Author Archives: markweiss86

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About markweiss86

Mark Weiss, founder of Plastic Alto blog, is a concert promoter and artist manager in Palo Alto, as Earthwise Productions, with background as journalist, advertising copywriter, book store returns desk, college radio producer, city council and commissions candidate, high school basketball player, and blogger; he also sang in local choir, fronts an Allen Ginsberg tribute Beat Hotel Rm 32 Reads 'Howl' and owns a couple musical instruments he cannot play

Frisell in Napa

Posted on July 13, 2014 by markweiss86

Bill Frisell kicked some Americana in Napa, at the City Winery, Sunday, June 7, 2014. Here he is with longtime second guitarist / lap steel whiz Greg Leisz.

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The four types of growth

Posted on July 13, 2014 by markweiss86

Original – Original growth means that we continue as we have been doing the last five years at least and let the developers do whatever they want whenever they want which in the instant matter means more office space downtown, … Continue reading →

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Buff Monster Ice Cream green zombie resin head

Posted on July 13, 2014 by markweiss86

I put a $20 token into a gum ball machine at Geffen MOCA in L.A. and got a green zombie resin head ice cream from Buff Monster. (Not to be confused with green-wash net-zero pseudo-choice of four types of unstoppable … Continue reading →

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Brian Aubert v. Brian Auger

Posted on July 13, 2014 by markweiss86

I cannot be the first person to mistake Brian Auger for Brian Aubert. I told the bartender/barrista at Ace Hotel — the one who claims to be a drummer, that opened for or appeared with early Modest Mouse — that … Continue reading →

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Plastic Alto and Plato’s Republic: your source for policy news, to dance to

Posted on July 13, 2014 by markweiss86

Plastic Alto is an arts blog — the name reference jazz legend Ornette Coleman — yet of the first 750 posts roughly one-quarter, or 188 posts and counting are about politics or policy. They are labeled by the category “Plato’s … Continue reading →

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Banjo Riot in Professorville, by Michael John Simmons of Fretboard Journal

Posted on July 12, 2014 by markweiss86

On Saturday I went to a picking party in Professorville, an elegant old neighborhood in Palo Alto. There were dozens of people there playing bluegrass, swing, folk and all sorts of good things in little clusters all over the garden … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Charlie Haden

Posted on July 12, 2014 by markweiss86

Terry and I on our way back, driving, from L.A., heard something about Charlie Haden passing. I met Charlie briefly, backstage in New York, at the Blue Note club. I had to look it up to realize it was ten … Continue reading →

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Our Palo Alto $325,000 slush fund to undermine Comp Plan

Posted on July 12, 2014 by markweiss86

I posted this under Gennady Sheyner’s coverage of the recent Planning and Transportation Commission meeting. I hope to write soonly about the Leadership Ad Hoc Comp Plan group or whatever they are called. People I like on that group, of … Continue reading →

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Palo Alto Free Press website covers Grand Jury report about 27 Uni

Posted on July 12, 2014 by markweiss86

And my response: Good story, Chad. Another point about 27 University is it is actually simultaneous with 456 University potentially back-online as a place for public events: City of Palo Alto staff actually took what they were hearing from residents … Continue reading →

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Pablo Cruise Palo Alto roots

Posted on July 12, 2014 by markweiss86

Pablo Cruise was all over the radio in 1977 “Place in the Sun”. Years later it was Gil Draper of Draper’s Music who hipped me to the fact that the band had Palo Alto roots. Here is a glib from … Continue reading →

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