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Julia Baum on September 26, 2018
Lighting up a joint is now legal in some form in 30 states, but posting your smoke sesh could still get you kicked off social media. As draconian as it sounds, that’s what some users on Instagram and other platforms say has happened to them. Seattle-based photographer Bess Byers, who has more than 94,000 followers, started a petition to protest her IG account @imcannabess being shut down twice in August. More than 15,000 people have signed the petition, which asks Instagram to update their terms of service to “reflect changing cannabis laws,” “stop targeting legal businesses” and “end the censorship and suppression of cannabis content.”
Byers’ weed-themed account, which features shots of grows and people toking, was eventually reactivated after it was “disabled by mistake,” but another cannabis activist had her hemp cafe’s account disabled around the same time. When it was reactivated, Jodie Emery told Marijuana.com that she received the same email as Byers stating her account was shut down “by mistake.” Instagram isn’t the only platform accused of censoring marijuana content; Loaded Up Entertainment was deleted from YouTube earlier this year for posting weed-related videos, including one about the best munchies to eat while stoned.
Numerous Bay Area dispensaries have had profiles for years without any issues, raising questions of what makes these companies act on certain accounts. YouTube prohibits videos that show “drug abuse, underage drinking and smoking,” but videos showing how to manicure homegrown buds are arguably more informative than pro-drug propaganda. Facebook also has inconsistent criteria for ganja; Weedmaps is greenlighted to promote themselves on Facebook, but last year the social media giant got in hot water for deleting the pages of several licensed dispensaries in Alaska.
Spotty guidelines have pushed some canna-thusiasts to create their own platforms; Mass Roots is a hybrid of marijuana news and dispensary advertising platform that bills itself as a social media website, but an even newer network just popped up. Smoke Network plans to stop reefer censorship with blockchain technology somewhat like Bitcoin, letting weed content be safely stored without any chance of removal or revision by outsiders. They also promise to reward people who contribute to the network with cryptocurrency; upvoted users also receive part of the network’s daily rewards, encouraging further participation. The network is currently giving away free SMOKE coins for registering; those interested can sign up at Smoke.Network.
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Wallace Baine on September 20, 2018
Good news, fashionistas: You can now justify the expense for that hot dress or cool jacket you bought this summer. The San Jose Museum of Art is throwing a scintillating party. The Mirror Ball is the hip after-party for the Wonder Ball gala and fundraiser earlier in the evening. The after-party will feature cocktails, food, live music, dancing and intimate late-night access to all the museum’s current exhibitions, not to mention plenty of potentially well-dressed and attractive art lovers. What better way to meet an intriguing new someone than in front of a beautiful painting? SJMA members get in for just $75. Continue reading »
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Yousif Kassab on September 20, 2018
Few things strike a chord like being confronted with something that is at once vaguely familiar and undeniably new. When executed well, this potent combination has the power to evoke a sense of powerful nostalgia while simultaneously conjuring a sense of rejuvenation. It’s within this emotional lexicon that beatmakers like Madlib, Knxwledge and the New Jersey-based producer Aaron Velasquez operate. Continue reading »
The buzz at the Sharks Fan Fest this year is likely to be all about newly acquired stud defenseman Erik Karlsson, who is already conjuring visions of the Stanley Cup coming to San Jose. In the meantime, hockey fans jonesing for some action on the ice can gather at the SAP Center to get photos with players and watch the Sharks Legends game, featuring an array of former Sharks, including Bryan Marchmont, Mike Ricci, Jeff Friesen and many more. Free parking is available at several SAP Center lots. All this is prologue to the new season, which kicks off Oct. 3 against Anaheim. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on September 20, 2018
Just as sounds of bicycles roaming the streets of downtown San Jose begin to mellow, the SoFA District is poised to come alive with the sound of music. This year’s Viva Calle runs until 3pm, but the fall edition of the SoFA Street Fair keeps rocking with free live music until 9pm. With stages all over South First Street—inside Haberdasher and Uproar, among other venues—and a whole slew of performers, including Steely Nash, Israel Sanchez, The Odd Numbers, Sweet HayaH, Ato Walker and Drawing Heaven, it’s sure to be good time. In between sets, grab a cold brew and a bite. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on September 20, 2018
Close your eyes and imagine a major American city without cars. Imagine the streets filled only with pedestrians, skaters, cyclists and kids who wear Heelys. On Sunday, you can open your eyes and see it for yourself when six miles of city streets in downtown San Jose will be closed to cars and trucks from First Street down Monterey Road, with activity hubs on both ends and the middle—at the County Fairgrounds. The idea is to get friends and neighbors out of their expensive rolling planet-destroyers and into the streets to explore them by other means and maybe even to boldly envision a carless future. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on September 20, 2018
The great family norteño band from San Jose known as Los Tigres Del Norte are combining forces with Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernandez on a groundbreaking tour called Rompiendo Fronteras (Breaking Borders). Los Tigres is among the most popular Latino bands in the world with a real-world focus on struggle and pride in their work, often taking on subjects such as the drug trade and immigration in their music. Fernandez, son of the legendary Vicente Fernandez, has strong roots in ranchera and mariachi styles and has become a pop phenom in his own right. Together, they’ve sold more than 65 million records worldwide. Continue reading »
Spanning borders and electronic subgenres, Boombox Cartel—the production duo of Jorge Medina and Americo Garcia—got its start in Monterrey, Mexico. Over the course of their time working together, Medina and Garcia bounded between electro, dubstep, trap and hip-hop. Now based out of Los Angeles, Garcia is the sole face of Boombox Cartel. It’s unclear why (or even if) the pair have split, but Boombox Cartel’s fanbase is only growing. Currently signed to Diplo’s tastemaking Mad Decent label, Garcia comes to Sunnyvale pushing the project’s latest single, “People I Know,” featuring a vocal by Australian singer Panama. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on September 20, 2018
It’s been more than 16 years since Norah Jones briefly took over the world with her slinky and sleepy jazz-pop album Come Away With Me. Since then, pianist and vocalist—and daughter of sitar great Ravi Shankar—has released a half dozen albums and built a dazzling career not only as a solo artist but with various side-project bands (including The Willies and Puss n Boots) and collaborations with Keith Richards, Seth MacFarlane and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. The fabulous Ms. Norah never stops moving or evolving. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on September 19, 2018
It’s hard to imagine the last 20 years of music without the era-defining The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Winning five Grammy awards the year it was released, the first solo album by the ex-Fugees singer laid the groundwork for pan-African American albums like Kamasi Washington’s The Epic and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, as well as the neo-soul movement of Amy Winehouse and the Dap-Kings. It’s a modern classic, and the reason why Ms. Hill remains one of the most respected and feared musicians on Earth. Continue reading »
