Search Results for: Parayno

End of an era for Berkeley Rustic Birdhouses, Birdland jazz

December 10, 2012 2:30 pm by Emilie Raguso
Everything must go: Michael Parayno, pictured here with some of his rustic birdhouses, is relocating to Manila soon. The vast majority of his entire stock of birdhouses is on sale. Photo: Emilie Raguso

70 Comments

Print Friendly

The story of a controversial community artist and jazz event organizer will come to an end later this month, at least locally, with the relocation of Birdman Mike from Berkeley to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

You may know of Michael Parayno because you’ve seen his truck parked across from the North Berkeley BART station, or over on Fourth Street, bedecked with whimsical handmade birdhouses for sale.

Or you may have heard about his efforts organizing Birdland Jazz, aka the Birdland Jazzista Social Club, which Berkeleyside has been covering over the past two years. The jazz and barbecue event, which Parayno says drew world-class performers the likes of which also perform at venues such as Yoshi’s, started in Parayno’s garage before moving to Café Yesterday in 2011.

Both efforts have fierce devotees as well as passionate detractors. Critics have pointed out Parayno’s lack of concern for municipal codes, while supporters argue for his unique contributions to community life. … Continue reading »

Tagged , ,

Pop-up spot Rogue Café goes private to comply with law

July 25, 2012 4:02 pm by Tracey Taylor
Rogue

91 Comments

Print Friendly

Rogue Café, a pop-up brunch spot held on weekends in a Berkeley backyard, has chosen to become a private event after a Berkeleyside story prompted a visit by the city’s health department.

“After speaking with the health department we have decided to make Rogue a private event. It is the only legal way for us to continue in our current state,” co-owner Eric Thoresen told Berkeleyside.

The July 23 Berkeleyside story triggered a significant reader response, and several commenters questioned whether the pop-up restaurant was legal. “I’m curious about how these places operate. Do they get inspected by the health department…? … Also, do they get business permits? Is the neighborhood zoned for the business?” wrote Pragmatic Progressive.

Thoresen responded by saying that Rogue had a business license and paid taxes, but did not have a permit. He also addressed questions regarding food sourcing, safety and sanitation. … Continue reading »

Tagged , ,

Birdland Jazz finds a new home at Café Yesterday

August 26, 2011 12:00 pm by Sarah Henry
Michael Parayno, Birdland founder.

27 Comments

Print Friendly

Late last year Michael Parayno, the founder of arguably the hippest garage jazz club and barbecue joint in town, was having some serious run-ins with the city — as first reported on Berkeleyside.

Parayno was operating a very popular supper club, then called the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz, out of his Sacramento Street residential address across from North Berkeley BART. Almost 150 people commented on the three posts we wrote about his situation, the vast majority … Continue reading »

Tagged , , , ,

Out in Berkeley: Mo’Fone — distilling the essence of funk

June 30, 2011 6:00 am by Guest contributor
mofone-

Leave a comment

Print Friendly

By Andrew Gilbert

When it comes to funk, less is often more. The band Mo’Fone puts that insight into insistently syncopated practice on just about every piece. Led by El Cerrito drummer Jeremy Steinkoler, Mo’Fone, which performs a late set Friday at Michael Parayno’s singular Birdland Jazzista Social Club, is a stripped down combo featuring Larry De La Cruz on alto sax, clarinet and flute and Jim Peterson on baritone sax and bass clarinet.

Veteran reed players with extensive jazz and R&B credits, they seamlessly shift roles on each tune, sliding from riffing support to propulsive solos. Somehow, the trio captures the kinetic power and sonic punch of a funk horn section and a brass band, but distilled to its essence.

The band’s first album, 2003’s “Surf’s Up,” introduced Steinkoler’s surprisingly effective minimalist concept. As impressive as its full sound was the trio’s intriguing repertoire, which ranged from “Black Market” by the fusion supergroup Weather Report, and “African Market” by South African piano legend Abdullah Ibrahim to Earl King’s Mardi Gras classic “Big Chief.” … Continue reading »

Tagged ,
News

Best of Berkeleyside: This week’s most popular posts

December 18, 2010 6:00 am by Tracey Taylor

Best books of 2010: A Berkeley perspective Sylvia Brownrigg, Linda Schacht Gage, Tomas Moniz, Tom Leonard, Elizabeth Stark, Donna Corbeil, Lance Knobel and Frances Dinkelspiel select their favorite books of the year.
Berkeley block by block: how diverse is the city? The treasure trove of data in the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey reveals much about the make-up — economic, educational, racial — of Berkeley’s neighborhoods.
Berkeley City Council tables WikiLeaks resolution All eyes were on Berkeley on December 15 when its leaders opted to postpone a decision on whether to declare the alleged WikiLeaks leaker a hero.
What next for Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz Club? Our story on Michael Parayno’s underground BBQ-jazz joint, and its threatened closure, prompted many dozens of readers to get in touch to express their support for these wildly popular neighborhood gatherings.
Berkeley bashing: A favorite national sport “Anti-American”, “disloyal”, “a joke”, “nuts” — Berkeley is accustomed to being called all these things and more, but this week saw more vitriol than usual.

Leave a comment

Print Friendly
Tagged

Birdland Jazz and Multi Culti Grill: Update

December 14, 2010 1:50 pm by Sarah Henry
Michael Parayno of Birdland. Photo: Eric Arnold.

14 Comments

Print Friendly

Many Berkeleyside readers have weighed in on the fate of the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz evenings hosted by Michael Parayno out of his garage at 1733 Sacramento Street, across from North Berkeley BART.

Here’s an update:

Last Thursday, December 8, Parayno received a Notice of Violation from the Code Enforcement Unit of the Office of the City Manager.

The document lists eight code violations, including a lack of a special-event permit, loud and unruly gatherings which … Continue reading »

Tagged , , , , ,
Nosh

Must-haves: A couch in the garage, a grill in the driveway

December 13, 2010 10:24 am by Tracey Taylor
Michael Parayno of Birdland. Photo: Eric Arnold.

31 Comments

Print Friendly

On December 10, we published a story by Sarah Henry on Multi Culti Grill Birdland Jazz, an informal BBQ supper club run by Michael Parayno, who is also known for his artisan birdhouses. The city is threatening to close down the Grill for code violations. Many readers left comments on the article expressing their support for the initiative which, they said, has brought a great sense of community to this north Berkeley neighborhood. Mike himself sent in … Continue reading »

What next for the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz club?

December 10, 2010 10:00 am by Sarah Henry
Michael Parayno.

100 Comments

Print Friendly

So Berkeley finally gets a not-so-secret supper club, a down-home version of guerrilla gourmet hipster hangouts in Oakland and San Francisco, but now its future is uncertain.

At press time, the Multi Culti Grill and Birdland Jazz, the city’s only underground BBQ and jazz joint is retreating from its street-front presence in North Berkeley and morphing into the more clandestine Birdland Jazzista Social Club. This, says its founder, is to circumvent city action to shut down the nascent nightclub for code violations – including a lack of a special-event permit.

For those not in the know, the spontaneous community chow and music spot has been a happening Friday night attraction in a converted garage for seven months now.

The brainchild of artist Michael Parayno, better known as the Bird Man for his one-of-a-kind rustic birdhouse creations made from recycled materials, the grill-and-groove venue has been bringing a little cultural nightlife to an otherwise sleepy stretch of Sacramento Street opposite the North Berkeley BART station. … Continue reading »

Tagged , , , , , , ,