The Oakland Blues

San Francisco Buskers

Explore the hidden world of buskers, musicians who play their hearts out for handouts. Brian and Chloe follow three San Francisco buskers through their daily routines and analyze how the public views street performers throughout history.

A Quick Preview: Episode 2

Here's a lightning quick reminder that we're still chugging along on Beats and Measures Episode 2. Coming soon to an app near you!

The Oakland Blues

A world war, a small city, and the largest movement of people in US history. Mix these together, and you’ll get a unique, patchwork style of music. Join us as we pick apart the ingredients of the West Coast Blues. We'll have a look at the epicenter of Oakland's Blues scene during the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, explore the destruction of that scene, and reflect on how history seems to repeat itself.

Season One Trailer

Here's a sneak peak at the first season of Beats and Measures. In our first season, we'll explore the West Oakland Blues scene of the 1940s and '50s, follow some street musicians around the San Francisco Bay Area as they play music for spare change, and hear from Mayan immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala as they tell us about their musical traditions and their lives both before and after coming to the United States. After listening to the trailer, subscribe to our channel to get new episode updates. Episode One comes out September 21st!