Awkward Convos, how we’ve missed thee.

This week sees the return of Josh Chase, cannabis-world entrepreneur and owner of the Have a Heart dispensary in downtown Oakland (don’t forget dispensaries are still open). Beejus had him over, this time to talk about their hopes, fears, and silver linings about and in these crazy days.

*Ed. note: The Bay Bridged would like to remind you to practice social distancing and wash your hands!

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It sure didn’t take long for our world to be upended, did it? Look, there’s no way to pussyfoot around this: COVID-19 sucks. It will cost countless lives the world over. But as we hunker down in this preemptive shelter in place quarantine, why not fire up the stereo and pass the days away with some tunes? Music is always a good antidote for when there’s not one in sight for the foreseeable future.

Here’s a selection of “quaran-tunes” from local artists that we hope will be a balm for these unprecedented times.

Abracadabra, “Comb Your Hair”: This ’80s-inspired earworm is a fun distraction (also a subtle reminder to practice good hygiene, even if you’re not going anywhere for a while).

Vice Reine, “Sweet Dreams”: Have a one-person dance party with some major synths.

vverevvolf, “Sugar & Spice”: There are a lot of upbeat songs to choose from in vverevvolf’s catalog, but this is by far the most invigorating of their recent releases

Makeunder, “In Between My Dead End Jobs”: There’s literally no way not to bust a move when this is playing.

King Willow, “Talk Like That: Watch the video and dance along.

Local Songs That’ll Make You Think:

Oona Ruin, “Don’t Look Down”: What is this song about if not hope?

Rittybo & Kezia, “Lonely”: I mean…

Ah Mer Ah Su, “On”: We’ll go on.

JD Bray, Playlist Editor

Foxtails Brigade, “We Are Not Ourselves”: A tale of insomnia, anxiety, and a dash of mania to meet the moment.

Boy Scouts, “Get Well Soon”: Although it’s essentially Taylor Vick’s goodbye letter to an ex, it becomes a missive to soldier on, as well as as a soothing kiss-off.

Culture Abuse, “Calm E”: It’s pretty simple. Pick up the damn phone and call your friends.

The Umbrellas, “City Song”: “Is this the city of broken promises and cancelled plans?”  Sure feels like it.

Bells Atlas, “Be Brave”: Singer Sandra Lawson-Ndu beckons us to be our better selves. We are not alone.

So Much Light, “Heal”: Sacramento’s Damien Verrett ponders how to “heal the ache that I can’t name” over funky synths that will make you slink across the floors of your apartment.

Ceremony, “In The Spirit World Now”: So much of this initial phase of this pandemic feels surreal. Ceremony captures that off-kilter feeling convincingly well. It’s a tune that wouldn’t feel that far off as a Talking Heads “Burning Down The House” B-Side.

Curls, “Gentle and Kind”: It’s going to be a long few weeks (and maybe months), y’all. Let’s keep that kindness flowing.

Jay Som, “Tenderness”: Though she may have left for Los Angeles, East Bay native Melina Duterte’s smooth, intimate pop music is the perfect soundscape to melt the day away on your couch.

Tanukichan, “Bitter Medicine”: There will be moments during this where we’ll need to escape. “Bitter Medicine” is the calling card to disassociate and daydream of a better world.

Emily Afton, “Back in San Francisco”: A city isn’t a city without its soul. May Emily Afton and others help us find our way again.

Ismay, “In the Hospital Room”: Even in a dark moment, there is light. Ismay beams with soothing clarity and humanity on this song — a true reminder that we can, and will, find peace through the pain.

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Today we’re talking to Berkeley native (via Little Rock) Hashes Clay, a cannabis personality and influencer. Listen on for the usual casual chat about the unifying power of high school sports and weed, and his YouTube show Munchies with Hashes, where he pairs compliant cannabis brands with local restaurants.

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Ah, Valentine’s Day. Another day to celebrate your love or perhaps another day to realize you’re single. Despite your relationship status this Valentine’s Day, we can probably all admit that there is a lot of music celebrating the glory and heartbreak of love. To commemorate, we here at the Bay Bridged collected our staff’s favorite love songs, along with their favorite anti-love songs to make sure everyone receives whatever they need this February 14th.

Love Songs

“Heat of the Moment” by Asia

This probably isn’t high on a lot of lists about love songs, or lists in general. Sadly, the world does not seem to have remembered Asia, English supergroup, despite the fact that they are still touring. However, “Heat” helped bring my mister and me together. Early in our relationship, this song popped up on his playlist. He went to change it, apologizing for his love of this prog-rock ballad. “I own their first three albums on vinyl,” I said. Just like that, we were caught in the heat of the moment — and have been ever since. — SarahJayn Kemp

“You Can Have It All” (George McCrae cover) by Yo La Tengo

Is there anything more vulnerable than offering up the totality of yourself to someone else? Husband and wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley make this case on this track, transforming George McCrae’s standout disco number into an earnest, warm embrace. This wouldn’t feel at odds on a lethargic summer evening, pedaling down a tree-lined street in your neighborhood on a bike with a partner you adore. While the rest of the world speeds by, Yo La Tengo wants respite. “You Can Have It All” feels like peace. — J.D. Bray

“OTL” by Field Medic

I heard this song unexpectedly when Field Medic opened for Girlpool. It is so comically desperate and horny that I couldn’t help falling in love with it. A San Francisco native as well, he has a song about hipsters moving to Valencia Street. — Walker Spence

“Avalanches” by Jordaan Mason and the Horse Museum

This is absolutely my favorite love song. Mason’s lyrics are impeccable and reveal just enough where you feel like you know exactly what he means even though everything is abstract. It takes place in the middle of a wonderful, heartbreaking and problematic queer love story which is explored through the rest of the album. I’d put the whole album if I could, but this song just bursts of raw feeling and is perfect. — Walker Spence

“I Bet on Losing Dogs” by Mitski

It feels a bit reductive to put Mitski on a love song list because, in her own words, “a lot of my songs are just about music and trying to pursue it, and not feeling loved by it. A lot of the ‘yous’ in my songs are abstract ideas about music.” But I know that this song immediately conjures romantic love in my mind; Resigned and exhausted love, but still. — Walker Spence

“Never Know” by Tim Atlas

The minimalist production and Tim’s tender falsetto makes this song pure bliss. A fleeting relationship with no clue on where it’s going would be tragic but Tim opts to submit himself to the precious moment instead — It could be over today, tomorrow, or last forever in another timeline. Who knows, or maybe we’ll never know. — Nina Tabios

“Our House” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash

This is the classic love song to me. It’s simple and champions the everyday actions of being with someone. After all, love is small things, not the grand actions. Love is ordinary but the most extraordinary thing we can participate in during our lives. — Makaila Heifner

“Hands Down” by The Greeting Committee

This song feels like falling in love. It’s joyously triumphant and almost disgustingly happy. — Makaila Heifner

“Ozma” by Shannon and the Clams

It’s about her beloved family dog of the same name. So Happy Valentine’s Day to my sweet rescue girl Ripley, who is the best thing that ever happened to me. — Jody Amable

Anti-Love Songs

“Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely” by Hüsker Dü

It is the absolute best. It was written by Grant Hart, Charlie Browniest sad sack punk rock ever produced, so it is rife with this desperate energy. The outward anger in the song is the flaky crust on a self-loathing pie that unloved Grant is serving up so we can all dine in his bitterness. It’s delicious. — SarahJayn Kemp

“Happy” by The Wrens

If there’s a better way to articulate dissolution than a cathartic, jangly emo song, I’d like to see the receipts. The Wrens have all of the elements here — sheer befuddlement, betrayal, loss, a fleeting sense of redemption. It might take some work to get to happiness, but the lived-in, pained story arc of Charlie Bissell’s experience is raw, immediate, and infinitely powerful with repeated listens. — J.D. Bray

“Heavy Heart” by Madi Sipes & The Painted Blue

A dancefloor banger about love, loss, longing, with a killer sneak-attack surprise guitar solo. What’s not to love? — Ben Enstein

“Speaking Terms” by Snail Mail

Best indie breakdown of 2019 and you absolutely can quote me on that. Lead singer Lindsey Jordan’s ability to make a breakup this groovy should be illegal. We stan a boundary setting queen and I think this song encapsulates the “we aren’t gonna talk anymore, but it’s cool” feeling while the sentimental instrumental emphasizes the melancholy that accompanies that decision. — Walker Spence

“Humming” by Turnover

Literally anyone can write a good song about heartbreak. We’re such a miserable species. But it’s actually incredibly difficult to artistically convey that act of falling in love. It requires treading an extremely thin line between whimsy and melancholy that few are able to do without the end result devolving into sticky, cringey, saccharine mess that only pisses off the listener. I’ll go ahead and say most of the Beatles’ love songs make me want to die. The Smiths, the Cure, and the Ramones would eventually nail down the formula, but for a more recent example, check out Turnover’s 2015 release Peripheral Vision. The album’s shoegaze aesthetic contradicts the warm-hearted nature of singer Austin Getz’s lyrics, which makes the record incredibly endearing — like trying to look cool in front of your high school crush. — Derek Nielsen

“What Used to be Mine” by Faye Webster

It’s such a lovely sad moment of a song that looks at a love that’s not for you anymore. — Michelle Kicherer

“All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem

The whole song takes you through the beginning, climax, and break up of a relationship. It explores the highs and lows you go through with another friends, and then confronts the bitter realization of being alone. The lyrics are backed by a high energy indie synth-pop that makes you want to scream the lyrics with all the windows down in your car. — Makaila Heifner

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This week Beejus has Blvck Achilles, rapper, musician, creative — “Malcolm Gladwell meets Gucci Mane” (or so says his Insta bio) — for another wide-ranging conversation.

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It’s February, and one of the most anticipated yearly Bay Area music festivals is right around the corner.

Now in its 28th (!) year, Noise Pop always proves to be one of the most reliable sources showcasing homegrown and up-and-coming talents.

To celebrate these 28 years of highlighting burgeoning local artists and independent-minded favorites, here’s 28 songs of some of the most anticipated artists from 2020’s schedule.

Be sure to check out the full lineup, and follow us on Spotify for more playlists. You might just find a new local hero.

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This week, Beejus hosts Awkward Convos first-timer Clif Soulo, an MC, father, brother, artist, human being who’s doing his best to figure out his purpose in life. He and Beejus chat about embarrassing first attempts at art, how much you can accomplish if you are, at least, not the worst at something, and lots more.

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It’s Wednesday, which means a new episode of Awkward Convos is here. This week Beejus runs the conversational gamut with returning guest Osagie the Great, covering ethical consumption, Harris Ranch, awkward Halloween costumes, and the mere logistics of coordinating a one-man podcast while kind of inebriated (and that’s just the first 10 minutes).

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Welcome back to Awkward Convos with Beejus here at The Bay Bridged. In this one, our man Beejus attempts a true podcast episode with Anthony Dragons and Moe Green, but it devolves (or, really, evolves) into a casual chat amongst longtime friends.

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