.Readers Say the Darndest Things: Arts and Culture

Best Annual Event
Annual Women Writers Breakfast & Lunch
Fundraiser for the YWCA at UC Berkeley — women authors talk about their books and lives. I look forward to it every year! It’s held at HS Lordships in Berkeley and the speakers, books, food, camaraderie is wonderful! I highly recommend it! — happywolf

Ardenwood Farms Annual Cajun/Zydeco Festival
The best full day of dancing, great music and great food! And it’s for the entire family to come out and enjoy. — Charli

Bay Area Craft Beer Festival
Fun group of people, good music and the best way to taste craft beer. — cottontails

Burning Man
Because it gets thousands of annoying hipsters out of the Bay Area … yippie. — Oaklandish

Cal Performances’ Fall Free for All
A full day of high-quality free performances in classical, jazz and world music and dance on the campus of UC Berkeley and, it’s FREE. — susanp26e4

Carijama
Needs to be resurrected. — Nnadel

Chalk and Chocolate Festival, Berkeley
The creativity is astonishing! — Ricki

Eat Real Festival
This is where Oakland steps up its game, and we get the crowds to back it up! The past two years have been incredible!! — Psurkis

Where you can pig out with other locavore hotties! — femily

One of my favorite days of the year. You get to run around like a small child, sampling everything, testing the limits of your stomach. And nothing was bad. I still drool thinking about a Cuban sandwich and burger I tried here. — east bay burbs

Fleet Week
Blue Angels — ’nuff said. — Cookie1997

Greek Festival
The food, the vendors, the music and dancing, and that million-dollar view? One of the best events of the year. — egb312

How Berkeley Can You Be?
Bring it back! How many more Wavy Gravy years do we have left? Let’s not squander them. — Janelle Blarg

Freakin’ hilarious event. — Deidre

KFOG Kaboom
At least it was before moving to Candlestick! — rs

Oaktoberfest in the Dimond
Best beergarten street fair in town! — loovalerie

Passover
Even though Elijah never comes, it still rocks!!!! — pablitotraverso

Uptown Festival
Is it happening this year? I went that one time, and it was rad. — Moline, Jennifer

Best Artist
Ben Crowden
His amazing kinetic sculptures add unnecessary gears to everyday life. Now that’s what I call art. — justeatit

Delaine Hackney
Best mosaic artist ever. — Ruthie

GATS
His tags are all over the East Bay. He is the most daring and successful graffiti artist in the entire Bay Area, from BART views to Telegraph street trucks to freeway on ramps, the East Bay makes his art feel like home. — theonlyshow

Honey Lawless
Sex and sass with a flawless ass! If you haven’t caught one of Honey Lawless’ performances than you have missed a true sticky sweet treat. A comedienne that knows how to bring the sexy — now why would you miss that? — honeylawless

J.B. Lowe
One of his paintings makes an appearance in Hereafter! — Moline, Jennifer

JJ Fryzel
Neon 3D paintings!!! What’s not to love? — Pedinoff, Rebecca

Me
Because I am good at what I do. — Oaklandish

Melissa Garden Streblow
Her work is the shit. — dougeyeknoll

Nemo Gould

What an imagination.WOW!!! — skyboy

Best Art Murmur Offshoot
Free Cookies
Fellow hangs out on a blow up couch and gives out cookies. SOOOO good! — ScreennamesRlame

Oakland Art Ride
Good for you, RPS Collective, you’re keeping it real. — heyheyhey

Rock Paper Scissors

The original founders of Art Murmur are returning to what they think is the main objective of that sort of event: making local art accessible and appreciated. — east bay burbs

Stork Club
Cheap drinks and sleazy girls. — Oaklandish

Best Band
Angels of Vice
AOV is one of the best and most versatile rock bands in the bay. There aren’t many left these days. — aneilsen

The Bell Brothers
Great country rock band … a lost craft in these parts! —kevyk

California Honeydrops
Rock my socks. And Lech is a hottie! Ow OW! — suzanabanana

These guys are amazing! I haven’t danced so hard in decades!! — FrustratedTeacher

Amazing sound. Love those guys. The only reason I’m here to vote. — jsmith60

They’ve made incredible progress in their music over the past year. They’re tight, fun to sing along with and amazing fun to dance to. — Charli

They are an amazing dance band. I would hire them for any party, wedding, or event. I love them. — webby05

Diego’s Umbrella

I first heard of these guys when they played one of the Friday night parties at Golden Pacific Brewery (now Trumer Pils) in the flats of Berkeley. They are a phenomenal band and they put on a super energetic show. I have seen them twice since. They’re fantastic. — The Wacky Italian

Green Day
Never thought I’d feel old saying that. — Nicolas

Ominos
Metal, baby! — Kavon Kavoussi

Pacific Chamber Jazz
Quiet music to enhance a party or event without drowning out all possible conversation. — amesgal

Phenomenauts
Earth’s best space band. — hledeen

Rosin Coven
Theatrical, amazing, unique. — Ensign Benson

Best Blogger
Anneli Rufus

Foods, arts, literature — she has something to say worth reading. Kudos to the Express for showcasing her. — Tom Walton

Jonathan Bair
He’s my brother, what can I say? — Madeleine Bair

None from SF …
Most Bay bloggers are terrible, especially the fashion ones. — Neonstar

V Smoothe
More comments than SFGate but a much better discussion! — dto510

Best Club
Bar Three Fifty-Five
Hidden and hip gem with decor to make everyone look beautiful. Best bartenders: good looking and friendly and knowledgeable. Memorable cocktails. — cfield

Disco Volante
Great food, booze, music and company all the time. — 4letterword

The Uptown
Larry let me have a benefit show so they will always be the best club! — the Third Victim

Best DJ
bar:tone
Drum and bass in your face. — bar:tone

DJ Fernando
I love this guy — riirii

Best DJ Night at a Club
None
Y’all are too loud for someone like me who just wants to have a drink and talk to my friends. — Moline, Jennifer

Best East Bay slang word
Blap
To fall or wipe out — lilmartmar

Breh-breh-breh

(Delivered rapidly and emphatically) — santopeligro

Dude
My kids say it often! —Luz

Hella
Could there possibly any other choice? — Disco Von Doom

This should win every year, for eternity. — Nicolas

Magazines
Young people have been using this to describe women’s parts. — holtdesign43

Oakland Shuffle
Walking slowly through an intersection to slow down traffic. — Dan Jewett

Shmammered
The next step beyond hammered … — Lauren Vonnegut

Soup
Means “not good” — p_rev

Best Local Author
Mary Roach
Love her crazy footnotes! — Karenl

Michael Chabon
Have read everything he’s written, I think. He’s also a nice guy and easy on the eyes. — jpsidell

Best Local Book
The Practical Napper
Gotta love naps! — Luz

Best Local Film
A-Town
Drugs and crime in Alameda … totally fiction. — PSBA

Moneyball
At least here’s hoping … — Nicolas

Best Local Film Festival
Albany Film Festival
It was only the first year — but what a great selection of films and filmmakers! Got to meet Les Blank and Geefwee Boedoe. Can’t wait for next year’s festival. — Albanytall

Best Multi-Talented Artist
Alan Leon
Muralist, art teacher, Hebrew calligraphy teacher, yoga teacher, nice guy. — MargoRW

Best Mural
The new Oaksterdam mural on 17th and Broadway
Looking at it is a great way to pass the time waiting for the bus. It blends together some great iconic Oakland imagery. — mhubacek

Best Music Venue
924 Gilman
No question! Volunteer and collectively-run, not for profit, all ages, awesome (semi)new upgraded sound system, and $.05 red vines! — Russell EB

The Fox Theater
I used to think the Fillmore was the best — now you can’t drag me to a show in S.F. on a weeknight. Long live the Fox, which gets me home by eleven on school nights. — Moline, Jennifer

Best musician
Anthony Nielsen
From Angels of Vice … sexy beast! — missminna

Asil Mongellousy
An upcoming bad-ass girl drummer who kills it on the drums. — asil

Best poet
Clay Kirchenbauer
He’s the only poet I know. — kkorlacki

Dominic Canizzaro
Amazing spoken word!! — kojima

Zac Houston
Because I love a typewriter. — mollyg

Best radio station
610 AM — Harold Camping’s Family Radio
At the end of the day, it’s laugh out quality entertainment. — Kavon Kavoussi

KALW
Best locally produced programs, especially Rose Aguilar’s “It’s Your Call”; West Coast Live, plus a wide variety of music and literature programs. And unlike KPFA, never dour. — jallanb

KALX
I have always loved KALX. We need to make sure our community radio stations don’t get sold off (like what’s currently happening to KUSF this year). KALX plays so many different genres of music and has really entertaining DJs with real live personalities! You never know what you will hear, but it will definitely be entertaining and worth it! And talk about the best ticket giveaways! Holy cow!! This station makes the Bay Area really special. — The Wacky Italian

What else is there? — pamelacalvert

KPFA
For when you have enough strength for the truth — kojima

Pandora
I wish there was something better on the air here. — imnottelling

Youth Radio
C’mon they won a 2011 Peabody Award!!! — quixoticfrisson

Best rapper
Essco
Rap your pants off! — watson40141

Marie Muscolino
And she breakdances like a mothercusser. — sugarbunnie

The Jacka
Super flows super hot. — jnow01

Best theatrical production
Walden School’s Upper Group Play: Cats
These fourth, fifth, and sixth graders were incredible! — christad289

Most unlikely place to see art on the walls
Albany Bulb
Even if the art street at this place isn’t on walls, it’s great to come across the amazing artwork at this place. — Ruthie

Businesses
This is usually for good art. — Neonstar

My house
Sad, but true. — SPaws

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