Editor’s note: This episode has been edited in accordance with KQED’s editorial guidelines and Code of Ethics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sabreena Haque on Marking Transitional Milestones with Henna

Sabreena Haque on Marking Transitional Milestones with Henna

Mehndi or henna artist Sabreena Haque talks to KQED's Pendarvis Harshaw about setting intentions when having art added to your body, doing menna, aka henna for men and expanding into tattoos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michelle Cruz Gonzales of Spitboy is Punk AF and Lived to Teach About It

Michelle Cruz Gonzales of Spitboy is Punk AF and Lived to Teach About It

This week KQED's Sheree Bishop speaks to Michelle Cruz Gonzales. Michelle spent the late 90s in two iconic all-female punk bands, Spitboy, and Kamala and the Karnivores. In 2016, she released a memoir about her time in Spitboy and being the only woman of color in that band. Now, she teaches English classes with Punk literature at Las Positas College. Michelle talks about feeling seen as a person of color, the importance of supporting artists and musicians, dealing with toxic masculinity, and how east bay punk shaped her personality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Crampton Glassanos has Pendletons, Paint and Passion

George Crampton Glassanos has Pendletons, Paint and Passion

George Crampton Glassanos says he isn't an artist, he's a painter. Despite this assertion, his work is full of eye-catching colors and symbols representative of San Francisco's Mission district culture. It's born out of both a need to serve others, and George's personal urge to create. He's also driven by the need to advocate for the rights of working class people locally and abroad. This all adds to his paintings and drawings, but don't call it artwork. He recently stopped by KQED's headquarters to share a bit of his story. Then he took us on a short ride to see a few of his hand painted signs and murals— his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn to Merge: Northern California Freeways & Culture

Learn to Merge: Northern California Freeways & Culture

Last year I drove over 33,000 miles all around Northern California, constantly pursuing a deeper understanding of this region's culture. And then one day, while sitting in traffic, it hit me: you can tell a lot about our culture by simply looking at the freeways. This week, as we celebrate Rightnowish's 200th episode, I give you a glimpse into the things that I think about while I'm bending corners on Northern California's highways and byways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six Decades of Painting Black History

Six Decades of Painting Black History

Ira Watkins paints Black history while living it. He's a self-taught visual artist who has been using dazzling colors, expressive images and hidden messages to document Black history for decades. His work has graced the walls of his Bayview neighborhood and has been shown at the Tenderloin Museum. He's also painted a huge mural in his hometown of Waco, Texas, where the city dedicated a day in his honor-- now every January 17 is Ira Watkins Day. This week we talk about Black history with someone who has seen it firsthand, and used his hands to make sure the stories are passed on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tommy Guerrero Creates Lo-fi 'Music From the Earth'

Tommy Guerrero Creates Lo-fi 'Music From the Earth'

As a kid in San Francisco, Tommy Guerrero would stand on his skateboard, sliding down the steep hills of San Francisco slalom style. He'd dodge the dangerous objects in traffic and aim for the lips of the driveways he'd pass, going off them in attempts to catch air. This skillset allowed him to win contests, have his own signature board, and turn pro before he could legally buy a beer. Instead, that first check from being signed as a professional skater, was spent on a four track recorder and a drum machine so he could make music. Skating is where Tommy earned his name as a teenager. Now, as an adult, he still skates but it's more of just a kick and push on smooth pavement in the park, with an occasional ollie here and there. It's the investment he made in his music career that is paying dividends. For over two decades Tommy has been producing Lo-Fi, boom-bap, jazzy, hip-hop, instrumental music where he plays every instrument. His music is cerebral, and his songs have titles that he pulls out of the ether. He's tuned in to the cosmos, as well as the popular trend of listening to vibey sounds. Plus, he's a dad, so it helps that he's tapped into the culture. Tune in this week as we discuss music, skating, San Francisco culture, and Tommy's philosophies on fatherhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ‘Qing’ of Queens

The ‘Qing’ of Queens

Qing Qi is an artist, talented MC, and an actress who doesn't mince words. Her lyrics are explicit for a reason. She looks at the atrocities that readily happen in this country and all around the world, from bombings to kidnappings, and then she asks what's wrong with saying a few four letter words or euphemisms for genitalia? Qing Qi also doesn't shy away from the hardships she's navigated while living in the Bay Area. She pours her observations and personal experiences into her lyrics, delivering brash bars over bangin' beats. Last year she also got into acting, playing the role of Ally in the indie film, "Donna and Ally". So this week we talk to Qing Qi about music and movies, as well as the art of using comedy as a stress relief, and why being real with your children is the best form of parenthood-- and she means being really real. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Underground Rap, Playa Sh*t, Political Joints: Equipto has Bars

Underground Rap, Playa Sh*t, Political Joints: Equipto has Bars

Equipto (born Ilyich Sato) is a hip-hop cultural cornerstone and well-known activist who reps San Francisco to the fullest. He's been making music since the 90s, when he came in the game laying down tracks with the underground group, Bored Stiff. Equipto has rocked shows with the late Mac Dre and was good friends with the late Baba Zumbi of Zion-I. Legendary rapper San Quinn even credits Equipto for teaching him how to properly count rap bars. We discuss his various roles of mentor, father, artist and activist who is trying to make sense of all the changes happening to his hometown, while simultaneously developing a new community in a new state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Woods Knows You Are Worthy

Rob Woods Knows You Are Worthy

"Been through it all but I feel like it was worth it, not a perfect man but I feel like I am worthy," sings musician Rob Woods in a raspy yet uplifting tone that's reflective of the sentiment in his trademark song, "Worthy." Woods wrote the song in collaboration with Ricky Jassal, who he met while incarcerated in a California state prison. Since his release, Woods has been traveling around this state reminding people that no matter what they've been through, they too are worthy. His work is important, especially here in California where there are large numbers of imprisoned and unhoused people. For many people, even those who aren't living behind bars or sleeping on the streets, times are hard. In the scramble to pay bills and make ends meet, our inherent value as human beings often gets lost. So this week we talk to Rob Woods for a simple but profound reminder that you too are worthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Buskin’ on BART to Teaching Turfin’

From Buskin’ on BART to Teaching Turfin’

"Turfin' is a way of life for me," says Telice Summerfield, a dancer who has the ability turn a BART platform into a stage where she can glide, tut, bend and bone break on beat. She exchanges energy with onlookers; they get entertained and she gets empowered. The dance is an art. It's also a political act, as she takes up space at will. Today we discuss how the hyphy movement opened her eyes to the arts as a child, how her experience at UC Berkeley exposed her to inequalities on campus as a young adult, and what dancing on BART has taught her about sociology. Now that Telice is a known name in the dancing world, she also gives us some insight on her plans to take the culture even further. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boots Riley is Directing the Future

Boots Riley is Directing the Future

From global issues to community conflicts, Boots Riley has had a foot in a number of the major current events of the past year, and he says he's not done yet. So we're kicking off 2024 by talking to someone who has their finger on the pulse of the culture, and a hand in directing the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Indigenizing' San Francisco (Yelamu): The Cultural District Honoring Native History

'Indigenizing' San Francisco (Yelamu): The Cultural District Honoring Native History

Marisol Medina-Cadena takes a tour of the American Indian Cultural District. It was founded in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood in 2020 to serve as a home base for the Urban Native community. This episode originally aired on July 22, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Coolest Place on Earth: The Public Library

The Coolest Place on Earth: The Public Library

This week on Rightnowish, we talk to librarian Mychal Threets about what it's like to be a social media star and how the public library system is a place for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music in the Key of Fatherhood

Music in the Key of Fatherhood

This week Pendarvis Harshaw talks about how the music he grew up listening to, plays into how he and his daughter bond over music now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices