Celebrated Bay Area songwriter Chuck Prophet plays Valentine's show at the Chapel

Beloved SF raconteur and guitarist Chuck Prophet plays a special Valentine's set of songs backed by a string quartet at the Chapel Friday night.
Born in the Southern California town of Whittier and raised the Bay Area suburbs, Prophet first came to fame in the mid-1980s after joining the country-influenced neo-psychedelic band Green On Red when the group relocated to Los Angeles from Tuscon, Arizona. The band would record it's landmark Enigma Records effort Gas Food Lodging, earning the group accolades in the U.S. and Europe and a major label deal with Mercury.
While the band continued to receive critical acclaim for the vivid character studies and rootsy country psychedelia heard on 1987's The Killer Inside Me and Stones-flavored Here Come the Snakes two years later, by 1992 the group had called it quits. That freed Prophet up to pursue his solo songwriting career that he started with his first recording Brother Aldo in 1990.
Mixing modern lo-fi sensibilities with his storytelling songs and swampy roots influences, Prophet released a string of celebrated albums during the 1990s including the semi-autobiographical Homemade Blood and the clanking, Tom Waits-tinged The Hurting Business. The songwriter's contemporaries took notice of his skills as a tunesmith, with the likes of Texas punk-roots singer Alejandro Escovedo, rock band Heart and blues great Solomon Burke covering his songs.
Early in the 2000s, Prophet convened the first line-up of his backing band the Mission Express, a crew that drew on some of the finest players in the city. The songwriter continued his solid hitting streak, releasing more critically lauded albums such as the eclectic Soap and Water in 2007 and his more recent triumphs like the historical San Francisco travelogue Temple Beautiful in 2012 and the character-driven Night Surfer two years later.
The gifted guitarist released his acclaimed effort Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins on Yep Roc Records in 2017, earning another round of ecstatic reviews. Self-described by Prophet as "California noir," the songs on the collection ruminate on mortality whether lamenting SFPD officer-involved shooting victim "Alex Nieto" or paying respects to David Bowie and other passed legends on "Bad Year For Rock And Roll."
While his most recent recording for Yep Rock -- entitled The Land That Time Forgot -- came out in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, Prophet has maintained a steady pace of activity with online and in-person concerts showcasing the evocative new tunes including the wistful lament "High As Johnny Thunders" and the pointed salvo directed at former President Trump, "Get Off the Stage."
Prophet has also been performing as part of the Casual Coalition, a collective of Bay Area all-stars including members of Mother Hips, Phil Lesh & Friends and Stu Allen and the Mars Hotel playing music from Bob Dylan's landmark late '60s recordings with the Band that eventually saw partial release in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. The ensemble appeared at the Huichica Music Festival in 2019 and has reconvened for a number of local performances since.
Prophet made a sobering announcement last year when he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma and was undergoing treatment. While the diagnosis forced the singer to cancel a number of shows, he returned to the live stage this past summer, delivering the kind of performances that have made him a Northern California institution. Late last year, Prophet and the Mission Express also released their first proper live document, a fiery 2LP recording of a concert in Paris showcasing the songwriter's later work that was originally only available as a CD sold on tour in Europe.
This past October, the songwriter released a new album for Yep Rock that stands as a major stylistic departure: a collaboration with cumbia group ¿Qiensave? entitled Wake the Dead. Formed from jam sessions with the group in their hometown of Salinas during his lymphoma recovery, the songs heard on Wake the Dead run the gamut from sharp social commentary ("In the Shadows (For Elon)" and "Sally Was a Cop") to Prophet's trademark vivid, character-driven tales of loss and redemption ("Sugar into Water" and "First Came the Thunder"), closing with the heartfelt celebrations of survival "It's a Good Day to Be Alive." Recorded live with ¿Qiensave? and augmented by members of the Mission Express the album has earned the songwriter some of the best reviews of his illustrious career. The songwriter showcased the tunes with his new ensemble the Cumbia Shoes for a sold-out show at the Chapel late last year.
For this special Valentine's Day show, Prophet and a stripped-down trio featuring his wife and longtime bandmate Stephanie Finch (vocals/keyboards) and drummer Vincente Rodriguez reprise their live collaboration with the Make Out Quartet for the second year in a row. Prophet revisited songs from The Land That Time Forgot in 2021, featuring the same string section on a live EP that was recorded and filmed at SF Mission District bar the Make Out Room.
The Friday show at the Chapel with Prophet performing a career spanning set with the same trio plus strings format, putting a cinematic twist on some of his greatest hits before he and his band head across the Atlantic for a UK tour. The group will also be playing a seated sold-out show on Saturday night at the HopMonk Tavern in Novato.

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• Los Angeles Times

Escape from reality with ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter' this weekend

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Buzz Feed

31-05-2025

• Buzz Feed

Funny And Relatable Tweets About Airport Security

Airport security is no doubt a very serious matter. TSA checkpoints and guidelines are in place to keep us all safe as we fly. But as the rules and technology have evolved, the passenger experience going through security has inevitably led to some hilarious moments. The funny folks of Twitter think so, anyway. We've rounded up 31 funny and relatable tweets about the airport security process, from strange searches to bizarre passenger behavior and more. to the woman who took a bite out of her chapstick in the airport security line: why you did that — Kristen Arnett (@Kristen_Arnett) November 21, 2018 i dont simply go through airport security. i have a goal. i want everyone in line to be blown away by my efficiency. i want to be celebrated as i push my belongings across the table. i want TSA to offer me a job (i'll decline). i want people talking about me at their gate. glory. — shelby wolstein (@ShelbyWolstein) April 26, 2022 I think when I finally die and go to hell its just going to be a constant loop of waiting in the airport security line hungover — Jamie Fline (@allidois_flynn) September 2, 2019 I hope the TSA agent who made me open my sandwich and 'move the pickles around' feels super stupid. In the end it was a sandwich. — Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) September 19, 2022 TSA agent: do you have anything in your back pockets? me: nah girl that's all me — tracy clayton jr the 3rd (@brokeymcpoverty) November 9, 2017 The most zen place in the airport is the 'get your shit together' bench after going through security — Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) January 13, 2019 TSA Agent: Anything sharp or dangerous in here? Me: Only if you fear the written word 😏 😏 *finger guns* TSA: 😐 Me: 😬 TSA: 🤨 Me: No, ma'am, nothing sharp or dangerous. — Lesley Nneka Arimah (@larimah) March 29, 2018 Since they're scanning me anyway, sometimes I wish airport security would just tell me how my bone density is doing — Atsuko Okatsuka (@AtsukoComedy) March 29, 2018 I can help you get through airport security 30% faster - just get in any line other than the one I am in. — 〰 Just Linda 〰 (@LindaInDisguise) December 7, 2017 can't stop thinking about the time I watched a woman try to put her dog through the airport security scanner and the tsa agent picked it up and was like 'ma'am no' — sloane (sîpihkopiyesîs) (@cottoncandaddy) July 1, 2019 TSA checking baggages the day before Valentine's: — ✨️💫🖤Beloved🖤💫✨️ (@MoonGoddess_86) February 7, 2022 TSA: Girl [with pierced nipples]: sorry I have my nipples pierced TSA: the metal detector didn't even go off- Girl: it didn't even hurt as much as you'd think — 1984's George Whorewell (@EwdatsGROSS) April 4, 2019 TSA just unpacked a man's bag and revealed it was 50% potatoes, is there no privacy in this world — worms cited (@christapeterso) May 23, 2021 Avoided saying 'You too' after the TSA guy told me to have a nice flight — Elspeth Eastman (@ElspethEastman) December 7, 2017 Me: Excuse me sir, can you please forward my X-ray and breast exam results to my doctor Airport security:... — Saucy Kensington (@Book_Krazy) August 11, 2014 just used TSA PreCheck for the first time & now this is a pic of me — Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) October 24, 2017 ppl who go through airport security w naked, unsocked feet: HOW??!!! y'all just put your feet on the lil yellow things and soak up the foot juices of THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE??? — tracy clayton jr the 3rd (@brokeymcpoverty) September 9, 2019 tsa agent: sorry you can only board with 3.4 oz of liquid or less me: ok just toss it out then Kool Aid Man: *dressed in tommy bahama* babe what — jo (@whatsJo) November 27, 2021 me before going through security at airport: what if i accidentally have a gun — Natalie (@jbfan911) June 21, 2019 Probably the hottest thing a person can do is move efficiently through the TSA security line. — Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) February 28, 2015 Apparently when TSA asks if you have any fluids, "In my bladder" is not an appropriate response. — Fishy Snowboarder (@FishySnowborder) April 6, 2014

Elle

29-05-2025

• Elle

Jessica Biel on Her New Wine, 'The Better Sister,' and Being a Boy Mom

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Jessica Biel is standing at a place called Pocket Peak in Sonoma County, California, surrounded by golden hour light, verdant canopied vines and tilled dirt trails. The crystal embellishments on her black tweed Chanel bomber are glinting; the stained-glass sun is filling her hazel eyes. The multi-hyphenate star might be launching a brand new streaming series, The Better Sister, but right now she's in town to celebrate the launch of a new wine called Prophet + Poet, on which she has partnered with her brother and sister-in-law, Justin and Rose Biel, the renowned winemaker Jesse Katz, and Ariel and Chris Jackson (you've likely heard of Kendall-Jackson wines, a product of their family's). 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Prophet + Poet's first run–all vintages from 2021–will tally only 900 cases total, with pricetags to match (these bottles' stickers start in the hundreds of dollars). 'This whole process has made me really understand why wine moves people so much,' Biel adds as we step into the vines to snap some photos. 'It becomes such a big part of so many people's stories.' She mentions loving Super Tuscans, which she first discovered with Timberlake during their travels to Italy. Biel has had a busy few days: she had been making press rounds for The Better Sister in New York City just 36 hours earlier. She then jetted home to Bozeman, Montana, to pack and regroup before flying into California. Coinciding with Biel's wine launch, Timberlake would soon perform at BottleRock, the increasingly popular Napa-based music festival located about thirty minutes from where we're standing. (While the musician was originally supposed to meet us at Pocket Peak, he stayed at the hotel with the couple's two kids, Silas and Phineas.) The Better Sister is an adaptation of a bestselling book by the same title, which was written by Alafair Burke and released in 2019. It's a stylish thriller about a troubled family, tracking, in particular, the dynamic between two very different siblings: the seemingly put-together and polished Chloe, played by Biel, and the messier Nicky, played by Elizabeth Banks. There's murder (Chloe's husband, Adam, is found dead), there's deception, there's suspense and there's beautiful real estate–from the trailer, the series' aesthetic appears to deliver a glossy, Big Little Lies-esque sheen. (Another point: Biel and Banks are executive producers on The Better Sister too, via their respective companies Iron Ocean and Brownstone Productions.) 'Secrets upon secrets upon lies upon truths,' says Biel about the storyline. 'That's what I was drawn to with this project. There's this thing between a perfect persona with an Instagram-able life, and then something completely different going on behind the scenes and inside the home. And then Chloe starts to show some really dark attributes. You see some really strange decisions. I thought, 'How do we keep her likable? How does an audience follow that? Is it even possible?'' Biel also credits the show's great writing, led by co-showrunners Olivia Milch and Regina Corrado, with her decision to get on board. 'Normally I'm in much earlier,' she says of her production work. 'This came at a little bit of a later stage. All the scripts had already been written. Of course, we talked about a few things and made some changes, and adjusted some things in post. But it was really, really solid from the moment I saw it.' Biel says she enjoyed working with Banks. 'She is amazing. She's such a boss, she does everything–she directs and produces and acts and writes, and I thought I did a lot. She does everything, and she's exactly who she is. Plus, she finds humor in everything.' The duo bonded beyond the screen, too: they're both the mothers of two sons. 'Being a boy mom is a thing,' she says, laughing. 'You can look at another mom who has boys and you just know what she's been through. You know she got hit in the head with a toy, then told she had a bad idea, then told that lunch was awful, they told 'I love you,' then given a hug.' The sun is starting to fall behind a faraway ridge, casting a deep and dark purple wash over the valley. Our group has started tasting Prophet + Poet's chardonnays inside. Biel looks out to the jagged horizon: Even though The Better Sister takes things to an extreme, she concludes there is identifiability–and maybe even threads of a cautionary tale–between her character and reality. 'I think we can all relate to this idea of presenting a certain version of ourselves,' she says. 'It's topical. And, really… it's human.' Watch The Better Sister on Prime Video