San Fransisco Bay Guardian publisher Bruce Bruggman
with members of the Texas All-Stars at last night’s
35th annual Best of the Bay party held at Mezzanine.
Photos by Luke Thomas
By Luke Thomas
August 6, 2009
The San Francisco Bay Guardian proved again last night during its 35th annual Best of the Bay party why the newspaper is considered San Francisco’s favorite print weekly.
Held at the spacious bi-level Mezzanine and co-sponsored by Virgin Atlantic, Red Hook, The Disposal Film Festival, PoliteInPublic.com and In House Talent, the well-attended party drew as many as 500 Bay Guardian readers and fans who were treated to an exquisite lineup of Bay Area musical acts, including Sila and the AfroFunk Experience, J-Boogie’s Dubtronic Science, Sellassie, and The Fresh & Onlys.
And while the bands played their thundering sets, members of The Lusty Lady Dancers bedazzled attendees while dancing atop mini-stages in scantily clad outfits.
Everyone we talked to said last night’s Best of the Bay bash was a rip-roaring success. “The best ever,” one SFBG devotee said.
According to SFBG City Editor Steve Jones, the party’s success was largely due to the professional services of promotions manager Riley Manlapaz and events manager Dulcinea Gonzalez, “but the whole staff pitched in to work the event,” he said.
SFBG Best of the Bay award winner Julian Davis (2nd from left)
with SFBG City Editor Steve Jones, Whitney Leigh, Supervisor Chris Daly
and Davide Noyola.
Steve Jones, Davide Noyala, Karina Nogisto,
Chris Daly and Whitney Leigh.
FCJ columnist Will Chadwick, Karina Nogisto,
Steve Jones and Julian Davis.
SFBG investigative journalist Sarah Phelan and hubby, Khalil.
The Lusty Lady Dancers
Sila and the AfroFunk Experience
 
J-Boogie’s Dubtronic Science
 
The Fresh & Onlys
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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August 7, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Luke,
It was a hell of a party. Ran into Redmond and Salomon chatting in the foyer. Asked Redmond why he’d never offered Marc a job with the Guardian since obviously Salomon is the best writer in town and Redmond said: “Because Marc never asked.”. I like that. Let’s see if he was serious.
Mondo Grossman bought me a whiskey and steered me to Joe Lynn and we all went upstairs to talk about our ailments and those of the greater Metropolis. Joe wanted to meet Eric Smith whom I’d only been introduced to an hour before and I left them talking about politics.
Best thing about Bruce’s parties is he knows no one wants to listen to a bunch of speeches so all the awards are done before the doors open to the public.
Booze, fat-bottom girls baring it on stage, estranged friends and friendly enemies.
Good mix.
thanks again Bruce,
Hire Salomon!!
go Giants!
h.
August 7, 2009 at 9:47 am
Anyone interested in marc’s charge that philosopher Arthur Evans has a narrow perspective should read Evans’ latest book, “Critique of Patriarchal Reason,” and decide for themselves about the merit of the charge.
Then again, why bother, when mud slinging is so much easier than reflecting?
August 7, 2009 at 7:24 am
Arthur Evans wrote:
“The Guardian also suffers from a narrow perspective.”
Indeed. Pot. Kettle. Black.
-marc
August 6, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Thanks for the great pics of the SF Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay Party. The Guardian deserves congrats for the party.
However, the Guardian as a news medium has sunk in recent years, in the same way that the establishment press has sunk. Mostly what we get from the Guardian are editorial harangues, with very little substantive reporting, even in regard to issues that the paper cares about.
Which is ironic, because there is plenty to expose at City Hall in regard to both the mayor and the board of supes. But you won’t find much substantive, investigative reporting about it in either the Guardian or the Chronicle, or any other local paper.
The Guardian also suffers from a narrow perspective. If you look at its ads, which reveal a lot about any paper, you will see that the typical reader of the Guardian is a straight, single, cannabis-using male under 40 years of age.
This group is certainly entitled to have a paper represent its views and values. But this segment of the demographic spectrum is hardly representative of the larger rainbow of San Franciscans.
I keep hoping that some online news source will fill the vacuum created by the implosion of the city’s hard-copy press, both traditional and alternative.
It FCJ got some good investigative reporters to complement its terrific graphics and photography, it might fill the bill.