From busking in the BART stations to playing big music festivals, The California Honeydrops have come a really long way. Meet the Honeydrops' drummer and co-founder, Ben Malament, and hear him talk about some of his earliest musical inspirations while growing up in L.A. before forming the band. Ben's Selections: "Clash City Rockers" - The Clash (1978) "Simmer Down" - The Wailers (1963) "El Chacombo" - Arturo "Zambo" Cavero "Do Whatcha Wanna (Part 2)" - The Rebirth Brass Band (1989) "Open Your Eyes" - Bobby Caldwell (1980)

What kind of music motivates Daniel Handler (otherwise known as children's book author Lemony Snicket) to write bestsellers? In our first episode of 2026, the novelist behind A Series of Unfortunate Events talks about his fondness for obscure movie soundtrack cues, classical music, and songs that provide space for the imagination. Daniel's Selections: "Petition Montage" - David Newman (Heathers soundtrack, 1989) "String Quartet # 8 III. Allegretto" - Dmitri Shostakovich "Camaraderie at Arms Length" - The Caretaker (2011) "The Directories" - Howard Shore (Spotlight soundtrack, 2015) "Night Gang" - Tortoise (2025)

Our annual end-of-year post-mortem episode is here, and boy do we have feelings about this past year! Hear Kate, Pam, and Brian try to make sense of life in 2025 with their singular song selections. Plus, we talk about Bay happenings that gave us hope, and in honor of Select Five's fifth anniversary, we shout out some of the amazing things our past guests have accomplished this year. Select Five 2025 Selections: Little Simz - Free/2025 (Brian's pick) Natural Information Society - Perseverance Flow/2025 (Pam's pick) Grateful Dead - Touch of Gray/1987 (Kate's Selection) Jwalt - Ballers Ballad/2025 Tower of Power - So Very Hard To Go/1973 Listen to our playlist to hear the songs we talked about plus many others we loved in 2025

Decadent menu + DJ booth = house dinner party vibes every night of the week at Side A, San Francisco's hottest hi-fi bistro. In our latest episode we talk to Side A co-owner Caroline Brown about her transformation from music industry maven to restauranteur, how she still makes time for her own vinyl DJ gigs, and five songs that feed her soul. Caroline's Selections: Prince - 17 Days (Piano & A Microphone 1983 version) Pull Up To The Bumper - Grace Jones (1981) Sight For Sore Eyes - M People (1994) Ode To The Dance Floor - Niki & The Dove (2016) Hold On - Stephane Sévérac (1987)

The multi-talented MicahTron is a rapper, producer, writer and DJ who has performed around the globe. But she still stays grounded in the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community and uses her superpowers to amplify queer voices. In this episode, Micah highlights five of her favorite queer artists of the moment, while reflecting on her own journey as a queer hip-hop performer born and raised in San Francisco. BONUS: we'll get an exclusive first listen of her latest track, "Blood Suckers", coming out in November! Micah's Selections: Wifey Riddim - Shygirl, ft. Jorja Smith & Sadboi (2025) KFC Santeria - Cain Culto (2025) Introvert - Cat Burns (2024) Soft Spot - JMSN (2023) Am I Ok? - Hugo de la Lune (2025)

Meet Zully Adler, the Director of Further Triennial, the founder of Goaty Tapes, and a longtime curator and historian of modern art and music. A consummate digger, Zully is known for unearthing rare musical gems on cassettes he finds in flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores and other odd corners of Northern California. In this episode, he pieces together the story of the Lost Coast's underground musical counterculture through five stylistically diverse, unheard recordings by little known artists--otherwise known as "visionary music." (Photo by Bryson Malone) Zully's Selections: Untitled/Unreleased - Darrell Devore (1980) "Sister Moon" - Lorin Grean (1990) "Electric Piano, Vibraphone, Percussion And Rain" - Craig Kupka (1979) "Song Without Words" - Planetary Peace (1980) "Tahoe" - Rex Johnson & Friends (1975) Purchase the Lost Coast album from Goaty Tapes

This summer we took a little break from our normal routine to hit the music books! In this episode, Pam, Brian, and Kate reconvene to report back on their summer reading and whether these stories are worth your time. Our Summer Book Selections: The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond by Chris Blackwell I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine by Daniel Levitin The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are by Tariq Trotter (Black Thought) A Chance to Harmonize: How FDR's Hidden Music Unit Sought to Save America from the Great Depression―One Song at a Time by Sheryl Kaskowitz Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir by Sly Stone

Jordan Kurland is a partner in Noise Pop Industries and the co-founder and partner of Brilliant Corners Artist Management. As a band manager, Jordan works with the likes of Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service, Toro y Moi, The New Pornographers, Perfume Genius, and Soccer Mommy. So he’s played a huge role in ushering in some of the biggest indie rock acts of the day, but he’s also an obsessive jazz fan and record collector. In this episode, Jordan selects five heady, funky, and esoteric jazz recordings that speak to his deep knowledge and the expansiveness of his collection. And along the way, we’ll learn about the nuts and bolts of being a band manager to the stars, the educated guesswork of new artist development, and the joys and challenges of record collecting in the digital age. (Photo by Andrew Paynter) Jordan’s Selections: "Summertime" - Ahmed Abdul-Malik (1963) "Moon Dance" - Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra (1963) "The Minstrel" - Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble (1967) "Prints Tie" - Bobby Hutcherson & Harold Land (1971) "Edges of Illusion" - John Surman (1979)

Cats may dominate his life, but Adam Myatt -- aka The Catman of West Oakland -- is also a working audio engineer and a longtime musician who somehow makes time for it all. Meowzers, it's a lot! In this special episode, we visit the Catman in his personal studio and mixing space, Hand Me Down Recording, to find out about his wild journey to becoming the Bay Area's most famous cat rescuer, how his musical projects play a role in his cat-centric life, and the local community of musicians he actively supports. Adam's Selections: "Living The Dream" - James & Evander (2012) "One Pacifico Swing" - Hoodcats (2012) "Swaying in Debris" - Professor Mum (2024) "Sandwiches" - Daniel Lee Diemidio (2025) "Chariots of Fur" - Ambient Mewsic (from the album Music for Cats to Nap To/2025)

It’s not often that you get to meet your favorite musicians—unless you’re Walter Thompson. Walter is a San Francisco-based tech journalist, writer, and the host/creator of the Fund/Build/Scale podcast. He’s also had the good fortune to have met many music stars throughout his life. In this episode Walter talks us through five songs that bring to mind his most interesting encounters, and along the way we learn about his childhood love of great pop composers, his brief residence at Burt Bacharach’s Long Island motor lodge, the importance of having a “Cool Aunt” in the family, and what it was really like to work for Thomas Dolby.Walter's Selections:Dionne Warwick - "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (1969)Claude Bolling & Jean-Pierre Rampal - "Baroque and Blue" (1975)Thomas Dolby - "Screen Kiss" (1984)Public Enemy - "Bring The Noise" (1988)Luscious Jackson - "Ladyfingers" (1999)Listen to our previous episode with Walter here

In our first offering of 2025, we’re honored to travel the proverbial spaceways with astrologer Isa Nakazawa, host of the podcast Stars and Stars with Isa. Every week Isa sits down with an interesting celebrity to read their birth chart, and a fascinating discussion about their life's purpose ensues. In this episode, she discusses music as a gateway to her astrology practice and five songs that fuel her passion for cosmic exploration and interpretation.Isa's Selections:"Door of the Cosmos" - Sun Ra (1979)"Virgo" - Meshell Ndegeocello (2023)"Venus As a Boy" - Björk (1993)"Scorpio" - Nat Adderly Sextet/Rick Holmes/Cannonball Adderly (1972)"Space 8" - Nala Sinephro (2021)Listen to new episodes of Stars and Stars with Isa every week

From heavy hitter new releases to quirky under-the-radar selections, we humbly looks back at the music that left the biggest impression on us in 2024. In the final episode of this tumultuous year, Team Select Five waxes on about the songs that marked our moments of personal grief and milestones of professional growth ... or just plain got us singing at the top of our lungs driving solo in the car.Kate's Selections:"Jolene" - Beyonce (2024)"Summer in the City" - Quincy Jones (1973)"Nightclubbing" - Grace Jones (1981)"My Girl" - The Temptations (1965)"Freedom ‘90" - George Michael (1990)Brian’s Selections:"We’re On Our Way" - Common & Pete Rock (2024)"Soul Bossa Nova" - Quincy Jones (1962)"Say" - Rosie Lowe & Duval Timothy (2021)"The Dress" - Dijon (2021)"Going Back To VA" - Pharrell Williams (2024)Pam's Selections:"Alone" - The Cure (2024)"On The Beach" - Neil Young (1974)"Que Pasa/Me No Pop I" - Coati Mundi (1981)"The Last Year" - Jessica Pratt (2024)"Raining in Manila" - Lola Amour (2023)Listen to our year-ender playlist with all the songs we talked about in the episode + many more that got us through 2024

November’s been a rough month! Fortunately Team Select Five was able to take a field trip to Sierra Meadows, a cool glamping resort near Yosemite National Park, where we found a little peace of mind. Pam, Kate, and Brian joined about 50 other people at a private retreat focused on creativity and community, in which every attendee contributed to the weekend programming by sharing knowledge, teaching a craft, putting on a performance, or volunteering for the event. It was the perfect opportunity to do a live podcast taping with a group of bright, open-minded folks! So instead of doing our usual thing of talking to one guest about five songs, we decided to be as inclusive as possible by talking to as many people as we could. What resulted was five discussions with five volunteer guests: college English professor Tara Lockhart, tech journalist Walter Thompson, composer Stacy Fahrion, musician Scott Manke, and Ty, an ad tech exec. Whether it was a personal anthem or a tune that helped them through their grief, each one of our guests shared one life-affirming song of their choosing, taking the conversation to wildly different places and reminding us of the power of music to create meaningful human connections. Photo courtesy of Eric Slomanson Selector 1: Tara Lockhart Tinariwen - “Iswegh Attay” Selector 2: Walter Thompson Paul Weller - “Hung Up” Selector 3: Stacy Fahrion Michael Harrison - “Vision in the Desert” Selector 4: Ty Diddy & Faith Hill - “I’ll Be Missing You” Selector 5: Scott Manke Boston - “Peace of Mind”

When your sense of home is divided between two countries, it can have a profound effect on how you relate to the world and everything you create. Such is the case with nic feliciano. nic is an artist-performer-writer-musician-cook who was born in the Philippines but is now based in Berkeley. Whether it’s feeding people in the streets with her food hustle, Sup Streetfood, or making plays at her beloved home theater, Bindlestiff Studios, nic’s art is always inspired and informed by her experiences in both the Filipino diaspora and the homeland. In this episode nic and Pam have a deep discussion about progressive youth culture in Manila and beyond, and the new(ish) bangers from younger-gen Filipino artists that nic is really feeling. nic’s five selections: 1. “Sige” - Sliz 2. “Sayang You Wasted My Time” - Nouvul, Baby Freeze 3. “Neneng B” - Nik Makino 4. “Kultura” - Kanta Kanta 5. “Tiw Tiw - Budots” - DJ Love Photo by Been Milky Listen to nic's full playlist featuring the above songs + many more! Catch nic on stage in "Thirty Six" (a play by Leah Nanako Winkler, directed by Michelle Talgarow) at Shotgun Players at the Ashby Stage, running November 22 - December 22

Mike Cochran - aka Maitre D - is a Bay Area DJ and a prolific beatmaker who's been crafting hip-hop and R&B tracks for nearly two decades (producing credits include Jidenna, Sadat X, Wordsworth and Guilty Simpson). When he's behind the decks, he can rock any party with his creative open format sets full of original remixes and blends. But one of his favorite gigs of late is playing at Motown on Mondays parties across the country. In this episode, Maitre D pays respect to five Motown covers that take us in all kinds of directions - from reggae to Moog-heavy, to psychedelic. Maitre D's Selections: Vanilla Fudge - You Keep Me Hanging On Donnie Hathaway - What's Goin' On The Jay Boys - Can't Get Next To You Hugo Montenegro - You've Got It Bad Girl Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Never Can Say Goodbye Check out Maitre D's Motown edits Find him on Instagram More about Motown on Mondays parties

What does it take to make a living as a dancer? Just ask Paymaneh "Bibi" Khalili. A stalwart of the Bay Area hip-hop dance community, Bibi is the founder of DAM Events, a mixed arts showcase that gives up-and-coming talent the opportunity to strut their stuff. She's also a choreographer in her own right, having taught performance workshops, directed dance teams, and served as a judge for local hip-hop dance competitions. In this episode we talk about some of the legendary choreographers who influenced Bibi, the struggles of being a career dancer, and the songs that helped kick off her lifelong love of performing. Bibi's Selections: Fatima Robinson (Choreographer) - Michael Jackson/"Remember the Time" Tina Landon (Choreographer) - Janet Jackson/"If" Jay-Z (feat. Amil & Ja Rule) - "Can I Get A ..." Basement Jaxx - "Breakaway" Pharrell feat. Gwen Stefani - "Can I Have It Like That? (Remix)" Listen to Bibi's playlist Find out about the next DAM Event

Celebrate the sounds of The Town with journalist Liam O’Donoghue, the host and producer of the popular local history podcast, East Bay Yesterday. Liam's show routinely covers the rich and underexplored tales of the East Bay's past, whether it's a deep dive into Emeryville's former "Rotten City" reputation, or a story about the long gone mass transit Key System that pre-dated BART and AC Transit. When he's not reporting on East Bay lore, Liam is also a music nerd and a DJ. In this episode he combines his love of history and music by taking us on an audio tour of Oakland's different musical eras through five special songs, spanning from mid-century West Coast jazz to warehouse party music.Liam's Selections: The Dave Brubeck Quartet - "Take Five" Gene Russell - "Black Orchid" Souls of Mischief - "'93 til Infinity" Keak Da Sneak - "Super Hyphy (Thizz Remix)" The Younger Lovers - "The Ballad of Two Stubborn Men"Listen to these songs and so many more on Liam’s extended playlist of Oakland Jams!Subscribe to East Bay Yesterday

As the co-host of "Forum" on KQED Public Radio and a writer for the Atlantic, journalist Alexis Madrigal often reports on big ideas and urgent stories that affect the Bay Area and the world. But in his spare time, he loves running, gardening, and 70’s funk and disco. In our latest episode, Alexis talks about a wide-ranging selection of five tunes he holds dear from his past and present—from P-Funk, to Norwegian Jazz, to Latin Hip-Hop. Along the way, we’ll learn about how his Dad’s record collection got him through his post-college malaise, the song that gets him in a book-writing mood, and his deep appreciation of music and art borne out of colonial occupation and resistance. Alexis's Selections: Funkadelic - "One Nation Under a Groove" Gato Barbieri - "Encuentros" Daniel Herskedal - "The Mistral Noir" La Dame Blanche - "Veneno" Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - "Temple" Catch Alexis on KQED’s Forum Listen to his Containers podcast series Learn more about his forthcoming book

February 2024 marks five whole years since Bar Shiru first opened to the public, and we are eternally grateful for the creative partnership of its owners, Dan Gahr and Shirin Raza Gahr. To mark this special occasion, we gathered a few Select Five friends and supporters to the bar and recorded our very first episode in front of a live audience!

We're honored to kick off 2024 with the esteemed Cheryl Dunye, a world-renowned filmmaker and director of episodic television. Cheryl's work includes the groundbreaking 1996 film The Watermelon Woman, which is part of the permanent cinema collection at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and was added to the Criterion Collection in 2023. She's also directed episodes of The Umbrella Academy, Bridgerton, and Queen Sugar, among many other shows. Born in Liberia and raised in Philly, Cheryl is now rooted in the Town’s vibrant filmmaking community, having founded Jingletown Films, an Oakland-based production company. Hear her talk about five of her favorite tunes of the moment, the emotional places they take her, and the big wide cinematic possibilities that music can open up.