From the essay:

A show on Jhon Benson's Bus exemplified something about Oakland in the mid- to late-00s: You could rent a warehouse for $1 a square foot and since you barely needed a job, you could spend your free time on "projects." That could be music, art, or activism; it could be getting your woodworking certificate at Laney College, as many of my friends did. You could do anything, make anything, take risks. Want to set up a show in the abandoned train station? A group of friends would help you sneak a PA through weeds and crumbling graffitied walls, set up a makeshift stage with lights, and play extremely loud noise music. Twenty years later you'll still be talking about what an awesome show it was.

I also made a video playlist so that readers could hear and see some of these moments for themselves. You can listen to an interview with me about the piece and my other experiences booking DIY music shows in the early 00s on Hyphenate with Randy Randall.

After the essay was published, I also began a collaboration on a series inspired by the piece with Liam O’Donoghue for his podcast East Bay Yesterday.

The first two episodes are out now, with more to come in 2027:

“No one’s trying to get famous” features an interview with me about the essay and my old West Oakland warehouse home, along with local musician and house show organizer Heather Blotto.

"Dancing at the end of the world" includes interviews with two old friends, Jhon Benson of the Bus, and Ben Valis and his former roommate Sabrina Sierra about Lobot.

From the essay:

A show on Jhon Benson's Bus exemplified something about Oakland in the mid- to late-00s: You could rent a warehouse for $1 a square foot and since you barely needed a job, you could spend your free time on "projects." That could be music, art, or activism; it could be getting your woodworking certificate at Laney College, as many of my friends did. You could do anything, make anything, take risks. Want to set up a show in the abandoned train station? A group of friends would help you sneak a PA through weeds and crumbling graffitied walls, set up a makeshift stage with lights, and play extremely loud noise music. Twenty years later you'll still be talking about what an awesome show it was.

I also made a video playlist so that readers could hear and see some of these moments for themselves. You can listen to an interview with me about the piece and my other experiences booking DIY music shows in the early 00s on Hyphenate with Randy Randall.

After the essay was published, I also began a collaboration on a series inspired by the piece with Liam O’Donoghue for his podcast East Bay Yesterday.

The first two episodes are out now, with more to come in 2027:

“No one’s trying to get famous” features an interview with me about the essay and my old West Oakland warehouse home, along with local musician and house show organizer Heather Blotto.

"Dancing at the end of the world" includes interviews with two old friends, Jhon Benson of the Bus, and Ben Valis and his former roommate Sabrina Sierra about Lobot.