From overgrown houses in north Oakland, Trails and Ways make guitar pop, thick with warm noise, driving beats, four voices, and the open chords of bossanova. Take college commune roommates, have them live for stints in Brazil and Spain, bring them home together carrying the sparks of songs, and see

  Fresh off their Pacific tour, Oakland’s Trails and Ways is a band built on plurality. Their songs never shy away from personal and political heavy-lifting, while making some of the most compelling pop music we’ve heard in some time. The sound they cultivated is a fascinating mix of the melancholy of

As 2024 winds down, we’re reflecting on another incredible year of sharing the stories, art, culture, and nightlife that make the Bay Area so unique. BrokeAssStuart.com wouldn’t be what it is without you—our community of readers, supporters, and believers in independent media. This year, instead of asking you to join Patreon

Every week we feature a different person from the community shedding a little light on their life of brokeitude. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something about the human spirit — probably not.